Sai Vichaar for Thursday, April 26, 2007

[Guest guest]

Sai Vichaar www.saibaba.org Thursday , April 26, 2007 :: Volume 9, Issue 50 (In its nineth year of publication.) Sai Vichaar is a Weekly newsletter distributed every Thursday and is devoted to the life, philosophy and teachings of Shri Sai Baba 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: Speech "I shall consider you blessed when you will renounce all attachments, conquer lust and palate and getting

rid of all impediments, serve God wholeheartedly and resort to the begging bowl". The above is the reply given by Sai Baba to Bapusaheb Jog who asked him why even after serving Baba for so many years, his mind was not calm and composed and why he failed in his efforts for self-realization. Sai Baba always laid stress on controlling pleasures of the senses. In our scriptures, great stress is laid on "non-violence" which means not to hurt anybody physically, mentally, or by speech. Sai Baba had realized that of all the above, harsh and scornful words hurt a person much more than physical or mental violence. Such cutting words are more easily forgotten and cannot be withdrawn. Consequently, they cause everlasting ill feeling. Sai Baba, therefore, not only advised his devotees, "Not to speak cuttingly to anyone so as to hurt him. He said, "let anybody speak hundreds of things against you, do not resent by giving a bitter reply. If you always

tolerate such things, you will certainly be happy", and to make sure that they did follow his advice, he also said, " He who carps and cavils at others, pierces me in the heart and injures me but that suffers and endures, please me the most". (from Shri Sai Baba's Teachings and Philosophy by Lt. Col. M.B. Nimbalkar) CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Yoga Traya The triple Yoga of service, devotion and knowledge are very essential for Self-realization. The one does not contradict the other. On the other hand, they help growth and harmonious development of the heart, mind and the intellect. It is mere folly to discard any of these in the course of one's onward march towards the goal of life. Each Yoga supplements, helps and complements the others. The Bhagavad Gita says, " Sankhya Yogau prithak Balah pravadanti na pandithaah"- Children, not the wise, say Yoga and knowledge are

distinct. Though Sri Sankara was a pure Advaita Vedantin he always worshipped a personal God. He composed many verses and hymns in praise of Devi, Lord Krishna, Hari, Siva and others. He did Lokasangraha or selfless service unto humanity. There was no power on earth to compel him to do work. He was free as a bird. Yet he served untiringly. He established four Mutts. He initiated deserving students into Sannyas. He hoisted the flag of Vedanta and established its supremacy over other philosophers. He put down the misleading heads of various cults and schools who led humanity astray. He put them in the right path. His philosophy today stands unparalleled. He wrote several inspiring and elevating books. He inspires us even to day. His commentaries on Prasthanatrayi are simply wonderful. Is there a greater Yogi, philosopher and a Karma Yogi than Sri Sankara? Sri Sankara says, in one of his hymns to Hari, " O Lord, though I and you are one, yet

I am thine but mine, just as the waves belong to the ocean only, and not the ocean to the waves". Swami Madhusudan Saraswati was one of the reputed saints of the 8th century A.D. He was a Poorna Gnani and a Bhakta too. Even after he realized the all-pervasive Self or Brahman he worshipped Lord Krishna. He said, " Though I behold the one Atman in all beings and see all as one yet my taste or craving for the worship of the feet of Krishna never leaves me. To me Krishna is the highest reality." Krishnat-param kimapi tattavam aham nahjane- I do not know of any superior reality than Krishna. Though Sant Tukaram was a great Bhakta he had the cosmic and Supreme Advaitic Realization. Some people hold the view that a Bhakta has no realization of oneness of the attainment of Brahma Sayujya. This is wrong. The Bhakta too attains the state attained by Gnanins this may be observed also from the lives of the South Indian Saiva saints like

TirumalaNayanar, Appar, Sundaramurthi and others. Though they adored Lord Siva with all their heart they had the highest realization of Brahman. The practice of Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga is as difficult as that of Gnana Yoga. Keeping up of Atma Bhav while practicing Karma Yoga in the world is more difficult than the practice of Jnana Yoga while remaining in the cave. (Contributed by As appeared in "Sai Sudha" dated May 1945, Courtesy: saileelas.org) CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: continued..... Work must be done for the divine alone and in union with the divine and with the right spirit and attitude. By doing constant selfless service with Ishwararpan Buddhi the aspirant develops Bhakti. His will gets merged in the Divine Will. His ego slowly perishes. Action done with the right spirit and mental attitude is a powerful and effective as devotion and meditation. Action, devotion and knowledge go together. Internal

development and perfection are possible only through the practice of this triple Yoga (Yogatraya). Karma Yoga includes meditation and devotion. Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, " Remember me at all times and fight" i.e., do your duty. " Take refuge in Me and surrender the fruits of all your actions unto Me.Smarana" of the Lord consecrating the fruits of all actions and self-surrender (Atma Nivedan) which are the fundamental doctrine of Karma Yoga are really devotion in essence. Incessant untiring selfless work leads you from devotion to knowledge and fulfills the purpose of life. May you understand the philosophy of the triple Yoga and practice it in your daily life and attain perfection in this very birth! May you be blessed! (by Swami Sivananda Saraswathi, Rishikesh, as appeared in "Sai Sudha" dated May 1945. Courtesy: saileelas.org) (Contributed by As appeared in "Sai Sudha" dated May 1945, Courtesy:

saileelas.org) DEVOTEES SAY: PushpaBaba helped me many times in my life. My brother has to get a blood work for some legal documents. If the results are negative I promised Baba that I would publish this article in Sai Vichaar. Have shraddha and saburi in Baba he will make us walk through all difficulties. Sai devoteeI have had some issues in pregnancy early on. I prayed to Baba fervently that I should get well and everything should go smoothly and then I would post an article in Sai Vichaar. I had this inner feeling that my Baba will take care of me. Last Thursday, I had another concern about one of the medications I had been given by the doctor and how it was to be taken, as the doctor's instructions were different from the directions on the medicine. I prayed to Baba and then I remembered about my thought to write to Sai

Vichaar. I have checked with the doctor and everything is fine. Jai Sai Ram. HemantI would like to share my miracle with all Baba devotees. For more than 3 years I have been a firm believer of Baba. He has helped in every phase of my life and pulled me through the tough times of my life, after becoming a firm believer of Baba. He has graced me with good job, I have over come all my financial problems. In February 2007 me and my wife visited Shirdi and now by blessings of Baba I am buying a land. Initially I had problems in approval of loan but Baba made it possible, bank has approved the loan. Believe in Baba, He will be always with us. Om Sai Ram DeeptiThis is for Deepali and the likes please don't feel that Baba is not with you or that why doesn't he help you out in situations. Baba never directly helps us out but he is always with us. He always helps us out in ways and means we can not think

of. As written in the feature of the week "Everything is God's creation, and God's own. Yet He possesses nothing and covets nothing. On the other hand He lavishes all that is His on His creatures, though only a few can receive what he gives. Others have eyes but do not see; they have ears but do not hear; they have understanding yet do not consider which invariably means that when he is with us we are not able to see how he is with if god were to satisfy us with our immediate needs who will take care of our future as our present is satisfied but it could cause problems in our future. Then in future we would again require help. Our mother when we are sick gives us bitter medicine and not sweets why? Because she wants us to be alright but it does pain her to see us having bitter medicine that does not mean she will give us a sweet and worsen the situation. God does the same thing. When we ask him for something and he does not give it to us that does not mean he is not there

for us but it means he has something better in store for us. He allows me to make mistakes but he takes me through to make me realize my mistakes and helps me deal and solve them. He is my mother, my guru, my god and much more beyond. He has thought me momentary depression is for self help but long term depression takes you to a ruined life. as because when your depressed for a long time you fail to see the goodness and the gifts that life has in store for you .Just have faith in him. He will never break it. And you will always be happy. It's your mental doubts makes you loose faith in him. But he will never ever hurt you but will always be there for you and wait for you. NaineshDeepali I am sure you read this week's news letter. The article "Unseen Miracles" Answers your question before they are asked. See how our Lord works. Jai Sai Ram VaishaliTwo weeks back my daughter and son both were

very sick. My daughter had stopped eating food and drinking milk. I prayed to Baba if they become fine end of the day I will post my experience in Sai Vichaar. As promised I would like to thank you Baba for listening my prayer. PRAYER CLUB: SravantiBaba, You know how scared I was to handle the car steering for the first today morning. At that moment I couldn't even chant Your name due to some fear which I do not know. Please bless me and teach me car driving and also help me in getting the licence. Om Sri Sai Ram. GeetaI was waiting for this kind of a job for years and when I finally got it I'm stuck because of my green card. Baba, as you know everything please help me to take the right decision. CindiI feel alone and depressed. Baba you know exactly what I am going through. Please

help me to overcome all these obstacles. AnupamaI pray to you to help my mother as she is in a very uncomfortable position living in Chennai. After my father passed away we three daughters are facing so many struggles. Shri Sai, please help all of us and husbands who are also going through a lot. ChelluPlease make my parents realize our love and make them to accept for our marriage. AparnaPlease make my brothers work and live on their own. Keep my father away from alcohol. Baba please help us. MamataWe have been slapped many times in this life in past 3 years, and still you want us to suffer, but how long. Please have mercy on him at least now, spare us Baba. Show mercy, show karuna, please bless my husband, please. UsharaniI am asking You to bless my daughter to get married

soon. Baba you know who I am asking about. Please give us peace and shower Your blessings. UmabalaI got married in 2004. From that time my periods got irregular, because of this I am unable to conceive. Baba bless me with a healthy baby. Sai devoteeMy husband abuses me and insults me always. I have tried being very humble and obedient and have sacrificed so much in life for peace and harmony in the family. I am so depressed, I live far away from my parents and when he insults me and my parents I get so depressed and feel like killing myself. I am scared, I have kids. Baba, please let my husband be kind and caring to me and please give me harmony in my family life. SethumadhavanOm Sai Nath, my son has appeared for 12th board exam and is now studying for his entrance for engineering. Baba, please take care of him to get his admission in a good Engineering

college. Sai devoteeBaba, recently I'm very much distrurbed and feel depressed about certain issues. I'm unable to remain focussed and tendering some negative thoughts. Please forgive me for whatever wrong I've done and guide me along as you always did. Baba, my son is trying to diversify in his chosen career path which is a concern to us. He seems to be carried away by some gains which appear to be lucrative, but may not build his career. Pleas guide him to make the right choice and be by his side at all times. Please guide us too in every step and make us instumental in doing some good. Pranam Baba. EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: RohitLast year me and my wife wanted to secure an admission for our three year old daughter in a regular school. There were only two schools near the place. But since one of the schools was very

expensive it was beyond our means to get my daughter admitted to that school. That left us with the choice of just one school. I was always praying to Sai to help my daughter get admission to the school. As you all know that admission to any school is always preceded by an interview for the child. The child should grace the interview to get admitted. The day for the interview was fixed by the school. We were informed well in advance. But about a week before the interview date my daughter suddenly fell ill. She suffered from fever and frequent bouts of vomiting. She was hardly taking in any food due to which she had become so weak that she found it difficult even to sit up straight. The doctor informed us that she was suffering from stomach infection and in spite of medications it would be quite some time before she would be fully cured. As the day for the interview was drawing nearer I kept praying to Sai to make my daughter at least reasonably well enough to take the

interview. A day before the interview my daughter's condition improved marginally. Finally when the day of the interview arrived my daughter was able to sit up and talk even though she was still weak. I again prayed to Sai to take care of everything and promised him that if my daughter's interview went well and she got an admission I would visit Shirdi and take his darshan. While we were traveling to school in an auto there was a sticker of Baba in the auto in a standing pose with his hand raised in blessing as if ensuring us that all would be well. When my daughter's turn for the interview arrived she through sheer grace and will of Baba was able to answer all the questions to the satisfaction of the interviewer in a feeble voice given her condition. And in a month we received a confirmation letter from school. AkashI have had innumerable experiences where I felt that they were solely due to Baba's presence beside me. I read the Sai

Satcharitra when I lost my job five years ago. Ever since then, Baba has always been with me, guiding me and sometimes taking decisions that at that time feel harsh, but in hindsight, they were the right decisions. Recently, Baba has blessed me again. I have got admitted into one of the best MBA schools in the US. I am also in the process of starting a company of my own. Here too, Baba is helping me tackle all obstacles. I would like to thank Baba for his help and blessings and pray that He continues to bless me and all His devotees for ever. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: "I will never send anybody away who has come to me with faith and devotion. This is my promise".-Shri Sai Baba QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Q. Why is Thursday important for Baba? 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. Shri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MinnesotaSaibaba activities in Minneapolis were conducted at Shirdi

Saibaba Prayer center since the year 2002. Now, with the grace and blessings of Baba and the support of devotees, a new Saibaba Mandir has begun to function at 1835 Polk St NE, Minneapolis from July 11th 2006. Please visit www.hamaresai.org for all details. 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 Center in Bay Area, CAShirdi Sai Center is located 897-B East Kifer Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. For more information please call 408-705-7904 or 408-564-6704 or send email to saibandhu. You can also visit our website is www.Shirdisaiparivaar.org. Shirdi Saibaba temple, Los Angeles, CADevotees

in Los Angeles area are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Los Angeles area. The temple is located at - 144 South 4th Street, Montebello, CA 90640. For more information please call Krishna Samantula at 949-679-9938 or visit www.shirdisaila.org. Saibaba Temple, Columbus, OhioDevotees in Columbus and surrounding Ohio locations area are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Metro Columbus area. The temple is located in a leasing space at 7674 Sawmill Rd, Dublin, OH 43016. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday bhajans. For more information please call Panditjee at 614-799-8411 or visit www.saibaba.cc. Shirdi Sai bhajans every Thursday at Maitland, FloridaDevotees are invited to participate in Sai study and bhajans on Thursdays between 7-8 pm at Meditation Gallery, 219 E Horatio Ave, Maitland, FL 32715. For more details please contact Bonnie at 407-830-1276. FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD: Sai Vichaar is an open forum for those interested to share their experiences, views and ideas on Sai devotion and their experiences with Saibaba of Shirdi. Readers are requested to note that Sai Vichaar is not responsible for the opinions expressed by individual contributors. The Question of the week for this week is suggested by a Sai devotee as follows: Q. Why is Thursday important for Baba? Humbly Yours,The Editor ABOUT THIS EMAIL: This newsletter is not sent unsolicited. This newsletter is e-mailed to you because of at least one of the following reasons:1. You have d through our on-line page,2. You have visited our web site and shown interest in the Sai topics and asked for information, or3.

You have been gifted a subscription by a friend or a relative. To Subscribe Sai Vichaar for receipt by Email please visit the URL http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter.html and select the option from the menu. If you are subscribing the newsletter for your friend or a relative, we request that the person concerned may be notified about receiving the newsletter and the willingness to receive the newsletter be confirmed. To Un-Subscribe receipt of Sai Vichaar, please visit the URL http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter.html and select the option from the menu. If you have problems accessing the web page due to network problems, please send an e-mail to support with the words "Un Sai Vichaar" in the subject line. To make a contribution to any of the sections of Sai Vichaar, please visit the URL http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter.html and select the Submit Articles to Sai Vichaar option from the

menu. Back copies of HTML version of Sai Vichaar can be accessed by visting the URL http://www.saibaba.org/whatsnew.html. For any questions or more information regarding this e-mail or our web site, please send an e-mail to maildrop and your inquiries will be attended to promptly. Thank you,The webmaster From and Editor: Shirdi Sai Baba Web Site Shirdi Sai Baba Sanstha (A non-profit organization) Mail: 12N950 State Route 47 Hampshire, IL 60140, USA Email maildrop Phone 847-931-4058 Fax 847-931-4066 © Copyright 1998-2006 saibaba.org, Shirdi Sai Baba Sanstha - Sai Vichaar Weekly may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Written permission must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter. Sai Vichaar is devoted to the philosophy and teachings of Shri Sadguru Sai Baba of Shirdi, and will take every measure to avoid topics or themes contradicting the same. Sai

Vichaar team or the Shirdi Sai Baba web site is not responsible for the opinions expressed by individual contributors.