Volume:13 Issue:10
Thursday, Jul 15, 2010
Quote:
“Those who are fortunatee enough to get Baba's Udi should, after bath, apply it on the forehead and take some little of it mixed with water in the mouth as holy Tirth.”- 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 devotees accross the world will be celebrating Gurupournima celebrations either at home or temple. Mark your calendars for a day of prayer and service to Shri Sai. Share your story and picture with other devotees by clicking here.
Devotees Say:
Srinivas
I was helped by Sri Sai in finding a new job. My previous company was good but due to some politics, we were not treated properly. I was praying to Sri Sai to help me in finding a new job. To my Surprise, he has given me an opportunity in a big MNC. As I promised to Sai that I will post my experience in Sai vichaar, after joining a new job and hence posting the same. Thanks Sai. Please shower your blessing on us and on my friends and well-wishers and keep all of them safe and happy.
Devotee
I went through a worst time of my life in a physically abusive marriage. I don\'t have any idea where did my 2008-09 vanished because I went through all the trauma of divorce and court sessions. I wanted to go back to US and study further and that too in Chicago. I used to pray each day that I get admission in one of the good universities in Chicago for my MBA and by Sai Ram\'s grace I have got offer letters from 5 out of 7 Universities to which I applied to in US and one of them is in Chicago. It\'s only Sai Ram who made it possible for me to get admission in Tier 1 University and its only Sai Ram who always made my dreams come true. Thank you Baba for your Kripa and I pray that please give me the strength to have complete shraddha in you and start practicing saburi for the same. I love you Sai Ram!
Jasmeet
Dear Baba, I thank you a million for the miracle shown in warding away the danger of dialysis. Baba pl help him so that the medication work on his kidneys so that they work in a normal condition
Bhaskar
Baba, You are Great. You proved once again that you listens every sec on what you devotees think. Baba, you helped me on getting my new house. You know how much I went through. You are my savior and the teacher.
Srikanth
Devotees in the DC Metro area are invited to participate in Gurupoornima Celebration on Saturday July 24th from 5.00 PM to 9.00 PM at Gaithersburg High School, 314 South Fredrick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. For more details please visit www.dcmetrosaisamsthan.org or contact us at 240-SAI-6840.
Devotee
Baba I am so happy for fulfilling my wish of getting him job Baba. I thought when ever he gets in to a job I will post that good news now the good time has come Baba and you know this before everyone came to know because its you have made it.
Ameet
I have this personal experience in my life, that come what may big difficulty my Sai Baba was there to help me in every way. He helped me got my VISA in short span of time and listen to my prayer.
Devotees Experience:
Radhika
I feel much honored to share my experience with all the Sai Devotees. SAI MAA has helped and saved my family and me many times. Baba used to guide me and still now he guides me in dream and protects me if anything wrong is going to happen with me and my family. This happened last year. I had a dream that my uncle`s (my daddy`s younger brother) daughter now she is one year old felt sick and after a little while she was dead but it was a dream and we all were crying very bitterly. And specially me then suddenly I got up I told my uncle give me SAI BABA`s udi and I applied udi on her forehead and shoulders and at the same spot she started moving her legs and our joy new no bounds. I woke up and I was much tensed.
Then I discussed this with my friend and she told me that something might happen in your family but don't forget to use SAI udi if anything goes wrong. She is also a SAI devotee. Then the next day my father's call came and he told me that something is happening to me I cannot drive my bike properly I am feeling dizzy then I prayed before SAI MAA photo that please be with my father and make him reach home safely. After a little while he came home and felt on the sofa and told me to switch on the pedestal fan I am feeling that I am loosing energy something is happening to me. I started crying before SAI MAA photo and suddenly the word udi clicked in my mind and I recalled my dream and was reminded about the udi. Then at same time I took SAI RAM`s udi mixed in a glass of water and made my father get up and gave that water. After a few minutes he became active like before and started feeling better. Then I applied udi on my father's forehead and I thanked SAI MAA at the same time.
It was SAI RAM who gave that dream to me and in that dream he also showed how to come out from this danger by using his udi. And the same thing happened with me in real and SAI udi has saved my father. I just want to give a small message to all SAI devotees to keep Sharadha and Saburi and keep udi in use for any difficulty any problems. SAI MAA please bless my family and every one in this world. SAI RAM please give us a chance to visit Shirdi. Jai SAI RAM.
Rajini
I wanted to share my experience will all SAI Devotees. I just do not know how much I can thank Sai. I had been unemployed for over 8 months. All this period there were times when I used to stick to Baba\'s prayers and at other times just didn't get attached. But no matter how I reacted to my incidents in life, Baba was always with me. I just cannot find words to describe, but sure want to try by best. As said, I had been unemployed for over 8 months. In this period I have given couple of interviews but had negative feedback, as client didn't feel me as enough arrogant, didn't find me to take stress, etc. But at the end of each interview, I used to thank Baba, as I didn't get any negative feedback saying that I do not have enough working talent in me. Though I was rejected, I always used to tell myself that there is some purpose for it and which later always turned true.
Now after this long period, I finally got placed (got interviewed on Thursday) in a big company and seriously the kind of job, which I have been interested since years from which I can learn more. Even after getting selected by the client, I had serious issues with my employer who almost threatened vendor about my working status. I was in a fix, thinking as to how much pressure do I need to bear. But always had some hope thinking that I was interviewed on Thursday and it should be fine. And finally I had a way, some how vendor gave me a week (after all the mess) and I was able to transfer my consulting company under premium process. And another miracle here is, I got my H1 approved in 2 days, yes 2 days. I just couldn't\'t feel myself about this as I was nervous for being on bench for more than 8 months. This is all truly with his blessings. I now am working for the client that I wished for. Currently I am under lot of pressure at work, working 12 - 15 hrs but as Baba is with me, I have the confidence that he is doing for some purpose and I do not have to think about it.
I request all Sai Devotees, who ever is facing problem from months or years, waiting for Baba to bless them. Please never loose hope on him. Have full faith on him and wait for him. He himself says that our problems and pain is his so why bother for it.
Weekly Question:
Q. Out of devotees of Sri Saibaba depicted in Sri Saibaba literature who do you like most and why?
A. by Anitha
I love Madhavrao Deshpande (Shama) one of Sai\'s intimate devotees. I like him for his innocence and impulsiveness when Baba would tease him. I would love the interaction between Sainath and Shama in the teleseries Baba Tere Hazaron Haath that was pure bliss. His childlike innocence and his relationship with Baba were more like friends. Most of the times when I am cross with Baba I feel I am trying to be like Shama. In this age of sophistication and materialism Shama like devotion and relationship with Baba is enough to give a soul God consciousness and liberation. The way Shama would talk, share and argue with Baba shows the unparalleled love and attachment of Baba with Shama. Such a relationship with Guru is enough to pale all the riches of this mortal world.
Q. Out of devotees of Sri Saibaba depicted in Sri Saibaba literature who do you like most and why?
A. by Srividya
Out of all the devotees of Sri Saibaba depicted in His stories, I like Shyaama (Madhav Rao Deshpande) the most. No other devotee ever had so much of freedom with Baba anytime. The way Baba treated Shyaama and the way Shyaama always frankly gave his opinion to Baba, in spite of knowing that He is the ruler of the world, is just amazing. Baba always had a special preference to Shyaama, be it in bestowing many literary books like Vishnu Sahasranam on him, or in giving him the privilege of explaining many difficulty concepts of adyta to other devotees in his simple style. Baba Himself once told Shyaama that He has lived with him for 72 lives together. May Baba show His grace again on Shyaama and continue living with Him in all his remaining lives.
Q. Out of devotees of Sri Saibaba depicted in Sri Saibaba literature who do you like most and why?
A. by Kiranmai
Like/dislike gives rise to concept of judging people. If one rather practices to discuss situations or stories objectively versus subjectively it helps one cultivate a better focused approach and helps in being better citizens of this planet.
Coming from that angle, in my opinion each story that was captured in Sai Satcharitra is to serve a certain situation in someone's else's life and guide them as it is told in Mahabharat that each character depicted is to symbolize different characters that is going to be encountered in Kali Yuga.
Sai Vichaar Vol 13, Issue 10
Feature: Poverty is better than Kingship
Sri Saibaba used to say that poverty is better than Kingship and that the Lord is sustainer of all. More often, the poverty is taken as not having any material means of living and the hardships one faces in leading everyday lives. Can this be true? For a Sai devotee, if the conviction that every bit of sustenance comes as the result of Sri Sai's grace and blessings only, the question of one having anything of his own doesn't arise. Thus, the question of one being materially poor or rich does not arise at all. Then what could be the "poverty" Sri Sai refers to? Let us look at this in a different angle. The tenets of Sufism included poverty, also known as faqr, as one of its important beliefs. William Chittick in his book "Sufism a Short Introduction" writes, "The knowledge of human inadequacy is knowledge of our essential nothingness. This human nothingness is sometimes called as "poverty" or faqr. Both fakir and dervish mean "poor man", that is, a traveler on Sufi path. Sufism is poverty towards God. To be poor toward Him is to acknowledge one' need for Him, and the deeper and more sincere this acknowledgement becomes, the more it turns into an overpowering drive to reach the beloved. Few pains are as deep as the lovers' pain in their separation. Knowing their own pain, the lovers yearn for the cure of every pain, and that is their Beloved. The end result is deliverance from pain and union with all joy, but without pain, the journey will never begin".
Sri Sai referring to His Guru said, "Night and day, I gazed at him with no thought of hunger and thirst. Without him, I felt restless. I had no other object to meditate, nor any other thing than My Guru to attend. He was My sole refuge. My mind was always fixed on him". Gurupoornima is the most sacred day of the year for the Children of Sri Sai. As we approach the festivities, let the true poverty of our need for our Sai be felt. Let the path to the union begin out of that sincere need, the pain of separation.
Contributed Article: God - A Matter of Experience
Saibaba's language was truly mystic for he talked back and forth between the Absolute mode and the mode of surrendered servant or even bond slave of the Lord. In the former mode, He made such statements as: "I am formless and everywhere" and, "I look equally on all. Not a leaf moves except my grace". In the latter mode of surrendered instrument of God, he declares:" Without God's permission nothing can be made by me", and "Baba is but phaladata (giver of the fruit or dispenser of the result). However, his message is clear both on fear and hope that if one becomes God's or Saibaba's devotee the one will be under his protective wing and need no fear. If then the devotee has patience, his hopes will be realized and in due course, he will indeed be raised spiritually. This blessing is not to be confused with worldly benefits such as material prosperity, fame, power or even health, although these may in fact occur as by-products. The promise is for the achievement of the Sufi goal of mystical union with God, or the realization that one was never in truth separation from God.
Among many quotations in this vein of protection and guidance, Saibaba said: "if you make me the sole object of your thoughts and aims, you will gain paramartha - the supreme goal. Some visitors came to see Saibaba at first merely out of curiosity to see a miracle-worker, and then gradually they started coming to listen to what Saibaba was teaching. Nana Chandorkar, for example, began listening to Saibaba this way, and eventually gained complete confidence that Saibaba did indeed demonstrate the qualities of divinity. Others however, such as Dasganu, although he had great respect for the Saint and had been shown many phenomenal miracles, could never quite come to terms with admitting Saibaba's divinity (when Baba was in flesh and blood).
(Source: "Saibaba and the Sufi Tariqat' in "Unravelling The Enigma - Shirdi Saibaba in the Light of Sufism" by Marianne Warren)