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Sai Vichaar 1.Feature of the Week: Grow in Spirit. 2.Experiences of Devotees 3.Devotees Say 4.From the Editor's Keyboard 5.Subscribe to Sai Vichaar 6.Disclaimer From the Editor's Keyboard... Sai Vichaar extends its gratitude to devotee Kau for posting about the experience of visiting Shirdi elsewhere on this web site. It is with the intention of spreading a beautiful and memorable experience that Sai Vichaar has featured the material. As mentioned in our earlier issues of Sai Vichaar, suitable material on Sai devotion and devotees’ experiences from the other forums on the web site are appropriately featured in Sai Vichaar with the intent of spreading Sai devotion and faith and for the benefit of those who receive Sai Vichaar by email. We hope that devotees will understand and kindly oblige. Please forward to us about Sai activities happening in your area and also about Scheduled festivities in connection with Guru Poornima and other festivities. The Question of the week for this week is, "What are the best qualities of a disciple?" 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:
Grow in Spirit
To rise to the highest pinnacle of spirituality is ordained by God for every one. But extremely little reach the goal for the path leading to it is so narrow and painful to traverse. It is a great mistake to avoid the narrow way, which leads to God, and to take to the broad way, which leads to corruption and decay. Why sell eternal peace for a mess of pottage. And yet millions and millions of your people of earth plane, forgetful of the Self within them, hankers for loaves and fishes of life, gilded with an outward shine and leave off God, who is the only reality. Seek God not in outward shows and forms. Seek God not in the paraphrenalia of rites and rituals. Seek God not in Churches and congregations. But seek Him in the cave of your heart. It is there He dwells, hid in the kernel. Throw off the shells and shackles that bind and devitalize you. Grow in spirit and indwelling spirit, free from all its outer coverings and coatings will shine like a crystal star and lead you on and on to the starry realms of unimaginable glory and beauty to your extreme delight and joy. Make God your home, your hearth, your sole and profuse source of thought and activity. It is then alone, you shall reach Him and be united with Him in all eternity. (Yogi Spencer’s vision of August 12, 1952) (from Shirdi Sai: The Supreme by Dr. S.P. Ruhela)
Kau
SHIRDI TRIP Part 1 Two months ago when I had been wanting to give up my life, the sai family here gave me moral support and courage to go on with life. I had been trying to go to Shirdi for the past two years but somehow, it never materialised. When my sufferring were at their peak around two months back, I prayed again that I be called to Shirdi. And everone else here in the Saifamily prayed for me. As a result of those prayers, Baba showered His blessings on me. I was going to India for a month. I wrote to a friend of mine to find out if anyone was going to Shirdi in April but received no reply from him. Another friend with whom I could have gone was in another country. I had met a girl here in US who was also a Sai devotee and had been to Shirdi many times. She was looking for a job here and she said that if she did not get one she would go back to India for a few months and she promised that we would go to Shirdi together. I wanted her to get a job here and did not want to be selfish and wish her to be back in India so I put the thought out of my mind. I did not know how I would be able to go to Shirdi. Anyway, with all these doubts in mind, I reached India. I prayed to Baba to arrange for everything and left all matters in His hands. A few days after I reached India , my US friend's sister called me and said that my friend was returning to India on 8th and that our train tickets to Bombay had been booked. She later called to say that my friend had postponed her return to India and would now be returning on 14th. I was doubtful as to whether she would come back. I had not even been able to find anyone else bound for Shirdi and I was in despair but again asked Baba to arrange for everything. My friend did reach India on 14th and she called me to confirm that we would leave for Bombay on 19th. Now the next problem was to convince my father. He does not like that I travel alone in India. And since I belong to a different faith, it was going to be all the more difficult to convince him to let me go. I prayed to Baba and asked Him to convince my dad. Wonder of wonders, when I told my father about going to Bombay and Shirdi he did not stop me and instead asked me if I needed money for the trip. And he gladly gave me the amount I asked for. I was surprised and thaked Baba. When the train was nearing Bombay station, I happened to look out of the window and saw a huge painting of Baba covering the wall of a building. Baba seemed to be saying , come on child, I am waiting for you. After reaching Bombay, a car had been booked for us by my friend's brother's friend to take us to Shirdi on 21st. Everything seemed to have been arranged on its own. Early morning on 21st we started for Shirdi. There had been an accident on the highway and it took us quite a while to get there. As we were nearing Shirdi, I was filled with such happiness and in my heart I cried out Baba I am here. And as I opened my eyes I saw an old man who looked so much like Baba standing by the side of the road. I felt it was Baba welcoming me. We reached Shirdi by half past two. My friend had a letter of introduction from someone and we went to meet the PRO there. He was very nice to us and helped us get a room in the dharamshala there. We freshened up a bit and went to get prasaad and take Baba's darshan. I hurriedly put some rupee notes in my wallet. When we went to buy prashad, I wanted to buy a chola meaning clothes for Baba but I did not like the colors or the prints the person at the shop was showing me. While I was in Delhi I had once gone to a shop and had selected a cloth that I thought I would take with me to Shirdi but due to hurried arrangements and other engagements I had been unable to buy that before I left for Bombay. I was feeling bad about that since I had sepcifically chosen that print. The shopkeeper's agent took us to another shop that sold cholas. And displayed on the counter, I found the same print that I had chosen in Delhi. I eagerly pounced on that. But to my disappointment, there was only one piece. Whereas for Baba three pieces are required. One for chola, one for headcloth and one for Samadhi. However, the problem was solved when the shopkeeper found me two other pieces for chola and headgear of a different print but to my taste. He asked me for rupees 700 for the three clothes. And when I looked in my wallet I found exactly 700 rupees. I felt so glad that Baba had been indulgent so as to to let me find the same print that I had wanted Him to wear while in Delhi. We finally got everything together and went to the Samadhi mandir for Baba's darshan. I was filled with an indescribable bliss as soon as I had the darshan. I felt HIS presence there. I saw Him welcoming me with a smile on His face. I felt transported into another world. The pujariji there offered the cholas and prasad to Baba and very kindly allowed me to take a picture of Baba with those clothes. I felt such happiness. I had read about people undergoing sattwik emotions on getting Baba's darshan in Satcharita. But I experienced it first hand then. I felt as if Baba is asking me, "Is the heart's desire now satisfied? Has your mind attained calmness". (To be continued)
Arumuganathan Somalingam (Soma) Lakemba, NSW, Australia.
Sai Ram
Wishing you a Happy Success and my hearty wishes to SaiVichaar Always, from anywhere from the corner of this globe. please note that this message is to the lady married to a Muslim (posted as 'a sad devotee' in the Sai Vichaar, April 29, 19999: Volume 1, Issue 49. Dear devotee, You are one of those blessed devotees of Sai and not a "Sad devotee". As mentioned in Sai Satcharita, no one really knows whether Sai was born in a Muslim or Brahmin family. To quote Sai Satcharita, chapter VII, page 33: "It seems, He had some end in view, in this, viz., the Unification of the two fairs of festivals, the Urs and the Rama-Navami, and the unification of the two communities - the Hindus and the Mohammedans." Sai always uttered "Allah Malik", i.e., God is the sole Proprietor, nobody else is our Protector (God is the real owner). Dear Devotee, you and your husband are provided with an opportunity to contribute to the Unification of Hindus and Muslims. Please pursue your prayers to Sai and seek His guidance and blessings. Have complete Faith and Patience. Sai, the wire puller, will set the stage and provide you the right answer at the right time. Try your best to practice the virtues of (Sai's) Forgiveness, Calmness, disinterestedness, Charity, Benevolence, Control of mind and body, Egolessness, etc. Remember that "Unless there is strong body-consciousness and egoism, there would be no discussion; in other words, it is egoism which breeds discussion". As Ms. Malathi Jandhyala rightly pointed out, "He throws tests on us. One day He will test our compassion and another day detachment. All these are surprise quizzes only.---He will not leave us until we are with Him totally." Ultimately, "One should enjoy whatever God bestows on her/him in the firm belief, that as He pervades everything, whatever is bestowed on her/him by God must be good." With prayers to Sai and wishes to you and your husband that you will be blessed soon, Krishna Alluri
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