The Glory of Shirdi Sai

A Bi-Weekly Publication by www.saidarbarusa.org an affiliate of SAIDARBAR Hyderabad, India

Y E A R 2 0 1 3 I S S U E 2 2 3 1 - O C T O B E R - 2 0 1 3

CONTENT *** Ambrosia in Shirdi Shirdi Dairy Guru Poornima The Dreams Train Devotees Corner Babas close devotees Children Section Spiritual Truths ***

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JAI SAI RAM

In 1917, a doctor, his wife and son came to Shirdi. He hoped that Baba would drive away the evil spirit that tormented his son. In the Dwarkamai, the doctor thought that Baba's grinding of wheat and throwing it at the outskirts was futile and just a superstition. Baba reading his thoughts asked him to come at 3.00 p.m Exactly at 3.00 p.m he and his family went to Dwarakamai. The doctor and his son sat and started massaging Baba's legs upon Baba's orders. Just then, an ugly, devilish looking lady came and grabbed his son, wanting to take him away. Baba, undaunted, gave her a blow with His satka. She fled, crying loudly. Baba then said, "She came to eat your son. She was deprived of her ration. I did not throw the flour at the outskirts today, as you thought it was unwanted. But I drove her away with My satka. Now she will not torment your son". The father and the son were filled Baba's Antarjnan and kindness. Then Baba gave them permission to go on the next day.

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1912 February 15 Thursday I got up as usual prayed, and held our Panchadasi class with Upasani Shastri, Bapusaheb Jog & Mrs Laxmi Bai Kaulgi. We saw Sayin Saheb go out and continued our class. After it I went to the Masjid as usual & sat listening to what Sayin Saheb was saying. He was in a pleased mood & said that he had laboured very hard, had gone without food for months, fed on leaves of Kula Takala Nimb, and other trees. He said God was very good to him, for, life never became extinct though all flesh got wasted & bones appeared to be in danger of crumbling away. The midday Arti passed off as usual & after it we returned for our meals. My wife & others wished to go to Kopargaon tomorrow for Shivaratri. Sayin Saheb thought it unnecessary, but they persisted and ultimately got a permission in a way. Today after the afternoon Puran, we held a class for Parmamrit for the benefit of Dada Kelkar. We did not progress much as it was the first day. We saw Sayin Maharaj at his evening stroll, and then after the Wada Arti, attended the Sheja Arti. Balasaheb Bhate attended it. He used to hold the Peacock tail before it came to me. So I tendered it back to him. I got a fan instead. Balasaheb Bhate has made considerable progress.

Anthar athmane Namaha

Sri Saisatcharita contains essence of Ramayan, Bhagavatam, Shivamahapuranam, Gurucharitra,Gurugita and Bhagavadgita the Discourses by Saibanisa are proof for the same Now Listen to all the Discourses in ENGLISH and TELUGU on Sri Shirdi Saibaba-by Saibanisa Gopalarao Ravada from this link. CLICK HERE to Get weekly updates from Saibanisa's Sai In Dreams. Listen to Saibaba discourses/Bhajans by SaiBanisa on the go. Watch Discourses Videos and much more.

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MESSAGE BY H.H.NARASIMHA SWAMIJI FOR GURU PURNIMA 7 July, 1952

It is the wisest for all sane people not to despise the religion that is practised by others, if especially the results of adoption of religion in the concerned communities is as good as might be expected in any group of human beings. Monotheists must respect the best religious thought and practice developed amongst polytheists or pantheists. One of the best institutions developed amongst polytheists is guru worship. To some with Western ideas, this may seem strange. 'The guru is after all a human being who is seen and handled, whereas God is something unseen and too great to be handled, and ergo the guru cannot be god' say some. To such logicians, one should point out that human nature does not proceed by logic, but by actual experi-ences of various sorts, and that abstractions derived from our practice, if jumbled -together in the form of syllogisms, may lead to conclusions totally wrong. We must test our conclusions from time to time by the actual facts of experience. Adopting this pragmatic test, every honest man must declare that in the records of history, many great names of eminent spiritual giants can be found where guru worship has led to the best results. Sri Ramakrishna Pararnahamsa is one standing instance. Sri Chaitanya, Sri Nittal, etc., form other instances. Kabir, Sri Sai Baba and others form excellent instances to show that guru worship has been a very important fact if not the sole important fact in deciding the spiritual destiny of such great souls. Baba in fact said, 'We need no other sadhana; the guru is our only sadhana'. And his method was absolute surrender and implicit faith in everything uttered by the guru. The result was a life of ideas, a life of brilliant service to humanity, a life that developed into a personality with full powers of siddhis utilised almost wholly to the cause of service of humanity. Sri Sai Baba had wonderful powers of knowing what happened anywhere at any time, even in the remotest part of the country. He had the power to watch devotees and intervene where necessary to help them. M. W. Pradhan may be falling down in a fit in the High Court of Bombay, out Baba, his dearly loving guru at Shirdi notes it at the time and says 'Is Pradhan come?', meaning 'Is he dead?' By the guru's kind intervention, (unseen intervention of course), Pradhan revives and gets back home. And people who started from Shirdi to go and see what happened to Pradhan were surprised to note that at the very time of his fainting, Baba was aware of the fact, and announced 'It is all right'. These instances go to show what the powers of Samartha Sadgurus are and how they utilised them for the benefit of the devotees whom they loved and over whom they kept watch. If there are gurus who are keeping such watch over one's spiri-tual and temporal destinies, and if they are armed with such superhuman powers and superhuman love, why deny them the name of deva and why object to guru worship? Will Continue...

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Anna vasthrepsitha pradhaya Namaha

15-03-1998: Sai appeared as my mother and said: Children inherit the fruits of parents good deeds. Therefore always engage in good doings so that children are benefited You believe that God is everywhere and in everyone, but do not force youre thinking on others which would invite troubles. Many people are spreading Sai philosophy in their own way. Do not enter into arguments. You travel in the path shown by Sai and others will automatically fall in line.

DEVOTEES EXPERIENCE AND ARTICLES

AN INCREDIBLE MIRACLE OF BABA IMPELLING THE GOVT. OF INDIA TO MODIFY THEIR DECISION FOR THE SAKE OF HIS DEVOTEE ~ (Late) Dr. RS.R. Swami BABA'S MIRACLE - 14 BABA'S CONTROL OVER THE FORCES OF NATURE

One of the drawbacks in my life has been the lack of robust health, though I have taken it as a blessing in disguise because it prevented me from following 'the primrose path of dalliance' and induced me to keep my head well above water. However, I have remained 'a human barometer' very sensitive to heat and cold, and averse to going even on promotion to regions noted for their extremes of temperature. Thus it was that I declined to go on deputation to the U.K., and again when I was asked to go on promotion to Jabalpur in Feb '55, 1 had no hesitation in turning it down much to the embarrassment of the authorities and secret ridicule of my colleagues. In doing so I had not recknoed with the All-knowing and Inscrutable Baba who, as I realised much later, was behind the official move and in the best of my interests too. For one thing, the NHQ did not leave me alone. Letters and telegrams

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followed in quick succession, both, to persuade me and as thinly veiled ultimatum to oblige me to agree Nevertheless, I was unmoved. In our office, there was a self-effacing Bengali clerk named Das Babu, a man of few words and quiet efficiency. We had never spoken to each other till then. One day, towards the end of April when I was about to leave, he stood up to draw my attention, and in the gentlest of tones asked somewhat apologetically, "Why not trust God, accept the Promotion and go?'. The words went home to my heart, till then adamant to pleadings and threats. It was as if "the hard rocky surface withstanding the repeated blows of the hammer and crow-bar readily cracked at last at the gentle touch of the tenderest of the roots of a tree to make way for its entry" (Thiruvalluvar) I now realize that Das Babu was the; chosen agent of Baba for the moment. The every next day a very high-ranking officer, friendly disposed towards me, beseeched me in the sincerest tones to accept the promotion and go. Baba's method of choosing His messengers is impeccable. I sensed His will and, to the surprise of all, including those secretly indulging in malicious glee till now at my seeming stupidity in refusing fortune's proffered hand, I started for Jabalpur on the evening of May 2nd, much to the delight of the authorities who had been keeping the vacancy unfilled for my sake for three months, quite unusual especially, in the defense department. He who runs can infer from this that what God or Allah or Baba wants to give, no power on earth can take away. The converse is also true. The next day as my train was leaving Raipur about noon, the Summer began to bare its fangs. It was only a fore-taste of its fierceness further on. I began regretting the decision I had impulsively taken, not withstanding an inward recognition of Baba's Omnipresence and Grace as 'Bhaktha-Paraadina'. The thought of abandoning the whole venture sneaked in. In this perplexed frame of mind, I reached Gondia at 4 pm, only to be greeted by scorching hot winds hitting the face. By 6 pm I was sitting rather bewildered in the compartment of the narrow-guage train for Jabalpur completely at a loss. Baba alone could and must retrieve the situation, I felt and closed my eyes, half in prayer and half in despair. Imagine my very pleasunt surprise when almost in a split second, as if some built-in-air-conditioner had been switched on, the suffocating hot compartment was permeated with soothing coolness. My astonishment when I opened my eyes to see the sky overcast with clouds and a gentle life-giving drizzle being wafted down. There was ozone in the air. I craned my neck outside the window to gulp it and let Nature's (Dwaraka Mayi's) own cool spray soothe my nerves. I turned to the only fellow-passenger in the first class compartment and queried whether he hailed from Gondia, to which he replied in the affirmative, adding he had been residing at the place since over twenty years, engaged in business. I then enquired with some trepidation of a doubting Thomas, whether he could recollect such a phenomenon about this time in May. He asserted with conviction. "Never has such a thing occurred during the two decades of my stay here. This is quite strange". Then I felt certain of Baba's reassurance of which, being feminine in my attitude to life, I was (as I am still) in constant need, in spite of past demonstrations thereof.

Glory be to Shri Shirdi Sai - Grace be to all Will continue

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Babas Close Devotees ~ Courtesy: http://blessedones.saibaba.com/ DATATREYA DAMODAR RASANE

alias Nana Sahib Rasane (or Daulatshah), Son of Damodar (or Anna) Savalram Rasane, Kasar, aged 40, Ravivarpet, Poona, May, 1936

I : I will give this biksha and then inform my father.

Aparajitha sakthaye Namaha

Baba: How can you do it without consulting your father? I : I am master of my life. My father has other sons and he will not object. You gave the children and there can be no objection to my being given to you. Then Sai Baba took my body up in his palm and put me into his breast pocket. I was filled with bliss at the thought that he was so kind to me as to put me near his heart. When I woke up I found myself happy and my mind at once attained indifference, Udasinata or Vairagya. Things did not attract me and hold my mind as they did formerly. Two or three months later, i.e., in 1928 (Phalgun Vadya) a son was born to me at Pandharpur. Fifteen months later, when I and my father went to Shirdi, he prayed to Baba that I should have one more son. In 1931, I got another son and that child was named Saidas. On the second day of its birth, it had high fever. Baba's udhi and tirtha were given to it and cloth relics of Baba were enclosed in a Tayath and tied to it. It recovered and got alright. When it completed its first year, it was taken to Shirdi; abhishek was done, clothes presented to Samadhi and brahmins were fed. In 1931 I was placed in charge of the bangle business. I insisted that it should be named after Baba. It is called (after getting Baba's permission by casting lots before his picture) Sri Samartha Sainath & Co. It is conducted on lines of probity and God conscience.

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Any Udhi and Tirtha that I give in Sai Baba's name cure and bless the person that receives these. On 1-9-1932 I was on pilgrimage at Muttra and had an attack of cholera. Death appeared imminent. My father asked me what were my last wishes. I said I merely wanted to be taken to Shirdi, to be burnt there if I die as Sai Baba was my Krishna. But with Baba's photo placed over my head (Udbatti being burnt before it) and with the frequent application of Baba's udhi and Tirtha at Muttra, I was somehow pulling on. At midnight, my sister-in-law Subadrabai who was there had an avesam. That is, the spirit of Miradatar, a saint of Unava (in Gujarat near Sidpur), spoke through her mouth. Miradatar was a renowned Mohammedan Wali (i.e., Saint) and spoke thus (through her), "You are calling on Sai. He is old and cannot easily move. He is my uncle (Kaka). On his behalf and as he sent me, I have come. Have no fears. You will have his blessing. You will see him in spirit tomorrow. Prepare a cup of coffee and give it to the patient". Coffee was prepared and I took it with a little of Baba's Udhi in it. Thereafter fever ceased and I had no more motions. The cure was so sudden as to surprise the doctor whom I went to see the next day. "Yesterday, this man was at point of death and how does he get so quickly cured as to come here today?" was his question. I replied that Sai is a doctor of doctors and that His sacred udhi saved me. When I was young, say seven years old, I went to Shirdi and was massaging Baba's foot. At that time Baba began the distribution of sweets with His own hand to the children present. Naturally my attention turned to the sweets and I grew slack in massaging. My mother was at my side and she beat me saying, "You are thinking of sweets and neglect the service of Baba" "You, old woman" cried Baba, "Why do you beat the boy?" My mother requested him to give me a good desire to perform service to Baba. Baba answered, "The boy will serve me well. God will endow him with pure desires. Do not fear, Do not beat him". When I was twelve years, I went with an elder cousin to Shirdi. We had 100 rupees with us. Baba asked for dakshina, 10 rupees once, 15 rupees another time etc. Only 25 rupees were left with my cousin in his pocket and we at once wrote home to Ahmednagar for more money to give Baba and for our return journey. That evening Baba asked my cousin for 25 rupees and he replied that our money had been exhausted and that we required money for our return journey. Baba's retort was quick. "Why talk all this humbug? You have got 25 rupees in a corner of your pocket. The M.O. you have written for will come here tomorrow. Do not fear." My cousin paid up the 25 rupees at once. Baba used to say "Who gives me one, to him I give two. Who gives two, to him I give five. Who gives me five, I give him ten". There was besides the obvious meaning of God's or Baba's returning one's gift manifold and esoteric meaning in these words.

Will Continue.

Sec n e r d l i h C
Stories from Chinna Katha
Loyalty to One's Guru

tion

Lear arn n an d Le an d Pa rtici cip ate Pa rti pa te

There was a great sage called Gautama in ancient India. He had a number of disciples studying under him. One day he called all his disciples and said: "My dear children! You know that we have been experiencing severe drought in this region and there are no signs of its abatement too. I am very much worried about the cattle of our hermitage. They have already become very lean and weak. I am unable to bear the sight of suffering of these dumb creatures. I think these cows have to be driven to a distant place where there is ample pasture and plenty of water. I will be very happy if one of you could volunteer to undertake this task. You can bring them back when the calamity has rolled over." Many pupils just hung their heads lest their true feelings should be found out by their master. Some tried to hide behind others in order to avoid the direct stare of the guru. A pupil by name Sathyakama, got up and, paying his salutations to his master, said: "Master, I shall take them, don't worry." Many students tried to dissuade him from undertaking such a hazardous task. They warned him: "Oh! You have to be all alone in the wilds away from the comforts of the hermitage. You may not even find good food. Sathyakama replied: "My dear friends, I am quite confident that the goodwishes of our guru will provide me enough safety and sustenance. I shall not be alone for I will have these cows to keep company." The guru was happy that at least one among the many pupils volunteered to undertake the job as service to the guru. He blessed Sathyakama and said: "You are taking with you 400 cows; you can return when the herd multiplies into a total strength of one thousand."
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Sathyakama drove the cattle to a charming valley. Every day, he used to wake up early in the morning, finish his ablutions and bath. Then he would offer prostration to the Sun God and recite prayers. While tending the cattle and while walking or sitting he would constantly chant the name of God. He affectionately looked after the cattle. He regarded 'go-seva' (service to cows) as guru seva (service to the Master). He never felt any anxiety or worry over his life in solitude. He never bothered to count the cows too. One morning after the morning rites, he was seated under a tree. Indra the chief of gods appeared before him and said: "My dear son! Have you not observed that the herd has multiplied itself to the total number of 1000? You can now return to your master's hermitage. I will be travelling with you. Come on let us go." Sathyakama prostrated to Indra and thanked him for reminding him of the fact that it was time for returning. Sathyakama and Indra had to spend four nights in four different places. Every morning Sathyakama was taught the essence of one Veda. Thus by the time he reached his guru's hermitage he was the master of the four Vedas. His face shone with a strange splendor as a result of the vedic illumination that he had been blessed with by the Lord of Heaven. Having enlightened Sathyakama, Lord Indra disappeared after showering his grace on the young boy. Sathyakama walked into his guru's hermitage with 1000 cows. He was given a rousing welcome by his guru and the inmates. Sathyakama fell at the feet of his master. Gautama embraced him saying: "I know that you are now a great scholar of the four Vedas. You deserve it, my son." Sathyakama could please Indra, the Lord of Heaven, only because of his love and loyalty to his guru.

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SAI AMRIT VARTA

Shri Sai Mahima Shri Sai Ram param satya, prakaash roop, parama paavana Shirdi nivaashi, parama gnyaan aanand swaroop, pragnyaa pradaataa, satchidananda swaroop, parama purush yogiraaj, dayaalu devaadhideva hein, unko baar baar, namaskaar, namaskaar, namaskaar | Lord Sai Ram is Supreme Truth, Light of Lights Supreme Purity, Resident of Shirdi, Supreme Wisdom, Greatest Joy Supreme Being, Lord of Ascetics, Most Merciful, God of gods. Salutations unto Him, again and again, Salutations unto Him. Shri Sai Vani Namo Namo paavana Sai, Namo Namo kripaala Gosai | Sai Amrit padha paavana vani, Sai naam dhun sudha samaani ||1|| Hail Hail oh Purest form, Sai. Hail Hail oh Merciful Lord of Senses The Word--Sai - is the holiest Name, Sweeter than nectar is singing of Name Namo Namo santhana pratipaalaa, Namo Namo Shri Sai dayaala | parama sathya hein parama vignyaan, jyothi swaroop Sai bhaghvaan Hail Hail, Oh Protector of Progeny, Hail Hail, Oh Merciful Lord Sri Sai The Highest Truth, Deepest Insight, The Lord Sai is Brightest Light ; ..Will continue
THE GLORY OF SHIRDI SAI

Aparigraha bhusithaya Namaha

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From the Editors Desk As soon as all the knots in ones heart are untied while being here in this world, he transcends from mortality to immortality. This is the decision of the teaching. ~ KATHOPANISHAD Dear Sai Devotees, We encourage you to continue writing about your Sai-related activities and experiences in essay, article, or poetry form and email it to us at editor@saidarbarusa.org. We will put in our best efforts to include as many of your submissions as possible in the upcoming newsletters. As previously done, we will publish the authors email id with the respective entry. If you would like to stay anonymous, please explicity state this request in your submission email. JAI SAI RAM

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BOW TO SHRI SAI ~ PEACE BE TO ALL