In plain words
Where was He born?
Born in the village of Patri, dwelling in Dvārakāmāyi, the God who grants what devotees desire: to Sāinātha I bow.
The village where Shirdi Bābā was born is Patri. Where is this village called Patri? A small village in Aurangabad district. He was born in this village, into a poor brāhmin family. But for many reasons the parents were parted from this child. This child fell into the hands of a fakir. That fakir brought Him up for some time. Then he placed Him in the hands of one called Gopālrāv Deśmukh. He had another name too, ‘Venkusā’. He was a very great scholar. A great jñāni. So all the people gave him a title. ‘Venkusā.’ His name was not Venkusā. His real name was Gopālrāv Deśmukh. With him too Bābā grew up for some time. But it was not His nature to stay settled in one place. From there, in 1854, He reached the village of Shirdi. And there Mahalsāpati saw Him. As He was entering the temple of that village: ‘This one, whoever He is, looks like a fakir. He looks like a Muslim. He must not enter a Hindu temple’: and he drove the boy back. Then He sat down under a neem tree outside the village. At that time He was sixteen years old. What this lad's name was, what His village was, no one knew. Even when anyone asked, He would give no answer. If anyone asked, ‘Which village are you from, sir?’ He would say, ‘What business have you with My village?’ If asked, ‘What is your name?’ He would say, ‘What business is there with a name?’ Because He answered in this way, no one could learn His village or His name. He stayed there for some time. All the villagers there came to Him and went away freed of stomach aches and other bodily pains. He would take some leaf or other, crush it well, and give it to them to eat. ‘Eat this, your pain will go,’ He would say. Through His doing this, many people went away cured of their illnesses.