"Ruso mama priyambika, majavaree pithaahi ruso.. ruso mama priyanganaa priyasuthaathmajaahi ruso.."

The ancient Hindu scriptures proclaim that of all the means to realize God, the way of devotion or Bhakthi Maarga as the most suitable for modern times.

Although this can be interpreted in several ways depending on one’s religious views, the abstract of the content seem to transcend the boundaries of religion.

Gaining knowledge by reading scriptures might make one a scholar, or learned. However, it does confer one a sense of "learnedness", a form of ego.

On the other hand, Bhakthi Maarga or the way of devotion commences with the acceptance of the superior nature of God and proceeds with the single-minded goal of realizing the wisdom that God pervades everything.

This is accomplished by constant contemplation, known as Saadhana or an intense pursuit.

With a careful observation, it can be noticed that the above chain of events are quite common to most of the religions, albeit with their own variations.

It is accepted that one need to have the guidance of Guru in their spiritual pursuits. During this intense pursuit, one becomes very aware of the importance of self-surrender.

Self-surrender to Guru is believed to benefit the seeker in his pursuit of self-realization, thereby achieving the purpose a life may have.

Self-surrender may not be a passive resignation that arise out of inability to deal with one’s duties and responsibilities.

Sadguru Sainath said that pursuit of God and renunciation that arises out of weakness and selfishness is sinful.

On the other hand, the surrender of the self is an active pursuit wherein the seeker realizes the importance of Guru God and places Him as his utmost priority.

Sadguru Sainath's evening Aarthi glorifies this concept with the phrase, "Oh Sainath, please do not leave me and be with me even if my spouse, parents, children, and siblings forsake me".

What would be a better occasion than Guru Poornima to dwell on these thoughts?
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RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD Part III
(Contributed by Mr. Somalingam, Christchurch, Newzealand)

HINDUISM
Hinduism is a mixture of faith and practices of Aryan and practices native to present day Indian subcontinent, the exact origin of which is prone for debate.

In fact, it can also be debated whether "Hinduism" as it is known confirms to the definition of a religion.

It can be said that Hinduism is a collective term given to the faiths, practices, and philosophical and metaphilosophical concepts that arose from very ancient times, the roots of which at the best be said not clearly known.

Probably this is the reason why, present day "Hinduism" is referred to as "Sanathana Dharma" which roughly translates to "ageless set of practices".

Today Hindus live throughout the world, mostly in India.

While the Republic of India remains a secular state owing to its constitutional obligations, the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal is the only Hindu nation in the world.

It is also believed that one feature of Hinduism is its perennial nature with constant reinforcement of concepts and thoughts suitable to given times by sages and realized souls.

Reincarnation

Hindus believe in reincarnation- the idea that the soul passes into another life form upon death- until the soul is released from the cycle of birth and death.

There are three things needed for the deliverance of the soul; philosophy or knowledge, religious works, and devotion or prayer or meditation.

Hindus generally believe that the principle of Karma, or 'deeds', affects their disposition during this cycle of birth and death.

Another important feature of Hinduism is existence of several deities, each with a specific virtue.

It is believed that by invoking these deities, a person can accomplish his/her objectives of life.

Ganesh

Ganesh is the elephant-headed god. He is the god of wisdom and good beginnings, the symbol of luck and riches.

Brahma

Brahma is the God of creation. It is believed that Brahma is the force behind the creation of all forms of life in the universe.

Vishnu

Lord Vishnu is the protector and the preserver of life. It is believed that Lord Vishnu has ten incarnations, each with a message suitable for that particular age.

Matsya the fish, Kurma the tortoise, Varaha the boar, Narasimha the lion-man, Vaman the dwarf, Parasurama the axe-prince, Rama the prince, Krishna the first wise man, Budha the last wise man or Kalki the wise man of the future.

Shiva

Shiva is the God of destruction, exists in several forms worshipped by the Hindus.

Shiva is a God often depicted as a frightening figure surrounded by demons symbolizing the concept that He is the destroyer of evils.

Yet at other times, he is described as a life force and is shown as calm and loving.

Scriptures depict several instances where Lord Shiva came to the rescue of people by condemning the evil and destroying the demons.

Shakti

In Bengal and Assam, Shakti, the Mother Goddess, is worshipped. She is the Goddess of many faces.

Fierce and vengeful, she appears in the form of Kali or Durga oman standing on a demon.

In her gentle form she appears as a beautiful young woman known as Parvati or Uma.

The Dasera Festival, held each year for 10 days at the end of September, is in honor of Shakti's incarnation as the wicked goddess Durga.

Home worship

Most Hindu homes have a family shrine, which may just be a corner of a room.

The shrine will be dedicated to the particular God that the household worships and there will be a symbol of that God on the shrine.

The worshipper decorates the deity with flowers and other perfumes and decorative articles while reciting hymns, then lights incense sticks and sits in front of the shrine to meditate.

Gifts of food or flowers are sometimes offered to the shrine.

The Holy Ash

The holy ash, also known as Vibhuthi is a matter of high significance to Hindus.

Holy ash is worn by Hindus on the fore head symbolizes the temporariness of the human life (The body upon burning after death will produce ash).
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Sai Activities:

Shri Shirdi Sai Center of New Jersey, Inc has scheduled its Guru Poornima celebrations at Knight of Columbus, 116 Grand Street, Iselin, NJ, USA.

Phone (732) 283-2495, on Sunday, July 12th, 1998, from 11.00 AM to 2.00 PM. Maha Prasad will be served after Arti.

Shri Shirdi Sai Center of NJ, Inc. is situated at 404 McDowell drive East Brunswick, NJ, Phone (732)-257-1438.

Scheduled events for this center include Sai Bhajans and Satsang on the First Saturday of every month.

The hours are 3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. For more information on Shri Shirdi Sai Center of New Jersey, please contact one of the following:
Hasmukh Patel, President at (908) 851-0939
Jagdish Masand, Vice President at (201) 435-0587
Kumud Sachdev, Secretary at (732) 257-1438
Thakore Bulsara, Member at (732) 819-8549

Please note that Sai Samsthan USA, Chicago has expanded their Guru Poornima celebrations by including several activities on the morning of Guru Poornima day.

For more information, please contact Shri Ananth Sonti at (630)790-3800.

Devotees are urged to visit the Sai events around the world section on this website to learn more about the activities of different Sai centers in connection with Guru Poornima celebrations and also obtain the contact information.
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Devotees say...

Dushara Jayasinghe wrote to us.. "I do not exactly know what the teachings of Sai Baba are.

Could you please let me know where I can get such information? What are his philosophies about life and death? Why do humans give in to nature and at the same time fight it? Is faith an important factor to his teachings? Your response is appreciated."

Thanks Mr. Jayasinghe for your mail. One can know more about Sai Baba by reading about Him. Web sites such as this and others are quite resourceful.

Please visit the various sections of this web site to know more about Sai Baba of Shirdi.

We also suggest that you may want to visit the devotees’ section, discuss, share and learn from one another.

S. Doshi of Canada wrote to us "I receive your news letter everyweek and enjoy learning what is written.

This is my first form of real exposure to Sai Baba's teachings and beliefs but I've found that many of them parallel my own religious values.

I do have a question, what are Sai Baba's views on caste and marrying outside of your caste? If you can find his thoughts on this issue, I would greatly appreciate it and would be eternally in debt".

Sai Ram Doshi ji. Sadguru Sainath’s disapproval of divisive nature in the name of religion is well known.

He always promoted a truthful yearning and introversion as important means of self realization. Several incidents are recorded during His lifetime where Sainath promoted religious tolerance.

There is also a recorded incident in which Sainath intervened and discouraged a gentleman from Shirdi from demanding money from the bride’s party in connection with the marriage of his son.

Based on these incidents it appears that Sadguru Sainath may not approve any divisions in the name of religions, much less due to a particular sect or caste.

Also, it is evident that His contention regarding marriages is that it is important to have love and understanding between man and woman regardless one’s social or financial status.

We are not aware of any particular recorded incident where Sai promoted marriages within a caste or vice versa. We request other devotees to share their knowledge, experiences and provide their input.

Sai Vichaar Team
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