Thursday Message from Sri Sai Satcharitra

[Guest guest]

As a human beings one cannot detached from the worldly existence, always

surrounded by desires, tensions and always thinks about earning money or

something else. But just surrendering mentally to the Lotus feet of Our Sadguru

Sainath, then and there He cares for us. He will take care and protect us from

all sides; He always thinks about us and our welfare even though He does not

have any attachments to these Samsaric matters, He even helps the wicked people

also.

justify"> He is not like the Gurus of todays. He never expects anything from

his devotees except loving remembrance of his name. He is always simple and

loves everyone equally. He suggested and showed the ways how to behave with our

fellow beings. We all pray to Him to help us in to cross this Samsaric Ocean

with remembering His name. We all try to made our heart pure with love and

make it as a mandir to Our Baba and all of we try to keep His Holy Feet at our

heart with utmost Devotion and thinks about Him and try to listen His leelas

even though attached to many worldly things. Just surrender whole heartedly to

His Lotus feet, no need of running here and there, no need of reciting any

mantras, no need of doing any Yoga or any thing else except remembering the

lovely name “SAI” “SAI”, which shows us the way to reach our Spiritual path in

correct manner and He runs for us to protect any time, any where. Not required

any efforts, any money to be paid for this simple Sadhana, only we have to

remember the glorious name of our Baba. But it not so easy also, we need to

have the blessings of Our BABA to do the same. Some way we are very much

fortunate by having the grace on us, so that we have interest in listening to

the glorious stories of our God Sri SaiBaba. In this kaliyuga, smaran & Kirtan

are the best ways to reach God easily. So, we not remembering His name and also

should have faith on Him. With pure Devotion,

Loving remembering and faith on our Sadguru will help us to cross the worldly

existence with ease. ___

Chapter X

Verdana">Sai Baba's Mode of Life - His Sleeping - board - His Stay in Shirdi -

His Teachings - His Humility - The Easiest Path. Remember Him (Sai Baba)

always with love, for He was engrossed in doing good to all, and always abided

in His Self. To remember Him only is to solve the riddle of life and death.

This is the best and easiest of Sadhanas, as it involves no expenditure. A

little exertion here brings great rewards. So as long as our senses are sound,

we should, minute my minute, practice this Sadhana. All other Gods are illusory

; Guru is the only God. If we believe in Sad-guru's holy feet, he can change our

fortune for the better. If we serve Him nicely, we get rid of our Samsar. We

need not study any philosophy like the Nyaya and the Mimansa. If we make

Him our Helmsman, we can easily cross over the sea of all our pains and sorrows.

As we trust the helmsman in crossing rivers and seas, so we have to trust our

Sadguru in getting over the ocean of worldly existence. The Sadguru looks to

the intense feeling and devotion of his devotees, endows them with knowledge

and eternal bliss. In the last chapter, Baba's mendicancy, and devotees'

experiences and other subjects are dealt with. Let the readers now hear, where

and how Baba lived, how He slept, and how He taught etc. Baba's Wonderful

Bed-Stead

FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> Let us first see where and how Baba slept, Mr.

Nanasaheb Dengale brought, for Sai Baba, a wooden plank, amount 4 cubits in

length and only a span in breath, for sleeping upon. Instead of keeping the

plank on the floor and then sleeping on it, Baba tied it like a swing to the

rafters of the Masjid with old shreds or rags and commenced to sleep upon it.

The rags were so thin and worn out that it was a problem how they could bear or

support even weight of the plank itself, let alone the weight of Baba. But

somehow or other-it was Baba's sheer Leela that the worn out rags did sustain

the plank, with the weight of Baba on it. On the four corners of this plank,

Baba lighted panatis (earthen lamps), one at each corner, and kept them burning

the

whole night. It was a sight for the Gods to see Baba sitting or sleeping on this

plank! It was a wonder to all, how Baba got up and down the plank. Out of

curiosity, many careful observers kept watching the process of mounting and

dismounting, but none succeeded. As crowds began to swell so to detect this

wonderful feat, Baba one day broke the plank into pieces and threw it away.

Baba had all the eight Siddhis (powers) at His command. He never practiced nor

craved for them. They came to Him naturally, as a result of His perfection.

Sagun Manifestation of Brahman Though Sai Baba looked like a man, three

cubits and a half in length, still He dwelt in the hearts of all. Inwardly, he

was unattached and indifferent, but outwardly, He longed for public welfare.

Inwardly most disinterested, He looked outwardly full of desires, for the sake

of His devotees. Inwardly an abode of peace, he looked outwardly restless.

Inwardly He had the state of Brahman, outwardly He acted like a devil. Inwardly

He had the state of Brahman, outwardly he acted like a devil. Inwardly He loved

Adwaita (union or monism), outwardly He got entangled with the world. Sometimes

He looked on all with affection, and at times He threw stones at them; sometimes

He scolded them, while at times He embraced them and was calm, composed,

tolerant and well-balanced. He always abided and was engrossed in the Self and

was well-disposed towards His Bhaktas. He always sat on one Asan and never

travelled. His 'band' was a small stick, which He always carried in His hand. He

was calm, being thought-free. He never cared for wealth and fame and lived on

begging. Such a life He led. He always uttered 'Allah Malik' (God the real

owner). Entire and unbroken was His love for the Bhaktas. He was the mine or

store-house for self-knowledge and full of Divine Bliss. Such was the Divine

Form of Sai Baba, boundless, endless and undifferentiated. One principle which

envelopes the whole universe, (from a stone pillar to Brahma) incarnated in Sai

Baba. The really meritorious and fortunate people got this treasure-trove in

their hands, while those people who not knowing the real worth of Sai Baba took

or take Him to be a man, a mere human being, were and are indeed miserable.

FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">His Stay in Shirdi and Probable Birth-date None knew or

knows the parents and exact birth-date of Sai Baba; but it can be approximately

determined by His stay in Shirdi. Baba first came to Shirdi, when he was a young

lad of sixteen and stayed there for three years. Then all of a sudden He

disappeared for some time. After some time, He reappeared in the Nizam state

near Aurangabad, and again came to Shirdi with the marriage-party of Chand

Patil, when He was twenty years old. Since then, He stayed in Shirdi

continuously for a period of sixty years, after which Baba took His

Maha-Samadhi in the year 1918. From this we

can say that the year of Baba's birth is approximately 1838 A.D. Baba's

Mission and Advice Saint Ramadas (1608-1681) flourished in the 17th century,

and fulfilled to a great extent his mission of protecting cows and Brahmins

against the Yavanas (Mahomedans), but within two centuries after him, the split

between the two communities -- Hindus and Mahomedans widened again, and Sai Baba

came to bridge the gulf. His

constant advice to all was to this effect. "Rama (the God of the Hindus) and

Rahim (the God of the Mahomedans) were one and the same; there was not the

slightest difference between them; then why should their devotees and quarrel

among themselves? You ignorant folk, children, join hands and bring both the

communities together, act sanely and thus you will gain your object of national

unity. It is not good to dispute and argue. So don't argue, don't emulate

others. Always consider your interest and welfare. The Lord will protect you.

Yoga, sacrifice, penance, and knowledge are the means to attain God. If you do

not succeed in this by any means, vain is your birth. If any one does any evil

unto you, to do not retaliate. If you can do anything, do some good unto

other." This in short was Sai Baba's advice to all; and this will stand in good

stead both in material and spiritual matters.

FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> Sai Baba as Sadguru There are Gurus and Gurus. There

are many so-called Gurus, who go about from house to house with cymbals and

veena in their hands, and make a show of their spirtituality. They blow mantras

into the ears of their disciples and extract money from them. They profess to

teach piety and religion to their disciples, but are themselves impious and

irreligious. Sai Baba never thought of making the least show of His worth

(piety). Body-consciousness, He had none, but He had great love for the

disciples. There are two kinds of Gurus (1) 'Niyat' (appointed or

fixed) and (2) 'Aniyat' unappointed or general). The latter by their advice

develop the good qualities in us, purify our hearts and set us on the path of

salvation; but contact with the former, dispels our quality (sense of

difference); and estalishes us in Unity by making us realize "Thou art that".

There are various Gurus imparting to us various kinds of wordly knowledge, but

he, who fixes us in our Nature (Self) and carries us beyond the ocean of

worldly existence, is the Sadguru. Sai Baba was such a Sadguru. His greatness

is undescribable. If anybody went to take His darshana, he, without being

asked, would give every detail of his past, present and future life. He saw

Divinity in all beings. Friends and foes were alike to Him. Disinterested and

equal-balanced, He obliged the evil-doers. He was the same in prosperity and

adversity. No doubt, ever touched Him. Though He possessed the human body, He

was not in the least attached to His body or house. Though He looked

embodied, He was really disembodied, i.e., free in this every life. Blessed are

the people of Shirdi, who worshipped Sai as their God. While eating, drinking,

working in their backyards and fields and doing various household works, they

always remembered Sai and sang His glory. They knew no other God except Sai.

What to speak of the love, the sweetness of the love, of the women of Shirdi!

They were quite ignorant, but their pure love inspired them to compose poems or

songs in their simple rural language. Letters or learning they had none, still

one can discern real poetry in their simple songs. It is not intelligence, but

love, that inspires real poetry as such. Real poetry is the manifestation of

true love; and this can be seen and appreciated by intelligent listeners.

Collection of these folk songs is desirable and Baba willing, some fortunate

devotee may

undertake the task of collecting and publishing these folk-songs, either in the

Sai Leela magazine or separately in a book-form. Baba's Humility Lord or

Bhagwan is said to have six qualities, viz. (1) Fame, (2) Wealth, (3)

Non-attachment, (4) Knowledge, (5) Grandeur, and (6) Generosity. Baba had all

these in Him. He incarnated in flesh for the sake of the Bhaktas. Wonderful was

His grace and kindness! He drew the devotees to Him, or how else one could have

known Him! For the sake

of His Bhaktas Baba spoke such words, as the Goddness of Speech dare not utter.

Here is a specimen. Baba spoke very humbly as follows:- "Slave of slaves I am

your debtor, I am satisfied at your darshan. It is a great favour that I saw

your feet. I am an insect in your excreta. I consider Myself blessed thereby".

What humility is this? If anybody would think that by publishing this, any

disrespect is shown to Sai, we beg His pardon and to atone for this we sing and

chant Baba's name. Though Baba seemed outwardly to enjoy sense-objects, he had

not the least flavour in them, nor even the consciousness of enjoying them.

Though He ate, he had no taste and though He saw, He never felt any interest in

what He saw. Regarding passion, He was as perfect a celibate as Hanuman. He was

not attached to anything. He was pure consciousness, the resting place of

desire, anger, and

other feelings. In short, He was disinterested, free and perfect. A striking

instance may be citied in illustration of this statement. Nanavalli There

was in Shirdi, a very quaint and queer fellow, by name Nanavalli. He looked to

Baba's work and affairs. He once approached Baba who was seated on His Gadi

(seat) and asked Him to get up, as he wanted to occupy the same. Baba at once

got up and left the seat, which he occupied. After sitting there awhile

Nanavalli got up, and asked

Baba to take His seat. Then Baba sat on the seat and Nanavalli fell at His feet,

and then went away. Baba did not show the slightest displeasure in being

dictated to and ousted. This Nanavalli loved Baba so much that he breathed his

last, on the thirteenth day of Baba's taking Maha-Samadhi. The Easiest Path

Hearing the stories of the Saints and Being in their Company:

Though Sai Baba acted outwardly like an ordinary man, His actions showed

extraordinary intelligence and skill. Whatever He did, was done for the good of

His devotees. He never prescribed any asan, regulation of breathing or any rites

to His Bhaktas, nor did He blow any mantra into their ears. He told them to

leave off all cleverness and always remember "SaiSai". "If you did that" He

said, "all your shackles would be removed and you would be free". Sitting

between five fires, sacrifices, chantings, eight-fold Yoga are possible for the

Brahmins only. They are of no use to the other classes. The function of the mind

is to think, it cannot remain for a minute without thinking. If you give it a

Sense-object, it will think about it. If you give it to a Guru, it will think

about Guru. You have heard most

attentively the greatness, grandeur of Sai. This is the natural remembrance,

worship and Kirtan of Sai. Hearing the stories of the Saints is not so

difficult, as the other Sadhanas mentioned above. They (stories) remove all

fear of this Samsar (worldly existence), and take you on to the spiritual path.

So listen to these stories, meditate on them, and assimilate them. If this is

done, not only the Brahmins, but women and lower clases will get pure and holy.

You may do or attend to your worldy duties, but give your mind to Sai and His

stories, and then, He is sure to bless you. This is the easiest path, but why

do not all take to it? The reason is that without God's grace, we do not get

the desire to listen to the stories of Saints. With God's grace everything is

smooth and easy. Hearing the stories of the Saints is, in a way, keeping their

company. The importance of the company of Saints is very great. It removes our

body-consciousness and egoism, destroys completely the

chain of our birth and death, cuts asunder all the knots of the heart, and takes

us to God, Who is pure Consciousness. It certainly increases our non-attachment

to sense-objects, and makes us quite indifferent to pleasures and pains, and

leads us on the spiritual path. If you have no other Sadhana, such as uttering

God's name, worship or devotion etc., but if you take refuge in them (Saints)

whole-heartedly, they will carry you off safety across the ocean of wordly

existence. It is for this reason that the Saint manifest themselves in this

world. even sacred rivers such as the Ganges, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri

etc., which wash away the sins of the world, desire that the Saints should come

to them, for a bath and purify them. Such is the grandeur of the Saints. It is

on account of the store of merit in past births that we have attained the feet

of Sai Baba.

9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">We conclude this chapter with meditation on Sai's

Form. He, the beautiful and handsome Sai, standing on the edge of the Masjid

and distributing Udi to each and every Bhakta, with a view to his welfare. He

who thinks the world as naught and Who is ever engrossed in Supreme Bliss --

before Him -- we humbly prostrate ourselves. Bow to Shri Sai -- Peace be to

all

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