How do the phrases like, "surrender to thy lotus feet", "Sai, you are my God and I am your servant", "Baba, take care of me, protect me and guide me" sound to a stranger not quite aware of what devotion is or the benefit one derives from his Sadguru?

Pretense of virtue? Falsehood? Hypocrisy? Well, the list goes on for someone who has not felt the necessity for faith, completely ignoring the fact that faith is inherent to human spirit, in some form or the other. Do not we sit happily in a flying airplane that is under the control of someone we probably have not seen or would never meet? Nevertheless, when the question of accepting the Guru that walks like us, talks like us, and apparently does not look different from us arise, the "logical" human mind questions itself. Moreover, it tries to categorize the faithful as hypocrites!

So, should one blindly follow someone or something although not quite sure of its benefits? Or, is it necessary to involve in a pursuit that has no immediately tangible consequences? Unfortunately, the logical human mind can not comprehend an aspiration that has no quantifiable dividend! However, habits good for us most often have a bad start. How many children rise at dawn willingly? Do we like to gulp a bitter pill happily? We, just do it! Very few fortunates experience the perennial bliss without asking much for it. Some are sensitive enough to question the apparent discrepancies felt in the world and this will lead to the realization of the absolute. Pained by the unfortunate events and incidents, some resort to that power with the hope of solace. For most of the comfortable, the pursuit of Sadguru falls low in its priority, not knowing that the comforts are just the consequence of Karma. So, should one think and contemplate on Sadguru even if he/she does not feel it a priority, or is not convinced of its purpose, or thinks of it as a form of hypocrisy? Do we really have no time for Sai at least for a few minutes a day or for Sai satsangs once a while? Just as we think vegetables or bitter pills as beneficial to our body, contemplating on Sai teachings and participating in Sai Satsang is beneficial to our soul. The benefit of our lifetime and perhaps more. Just do it!
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Experiences of Devotees

Raghu Ram Koka

Sai devotees, I have been regular reader of Sai Newsletter for the past one year. This is first time I am writing personally to the site, after reading the sorry state of Dr.K.V. Raghava Rao. In the experiences of devotees section Dr. Raghava Rao's service is described and in next section his current sickness. This is intriguing. In fact I am from Hyderabad and want to meet Mr. Raghava Rao. Can anyone please give his address/contact? The experience quoted is similar to our father's experience last week. His eye operation was planned for last week but could not be done. Doctors gave some technical reasons. Then we consulted another doctor. He fixed the operation on this Thursday (this happened very naturally). Again yesterday, the doctor found that in previous operation attempt the injection was given at wrong place. Now again the operation is taking place tomorrow i.e., Saturday. I cannot interpret anything but felt that the experience is somewhat similar to that given in the newsletter. I honestly and whole-heartedly pray to Baba that let the two souls (my father and Mr. Raghava Rao) recover well from the operation and sickness respectively and bless them with good health so that they can consciously keep trying to reach him. I also request other Baba devotees to pray for my father K.Narayana Rao and Mr. K.V.Raghava Rao.

(Dear Sri Raghuram, as reported in the last issue of Sai Vichaar, Dr. K.V. Raghava Rao is not amongst us physically any more. Sai Vichaar joins other Sai devotees in praying to Sadguru Sainath for the speedy recovery of Sri K. Narayana Rao - Sai Vichaar)
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Sai Activities

Shirdi Sai Sansthan, Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Shirdi Sai Sansthan successfully celebrated Mahasamadhi Day on the 19th October. We had almost two hundred devotees. We sang the Dhoop Aarti followed by 'reading' about Sri Baba. Then we sang bhajans. We ended with aarti and Shej aarti followed by prasad. This is our second year now. As Sai Vichaar readers must be aware, the Shirdi Sai devotees' community in Sydney is planning to have the first Sai temple in Australia, by Baba's Grace. Our Sai Sansthan has been officially granted a tax exemption status. So now tax exemptions will be granted to those who make donations. We request devotees around the world to participate in our venture and contribute, in whatever capacity they can, to this worthy cause. Donations can be made payable to "Shree Shirdi Sai Sansthan Sydney Charitable Foundation". Receipts will be promptly sent. Any queries may please be directed to :- rsai@nettrade.com.au the checks can be mailed to : - Mrs Shailaja Divakarla, 7-A Day Road, Cheltenham , NSW 2119 Australia. Please remember to enclose your address so that the receipt can be mailed promptly.

About Sri Shirdi SAI Sansthan Sydney
In November 1997 a small group of dedicated devotees met in a small community hall to discuss the possibility of building a Shirdi SAI temple in Sydney. Beginning from the first successful Guru Poornima celebrations, which saw an amazing turnout of a hundred people the turnout at the Kirtans started to increase and in March 1999 the society was formally registered. The task before its founders is uphill as they now proceed with trying to organize the establishment of a temple. Our mission: Many will question the purpose of building this temple when they are many such Hindu temples and Baba is present in all of them. The answer is simple. IF there is one thing unique about Shirdi SAI Baba he bestows the freedom in his devotees to worship in any form and way. This temple will stand for that freedom, the succor to all devotees seeking respite from their worldly problems and materialism. Baba always said, "If you look to me I will look to you". In truth, it is not the Sansthan building, the temple, it is Baba who has decided to grace Sydney. It is Baba who wants to provide his devotees a place where they can sing his praises to joy and where they can open their hearts out to him and experience his miracles. We hope to get good support from the Sai Brethren all over the world. May Sai bless everyone. Om Sai Sri Sai Jai Jai SaI

Sri Shirdi Sai Charitable Dispensary, Rajahmundry, AP, India.
Badari Vadlamani, USA
I am really happy that SAIMAATA gave me a chance to serve his lotus feet by spreading this message. Sri Sai Rama Samithi is a SAI charitable trust started in 1990 at Rajahmundry, A.P., India with a good cause to serve poor people providing basic needs to them. They were involved in providing food, education, to the needy people with the help of contributions from SAI devotees and SAIMAATA. To extend their service to human kind, they started Sri Shirdi Sai Charitable Dispensary in August 1998. This dispensary was started to provide free medical facilities to the poor and needy people. Dr. K. Veerraju and Dr. N. Venkata Rao voluntarily came forward to extend their free services and guidance for poor and needy patients. In addition to providing free services and medicines, they are helping financially to run this dispensary. In addition to the above-mentioned doctors, specialists who are staunch devotees of Saimaata extend their free services to the needy people. Several people suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) are approaching this dispensary for treatment. Most of the times, TB requires prolonged and expensive treatment. They are trying to serve these needy patients with their limited resources. I earnestly request all Sai devotees of this world to give a helping hand by generously contributing to this charitable dispensary which is helping several needy patients. SAIMAATA gives a better life to everyone that is generous enough by contributing at least his or her one-day salary to this noble cause. I request all Sai devotees to send checks payable to the following address. Sri R. Bapanaiah, President, Sri Sai Rama Samithi, 16- 4 -3, Opp. Sai Baba Temple, Sri Rama Nagar, Near AP Paper Mills, Rajahmundry - East Godavari District, A.P. India.
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Prayer Club

Mrs. Harsha Dave
I plead with all to pray for my eldest sister who had collapsed on last Friday and was unconscious up to yesterday. Now that she has regained consciousness but there is no reaction at all from her! She just stares blankly at everyone. She's an acute diabetic patient together with other diabetic-related ailments, and she also is a patient of hole in the heart! I pray to SAIBABA that she gets well and that she is able to live life normally and she now has control of her self and is able to help herself. I also pray to SAIBABA to help her bear with all her sufferings of ill health in life! I really feel sorry for my sister as she has been ill since she was a child! May SAIBABA bless us all!

A Sai devotee
Jai Sai Ram, Pranams to thy lotus feet Sai Nath. I am ever so debted to Sai Vichar I get every Thursday. I literally look forward to it every week. My sincere request to you is please, please, please can you sincerely pray for my family who is in Kenya going through an extremely difficult patch? My father helped his brothers financially & in every possible way he could help being the eldest. Now all his brothers have turned against him & are trying to ruin him financially, physically & morally. My father risked his house as a security against his brother's business & lent his brother a lot of money. His brother is refusing to return his house nor is he prepared to return the borrowed money. In return, his children are suffering too. My father is so depressed that we are all worried he might do something. Please pray that what is truly his should come back to him. Sai Ram.

Kandasamy Rajah
Sai Ram Brothers/Sisters, I very humbly request you all Sai Devotees who go through this website every Thursday to pray to our Beloved Sadguru Sainath for solving my difficulties and my problems. I am undergoing very difficult and bad period due to my past or present karma. Our beloved Sadguru has declared that all the tests and tribulations are to evaluate our spiritual progress. But anyhow to reduce the agony of my problems and difficulties I very humbly plead you all my beloved Sai devotees to pray our Loving Lord Sai to save and shower his divine blessings on me to overcome all the difficulties and hardships I am now experiencing. Jai Sai Ram.
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Devotees Say

Prasad Kunigiri
The Importance of Complete Trust in Guru/God

One who trusts in God completely will not fear for what ever happens in his life. One, who completely understands God, knows that nothing happens without the order of God and what ever happens is for our good only. Even though most of us, who are in the spiritual path know about this, still keep worrying about some thing or the other that is happening or going to happen, because it is hard to practice the concept of God's omnipresence. SadGuru said I am every where and I am in you. If you remove your name and physical form, the remaining is me. If one sees God in every body then he won’t worry that something may happen to him because of the other as no body can do anything with out the order of God. As Bhagavath Gita says, one who will not loose consciousness in the happy moments and who will not worry in case of troubles is called Stithapragna, which is nothing but one of the property of one who is close to God. But how to achieve this is the big question. One of the easy ways is to read Sri Shirdi Sai SatCharita, which is full of beautiful stories, which are nothing but the examples of ones daily life. But is it enough to read just once and leave it there? Not at all. At the time of reading Sri Sai SatCharita, one will feel the bliss from God and thinks he can follow the teachings in the real life. The moment he close the book and come into real life he is back in the normal life, and start worrying about things again, that is nothing but overwhelmed by Maya. This Maya is so powerful that it always engulfs you in its power and makes to worry at things even though they are all very temporary. You won't even realize that you are engulfed by Maya until you really sit and think about it and refresh your memory with our SadGuru God's teachings. To overcome this at least to some extent one should read constantly Sri Sai SatCharita, at least one chapter a day. Doing SatCharita Saptah at least now and then will give one a great relief from the worldly things and one can feel the presence of SadGuru God which in turn will give him a chance to realize about Maya. That is why SadGuru said, "you don't need to go to forests to attain moksha. Keep doing your duties and be chanting my name all the time, have complete trust in me and be patient (Shraddha and Saburi ). I will drive you to your destination". This kind of assurance is given by SadGuru only as he only knows what is best for us and what has to be done to us. After all he is the doer and destroyer. Even after knowing that everything in our lives is nothing but like a drama and God is the director, one should not be worried about what role he is going to end up in this play of life if he completely trusts in God. Therefore, I strongly recommend all fellow devotees to read Sri Sai SatCharita daily and do Saptahs at least some times. I am writing this to share my feelings with fellow devotees with the inspiration given by my Sairam after completing SatCharita Saptah last Thursday (On Dusserah day). I was thinking of writing this for a long time. Each story in Sai SatCharita is priceless and very simple to understand. Only thing we need to do is to practice it in the real life.

My Koti Pranams to you God for making me to write this and thus sharing this with fellow devotees. Forgive me if there are any mistakes in this and bless us all to overcome this Maya. Make us to chant your name always in all the states of our lives and constantly see you every where in every thing. Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai.
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Question of the Week

Kishore Asthana
There are many answers to this question, many of them having the following in common:
a. Blind, unquestioning obedience to what the Guru says.
b. Service to the Guru with all of ones material and physical resources.
c. Learning the teachings of the Guru to the best of ones ability.
d. Living ones life in accordance with the teachings of the Guru. These are 'normal' responses.

However, the best form of Guru Bhakti would depend upon the Guru and the Gurubhakt. There are various schools of learning and Gurus in these have different ways of teaching. Some Gurus expect blind obedience, yet others expect a questioning mind. Each seeker goes to the Guru with the object of being guided from darkness to light. Guru Bhakti is not the ritual worship of the Guru. It is whatever enables one to absorb the Guru's teaching so successfully that, at the end, the seeker becomes enlightened enough to be one with the Guru. A true Guru will strive to break all barriers surrounding the seeker. This includes the barrier between the seeker and the Guru. All that the seeker can do to make this a reality is what true Guru Bhakti is about.

Mukesh
SAI RAM the best form of Guru Bhakti is adhering to his commands with Love. So simply yet so hard to follow.
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