The Glory of Shirdi Sai Ninth Year of Publication - Published as Bi-Weekly www.saidarbarusa.org ~ an affiliate of www.saidarbar.org
Y E A R
ौद्धा
2 0 1 1 — I S S U E
0 6 - O C T O B E R - 2 0 1 1
2 0
गुरुॄह्मा गुरुिवर्ंणु: गुरुदेर् वो महे श्वर: | गुरु: शाक्षात परॄह्म तःमै ौीगुरवे नमः:||
सबुरी
CONTENT Satsangs of SaiBaNisaji Time Machine Shirdi Dairy Sri Sainatha Mananam The Dreams Train Devotees Corner Baba’s close devotees Children Section Spiritual Gems From Sai Satcharita Quintessence
Staying connected In this fast paced life we are all striving hard to stay connected with friends and family. The social networking sites have grown in number and profile starting from facebook and growing until +you in google. These days all adults are working hard to be logged into messengers, emails, social networks and skype every minute of their life so that they are not letting themselves be disconnected from the social life. This is a very positive growth and is leading the world in the path of strong friendship. As this is appreciated we should also think that how much of out time in a day do we spend connected to our Lord Shri Sai. This can be compared to an internet connection. To browse online,it just takes a few seconds if the system is in good condition, otherwise it becomes a nightmare. In the same manner if we have the thought to think about Him, He will work as the tool for our thoughts and will assure that we stay connected with HIM. Though this connection could always be strong, sometimes it experiences glitches. They happen when we get too busy for HIM and neglect His thought. Staying connected to Him, needs only a few simple tasks.....Read about Him, Focus on Him, Pray to Him and Thank Him. Try to do these steps regularly 5-10 minutes, and once you make this a habit, it stick with you. On this auspicious Thursday pick the path you can follow so you can grow under His guidance. ***
JAI SAI RAM
PAGE
2
Shri Bapusaheb Buty was once suffering from severe fever for a month. He was not in a position even to walk. Even in this stage, Baba called him to come to him on some body's back to the Masjid and given to him (Seera) a variety of sweet, Payasam, Bajji and dal oosal and made him to eat all these in His presence and returned him back to his lodging. Without any medicine, the fever abated. During this time, Baba was also fell ill. But as soon as Buty recovered, Baba was also recovered. This shows how Baba also suffered along with His devotees in order to relieve them from their sufferings.
The four sadhanas and the six Sastras are not necessary. Just have complete trust in your guru: it is enough.
1911 12 December Tuesday Shirdi. I and Bhishma got up very early under the impression that the Kakad Arti was about to begin but we were early by about an hour. Later on Megha came and we attended the Arti. Then I prayed, & sat waiting for Sayin Maharaj to go out. I saw him then & again after he returned. I spent the interval in listening to the songs of Gokhale. He sings well. Today the breakfast was late as Megha could not get the leaves of Bela & had to go a long distance for them. So the mid-day Puja was not finished till about 1.30 P.M. Sayin Maharaj was in very good mood & sat chatting & laughing. After we returned & sat to our breakfast a man is said to have come to call me to the Local Durbar held here in the school. By the time I finished my meal & came out ,the whole thing was over. Some poor were fed by the munificence of Nanasaheb Sathe. He left instructions for the purpose & Mr H.S. Dixit took a great deal of trouble about the matter. The food could not have been very good. After breakfast I lay down for a few minutes & then went with my people to the Masjid. Sayin Maharaj was in a good mood & told a story. Taking up a fruit lying there, he asked me how many fruits it was capable of producing. I replied as many tens of thousands as there were seeds in it. He smiled very pleasantly & added that it obeyed laws of its own. He also told how there was a girl very good and pious, how she served him & prospered. We got “Udi � about sunset & then stood opposite the Chavadhi to see Sayin Maharaj when he came out for his evening stroll. We saw him & returned & sat listening to the Bhajan of Bhishma, Gokhale, Bhai & one young man Dixit. Madhavarao Deshpande & Upasani were present. The evening passed very pleasantly.
THE
GLORY
OF
SHIRDI
SAI
YEAR
2011—ISSUE
20
PAGE
Pujyasri B.V.Narasimhaswamiji, who visited Shirdi in the year 1936, collected authentic information about Lord Sainath from persons lived with Sai and wrote many books on Lord Sainath. All his works are authentic . One such book is SRI SAINATHA MANANAM. This book was published as early as in the year 1942 and the fourth edition came in the year 1945.
By seeing Lord Sai masses of sin are destroyed; by touching Him auspicious results follow; and by worshipping Him, the Imperishable state is reached. Without doubt, one gets rid of sins resulting from one's thoughts, speech and acts by merely thinking of Sri Sai. Therefore know that in this world even heinous sins are overcome by the name of Guru Sai that blesses the whole world. What one obtains in the Krita age by Concentration, in the Treta age by performning sacrifices, and in the Dwapara Yuga by worship (archana) is obtained. In (this) Kali Yuga by mere (Kirtan) repetition of Lord Sai's name. The three boats, Sacred study, Vows of austerity, and Sacrificial rites are every where shattered by the march of Time. Now, in the ocean of Samsara, the strong and sound boat is Sai's name. The only salvation (Gati) for persons of this Kali yuga, with impure hearts, feeding on sin-gotton wealth, and devoid of any observances, sarifices and regard for scriptural injunctions, is the Kirtan or repetition of the Lord Sai's name. I bow to Lord Sai, by pronouncing whose name one is absolved from all sins, and by bowing to whom, all sorrows cease. In the Kali age, the fruit that one cannot get by austerities,(Tapas), by alms(Dana) or by sacrificial rites is well and easily attained by the repetition(Kirtan) of Lord Sai ( i.e., his name) King, even though the Kali Age is replete with evils, it has one great merit. One is freed from (Samsaric ) bondage and reaches the Supreme by mere Sai Kirtan i.e. repetition of Lord Sai's name. ...will continue.....
3
PAGE
4
(Dreams Of Saibanisa after Undergoing Bypass Surgery on 17-5-1996) Compiled by Saibandhu Raghu Raman Satulury 01-04-1997:
Sai appeared as an elderly woman and said: 1 Begetting a girl child after having lost all hopes is God’s gift. Bring her up re-
Whoever makes me the sole object of their love, merges in me like a river in the ocean.
sponsibly and give away in Kanyadhaan as per our traditions. Do not get disheartened and repent over not blessed with a male child.
2.You are not able to overcome the attachment towards family even after having gone through all the phases in one’s life. Treat life like a garland made of camphor so that it is useful to your kith and kin as well as in service to God.
All relations are a result of our karmic deeds and purely temporary.
DEVOTEES EXPERIENCE Sairam.
Please tune in and listen to non-stop bhajans at:
I got married in November 2002. After our marriage we travelled to my wife's parents place in coastal Andhra Pradesh . I had been there before couples of times by bus, but never travelled to that place by train. We started to that place from Hyderabad at 9.00 PM , and I asked one passenger that what time the train will reach to my wife's parents place? He said it will reach around 7.00 AM next day morning.
www.saibhaktiradio.com
Now you can view this eNewsLetter from iPhone at http://worldofsai.com.
THE
During that night in train myself and my friend had some dicussiosn till 1.00 AM and slept after that . Around 4.30 AM, my friend woke me up and asked me to tie my shoes and get down , and he said that we reached the destination. I said one of the passenger said , we will reach at 7.00 AM . My friend said that he was wrong and we reached the destination. I got down from my berth and was tieing my shoes and asked my friend, where is my wife, He said she is also gathering the laguage and in the mean time , train started moving fast and when I looked at my wife's berth , she
GLORY
OF
SHIRDI
SAI
YEAR
2011—ISSUE
20
PAGE
was not there . I told my friend and we both went to the train door and looked and shocked . My wife was holding the door handle and the train was moving very fast . By the time my friend tried to hold her, she left the handle. myself and my friend was shocked . My friend asked me to put the chain break in the compartment, I did that and trian stopped . When we get down from the train , we found so many people are gathered on the platform and I thought that something happened. Myself and my friend ran towards that crowd and found that my wife is in one of old females lap and the old female was giving her some water . After some time, I asked my wife, what happened. She said that she got down from train in half sleep and then she found that train was moving and she hold that door handle and because of train speed, she was not able to hold for long time and she left the handle. As soon as she left the handle, with a force she moved towards the train wheels, during that miracle happened, one old MAN (our BABA) hold her legs and pulled back. The surprising part is how come a old man appeared in the small village station and pulled her legs in fraction of seconds time ? It is a miracle. After that incident my wife became BABA's devotee. Jai Sai Ram Sai Devotee (courtesy: www.shirdisaideva.com)
5
PAGE
6
Baba’s Close Devotees G. G. Narke
Professor Of Geology & Chemistry In College Of Engineering, Deccan Gymkhana, Age 53, Brahmin, Poona. Continued from last issue...
Be contented and cheerful with what comes.
Baba was frequently talking of his travels with an invisible body across great distances of space (and time). In the mornings, sitting near his dhuni (fire) with several devotees, he would say to what distant place he went overnight and what he had done. Those who had slept by his side the whole night at the Masjid or Chavadi knew that his physical body was at Shirdi all the night. But his statements were literally true and were occasionally verified and found to be true. He had travelled to distant places in an invisible, i.e., spirit form and rendered help there. Again he would frequently talk of post mortem experiences. A Shirdi Marwadi's boy fell ill and died. People returned from the funeral to the Masjid with gloomy faces. Sai Baba then said of that boy, "He must be nearing the river now, just crossing it". I felt that the reference could only be to Vaitarini. He told several people of the past lives and the events therein. He told me the facts of four previous lives of mine. He spoke of this in the presence of others. But others did not and could not understand that it referred to me. He had the peculiar art of giving information to particular individuals in the midst of a group, in a way that they (those concerned) alone could understand, and not the other members of the group. Strangely enough, at one sitting by a few acts, words, etc., he could and did benefit numerous persons. This power to travel in invisible body to distant parts of this world, to traverse other realms than the earth life and note or control what takes place there and to see the past and future alike revealed one great fact about his nature. Some of his own observations also brought that out clearly. Sai Baba occasionally asked (I heard it myself). "Where are you? Where am I? Where is the world?" Occasionally he declared, pointing to his body or touching it and referring to it as "this is my house", "I am not here. My Guru Mowrshad has taken me away". As even in the flesh - in this earth life, he was not confined to his physical body, it may be truly said of him "Sai Baba is alive. He is where he was
THE
GLORY
OF
SHIRDI
SAI
YEAR
2011—ISSUE
20
PAGE
then. Even then he was where he is now". He also made occasional reference to what his function is and was in the terrestrial sphere and other worlds. He several times referred to his control of destinies of departed souls - indicating thereby his function in the Cosmic order. Sai Baba never spoke untruth, never spoke meaningless jargon. But only those who were familiar with his ways could make out the meaning of what he said or did - when they were intended for their understanding. Upadesa, Mantra, Tantra, Etc.
Sai Baba never gave me any mantra, tantra or Upadesa - and so far as I know, he gave these to none. Madhavarao Deshpande has told me of the following incident. Radhabai Deshmukhin was at Shirdi waiting for a time on Baba and she wanted Upadesa. Finding that he gave her none, she started Satyagraha. She stopped taking food and was determined to be without food until Sai Baba should give her Upadesa. On the fourth day of the fast, Madhavarao taking pity on her condition went and told Sai Baba of it arid requested him to pronounce the name of some God, so that she might take it as her mantropadesa for Japa. Baba then sent for her and told her that giving Upadesa was not in his line, that he following his Guru had different traditions, that his Guru was so powerful that he trembled to go and stand before him, and that the help given by the Guru was invisible and secret and not by oral instruction. "I do not instruct through the ear. Our traditions are different� was what he said. Sai Baba never lectured, nor discoursed systematically as others do. He gave hints - very pregnant hints. A word or a sentence or two at a time was all he cared to utter. But from them an observant devotee could build up his own system, lecture or philosophy. It is difficult therefore to be dogmatic if one is asked what are Sai Baba's aims, methods etc. But stray hints were forthcoming. Will be continued....
7
ion t c e S s ’ n Childre
Lear arn Le n an andd Parti rtici cippa atte e Pa
Stories for this Week: “The Phony King” There lived a jackal in a jungle. His name was Chandarava. One day, he hadn't eaten anything since morning and was so hungry that he wandered and wandered across the jungle, but couldn't find anything to eat. He thought it better to walk a little farther and find something to eat in some village. He reached a nearby small village. There on its outskirts he ate some food, but the quantity was not sufficient and he was still very hungry. Then he entered another village with the hope of getting some more food. As soon as the jackal entered the village, a few dogs roaming there charged at him barking loudly. The jackal was terribly frightened. He began running through lanes in order to save himself from the dogs. Soon he saw a house. The door of the house was open. It was a washerman's house.'This is the right place for me to hide', the jackal thought to himself and ran into the open door. While trying to hide himself, the jackal slipped and fell into a tank full of blue colour, which the washerman had kept ready to dye the clothes. Soon the barking of the dogs ceased. The jackal saw them going away. He came out of the tub. There was a big mirror fixed on a wall of a room. There was no one around. The jackal entered the room and saw his image in the mirror. He was surprised to see his colour. He looked blue. He came out of the house and ran back to the jungle. When the animals of the jungle saw the blue jackal they were frightened. They had never seen such an animal. Even the lions and tigers were no exceptions. They too were scared of the seemingly strange animal. The jackal was quick to realise the change in the behaviour of the other animals. He decided to take advantage of this funny situation. THE
GLORY
OF
SHIRDI
SAI
"Dear friends", said the blue jackal, "don't be afraid of me. I'm your well-wisher. Lord Brahma has sent me to look after your well-being. He has appointed me as'your king." All the animals of the jungle developed unshakable faith in the blue jackal and accepted him as their king. They brought presents for him and obeyed his commands. The blue jackal appointed the lion as his commander-in-chief; the wolf was appointed the defence minister and the elephant the home minister. Thus, the blue jackal began living in luxury with the lions and tigers also at his command. What to talk of the smaller animals? The tigers and leopards brought him delicious food everyday. The blue jackal now was ruling the jungle. He used to hold daily darbar. All the animrals were like his servants. Even the lion hunted small animals and'gave them to the blue jackal to eat. Once, when the blue jackal was holding his famous darbar, he heard a pack of jackals howling outside his palace. Those jackals had come from some other jungle and were howling, singing and dancing. The blue jackal forgot that he was a king and not an ordinary jackal any more. Instinctively, he too began howling, singing and dancing. All the animals were surprised to see their king howling like a jackal. Soon the word spread around that their king was simply a jackal and not a representative of Lord Brahma. He had fooled the animals. All the animals, in a fit of rage, killed the blue jackal immediately.
PAGE
10
Chapter 45
Contributed by: swamy@saimail.com
..
Kakasaheb's Doubt and Anandrao's Vision - Wooden Plank Baba's bed-stead and not Bhagat's. The love that a chaste woman bears to her husband is sometimes compared to that which a disciple bears to his master (Guru). Yet the former falls far short of the latter, which is incomparable. No one, whether he be father, mother, brother or any other relation, comes to our aid in attaining the goal of life (self-realization).
If you avoid rivalry and dispute, God will protect you.
Sai Ram. To some extent the stories of Sati Anasuya and Sati Sumati contradict the opinion given above but in their case, they have taken their husbands to be God and Guru, Master and Swami, in fact every thing. Thus their worship, their love and their service was indeed focused and yielded great results, forcing even the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara to bow before them! Once captured by Guru, the disciple has no escape! The love of the disciple to Guru and that of Guru to His disciple is mutual and is like the gravitational attraction between a Black Hole and a small particle that is being pulled inexorably towards it. Sai Ram. We have to chalk out and traverse the path of self-realization ourselves. We have to discriminate between the Unreal and the Real, renounce the things and enjoyments of this world and the next, control our senses and mind, and aspire for liberation only. Instead of depending upon others, we should have full faith in ourselves. When we begin to practice discrimination, we come to know, that the world is transient and unreal and our passion for worldly things becomes less and less, and ultimately we get dispassion or non-attachment for them. Then we know that the Brahma which is no other than our Guru is the sole reality and as It transcends and besets the seeming universe, we begin to worship It in all creatures. This is the unitive Bhajan or worship. When we thus worship the Brahma or Guru whole-heartedly, we become one with Him and attain self-realization. In short, always chanting the name of the Guru, and meditating on Him enables us to see Him in all beings, and confers eternal bliss on us. The following story will illustrate this. Sai Ram. Though the author says we have to choose the path and traverse it ourselves, in fact, it is the Guru who pulls us. Seated in our heart and appearing as an external manifest Guru, He drives us on the right path at the right time. In fact, getting the grace of Guru happens at the right moment. Sai Ram Will be continued...
THE
GLORY
OF
SHIRDI
SAI
PAGE
11
(By Late Sri Bharam UmamaheswaraRao) ~ Contribution by "Shashank"crazydiode@gmail.com, Mrs and Mr Anand Chapter 36: The Value of Human Birth Continued from the previous issue… To penetrate into the essence of all beings and significance and to release the fragrance of that inner attainment for the guidance and benefit of others, by expressing in the world of forms, truth, love, purity of mind, beauty – this is the sole game which has any intrinsic and absolute worth. All other happenings, incidents and attainment can, in themselves, have no lasting importance. God caused all living things to be happy and gave men love as the means of life. He manifests in all living beings and in the five elements wherein they live. The pure in heart are true in love. They are the true servants of the Divine supreme on earth. They are the Divine and are equally present in all. Their love is different from animal passion and human attachments. For they love the True, the Real in all beings. True love sees God in all men. The devotees’ faith is firm for it is not a blind faith. He sees the flaming Divine Spirit in the lamp existence. Will be continued...
For all SaiDarbarUSA activities in Greater Philadelphia, please visit www.saidarbarusa.org. Sai Temple, Downingtown, PA. (http://www.saitemplepa.com/.) Temple is open on Thursdays and Sundays after 2:00 pm. Please contact Mr. Raj Singh at 610-656-1396 or Sai Temple at 610-269-1112 for more details about the temple activities. For more event info please visit http://www.saitemplepa.com/. UDI Prasaad From Shirdi Now Available in Canada for Distribution : Devotees of Greater Toronto Area can visit Sai Darbar and receive UDI from Baba with His Blessings - Darbar is open for DARSHANbetween 10:30am to 4pm every Thursday. (visits after 4pm pls call to confirm). Devotees in the OTHER PARTS OF CANADA can receive UDI PRASAAD by submitting their request by email at saileela99@gmail.com orSubmit your willingness by visiting www.shirdisainath.org giving your full family name - Phone number postal and email address.
THE
GLORY
OF
SHIRDI
SAI
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 Whenever the wavering and unsteadfast heart wanders away, then so often let him subdue it and bring it back to the control of the soul; For supreme happiness comes to the Yogin whose heart is at rest, in whom passion is tranquilised, who is one with Brahma, and free from sin. The Yogin thus uniting his soul (to Brahma), who has ceased from sin, enjoys easily the boundless happiness of union (lit. contact) with Brahma. ~~Bhagavad Gita 6:26-29 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.
Publisher and Editor: Badri Narasimhan Editorial Team: Radhika Nistala, Kanchana Kumar, Sumathi VijayBhaskaran, Kalyan Koduri Email: editor@saidarbarusa.org
BOW TO SHRI SAI ~ PEACE BE TO ALL