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 FROM
SHRI C.B. SATPATHY'S MESSAGE
……“The main problem is the
conviction of the people about their faith and surrender to
Baba. The qualities, sacrifices and time needed for establishing
closer contact with a Sadguru cannot be done in the way we
do in our ordinary life with people around. In a social relationship
people generally have a limited approach pre-calculating mutual
benefit. Any deviation or non-fulfillment of anticipated reaction
from the other side spoils and stops such a relationship easily.
Today even in a family set-up, relationships in a large number
of cases are built on such a considerations. These norms are
changeable from society to society and from time to time.
But when these norms are applied in relation to the spiritual
world or in relation to a Sadguru, they become a non-starter
from the beginning.
Bhakti Marg at its highest
point leads to ‘surrender’. Surrender means giving-away our
mind, body and soul to the deity or Sadguru. Having given,
the devotee is to realize that what ever happens to his body,
mind and soul is done by the Sadguru. Also, he has to use
these three for the work of the Sadguru. Since anything and
everything happening to him is done by the Sadguru, he has
nothing to be happy about, nothing to be sorry about, nothing
to complain against and nothing to desire - not only materially
or mentally but also spiritually.
The state of actual surrender
can be achieved by only a few among millions of spiritual
aspirants over a few lives and that too, with the help and
kindness of a Guru.
How many people, who
say that they have surrendered to Baba fall in this category?
Baba was once sitting in Dwarakamayee Masjid relating about
his relationship with His Guru who had given Him severe tests.
Baba was tied by His legs and hung in a well for a few hours.
When the Guru on return asked him as to how he felt, Baba
said that he felt fine. He had nothing to complain about and
was content with what the Guru had done. In this context Baba
asked the devotees sitting around Him as to how many of them
can be His disciples in the way in which He was a disciple
of His Guru. None had the courage to come up to that expectation.
Therefore simply to say,
or show that one has surrendered is not good enough because
a man who has surrendered will have no desires and no complaints.
He would only follow the path laid down by Baba expressed
in two words i.e. Shradha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience).
Shradha - Means devotional faith
- faith that Baba is the almighty and Protector,
- that both the good and
the bad happening to the devotee’s life are controlled by
Him,
- to happily acknowledge and patiently tolerate all vicissitudes
of life with equanimity,
- to realize that Baba
is always with him, around him,
- to be able to sacrifice
anything and everything for the cause of the Master in the
manner prescribed by Him,
- to follow His dictates
in letter and spirit, whatever be the consequences,
- to hold on to Baba exclusively and not to run to different
deities / temples for different purposes.
Saburi
- i.e. patience means following actions as mentioned before
without complaint, either external or mental and live normally
everyday with faith in Baba.
How many people can really
do this? If not, one should think on the word ‘surrender’
continuously before considering himself to be a great devotee.
It is wiser to think of what we can do for Baba’s work instead
of thinking what Baba can do for us.
To get perfect association
with a Perfect Master, the person concerned must be a perfect
devotee. Baba used to say that a devotee will experience Him
as per his bhava means inner thought process. Imperfect minds
will reflect an imperfect image of the Sadguru and the person
will get imperfect results. It is not easy to achieve this
state of mind and it is also not correct to use the word surrender
so easily without understanding its full implications. The
better path would be to develop the qualities prescribed by
the Sadguru gradually living in the world like an ordinary
man enjoying and suffering happiness and unhappiness with
the Guru in the heart.”…….
FROM
"LIFE OF SAI BABA" BY NARASIMHA SWAMI
……“‘For 12 years
I waited on my Guru who is peerless and loving. How can I
describe his love to Me? When he was in Dyanastha that is
love trance I sat and gazed at him. We were both filled with
bliss. I cared not to turn my eye upon anything else. Night
and day I poured upon his face with an ardor of love that
banished hunger and thirst. The Guru’s absence for a second
made me restless. I meditated on nothing but the Guru, and
had no goal, or object, other than the Guru. Unceasingly fixed
upon him was my mind. Wonderful indeed, the art of my Guru!
I wanted nothing but the Guru and he wanted nothing but this
intense love from me. Apparently inactive, he never neglected
me, but always protected me by his glance. That Guru never
blew any mantra into my ear. By his grace, I attained my present
state. By making the Guru the sole object of one’s thoughts
and aims one attains Paramartha, the Supreme Goal. This is
the only truth the Guru taught me. The four sadhanas and Six
sastras are not necessary. Trusting in the Guru fully, is
enough.’
The above is
a true narration of the actual facts by Baba, the soul of
truth. It is by learning these facts that one can understand
and appreciate texts like Narada's Bhakti Sutras, for example.
Having which,
Bhakti or Love one relinquishes all desire, grief, hostility
indulgence in worldly pleasures, and all efforts at selfish
advancement.
Knowing which,
one becomes ecstatic, quiet, and happy in oneself,
One renounces
all worldly concerns and even Vedic rites.
Concentration
on love, apathy towards everything against it.
Giving up all
other supports than love, that is, having no other sadhana.
Narada says
Love surrenders all actions to God and feels extreme restlessness
in being without Him.
God and his
devotee are the same.”……
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
GURU
SHISHYA RELATIONSHIP
Om Sri Sai Ram
Om Sai Jai Sai Jai Jai Sai
Om Sai Namo Nama
Sree Sai Namo Nama
Jai Jai Sai Namo Nama
Om Sree Sadguru sai Namo Nama
The Guru Shishya relationship
commences when a disciple contacts the Guru for his materialistic
problems and later this culminates into a spiritual relationship.
The Guru is a formless element before which a disciple makes
complete surrender. Therefore, initiation by the Guru is considered
to be a basic requirement for the spiritual aspirant. Systematic
learning is possible only through a Guru.
On receiving initiation,
the Guru-disciple relationship is established. In Gita, Lord
Krishna says, "You can consider me as a father, brother
or husband which implies that I shall bestow my grace in accordance
with your views and feelings".
Some people seek initiation
from Guru for their selfish interests, such as for getting
cured from diseases whereas there are some people who sincerely
desire to attain salvation. When strong links get established
between the souls of disciple and Guru, their inner conscience
gets merged together. Consequently the Guru has to pay in
terms of difficulties and pains for the misdeeds and sins
of the disciples. It is because of this fact that a Guru initiates
a limited number of disciples so that the Guru's sufferings
on account of the disciple's sins are minimized.
Baba said:-"He always
protected Me by His glance, just as the tortoise
feeds his young ones, whether they are near her or far away
from her on the
other side of the river bank, by her loving looks".
Baba is everywhere just
feel him and keep on saying ‘Om Sai Ram’ to whom so ever you
meet.
OM SAI SRI SAI JAI JAI
SAI!!! Let us pray at the lotus feet of Bhagwan Baba
who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to
show mercy on
us, and increase our devotion towards him.
Bow to Shri Sai-Peace
be to all
Baba Bless you ever!!!
Swamy Mahadevan,
Cochin
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your views on Topic of Discussion- Revevance of Sai In Todays Society
DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCE
My husband is a heart
patient. On a Saturday morning he started bleeding from a
small vein on his ankle. He had not scratched or hurt it with
anything, so we could not understand why it was bleeding,
but I quickly put some haldi powder on it to stop the bleeding.
It stopped bleeding, thank god.
He went to work and I
had asked him to try and be seated at work as long as he could
and not to put too much pressure on his foot. All was well
till the afternoon - no blood, no pain. We thought all was
good. He had to go to buy some wires for my electrician for
some work in the store. There in the store, as he was talking
to the attendant, he felt his foot was wet. He thought he
had stepped into some water on the floor, but the floor was
dry. He looked again and saw that his shoe was full of his
blood. His vein had started bleeding very badly. Being a heart
patient he is on medication all the time. One of the medicines
is a blood thinner and the doctor had warned us that he should
be careful and try not to get hurt as he would bleed very
badly. He called me at work and asked him to meet him at the
hardware store as he was bleeding. I was scared and the only
thing I could thing of was, "Baba please be with him."
I called my friend to drive me to the store and we both were
just remembering Baba and trying to think of how to contact
our doctor. On Saturdays out here doctors do not work. Ten
minutes later my husband called to tell me that our doctor
was there in the store and he was taking care of him till
I reached. My friend and I looked at each other and we both
blurted out 'Baba is there.' As soon as we reached there the
doctor asked us to meet him at his clinic and he said he would
need to put stitches. I thank Baba a million times for being
there with me and my family. We never know but he is always
there with us.
Sheena, USA
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articles poems etc.
DEVOTEES' FORUM
Thank you very much for your newsletter by e-mail. It is
Sai's grace. I have been looking at it and fearing that it
could be one of those letters asking me to send them to a
fixed number of people or I would suffer disaster. I did not
open it. But today, seated at my computer, anxious and full
of fear of deception regarding a tenancy problem, I ventured
to open it and find a little solace.
I respect Baba. But I am not one of those who go every week,
fast, become vegetarian, but do not work for the salary they
take. I do not indulge in hate politics. I do not deceive
anyone, or take what is not rightfully mine. I help as much
as I can and seek God's help to give me the wherewithal to
help others.
Now I seek His blessings once again and beg him to bring stability
in my life and in the life of my children. I have been deceived
- so many times - husband, his brothers, my brother, strangers,
and now I fear deception from my tenant. How can I pray to
Sai Baba to help me? Is there a formal procedure? Please guide
me. I am in great distress. I have faced court cases, lost
them, I have been beaten up by my husband's sister in law
and he stood watching, I have been forced to leave home with
my children and seek refuge in the university quarters and
he stood watching. I feel it is my last birth's karma otherwise
it could not be so bad.
Please guide me if you can. I feel so depressed with the
injustice meted to me!!!
Geetha Reddy
Anant, Chennai
Today Sai has confirmed the end of your sufferings
sorrows and pains. I knocked at heaven's door this morning,
Sai asked me...My child! What can I do for you? And I said,
Father, please protect and bless the person reading this message...Sai
smiled and answered...Request granted.
Deepa H, Seattle,
WA, USA
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Devotees’ Forum
READER'S REFLECTION
Thank you so much for building a platform of www.heritageofshirdisai.org
for Sai Devotees to send their feelings/thoughts on Baba.
May Baba fulfill the wishes of people in need and fill their
lives with all the happiness in this world. May Baba bless
all with healthy mind so that every body starts respecting
each other and lives in harmonious atmosphere.
Ajay Dwivedi, Dwarka - New Delhi
I am receiving this Sai Heritage E-Zine newsletter since
last week through my friend. I asked for direct subscription
of the newsletter on my email id. I got it today and I am
really thankful. The last article in today’s newsletter given
by a child of 7 years regarding Baba not liking people who
cheat and lie during exams answered questions going on in
my mind. I have my exams coming and I was really worried about
it. Thanks so much for boosting my morale.
Geeta Nair, Mumbai
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Reader's Reflection
NEWS OF
SHIRDI SAI
ACTIVITIES
SHIRDI
SAI BABA SANSTHAN, CANADA
Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan,
Canada holds Satsang on Thursdays and the 3rd Sunday of every
month at Gur Mandir, 207 Queen’s plate Toronto (Etobicoke).
Introducing "Character and Moral Values"- a unique
5 Week Summer Program in July for Children of all ages. The
Guiding Principle of the program is "Shraddha" &
"Saburi" with its curriculum based on the Teachings
of our Sadguru Shri Shirdi Sai Nath. For details of registration
or other activities and the Resource Centre please visit www.shirdisainath.org
or call 416-294-4804
THE RESOURCE CENTRE
Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan,
Canada is pleased to announce the establishment of it's first
Resource Centre in Woodbridge, Toronto. All visits are by
appointment only. Shri Sai Satcharita is available in all
languages. The Resource Centre is open Monday to Friday between
10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Location: Maple Crest Private School -
28 Roytech Rd. Woodbridge, On L4L 8E4 Ph: 905 - 652-6666.
For other Details call 416-294-4804 or visit http://www.shirdisainath.org/
SHIRDI SAI MANDIR, TORONTO, CANADA
The Shirdi Sai Mandir located at 2721 Markham Road, Toronto,
Ontario, M1X 1L5 (Intersection of Markham and Nashdene) is
open through out the day on Saturday, Sunday & holidays
and in the morning and evenings on all weekdays. Baba's Kakad
Aarti, Abhishek Puja, Madhyan Aarti, Dhoop Aarti, Satcharita
Reading & Shej Aarti are performed everyday. Bhajans &
Sai Naam Sankirtan in evening on Thursday & Saturday.
For daily schedule, temple activities & events information
please visit Mandir's website : http://www.theshirdisaimandir.com/
or send an email to info@theshirdisaimandir.com
or call 647-444-4724.
PERSATUAN SHIRDI SAI BABA SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
I belong to the Shirdi Sai Group (registered as Persatuan
Shirdi Sai Baba, Selangor), Malaysia. Sai Ram everybody. This
to inform Baba’s devotees in Malaysia and Singapore that every
Thursday we conduct prayers in the morning at 9.00 am and
bhajans and satsang in the evenings from 7.30 pm onwards.
Anyone who is interested in joining us may please contact
SP Kannan at 012-2739486; or Usha at 012-2392911; or Res:
03-33717540. Also if you come across any Malaysian devotees,
please direct them to us. Thank you and Sai Ram.
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