Sai Vichaar for Thursday, February 16, 2006

[Guest guest]

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: Outcry of the

Indiscriminate Tumhaasee jaagawoo aamhi aapulya chaada - Baba aapulya chaada

Subhaasubh karme dosh haraavayaa peedaa.

Aataan Swaamee sukhe nidraa karaa Gopala - Baba Sai dayaalaa Purale manorath

jato aapule sthalaa. We shall wake you up for our own needs to destroy the

torment that is ours due to our fate, caused by our good as well as bad actions

- Sant Tukaram Maharaj How easy is the discrimination between real and unreal,

good and bad, right and wrong and the doable and the undoable? Words of the

wise have always insisted that one should show discrimination between what is

good and what is bad for us. Discrimination requires knowledge and by insisting

on discrimination, a definite even if minor significance is placed on the

necessity of knowledge to seek Sadguru. However, surrounded by the tigers and

the wolves, is it an easy task? How does one know whether a particular thing is

right or wrong? On the other hand, is it possible for anyone to know all the

rights from the wrongs? Can anyone assure that knowledge itself can help

complete the process of

discrimination? The path shown by Sai says that strong faith coupled with

devotion is enough to win the grace of Sadguru who guides one not only in the

worldly pursuits but also in the spiritual path. God of the destitute, Saibaba

of Shirdi has shown that simple devotion shown to him with pure heart is enough

to win his grace. The devotee need not fall into the trap of trying to separate

rights from the wrongs for such a pursuit is not possible in one's lifetime.

Sant Tukaram Maharaj captures the same thoughts in his Abhang composition in

Sainath Maharaj's Shej Aarthi, where he asks the Lord to rescue him from the

consequences of actions that are not only good but also bad! This is one sign

of complete surrender at the feet of Sadguru with the strongest conviction that

whatever is retained is only the good and it is Sadguru who alone is capable of

retrieving us! CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Spiritual

Sadhana A husband and wife lived in a small village. They were earning enough

money to have four meals a day. Every day, a beggar used to come to their

doorstep for food. The beggar was very stubborn in nature. He would never go

away until food was given. The wife and husband felt very uncomfortable about

the beggar's stubbornness. Therefore, they devised a plan to send the beggar

away. When the beggar came to their doorstep for food, both the wife and

husband started fighting with each other. They started shouting loudly on each

other. The beggar observed this and went away. Once the beggar was out of

sight, both of them congratulated each other for their best show of false

pretence. The husband told the wife that, "I shouted at you as if it was real."

The wife replied to the husband, "I cried so much as if it was real." The beggar

came back and told them, "I had also gone away as if it was real, and now, I am

back again." This story shows the

power of Maya in one's life. It can come back at any time like the beggar in the

story. In Sai Satcharitha, Sri Sai talks about the power of Maya. (Ch. 13). Sri

Sai says, "It is the Adi Maya of Sri Hari who distracted even Brahma and other

Gods. Without ceaseless Hari-bhajan, there is no release from this Maya. Follow

your goal, consistent with what has gone before, and what is to follow; always

act in compliance with what has been ordained. Forever be content and never

leave any place because of worry or anxiety." As long as one is living in the

world, one should not abandon studying or listening to the Scriptures and

contemplating the meanings-Sastra sravana (Sri Sai advised the devotees to read

jnaneswari, Gurucharitra), Devotion to the Guru-Guru bhajana (Guru Gholap

darshan to Mule ji), and Worship of one's own chosen Deity - Devatarchana

(worship of Lord Siva by Megha). At the same time, one should not turn the

sadhana into another ego booster. Sincere and Genuine spiritual

sadhana makes the person to become humble by showing the vastness and greatness

of the infinite. The spiritual practice should be done with a understanding

that,"Thy will be done." Shraddha (devotion and faith in Guru and his

teachings) and Saburi (forbearance to the different situations in life with a

feeling of surrender to the lotus feet of the Guru) are necessary to make the

spiritual practice fruitful. (Contributed by Sai Devotee) CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE:

Expression of Love Love as thought is Truth Love as action is Right Action Love

as feeling is Peace Love as understanding is Non Violence Love cannot be seen or

expressed in words, but has to originate from the mind or heart and should be

experienced and understood by the action. A mother -child relationship is

reflected by her thoughts, actions, feelings and understanding and this unique

experience is Love. This devotional affection and bondage is

Love. The creator's love to all the creations is the same as the love of the

mother and child. Logically the love of the Sadguru to us is similar to that of

the mother's. In this sense, the love of the humans to each other should also be

the same. In the world, we could proudly say we know of at least one who

demonstrated the Truth and that is Mahatma Gandhi. He demonstrated true love by

calling 'Ram, Ram, Ram when he was shot at and with the request not harm the one

who shot at him showing equal love to all. The motivating energy (jeevatma) in

all living beings is a spec of the supreme energy (paramatma). Therefore, all

human beings are 'Brothers and Sisters' and when one realises this fact this

world is the heaven and the most peaceful place. (Contributed by Kandappa)

DEVOTEES SAY: DeepikaBaba my tons of thanks to you for helping me with my

first teaching

session. With your grace and blessings, I held up well and did all I could.

GopikrishnaDear Sanjay, I also stay in Delhi. Of late, I have been closely

associated with an NGO, which is doing a great service to the Mentally

Challenged or Retarded children and persons, including Autism, cerebral palsy,

MR and MD. Though they are not from Delhi proper, they keep visiting Delhi

often. They are highly qualified. I can bring them to your residence whenever

they visit Delhi next time. Kindly do not hesitate to contact me, should you

think that I would be of any service to you. My contact number is 98999 29066.

SivaThese days I have started believing that what ever we do is known to Him.

It has been a long time that I am looking for a project in fact very long but I

believe that there is a purpose behind. I am hoping to get a project really

soon. What Baba did for me last year. So I was looking for projects

similarly and situation are getting worse and one day I have promised Baba that

I am quitting smoking forever and guess what! in 24 hours I got a project

(vendor called that night and interviewed next morning) part of a huge

implementation and I did not expect that. Seemed that He was just waiting for

me to quit smoking. BalaThanks to Baba for answering our prayers. Our friend is

out of ICU and back to normal. Sai devotees, thanks for all your prayers. Right

next day after posting my prayer request our friend showed signs of

improvement. Thank you Baba. RichaEvery time I read about Sai devotees

experiences and Baba's miracle stories my eyes are filled with tears of love

for Baba. I have been going through a hard time in life lately and I get close

to giving up sometimes. But reading about stories of Baba and experiences

shared by Sai devotees on Sai Vichaar each week fill me with hope and bring me

closer

to Baba. Thank you Sai Vichaar! PRAYER CLUB: AshwaniBaba, my mom has just

been diagnosed of suspected ovarian cancer - in some of the reports it shows

indications of cancer but in some it does not show as a cancer. Due to this

non-confirmation, the doctors have not started the treatment yet also - it has

been almost a month and we are just running and trying to know about the

disease. Baba, please help me in coming out of this situation - so that my

mothers treatment can start and she is cured. HaripriyaMy grandpa is very ill

and is in ICU! Please be by him and give him the strength to recover. Become

his guardian angel and be by his side at all times. I have heard experiences of

others whom You have taken out of problems. Today, I stand in front of You and

pray for grandpa. TanazOm Sai, I am

jobless since last two years please help me to get a job. I am getting depressed

with financial problems. My son is in tenth standard. Please guide him to study

well and score good marks. Please Sai, You know everything please help me. You

know I lost my job due to somebody else's mistake. Please guide me Baba.

AnithaI am trying very hard with no results yet oh Sai Ram, please give me

strength to stand on my own feet and to help my family. RashimaI am divorced

and have two children with me who are studying. My alimony payments have

stopped and I have never worked in the USA. I cannot pay my rent and think that

I would soon be in a homeless shelter. Please Sai Ram, help me get a job so that

I can survive with dignity. SastryYou know I have risked my career, confident of

Your blessings. Please make things to happen fast so that everything can go

according to

plan. SrinivasMy family is suffering from some setbacks, please help to get

resolve of my family problems. BalaBaba please help two members of our

community that have been diagnosed with cancer. One of them has young kids

also. JPDear Sai, kindly shower Your grace on my son and help him to choose the

course he has to take and the school to attend. EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES:

MadhaviBaba made my wishes come true several times after that. One of the

experiences is - It was Gurupoornima. I wanted to do pooja on that after coming

back from work & prayed Baba to make it happen. Once I got to work, I completely

forgot about resolve. When I was driving home, I remembered what I wanted to do

& was hoping pooja can still take place. I told my husband earlier

about this Gurupoornima. He invited two of my neighbors over (two aunties). One

of them came from India and used to do Sai Bhajans I guess and was feeling very

sorry that she was not able to do the pooja. My mother in law made prasad and

kept that ready. When I came home, there were flowers, prasadam and people. I

felt overwhelmed with this happening since it was so unbelievable that everyone

remembered this day. Finally, we had a long nice pooja, bhajans, Satcharitha

reading and invited few more people for dinner. During pooja, I wished the

prasadam should be finished before pooja is complete. Guess what, my little

daughter came and finished all the prasadam, which she usually does not eat. At

the end of everything, I cried since Baba's grace was all around us. Baba, I

know we are asking for a world by asking you to be with us. Thank You so much

Baba for being with us every second of our life and taking care of us. He is

the Only one who can and will take care of you. DeepaRecently I had a great

experience, which I wish to share with all. I took a night bus from Ajmer

(Rajasthan) to Delhi on Jan 25th, my husband told me to get down at Dhaulan

Kuan and that he would pick me up from there because if I entered the city I

would get stuck due to the Republic Day Parade. I heard somebody in the bus

saying that he had to get down at Radisson Hotel so I told over phone my

husband that I would meet him at Radisson (near Delhi Airport). Due to

construction work of a flyover near the airport, there is a lot of confusion

and diversions and I am not too much familiar with the area, the conductor

suddenly told me that my stop had come and I got down (in my mind praying to

Saibaba to help me reach home safely). To my dismay found that I was all alone

standing on a deserted highway at 5:40 am on a cold and dark winter morning;

not a soul in sight and no building or Radisson Hotel in sight. I was totally

lost and did not know which way

to walk, just as I stood thinking and ready to take the wrong way, a cab stopped

on the other side and a man got down. Immediately I approached him, told him

about my dilemma, and sought guidance from him. He was a worker coming from

night duty and his house was nearby, I requested him to walk down with me until

Radisson, which he readily did (it was a long walk and I was sweating at the end

of it) and I even made him wait until my husband came. We thanked him profusely

for his timely help; I was overwhelmed at the greatness of Saibaba; this

incident has made my faith stronger in Sai Baba and now I know that I need not

have any fear in life, as Baba will be there to guide me! He has proved his

existence to me and through me to many more! QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: "If

we see all actions as God's doing, we will be unattached and free from karmic

bondage".-Sai

Baba QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Q. How are we to know that we have won Sai's

grace? A. by LV Subbarao This is a vital question it calls for a study of Sri

Sai Satcharitha in a mood of renunciation an refuge in the lotus feet of Shri

Shirdi Sai under the guise of unalloyed devotion. Every chapter in Satcharitha

depicts the way to seek refuge in the Lord's feet to attain Paramartha -

Salvation. Lord Shri Sai Baba categorically emphasized that He is all pervasive

and omniscient and hence it infers clearly that to get benefit, it is immaterial

whether or not one is in the crowd around Him. It is a known fact, clear from

many scriptures besides what is understood from Sai Satcharita itself, that one

has to reap what one sows and there is no escape unless one suffers and squares

up one's committed debts and dealings, vide, Chpter 47 in Satcharitha, the

story

of Veerabhadrappa and Chennabasappa which was told by Shri Sai Himself. In fact,

the past actions are the basis for the present incidents and in other words, the

troubles and happiness we face in the life are our own deeds. Evidently, it is

not necessary that all in the crowd be benefited for the reason that they are

dragged before Him, which was on account of one's past Karmas to the extent to

which their lot was put-in. Further, regarding Shri Sai's grace, the Antaryamin

is like ground water, which can be tapped only with some effort where as the

image form of God is similar to potable water in a pond, which one can drink to

one's content. In Chpter 26 of Satcharitha, the blessed author stated a novel

form of worship: 1) Wash Sadguru's feet - in the form of Tears of Joy. 2)

Besmear His body - with Sandal paste of Pure Love. 3) Cover His body - with

cloth of True Faith. 4) Offer Lotuses - In the form of eight Satwik Emotions 5)

Offer fruits - in the form of Concentrated Mind. 6)

Decorate Him - in the form of Devotion and tie waistband of Bhakthi. 7) Namaskar

Him- Place our Neck (head) at His Toes. When once His grace spreads on us, we

remain in His bliss supreme, whether in waking, dream or sleep state and all

happenings in the life tends towards the merger of the same in the absolute

form. To cast His Spell and Awoke, the being to the realization of a higher

rhythm and a deeper purpose of life lays hidden infinite treasures of Spirit.

May His infinite grace shine upon this humble effort to pay homage to his

resplondent life and teachings. Q. How are we to know that we have won Sai's

grace? A. by Manav Sharma There are two methods of worship. One is traditional

method and other one is remembering Baba in every event of the day and offer

Him first, whatever we use. The main method in second approach is to completely

love Baba and follow his teachings in day-to-day activities. In this way,

devotee feels that Baba is with him and Baba is taking care of him always.

Devotee feels the contention and peace. At this stage, we can say that a person

has won the Baba's grace. If then the devotee has patience, his hopes will be

realized and in due course, he will indeed be having feeling of being with

Baba. Q. How are we to know that we have won Sai's grace? A. by Maddipatla VR

Prasad I have come across persons complaining that Sai Baba was not kind to

them, as they were subjected to several insurmountable trials and tribulations

in their lives. Does it mean that He is partial in showering His grace on some

of us alone? If I face certain difficulties and crises, does it mean that He is

not kind to me? No, certainly not. Pandavas including Draupadi have suffered

untold difficulties and misery despite the fact that they were dearest to Lord

Krishna. Let us not measure His grace in terms of our material prosperity and

tranquility. Why can't we consider that He is putting us through a puzzle or a

test to sharpen our spirituality and thus take us to newer heights of spiritual

growth? Thus, don't we experience His grace? It is worth mentioning the case of

Bhaktha Mahalsapathy in this context. He suffered privation and hardship but

never wavered in his faith in Sai Baba. He is one of those who 'won' His grace.

Great Masters viz., Sai Baba and Narasimha Saraswathi have revealed that Guru

"Kripa" or Guru's grace is like life giving rain that is showered impartially

on every one. However, the rain that falls on a fertile soil is well conserved

and sustains fruitful crop. On the other hand, the rain that falls on a rocky

terrain is wasted as run-off. Thus, every one reaps His love and grace

depending upon ones own spiritual back ground. In other words, one has to mold

oneself in a manner to deserve and conserve His grace. That is to say, that one

has to evolve by "saadhana" checking one's "vaasanas" and

negative tendencies including the "arishadvargas" to enjoy His grace. Has He not

said that His "Khazana" is full and every one can take however much he or she

wants? The ego factor being the most responsible for proliferation of the

negative tendencies, the same has to be checked to experience His grace. Baba

is always at our beck and call to support and strengthen our efforts in this

context. Once the ego is checked we become desireless and thereby we experience

His grace. Attaining "manava janma" or to be born as human being is the greatest

blessing of God. Our sense of gratitude to Him for granting us "manava janma"

makes us experience His grace. The awareness that He is always with us at every

step of our journey towards reforming ourselves and becoming helpful to others

around us, shows how fortunate we are to enjoy His grace. 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 Satsang, 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. Shirdi Sai Mandir, Scarborough, CanadaThe

Shirdi Sai Mandir located at 2721 Markham Road, Scarborough, Ontario, 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 is at 7:30 p.m. everyday. Bhajans are 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. Sai Baba Satsang in Auckland, New ZealandSai

Baba Satsang ( Bhajans, Provochan, Sai Ashotottram and Shej Arathi ) is held

every Thursday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at MT Roskill War Memorial Hall, May

Road , Mt Roskill, Auckland, NZ. For more detials visit our website

http://www.shirdisaibaba.org.nz or mail to info (AT) shirdisaibaba (DOT) org.nz. 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. The "Question of the week" for the week is,

Q. Baba said, "I give my people what they want until they will begin to ask me

what I want to give them ". Comment? Humbly Yours,The Editor ABOUT THIS

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