SAI SERVICE NEWSLETTER - 20

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SAI SERVICE Newsletter – 20

Issue 22 - 08 - 2002

 

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

in / and

updated/added on daily basis]

 

This Thursday's Message: (Baba said)

 

If any one is angry with another, he wounds me to the quick. If any

one abuses another, I feel the pain. If anyone bravely endures the

abuse, I feel highly pleased.

 

a. Baba's Talk with Devotees

 

N R Sahasrabuddhe found Baba was distributing prasad to devotees. The

quantity in Baba's hand being but little, N R Sahasrabuddhe feared

that nothing would remain for him.

 

Baba (giving him a bit) said, with a smile, "There is nothing for

you" and thus rebuked him for his anxiety and attachment to earthly

goods.

 

 

b. Divine Dews from our Sadguru

 

 Be entirely prideless and egoless in all things and thus your

spiritual progress will be rapid. (SSS Ch. L)

 

 We have to reap now the fruit of what we sow in our past life, and=

 

there is no use of crying about it now. (SSS Ch. XLVI)

 

 I feel indebted to him who surrenders himself completely to Me, an=

d

ever remembers Me. I shall repay his debt by giving him salvation

(self-realization) (SSS Ch. XLIII)

 

 I always think of him, who remembers Me. (SSS Ch. XL)

 

 I never take anything gratis(SSS Ch. XXXV)

 

 Without knowing the woods fully, you should not wander at random. =

 

If you want to walk through forests and jungles, you should take a

guide with you. (SSS Ch.XXXII)

 

 

c. HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji said:

Baba, however, is not a mere worker of miracles. He is Samartha

Sadguru. He applies miracles or miraculous means to fill with faith

and gratitude the hearts of devotees. Gratitude soon turns to love

and then Baba's real work is seen. Baba purifies the hearts of all of

the gross of low attachments and their consequences and gradually

raises the devotees' souls to loftier and still loftier states of

being till they fully merge into Himself.

 

d. Weekly Article:

 

HOW IS ONE TO REACH GOD

 

Far too many human beings drift on in life aimlessly – without any

goal. Even among the rest, the aim in life is neither very exalted

nor seen till late in life in most cases. There are, however, the

comparatively few, with a clear goal in life, Baba, when asked what

one's goal is, said, "Rising above this" (i.e.,) the present brute

level, at which humanity generally stands. "Reaching God" (Allah

minar) is a clearer statement that Baba often made, in reference to

Hindus and Moslems alike. How is one to reach God? That is the vital

question which the serious-minded have always asked and are asking.

 

Some people describe the goal as moksha or freedom from bonds of

samsara, i.e., recurring birth and death. Others again say that total

avoidance of sorrow and attainment of permanent, undiluted and best

from happiness or bliss is the goal. Are these different goals? They,

no doubt, seem to be different. Those, however, who have actual

experience, declare that they are the same. Samsara, i.e., rebirth

into which one is forced by desire cannot but be deeply tinged with

sorrow. Attainment of bliss implies that samsaric sorrow is overcome.

The highest attainable bliss is termed Divine Bliss. Hence, `Reaching

God', using the term God to denote sat-chit-ananda, covers all the

above descriptions of human goal-Anando Brahmeti Vyajanat.

 

Sri Sai Baba's role in leading people to this (personal) God or

(Impersonal) Absolute Bliss or sat-chit-ananda may be next examined.

As already stated in a previous chapter (Guru Bhakti), the world of

spirit, through which one must move to reach God, is anything but

clear to the ordinary run of human beings. It is dark nisha to all,

"sarva bhuthanam". With their clouded vision, men cannot pick their

way through this "Night of the Spirit", without the help of a guide,

who knows the way, i.e., a guru, which literally means "the

annihilator of darkness." Baba declared that the Guru is the sadhana

needed and the only sadhana necessary.

 

Of gurus, there are various sorts. Any one that teaches anything is a

guru. He that teaches about God or Sat is a Sadguru. The samartha

Sadguru is he that has and uses supranormal powers or sidhis to make

his devotees reach God. Again, there are jnanis, who know God and

realise God but have the bliss of God to themselves – not caring to

teach anything to any one. They are like those who see and enter into

a walled up paradise, leaving helpless and ignorant crowds outside

its walls to their fate. The ordinary guru is one that after scaling

its walls announces to the outside crowd the existence of the

paradise and then jumps in. The samartha, however, gets back; climbs

down the ladder, mingles with the crowd and by repeated persuasion

and help - not merely by information – takes the crowd up the ladder

into the paradise to share its joy with him. Sri Sai Baba's

possession of vast siddis and use of such siddhis for this task have

already been indicated. Let us now examine some of the peculiarities

of his methods.

 

One peculiarity of Baba that strikes people first, and surprises them

agreeably is that Baba does not ignore the present position or

difficulty in which people flocking to him are placed. He welcomes

people who go to him without any pretence of spiritual aims – frankly

pressing their temporal requests. He always recognised that the

physical body and its appurtenance are the foundation, attention to

which must be first directed before any attempt can be made to erect

on them a spiritual superstructure, which alone may be the aim of

life. Baba's grant of relief was always a multiple gift. While

relieving distress by the use of his "supernatural" powers, he roused

the gratitude and love of the devotee while filling him with

admiration and awe towards himself. The rudiments of the idea of God

were either implanted or strengthened and the devotee was enabled to

get a Guru-God, a bolthe chalthe dev for aiding his spiritual career.

This was and is the greatest blessing most people can ever hope for.

Once they start with love to such a Guru-God, all their temporal and

spiritual problems are solved.

 

Baba's manner of promising these reliefs is another peculiarity of

his. Not only are the promises very wide, embracing a large variety

of benefits extending over an indefinite period, but they are also

addresses to all persons, either in existence or to come into

existence at any time that may care to avail themselves of them. That

is why they have been published as Baba's Charters – far more useful

than copper plate – grants and the Magna Carta issued by King John.

"In the house of my devotees, there will be no lack of food or

clothing.Why should any fear when I am here?Cast all your

burdens on me and I shall bear them.Look to me and I will look to

you.When any devotee of mine is in peril, I stretch out

(invisibly) four, four hands at a time and see that no harm befalls

the devotee.If any one constantly thinks of me, I am his slave and

will give my neck to save him" or " He merges in Me." Such instances

as these will be obvious lies or idle boasts in the mouth of any

ordinary person. They involve the avowal of power over spirits, and

other objects, animate or inanimate, extending over decades, if not

centuries of time (pre-natal and postmortem) and over providences,

countries and continents. They also manifest a love and concern for

the devotees, thousands of times wider and keener than a mother's

love and concern for her own babies. Baba's assurance to a Bombay boy

that he will be born again and again to look after the boy and take

him to moksha, and his assurance to a Judge, "He will be with him,

inside him and outside him" are examples of the most precious

promises, he made to his devotees. "I will take my Kaka (i.e., H.S.

Dixit) in vimana, (i.e., to Vaikunta)" is another glorious instance.

None but a satpurusha can make and perform such promises. How Baba

kept up these promises, is known to devotees. Facts within their

knowledge indicate that he has performed a part of these promises –

such part as can be discovered by them in the years they have already

lived – and their further fulfillment may naturally be confidently

expected.

 

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.