Saint of Shirdi - Shri Sai Baba - Saguna Brahma - Guru:

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Saint of Shirdi - Shri Sai Baba - Saguna Brahma - Guru:

The saint of Shirdi recognized and emphasized the beauty of a Guru-guided life.

Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi is the Guru incarnate to live on this earth in the late

part of last century and early part of this century. Shri Sai Baba gave

tremendous importance to the adoption of the Guru in one's spiritual

"Sadhana"(pursuit). With an innate compassion Shri Sai Baba often declared -"I

am your savior, not only from the weight of sin, but from the weight of care

and misery". "Guru is all the Gods", said the Saint of Shirdi. Moreover, the

Baba declared reassuringly though as the all pervading Guru he would naturally

expect complete surrender, obedience and loyalty, he promised that through his

supreme powers he would extend complete protection to those who put their

implicit faith in him.

Is Surrender to the Guru the only Sadhana Prayer?:

This question was hotly debated even in the presence of Baba. The answer to this

complex question as given by Shri Sai Baba comes straight out of Sri Sai

Satcharita.

Kakasaheb Dixit(an ardent Devotee of Shri Sai Baba) has published his notes

regarding this matter. Next day after Hemadpant's meeting with Sai Baba,

Kakasaheb went to Baba and asked whether he should leave Shirdi. Baba Said,

"Yes". Then someone asked - "Baba, where to go?" Baba said, "High up." Then the

man said, "How is the way?" Baba said, "There are many ways leading there; there

is one way also from here (Shirdi). The way is difficult. There are tigers and

wolves in the jungles on the way." I (Kakasaheb) asked - "But Baba, what if we

take a guide with us?" Baba answered, - "Then there is no difficulty. The guide

will take you straight to your destination, avoiding wolves, tigers and ditches

etc. on the way. If there be no guide, there is the danger of your being lost

in the jungles or falling into ditches."

Mr. Dabholkar was present on this occasion and he thought that this was the

answer Baba gave to the question whether Guru was a necessity (Vide Sai Leela

Vol. I, No.5, Page 47); and he thereupon took the hint that no discussion of

the problem, whether man is free or bound, is of any use in spiritual matters,

but that on the contrary real Paramartha(absolute meaning) is possible only as

the result of the teachings of the Guru, as is illustrated in this chapter of

the original work in the instances of great Avatars like Rama and Krishna, who

had to submit themselves to their Gurus, Vasishtha and Sandipani respectively,

for getting self-realization and that the only virtues necessary for such

progress are faith and patience. (Vide Sai Satcharita, Ch. II, 191-92).

Has Shri Sai Baba qualified to be a Guru?

Not only did the Saint of Shirdi perform his duties of Guruship during his life,

but was able to establish a lasting Guru-parampara(successors of Guru's) through

his vision and foresight.

Shri Sai Baba was not content to transfer his messiahship to his descendants. In

the last years of his life, he said to his devotees with a mother's solicitude,

"Do not grieve when my body passes away. My tomb will live and move and speak

with all those who make me their sole refuge." Happily, though we have

celebrated over 78 years of his mahasamadhi, Sai Baba's promise is abundantly

fulfilled even to-day. Millions of devotees flock to his Samadhi regularly to

seek his blessings. Through decades of void there comes echoing down the years

the gracious message- "Lo, I am beside you always".

Celebration of Guru Poornima Day in Shirdi

The celebration of Guru Poornima began in Shirdi around 1908. One day Shri Baba

told his disciple Shri Dada Kelkar, "Do you know this day is the day to

approach Gurus? Bring your worship articles". Then Shri Kelkar and his friends

looked up the calendar and found that the day was Guru Poornima day. They

started worshipping Shri Sai Baba as their Guru, and that practice has

continued till today not only in Shirdi but all over the world where prayers

are offered to Shri Sai.

How does one celebrate Guru Poornima?

Guru Poornima is celebrated by devotees by performing Guru Pooja(offering

prayers to the Guru) to our Lord Shri Sai Baba. Each Sai Devotee can either

perform the Sai Guru Pooja(prayer) at home or attend a Sai Guru Pooja or

sponsor a Sai Guru Pooja being performed at a Sai temple by offering donation

or other articles used in Pooja(Pooja samagri).

One can attend a bhajan or visit a Sai Mandir where ever possible. For those of

us who do not have the fortune of visiting a Sai temple or attending a Bhajan,

this web site organization has teamed with Sai temples from various areas to

help devotees participate in Sai Guru Pooja by sponsoring Guru Pooja. Please

see the SadGuru Sai Baba Pooja Sponsorship Form at

http://www.saibaba.org/guruform.html to offer sponsorhip. For those who are

unable to do so, humming songs about Sai or repeating Sai slokams or SaiNama

would be a good way to spend Guru Poornima day.

"Gurur Brahma Gurur VishnuGurur Devoh Maheshwar;Gurur Shakshat

ParambramhaTashmai Shri Gurur Veh Namah"May the Merciful Sri Sai Baba always

shower His grace on us and our families and remove our problems and anxieties

by giving us all - strength , goodluck, success and happiness with peace of

mind.Sai bhakt,Deepa Hdebu7366

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