Volume:13 Issue:7
Thursday, Jun 24, 2010
Quote:
“If you are wealthy, be humble”- 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:
The full moon day(Pournima) of Ashada month (July) is desingated to serve the Guru, hence it is also referred to as Guru Pournima. Sai temples accross the world will be celebrating Gurupournima celebrations. Mark your calendars for a day of prayer and service to Shri Sai.
Devotees Say:
Sripriya
Thank you Baba for helping me conceive after 5yrs.ever shower your blessings on my family and me. Please bless me with a healthy baby.
Chintan
Shri Saibaba Koti Koti Pranam. I would like to share this Experience of mine with all the Sai bhakt. I did visit shree Saibaba temple for 5 Thursdays with my Manokamna of my wife securing her H1B visas. Shri Sai with all his blessings full filled all my manokamana. Shree Sai always be with keep and me on showering your blessings on me and my family and all the people in the world. JAI SAI RAM. Though I am late Baba in posting this blessing of yours please forgive me.
Shabana
Baba I just cannot thank you enough for curing my niece, thank you for blessing her with new life, you are great Baba you are eternal Thank you very much Baba I just cannot thank you enough please call me again to you feet in Shirdi.
Padmaja
Our koti pranamalu to Baba by your grace we got visa extension we are very thankful to you Baba always be with us shower your blessings on us
Devotees Experience:
Rajendra
I would like to share Sai miracle that happened in my life. My late brother Bharat showed me way to worship Sai Baba and told me to go to Sai temple every Thursday, there was a small temple of Sai near my office at fort Mumbai near empire theatre at VT. and I started going to Sai temple every Thursday, those days my salary was only rs250/-per month as I used to work as accounts trainee in a pvt travel agency and same time I used to do my college, after completing my graduation I was still working with same company with small salary and continued to look for better job but not succeeded, due poor family background I was forced to work with same job for almost 11 yrs though by this time salary was increased to 10 time of my first salary but with that much it was difficult to run house as with Sai blessing my son was born in the year 1989 and I continued to worship Baba with full faith once a though came in mind that I should pray to Baba to get me better job abroad but I was not even able to make my passport due to financial problems as it cost rs600 those days, I was thinking of making passport and one fine morning my colleague (a Parsi girl) told me she will speak to her mother about me to get passport work done and with blessing of Baba that late Roshan aunty (Sai Baba bless her and give peace to her heavenly abode)came to our office and told me get all papers with me and photos and on day she took me to one travel agency at kemps corner Mumbai and submitted my documents and with a month I got my passport done and all charges were paid by Roshan aunty I will never forget her help with blessing of Sai Baba in my life.
Now I started praying to Baba about better job abroad and again with blessing of Saibaba one of our company secretary Nisha Mirchandani who is great Sai devotee helped me to get typed nicely my resume almost ten copies and told me keep on trying and suggested to read times of India on wed day, even she and Roshan aunty always tell me -see apply for this and apply for that... once there was a advertisement from one travel agency in Saudi Arabia and Aunty told me there is walk in interview in a agency at Nariman point so you must try I took half day from my office and went there I found already many people waiting for interview and anyhow my chance came they took primary interview and gave me one form to fill and submit and then they will call for final interview, though in my mind I thought there is no chance to get this job as there were many people and there were only two posts for accountant with remembering Sai Baba I submitted my form and gave mailing address of Roshan aunty as I used to say at Bhayandar which far from Mumbai and even I had no contact so I gave contact number of Aunty.
After two days aunty received telegram from that agency in my name asking to attend final interview, again I took half day from office and went to that agency but to my surprise I found big queue and I was last person to reach there, almost interview got over and they told me now all vacancies are filled so there is no use for me to wait there and now no further candidates will be interview and I was the only one left I request them to check with sponsor if he still like to interview me with Sai kripa that Arab man told them call the last candidate that is me for interview and within three mint of interview he told me I would like to select you with additional by three hundred more then what I asked this was all due to blessing of Saibaba, finally medical was another hurdle we were told to go for medical check prior to visa stamping, we all who were selected went for medical check up at TIFRC again with medical report doctor said to me that your left side lung shows swelling I told doctor I never had any medical problem and I am health please conduct medical again then immediately he asked me what work I am going to do abroad I said accountant without waiting a moment he stamped my medical report and gave me this was another miracle of Sai nath and finally I got better job in gulf country and with blessing of Saibaba now almost 17 yrs passed I am still working in gulf with same company and this improved my life with blessing of Sai Baba and every year whenever I come home I first visit Saidham at Shirdi and Baba always shower his blessing me and my family every moment and my wife and children all are Sai devotees I pray to Saibaba for always giving us place at Sai charan !
Weekly Question:
Q. Does Shirdi Sai tatva fit into Guru parampara? Explain why? Or Why not?
A. Your Answer can go here.
Sai Vichaar Vol 13, Issue 7
Feature: PEOPLE IN SAI DARBAR - WHY ONLY THEY!
There are many people who served Sai Baba when he lived in Shirdi. But not everyone served for same purpose. Some people in the darbar were assigned one job while others the remaining. Many examples can be quoted. As everyone knew, only Taatya, Mahalsapathi and Lakshmibhai Shinde are allowed to Dwarakamaayi during night times. Similarly Radhakrishna aayi used to have the remnants of food (Bhuktasesha) after being had by Baba.
How can anyone forget the all time favorite of Baba - Shyaama alias Madhavarao Deshpande? Baba had a special consideration for Shyaama because they carry relationship since 72 births (Bahattar janmon ka bandhan). Bapusaheb Booti is yet another great person. Being a millionaire himself he had intense desire to serve the poor and needy. His construction "Bootiwada" the present Samadhimandir is the place where Baba breathed last. The place was actually meant to lay the statue of Sri Krishna. Another great devotee is Bapusaheb Jog who served Baba giving aarathi in masjid and chaavadi till Baba\'s Mahasamadhi.
Nanasaheb Chaandorkar's pride was suppressed by Baba during a debate with regard to Bhagavadgita sloka. For all this we should first bow our heads to Hemadpant for offering us "Sri Sai Satcharithra".
When I first read the book I thought why only these people had the wonderful opportunity of serving Sai?? But now I completely agree that their dedication, devotion and patience made their names fixed in the history
Feature contributed by: Sai devotee Sirisha P
Contributed Article: Emphasis on "Silence" and "Who am I?" In the Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba and Ramana Maharshi
We live in an age of noise. The earth and the sea are, today filled with strife. The very air is full of noise. God has retreated! Where is He? In silence; God is the Great silent one.
Abraham of the Bible found God silent for 13 years. Grasping the Great Truth of God (Genesis 17:1-27)
Who are they who truly seek God? Who are they who truly commune with Him? Lovers of silence, the silent ones! Not without reason doth every sloka in the ancient Aryan scriptures close on this one significant syllable: "Shanti; Shanti; Shanti;"
Shirdi Sai Baba barely uttered anything and stayed in the mosque. On some rare occasions, He expressed himself in a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and allegories to make the point clear to his devotees. Here is just one parable of gold told by Him. Once He conveyed the following message to one Madhavnaath Maharaj through one of his devotees named Laxman Pradhan: "I 've got sacks of gold on a donkey's back. Thieves have stolen them on the way. A hole in the ear has to be pierced only by the goldsmith. It is very difficult to pull on, in this naughty world. Tell this much to my brother Madhavnaath" In the above message: "gold" is the symbol of divine love and knowledge; "donkey's back" allegorizes those who do not realize the value of gold and are quite unaware of the wealth; even though "gold is kept on a donkeys back", it still would go on bearing the weight out of usual habit.
Sai Baba always taught His devotees to lead a normal life, discouraging 'mystical flights' and condemning ascetic excesses. He used to encourage very few to take the path of Sanyasam. Baba's central teachings intended to awaken the mind of devotees to crucial existential issues - Who Gives? Who Receives? Baba advised meditation on the fundamental questions: Who Am I? Who Are We? Such a call was aimed at motivating and inspiring devotees to tread the path of 'Jnana Marga'.
In 'Jnana Marga', the path of enquiry is direct, and "Know Thyself" is a teaching, which is common from Jesus to Sai Baba to Ramana Maharshi.
Ramana Maharishi, one of the greatest sages of India, was not a mere life but a manifestation that descended on to this earth on December 30, 1879. It was a Monday and more important the `Day of the Arudra Darshan\', (celebrated as the birthday of Lord Shiva). He was apparently an ordinary baby at birth. What he made out of his life, however, was extraordinary. When he was barely 17 years old, he experienced a feeling- in the summer of 1896- of death and life thereafter. The aftermath of the experience left him not scared but enlightened. The boy Ramana, magnetized by the vibrations of the sacred hill Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India, reached there on September 1, 1896.
Ramana Maharshi was the awe-inspiring sage whose presence graced the renowned sacred Arunachala hill of South India during much of the 20th century. He was known throughout the world as the silent sage whose peaceful presence and powerful gaze changed the lives of the many that came into his presence. Of him, it is often said that his silence was more eloquent than his words. This austere master, who lived and died a hermit on the Arunachala hill, left posterity the legacy of his wisdom.
Ramana Maharshi mainly gave his grace through Silence. Maharshi seldom talked. Paul Brunton, a journalist who had visited a number of so-called Masters, and had left each one still skeptical, also visited Ramana Maharshi and wrote:
"It is an ancient theory of mine that one can take the inventory of a man's soul from his eyes. But before those of the Maharshi I hesitate, [feel] puzzled and baffled. I cannot turn my gaze away from him. My initial bewilderment, my perplexity at being totally ignored, slowly fades away as this strange fascination begins to grip me more firmly. But it is not till the second hour of the uncommon scene that I become aware of a silent, resistless change, which is taking place within my mind. I know only that a steady river of quietness seems to be flowing near me, that a great peace is penetrating the inner reaches of my being, and that my thought-tortured brain is beginning to arrive at some rest."
Ramana Maharshi would constantly urge the process of self-enquiry. His oft-repeated advice to aspirants was, "Constantly introspect - Who am I? -that which is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real nature." (To be continued)
(Contributed by Subodh Agarwal)