Message of the week - January 10, 2008

[Guest guest]

Sairam,

 

Happy BABA day to all. Wish you all a very happy and prosperous new

year 2008. Pray BABA guides us and fulfills all our wishes and guides

us always.

 

Let us pray to HIM to guide us in all our day to day activities. Let

us pray to HIM to let us do our karma/action and leave the result to

HIM. For HE only knows what is good and HE decides and gives us

everything we need. Was searching for the parayana message from BABA

(taken from Smt. Indira Kher's Satcharitha verse to verse translation

from the original satcharitha written by Shri Hemadpant Dabholkar ji)-

 

Those who surrendered to the sadguru, become one with him. When salt

goes into the sea to bathe, does it ever come back?

 

Jeevatma experiences the joys and sorrows of worldly life, while it is

God who gives him these experiences. But it is Sadguru alone, who

gives him Moksha. He is the repository of the Oneness of all souls.

 

When the guru is moved by compassion, he will bestow the Divine

Vision, which contains the entire Creation at one and the same time.

 

Hemad has surrendered totally to Sai, offering at his feet his Ahamkar

(ego) and prays to him in his heart to keep him always wakeful and

free from ego.

 

and the Message of the week (from the holy satcharitha)-

One gentleman from Poona by name Anantrao Patankar, wished to see

Baba. He came to Shirdi and took Baba's darshan. His eyes were

satisfied nad he was much pleased. He fell at Baba's feet and after

performing proper worship said to Baba " I have read a lot, studied

Vedas, Vedantas, and Upanishads, and heard all the Puranas but still,

I have not got any peace of mind so I think all my reading was

useless. Simple ignorant devout persons are better than myself. Unless

the mind becomes calm, all book-learnings is of no avail. I have

heard from many people that, You easily give peace of mind to so many

people by your mere glance and potent word so I have come here, please

take pity on me and bless me. "

 

Parable of Nine Balls of Stool (Nava-vidha Bhakti)

 

" Once a Soudagar (merchant) came here. Before him a mare passed her

stool (nine balls of stool). The merchant, intent on his quest, spread

the end of his dhotar and gathered all the nine balls in it, and thus

he got concentration (peace) of mind " .

 

Mr. Patankar could not make out the meaning of this story; so he asked

Ganesh Damodar, alias Dada Kelkar, " What does Baba mean by this? " He

replied - " I too do not know all that Baba says and means, but at His

inspiration I say, what I come to know. The mare is God's grace and

the nine balls excreted are the nine forms or types of Bhakti, viz.,

(1) Shravana (Hearing); (2) Kirtana (Praying); (3) Smarana

(Remembering); (4) Padasevana (resorting to the feet); (5) Archana

(Worship); (6) Namaskara (Bowing); (7) Dasya (Service); (8) Sakhyatva

(Friendship); (9) Atmanivedana (surrender of the self). These are the

nine types of Bhakti. If any of these is faithfully followed, Lord

Hari will be pleased, and manifest Himself in the home of the devotee.

All the sadhanas, viz. Japa (vocal worship), Tapa (penance), Yoga

practice and studying the scriptures and expounding them are quite

useless unless they are accompanied by Bhakti, i.e., devotion.

Knowledge of the Vedas, or fame as a great Jnani, and mere formal

Bhajan (worship) are of no avail. What is wanted is Loving Devotion.

Consider yourself as the merchant or seeker after the truth and be

anxious and eager like him to collect or cultivate the nine types of

devotion. Then you will attain stability and peace of mind " .

 

Next day, when Patankar went to Baba for saluation, he was asked

whether he collected the 'nine balls of stool'. Then he said that he,

being a poor fellow, should first be graced by Baba, and then they

will be easily collected. Then Baba blessed and comforted him, saying

that he would attain peace and welfare. After hearing this, Patankar

became overjoyed and happy.

 

Let us all pray to BABA to keep blessing us all the time. Let us pray

to HIM to guide and shower HIS wonderful grace. As a great person has

rightly said, We have only HIS wonderful feet to save us. Come what

may, Let us hold HIS wonderful lotus feet firmly and leave all our

worries/troubles/problems at HIS feet. HE will take care of everything.

 

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all

 

Wishing you all a Happy New Year 2008 !!!

 

Humbly Yours, Sairam