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Sai Vichaar 1.Feature of the Week: Topsy-Turvy 2.Experiences of Devotees 3.Devotees Say 4.Sai Activities 5.Question of the Week 6.From the Editor's Keyboard 7.Subscribe to Sai Vichaar 8.Disclaimer From the Editor's Keyboard... Thanks for your continued support to this humble attempt on singing the glory of Sadguru Sainath of Shirdi and sharing them with the world. Please limit the topics on this web site, to those reflecting Sai teachings and activities related to Sai Samarth of Shirdi. Readers visiting Sai Vichaar are requested to browse through other pages on this web site for more information on Sadguru Sainath of Shirdi. They may also want to participate in the devotees forum by contributing to the world wide discussion on Sai related topics and posting their experiences in the Experience book section. This web site also contains Sai bhajans, aarthis in the audio file format for those who are interested. Please visit the On-line Sai resources and Services for more information on the services provided. Idol worship in some form or other is practiced by several faiths all over the world. In the great Hindu epic "Mahabhaaratha", the account of Ekalavya, the rustic tribal who was the envy of his own guru, rose to become the best of the archers in the world in well known. Everything he had was the faith on the clay idol of his Guru, Dronaachaarya, who would not accept disciples outside the Royal lineage. This may depict the power of focus and the positive effect of a chosen object of concentration. This is the basis for the question of the week, "What may be the purpose of Idol worship?" Humbly yours, The Editor
Disclaimer Sai Vichaar is devoted to the philosophy and teachings of Shri Sadguru Sai Baba of Shirdi, and will take every measure to avoid topics or themes contradicting the same. Sai Vichaar team or the Shirdi Sai Baba web site organization is not responsible for the opinions expressed by individual contributors.
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Feature of the week:
Topsy-Turvy
"In bliss supreme I was. How can a fool like Me describe the joy I experienced?". This was Baba's reply to His guru for the question as to how He felt hung feet tied and head downwards in a well for five hours. This is one of Baba’s important parables. Hemadpanth described further on this account as follows: "We think that this description of the topsy-turvy position in the well for 4 to 5 hours should not be taken too literally; for no one can be at ease and feel bliss if he be suspended with a rope-head down and feet up in a well for hours together. On the contrary it might amount to torture. This seems to be a figurative description of the trance or Samadhi state. There are two sorts of consciousness, (1) Sensual and (2) Spiritual. When our senses and mind, which are created by God with an outgoing tendency meet their objects, we get the sensual consciousness in which we feel pleasure or pain, pure or mixed, but not bliss supreme or happiness. When the senses are withdrawn from their objects and are given opposite or topsy-turvy direction, i.e., when they are introverted and fixed on the self, we get the other, i.e., spiritual consciousness in which we feel unalloyed joy or bliss which is ineffable. The words, "In bliss supreme I was, and how can I describe the joy I felt?" indicate that the Guru put Him in a trance and kept him above or aloof from the waters of restless senses and mind." (Sai Satcharitha, English translation by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji, Chapter XXXII )
C. Satyanarayana Murthy, Hyderabad, India
Prior to 1988, I was not a devotee of Baba. I have even refused to visit Baba temple at my native place Guntur but reluctantly visited at my wife’s request. I am an engineer working in a private company in Hyderabad for six years, living peacefully. I have resigned my job to start an industry along with some friends. But, it has not taken off. I went to my father to join his business. But, his business was also in problems during that period and he advised me to go back to Hyderabad and lookout for a job. For five months I had struggled to find a suitable job, got rejected in several private industries. All my savings were exhausted. During this period, my wife advised me to believe in Baba and asked me to do Satcharitra parayan. I have done for one week I have applied for a job in a Public sector company based on advertisement for which my experience does not match at all. But on the very next day of completion of parayan, I received an interview call and got selected for a higher position than advertised. Throughout the reading of the parayan I have always got a feeling that Baba is with me providing me the confidence. My life style has changed since then. All my family members have experienced several miracles of Baba. Baba guides us in every walk of our life. There is no problem that Baba has not solved for us. We owe our life to Baba for all the peace that he gave us. Natarajan Krishnan
In every walk of life and in every aspect of our day-to-day activities, My Lord Sai has been helping me. Believe me, even in the case of minimal things. To cite a one of them, I give below my experience. My General Manager (GM) is proceeding to Bahrain on a Business Visit. In Bahrain he wanted to meet all of the prospective companies for business purpose. He had never visited Bahrain in the last two-and-a-half years. My GM wanted to pull all such papers that we had received since two-and-a-half years and wanted to meet them. I could pull out all the papers pertaining to the period of one-and-a-half year after my joining. Inspite of all this exercise, my GM was insisting about a particular and a specific fax, which he had received some two-and-a-half years back (prior to my joining this organization). GM is very guy of mixed mentality arrogant sometimes and nice sometimes and further he has the best memory of even the smallest thing, which I have never come across with any of my employers till today. When he insists he remains adamant because he is correct. I searched all the available files on 1st of March 99 and I could not succeed in tracing the papers. I had very limited time to make the paper available. I did not know what to do. During that instant, I had no other option rather than praying My Lord Shirdi Sai to make that paper come in front of me. Believe me on 1st March 99 when I was sleeping in my room after my dinner (actually I was half sleeping and half awaken), I got a vision or a dream or an intuition, giving a picture of a specific paper filed in a specific file. The next day, i.e., 2nd March 1999, immediately upon stepping into my cabin, I pulled out that particular file, which I got as a dream or vision or intuition. Believe me, on going through that file, I got the papers that I had prayed for. Here my respected devotees please note that this file is an abandoned one and has been closed two years back and that too this file was operational prior to my joining. This is not a new case with me. This is a common phenomenon. In every aspect and in every difficulty (minimal of insignificant type or maximal of utmost importance), I pray and beg to my Lord Sai to come to my rescue and believe immediately, Insha Allah, I get the answer in one or the other way. I would like to emphasize to one and all, believe in our Lord Shirdi Sai. When you trust HIM completely, totally believe HIM and you are true in your prayers to HIM, HE is always with us all and in our heart. I thank you all for spending your valuable time in going through my experience. LORD SHIRDI SAI bless us all.
Jayanthi
Nimish Thakkar
Shankari, India
BABA said"Who think of me, read my stories, worships me, I bring that devotee from jaws of death." Saifully yours Saroj Thetty - USA
Sai Baba Mandir, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Message from Sri K. Ramaswamy, All India Sai Samaj, Chennai, India. On Sai temple coming at Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India at All India Shirdi Sai Sansthan, Public Charitable Trust And Viklang Ashram, Village Damrog, P.O.Shamti, Teh.7 Distt.Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India 173212 Swami Ganeshanand Giri is constructing a big Sai temple at Solan, H.P at the above address.The 5 and half feet Lord Sainath Murthi stapana would be done in the first week of August 1999.Devotees are requested to participate in the Holy spiritual work by way of contributing donation by way of crossed cheque/DD in the name of ALL INDIA SHIRDI SAI BABA SANSTHAN,A/C NO.6636, SOLAN'
Sai Vichaar extends its thanks to devotee Viji for forwarding the above mail from All India Sai Samaj, Chennai, India. Sai Samsthan, USA. Sai Samsthan, USA has announced the Ugadi and Sri Rama Navami celebrations at Sai Baba mandir, Warrenville, IL, USA Ugadi/GudiPadava - On Ugadi day, March 18, 1999, Thursday, Samoohika Sri Sai Satya Vratham is being conducted in the Sai Baba Mandir. This is a practice started by a devotee Bhimaji after he had been cured of Tuberculosis by Sainath Maharaj. Sri Sai Baba always maintained that devotees performing this vratam are blessed with prosperity, peace and happiness. Sai Baba Mandir is located at 27W321, Butterfield Road, Warrenville, IL 60555. Phone: 630-653-4444. For more information on Sai Samsthan USA, and its programs, please contact:
"What may be the purpose of Idol worship?" Raj Ponnaluri With or without a conscious effort all humans strive hard to elevate themselves to superior spiritual levels. Humans, being humans, are very comfortable identifying themselves with material objects and use them as a means to attain progress in life: both spiritual and material. ‘Idols' offer a window of opportunity to see the glory of the Supreme Self, hiding no where but within the selves of each human being that ever tread the planet. These material objects offer a unique perspective to explore, visualize and experience the omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence of the almighty Lord. At a minimum, they offer a chance to learn the art of concentrating and meditating on the Supreme Self. Chances of climbing the peaks of spiritual enlightenment are zero if not for ‘idol worship' as a medium to understanding the infiniteness of the Supreme Self. Despite the diversity in ways and means to pray to the Lord, as propounded by various religious traditions, there comes a stage in spiritual progress where idols and all other material objects melt away like snow flakes right around the time when Lord's glory shines like the rays of the Sun. If not for idol worship, humans MAY not have made as much progress as they did on the spiritual front. It is important to note that idol worship is only one amongst a myriad number of sources to access the vastness of Lord's love and glory. S Karthikeyan, Sydney
This is a question has been asked many times, and I have asked myself many times. If God is there everywhere why worship a particular form atall, after all he is formless and is in all forms - this is the argument given by persons against idol worship. Idol worship has been designed to develop bakti and devotion in a form, which can be seen and practised by all irrespective of their progress in spirituality. The ultimate aim is probably to visualise HIM as BRAHMAM but this is not possible by every one. Teaching a child to worship a form is the initial path of developing devotion to HIM. This helps bring a focus and concentration. The next step is to elevate to the step that all forms are one and same and the final stage is NIRVANA where everything is HIM. How many of us are aware of this stage leave alone practise it is another matter. An example comes to my mind. Two of my friends were expert grand-masters in chess. Both of them could play mental chess, ie they could visualise the chess board and would be dictating their moves to each other and complete a game of chess in a couple of hours. To me this was an unthinkable process. I had to have a chess board with letters marked to follow the game and to many others this game probably doesnt make any sense atall. To draw a parallel with devotion and worship, the grand masters were in the advance stage of spirituality, having reached that stage through playing on regular boards (compared to Idol worship) and others are not even aware of this game or care about it. Idol worship is a process in the cycle of reaching HIM and is nothing to be ashamed of, proud of, condenmed or approved.
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