The Glory of Shirdi Sai Eighth Year of Publication - Published as Bi-Weekly www.saidarbarusa.org ~ an affiliate of www.saidarbar.org
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श्रद्धा CONTENT Satsangs of SaiBaNisaji Time Machine Navavidha Bhakti Shirdi Sai Baba's Sermon The Dreams Train Devotees Corner Sai With Children Spiritual Gems From Sai Satcharita
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गुरुब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्ण:ु गुरुर्दे वो महे श्वर: |
गुरु: शाऺात परब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः:||
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FROM THE SATSANGS OF SAIBANISA JI How to find answers to our questions ? As human beings we have an immense capacity for creativity, power and intellectual advance, and yet with all the potential and possibilities that stretch across our lives, we know that we do not have all the answers. We know that we have limitations. We know that every human, at some point in their life, cries out to the heaves and pray to God to transcend and help in finding answers. Even when doubt continues to peek into our soul, we still know at an subconscious level that God will always answer our cry. It's not really how God answers us that are important, but it is that the God always answers us. This alone assures us that we are never truly isolated or forgotten like ash in the wind. Every human will be facing problems and concerns in everyday life. Sai Baba uses the problems to direct us, inspect us, correct us, protect us and perfect us. Just remember Sai in the beginning, middle and in the end of all ventures. Be humble, pure, simple, and innocent and Shri Sai is yours. He in the form of love and resides in everybody's heart and be conscious of this at all times. Believe that Shri Sai will always be with us, understand us, and feel our pain because Sri Sai became a human to serve His devotees.
JAI SAI RAM People complain about their grieves and sorrows and how they pray to God but find no relief from pain. But grief itself is a gift from God. ~ Sri Sarada Devi
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SAI’S NEWS FROM TIME MACHINE May, 1913 : Wamanrao Patel (Aged 24 - 25 Years.) (Swami Sai Sharanananda ji as seen in the photo) visited Shirdi again and this time stayed for 11 months. June 27, 1911 : Kashinath Govind Upaswii (aged 41 years) first visited Shirdi and returned again on 6th July. Baba ordered him to stay for 4 years in the Khandoba Temple. June 1991: All India SaiSamaj celebrated its Golden Jubilee at Mylapore, Madras.
NAVAVIDHA BHAKTI (Source: Sai Leela Magazine July-Aug 2004)
First Step – Sravan Bhakti ...Let us listen to
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There is no greater devotion than listening to His stories. An attachment to the feet of the Guru is easily created by listening. A pure and clean mind is developed by it from which spirituality arises. - Chapter 39
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By listening to His life story, sins will be destroyed. By listening to His life story, destiny will be fought. By listening to His life story, supreme happiness will be achieved effortlessly by the listeners. By listening, the heart will become pure; by listening the cycle of birth and death will be avoided; by listening the listeners will achieve Brahman, which can be achieved by performing actions and offering the fruits to Brahman. Chapter17
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You do not need ceremonies to complete the rituals, you do not need fasting to torture the body; you do not need to visit the tirthas. It is sufficient to listen to the story. Genuine love and awareness of the core of devotion will easily lead to the attainment of the highest good; and incorrect knowledge and the knowledge of the two-fold nature will be destroyed. You need not make efforts for other means. Let us listen to the Saicharita. It will exhaust all karma, of the past and the present life, which results in rebirth. Not the least effect will remain of them. - Chapter. 3 One may listen for a long time but if it just accumulates one layer over another of false knowledge, can it be called the right outcome of listening ? Such listening would be futile. How can we call a thing soap if it does not cleanse ? How can it be called listening if it does not remove false knowledge ? Such listeners are many. But by listening they develop
Shri Sai Satcharita. It will exhaust all karma, of the past and the present life....
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faith and devotion. But a state of mind whereby a listener has absolute love of God and devotion at the feet of Sai, is rare. – Chapter. 15 Listening to the stories with love will dispel all worldly afflictions. Sai, the cloud of mercy, will shower grace; and, complete and pure knowledge will appear. Sloth, a wandering mind, attachment to sense-objects and indulgence of the palate - these are the obstacles which come in the way of listening. Steer clear of these and the listening will become a happy experience. – Chapter. 3 Listening to the Saicharita purifies the listeners and the narrator always. The merits and the sins are obliterated and both attain salvation. If the listeners hear it with complete and concentrated attention, the crossing of the ocean of existence becomes easy, after the bondages of karma are broken. – Chapter. 48
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“It will cause waves of love and devotion to rise on the ocean of the mind; and, diving into them now and then, will bring up gems of knowledge.” To describe Baba’s pure fame and to listen to it with all your heart, will burn away the sins of the devotees. This makes for easy attainment of salvation. – Chapter. 3
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While listening, do it with humility. The listeners should only deem that Sai is in their mind. Only then the correct listening is accomplished. Let the oneness be continuous. – Chapter. 50
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By listening (to the stories) one’s own peace will be attained, the deluding fears of the world will be removed, and supreme bliss will be a certainty. Listeners will attainSadgati truly. - Chapter. 24
Sairam To be continued….
SHIRDI SAI BABA’S SERMON (Four Chapters on Shirdi Sai Baba by Dasganu Maharaj) The four Chapters are Chapter 31, 32 and 33 from Shri Bhakta Leelamrut and Chapter 57 from Shri Sant Kathamrut.
Chapter - 33 One who does not care for good and evil, who does not respect the Lord and the one, one who does not have good intentions is bound by the cycle of birth and death. One who is crafty, talks bitterly and is a great sinner is also bound. One who does not respect holy men, indulges in worldly affairs, does not think of charity, and is always arguing is certainly, bound. Oh Nana, one who does not repay loans, praises oneself and slanders the holy men and gentlemen is also bound. One who pretends to be a holyman and follows the path of immorality, one who slanders others to glorify oneself is also bound. One who betrays one's friends: who creates enmity with his own Guru, who does not believe in the Vedas is also bound. One who reads a lot of holy books and recites a number of good sentences but cannot purify his heart is also bound. Such a person can not get absolution, he cannot keep good company and ultimately, he goes to Hell to suffer a lot.
Will be continued…
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THE DREAMS TRAIN (Dreams Of Saibanisa after Undergoing Bypass Surgery on 17-5-1996) Compiled by Saibandhu Raghu Raman Satulury
15-10-1996: Sai appeared as an unknown person and his words helped me to overcome some of my weaknesses.
“Our life becomes one of
fulfillment when we live in morality “.
Do not insult animals by comparing them with some persons whom you hate. Those animals might be helping plough the fields, and give milk for everybody’s consumption. Even after death, their skin is useful to us in many ways. But the person whom you hate is not of any use to you. Worship and performing perambulations in the temple help in improving health. Offering prayers and chanting the name of God will bring in automatic change in the thinking process and induce corrections where required. You cannot win over anybody with authority. Tactfulness and love for the fellow beings alone will win over hearts. In the same way, to win God’s grace, one has to address him with love and constantly engage in his namasmarana.
Prayers and chanting the name of God will help in changing one’s Psychology.
DEVOTEES CORNER DEVOTEES EXPERIENCE Sai Baba's Love - Experience of Sai Devotee Archana (Courtesy - www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/devotees-experiences-with-shirdi-sai-baba) Two years ago. I had once got a white silk cotton dress for Baba with Gold prints, and adorned Him with it on a Thursday. HE looked too wonderful I felt as always very beautiful. I wanted to click a picture of HIM.
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I clicked a couple of pictures prior to that and when I intended to take a proper pic of HIS I requested as if it was so very natural. "Baba one photo please ...” and there I was focusing while I noticed a slight turn I was seeing through the monitor of my mobile that I could not comprehend and before I realized, I just clicked. And there is the treasure of a lifetime. After a while, I turned on to see the pictures clicked and the particular photo which I mentioned. I saw HE had indeed heeded to the humble loving request and turned HIS face a little so as to enable me to click. I am attaching the pictures herewith. I was thinking over it and when I reached work place, showed it to one of my col-
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leagues he too agreed there is a change there. I was so happy that it was not just to my sight. I shared this over lunch table too with colleagues and most of them felt it ridiculous when I mentioned. But when I showed them the pictures clicked and after they examined the "specific photo" with the rest they agreed. Yes!!! There indeed was a slight turn in posture. I was using Samsungs X520. Did not have any additional or extra features for me to do some camera trick as some might think now was I aware of those ideas nor was I in need. I humbly prostate to HIM who heeds to the devotees request if called with Heart-full of love and unwavering faith!!
“..If you are wealthy, be
Jai Sai Ram
humble. Plants bend
ARTICLES FROM DEVOTEES
when they
BABA'S MIRACLE - 3 Divine Miracles of Shirdi Sai (A record of thrilling experiences of (Late) DR.P.S.Ramasami -An ardent devotee of Shirdi Sai)
bear fruit...
Why fear when I am here? Throw your burdens upon me and I will bear them" ~ Baba My wife was an expectant mother in '43. We were then at Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam Dt., and though I had medical friends, we did not think it necessary to seek advice except for just one visit of the health visitor who said it was all O.K. We felt assured that Baba who is ever watchful and solicitous about the welfare of his devotees would provide the necessary help as and when required. Towards the end of August, my wife developed labour pains. These continued in an increasing measure from day to day for 4 to 5 days. Yet, it did not strike either of us to seek medical advice. Only when delivery seemed imminent did I call a midwife. It took more than three hours of excruciating labour for a male child to be delivered. While feeling thankful for the redress at long last, the midwife threw a bomb-shell that there was another child in the womb. This was my wife's fourth confinement, we had not dreamt of the possibility of twins, there being no precedence on either side. We were flabber-gasted. The health visitor had not said anything about twins. My wife who was still crying and feeling exhausted with pain became desperate and said she would not survive another delivery. The mid-wife after attending to the new-born child was preparing to go saying it would not be for another six or seven hours that thesecond child would be born. I was completely non-Plussed. There was no other help in the house except for the neighbours.
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Then my wife called me and asked for Baba's Udhi What a fool I was, I had not thought of it, though it was I who had narrated to her about Baba's leela, in case of Nana Saheb Chandarkar's daughter, how He had sent Bapu Gir with Udhi to the young woman in the throes of labour quite far away from Shirdi, which enabled her to deliver her child promptly and with ease. With resurgent hope and courage, I forth with gave a little Udhi to the midwife to be put in my wife's mouth as well as to be applied over the region of her womb. It was accordingly done, when lo! and behold! almost in a trice, as though gently propelled by unseen hands the second of the twins was born. What more proof could one need to demonstrate the ever loving care and immanence of Baba? Glory be to Shri Shirdi Sai - Grace be to all
SAI WITH CHILDREN All Are Mother’s Form
Source: Tell Me A Story Once when Vinayaka was very young, he was playing with a cat. The cat did not want to play with him and wanted to escape. Vinayaka, being very young, did not understand why the cat was not playing with him. He got very angry with the cat. He pulled the cat by taking hold of her ears and dragged her hard across the floor until she had scratches all over her body and blood started coming our of the wounds. Even then the cat did not play with him. So he became wild and took her tail in the hand and twisted it mercilessly. Poor cat cried out in pain. At last disgusted with the stubborn cat, Vinayaka let it go and went back home.
When he went home, he saw his mother Parvati crying out in pain with reddish scratches all over Her body and blood was oozing out of some of the wounds. Vinayaka was horrified. He ran to his mother shedding tears and embraced Her crying out, “Oh, my mother, who is the cruel hearted man who hurt you thus? Why did he inflict such wounds over you?” Parvati Devi took him into Her arms, wiped his tears and said, “Darling, who dares to hurt Me. One look from Me will reduce him to ashes. No one has hurt Me except you. Because I love you so much, I did not protest when you were hurting Me.”
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Vinayaka was very much surprised. “Why Mother, I did not so much as come near You since this morning, let alone hurt You. When did I cause these wounds to You?” Parvati smiled and said, “Dear, don’t you know that all beings that exist this this world are My own forms? In the morning you were angry with the cat who did not wish to play with you. You pulled her by the tail, dragged her by the ears and made her bleed. That is why I got all these wounds.” When Vinayaka heard this, he wept bitterly and repented for his cruelty. He prostrated to his Mother and begged forgiveness. He took a vow then onwards not to cause injury to any being as it would be hurting his mother. When He grew up also, he never married because all women were His own Mother and he would be committing a heinous crime bye marrying. Om Shri Ganeshaya Namaha
Do not disassociate from Me in you. Stay in Me and observe the world before you. There is no difference between Me and you except in state. I AM the ocean. You are the wave. The wave is nothing but the ocean and the ocean only exists as the wave. The wave is an emanation of the ocean. If you disassociate from Me, you get circumscribed and limited. ~ Sai Baba
सत्सङ्गत्वे ननस्स्ङ्गत्वं
ननस्सङ्गत्वे ननमोहत्वम ् |
ननमोहत्वे ननश्चलतत्त्वं ननश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मक्ु तः
SaidarbarUSA conducts bi-weekly satsang in Greater Philadelphia area. For more information please visit http://www.saidarbarusa.org/. Sai Temple, Downingtown, PA. Please visit upcoming temple site and volunteer. For more information visit http://www.saitemplepa.com/ Sai Baba Palki Yatra 2010 on Sunday June 27, 2010, 9 AM – 9 PM at RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE, 357 Lawrence Station Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, Phone: (609) 737-1986 For more information please visit www.Radhakrishnatemple.org
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SPIRITUAL GEMS FROM SATCHARITA ~ CHAPTER 38 Contributed by: swamy@saimail.com
In order to see how any disciple has imbibed this principle, Baba at times proposed tests. For instance, on an Ekadashi day He gave some rupees to Dada Kelkar and asked him to go in person to Koralha to get mutton from there. This Dada Kelkar was an orthodox Brahmin and kept all orthodox manners in his life. He knew that offering wealth, grain and clothes etc., to a Sad-guru was not enough but that implicit obedience to and prompt compliance with His order was the real Dakshina that pleased Him most. So Dada Kelkar dressed himself and started for the place. Then Baba called him back and said, "Don't go yourself, but send somebody." Then Dada sent servant Pandu for the purpose. Seeing him starting, Baba asked Dada to call him back and cancelled that programme.
..Every action of ours and every thought of ours causes a reflection and a reaction and a resound ..
Sai Ram. Baba was testing whether the disciple is ready to go beyond the duality of caste, creed etc. A good lesson in real worship of Guru. The 9 types of bhakti, devotion mentioned else where in scriptures and in Sri Sai Satcharitra end with Atma Nivedanam - offering of oneself, the highest sacrifice. Sri Arjuna was at the eighth stage of Sakhya, friendship and Lord Krishna was asking him to move on to the highest stage, the 9th. In numerology too, 8 represents the bound ego and 9 represents the Master! It is not a coincidence that Gita has 18 Adhyayas, 18 adding up to 9 and this profound advice or prescription of Sri Krishna occurring in the last chapter, the 18th, adding to 9. Even the sloka number adds to 3 (66 adds to 12 and reduces to 3), a subset of 9! Once the "I" is surrendered, the Third Eye, the real Eye to the vision of the real "I" opens! The One who has His Third Eye open is Siva! Sai Ram. On another occation Baba asked Dada just to see how the saltish `Pulav' (mutton dish) was done. The latter said casually and formally that it was alright. Then Baba said to him "Neither you have seen it with your eyes, nor tasted in with your tongue, then how could you say that it was good? Just take out the lid and see." Saying this Baba caught his arm and thrust it into the pot and added, "Draw out your arm and taking a ladle, put some quantity in the dish without caring for your orthodoxy and without blustering." When a wave of real love rises in a mother's mind, she pinches her child with her hand and when it begins to cry and shout, she hugs it close to her bosom. Similarly Baba, in a true motherly way pinched Dada Kelkar in this fashion. Really no saint or guru will ever force his orthodox disciple to eat forbidden food and defile himself thereby. Sai Ram. Here is an important principle. Obey the Guru implicitly but don't cross the limits of dharma on your own! With Guru, one always maintains a dualistic perspective till the real enlightenment takes place and in samadhi, one sees that he is one with the Guru. In normal planes of consciousness, both Guru and sishya maintain the dualistic dharma. This is required for social order. Lord Krishna also tells Sri Arjuna that though He is beyond all Karma, He does them (appears to do them) for the sake of society. There is an interesting episode in Sri Datta Charitra of Sri Vihnu Sarma advising an avadhuta son of a brahmin couple to maintain the social decorum for the sake of the parents. Sai Ram. To be continued‌..
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Disclaimer: The editor does not accept any responsibility for the views expressed in the articles published. This e-magazine is intended for private circulation only. Information contained in this email is about Sri Shirdi Sai Literature and Sanatana Dharma. You have received this magazine because you are either subscribed to this directly or through one of the email groups receiving "The Glory of Shirdi Sai". To Subscribe: You or your interested friends and family members can subscribe for THE GLORY OF SHIRDI SAI by sending an email with the subject line ‘Subscribe’ to members@saidarbarusa.org. To Un-subscribe: If you are a direct member and do not wish to receive this e-magazine in future, please email to members@saidarbarusa.org with the subject line ‘Unsubscribe’. Please send your feedback to feedback@saidarbarusa.org From the Editor’s Desk
“If one meditates on me, repeats my name and sings about my deeds — He is transformed and his karma is destroyed. I stay by his side always — Sai Baba” Sai devotees may continue to write about their Sai-related activities, essays, articles or poetry and send to the email id editor@saidarbarusa.org. We shall put in our best efforts to include them in the upcoming newsletter. Unless the author of the articles explicitly instructs not to publish his/her email id, we will publish them as a matter of routine practice. JAI SAI RAM
Publisher and Editor: Badri Narasimhan Editorial Team: Radhika Nistala, Kanchana Kumar, Sumathi VijayBhaskaran, Sneha Narasimhan Email: editor@saidarbarusa.org
BOW TO SHRI SAI ~ PEACE BE TO ALL