Sai Vichaar for Thursday, January 05, 2006

[Guest guest]

of Shirdi. Feel free to forward this newsletter to your interested associates in

its original form. IN THIS ISSUE: FEATURE OF THE WEEK CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

DEVOTEES SAY PRAYER CLUB EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES QUOTATION OF THE WEEK QUESTION

OF THE WEEK SAI ACTIVITIES FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD FEATURE OF THE

WEEK: Prayer Prayer is an act of communication by humans with the sacred or

holy—God, the gods, the

transcendent realm, or supernatural powers. Prayer has been described in its

sublimity as “an intimate friendship, a frequent conversation held alone with

the Beloved”. The most important part of any prayer, whether it be a prayer of

petition, of thanksgiving, of praise of Lord, or of confession, is the

introspection it provides, the moment that we spend looking inside ourselves,

seeing our role in the universe and our relationship to God and emphasizes the

One to whom prayer is directed. For an observant Sai devotee, prayer is not

simply something that happens in temple once a week (or even four times a day).

Prayer is an integral part of everyday life. Observant devotees are constantly

reminded of Sai’s presence and of our relationship with God, because we are

continually praying to Him. Our first thought in the morning, even before we

get out of bed, is a prayer thanking Sai for returning our souls to us. Prayers

are to be recited before enjoying any material

pleasure, such as eating or wearing new clothes; before performing any acts;

upon seeing anything unusual; at the site of a great tragedy; whenever some

good or bad thing happens; and prayers to recite before going to bed at night.

All of these prayers are in addition to formal prayer services, which are

performed every weekday and at additional times on festivals and holy days.

Many people today do not see the need for regular, formal prayer. "I pray when

I feel inspired to, when it is meaningful to me," they say. This attitude

overlooks two important things: the purpose of prayer, and the need for

practice. One purpose of prayer is to increase awareness of God in one’s life

and the role that God plays in one’s life. If one will only pray when one feels

inspired (that is, when one is already aware of God), then one will not increase

their awareness of God. In addition, if one wants to do something well, one has

to practice it

continually, even when one doesn't feel like doing it. This is as true of prayer

as it is of playing a sport, playing a musical instrument, or writing. The sense

of humility and awe of God that is essential to proper prayer does not come

easily to modern man, and will not simply come to one when one feels the need

to pray. If one waits until inspiration strikes, one will not have the skills

needed to pray effectively. Before one starts praying regularly, one finds that

when one wants to pray, one doesn't know how. One doesn't know what to say, or

how to say it, or how to establish the proper frame of mind. If one prays

regularly, one will learn how to express them in prayer. When one says the same

prayers day after day, one might expect that the prayers would become routine

and would begin to lose meaning. While this may be true for some people, this

is not the intention of prayer. The most important part of prayer is the

introspection it provides. Accordingly, the

proper frame of mind is vital to prayer. The mindset for prayer is referred to

as "bhavah", which is generally translated as "approach", "intent" or

"devotion". The minimum level of bhavah is an awareness that one is speaking to

God and an intention to fulfill the obligation to pray with devotion. If one

does not have this minimal level of bhavah, then one is not praying; they are

merely reading. In addition, it is preferred that one have a mind free from

other thoughts, that one know and understand what one is praying about and that

one think about the meaning of the prayer. Satcharita details the prerequisites

of prayer as explained by Baba generally referred to as nine forms of devotion.

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Saibaba - The Destroyer of Karma " Om Karma

Dhwamsinenamah As you sow, so you reap" is the dictum of Karmic Law. No one

is an exception neither to nor above

this irreversible Law. We are the creators of our own destiny be it good or bad.

Our past actions determine our present state and the present actions the future.

So if some one is enjoying the riches and the other is suffering in life it is

because of the effect of Sanchita Karma (Accumulated Karma) accrued by one over

the past births. Even the Creator himself cannot alter fate or destiny of a

person except by a Sadguru. As fire is extinguished by water and as dry grass

turns into a heap of ashes by a spark of fire, so also our Karma is nullified

by a mere merciful and compassionate look of a Sadguru. It only requires

steadfast belief, increased fervor and unfailing faith towards our Sadguru to

be bestowed with his grace. In Baba's Ashtothara Sata Namavali, Baba has aptly

been praised as "Karma Dhwamsi" the destroyer of Karma. It is lucidly depicted

by Sri Hemadpant in the XIII chapter of Satcharitra that when Bhimaji Patil

suffering from severe

chronic chest disease, was advised by Nana Saheb Chandorkar to seek recourse to

Baba's feet as all the available remedies failed to cure him. When Bhimaji

entered the Masjid, Baba on seeing him remarked that the disease was due to the

previous evil Karma and was reluctant to interfere with it. On praying for

mercy, Baba took pity on him and his blood vomiting at once stopped in the

presence of Baba. Later Baba appeared two times in Bhimaji's dreams and

completely cured him. In another instance of Chapter XXXIV one Dr. Pilley an

ardent devotee of Baba was once suffering from guinea worms. The pain was so

unbearable that he preferred death to it. He realized that he suffered because

of his past Karma and sent a word to Baba through Kaka Saheb Dixit to

distribute his karma for the next ten births so that his suffering would be

diluted. Baba being moved by his request directed Dixit to bring Dr. Pilley on

somebody's back. When Dr. Pilley arrived at Dwarakamai Baba told

him that the true remedy for his ailment was to endure his pain to get over his

Karma. Baba pacified him that 'Allah" would take care of him if surrenders

totally at his feet. Just then, one Abdul who used to clean the Masjid

accidentally stepped over the swollen leg of Dr. Pilley and by its impact all

the guinea worms were squeezed out. In ten days time by applying Udi on the

effected part his leg was restored to normalcy as foretold by Baba. These two

illustrations beyond doubt establish the fact that only a Sadguru can relieve

us from the adversities of our past evil Karma. It is our good fortune that we

came into the fold of Sainath Maharaj and let us all take refuge at his lotus

feet and pray him with reverence to cast his Divine Grace on all of us.

(Contributed by T. Radhakrishna) DEVOTEES SAY: SanjeevaI remember that day

very much.

When I saw Baba first time. Daily I was going to office; on the way I was seeing

one temple. I thought of going many times but I could not. Once on Thursday, I

automatically went there, when I was climbing the steps, I was crying, and when

I saw Baba first time automatically, water was coming from my eyes. Really I

wont forget that day. From that day I started going to temple when I ever I

feel to go, almost every Thursday. PRAYER CLUB: DeviMy husband has been

diagnosed with cancer last week. And you know how he prays you. And I was saved

by you why should not he Baba. Please do some miracle Baba. Whatever they said

should be false. He is going through a lot of pain. Please bless us Baba.

NeeruPlease listen to my prayer and bless me with a healthy boy. Sai devotees

please pray for me. DevikaI

have being for a very long time for a good job. Baba today also I was rejected

by one of the best companies for a small reason. Yesterday I dreamt about You.

You were Blessing me and I was asking for a good job. Baba I thought this time

I will get a good one. But I was rejected. Everything is going wrong. What

should I do? KalyaniI have given interview for a government job. Please bless

me with that government job Baba. Now, I beg you, I plead you, I request you, I

pray you to bless me with that government job. Sai devoteeSathguru Sai, please

help my children to study well and guide them to behave decently. Om Sai I am

trying for some help for my father for medical expenses, please help me to get

the work done. Sathguru Sai please help my husband to become your devotee so

that all the problems will be solved. Please help my son to get admission

abroad for higher studies and guide him to get admission.

MythraeyiSai Ram, please help us have a baby soon. We have been waiting for a

long time. Please shower Your grace and blessings on us. VaraprasadBaba please

shower your kind blessings on us on the eve of new year. Give me confidence and

wisdom to lead successful career. Provide me a shelter. Show me a way of

leading my life after retirement. I must get back my lost vigour. A

devoteeSainatha, please do something good for my sister. She is having lot of

problems in her life now. She is too timid and innocent to face all of those.

You know very well that she is not expecting too much in her life. Please just

give her a normal routine life to her which I requested You. Please do

something good for her. EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: MeenakshiOm Sai Ram, I

would

like to share one of my experiences with you all. I was travelling in an auto

and I left my purse in the auto itself. My debit card and some amount were

there in the purse. I also had a photo of Saibaba pada (which is a very rare

photo). When I reached my home, I realized that my purse was missing. I

immediately started crying. I was very much worried about the photo as that was

very precious to me. All my friends were with me. They assured me that I would

get another photo of the same kind. But I wanted the same photo. Then I was

taken to the bank by my friends to block the debit card. While traveling to the

bank, I was continuously praying asking Baba to help me and get back my purse.

Then we went to the bank and blocked the card. I also thought of applying for a

new card but the staff there asked me to wait for two days saying that I might

get my card back. Then I came back from the bank just to know that the purse

was returned safely by a stranger. It seems that a person who

boarded the auto had seen the purse and asked the driver about it. The driver

had said that it was his purse. But the passenger not believing him, as it was

ladies purse asked him to drop him at the place where I got down. Then the

purse was got by my friend. On knowing this, I was in tears thinking about the

leela of Baba who has come to the rescue of an ignorant person like me. I do

not have words to explain the greatness of Baba. Baba is the savior of all.

JigneshLeela's of Shree Satchitananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaja cannot be

expressed by any means in this world. I was a dull boy in the school. I always

used to be the last in the class. In 2001, I visited Shirdi first time. I saw

Baba's pratima in the Samadhi Mandir. I was so pleased from head to toe that I

cannot express. I prayed to Baba and I took a vow that if I stood first in the

class I will come here and trim my hair of the head and present it at Baba's

feet. Now here is the

unbelievable result. That year I stood first in the class and after that next

year, I stood not only first in the class but I was first in the whole

University. I won a Gold Medal. This does not end here. Later I came to know

that I was first in the whole state of Gujarat and for that government of

Gujarat and other institutions has given me other credentials for excellent

performance. By the blessings of Baba, I went for higher study and I finished

my M.Tech from IIT Bombay. Now how can we believe that a dull boy of the class

became a state topper and studied in the premier institute of the World? I pray

to the Lord Sai only that do not remove us from Your feet. This is the place in

the whole universe where we can stay calm and peacefully. NirmaljeetAround five

months back I resigned from my company and accepted another job. I asked Baba

before finally taking the offer and He did not want me to take up the offer.

But I still went ahead and

took the offer. After five months, I realized what a mistake I did and now I am

back to my old company. I am never going to commit this mistake of going

against Baba's will. Things have been good again for me and now I have made up

my mind that whatever is going to happen in my life is going to happen with

Baba's blessings. I urge you all to keep the faith in Baba and I assure you

that you will never need to repent for the same. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

"I stay by the side of whoever repeats my name".-Sai Baba QUESTION OF THE

WEEK: Q. Should Sai devotees believe in Astrology and Palmistry? A. by

Bhagavatula Moorthy Sai Ram! I have gone through the latest issue of Sai

Vichaar. A very good magazine spreading Sai philosophy across the Globe

through Internet. With regard to the question of the week, Should Sai devotees

believe in Astrology and Palmistry? I have gone through the views of devotees

and few are expressing that Baba is against Astrology, I wondered when I had

gone through the Chapter 26 of Sai Satcharita - The Story of Gopalnarayan

Ambadekar- "He then got Sai Baba's blessings and his prospects began to

improve. He studied astrology and gained proficiency in it and there by

improved his lot. He was able to earn sufficient money and passed his later

life in ease and comfort". In another example, (please refer Chapter 22 of Sai

Satcharita) one astrologer predicted the death of Mr. Booty with snake bite,

Baba told Mr. Booty not to worry and the snake was killed before biting Mr.

Booty. With this, we can say the predictions of Astrologer can come true. But

Baba saved his devotee from death. In my opinion, Baba is not against astrology

but at the same time, He is above Astrology. Q. Should

Sai devotees believe in Astrology and Palmistry? A. by Sadashiv Kavthankar Some

students while appearing for their examinations or even afterwards, would ask

Astrologer, whether they would pass or not. Sai Baba discouraged such habits.

He would advise the students to concentrate on their studies and for the rest,

put their trust in God. Baba would bless them and apply Udi on their forehead.

Such students would always come out with flying colors. (Matter extracted from

the Book 'Children's Sai Baba', Author: - Prof. D.D.Parchure.- first edition

-1974.) A Publication of Saibaba Sansthan of Shirdi. Q. Should Sai devotees

believe in Astrology and Palmistry? A. by Anandagiri My dear friends: I have

been so pleased to have found this website. I enjoy it very much. I first

learned of the life and teachings of Shirdi Baba more than forty years ago, in

my Guru´s ashram. I am a little disconnected from many

things because, although I am an American, I have been living in Argentina for

thirty years now, in South America. A long way from Bharat! Please keep up the

wonderful work you are all doing. I think it is very important! However,

another reason I am writing is to express my humble opinion with regard to this

week´s question, about astrology. I think all three of the answers were nicely

put and very sincere. But I think the responses reflect an unfortunate problem

as well. I realize that, in India, there is a different slant on astrology than

in the West. In some ways this is very good; in some ways it is unfortunate. Too

often in both East and West astrology is taken as a sort of magical solution or

answer to the problems of life. It should almost never be thus. In this way,

people put responsibility on someone else or somewhere else: karma and the

stars. This is not to say, of course, that karma is not real and will usually

"have its way", nor that the "stars" may

have something to say to the perceptive person. That is not the question at all.

It is merely to create a balanced and prudent attitude with respect to these

subjects. One would not go to another town, seeking the home of a friend there,

without knowing something about that town: where the streets are and the

particular address of the friend? Oh yes, the miracle could certain occur of

wandering about aimlessly in that town and, finally, finding oneself at the

doorstep of the sought friend. But it is just common sense to look at a map of

the city, look at the street signs, and look at the numbers on the

houses....and quickly, thereby, find the house you are seeking! This is the

properly understood purpose of astrology, in a nutshell. And if one of the

direct roads on the way to that house is congested with traffic or some other

problem, would it not be nice to have heard about it beforehand on the radio or

television so that you could simply take another road to the

house and not be trapped for hours by that traffic problem? This is the role of

astrology, and nothing more. The individual´s responsibility should always be

involved. This helps very much afterwards with our sadhana also! And it also

helps us to deeper our devotion and surrender to God and the Guru, and to

neutralize the waves in the mind and consciousness, as Patanjali has so wisely

taught. Again, thank you all for your regular inspiration. Namaskar! SAI

ACTIVITIES: Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs, Illinois, USAShirdi Sai

temple is open daily from 8:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m (Winter hours). Daily program

includes Kakad Arathi at 8 a.m followed by Abhisek. Madhayana Arathi at 12

noon, Dhoop Arathi at 6 p.m and Shej Arathi at 9 p.m. Archana, Homams,

Sahasranama and sponsored poojas continue in between the Arathis. To request a

pooja for yourselves, your friends and

family, please call. Devotees can request water (Abhishek Jal) from the Holy

bathing of Baba by sending us an email or by phone. Temple is located 25

minutes drive west of Schaumburg on intersection of IL Route 47 and Plank Road

in Hampshire, IL. For more information please call 847-931-4058 or send email

to maildrop (AT) saibaba (DOT) org. Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, MinnesotaRegular Sai

activities in Minneapolis, St.Paul area are being conducted at Shirdi Saibaba

Prayer Center, 725 Lake St NE, Apt #139 Hopkins MN. For details, please contact

hamaresai , or call Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center at 952-938-2983, and

to read the monthly newsletter Sai Sandesh, visit www.hamaresai.org. Sri

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Dallas/Fort Worth, TexasSri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of

DFW Metroplex is located at 2109 West Parker (Parker Plaza), Suite 212, Plano,

TX 75023. For temple hours and activities please call the temple

office at 469-467-3388 or visit the website www.shirdisaidallas.org. Shirdi Sai

Satsang, Bay Area, CaliforniaShirdi Sai Parivaar invites all to join us for

Satsang every Thursday 7:30 pm at Odd Fellows Temple, 20589 Homestead Road,

Cupertino, CA 95014. For details please call 408-564-6704 or send email to

saibandhu or visit www.ShradhaSaburi.org. Sai Sasang, New Jersey,

USAShirdi Sai Dham, Inc regularly conducts Sai bhajans followed by Aarti and

Parsad on every 1st Saturday of each month at Durga Mandir, Kendall Park, New

Jersey from 3 pm to 5 pm (Winter Hours). All are requested to kindly come and

receive Baba's blessings. For more information, please call us at 609-275-1334

or visit www.shirdisaidham.org or email us at shirdisaidham (AT) hotmail (DOT) com Shirdi

Sai Satsang, Toronto, CanadaShirdi Saibaba Sansthan invites all to join for

satsangs every Thursday

7:00 pm at Sai Dwarkamai, 147 Winston Castle Dr. Markham, Ontario, L6C 2N4,

phone 416-402-8089 or email: saileela99 . To request a pooja for

yourselves, your friends and family for any occasion at your residence, please

call. Devotees can request udi or Holy water (Abhishek Jal) from the Holy

bathing of Baba by sending us an email or by phone. Sri Shirdi Sai Mandir,

Scarborough, CanadaThe Shirdi Sai Mandir located at 2721 Markham Road,

Scarborough, ON M1X 1L5 (Intersection of Markham and Nashdene) is open Monday

to Friday from 6:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m and Saturday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m to

8:30 p.m. Dhoop aarti at 7:30 p.m everyday and Bhajans on Saturday from 5:00

p.m onwards. For other temple activities and information please call

647-444-4724 or send an email to info (AT) theshirdisaimandir (DOT) com. Shirdi Sai

Satsang in Vancouver, BC, CanadaShirdi Sai parivar in Vancouver invites you for

bhajans, every

Thursday (6:30pm - 7:30 pm) at 8571, 118A Street, Delta, V4C 6L2. For further

details contact Ritu (604)592 4182 or email at sai_ish (AT) hotmail (DOT) com. Sai

Satsang, SingaporeTo all Shirdi Sai Baba devotees in Singapore, Sai Sansthan,

Singapore is organizing Shirdi Sai Baba prayer session every Saturday between

18:30 hrs to 20:30 hrs at 2nd floor function hall, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman

temple, (opp. to Sinda), 555, Serangoon Road, Singapore-218174. We invite you

all to participate and seek Baba's blessings. For further details, please visit

www.saisansthan.com. FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD: Sai Vichaar thanks you for

your support for the Question of the Week feature. This feature is intended to

initiate useful discussion on topics related to Sai philosophy, His message,

and Sai devotion. Please send your suggested topics for the same. Sai

devotee Kumari wrote, "Jai Sai Ram, I am a devotee of Sai since two and half

years. I am very depressed now because I posted my articles two times in prayer

club. But I did not see my article in prayer club. When I am not seeing my

articles in Sai Vichaar Newsletter I am feeling very sad. Could you please

reply me about this?" Sai Vichaar receives several emails everyday and they

will be posted in the order they are received. Devotees and readers are

requested to note that it is not feasible to have all of their contributions

promptly published due to reasons including size of the writings, space, and

priorities of the topics. It would be helpful if devotees make their Prayer

requests short, specific, and to the point. This saves time, space and

opportunities to publish more requests. Please be assured that all our prayers

and requests are heard by our God Saibaba and fulfilled without fail by His

grace. Sai devotee Meenakshi Kumar suggests the following "Question

of the week" Q. What is the significance of the story of The Quest in Sai

Satcharitha? Humbly Yours,The Editor ABOUT THIS EMAIL: This newsletter is

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