There was a poor man in a village who had desire to become rich. God took the form of a fortune-teller and told the poor man to dig a pit near the wall at the back of his house to find a rich treasure-trove in it. The poor man did the same and obtained much wealth and thereafter, he became relaxed and careless even for the maintenance of the wealth. Coming to know of his carelessness, one day a thief entered the house and carried away the treasure-trove. The poor man found that his wealth was gone and ran here and there in search of the treasure-trove. In the meantime, the same fortune-teller caught hold of the thief and duly returned the treasure-trove to the poor man. From that moment, he never relaxed his vigilance, was ever guarding the treasure-trove, and exerted himself to add to it.

Similarly, God sends a Guru to the Spiritual Aspirant who shows him that God resides within the chambers of the heart in the form of Supreme Bliss. The Spiritual Aspirant exerts himself and attains some measure of success in the sadhana. This success turns his head and makes him relax his efforts. Finding this, Maya overpowers him and carries away his spiritual progress. He suddenly discovers the truth and laments over his fate. The Guru comes to him again and recaptures for him the experiences he had previously gained by Sadhana. He also warns him against relax in Sadhana. Once having known the consequences of non-vigilance, viz., great misery, he never relaxes his vigilance once again.

The basic teaching of our ancient scriptures says that you are child of Immortality (Amrithasya puthraah). Man is not a product of slime or mud but he is the one who manages to live with viveka so that he is able to attain the divinity latent in him. Man is frittering his energy on collecting tawdry tinsel (Materialistic things) and forgetting the diamonds (God's Grace). Both are available on earth but man is led by glitter and not by worth.

The most desirable form of wealth is the Grace of God. The bliss that bestows due to God's Grace is experienced by many saints and sages who had faith in their hearts and withstood the onslaughts of poverty, neglect and cruelty. The sky and the sea are blue in color because of their vast depth. Similarly, God is described in blue color because of his greatest mystery. Remove from the heart the darkness of vice and ignorance so that, the Meghashyama (whose color is that of a rain-cloud) can easily be seen in that white background. Do not further darken your consciousness by blaming God due to your materialistic problems. Better live a moment as hamsa (swan) on milk than live for a century as crow by feeding on carrion.

Man is the repository of vast power. The body encasing you is the means to enable you to realize the Reality. Use the opportunities in the householder life as a training ground for spiritual life and develop detachment and self-sacrifice. You must remove the fibrous matter that encases his heart i.e., lust, anger and envy. You must Draw inspiration from the Divine in you and earn the glory by being good, sincere, honest, self-sacrificing and lovable.

Use your tongue for spelling the name of the Lord but not for hissing like a serpent or for growling with intention to strike terror. Do not start blaming the God if your wish is not fulfilled because the fault lies in you for not having the needed qualification to earn the fulfillment. The sorrows of life will yield only to nobler and higher thoughts and experiences. Our dharma insists that every act must be done as efficiently as act of worship and true love must forget all differences of status, age and wealth and man cannot claim humanity without self-control and detachment. Hear good things, see good, do good, think good and uproot all the evil tendencies will be uprooted otherwise, you are like the fool who puts on wrong glasses and spoils his vision.
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Contributed Article: SRI SAI GURUCHARITRA -Chapter II(Continued from Last week..)

My obeisance to Sri Ganesa. Oh thou embodiment of pure conscious! Oh thou Master of universe! Oh thou gracious one! Thou art effulgent, with no attributes and art in a state transcending all states. Thou art beyond space, time, and causality and art indivisible. Thou art our father and mother and every thing to us. Oh my Lord! Your real form is incomprehensible to us. Even the Vedas are unable to describe your real nature and have been reduced to a piteous state exclaiming neti, neti (not this, not this). Even the great saints such as Vasishta, Bhrugu who were the very suns of knowledge and who could dispel ignorance by the rays of the knowledge of the Self found it impossible to describe you. How can I, a mere firefly before them, do it? Oh my lord, I am burning feverishly waiting for your kind grace to descend on me. I will never forget you or forsake your lotus like feet. Please stay for ever in my heart and using me as your pen, have this book written by me.

One day the pure and virtuous Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Nanasaheb Nimonkar came to Shirdi for the darsan of Sri Sai Baba. Nana sahib prostrated at Baba's feet and prayed, "Oh Sai Maharaj, Oh thou able one! No more this worldly life for me. All the sastras say that this worldly life is futile. Protector of the meek and the downtrodden! Please tear asunder these chains of worldly attachments, which entangle us and hinder our progress. What pleasures we seek are turning into pain to haunt and torment us. Desire is making us dance like puppets at her whim. No matter how far the search, we are unable to find true bliss in this world. I am fed up of this life. I do not want these worldly entanglements any more."

Baba patiently heard what Chandorkar had to say. He said, "From where are you getting these insane ideas? What you say is true to some extent but you seem to have gone off on a tangent on the whole. You may try to escape from the worldly but it will not let you escape from it. It will always stick by your side. It is not possible for anyone to escape from its clutches. Even I could not escape being entangled in this body of mine. How then can you escape the entanglements? This world has many attributes. Let me explain them to you. When lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, pride and envy are covered by ego the result is worldliness. That is the world. The eyes see an object, the ears hear, the tongue tastes - this too is the world. It is the nature of the body. This world is an admixture of pleasure and pain. They do not leave anyone. No one can escape from their clutches. You feel that wealth, wife and children are the world. You are now weary of this. But they - the wife, children, brothers and sisters, relatives will not leave you even if you wish to leave them. The reason for all this is your prarabhda karma. Know that none in the three worlds can escape it without experiencing it and working it out. Chandorkar heard what Baba said. He replied, "All what you had said earlier was given by god and are his creation, the last - prarabhda is my own creation. I am wearied of this worldliness. Please remove my entanglements and save me some how or the other."

Baba laughed, "Every thing is your creation. What is the use of feeling fed up now? All these are the result of the karma of your previous lives, the result of the prarabdha karma. This prarabdha is the main reason for us to take birth in this world. None can escape the prarabdha. That is why people are born. There are the poor, the middleclass, the rich, the others, the bachelors, the vaanaprasthas, the sanyasis, the high and mighty, the low and such many kinds of people. There are many animals such as horses, cattle, foxes, birds, tigers, wolves, dogs, pigs, cats, snakes, scorpions, the ants and insects. The life inhabiting them all is the same. But they all look different from each other to the casual onlooker. Have you ever thought why this should be so? It is because of their sanchita karma that they are different from each other. They assume the qualities, conduct and the way of life as per their bodies. What is the purpose of seeing all these bodies and feeling wearied? The tiger eats meat. The pig eats excreta. The wolf digs out the buried human body and eats it with relish. It is the nature of their bodies which makes them do that. The swan eats the tender leaves of the lotus; the vultures eat the stinking decayed meat. One gets the qualities and the habits of the body one is born in. This is the law of the nature. It is in accordance with this law of the nature that the living beings experience their prarabdha karma. Look here Nana! Some lions roam freely in the jungle - the lords of all they survey. Some lions are caged and taken from village to village on show. The rich man's dog sleeps on mattresses of silk. Some dogs keep roaming throughout the day for a few pieces of bread. Some cattle are fed to satiety with hay. The owner gives them sufficient water and oilcakes to feed and takes good care of them. Some cattle keep roaming throughout the day, hungry for food.They do not even get a few stalks of grass to eat and have to nose about the rubbish

The main reason for these differences is the prarabdha karma. None can escape it without experiencing it to the full. It is the reason for the prosperity of the rich and the poverty of the poor. None can escape its writ without undergoing the full course. What law applies to animals applies to humans too. One is rich, the other poor; one is prosperous, the other in the clutches of wretched poverty. One is an orphan who has to beg for alms. One moves like a prince on horse back. One enjoys all the luxuries of life in kingly mansions. One has nothing to call his own and sleeps naked on the bare ground, the sky itself his roof. Some have progeny. Some have progeny, but they all die. Some women are barren and bear no children. Some women go to much trouble for just for the sake of bearing children." As Baba was saying this, Nana folded his hands in obeisance and said, "Baba! Why then do we have happiness and sorrow? We get pleasure from happiness and heart breaking pain from sorrow. The person who is entangled in the world suffers between both these extremes every second of his life. If this world is the store house of happiness and sorrow; how can one destroy sorrow and achieve happiness without leaving it?"

Baba said, "Happiness and sorrow are delusions. They are the fog which covers up and hides the reality. What we feel are the pleasures of this world are not truly its pleasures. Examine this aspect closely. Many people commit mistakes in understanding these aspects. It is by the prarabdha karma that one gets delicious food to eat while another gets dry bread to eat. The one who gets the stale dry bread may be plunged into sorrow. Another may get merely the dry crust of the stale bread. The man who got the delicious food to eat will think that he has every thing and lacks nothing. One may eat delicious food or one may eat rice with pickle. It is merely to assuage hunger and to fill the stomach. Some may wear costly shawls with jeweled embroidery. Some may cover their skin with rags. It may be a costly shawl or a rag; the purpose is to cover the skin only. Beyond this basic use there no further use for these things". (To be continued)

(Contributed by Source: "Sri Sai Gurucharithra" originally by Santkavi Sri Dasganu Maharaj. Translated from Telugu version by Sri SVL)
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Experiences of Devotees:

Nainesh Patel
I would like to offer my head, my life and my eternity at Sai feet for he has been with me since I have been born and I am sure he will be there for me in the future. I would like to share my experience with all the devotees. My son had a seizure fit when he was only around 3 years old. He did not get them all the time but once or twice a year which caused great anxiety and worry for us. Doctors said he should be put on epilepsy medicine. I did some research and found that the medicine is not a cure but reduces the occurrence of these fits. Since he did not get them too often and I had faith in Sai we did not put him on any medicine. In 2001 we were going to India and I wanted to take my family to Shirdi . A week before going my Son had a real bad fit, which bought great amount fear on what should be done. We decided to go to India and not worry about the medicine. The cause of this fit was most likely the Malaria medicine he had taken which Doctor's confirmed. In Shirdi we had excellent darshan and some other darshan in India also. The miracle is that since our return there has been no occurrence of any sort of seizure. May Sai always bless all the living and us and non-living things since he prevails all.

Vijayalakshmi
OM Sairam! Namaskar to every Sai bhakta. May your bhakti ascend in the right direction. Recently I had an experience with Baba's grace. My brother Harishankar is studying in nitie, mumbai. My mother and younger brother are in vizag. My father works in Iran.

My mother calls Hari every Saturday. But last Saturday when she called, there was no reply from him. I sent him email and offline messages but there was no reply. My father also sent him mail and also offline messages .But there was no reply. I had no info about him even after 8days.So I was very much worried and I thought that I would call my mother to enquire about whether there was reply from him but only after I read today's sai vichaar newsletter. I did read the newsletter and after that I ate the prasad in my puja room. I called my mom to know about my brother. My mom said there was no reply from him and she would call him again today. So I was again worried.I thought that I will send my experience to the newsletter if my brother replies.I sat in silence and started chanting Sai Nama. While I was chanting just for one minute or so, my brother buzzed his offline message saying that he is fine.I was so happy . Oh Lord Sainath! You are Great! I love you! Always be with me throughout my life. Namaste Saibaba. OM Sairam!
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Devotees say...

Rama
Om Sai Ram. I want to share this my experience with Guruji Sathpathyji when he visited Toronto in August 2004. My husband and myself got late in reaching the airport on arrival of Guruji. But deep in our heart we wanted to meet Guruji. So after calling the person with whom Guruji and Guruma Meeraji were, we came to know they were going to CN tower. We started going towards CN tower from the airport. And as we reached CN Tower we saw Guruji right at the entrance. We were so lucky that we got the chance of meeting him and Meeraji. Then we attended Gurujis satsang in a temple the next day. It was such a blessing being with him. My baby was due on 10th Sep 2004. This was my third C- section and I was very scared. Guru blessed me and told me everything will be alright. And beleive me things could have been worse. In the Operation theatre my nose got blocked and I was just not able to breath. But Sai Guruji had planned its solution. I had never carried my nose drops in the previous C-sections. But this time something made e give the nose drops to my husband that too I made him carry them to the O.T. He was zapped too why I was so adiment to carry them to O.T.So when my nose got blocked I was able to use them and breath normally. THANKS TO BABAJI WHO CAME IN THE FORM OF GURUJI TO BLESS ME. Then as soon as I came back from the hospital I fainted. We didnt have any help in Canada. My husband just didnt know what to do. But Again Sai Guruji had planned something else. My husband Called up one of his friends & requested her to get her mother home. And her mother stayed with us for 3 days. What a blessing of Guruji that he send someone elder to stay with us to giude us and to help us in our need. I will never be able to forget this experience of mine which was so blessed. Thanks to Guruji who is indeed a form of Sai. Thanks a lot Guruji Sathpathji. Please always keep our blessing hand on my family and myself. THANK YOU A LOT. Om Sai Ram.
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Prayer Club:

Usha
Sai Mahaprabho. Please take care of my sister who is undergoing surgery again. Baba help my son in his studies and career path. I totally surrender to you mahadeva. Koti namaskarams.

Devotee
OM SAI BABA.Dear SAI BABA please help my parents in their hour of need.They have been searching for my second sisters marriage from quite a long time.Every time something goes wrong.You know SAIBABA how much my parents have faith in you.Please SAIBABA i am begging you to show your mercy on them.She is already 28yrs of age.It is very difficult to find a good match at this age .Please SAIBABA please bless my sister that she finds a very good life partner in all terms that is his nature should be good , highly qualified and above all a very good person by heart. Even though i am elder to her she has fulfilled all the responsibilites towards our parents.You know all this SAIBABA because you are omnipresent.Again just one year younger to her is my younger sister.Even her marriage is getting delayed because of this.Both my parents are old and they too have health problems.We donot have anybody to rely on.SAIBABA only you are my last straw of hope.I am optimistic you will show your miracle and shower your blessings on my parents and sisters.But again SAIBABA can't the miracle happen soon.We are waiting for your grace very very urgently.I know i am being selfish by asking you all this wordly pleasures.Sorry for that.

Devotee
I have been reading this newsletter for over a year now and feel blessed to be part of the Sai movement. Though I've been praying to Lord Sai, I never submitted a prayer till now. However, I feel inspired by all the devotees and hope and pray that my wishes are answered with Lord Sai's grace. I want to pray for the well-being & peace of my family which has seen terrible turmoils. I want to send a prayer for my husband and sister-in-law, who've faced a lot of struggles. My husband has been looking for a good break in his career since over 12 years and my sister in law has not found a suitable groom for herself yet. I pray she gets married by end of this year 2004 as she is way past her marriage age.

Sai devotee
Om Sri Sai Baba, Sai baba ji thank you so much for everything you have given me. You have blessed me in all my difficulties. I have and will always have full faith in u my baba. Pls bless me with a healthy baby. Pls sai baba ji. You have always been there for me. I pray with full devotion. Bless me with a healthy baby.

Devotee
We are trying our level best to get our daughter married for the last 5 years. But we do not know why we are not successful so far. I request the devotees to Pray to Baba for the early Marriage of our daughter.

Shefali
Hey Din Natha Baba! Today is Thursday and I ask you to please shower all your blessings on my ailing parents by curing them physically and mentally and help my brother so that he can get a good match for himself and start his family and live in peace.I also know you have done many things for me and helped me to take the right decision always.Today also "BABA" I pray to you to help me reach my goal.You know everything.Shower your blessings on all of us.JAI SAIRAM!

Vimla
Karunanidhan. Sai u know everything what happened, how happened and what is happening at present. You are almighty and aware of happening's in everyones life. Nothing is hided from you. Sai I believe in every god but when comes to any problem I first remember you. I know you will definitely help me. You only know what is good for me and what is not. Sainath now only one week is left you know what I am referring please help me. Please show me the right path. You know what is good for me and what is not. Please save me. I do not know anything about the person, what is in his mind, how true he is. But I am honestly devoted to him. My Sainath you only know how true I am. But I failed to express my feelings. I think he has got wrong intimations about me. Please solve it. I want to express my views before this week. Please karunanidhan I want to meet him tomorrow and I wish I succeed to express my true feelings to him. My Sainath you are aware of everything. You show the miracle. Please do miracle on me. I cannot write everything but you know what I am going through and what is my present situation. You only know what is right for me and my family. Please show the path. Also request kindly shower him also with your blessings. He should get a very good job soon and also a good life partner. It is very painful to separate but against your wish nothing can happen. So My Satchitanand Sai, please help me. Please give me mental Peace. Also I want one of my friend should get married soon.

Divya Suresh
Dear baba. You are very very merciful and i have realized this through daily happenings in my life. Baba you are always beside me whenever i am in trouble. But today my request is on behalf of my brother. He is struggling hard in his life. please help him. you know what troubles he is going through. let all his agony get relieved. Also help me in my teacher training course. Also please help my aunt get well. Help my brother to understand your mahima. Please draw him to your lotus feet just as the satcharita depicts. Help my niece find a good alliance. OM satchidananda sainath maharaj ki jai!

Anandi
We are all 8 sisters. Four got married four are still unmarried all have crossed 30 years we are all devotees of shirdi sai baba. I request you all to pray to Shirdi to get alliance for my sisters. I am sure our god Shirdi Sai ram will fulfill our prayers

Mithun
Please bless me baba, I really need your blessing, baba i know you are there for me at every step I take. Baba you know everything about me, I really love you baba, you also know that I want to clear this subject this semester, Baba I really pray to you to guide me and see that I pass with flying colors. Baba your grace can alone accomplish this task. Baba see that I clear this subject and complete my masters and call my wife here. Baba please Baba thank you very much for everything, Thank you very much for being there for me all the time. I love you baba. Dear baba devotees please pray for me.
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Quotation of the Week:
"We should always do good and mean well for others. Rest will happen as it is destined to happen."-Shri Sai Baba
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Question of the Week:

Q. What is "rinanubandha"?
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Sai Activities:

Mahasamadhi celebrations in Chicago, USA
Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs invites you to Baba,s Punyathithi celebrations from Thursday August 21st to Saturday August 23rd 2004. The Thursday program includes Mahaabhishek, Sai Homam, Vishnu Saharanama Homam, Mahalaxmi pooja, Saraswati pooja, Durga pooja, Satcharita parayan, Zoli program, reading of Holy scriptures, Palkhi procession, bhajans, aarthi and more. For full program details, directions and other details please visit http://www.saibaba.org/temple.html

Shirdi Sai temple is open daily from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. Daily program includes Kakad Arathi at 7am followed by Abhisek. Madhayana Arathi at 12 noon, Dhoop arathi at 6pm and Shej Arathi at 9pm. Archana, Homams, Sahasranama and sponsored poojas continue in between the Arathis. To request a pooja for yourselves, your friends and family, please call. Devotees can request water (Abhishek Jal) from the Holy bathing of Baba by sending us an email or by phone. Temple is located 25 minutes drive west of Schaumburg on intersection of IL Route 47 and Plank Road in Hampshire, IL. For more information please call 847-931-4058 or send email to maildrop@saibaba.org.

Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Minnesota - Mahasamadhi Celebrations 2004
Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Minnesota, invites you to join Saibaba Mahasamadhi Celebrations on October 23, 2004 at Geeta Ashram, Brooklyn Park, MN from 5 PM to 9 PM. The program includes Abhishek, Vishnu Sahasranaama, aarthis, parayan, kids program, bhajans and kirthans, and Palki procession followed by Mahaprasad. Please visit www.hamaresai.org for more details. Devotees from outside Twin Cities of Minnesota, who want to participate in the celebrations, please contact hamaresai@yahoo.com for accommodation

Sri Sai Baba Maha Samadhi Celebrations in Seattle
Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi attained his Maha Samadhi on Vijaya Dashami day in 1918 (15th October, 1918). In remembrance of this we have planned for a Satsang (spiritual gathering) at HTCC Temple, Bothell, WA on Saturday, 16th October, 2004 from 2.00 p.m.to 6 p.m. For further information please visit www.htccwa.org

Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan of Canada
Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan of Canada invites you to Baba's Punyathithi celebrations on October23rd 2004 at 6:00 PM Sharp at the Vishnu Temple 8640 Yonge St.L4C 6Z4 Richmond Hill PH: 905-886-1724. For direction, full program and other details or to participate in Bhajan please send us an email at saileela99@yahoo.com or call at 416-402-8089

Shirdi Sai Mahasamadhi and Dassera Celebrations in Bay Area, CA
We welcome all of you with family, to join us for Shirdi Sai Mahasamadhi and Dassera celebrations in the Bay Area, CA on October 23rd (Saturday) in Sunnyvale between 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Venue: Las Palmas Park Building, 850 Russet Drive, Sunnyvale, CA (Located off of Remington Dr. and Spinosa Dr.) For more details send email to saibandhu@yahoo.com or call 408-255-1235.

Shirdi Sai Mahasamadhi and Dassera celebration in Sydney, Australia
Shree Shirdi Sai Sansthan Sydney invites you with family and friends to join Dusserah and Baba's Punyatithi (Mahasamadhi) day on 15th, 17th & 22nd October 2004 at 420 Liverpool Road, Strathfield South, NSW 2136, Australia. For detailed programme or Sansthan's activities, please contact Sansthan Info-Line at 0500 524 724.
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