Volume:13 Issue:4
Thursday, Jun 03, 2010
Quote:
“If I take one rupee from anybody, I will return tenfold to him.”- Shri Sai Baba
Announcements:
Saibaba.Org announces the start of redesign project of its website. If you are a technical person and would like to volunteer, please fill out contact form.
Upcoming Events:
Shree Shirdi Sai Mandir Sydney, Australia warmly invites you with family & friends to join on 14th June 2010 for Baba and Maata's Moorti Sthapana Divas. For more information contact by email: admin(at)shirdisai.org.au
Devotees Say:
Saipriya
Thanks My Sai Baba for get our Visas Stamped. The courage and encouragement I got from you to prepare and take up the interview, reaching on time even after various hurdles, have increased my trust more and more Baba.
Saritha
I wanted to purchase a house and I applied for an FHA loan, being on a H1-B visa and not having green card is really a big deal in getting the FHA loan approval. If I was not approved of this loan I had to go with conventional loan and it would have been very difficult for me to adjust the down payment. I prayed to Baba and promised him that I would post this in Saivichar if my FHA loan got approved by his grace my loan application was submitted on Thursday, though had many problems I got the FHA loan approved. Thank you Baba for helping me.
A Sai devotee
BABA, I posted my prayer 2 weeks back. You have helped me to solve my problems amicably. Please be with us and guide us and take care of us. Show us the right way and bless us always
Sai Devotee
Thank you so much Baba. All of my husband\'s results came out to be completely normal. This would not have happened with out your grace. Please also take care of the mental agony I am currently going through. Om Sai Ram.
Padma
JAI SAI BABA, once my mother moms lost important documents which are to be submitted in bank and the date of submission was nearing we searched everywhere we dint found it but at last we found it back it in the place which we have searched at least for 10times by Sai grace, thank you Sai. JAI SAI BABA.
Rajnish
Om Sai Ram, Baba as always I would like to say Thank you for listen to all my prayers. With your blessings my project get extended which was not possible without your help. Everyday I feel your presence more and more and with the help of your miracles all of my problems get solved. Please shower your blessings on all of us (your devotees).
Rishikesh
My promotion which was pending from past 2 years has been done. I have been promoted this year. This is all because of your blessing only. Please keep your shadow on us Baba.
Seshadri
Baba With your Blessing I got a job & I am happy with the job. Kindly help me in getting the visa transfer without any problem. Thousand pranam to Sai
Devotees Experience:
Devotee
Our Koti Pranam to Baba. I want to share this experience with all Sai devotees. During my trip to India last year my sister gave me 2 small books on Shiridi Sai Baba. After coming back to USA, I opened those books and one of the books is about 5 Thursdays Puja of Baba. I have numerous experiences of Sai Baba but this is the one which I asked Baba and as if Baba gave it to us within the 5 GURUBAR PUJA of mine. Since past 9 years we have been struggling very hard in USA without any stable job, no peace of mind was there in our life. Finally I have almost given up all my hopes thinking that nothing will work in my life. Anyway I started 5 Thursdays Puja sincerely and my husband also followed me to carry out the puja and rituals. But I never discussed with my husband what I am wishing before Baba. Surprisingly within those 35 days, my husband appeared for 1st and 2nd round interviews from a very stable company for which he was aspiring for a long time. Finally he got the appointment letter before my puja got over. I have no idea how it all happened in this short span of time. Surprisingly, on my 3rd Thursday puja I received Baba's UDI, pictures, prasad etc from a friend of mine who visited Shiridi, when I opened the packet I could not hold back my tears as if Baba HIMSELF come to our home to give us assurance that your bad days have come to an end, don't worry, have complete faith on Baba and be egoless Finally I understand that Sraddha and Saburi are two important things which are very important in Sai Durbar and HE only knows when is the right time for us to receive Baba's blessings. Thank you Baba for all your blessings and please be with us all the time.
Shipra
I am a 25yr old girl, who is a lecturer in an Engineering college. My life is not so easy as it seems. And I just believe in Baba and reads Sai satcharitra daily, believing that one day Baba will listen to my prayer and will offer me good health and happy life…my elder sis send me this book through courier to read it and experience the presence of Baba in my life. I started reading this book on Thursday, and I exactly don't remember the day on which miracle happened, but it was after reading this book only.and it is as follows,
I was sitting in my college staff room with other professors, and a man came inside saying that he is from publishing house and wants to give some course books of those subjects, which we teach. So, I said ok, give me my course book, and here the miracle happened that along with subject book, he gave me 1 puja book in which there was aarti written in Hindi, of all the gods that Hindu worship. And on the cover page, there was photos of Ganeshji, Lakshmi ji, Radhey shaam ji, Hanuman ji, Shiv-parvati ji…but looking it carefully on cover page. I jus opened it, and as soon as I opened it at a glance I saw Sai Baba photo and arathi with it… I was very happy. But thought, its okay but I should have seen it Sai Baba on cover page…so again closely I looked the cover page, and then at the corner of the cover page, there was one beautiful pic of Baba, jus same as its in Shirdi…I was very happy and thought Baba is really there to protect and help me…
Sriram
May BABA shower his blessings on you and your family. I had been to Shirdi during the December 1st week. Prior to that week, while discussing with my cousin, we both though that "we should not take shortcut to see Gods and we should always stand in the general line to see Baba etc". The following week we went to Shirdi. We reached around 4 pm so we thought we can go for Dhoop Arathi. We all started to the temple. When we went to the temple it was over crowed (owing to holidays), my wife suggested that since our elderly parents were with us and we got our little kids, we should go through the special line that was meant for senior citizens. During that discussion, we all started walking towards that queue/line, the security person there let everybody in but when my turn came (my cousin was waiting behind me) , security checked my shirt and found a cell phone so he did NOT let me in. Both myself and my cousin were left behind . In that confusion, we went to the nearby mobile storage place, to keep my mobile. After surrendering my mobile, we came back to the senior citizen entry path and told the same security that our entire family went inside and we were stuck, and requested him. He flatly refused that the Dhoop Arathi is just going to start in 5minutes and the all the gates were closed.
With a heavy heart, both me and my cousin stood in the general line for 3hours to take the Darshan. After couple of days, we realized that whatever we prayed had happened in Shirdi. We thought earlier that we should not see God in shortcut . This is also a BABA's Leela. All we need is Shradha and Saburi .
Weekly Question:
Q. Does Shirdi Sai tatva fit into Guru parampara? Explain why? Or Why not?
A. by L.V.Subba Rao
The various teachings and Leelas of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba got through SRADDA & SABURI (Bhakti, Devotion) speaks that Shri Shirdi Sai Tattva is the basis to explain the Guru Parampara.
In fact, He, who by his discourse creates in us, a distaste for the enjoyments of this world and the next, and gives us a taste of self-realization, who is well-versed in both the theoretical and practical knowledge (self-realization) deserves to be called a Sad-guru. The main characteristic of a Sadh-guru is that HE is the abode of PEACE. He is neither restless nor ruffled. He has no pride of his learning. The poor and the rich, the small and the great, are the same to him, vide, Chapter (48) of Shri Sai Satcharita.
Under Chapter 32 of Shri Sai Satcharita, the Glorious Author clearly stated that
"It is the Grace of the GURU that counts. The objects of our life such as Dharma, Artha & Kama are attainable with our effort, but the fourth object, MOKSHA (Liberation), can only be had with the help of the GURU." It is therefore very clear that how Shri Shirdi Sai Himself showed that a Guide (Sad guru) is essential to drive the human being to seek the end of Karma Yoga of the being on the earth to realize self-realization.
In 1909, when a prominent Devotee, Shri Tatya Saheb Noolkar offered POOJA to Lord Shri Shirdi Sai Baba viewing HIM as his Guru, Shri Sai allowed the other devotees also to conduct Guru Pooja to HIM.
Shri Shirdi Sai allowed the devotees to perform "Shri Sriramanavami" and "Shri Shrikrishna Jayanthi" festivals traditionally at Shirdi and devotees performed all that devotedly with all veneration taking Shri Shirdi Sai Baba as SADGURU, which is followed even to date. It has been widely stated in Shri Sai Satcharita that :
Blessed is Shri Sai Samartha who gives instructions in both Temporal and Spiritual matters to His devotees and makes them happy by enabling them to achieve the goal of their life, - Shri Sai He who when places His hand on their heads transfers His powers to them and thus destroying the sense of differentiation, makes them attain the Unattainable Thing. - He who embraces the Bhaktas; who prostrate themselves before Him with no sense of duality or difference, He becomes one with the Bhaktas as the sea with the rivers when they meet it in the rainy season and gives them His power and position.
It follows from this that he who sings the Leelas of God's Bhaktas is equally or more dear to Him than one who sings the Leelas of God only, as seen from Ch. 40 of Shri Sai Satcharita.
From all the above and for various reasons that can be learnt from Shri Sai Satcharita, it is evident that Shri Shirdi Sai Tattva is Really and Exactly the basis to follow-up Guruparampara.
When once Shri Sai's Grace/Consciousness spreads, the devotee remains in HIS BLISS SUPREME, whether in waking, dream or sleep state and all happenings in the life tends towards the merger of same in the Absolute Form.
The seed for the Divine Life is sown, water it with nectarine stream of Cosmic manifestation in the quest for Liberation.
May his infite grace/consciousness shine upon this humble effort to pay homage to his resplodent life and teachings.
Sai Vichaar Vol 13, Issue 4
Feature: Reverence to the One and Only
puTrilvaazh aravum anjEn poyyartham meyyum anjEn
kaTraivaar sadaiem aNNal kaNNuthal paadham naNNi
maTrumOr theyvanth thannai uNdena ninainthem pemmaaRku
kaTrilaa thavaraik kaNdaal amma-naam anju maaRE
I am not afraid of even the shiny snakes (that live) in the anthills. I am not afraid of even the (so called) 'truths' uttered by the charlatans (whose aim is to fool others). There are some people who think that there is some other god, and do not seek the holy feet of our Siva, who has an eye in the forehead and long matted locks of hair. If I happen to come across them, I am afraid of them indeed!
Manikkavasagar, the great poet-saint of the ninth century Tamil land penned Thiruvasagam, which is considered as one of the most sacred anthology of Saiva Siddhantha. The above potent stanza from Thiruvasagam very strongly stresses the importance of single pointed devotion to one's object of reverence and not entertain anything that is even remotely converse.
When a certain devotee who advocated changing one's religion was referred to Baba, it was not a pleasant experience! Baba roared, "Are you going to change your mother?" On another occasion, Baba was reported to have cited the qualities of a disciple as that of a chaste wife to her husband and a loyal servant to the Master. Several incidents cited in Sri Satcharitha stresses Baba's insistence on sticking with one's Guru only and not waver in their devotion and reverence to that Guru. Sri Sai Himself stood a testimony to this spiritual truth.
Baba has clearly said that it is only due to "rinanubandha", the karmic indebtedness, that one is drawn towards Him and He will draw His men towards Him from distant places. Hence, if one finds himself drawn to Baba, it is understood that he is Baba's man and Baba is the one and only recourse, resort, and the only object of reverence.
Anyone who wants to progress in his spiritual life and achieve his goal should strictly adhere to the above axiomatic truth.
Contributed Article: BUDDHA
During a conversation on non-attachment, Bhagavan said, "In this part of the country, one of our ancients wrote, 'O Lord, thou hast given me a hand to use as pillow under my head, a cloth to cover my loins, hands wherewith to eat food, what more do I want? This is my great good fortune'! That is the purport of the verse. Is it really possible to say how great a good fortune that is? Even the greatest kings wish for such happiness. There is nothing to equal it. Having experienced both these conditions, I know the difference between this and that. These beds, sofa and articles around me - all this is bondage." "Is not the Buddha an example of this?" asked a devotee. Thereupon Sri Bhagavan began speaking about Buddha. "YES," SAID BHAGAVAN, "when the Buddha was in the palace with all possible luxuries in the world, he was still sad. To remove his sadness, his father created more luxuries than ever. But none of them satisfied the Buddha. At midnight he left his wife and child and disappeared. He remained in great austerity for six years, realized the Self; and for the welfare of the world became a mendicant (bhikshu). It was only after he became a mendicant that he enjoyed great bliss. Really, what more did he require?" "In the garb of a mendicant he came to his own city, did he not?" asked a devotee. "Yes, yes," said Bhagavan. "Having heard that he was coming, his father, Suddhodana, decorated the royal elephant and went out with his whole army to receive him on the main road. But without touching the main road, the Buddha came by side roads and by-lanes; he sent his close associates to the various streets for alms while he himself in the guise of a mendicant went by another way to his father. How could the father know that his son was coming in that guise! Yasodhara (the Buddha's wife), however, recognized him, made her son prostrate before his father and herself prostrated. After that, the father recognized the Buddha. Suddhodana however, had never expected to see his son in such a state and was very angry and shouted, 'Shame on you! What is this garb? Does one who should have the greatest of riches come like this? I've had enough of it!' And with that, he looked furiously at the Buddha. Regretting that his father had not yet got rid of his ignorance, the Buddha too, began to look at his father with even greater intensity. In this war of looks, the father was defeated. He fell at the feet of his son and himself became a mendicant. Only a man with non-attachment can know the power of non-attachment", said Bhagavan, his voice quivering with emotion.
(Source: Spiritual Stories as told by Sri Ramana Maharshi)