PROSTRATIONS TO SAI BABA OF SHIRDI - B.S. Narayan Murthy

[Guest guest]

PROSTRATIONS TO SAI BABA OF SHIRDI

 

 

(Shri Sai Baba’s personality is many-splendored. He was described himself

variously as …

“I am the slave of God”

“Saints exist to give the devotees

temporal and spiritual benefits;

I have come to give such good

things to the devotees”

 

The salient attributes of this divine personality are very well expressed in

a concise and inspiring form in the popular “Ashtothara Satha Namavali” or

the 108 names used during His worship. The general sense of the original

‘Namavali” in Sanskrit is brought out in English in the following lines).

 

O great Saint Sainatha of Shirdi

Incarnation art Thou of Lord Lakshminarayana.

Manifestation of the deities Krisyna, Rama, Shiva and Maruthi,

And also of Lord Vishnu reclining on Adi-Sesha.

 

Shirdi on the bank of Godavari is Thy abode,

But Thou resideth in the hearts of all Thy devotees,

Nay, in the hearts of all beings,

And Thou art manifest in the form of all.

 

Nothing is concealed from Thee, past, present or future,

Thou transcendeth limitations of time,

Thou art Thyself the endless time,

And also the Lord and Master of Eternity.

 

Thou art the vanquisher of Death

And art immortal,

Thou art the refuge of humanity

And supporter of life.

 

Support of the Universe art Thou,

Thou hast the power to save Thy devotees

And hast vowed to serve them,

Thou art the bestower of food and clothing.

 

Thou bestoweth health and happiness,

Thou granteth wealth and properity,

Thou confereth wisdom and power,

Thou giveth wife, children, relatives and friends.

 

Thou art ever watchful of the welfare of Thy devotees,

Rescueth those in distress,

Guideth the devotee on the path of virtue

And bestoweth both temporal and spiritual benefits.

 

Thou art full of affection for Thy devotees,

Thou infuseth affetion for humanity,

All-pervasive art Thou and immutable.

Thou art bliss eternal and giver of joy infinite.

 

Thou art the Supreme Lord, Supreme Creator,

Lord of all celestials, embodiment of knowledge;

Thou art the father of the Universe,

Mother, father and grand parent of the devotees

 

Thou offereth refuge to Thy devotees,

Thou art ever at their service

And Eager to save them,

Most affectionate art Thou to those seeking refuge.

 

Thou bestoweth devotion and strength,

Knowledge and renunciation, love and affection;

Thou destroyeth the weakness due to worldly attachments

And the evil of sins of previous births.

 

Thou filleth the heart with devotion,

Destroyeth the evil effects of past sins,

Thou art endowed with Supreme power

And divine attributes transcending those of mortals.

 

Thou art endowed with infinite auspicious attributes

And unlimited power,

Thou art the personification of victory,

Puissant and indomitable.

 

Thou transcendeth limitations of time and space,

Thou art omnipotent and there is nothing beyond Thy reach,

Thou art the personification of all power,

Thou art most handsome and Thy glance is auspicious

 

Thou art manifest in many forms

And in the form of the Universe itself,

Thou art also formless and imperceivable,

Thou art beyond thought and most sensitive.

 

Thou art all-pervasive,

Transcendeth thought and speech,

Thou are the personification of love,

Easy, yet difficult to attain.

 

Thou art the friend of those in need,

The saviour of the uncared-for and the poor,

Thou taketh over the entire burden of the devotees,

Thouhast accomplished diverse acts of selfless service.

 

Thou delighteth in listening to hymns of devotion,

Thou art the fountainhead of all holy rivers,

Thou art Lord Vasudeva

And the refuge of the virtious.

 

A noble and dedicated life is Thine,

Lord of the Universe art Thou, virtuous and free from sins,

Thou art the Moon with the soft ambrosial sheen,

And the sun with the resplendent glow.

 

A disciplined life of asceticism and meditation is Thine,

Guided by ‘Sathya’ and ‘Dharma’,

Thou art the master of success, determination and yoga,

Thou art the Godhead.

 

Thou loveth They devotees and hath and saintly personality,

Thou art the supreme being,

And preceptor of the doctrine of ‘Sathya’.

Thou destroyeth desire and evils of ignorance.

 

Thou bestoweth eternal bliss supreme,

Thou harmoniseth the diverse religions;

Thou art Shri dakshinamurthy as well as Shri Venkateswara,

Thou hast manifested infinite marvelous powers.

 

Thou art the saviour of those in distress,

Dispellar of the miseries of earthly existence

Omniscient, Omnipresent,

Present both inside and outside and everywhere.

 

Thou art the bestower of auspicious gifts,

Thou fulfilleth the wishes of everybody

Thou art the founder of a harmonized universal philosophy

The Omnipotent supreme preceptor Shri Sainath

 

 

B.S. Narayan Murthy

 

(Source Sri Sai Leela Magazine)