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FEATURE OF THE WEEK: Be Humble
God sees things by the whole. Man sees things by parts. God
sees happenings over the three periods of time. Man sees events only in the
present, isolated from the past and the future. That is why man sees discord
here God sees harmony. Man sees lack of logic where God finds perfect logic.
Put yourself in the place of God. Feel you are God. Feel that the entire
universe is your creation and operates by your will. At once you will feel
tremendous peace and strength surging within you.
You say others insult you without reason, injure you without
cause. Even if that is true, do not get agitated. Face the situation calmly.
You will find that calmness can be a powerful weapon to overcome difficult
situations. Shut your eyes to insults. Let others think what they like, say
what they like. This is a world of ignorant people. You be wise. Be humble
before everybody. Be humble in every situation. This will be possible if you
give up the idea of inferiority and superiority and learn to see God in
everybody and everything "God wills it so. So be it.": Say that to yourself
and keep quiet in the face of insults. Be unruffled. If you put up with
insults, you will grow in humility and purity. You will grow spiritually
rich.
(Source: May I Answer, by Shri C.B. Satpathy) |
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CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Conversations between Baba and Nana
Chandorkar
Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Nimonkar, both Sai devotees, once
went to Shirdi for Baba's darshan. Nanasaheb fell at Baba's feet and said:
"O Sai Maharaj, I am sick and tired of this mundane life. The Shastras say
that this world of ours is meaningless, an illusion. Help me. O brother of
the helpless, to break the fetters that bind me to this mundane life, the
more one looks for happiness in this world, the less one finds it. Misery
seems to be man's lot. Wretched hope that springs eternally in us sends us
from place to place.. I am sick and tired of it. I do not want to get
involved in it."
Baba laughed at this and said:" Where do you get these crazy
ideas from, Nana? You really are a simpleton. What you said about mundane
life is true but you cannot escape it as long as the body exists. Nobody can
escape it, not even I". Our mundane life affects the body in various ways,"
continued Sai Maharaj. "Desire, envy, avarice, pride, hatred and anger are
part of our mundane life; so are the senses of sight, hearing and taste. So
indeed are our imagination and our bodily needs. They are all inextricably
mixed: they are like a mixture the component parts of which are inseparable,
like a knot that nobody can untie. People say that one's wife and progeny
are also of one's mundane life. You too believe so and find it difficult to
get on with them. What with one's wife and children and other relatives like
brothers, nephews etc, life is full of problems but you cannot get rid of
these."
Nana said, "My previous lives were evidently ordained by the
Lord but my concern is with my present one. I do not want any more of it
bedeviled, as it is by too many problems, too many woes. Help me to rid
myself of this." Baba laughed at these words of Nanasaheb and said. "You are
responsible for this life as well. You are the one who caused it. Now, then,
can you get rid of it? This body of yours is the fruit of the accumulated
karma of the past. Karma is the root cause of all our miseries. All those
that are born - whether men, birds or beasts -suffer from the effects of
their previous karma. Unless one bums down the effects of one's previous
karma, one cannot be rid of the body.
All people, rich and poor, and married ones, sanyasins and
vanaprasthas exist because of the life force running through them; so do
different kinds of animals like horses, bulls, jackals, tigers, rhinos,
hyenas, dogs, pigs, scorpions, snakes, ants, fleas and kites. The same life
force runs through all of them. Why, then, do these entities look different?
Did you ever ponder this, Nana? If you do you will realize that the reason
lies in their past karma.
The animals are different because of their previous karma,
their innate characteristics depending on the species they belong to. Thus,
tigers eat flesh and pigs eat excreta while hyenas dig out buried bodies and
devour them. Kites and vultures feed on rotten bodies while swans eat the
tender leaves of lotus plants.
(Contributed by continued.....)
CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Conversations between Baba and Nana
Chandorkar (continued...)
Karma, determines not only the species - specific
characteristics of animals but also what happens to some members of the
species as distinct from some others of the species in their life-span.
Thus, some tigers are lucky to roam free in the forest whereas others are
destined to move from door to door at the bidding of their gypsy masters,
chained and shackled. The dogs kept by the rich sit on soft mattresses while
others roam about in the streets, lingering around houses for a piece of
bread. Some cows are treated to good grains, oil cakes and special fodder;
some do not get even a straw to nibble and some others have to hang around
refuse dumps for food.
Coming to men, some are rich, some poor, some lucky and some
mere destitute reduced to begging. Some have vehicles and horses and some
have large houses or palaces to live in while some have to sleep naked in
the open. Some have children, some remain childless, some are unlucky to see
their children die young and some get heartily sick of their children."
Nana folded his hands and said, "I understand that but what
puzzles me is this: why should there be pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow?
There cannot be these if one gets rid of worldly affairs." (to be
continued.....)
(Contributed by Source: Sri Sai Gurucharithra: Collected
works on Saibaba by Das Ganu Maharaj) |
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DEVOTEES SAY:
Sai devotee
Though I have been a Sai devotee for long time and read Sai Satcharitha
number of times, I never asked Sai any help in my problems, thinking that
Sai know my problems and help us. Since last one and half year, we have gone
through very tough time of our lives and two months ago I prayed Sai very
sincerely and asked his help to get us out of our problems and Sai started
clearing our problems one by one. Now we are out of our major issue and
realized we cannot live without Sai's help any more and we believe Sai will
give us happier life forever. Now I can say real 'sarvasya sharanagati' to
Sai will clear any problems to any one.
A devotee
I am new to this section. My in-laws and all the family members are devotees
of Shirdi Sai Baba. From some months I am getting the Sai Vichaar, do not
know how I got this. I am going through very small tension of life. I
thought I will write in this article and Baba will take care of everything.
Ramkumar
My dear Baba, I am posting this as per my vow. Thanks for helping my
friend's brother succeed in securing a job after searching for a while.
Thanks for clearing my wife's background check and enabling her to join the
full time position. You, the all-knowing Master, only know what is good for
Your devotees. You have given us yet another lesson that Patience is of
utmost importance in our life. Also please do cure her of her long lasting
problems related to her health. You know what is going on with her. I also
pray to You earnestly to solve my devotee friend's problems and bless him
with peace.
Patankar
This is the first time that I have seen this site and am very impressed with
the same. For a long time I have been looking for something like this on the
net where I could interact with other Sai devotees and at last I have found
it. I hope to be contributing regularly here in future too. God bless you
all.
Padma
I cannot express my feelings by words. We were suffering with lot of family
problems for past three years but last week I prayed to Baba and went to a
native for solving the problem. The problem was solved in a very smooth
manner. I did not expect this and a another problem solved yesterday just
praying for two minutes. Dear Sai please help my son to get good marks and
guide him right path.
Ramakrishna
A couple of months back I was frequently getting very mild pain like
sensation at lower left abdomen region and felt always something was there.
At times the sensation of something present was more. This always used to
pinch my mind while working and I was very much worried. Upon consulting,
the Doctor advised me to go for a CAT Scan. This intensified my fear two
fold as what it leads to. I prayed sincerely Baba to protect me from any
calamities. On the day of CAT Scan, I prayed Baba and also held Baba's photo
in my hand while the CAT Scan was being in progress. The Lab took a week to
convey the report to Doctor. The Doctor finally told me that there was
nothing to worry as the Scan says everything is normal. That relieved my
tension and my Koti Pranams to Babab for the grace He showered upon me. Dear
devotees keep firm faith on Baba and pray sincerely. He will certainly solve
your problems.
Meenu
We were going trough a tough time when my husband lost his job, I was about
to deliver a baby and with my Sai's blessing I was gifted with a baby boy,
but my husband did not get any job. It is now after one year he is been
blessed with a job, it was all because of Sai Baba's blessing we have been
able to sustain ourselves. |
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PRAYER CLUB:
Varaprasad
Baba! save me from this crisis. I am in a totally helpless state. Difficult
to withstand the pressure ! Please see that I will be out of these problems.
Baba I am feeling weak and insecure!
Meenakshi
My dear Sai, shower your blessings and mehar on us. Bless us with health,
prosperity and peace of mind. Please show Hiten the right path and guide him
to prepare well and excell in his career. Help him to study and work hard
and hit through right opportunity with success.
Sai devotee
Baba, please help me in completing my course. I am so worried. Please send
some one to help me. Baba please do some thing my parents get date of visa
early, so they could come this year or I have to hear lots of things from my
family. You know better. Jai Sai Ram.
Sai devotee
Sai Ram. I am a Sai devotee, seeking Sai,s grace and blessings for my son.
Swami I pray that You will help my son find employment very soon, he is very
depressed and lonely, he wants to continue his studies but without finding a
job, money will be the problem. He has applied into the teaching service,
for the past three years, but got no reply. Whenever my son enquires, they
told him that they have lost his files and they do not want another one.
Please Swami I know that his files are there, but the teaching service is
taking too long to appoint him. Please Swami give my son a miracle, he reads
your Sai Satchitra daily, he needs your help. I pray please bless my son
with a job. Om Sai Ram.
Sujatha
Dear Baba, after a long gap I have joined the old company, in which I have
been sent out rudely. Baba I humble request you atleast to have a good peace
of mind in this job and get a good pay so that I can help my mother and
sister. Baba please do it.
Monav
My wife and myself have been going through tough times for the last six
years and on several occasions the photo of Shirdi Sai has come to me after
which I started reading the Sai Satcharitha regularly. I pray that Sai gives
me new career opportunities and helps our family to move overseas soon.
Please bless us Shirdi Sai.
Rajeswari
I am one of Your devotee. Lord, my only wish is that my only daughter,
Aishwarya's life and future should go on well and she should have her good
education. My husband should continue with this job and stick on and self
also to get into a good job. I pray sincerely that my PhD should go on well.
Bharat
Baba please help me with my work, I am very depressed with my work
environment and need Your blessing to succeed in my employment and be happy
in what I do. Please shower me with Your blessings.
Shilpa
My dear Baba, I know You know what is my problem, and the solution. So then
Baba, what are You waiting for. Please help me, my patience is all over.
Baba I feel all so lost and confused. I feel nobody can understand my state
except for You. I am writing this letter to You Baba with lots of hope. Baba
please bless us all. We all need You in every step of our life. |
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EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES:
Mahalakshmi
As Baba said you go beyond seven seas, He would know what is happening to
His devotees. I like to share my experience. We came to Natal, a beautiful
city in Brazil. Here in this place, there are few Indians and in the city
where we stay there are no Indians except us. We were introduced to
Brazilian couple over here and when we went to their house, there was big
photo of Baba there and they were believers of Baba. I was so happy that
Baba is always there with us.
Vinodini
It is amazing how Baba showers his grace upon his devotees. I was on a plane
to Hyderabad from Bangalore. I was heading for a family reunion and I was
really looking forward to meeting my sister, nieces, and parents. I had been
excited about the trip for more than two weeks. The flight took off on time
and the flying time to Hyderabad was 50 minutes. However, after one hour,
there seemed to be no signs of the plane landing. I was getting a little
restless and worried because I knew it was raining in Hyderabad. As luck
would have it, the pilot announced that there was a problem landing due to
poor visibility, and that they would circle around Hyderabad for 15 minutes,
and if the weather doesn't clear up, the plane would return to Bangalore.
You can imagine my disappointment! It had been a long day, and I was already
very tired and not up for any delay or adventure. I prayed hard to Sai,
asking Him to please let the weather clear up for a few minutes so that the
plane could land. I was close to tears by the thought that I might not be
part of the family get together! In about 10 minutes, my prayers were
answered by Sai! The plane touched down and I was able to spend three full
days with my family. Although, a simple incident, it showed me how merciful
Sai is!
Rajiv
This is one of the miracles that happened to me. In June 2005, I was
planning to purchase a new house by Baba's grace. Only my family was aware
of this deal and no one else. The possession was expected sometime in August
or September. One fine day a fakir came to our old house and met my mother.
My mother tried to give him some money but he refused to take that and told
my mother to worship Sai Baba and visit Shirdi. He also told my mother that
you people would no longer live in this house after August, as you will be
shifting to your new house. When I came back in the evening, my mother told
me about this incident and I immediately said that you had the darshan of
Shri Sai Baba and you are not even aware of that. Sai devotees always have
faith and patience; Sai will never let anyone down.
Saipadma
Last month we had to vacate the house due to some legal problems, and the
house owner was not answering our calls. She has one month deposit with her.
We were given only 13 days notice. This was a very short time and we were
much tensed. We were searching for the houses and the agents too were not
showing good houses. As usual, we prayed to Sai Baba who showed only one
beautiful house with all facilities. But that agent too signed the agreement
only one day before. In the mean time, we were highly tensed and thought if
Sai Baba showed this house then surely we will get the house. Before moving
in as we were cleaning the house one Muslim man came and saying Allah Malik,
asked us if it is muslim house, we said, No, and he went away. So we thought
that Sai Baba came to see us in our new house. Not only that, the house
owner who was not answering the calls agreed to pay half of the deposit
through some mediator. Thanks a million Shirdi Sai Baba. Please shower your
blessings on all your devotees. |
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QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:
"Baba's main object in taking Dakshina, from His devotees
was to teach them the lessons of Renunciation and Purification".-Sri Sai
Satcharitha
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Q. What does Sai Baba say about the wealthy/rich? |
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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 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@saibaba.org.
Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Minnesota
Regular Sai activities in Minneapolis, St.Paul area are being conducted at
Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, 725 Lake St NE, Apt #139 Hopkins MN. For
details, please contact hamaresai@yahoo.com, or call Shirdi Saibaba Prayer
Center at 952-938-2983, and to read the monthly newsletter Sai Sandesh,
visit www.hamaresai.org.
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 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 Satsang, Bay Area, California
Shirdi Sai Parivaar invites all to join us for Satsang every Thursday 7:30
pm at Odd Fellows Temple, 20589 Homestead Road, Cupertino, CA 95014. For
details please call 408-564-6704 or send email to saibandhu@yahoo.com or
visit www.ShradhaSaburi.org.
Sai Satsang, New Jersey, USA
Shirdi Sai Dham, Inc regularly conducts Sai bhajans followed by Aarti and
Prasad on every 1st Saturday of each month at Durga Mandir, Kendall Park,
New Jersey. All are requested to kindly come and receive Baba's blessings.
For more information, please call us at 609-275-1334 or visit
www.shirdisaidham.org or email us at shirdisaidham@hotmail.com.
Shirdi Sai Satsang, Toronto, Canada
Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan invites all to join for satsangs every Thursday 7:00
pm at Sai Dwarkamai, 147 Winston Castle Dr. Markham, Ontario, L6C 2N4, phone
416-402-8089 or email: saileela99@yahoo.com. To request a pooja for
yourselves, your friends and family for any occasion at your residence,
please call. Devotees can request udi or Holy water (Abhishek Jal) from the
Holy bathing of Baba by sending us an email or by phone.
Shirdi Sai Mandir, Scarborough, Canada
The Shirdi Sai Mandir located at 2721 Markham Road, Scarborough, Ontario,
M1X 1L5 (Intersection of Markham and Nashdene) is open Monday to Friday from
6:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m to 8:30 p.m.
Dhoop Aarti is at 7:30 p.m. everyday. Bhajans are on Saturday from 5:00 p.m.
onwards. For other temple activities and information please call
647-444-4724 or send an email to info@theshirdisaimandir.com.
Shirdi Sai parivar, Vancouver, Canada
Shirdi Sai parivar in Vancouver invites you all for Sai satsang on Thursday
from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm and first Sunday of every month from 11:30 am to 1
pm, at 8571, 118A St, Delta, V4C 6L2. For further details contact (604)592
4182 or email at sai_ish@hotmail.com.
Sai Satsangs in Singapore
Dear Sai devotees in Singapore, Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan (Singapore)
conducts regular Sai bhajans every Saturday from 6:30 p.m. at Shri
Vadapathira Kalliamman Temple, Serangoon Road, Little India, Singapore.
Please visit the web site http://www.saisansthan.com for more details. |
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FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD:
Sai devotees staying in Singapore please refer above for Sai
satsang details in Sai Activities section. Gurupoornima is celebrated on
July 10th to 12th in Shirdi. The festival celebrating Sadguru Sainath
Maharaj's love and grace is important to all Sai devotees. Please share with
your fellow devotees the details of Gurupoornima celebrations planned in
your community.
A devotee suggests the Question of the week as follows:
Q. What does Sai Baba say about the wealthy/rich?
Humbly Yours,
The Editor |
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