Feature of the week: Spiritual Rejuvenation: A New Year Resolution

The nature of human conscious is nothing but true bliss. However, it is thrown into the chaotic web of sorrow, grief, pain, pleasure, anger, passion and the countless grades of different states these emotions may have. The involvement in the cause and the effect is a tough whirlpool, a situation that is not easy to deal with and most in fact, yield to it. Scriptures are unequivocal about one fact, the significance of Sadguru and the faith in His as the means to achieve the state of true bliss. So, the encounter with the chosen path of salvation has to be the single most significant event in one's life.

Dr. S.P. Ruhela in "Shirdi Sai The Supreme" wrote, "With the speed of education and emergence of the age of logic, science and concern for functionality in every sphere of life, educated people of today do not have much interest and faith in divine or spiritual personalities and spiritual matters, their miracles and teachings which they usually consider to be rather very traditional, superstitious or out of tune with modern times. On the other hand, the sociological fact is that there is a widespread anomie (normlessness), misery, immortality and resultant insecurity and unhappiness in the world. Only the intervention of Prophets, Saints and their teachings of the right kind of moral and spiritual values, which focus on universality and nobility of man's existence can save the crisis-ridden contemporary world".

Last week in Sai Vichaar, we saw Sri BVN (B.V. Narasimha Swamiji) enlighten us about the spiritual ladder of fear, awe, gratitude and bliss. It was an excellent observation that devotion for the most begins as a Thanksgiving and remains the same. Is devotion just an emotional gratitude expressed to the Sadguru, a feeling of thankfulness for a temporary material benefit? Perhaps not! It is just a beginning of a blissful process, a sign of more magnificent things to come. Let us dwell on these thoughts as the New Year dawns. Let us resolve to seek the coffers He has open for us. Let the New Year and the New Millennium bring the awakening, the beginning of our spiritual journey with our beloved guide, the Saint God of Shirdi.
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Experiences of Devotees

Veena Gupta, New Delhi, India

Write up No.3, 4 Dec. 1999. On this Thursday the, 2 December '99 not much happened. It was the usual Thursday. As a matter of fact Baba`s Miracles have become a routine of life for us. If no miracle happens on Thursday or the important day we feel depressed. In the morning, Udi started coming out from the photo and the statue of Baba in our worship place in the kitchen. However, the quantity of Udi was not very much. It was less than a spoonful this time instead of 5-6 spoonful. As usual, as we do on all Thursdays before reciting the Sai Amritvani we placed bananas for prasad on the table. Recited Sai Amritvani from 11.00 to 12.00 and at the time of distribution of prasad we found, as usual Udi sprinkled on the bananas. However, this time we found some drops of water on the Thali (the utensils in which the bananas were kept) on tasting the drops it was salty. What is the meaning of this? We could not find any satisfactory answer for this. One answer we could arrive at was that Baba wants salty thing in prasad rather than sweets or fruits. Next time we may serve Baba with some salty prasad.

Write up no 4, 11 Dec. 1999. On this Thursday, the 9 Dec. 1999, Baba was in a very very good mood. He has not only blessed us by giving Udi from this usual photo and the Bronze statue but also from the other photos as well. This time Du from the regular source was 6-7 spoon-full. One photo of Laxmiji, Ganeshji and Baba in-between, about which I have mentioned in one of my write up. The Udi was coming from this photo from three spots. One photo of Baba which was given by one devotee and has been kept in our small mandir was also blessing us. Although we have nearly 9-10 big photos of Baba on the walls of our house in different rooms and verandas. Udi do comes from those photos too, but only some times. On this Thursday Udi was also coming from the photo of Baba which is of the size 2 feet by 3 feet and has been placed on the wall just near the entrance of the house and can even be seen from the main road outside. Udi has come from this photo earlier on many occasions also. Occasionally we perform Sai Kirtan on a large scale followed by lunch or dinner. We erect a huge pandal of cloth tent, carpet an area of the size of about 45 feet x 75 feet and hire professional singers to sing the Bhajans of Baba for nearly 3 Hrs. Abhishek, Pooja ands Artee is done by Pt. K.N. Panday of Shri Sai Mandir of Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Generally, 400-500 people attend these Sai Kirtan. So far, we have performed these functions on 13th Feb. 1992, 13 Feb. 1994, 9 April 1997, 27 Sept 1998, 28 Feb. 1999, and 15 Oct. 1999. The Darbar (Photos of Baba) is brought by the singers but we place the photo, from which the Udi has come on this Thursday, in the middle of the Darbar. On all the occasions of Sai Kirtan, Baba has blessed us by the Udi even in the Pandal from the Photo in our mandir. Coming to this Thursday, Udi was coming form so many photos. Since morning, we were having the Bhajans on our tape recorder. For the Sai Amritvani from 11 to 12 noon, my sister-in-law who was currently in Bangladesh on tour has come. One Mr V.K. Bassi, who is running a Meditation and worship center "Shri Ram Bhakt Society" at Shivalik New Delhi, has also came. He is also the contributor in writing of the Sai Amritvani. Sai Amritvani and meditation is done at this center on every Thursday. This Center also do the distribution of free homeopathy medicines, literature and cassettes on Sai Baba and Sai Amritvani. He brought photos and literature of Baba for distribution among devotees. On seeing the environment here, he desired that let the photo and literature remain here for some time to get 'Charged' and he will bring some more material and distribute it as a new year gift from Baba As usual the prasad was placed on the table before the Sai Amritvani and after the Sai Amritvani the prasad was found to be sprinkled with lots of Udi. As the Udi, this Thursday was more than the usual we concluded that Baba has blessed us more, and was very happy this day.
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Sai Activities

Baba Prayer Center, Ashok Nagar, Chennai, India. Email contact:kbxy@hotmail.com
The installation of Nagasanam at Nagasayee Temple at Coimbatore was carried out on 12-12-99. The names of the subscribers have been displayed and duly acknowledged. May Lord Sai bless Sai Vichaar and the devotees who responded to this cause. On similar lines, by the grace of Shirdi Sai Baba, Narayana seva (Annadanam) for 100 poor people is being conducted by Baba Prayer Center every Poornima (Full moon) day. It is proposed to form a trust for Annadanam with donation from 100 persons, each contributing Rs5000/=for one poor person. The total amount Rs5 lakhs thus collected will be deposited in a nationalized bank in the name of the trust and the interest will be used for Narayana seva. It is a onetime donation for Annadanam and already 15 persons have given their contribution. Special archana will be performed in the name of each donor at Baba prayer Center on every poornima day. Those desirous of contributing to this cause can contact Baba Prayer Center by email or by telephone. The last date for this will be 31-1-2000. We thank the SaiVichaar organizers for uniting all the Baba devotees all over the world. May Saibaba bless you all. Always in Sai service, Kumar Baba

Shirdi Sai Sansthan, Sydney, Australia
Shirdi Sai Sansthan Sydney is happy to announce that there will be SAI NAAM JAAP (continuous Naam Jaap) to welcome the New Year and the Millenium on the 2nd Jan from 4:00 -6:00 PM at our temple 416-417 Liverpool Road South Strathfield, Sydney, Australia.

Monthly Pooja, Shirdi Sai Samsthan USA, Warrenville, IL
Shirdi Sai Samsthan USA has scheduled its monthly pooja on December 31, 1999 at Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir, Warrenville, IL. The Program is as follows:

8:00 PM Abhishek, Archana
9:00 PM Bhajans and Kirtans
11:15 PM Namajap
12:00 AM Shej Arti
12:30 AM Maha Prasad

Shri Shirdi Saibaba Mandir, Warrenville, IL, is located at 27W 321 Butterfield Road, Warrenville, IL, 60555. The Telephone number for the Mandir is 630-653-4444. For directions and more information please contact one of the following:
Umapathi Cattamanchi - 708-448-3016
Nagabhushanam Koneru - 847-346-0641
Ananth Sonti - 630-858-2643
Manju Panjwani - 847-677-6654
Jitendra Shelke - 773-465-5605

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Pittsburgh, PA, USA has scheduled Peace Prayers at 8:00 PM on New Year’s Day. The temple will also celebrate Sai Dattatreya Aum Yajnam from January 1 to January 5, 2000. Devotees who would like to participate or sponsor for the Yajnam may contact Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, at 412-374-9244. The temple is located at 1449&1551 Abers Creek Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15146.
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Devotees Say

MRK, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Upasani Maharaj: A Sai Apostle
Sri Upasani Baba. He one of the persons to whom Sai Maharaj bestowed God realization. His original name was Kasinath. He was born on May 5, 1870. At a very early age, he left conventional studies and spent all his time in spiritual contemplation. He was regular in performing rituals such as Sandhyavandanam, Yoga, and parayana of Vishnu sahasranama. There was no change in him even after he was married. He left his house for two months and his wife and mother died by that time. Elders got him married second time. Even then he was leaving his house and spending all his time with Sadhus and Satsang. Once, on his way back home from one such Satsang, he found a cave in a hill. He climbed a big tree and fell down into the cave. He continuously did japam. He was loosing external consciousness. One day when he came out of meditation, he found some divine entity removing his skin. He feared and opened his eyes. He found nobody there. He felt thirsty and took water in a small pond there. Again, he went into deep meditation with an intention to give up his life. He got a dream in which a Muslim sadhu and another sanyasi showed him golden shining body inside him and told him that they would not allow him to die. He then on 22 July 1890, came out of the cave and found that he was in samadhi for number of months. He developed breathing problems and met one yogi Kulkarni. He said that he was in good spiritual state and only Saibaba can help him. Thinking Sai was a Muslim, Kashinath did not meet him. Finally he stayed with Sai for two days and his breathing problem vanished. After hearing various devotees' experiences, his views changed. Baba directed Kasinath to be in Khandoba temple for four years and said that he will attain his desired goal. After several experiences and blessings of Baba, Kashinath settled down at Shakori as Upasani Baba and attained samadhi on December 24.1941.

Devi Ramassami
Will you please kindly send a mail to bhima and mary, the words they sent me touched my heart, they opened my eyes, i shall never think of suicide because as they said "it will harm god" and I love god!!! Thanks for all. Thanks for giving this opportunity to send this mail

Sri.Pinnamaneni, Poughkeepsie,NY.
Dear Baba, Thanks a lot for your Blessing's and Love which you showered on me and my family. I got a job in IBM. Thanks a lot to all the "Sai devotees" who prayed for me and my family. I know that My Lord, My Guru's Blessing's will always be there for me. Baba please do always shower blessing's and love on my family. Once again I thank all the Sai devotees and especially my dear BABA.......

Jaimes
Re: N PATEL, Dec 9 Vol 2, Issue 29
She wrote a article in the prayer club. Just to let her know I went through the same thing but Swami took care of the situation. My email is jaimesk@hotmail.com if she wants to correspond. Sai Ram

Havovi Medora
As we enter the new millennium, we have to be prepared for change. Nothing in this life is permanent except change. Therefore, the only steadfast thing always permanent to us is our faith in Sai Baba. He ia the only thing we can always depend upon. We do not know what the New Year will bring all we can do is pray to Sai to keep us and our loved ones happy and in good health. Just for your information: back in Bombay I was involved in a fantastic program where children were taken off the street to be given education. This program began twenty years ago when a poor, lone nun by the name of Sister Felicity came to Bombay to help the underpriviledged. She started with a few shoeshine boys under the shade of a tree. The tree progressed to a tin shed, which later became a small bungalow where street shildren came for a bit of literacy. As they got a taste for education, they wanted more and asked why they could not attend the good English Schools and sister told them how expensive they were. But these determined kids soon found their own unclkes and aunts (foreigners who strolled outside the Taj and Oberoi) and they offered to be their sponsors and Prem Dan was born. Today we have 780 kids all in schools and colleges all are either slum kids, children of domestics or street kids. Every June we take 100 kids 3 yrs old. We at Prem Dan teach them the english syllabus for a private english medium school and then they sit for the entrance exam. If they pass they go to school like any other child uniform and all provided by the sponsor. all of our sponsors are from Europe. The entire Alitalia crew and Sabena crew are sponsors. Lots of Indian are individual sponsors and we have people in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy who have formed Prem Dan associations and raise money for the kids. When I joined Felicity, she was struggling to put up a home for the girls who are worse off on the streets. I prayed to Sai for help of this worthy cause and lo and behold the money came rolling in from all sides. Total strangers started coming to Prem Dan with money, food cheques and they would say "Sai Baba has sent us" Before you knew it a beautiful home came up at Khargar New Bombay opposite Siemens office and Telco gave us a bus to take the girls to and from from school. So you see my fellow devotees whatever you ask of our Sai he gives it magnanimously. What little he asks in return. I wish Sai Vichaar and all its readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as we all enter another millennium with our beloved Sai Baba.
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Prayer Club

Devika Das
I would like to request all Sai devotees to pray to Him, for the safe return of the hostages who are on board the Indian Airlines aircraft in Afghanistan. May Sai give all the hostages the strength to go through the mental and physical trauma.

Shanmugha Priya, Omaha NE
I would like all Sai devotees to pray for the welfare of the passengers of the Indian Airlines Flight that was hijacked last week.May Baba give all of them the courage and energy to face the difficulties that they are going through right now. SaiRam

Minesh Shah
If you can trace Ms. Jaishree Shivaji Rane of Padrewadi Mahim who is in Shirdi. Her brother Ashok is very very serious. Please ask her to contact her house or to me urgently.
Tel - 22- 4454073
E-mail. - minesh60@hotmail.com

A S Vijayaraghavan
This is with regard to the request for Prayers on behalf of Vijay and Rajlakshmi.

Certainly Sai Baba will help at the appropriate time. I am visiting Shirdi Sai Baba Temple on 17/1/2000 (By his grace) and I will certainly place my sincere prayers before Baba and very soon the problems will get automatically solved. Hope is the only way.
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