Sree Guru Charitra - A Compilation on the Lives of Avatars of Sree Dattatreya

08-10-2004, 09:10 AM

Dear elders, sisters and brothers,

SAIRAM.

My humble pranams at the DIVINE LOTUS FEET. Today i wish to dedicate a small work to HIM.

My father left most precious property for me and let me tell you thats the only
thing i have given by him. Swami gave me education and father gave me this book
SREE GURU CHARITRA by Acharya E.Bharadwaja. It is a work on compilation of the
avatars of Sree Dattatreya. The author had translated this from the original
marathi version. This particular book has been my strength and support over the
last 7 years since i got in 1997 from my father when i was in my 2nd year
graduation. It is a book with 23 chapters and my parents used to do PARAYANAM
(read it in equivalent proportions over a period of 7 days from Thursday to
Wednesday). I was also asked to do this as the family was undergoing a
turbulent financial crisis. I found it difficult to read the book in the
beginning, so daddy told me to read one particula para in chapter-9 every day
11 times if i could not complete the book.

Being a human, with my monkey-mind, i had been clinging to the book only when i
was in the deepest troubles, and soon after i over came the problem, i again
neglected the book. But SWAMI is so loving that although i had been an
oppurtunist, HE has never left me alone. Always reminding that i have HIM in
times of need.

Many of you can recollect i had mailed to u all in june about some problems i
had been undergoing and even attempted to suicide twice but SWAMI has saved me.
I had lost hope at a point of time, but NAMASMARANA and SATSANG on this forum
has encouraged me to live on. Above all my dear mother in India has always been
praying for me.

Now coming to the book, it was on July 2nd, 2004, i had AKHANDA BHAJAIN (i.e,
from the evening of 1st july - 2nd july evening). Since i am alone and could
not invite anybody else to the bhajain owing to my situation, i had 4 audio
casettes of bhajains which i was playing and singing along with music. The
evening of 1st July went very well, there was adequate power supply and the
whole night was spent well in singing, in the morning there was power cut and i
could not sing many bhajains on my own, therefore i decided to stop bhajains and
do the parayanam of this book, and thereby read all the 23 chapters during the
day. At the time i was reading this book, a thought came to me for the first
time, "I must type the entire book and make it available to everybody where all
can have access to it as the book is out of print since 1980s. And this book is
not available at book centres anymore. This is my GURU DAKSHINA
on this holy day to THE ETERNAL GURU"

That night itself after i finished the bhajain and arathi was shown in the
evening, i began to work on this without any delay. I completed 18 chapters in
6 days, but then all of a sudden i was unable to sit on the book anymore.
Something or the other came up in my way to finish this book. Now i wish to
make it available in parts which will make it easy for your reading.

Our Lord SAI is the incarnation of SHIRDI BABA and SHIRDI BABA is an incarnation
of LORD DATTATREYA. To illustrate this with a testimony, i wish to recollect an
incident which occured in the late 1980s. I was studying at Sri Sathya Sai
Vidya Vihar, Ooty. Ooty school was Swami's summer venue. Swami used to visit
the school regularly every year in the summer. As per the practice, Swami
always haulted for refreshments of the devotees accompanying HIM at the
Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary on the way from Bangalore to Ooty. During one
such trip, Swami stood for a photo session. As he stood there, the cool breeze
blew and Swami's robe was not in position owing to the wind. Therefore
Mrs.Ratanlal rushed to straighten Swami's robe at his feet, but swami sighed
her not to come near HIM. Later when the photo was developed, SWAMI was seen as
DATTATREYA standing with a cow behind him. This was later narrated to us
children at
the school by our Teachers.

Many of you visiting Prashanti Nilayam regularly must be knowing Mrs.Ratanlal
who is very active in all the activities of the SATHYA SAI ORGANIZATIONS.

Therefore today i am mailing the INTRODUCTION of the book in another seperate mail.

I thank our beloved LORD to give me this oppurtunity.

Regards
Venkat

Venkataratnam P.+234-80-23111327