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. But 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".

Devotion for the most begins with the gratitude. Human mind normally fills itself with joy when the going gets good. When a calamity befalls, lo, the confidence in the self crumbles, and the mind goes in pursuit of the power that would deal with the insolvency. Then follows the gratitude towards the helmsman only to be overshadowed by the power of the mythical world, the whirlpool. This is the game of high and low and the life is one of unresolved spirits. Is devotion just an emotional gratitude to one's savior, a feeling of thankfulness for a temporary material benefit? Absolutely not! It is the beginning of a blissful process, a sign of more magnificent things to come. Let us dwell on these thoughts as the New Year begins. Let us resolve to seek the coffers He has open for us. Let the New Year bring the awakening, the beginning of our spiritual journey with our beloved guide, the Saint God of Shirdi
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Contributed Article:Role of Rituals in Faith

One often wonders why do some people adhere to rituals stringently. Are rituals an essential part of spiritual world? What is the purpose of rituals? Milestones are set at every phase in life - birth, growth development, achievement of goals and it also includes spirituality. In spiritual world, there are certain milestones that every sadhak passes to attain the supreme goal. Very few people are aware of these milestones and knowing that life is short, they hasten to cross those milestones to attain objective. Rituals and rites are essential and one must recognize that they are stepping-stone to attain greater heights in spirituality and not the final stage itself. However, praying or worshiping is not about following a routine - which most of us have comfortably fallen into. Mere two or three hours of reciting slokas and mantras and spiritual readings, following age-old traditions without actually understanding them or no practical application of readings in our day to day life is sheer waste of time and energies.

We read that Baba, did not like formal rituals and worship, on the contrary we also read that He encouraged habits or ritualistic patterns of worship where Megha, or Nanasaheb Chandorkar were concerned. The reason why rituals are encouraged is with the thought that one-day man would understand the readings, rise above the rituals, and know that God is not contained only in the four walls of the Mandir or in an idol. But pervades the entire universe and one should not think that prayers are restricted to certain time, place or occasion. The purpose of rituals is to train mind to think of god and one who rises above rituals tunes this mind into thinking of god at all times and places. A man who rises above the formalities and rituals progresses further in worshiping Nirgun, Nirakaar, god found in the 5 elements of the universe. Such a man realizes that scope of God is far beyond our imagination and analysis.

Let us assume that God is an ordinary person like the next door neighbor, with a name 'God' and works as a traveling agent issuing tickets to people for salvation, can you imagine what His plight would be to steer 99% of people on this universe into the right path? And we thought our life and work is miserable! Most of us, commoners are focused on materialistic goals and the main purpose to take up religious practices is to fulfill the materialistic desires. We are like little kids throwing tantrums at god and dig our heels deep into the rituals just to fulfill our desires and wants, and wail our hearts out when we don't get what we asked for in spite of our intense prayers and materialistic sacrifices. The selfish, self oriented and I-know-it-all arrogance and bad attitude is the cause for unending pain and suffering we inflict on ourselves. Superiority of a man does not lie in spending 20 minutes more than his neighbor in praying spends.

Let us not tally our trips to Shirdi or temples and number of days we fast and keep track of hours we spend in front of God accusing Him for not listening to our demands. We fail to acknowledge that failures are for us to reflect and steer towards right path after learning from mistakes.

One author puts it this way:
Life goes like this.
We are hit by little pebbles - as a kind of warning.
When we ignore the pebbles, we are hit by a brick.
Ignore the brick and we are hit by a boulder.

Let us wake up before it is too late and learn from the failures and correct ourselves before the boulder falls on us and then we would not be able to get up to set our life right. It is time for us to open our eyes, mind and body and feel HIS presence in every aspect of our life, let us progress from rituals and know that HE is there ever listening to us and is waiting to talk to us. Let us talk to Him always and understand the purpose of our life before we claim to be devotees of Baba or believe in Baba. Let us accept that love, faith, surrender, are mere statements, as we do not follow the teachings; and pray only to gain our materialistic needs, if they are not met we move on to the next god in our list. Are we any better than politicians who change parties based on the needs are?

Let us not use the rope of religion to elevate our position in the society and present a mere façade of goodness, piety and humbleness and humility whilst the mind is constantly engaged in ungodly thoughts and seeks unworthy actions. The only way to show our love towards god would be to try our best to follow His teachings, helping others, praying for others, constantly thinking of Him. We do not need to be clean and practice celibacy to think of God, HE is in us, when our mind and heart is clean dust covered body has nothing to do to reach god. He will come running to us without us asking Him for help. Let us not restrict Him by asking for mundane things instead let us ask Him to enable us to realize His marvel and See Him in action and ask Him to bless us to help others.

God conscious people are handful they are not bound by restrictions, rituals and physical show of worship. They are at peace, humble and their love and faith in god far surpasses their rituals, they look at everything as the play of god and do not wince nor have sense of guilt when they miss their rituals. Godly people interact with others and discharge their duties while constantly engaging their mind in naam smaran of the lord. Their scope of love encompasses people beyond their household. Such people don't ask god for anything in life, they know that GOD KNOWS THE BEST and provides accordingly. Let us make this collective resolution to progress towards godliness seek His blessings in our transition from ritualism towards Faith.

(Contributed by Anitha Kandukuri, Canberra, Australia)
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Experiences of Devotees

Sai Devotee

My family regards Baba as its Head and in turn we are blessed by Baba to the extent that whatever we pray to Him, He fulfills. There are a good number of such experiences of His grace on us, which have been penned by me from time to time and published in different magazines and newspaper. I narrate one of them.

It was the decade 1970s when we were financially tight but pulling on our livelihood somehow. I thought that whatever I get is with Baba's blessings, I owe a part of my earnings to Him. I started sending by money order or check a token amount to Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, which I still continue. You will be surprised to note that I never felt any financial crisis there after, and the cash box in our house is never empty, even on the last days of the month. I feel, Baba's saying,"..... The devotee, those who pay dakshina to Me, get 10 times more to whatever they offer and make their own ways in the spiritual life...." is 100 percent true, and He takes care of him. "You look to me, I look to you." "You take one step forward, I will take 10 steps forward for your welfare."
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Devotees say...

T.K.Venkataraman, Chennai, India
In Sai Satcharita, in the chapter narrating Megha's desire to give a bath to Sai Baba, it is mentioned that Sai Baba told him that whatever Mega might do, he could clearly see Baba's sign in that. In an earlier chapter in Sai Satcharita, the author (Hemandpant) describes his own first visit to Shirdi to have Baba's darshan. He has lovingly described this event. It is mentioned how he boarded the train and was intending to alight and change train at a place on the way to Shirdi. Then entered an unknown Muslim traveler, who asked him about his plans and guided him as to the correct place where he should get down from the train. The author mentions that but for this kind and unsolicited advice, his plans for visiting Shirdi would have gone wrong and might have not fructified.

When we read the story of Ramana Maharishi, we come across a very strikingly similar instance. It was again, an unknown Muslim traveler, who asked the young boy Venkataraman (as Ramana Maharishi was known then) as to where he was going and gave him the correct advice as to how he could reach his destination -- Tiruvannamalai. But for this, the young Venkataraman would have faced unnecessary problems in his journey. To my mind, this is a sure sign that Sai Baba was helping Ramana Maharishi at that time. Sai Satcharita is full of instances highlighting Oneness of saints and how Sai Baba is ever ready to help everybody. It may be of interest to note that Poojya Sri Narasimha Swamy, who was a great Sai devotee, spent a few years at Ramanashram before going over to Shirdi.

Anil Naik
This message is for Ms. Gayathri asking "Dear Fellow devotees if you can help me clear my doubts, because in Sai- Satcharitra we have been advised to share our experiences with fellow devotees, the more you will share the you will be near Baba. The Newsletter dtd.18th Dec'03says ". Well firstly, there is no concept of Good Sadhak and Foolish Sadhak. Sai Guru is motherly in nature. She does not distinguish between her children. No matter how bad or good your deeds are, still the sadhak remains as child of the loving mother. This is a different type of Guru my dear friends, here there is no grade systems. Foolish are those people who distinguish other people based on the deeds of sadhak. Sharing of spiritual experience is advisable only if you feel your experience is going to induce a value in the group of devotees listening/reading your experience. The Newsletter dtd 18 Dec'03 is very right but reader can misinterpret because it distinguish between devotees. For Sai, a dog walking with a devotee is also equally loving. However, the article actually means to say that, "do not over expose your spiritual experience in such a way that there is no value addition to others". Your spiritual experience is the story of Baba and part of Baba. It has to be shared. God speaks only by stories. Telling stories is the language of God. God resides in every one of us and when you tell your spiritual experience and stories, they are in fact Sai's stories. It will not only uplift your faith towards Lord Sai but you will also give jump start to the listener of the stories. Sai's stories is Sai's language.

Ravin Gnanasambandam
With reference to the mention, 'Good Sadhak Never tell others of their Guru's Updesa or their Spiritual experiences A foolish Sadhak proud of his initial experiences begin to advertise this', its easy to say that Baba didn't give any Upadesa to anyone. However, His message and guidance is customized in His own way to everyone that has faith in him. Spreading God's glory is the noblest of intentions and one perhaps should not question its validity in the spiritual path. A devotee can never miss a good message from an experience if the intention is to look for Baba's message. Experience sharing is always positive when the feelings with Sadguru are shared with love and an intention of sharing but not preaching. The best way is to invoke Baba's guidance before one sets out to share his or her experience with the humble intention of sharing and sharing alone but not preaching with a sense that one is better than the other. No one but Sai is capable of judging the merits and demerits of His devotees.
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Prayer Club

Manisha Rao
Saideva, its been long I am praying you for my husband's job. Baba he is facing lots of problem in his job since last year October, Baba you know the situation in this country please help him in finding the other job as soon as possible without any hurdles. Baba you know without you we don't have anybody to help. Baba please help my husband in getting some good job and also help other devotees who needs your help. Om Shree Sai Nathay Namah.

Mukesh Kumar
Baba, please help me in selling property in Delhi. We want to shift immediately.

Dharmesh Nagar
I would like to thank Baba universally as he has helped me put my life together. Please pray for me universally, as I would like to make my job permanent through Baba's grace. I am in the process of trying to reunite with my ex fiancée and she's giving me the cold shoulder. I am also trying to get my finances sorted, as I would like to settle in South Africa. Please help me by praying for me, as I would like to have some sort of stability in my life through Baba's grace.

A Sai devotee
Om SaiRam, Swami please see that I get the job as soon as possible so that I can be helpful to my husband. A good job in the medical field, which will be a permanent one and will give me experience once I complete my nursing course. Swami, please take away all my ahankara and help me to be quite with patience. Thanks a lot swami for changing my husband and making him to talk to my sister and her husband. Please Baba, please make him love me a lot and love my sister and her family. Please see that we all are happy and one again so that my parents would be happy.

A Sai devotee
Dear Baba, please do see that my daughter's marriage is soon settled. You have to remove the obstacles and send us the right person Jai Sai Ram

A Sai devotee
Baba, fulfill our wishes. Give us happiness. Yours devotee

A Sai devotee
I hope you can help me. In 1993 my twin sister who is a American citizen filed to sponsor me. After 10 years, a few weeks ago we received a letter from the visa center USA, that our visa will be approved as soon as my sister in USA will sign the final sponsor ship paper. The problem is that my twin sister is not going to sign any papers as she is saying that her son, daughter and husband are not at all happy if she signs any support papers. Please help me with your prayers, so that my sister signs the final papers. My husband and I stayed at Shirdi temple for over two months in 1990, and we have great faith in Sai baba.
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Quotation of the Week
"My people do not come to me of their own accord; it is I who seek and bring them to me"-Saibaba
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Question of the Week

Q. Is it advisable to share one's personal experiences with Sadguru with others?
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Sai Activities

Sai Baba Center in Toronto
Devotees in Toronto invite you all to join in our weekly Satsang every Thursday at the two Locations mentioned below. For more information please call Shammi Chopra 905 887 1752 or Roshan Dastoor Ph: 905 812 8290 or email us at saileela99@yahoo.com

Shirdi Sai Satsang, Minnesota
By the grace of Sadguru Sainath, Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center is established in Minneapolis-St.Paul, of Minnesota. Regular Sai activities in the Twin Cities, MN are being conducted at Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, 725 Lake St NE, Apt #139 Hopkins MN. For details, please contact hamaresai@yahoo.com. or call Sangeeta (651-481-6782), Kiran (952-233-1819), Ravi (651-342-0600) Bhuva (651-681-2042) or Sathya (651-739-2105).
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