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.

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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: The Tender Heart of the Saint

The heart of a mother is full of tenderness, but it is limited to her child only; but the heart of the Saint is all inclusive, it knows the how and whence of the origin of each one and the vicissitudes they have to go through.

The Saint is full of spiritual knowledge and pacific repose, there is nothing wanting. He practices his sadhana in such a way as not to be discovered by others; he has no use for the external marks of saintliness, he dresses in keeping with the time and climate.

Being in touch with the atom, the first cause of the universe, he knows its nature quite well. Blossoming forth is the very nature of the core of this atom, hence changes and differentiation are bound to be there. Knowing this well, the Saint is neither elated by pleasing events nor depressed by the opposite ones.

He has gauged the depth of the knowledge of the common man. He knows its nature from beginning to end. He knows the how and the why of the mentality, also the worthlessness of its achievements and failures. The needs of the body prompt the creature to acquire means of sustenance, but the greed for these makes the creature pursue them to the point of uselessness, and all of this without the least idea of what awaits the life in future. What the creature deems essential and strives to acquire, the Saint knows to be sheer trash.

The Saint is never a victim of passions. Life is a mixture of passions and emotions; Atman, the origin of passions and emotions, is the very core of the Saint's vision, the nature of which he is thoroughly acquainted. He knows its activities and varieties of manifestation, as well as their consequences. The life principle is the principle of feelings, passions, and emotions. Desires and passions engendered in this principle are just emotive experiences, they have nothing of substance in them; yet the poor creature thinks them to be of great significance in his life, embraces the basically worthless desires, indulges in sense enjoyment, and runs after them helplessly.

The mother, with sincerity but in ignorance, feeds the roots of misery, while the Saint, with the same intensity, weeds them out. The Saint knows what the welfare of the people lies in much better than does the mother of her child. That is why the heart of the Saint is said to be kind.

(SOURCE: "Self Knowledge and Self Realization" by Nisargadatta Maharaj Edited by Jean Dunn)

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Bayajabai -The Personification Of Love (continued from last week)

Bayajabai used to invite Baba to come in and rest a while whenever he came begging, but Baba would always politely decline. The most he would do was to sit in the shade in the forecourt of their house. Bayajabai would plead with Baba to sit inside the house and eat there in front of her but Baba would do as he pleased. Rarely would he sit in their forecourt and have his food there. Bayajabai would be ecstatic with happiness on those occasions when Baba ate in front of her. She would plead, "Eat a little more, try this curry?" and make him eat a little extra. "Have something to drink," she would beg Baba. Normally Baba ate bhakri (unleavened bread of coarsely ground millet) with a little curry. Sometimes he would ask for milk, curd, buttermilk, pickles, onion or pappadam (very thin chapati-like preparation of black gram, fried in oil or roasted over coals) and eat them with relish. Bayajabai would always keep these foods ready in case he asked for them. Bayajabai served Baba thus with great love and unswerving devotion for a long time. We are unfortunate that no written record is available to us of what Baba taught Bayajabai or what divine experiences he gave her. One incident is, however, available to us about Bayajabai from the reminiscences of Tatya Patil.

Radhakrishna Ayi was first staying at Pandharpur and later came to Shirdi. Once she decided to go on a pilgrimage to Pandharpur from Shirdi by foot. Bala Shimpi and Madhav Fasle also started along with her. They wanted to take part in the festival which would be held at Pandharpur on the 11th (ekadasi) day of the month of Ashaad. My mother, a few others, and I too decided to go to Pandharpur to take part in the festival. As Radhakrishna Ayi and her group had already left, we decided to go by cart as far as Ahmednagar and catch up with them, after which we could all proceed further by foot. My mother, my brother-in-law, Lakshmibai Shinde and a few other ladies all got ready for the trip.

Before starting, we all went to the mosque to have the darshan of Baba and take his blessings for the trip. Baba blessed us and gave udi to each of us. Three carts packed with our stuff were standing ready under the tree at the village well. I went and broke a coconut at the Maruti temple so that our trip would go well without any problems, and later went to the temple of Saturn. About fifty villagers were standing at the village well to bid us farewell. While I was on my way to the temple of Saturn, I was surprised to see Baba standing where the Samadhi Mandir is at present. I broke a coconut at the temple of Saturn and came out. As I was coming out of the temple, Kondya, a Muslim devotee of Baba, came and told me that Baba was calling me. I went to Baba. He took me to the mosque. Some of the villagers who had come to bid us goodbye came with me to the mosque while the others stayed on at the well. I sat besides the railing at the mosque while Madhavrao Deshpande (Shama) sat opposite me. Madhavrao lit the pipe and gave it to Baba. Baba sat smoking. All were quiet. After a while Madhavrao said, "Deva (Oh, God) your Bayajabai and the others are all waiting for him to come so that they can go to Pandharpur. "Call Bayajabai," replied Baba.

My mother hurried in and said, " Baba, have you sent for me? The sun has set and the dusk is deepening. We are all ready to start." Baba placidly said, "Mother, go home. Do not start today. Do not even start tomorrow. Start the day after tomorrow. Do not ask why. Do not consult anyone in this matter. Here, take this udi and go." My mother did not hesitate a second or even take time to think. She said, "Alright Baba, we will go the day after as you say." We unloaded the carts and sent them off. The friends and relatives who had come to see us off left for their homes. Later, Madhavrao saw the astrological calendar and charts and said that the day was not an auspicious one for travel.

(Contributed by continued.........)

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: continued.....

On the morning of the third day, we again got ready to travel. Baba cheerfully gave udi to each of us and came as far as the highway to see us off. We reached Punthamba as planned and after bathing and having a light repast got into the train and reached Bewoor by 8:00 a.m. We met Radhakrishna Ayi's group by nine a.m. That day we reached Narsingpur by lunchtime and had the darshan of Sri Narsing Maharaj. Starting again from there, we reached Pandharpur by the evening of the next day. Cholera struck Pandharpur by the eleventh day of the waxing moon and by the next day was raging throughout the town. Some of us wanted to leave immediately for Shirdi but I was adamant that we should stay till the day of the full moon. My mother was also scared. She met the mamalatdar, Sri Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who was an ardent devotee of Baba, and asked him to convince me to return to Shirdi. Nana Saheb sent for Bala Shimpi and me and advised us to return immediately to Shirdi. Baba knew that cholera would ravage Pandharpur, but seeing our enthusiasm for the trip could not forbid us to go to Pandharpur."

(Contributed by Courtesy: Sai Patham)

DEVOTEES SAY:

Jaya
Two weeks ago I made a silent prayer to Baba and promised if there was any news I will write back, amazingly on the first Thursday I had some great news and the following Thursday many pending matters were coming to a closure. Although the mission is not completed, I trust it will. I humbly praise the Lord and hope all out there will have faith and leave the rest to Baba.

Rajiv
You have blessed my wife with a healthy baby boy. You have also cleared my loan problem. I have no words to thank you but still You know my feelings towards you. Baba always be with me and my family and don't leave us alone ever. Always shower your blessings on us. Thank you Baba.

Shree
Only yesterday I sent You my prayer to help my daughter getting job and today she got a phone call that she has got this job. Baba thank you very much for listening my prayer. I have full faith in you Baba, as You never let down your devotee. Baba I always feel that You are always with me and please be with all the time. And keep on showering Your blessings like this.

Sai devotee
There was a naming contest to come up with a new name for a new product at the company and I thought to myself I will contest and if I would win I would donate the prize money to do annadanam on Sai's name. When I contested and to my utter belief I won the prize and I am glad to have the annadanam carried out. Glory to Sai.

Preggie
Sai Ram to all. About two weeks ago I sent a letter to Sai Vichaar on being miserable at my job. I was travelling very far in traffic etc. I am going for an interview on Friday for a new job and it is only a short distance from my home. I know Swami showed me the path and thank you devotees for praying for me. My faith and love in Swami grows day by day and His love for me is so evident in my everyday life. Swami what would I be if You were not in my life. I will write a letter as soon as I get a response on my interview.

PRAYER CLUB:

Rajyalakshmi
Sai Baba! my whole family is devotees to you. We all worship You with clean Heart. My brother has been trying for a good job from long time. His trials are not fruitful yet. Baba! I request you to please bless my brother with a good job and decent pay and make him happy.

Kamal
Baba, as you already know I have started 45 days puja for my marriage. And now I want to concentrate on my work and to get better at things I am doing now, please help me in making all this a success. There is nothing I can do without Your blessings.

Sai devotee
Om Sai Nath, I am very much worrying about my son's future. Kindly show him a wonderful path suiting to his mind and skills. Please fulfill my request.

Sobetha
I am very thankful to You for your blessings on Mr. Vivek regarding his results of his final examinations. You have helped him to get a B.E. seat as requested. Please be along with us and guide us to the right path.

A devotee
Om Sai Nath, Baba I know you are here and seeing each one of us. As you know Baba I am going through trauma regarding my job, please do bless me to retain in the company and give my best to the organization. Baba help me in each and every stage of my life, as to that organization get an impression that I do things in proper manner. Bless me Baba and show me that You are there!! as to that my Sharadha will be more on You.

Narendra
My Baba please make me a good man. I am always telling lies, and also have bad habits and always in tension due to my bad habits. Now I am in great financial problem, what will I do now? I always need other,s help why? Please give peace to my mind, I want to face my problems myself. Please keep my family safe. Please forgive me.

Krishna Kumar
Baba, please help me in finding a decent and nice job. My son and daughter are too young and I have to give them a good education. My father is to undergo an eye operation. All this is possible only if I have a good job and financial position. Baba, I know You are with us forever. Please help us. Om Sai Ram.

Srivastava
Baba, I am your son and I don't know how to pray. Please help us and bless me for success in BCA exam. Please forgive me if I have done any mistakes while praying to You. Please my Sai Baba, grace upon me.

Farah
I am blessed with a wonderful husband who loves me and our baby very much. However he has the habit of smoking and though he is not a chain smoker would want him to give up this vice. We've tried explaining to him the bad effects of smoking and even though he says he will give up the habit he is unable to do so. Sai, he too is your bhakta hence only You can persuade him to renounce this habit. Om Sai I have full faith in your working and am sure you will relieve your bhakt of this bad habit. Om Sai Ram, may you always guide and protect us.

Gokani
I bow to our Sai to grant me and bless both my brothers and me to settle down in marriage and acquire bliss in new houses. Since loss of my mother, both have been very distressed and had to change life styles. I truly wish for our Sai to grant his most loved bliss and walk with us in all our endeavors.

Yogita
Baba, You gave me happiness in ten folds but Baba these days I am very tensed and I know that You know what it is. Please Baba bless me with my love and his son for the rest of my life. I shall never ever ask for anything. Baba please come around for me and bless me. Baba help.

Varaprasad
Oh Sai ! You helped us in several ways. Recently you pulled out our Father from the jaws of death. You saved us from several difficulties. My brother's wife is staying away from him for several years. His two daughters are also kept away from him. He is lonely and suffering a lot because of this separation. He is a stauch devotee of You. We all tried to unite them but not succesful. Please Baba unite them by showering Your grace on them and end his suffering.

EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES:

Nitesh
This week when I was reading Sai Satcharitra I was somehow remembering the Shabads and Kirtans, which were sung by Bhai Amarjeet Singh at Memphis Gurudwara, which I used to visit regularly while I was working in Memphis. Since it has been a long time since I read Shri Guru Grantha and I was remembering shabads only after I re-started reading Sai Satchratira last week so I thought it will be a good idea to read Shri GuruGrantha along with my daily reading of Sai Satcharitra.

While I was reading Shri Guru Grantha, I found most of the sayings are similar to what is said in Shri Ramcharitramanas but as it happens with any spiritual endeavor some negative thoughts cropped up in my mind after reading some passages which were not in alignment with my beliefs and I thought whether I should continue reading it or not?

Today I got my answer via Sai Newsletter (Sept 28th Issue), which had following passage:
"Spiritual pursuit does not necessarily have to be confined to one particular way or a particular thought. How is it possible to realize the all-pervading conscious by a pursuit that confines one to a particular practice or faith? Such a practice may be fruitful as long as one realizes its limitation and yearn to grow beyond the confines of human convenience. God blesses such souls."

This re-confirmed to me that Baba always encourage good thoughts, spiritual reading and has unique ways through which he resolves doubts and helps in spiritual progress of an individual.

Dharmender
The incident I am about to narrate, in a way relates to the recent Sai Bhajan programs that were held in some of the major cities of US. I live in a small town, far away from all the cities where these programs were held. In the past few issues of Sai Vichaar, I have read how some of the lucky Sai Bhaktas have enjoyed an evening of Sai Bhajans. Each time, after reading, I felt dejected for not been able to attend any of those programs and earnestly asked Baba when will I get a chance to hear them. Last Sunday, while I was finishing some urgent work in my office, out of the blue, a couple we know, visited our house with an invitation to attend an evening of Bhajans at their house. As I was at work, they left the invitation with my wife with an earnest request that we all should attend. My friend, though an Indian, is Christian and they had invited a group who sings Devotional music dedicated to Lord Jesus in Hindi. The group is American (Caucasian) but most of them were born and raised in India where, their parents were working as Missionaries. After coming back from work, I saw the invitation, and see the power of Maya, I was totally oblivious to my previous request to Sai for an opportunity to attend Bhajans and showed no excitement to attend. Rather, I told my wife that she should definitely go with the kids and left my own plans ambiguous. But as our Sai works in his own ways, in the evening, my friend specifically called to reiterate that I should attend. As it happens all the time, the week flew away and it was Friday, the day of the event. I was busy and told my wife that she should go with the kids and I won't be able to make it, due to pending work. But Sai, the benevolent one, was working hard to fulfill my wishes, though I had totally forgotten about it. It was only His leela that my worked finished by 5 and I called my wife and told her that I will come along. Till that time I was totally unaware to the fact that it is Sai who is fulfilling my wishes.

continued....
We left home and reached on time and as I was about to enter their house, I saw a car parked in their driveway with the "SAI" plates. As soon as I saw that plate I was overwhelmed and everything became crystal clear. I immediately realized that it is my Baba's magic that has worked on fulfilling my wish for a live evening of Bhajans. Throughout the recital I could feel that Sai was everywhere and the message conveyed was the same- "Why Fear when I am Near". After the concert ended, I asked my hostess about the idea behind organizing this event and she told me that they have been thinking about this for the last three years but it has never materialized and all of a sudden everything fell in place and they have been able to host this event. I believe that Baba fulfilled my wish to attend live Bhajans in his own mysterious ways with the organization of this event.

Divya
I had applied for my parent's visa and when I spoke to my other friends who were students and who were trying to bring their parents to the USA, I started to realize most of the visas were rejected, however I desperately wanted my parents to come and stay with me. I ordered for a Shirdi Sai Baba poster online three weeks before their interview and something kept telling me, if you get the poster it'll be a cake walk for your parents to get to the US, unfortunately the poster which was supposed to come in four days took days and days together. I didn't lose hope until the date of the visa interview. To my surprise I got the poster on the day of their interview, I was pretty confident then. In the night (morning in India) I finished my Sai bhajan and aarthi and something kept telling me "finish the Sheja aarthi and you will get a call at 12:00 am which is 10:30 am Indian time" anda miracle, as soon as the aarthi was over, I got a call at 12:00 am sharp from my parents saying they got through and it was very simple.

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

"The love that a chaste woman bears to her husband is sometimes compared to that which a disciple bears to his Master (Guru). Yet the former falls far short of the latter, which is incomparable"-Shri Sai Satcharitha

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Q. Question of the week given below....

A. by Nainesh

Q. Although He was the personification of Brahman then why did Baba say that Maya troubles even Him?

A. When the Lord Hari's Maya pursues this world and all its things in it are all Mayaic then whoever takes birth on this earth, be it then a human, god or any other creature. Baba has said this Maya has not even let go of the gods then what to speak of a fakir like me. We all are affected by this Maya some have attachment to wife, sons, etc, this is Maya. When Lord Rama loved his brother Bharat or Hanuman etc again what is this but Maya. Lord Krishna feels love for his friend Sudama again it is a form of Maya. Sai baba love and affection for his devotees like Madhavrao is a form of Maya. So when even gods like our Baba are effected by Maya it is just a form of there leela to show us how they are also governed by the rules of Maya they have created. They also show us how to disentangles ourselves from it by out devoted service to the Lord.

Q. Question of the week given below....

A. by Usha

Q. Although He was the personification of Brahman then why did Baba say that Maya troubles even Him?

A. Om Sai Ram - Shri Sainath although was the replica of Brahma still suffered from the clutches of Maya because it was his love for all his bhaktas whose pain makes him cry, when he sees that his followers suffering for their past deeds he cannot help them and it makes him more sad because he always says everybody have to suffer for their karma it may be in this life or in the next life, that is the reason Sai says to his bhaktas " do good to others, do not hurt, help others, follow your guru he can help you" Thus Sainath is the supreme god whose presence can be felt strongly in our day-to-day life.

Q. Question of the week given below....

A. by Nandini

Q. Although He was the personification of Brahman then why did Baba say that Maya troubles even Him?

A. Aum bhukthi-mukthi-svargaapavarga-dhaaya namah
Obeisance to Shri Sainath who is the bestower of pleasures, salvation and bliss and ultimate beatitude.
As has been mentioned in the Satcharitra, the saints, when they live amidst the human beings, cry and laugh the way we do, but inwardly they are ever awake to their duties and mission. By saying that Maya teases Him, I think Baba speaks about the difficulty in getting rid of this Maya. Just when we think we have gotten rid of it, there it is - as the subtle "Ahankaar", lurking its head behind. Thus, if a saint Himself says Maya troubles Him, we come to realize the importance and the difficulty of coming out of this web of illusion. We become more cautious and conscious of our actions and try to take refuge in Him, by whose Grace alone we can be successful in our attempt.

SAI ACTIVITIES:

Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs, Illinois, USA
Shirdi Sai temple is open daily from 7:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m (Summer hours). Daily program includes Kakad Arathi at 7 a.m. followed by Abhisek. Madhayana Arathi at 12:00 noon, Dhoop Arathi at 6:00 p.m. and Shej Arathi at 9:00 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, Minnesota
Saibaba 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, Texas
Sri 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, CA
By Baba's grace, Shirdi Sai Parivaar is pleased to announce the grand opening of Shirdi Sai Center in Bay Area. The center is located at 897-B East Kifer Road, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. For more information please call 408-564-6704 or 408-705-7904.

FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD:

Sai Vichaar thanks you for your support for the Question of the Week feature. This feature is intended to initiate useful discussion on topics related to Sai philosophy, His message, and Sai devotion. Please send your suggested topics for the same.

The "Question of the week" for this week is suggested by devotee Radhakrishna as follows,

Q. Baba being personification of Brahman said that Maya was bothering Him and that it was very difficult even for Him to get out of its clutches. Why did He say so?

Humbly Yours,
The Editor

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