SAI SERVICE NREWSLETTER - 16

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SAI SERVICE Newsletter – 16

Issue July 25, 2002, 2002

 

[shri Shirdi Sai Baba's Messages, Life events, Articles are available

in / ]

 

This Thursday's Message: (Baba said)

 

Love all creatures; Do not fight with any; nor retaliate, nor

scandalise any. When anyone talks of you (i.e., against you) pass on,

unperturbed. his words cannot pierce into your body. Other's act will

affect them alone – and not you. It is only your own acts that will

affect you.

 

a. Baba's Talk with Devotees

 

Baba: This Marwadi Bagchand whose stack caught fire begged for help

to avoid loss. Gain and loss, birth and death are in the hands of

God. But how blindly do these people forget God! If profit comes,

they rejoice. If loss comes, they weep. Why? Why say? "This is mine"?

what does it mean?

 

The stack is not for the Marwadi. It is only hay and not his body.

It grew from seeds on the earth, and was fed by rains from the clouds

and by sun light. Earth, Clouds and the Sun are its owners. This

fellow's claim is ungrounded. Fire is in all these three and it

consumed the stack. We are not the owners. God gives with one hand

and takes away with the other. Sait, go home. You will make up for

this loss in some other transaction.

 

b. Divine Dews from our God

 

 Tell him to be fearless. (SSS Ch.XXXIV)

 

 The best way to receive, is to give. (SSS Ch. XXXV)

 

 Why do you grieve for nothing? (SSS Ch. XLII)

 

 What (whether good or bad) is our's, is with us, and what is

other's is with them. (SSS Ch. XLV)

 

 When the heart is pure, there is no difficulty whatsoever. (SSS Ch=

..

XLIX)

 

 He who loves Me most, always sees Me(SSS Ch. XLIII)

 

 

 

c. Weekly Article:

 

BABA'S DAILY ROUTINES

 

It is rightly said that an ounce of action is better than tons of

speeches. Shri Sainath seems to have strictly followed the truth

inculcated in this adage. He made no speeches but he led a life,

which in itself was a lesson to the many who had the eyes to see and

study. One Mrs. Chhotubai Pradhan once remarked, "If we minutely

observe Baba we would find as if he had two personalities; the one

was completely merged as it were in God ever chanting his name while

the other personality at the same time seemed to be busy looking

after the devotees welfare speaking to them and moving about like

ordinary man." Whatever that may be his daily routine in itself was a

sufficient lesson and guide to all sincere aspirants of God. His life

teaches one great lesson-namely, that not a minute, nay not even a

second should be allowed to pass without the remembrance of the all

kind, all-powerful God. He once said to Shri Mahlsapathi, His night

attendant to keep his hand on his heart and to wake him up so soon as

he ceased hearing the name of God being chanted there. Then there are

accounts of how Baba, Mahlasapathi and Tatya Patil rested at the

Dwarkamayi for the night and how Baba would not allow any one of them

to go to sleep. What in fact he wanted to preach thereby was that

sleep should be avoided as far as possible and that the time

unnecessarily spent in it should be utilised in prayers and

remembrance of God. There are devotees who rightly believe that he

never had any sleep at night. His daily routine was equally

instructive. He left his bed of gunny bag and coarse cloth pieces

with a bed sheet over it of the same cloth at about 5 a.m. After

easing himself and washing his mouth, he sat leaning against a Dhuni

Pillar meditating for nearly two hours. Then coming out of the

Dwarkamayi with slow steps he went up to the Chowdi and thence up to

the back door or Navalkar's wade (guru Paduka Temple), saying

prayers; He then returned to the Dwarkamayi in the same manner

muttering prayers. Occupying his usual seat for a while taking a

Chillam puff with his leprous servant at about 8 a.m., He would wash

his face and hands up to the elbow with tender care fearing least he

should in that act displace or tear off his skin-hair and then with a

Dhoti dangling down his shoulders and with a tumbler in hand he would

go to the five houses. He had fixed upon for alms. He would receive

the Jwari breads in his dhoti and vegetables and all, liquids in the

tumbler. Returning to the Dwarkamayi he would offer a part of his

bread alms to the holy fire as oblation and then have his breakfast.

After breakfast and meeting his devotees and speaking to them at

times in parables he would leave for Lendi, (which later on he

developed into Mr. Pradhan's garden) accompanied by his leper

servant. The leper servant carried a tumber of water in his hand and

in later life he had on each side a devotee holding his arms to

assist Him. He spent about an hour or more there and them returned to

the Dwarkamayi where till twelve noon he received all the devotees

allowing them to pay their respects to him in their own way, without

allowing any one else to disturb them in this-their worship. Then

followed the arti-the waving of lights. After distributing the

several dishes of food received from devotees, He would spend some

time with the devotees and then bade them adieu giving to each his

holy ashes, applying the same to their fore had and blessing them

keeping his hand on the head of each. Thereafter He again came out,

went upto the Chowdi and thence to Guru Paduka temple muttering

prayers as in the morning. Later in life he also went to Lendi in the

noon at about 2.00 p.m. in the same way as in the morning, and

returned at about 3.00 or 3.30 p.m. He closed the day by going up to

the Chowdi thence to Guru Paduka Mandir muttering prayers as in the

morning, with this difference that returning from Guru Paduka Mandir,

He would stand facing west to receive the respects of all the

devotees there; and when that was over he would stand at the compound

wall asking people to go with a wave of His hand. Baba took

particular care to see that the holy fire he had started kept burning

without a break and at times he therefore asked the devotees to

provide faggots for the same.

 

 

He strictly followed the above routine without a break till almost

the last day of his worldly existence. It is said that only during

the last two or three days owing to his failing health he omitted

going to Lendi, Now let us ponder a while and see what this routine

of His wants to teach. A person of perfect realisation as he was, he

had nothing to gain or lose by carrying on these religious practices

and yet he carried them on to set a lesson to others (B. Gita III-22

To 25). His Dhuni-Holy fire-that he kept ceaselessly burning reminds

the Hindus of a pure Brahmin's Agnihotra and the Parsis of their Fire-

temple. Both these keep the fire ever burning. He meditated prayed,

offered oblations to fire, went in seclusion at Lendi for about 2

hours a day and not only that but he has asked some of His devotees

to offer such oblations before taking food. This part of his routine

seems to show that he wanted his devotees to adopt all the three ways

of Gnan, Bhakti and Karma (Knowledge, devotion and action) for

attaining Godhood or the Realisation of Soul. A fortnight before He

left his body He got a devotee to read out to him Ram Vijay (a holy

book of Hindus) for 12 days showing how a person should die.

(From Shri Sai The Superman, written by Shri Sai Sharan Anand)

 

d. Spiritual Spectrum: (EXTRACTS FROM PURANAS, MESSAGES FROM

SATPURUSHAS)

 

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS

 

Q: Why is it that though we have all we need, we still unhappy?

A: You are unhappy because ye wander.

 

Q: Why is it that we wander and have no peace in our hearts?

A: Ye wander because ye are victims to desire and appetites. They

will not let you rest in peace.

 

Q: What may we do to be free from desires and happiness?

A: Give your mind and heart to God. Let your hands be engaged in

work; but your thoughts dwell on the Lotus Feet of the Beloved. For

thoughts are internal forces. And as you think, so you make or mar

yourself.

 

Q: I try to fix my thoughts on God but lapse, again and again, into

forgetfulness. What may I do?

A: If you would constantly live in the thought of God, love Him. A

man thinketh as he loveth. Love is the Sun round which our thoughts

revolve: They derive their light from love.

 

Q: Why is it that God upsets our plans, again and again?

A: God upsets our plans to set up His own. So plan nothing. Leave

everything in His safe Hands!

 

Choose not but achnowledge and adore His Will.

 

Accept the burden. His wisdom lays on you. And believe that every

burden is blessing.

 

Q: What is the secret of happiness?

A: Your will not be happy by possesing things. If you will be truly

happy, do the Will of God in daily life. This is not an easy cross.

Suffering purifies. And none was truly happy who did not purify

himself.

(Courtesy: MIRA, November 2001)

e. Devotees Page:

Spirituality and Religion

By Atma Jnani Vijay Kumar

 

(Difference between Religion and Spirituality explained!)

 

The difference between Spirituality and Religion is the most often

asked question on the net. For a layman both seem to be the same. All

one has learnt since childhood is going to a temple, mosque or a

church for praying to God. What other purpose can religion have for

one who is ignorant of different facets of religion? One inherently

follows Religious practices from the start. One may be born a Hindu

but may be a strong believer of Christianity. Why does one change

over? If Religion provides succor to one: why the dissatisfaction

while following one religion? Is there something beyond the mundane,

which we cannot see? Why one needs to go to a church, temple or

mosque and pray to God? If we do not follow the religious practices

.... shall we be doomed to die a terrible death? What if I do not want

to follow any religion at all? Live a lively life with compassion for

all beings. Why would God bring me death if I do not commit any sin?

 

In all the Religions of the world, the presence of a higher power

within us, our Atman (the soul within) is accepted. No dispute on

this issue, what is the nature of Atman (The soul within)? None has

seen this spirit, the most powerful source of energy in the Cosmos,

much more mightier than the biggest of Suns and Stars in the

Brahmaand (Cosmos). Study of this spirit (Our Atman, the soul within)

and of the mightiest of all the Spirits (GOD ... the Almighty Creator

of the Cosmos) is what Spirituality is all about.

 

Spirituality is that aspect of life of a Jiva (Manifested life of an

Atman, the soul within), which forms the core of all life on Mother

Earth. Without Spirituality, Religion cannot survive. Spirituality

can survive without religion.

 

Around 3600 years before when there existed no religion, humanity

existed. How did people live without guidance from Religion? How did

these persons live as Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed had

not yet been born? What of following the religion, which gradually

evolved as a following of these Spiritual Masters?

 

Lord Krishna, Mahavira, Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed

were not religious but spiritual masters of their time. Their

following is known as a Religion. Followers of Buddha practice

Buddhism ... the eight fold path. The followers of Jesus, the

Christians study Bible, the doctrine administered by Jesus Christ and

his associate disciples. Prophet Mohammed preached what is contained

in Koran, the sacred document of the followers of Islamic Dharma.

Followers of Jaina doctrine are known as Jains. Jains are never known

as followers of 24th Tirthankar Mahavira who strongly advocated that

every human being is imbibed with the power to become a Mahavira like

him. Jaina philosophy is unique in itself that Jain word is derived

from 'Jina'... One who has won his real self, one who realizes GOD in

his lifetime. Followers of this doctrine and what Mahavira and the

earlier 23 Tirthankars preached is what we know as 'Jainism'.

Religion broadly is study and following what is laid down in the

scriptures for improving upon our level of life. To live a life full

of moral values and ethical practices.

 

Spirituality is delving deep into the inner domain of self ...

studying scriptures to know Atman (the soul within) and GOD (The

Almighty Creator). Followers of spirituality without exception are

after the absolute truth. They do not hanker after fleeting and

temporary pleasures of life. Seekers of spirituality live a contended

life where as religious followers believe more in pleasing one GOD

after another to seek their material wants fulfilled in the present

manifestation.

 

True seeker never seeks bodily pleasures for self and family nor

makes material pursuits as goal of life. One is not attached to the

body of the master but to what he has to preach.

 

Publisher's Note:

THE SOLE PURPOSE of this newsletter is to present Sai messages and

other spiritual messages to the interested devotees on Thursdays.

Feel free to forward this newsletter to your interested associates.

 

In this newsletter, wherever the sources of the articles not

mentioned, please consider these items are taken from H H Pujyasri B

V Narasimha Swamiji's books.

 

Mailing Address: Vasuki Mahal Shri Shirdi Saibaba Trust, Vasuki Mahal

Compound, Gandhi Nagar, Edayar Palayam, Coimbatore 641025, India. e-

mail to: essgee.