Significance of Sai Ram mantra

Significance of "Sai Ram" mantra

The reason behind calling Sai Baba as Sai Ram

Avatars are described in the Hindu scriptures as promoting human
welfare. They combine human and divine features. Especially in the
case of Sri Rama, the seventh Avatar, the human features come out so
as to enable the Rama personality to be of great service to us,
spiritual and temporal. Rama dhyana, Rama smarana and Rama Lila, in
general are found to be very useful for spiritual and temporal
purposes alike on account of the human element in Rama. Similarly in
Sai Baba, who is often termed Sai Rama, partly because Ram Navami
was chosen by Baba to be the day for his Urus to be celebrated at
Shirdi and partly because he showed himself as Rama. His human
elements and divine elements are both mixed up so finely as to help
us to understand him and approach him.

Source: HH Pujyasri B.V. Narasimhaswami, Life of Sai Baba, Vol. 4

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When you meet each other, do not shout hello or bye-bye, or some
silly chatter. Let the moment of meeting be sanctified by the
remembrance of God. Say, Ram Ram, or Om, or Hari Om, or Sai Ram.
Sathya Sai Speaks X, Chap. 14

The quote from Swami (above) states in a nutshell why we greet
someone with "Sai Ram". It is a remembrance of God, the one God that
IS the other person and ourselves.

In Bavaria, southern Germany, many people greet each other
with "Gruess Gott", which means "Greet God". Same idea!

When greeting someone with "Sai Ram", try to think of greeting not
only the worldly body that you see but our SAI in that person. We
could use any name of God; it is the intent and feeling that counts.
We have happened to choose "Sai Ram" because of the universal appeal
of that name as a mantra. (Some devotees do repetition of the Name --
namasmarana-- with "Om Sri Sai Ram", repeating "Om Sri" on the
inbreath and "Sai Ram" on the outbreath.)

The word "Sai" can be split into two: "Sa" and "Ai". We have been
told that "Sa" means universal father, while "Ai" stands for
universal mother. Sathya Sai Baba, our Sai, is our mother and father.

"Ram" can be viewed as a shortening of "Rama". One interpretation of
this word is that "Ra" is the Fire Principle, which burns all to
ash, while "ma" stands for maya or illusion, so together, they mean
the destruction of illusion.

Sai Baba has said also that "Rama" means "He who pleases, fills with
bliss, causes delight", that "Rama" means the joy that comes from
love.

Source: http://www.sathyasai.org/devotion/sairam.html