Sai Vichaar for Thursday Aug 20, 2009

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Sai Vichaar

 

 

www.saibaba.org

 

 

Thursday, Aug 20, 2009 :: Volume 12, Issue 15

 

 

 

(In its twelfth 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. Please do not reply to this email. All replies will be ignored. To contact us please see information at the bottom of this newsletter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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: Story of the Brick

Baba had a brick in his possession that He cherished as a life-long companion. Abdul used to take care of cleaning of the Masjid. Once while cleaning the floors, the brick that Baba treasured fell down and broke into pieces. Sainath was very sad at this event and lamented at the loss of one of His very few material possessions. King of the Yogis and the great soul that rejected everything material, Saibaba was dejected over what seemed to be a priceless piece of mud. How could that be? The brick was the one that Sai Baba's fellow students threw at Him having consumed with jealousy of Sainath's good standing with their Guru. Baba said that the Brick was dear to Him because it was perhaps the only physical reminiscent of His days with His Guru. While it reminded Baba of the protection Guru will always extend to his faithful disciple, the brick would also stand as a reminder to the jealousy of Sainath's fellow students at His Guru's abode. Pity should be the situation of those students who, blinded by jealousy, were unable to identify the True Brahman that was living and breathing amongst them. Jealousy, one of the evils that human mind harbors, is capable of blinding the intellect. Therefore, it should be a natural recourse for a spiritual aspirant to shun away from such an evil. Incident involving the brick may appear like a trivial happening in Baba's life. But its significance is truly magnificent. Narration of incidents such as these makes Sri Sai Satcharitha the unique text on Sainath and His message. True Nectar!

 

 

 

 

 

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Characteristics of a Jnani - Peace is Sole Criterion

When asked about the characteristics of a jnani, Bhagavan said, "They are described in books, such as the Bhagavad Gita, but we must bear in mind that the jnani's state is one which transcends the mind. It cannot be described by the mind. Only Silence can correctly describe this state and its characteristics. Silence is more effective than speech. From Silence came the ego, from the ego came thought, and from thought came speech. So if speech is effective, how much more effective must be its original source!" Then, in this connection Sri Bhagavan related the following story. Tattvaraya composed a bharani (a kind of poetic composition in Tamil) in honor of his Guru Swarupananda and convened an assembly of learned pandits to hear the work and assess its value. The pandits raised the objection that a bharani was only composed in honour of great heroes capable of killing a thousand elephants, and that it was not in order to compose such a work in honor of an ascetic. Thereupon the author said, "Let us all go to my guru and we shall have this matter settled there." They went to the guru and, after all had taken their seats, the author told his guru the purpose of their coming there. The guru sat silent and all the others also remained in mauna. The whole day passed, night came, and some more days and nights, and yet all sat there silently, no thought at all occurring to any of them and nobody asked why they had come there. After three or four days like this, the guru moved his mind a bit, and thereupon the assembly regained their thought activity. They then declared, "Conquering a thousand elephants is nothing compared to the guru's power to conquer the rutting elephants of all our egos put together. So certainly he deserves the bharani in his honor!" (Source: Stories of Sri Ramana Maharshi)

 

 

 

 

DEVOTEES SAY:

AnjuI had applied for my teacher certification and I was not sure I would get 'coz I was a foreigner. I kept praying to Sai ma to get my certification cleared. I opened the "SAI BABA BOOK OF ANSWERS' for solution ... the answers was to wait for a week and Sai never lets anyone down and the third day from this I got my certification via mail. Thank you so much Sai ma for this and please see that I get a good part time job. Please take care of my son and my husband please see that he stays with his job. Always be with us and give us good health ... thank you Sai ma again... SumanWhat ever I asked from Sai Ram he gave me in this difficult time, My Job, baby, Healthy relationship with family and H1 Visa, which is miracle in this economy. Sai Ram please shower your blessings on my husband and mother. Thank you so much for giving me everything in life.

SinduraBABA, you already know what the doctor has told us yesterday. Please show that you are there for us and correct the issue with my unborn's heart and let them know that once we surrender to you, you will take care of the rest. I trust that you will do whatever is good for my family and me so if it is your wish to take away the baby, then I will accept it. I will live peacefully with the thought that my unborn is with you. I promise to post my experience if we see a miracle happening at the doctor's office today. We all only rely on You to shower Your blessings on us. Please do not let us down. Koti pranams to You BABA

DeepikaThank you very much Baba for making me get through the toughest exam...It was not possible without you... with all your grace and love I cleared my exam...Thank you very much Baba.. Please always be with me in every path I choose and in every work I do..Love you Baba...

 

 

 

 

PRAYER CLUB:

RekhaI have loved him as YOU and I have taken the meeting with him as a blessing by YOU for both of us. Please bless this relationship and allow it to fulfill both of us completely in all ways. Please forgive my mistakes and let no harm come to him. You know everything before it is uttered. You know it all. PLEASE BE BY OUR SIDE. Sai devoteeBABA please bless me with the promotion this year. Please see that I get promoted this year. Please make it happen BABA NayanaPlease bless my mummy's place with peace, harmony, and prosperity, bonding for each other. Let each one of them enjoy their life with each other. SwapnaWe have been married for 4 years and no child. Baba please bless our life with a child, Baba please forgive our sins.

 

 

 

 

EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES:

DeepanshiFirst of all I will thank my Sai baba to be with me forever. He had been with me always. I loved a guy and we spend 2 years together but the starting of 3rd year was very much difficult for me. He left me and I became hopeless. You will not believe, Baba gave me all that I wanted but he has taken the person I love from me. I lost all my faith in Baba, and one day I cried in front of Baba and I told him that I couldn't live without him......do something so that I can have faith on again" and after that I went to the market. As I entered the market I told Baba that I wanted to see that person I loved as I have not seen him from past 2 months...you wont believe it, he was standing right in front of me. I begin to trust Baba again and now I believe that whatever he will do will be good 4 me...trust in him, he will be there with you forever DeepanshiThough I was very much fond of Baba, I never experienced presence of Baba before my sister's marriage. My family believes a lot in Baba and on my sister's marriage my dad posted an invitation to Shirdi and invited Baba whole-heartedly. My sis marriage was on Sunday, it was Thursday on which the marriage rituals are going to start, and on that day morning, I was going for some shopping and on the way, I saw a heart shaped locket of smiling Baba, which was so beautiful I cannot explain. I was very happy, as I am very much fond of Baba I kept that locket very securely putting in box and locking it inside. Everyday morning I used to see that locket and again I kept back in the box. After 7days every ritual like Sathyanarayana swami vratham and all completed, on 8th day when I opened my box surprisingly the locket was not there... Nobody knows that I kept that locket in that box and as it was not gold or anything to

think that somebody has taken. I was almost crying and I searched everywhere but I did not find it anywhere. For a long time I was thinking how does it happened and why Baba done this to me. And one day through an experience I came to know that Baba came to my sis marriage and he want us to realize that that why he was miraculously disappear... I always feel like Baba is with me and whenever I feel bad or I am in trouble I feel like my Baba holds me and everything settles by itself. Believe in Baba ... He will save us from any problems.. He is our Guru and Divam.....Love you Baba...

SirishaTwo months back we were in a very bad situation, my husband's project finished twice in this year, getting a project in the recession was very difficult. I too did not have a project, my employer wanted to revoke my Visa. I prayed Sai that believing I'm his devotee I've faith in him, he'll definitely give us a solution. If Sai has to order I was willing to leave India for good. I waited with patience and faith for the time to come. After nearly 11/2 month one Thursday evening I was speaking to my friend on phone, suddenly she advised me to read Sai Satcharita immediately. I don't know from where I got the will power, I bathed and started to read that night itself (of course I had my little kid with me for whom I've to attend always). But apart from all these I finished my reading by next Wednesday in 7days. That same Wednesday evening my husband had an interview which he excelled and believe me or not, he was asked

to report for his new project that very Monday. My prostrations to dear Sai, I know he is always there for everyone of us. Another miracle happened the same day, my employer who wanted to revoke my visa called asking me to send my resume for marketing. Aren't all these miracles? If you pray to Sai with real earnest, that's all he is always there to fulfill your wishes. Sai is great. Thank you very much Sai. My faith in him has increased and I'll always remain his staunch devotee

 

 

 

 

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

 

"What is the nature of Guru's grace? It is beyond thought and word. Then how can it be said that the devotee realises his true Being by virtue of the Guru's grace? It is like the elephant, which wakes up on seeing a lion in its dream. Even as the elephant wakes up at the mere sight of the lion, so too is it certain that the disciple wakes up from the sleep of ignorance to the knowledge of Real. It is true and certain." - Ramana Maharshi

 

 

 

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Q: How does a Sai devotee deal with deceitful relationships and situations where there is abuse of trust?

A: By AnitaNothing that we face is created by man. Our Lord Sai creates different situations to teach us different lessons. That is one way to keep us conscientious and peace on this earth. We face a situation of mistrust so we learn and be fair to others, not hurt others.

Q: How does a Sai devotee stay grounded amidst the swell of spiritual ego?

A. Your answer can goe here.

 

 

 

 

SAI ACTIVITIES:

Ek Shaam Shri Sai Ke Naam in Chicago Aug 30th 6 p.m.Sri Shirdi Sai temple Chicago invites you with family and friends to join us in its fifth anniversary celebrations in Hampshire IL on August 30th. Shri C.B.Satpathyji will inaugurate the parayan reading room in the temple comples after installing an idol of Shri Sainath followed by Bhajan sandhya by famous classical and playback singer Sri Suresh Wadkar. Log on to www.saibaba.org and follow the event link for updated information or call 847-931-4058 or send email to maildrop.

Sri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MNSri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MN invites all to participate in the celebrations commemorating the second anniversary of Sri Saibaba's Vigraha Pratishtapana at Sri Saibaba Mandir, 1835 Polk St NE, Minneapolis MN 55418, celebrated on August 22 to 23, 2009. The program includes Traditional Sai Aratis, Maha Abhishek, Sri Sai Sahasranama Homa, Sri Ganesh Homa, Sri Dattatreya Homa, Parayana, and Sai naama jap.

The program also includes a Nritya Arati, a special rendition of Shirdi Sai Aratis in dance form, on Saturday, August 22nd from 4.30 Pm to 7 PM at Jefferson High School, Bloomington, MN. The dance program is presented by Sri Siva Chandra, renowned classical dancer from India along with Sai devotees of Twin Cities. Please visit www.hamaresai.org for more 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.

Shirdi Sai Temple of New England, Boston AreaSri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of New England is now operational. It is located at 1827 Bridge St # 8, Dracut, MA 01824. The temple is open four days from Thursday to Sunday. For temple hours and activities please visit their website.

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.

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.

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 6599 Dublin Center Drive, Dublin, OH 43017. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday bhajans. For more information please call 614-799-8411.

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.

Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, TXSri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, Texas opened at 601 E Whitestone Blvd (RM 1431), Cedar Park, TX. Daily 4 aarthis are performed to Sai Baba. As part of service to needy, a weekly sandwich seva is also conducted.

Shirdi Sai Mandir, Dulles, VAShirdi Sai Mandir is located at 43671 Trade Center Place #166 Dulles, VA 20166. The mandir is open through the week in the evenings from 6pm to 9 pm. Sri Satyanarayan pooja will be conducted every full moon day. Please call (703) 661-4724 for more information on activities, events and other information.

Shirdi Sai Mandir, TorontoThe Mandir is located at Unit 7 & 8 2721 Markham Road Toronto ON M1X 1L5 Canada. Daily services offered to Baba include abhishek and all aartis. For Mandir hours and activities, please call 647-444-4724.

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, Canada -TorontoDevotees in Toronto, are invited to join in Sai Namavali, Satcharita reading, Bhajans, Aarti and Prasad every Thursday from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. at GUR MANDIR 207 Queen's Plate Dr. Etobicoke - Hwy27 South of Finch for more info call (416) 294 4804

Sai Mandir, Baldwin New YorkDevotees in New York and surrounding locations are informed about Sri Sai Mandir in Baldwin NY. The temple is located at 1889 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday Panchamruta Abhishekam and bhajans. For more information please call at 516-867-8008.

Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Iselin/Edison New JerseyDevotees in New Jersey and surrounding locations are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Iselin NJ. The temple is located at 465 Lincoln Highway (Route 27) Iselin, NJ 08830. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday Panchamruta Abhishekam and bhajans. For more information please call at 732-283-1800.

Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Flushing New YorkThis temple is located near the famous Ganesh Temple, Flushing, New york. All the day-to-day rituals at the temple are being conducted in a manner similar to that in Shirdi. The temple is located at 46-16 Robinson Street Flushing,NY,USA 11355. For more information please call 718-321-9243.

Sri Sai Amruta Narayana Sarveswaraalaym, Richmond, VAThe temple is open from 5.15 am to 9.00 pm, everyday (no lunch break etc). We have all 4 aarthis every day and Baba's paalki seva on every Thursday after Dhoop Aarthi. Further information can be obtained by calling the temple at 804-708-0867.

 

 

 

 

FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD:

Please visit the Sai activities section for details of upcoming events. To post an event in your temple, please send details by email. We regret the inconvenience caused due to disruption of distribution of Sai Vichaar to some users. We are continually striving to overcome the technical challenges being faced and hope to resolve them in the next week or so. We thank you for your patience and support. Please check your email folders before deleting to make sure Sai Vichaar is not delivered into Spam mail. It will also help greatly if you send us email to update any changes in your email accounts as that will prevent us from sending Sai Vichaar to closed or discontinued email accounts.

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"Question of the week" for this week is

Q. How does a Sai devotee stay grounded amidst the swell of spiritual ego?

Humbly Yours,The Editor

 

 

 

 

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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

847-464-1567

 

 

 

 

 

 

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