SAI SERVICE NEWSLETTER - 24

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SAI SERVICE Newsletter – 24

Issue 19-09-2002

 

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

in / and

updated/added on daily basis]

 

This Thursday's Message: (Baba said)

 

Baba: (to some one to his face) Our (your) end will get so better or

wretched. Once or twice, I will warn. The end will be hard indeed if

one does not heed the advice given. Even the child in the womb, we

will cut to pieces and throw away if it falls athwart.

 

a. Baba's Talk with Devotees

 

SADGATI TO A BLIND MAN

 

A blind man went to Baba for restoration of sight.

 

Baba did not give him any encouragement and so he went out of the

Mosque.

 

He was then admonished, that restoration of physical sight to a man

in his position, with only a short of life before him perhaps, is

undesirable, as restored sight may merely develop desires and that

his appeal to Sri Sai Baba should be for the grant of spiritual

vision.

 

The man returned and said, "I do not want my physical sight. Please

take me under your protection and give me the inner vision."

 

Baba: Stay on.

 

The man stayed for a month, improved spiritually and died.

 

Baba: This man is not dead. It is only his wife, (ignorance) that is

dead. He has attained Sadgati.

 

 

b. Divine Dews from our Sadguru

 

 Why should he suffer for ten births? In ten days he can work out

sufferings and consequences of his past karma. (SSS Ch.XXXIV)

 

 He who casts aside his egoism and thanks Him and he, who trust Him=

 

entirely will have his sackles removed and will obtain liberation.

(SSS Ch.XXXIV)

 

 Tell your son to believe Me, to throw aside horoscopes and

predictions of astrologers and palmists and go on with his studies.

(SSS Ch.XXIX)

 

 Whatever is bestowed on him by God, must be good. (SSS Ch.XX)

 

 Being quite desireless, you should meditate on God, who is in all =

 

the creatures and when the mind is concentrated, the goal will be

achieved. (SSS Ch.XVIII & XIX)

 

c. Weekly Article:

 

BABA'S WORDS AND DEEDS

 

Whatever a word Baba utters, whatever an action however simple He

does, there is ocean full of meaning impregnate in it. We, normal

human beings are not at all capable to understand what is the reason

behind Baba words and deeds.

 

For example, we know Balaji Patil Newaskar, a great devotee of Baba.

He rendered excellent and selfless service. Every day he swept and

kept clean all the passages and streets in Shirdi, through which Baba

passed in His daily routine (Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. xxxv). Baba

never accepted anybody's labour free of charge and He is very liberal

to give their dues. Baba paid two Rupees to the person who brought

ladder just for a single use. Somebody asked Baba, why he paid so

much for this. Baba replied that, nobody should take the labour of

others in vain. The worker should be paid his dues promptly and

liberally. (SSS Ch. xviii & xix)

 

Balaji Patil used to get four Rupees daily from Baba regularly for

several years. While giving, Baba advised not to lend these monies,

nor give them away to others, do not eat and excrete these. Baba

evidently wanted the money to be invested in land purchase.

Accordingly Balaji purchased 84 acres of land. When Balaji reaped his

corn every year, he brought the whole quantity and presented it to

Baba. He returned with what Baba gave him and maintained himself and

his family with it. This was a kind of devotion followed by a

gratitude devotee throughout his lifetime.

 

Baba did give lot of money to lot of people every day without keeping

anything for Himself. Baba declined to form a mutt or Ashram or to be

head or proprietor of an institution, estate or property. He left no

estate to succeed to. The devotees who gave dakshina to Baba as well

as who received money from Baba, both are equally benefited. The

givers received tenfold returns and the persons who received still

got higher benefit, only those who acted according to the wishes of

Baba. Naturally whatever the moneys given by Baba to Balaji return

back to Baba as grain produce and this helped to feed thousands who

visited Shirdi during those days. Evidently this simple four Rupees

labour charge given to a devotee had transformed to help thousands,

then thousands of Rupees distributed every day by Baba, what will be

its magnificent achievements on this holy earth, we are just unable

to imagine its impact.

 

O! Lord of Lords, Sainath Maharaj, your each word is life

transforming mantra to us, your each deed is direct message for our

spiritual development.

 

Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all.

 

N. Sivanandam, Coimbatore, India

 

 

d. Spiritual Spectrum:

(EXTRACTS FROM PURANAS, MESSAGES FROM SATPURUSHAS)

 

WHY RELIGIOUS PRACTICES ARE IGNORED?

-Jayadayal Goyandka

 

Every intelligent person can, if he considers the problem, realize

that through the attainment of birth as a human being, some

exceptional gain must accrue to us. Food, drink, sleep, the joy of

procreation and other forms of worldly enjoyment can be gained even

in lower forms of life like that of beasts and insects. If the life

of a human being is wasted only in the attainment of this joy, what

do we achieve through the human birth? The supreme goal of human life

is to gain that incomparable and true happiness, the like of which

there is nothing in the world. The happiness is `God Realization.'

 

But although this is so, regarding the possession of wealth, women,

children and other form of sense-enjoyment only as supreme happiness,

the majority of people remain infatuated with them. Dutiful men who

strive for real happiness are met few and far between.

 

The Lord said: "Of thousands of men some rare soul strives to realize

Me; of those striving Yogis, again some rare one (devoting himself

exclusively to Me) Knowing Me in reality." (Gita VII. 3)

 

According to this statement of the Lord, nowadays also among the few,

who strive for the attainment of true happiness, scarcely any climbs

up to the final storey of achievement. The majority of Sadhakas stop

after pursuing a little practice. They cannot, therefore, raise

themselves to a superior spiritual level. To my understanding, the

following may be the cause of their lack of success: -

 

1. Qualified propagators of this teaching are very few in the world.

For men of renunciation, learning, and right conduct, capable of hard

labour, and true saints alone can be the propagators of this teaching.

2. Being satisfied with slight improvements Sadhakas do not feel any

need for great spiritual efforts.

3. Some Sadhakas get tired after pursuing a little amount of

practice. they find themselves at their wit's end considering their

discipline to be of no particular benefit to them.

4. People generally lack faith in the attainment of true happiness,

for as in sense-enjoyments, pleasure is not experienced in the

initial stages of the spiritual practice. This contributes to lack of

diligence in the practice.

5. Some people regard the attainment of this happiness as beyond

their power, and therefore remain sunk in despair.

 

Besides these, some other causes also may be mentioned but among them

all, ignorance of lack of diligence alone is the primary cause. Man

should, therefore, devote himself to the performance of his duty with

care and diligence.

 

 

 

 

e. Baba's Help:

 

SRI RAO BAHADUR MORESWAR W. PRADHAN

 

M. W. Pradhan was President of the Sansthan for some time and his

contact with Sai Baba was the result of N. G. Chandorkar's influence.

In May 1910, Pradhan's brothers were chatting with Chandorkar, and

his brother Rama Rao asked, `Akkalkote Maharaj was a great saint, and

he is dead. Is there anyone nowadays of this type?' Then Chandorkar

revealed to him that there was, and that was Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Till then Shirdi had never been heard of by others, and they learnt

that is was the Kopergaon taluk of Ahmednagar district on the Dhond-

Manmad line, 11 miles from Kopergaon station. Chandorkar then gave

such a vivid and glowing account of Baba's power, kindness, greatness

and his personality that every one hearing it was anxious to start

immediately to get darshan of Baba. So, a group of about 14 people

went the very next day to Shirdi, but M.W. Pradhan was not in the

party. The party returned and brought with them a copy of Baba's

picture and Das Ganu's Bhakta Lilamrita, describing Baba's life and

miracles. M W Pradhan took them to his wife and there read the book.

Then all his doubts about Baba vanished and he became a firm believer

that Baba was a true saint. His wife's faith was even greater. They

were anxious to depart for Shirdi. A fortnight after the return of

the first party, that is in may 1910, Pradhan went to Shirdi.

Chandorkar's two sons, namely Bapu and Babu, were his companions. He

wanted to present Baba with gold sovereigns and carried them as well

as some currency notes. When he arrived at Shirdi, Baba was standing

on the road near the Lendi as though he was waiting for the party. At

once Pradhan and others got down and he prostrated to Sai Maharaj.

There he met Rao Bahadur Sathe and Mr. Noolkar, First Class Sub

Judge, and then went to the mosque where he wished to garland Baba

and gave him all the presents. There, he felt that Sai Baba was

really a great saint, and that his having come was really fulfilling

his mission in life. This rising faith was lucky, because Baba put

his faith to the test at once. Baba asked for dakshina. Originally

Pradhan had intended to give Rs. 20, but he gave Baba a gold

sovereign instead. Baba took it, turned it this side and that side,

and said `What is this?' Mr. Noolkar who was there said, `Baba, this

is a guinea (a former British coin)'. Baba said, `What is its worth?'

Mr. Noolkar replied, `Rs. 15'. Baba returned the coin to Pradhan

saying, `I do not want this. Keep it with you, but give me Rs. 15'.

Pradhan was glad to have a coin touched by Baba and returned to him

and gave Baba Rs. 15, then Baba, professing to count the rupees said,

`I find only Rs.10 here. Give me Rs. 5 more'. This was a test because

having Rs. 15 in hand, he said that he had only Rs. 10 and was

testing a lawyer, who would generally be combative and discuss

questions of accounts. But Pradhan rose to the occasion and gave him

Rs. 5 more. Then Pradhan remembered that he had intended to give Rs.

20, and Baba took that Rs. 20 under cover of wrong calculation. Baba

did not ask for more. So, Baba's vairagya and indifference to money

was clear, and Baba's testing of bhaktas also was clear. Baba gave

him other means also for strengthen his faith, that is, instances of

his antarjnana and help by miraculous means. On the next occasion,

when he visited Baba, he beckened to him addressing his as Bhav and

said merely, `It will be all right in 2 or 4 days'. Then Baba gave

him udhi and Pradhan returned from the Mosque. Pradhan remained for

there for 8 days on this occasion. And during that time he arranged

for a special dinner or bhiksha to Sai Baba, and asked Baba, `what

the dished were to be and who the invitees were to be'. Baba said,

`Pooran poli Obbattu' was to be part of the dinner. Babu, nephew of

Dada Kelkar, was to be one of the invitees. `I also will come' –

`Mehe Yeyin'. So, at the meal the next day every one was served, and

a place was set apart for Baba, and dished were also kept there. A

crow lifted a pooran poli off the plate, and carried it away. They

said, Baba is the crow and had taken the favourite pooran poli.

 

That evening, Baba gave one remarkable hint of his antatjnana and

kindness to Pradhan. Baba touched his limbs on one side and said, `On

this side of my body there is excruciating pain. It will be alright

in two or four days'. But Baba seemed to be healthy, and what he

meant by his words was not then clear. But it became clear after

Pradhan reached Bombay.

 

During this stay, on a Thursday, Pradhan saw Baba preparing food in a

hundi pot to feed large numbers, samaradhana. He drove away every one

from the Masjid at that time, and was alone with his hundi. Pradhan,

Bapu and Babu, went in. Baba received them well and evidently

excluded all others to give these a private interview. Baba appeared

to be singing something first, but Pradhan discovered that the words

were

 

Kayare Apla kai Manave,

Sri Ram, jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram.

 

that is, what we should say is,

Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram.

 

At once Pradhan was overcome with emotion, and he placed his hand on

Baba's foot. these words were the Guru Mantra that had been given to

M.V. Pradhan by his family Guru, Hari Bua, and that mantra he had

long neglected. Baba was kindly reviving his interest and regard for

that Guru Mantra, for his spiritual benefit, without having any

express consultation or question from Pradhan. This deep love of Baba

greatly impressed Pradhan. When the contents of the hundi were

boiling, Baba put his entire hand into them, not using a spoon or

ladle, and his hand was not scalded or swollen. Then suddenly at

noon, Baba took Pradhan and the two boys to the Lendi. That was not

his usual hour for visiting the Lendi, but there, after taking them,

Baba was digging into the earth small hollows and giving some corn

seeds into Pradhan's hands and made him sow that corn in the hollows.

The seeds were then covered up with earth, Baba made Pradhan water

the patches. Then the whole party returned to the Mosque. The

significance of this event was that 7 or 8 years later Lendi garden

was purchased for Baba's Sansthan by M.V. Pradhan for a sum of about

Rs. 1500. Baba recognised that Pradhan would be useful to the

Sansthan by his purchase of the Lendi garden, which has numerous holy

associations with Baba, and forms an essential part of the sacred

places revered by his devotees. At parting on that occasion, Babu

Chandorkar placed a plate under Baba's feet, and pouring water over

his feet, collected the pada tirtham to be carried home. that was

unusual. Only udhi was taken till then, and pada tirtham was used

only at the arti, at Shirdi, and not taken home.

 

But on this occasion, as Babu Chandorkar took pada tirtham home,

Pradhan also took some home. On his way back, he was lucky enough to

get into the first train, namely, the Punjab mail, though he did not

have the ticket for it. That was lucky, for he reached home four or

five hour earlier, and on arrival learnt that his mother had an

attack of paralysis, Hemiplegia. She was having excruciating pain on

one side as Baba said. So, Baba was referring her pain and not his

own pain, and Pradhan was lucky in going home by the earlier train

with pada tirtham and Baba's udhi. The relations at home were

considering whether they should inform Pradhan of his mother's

illness, But Baba himself knew it and sent him back in time. the

doctor, noting the high temperature of the patient and her

constipation and restlessness, considered her condition critical, but

if, however, the bowels moved in the course of the night, the doctor

thought he situation would be more hopeful. It was 430 a.m. when

Pradhan reached home. At once he gave Baba's udhi and tirtham to the

mother. She became somnolent. A little later, her bowels moved, and

her temperature fell. The doctor came and noted the improvement. Baba

had arranged everything for the benefit of Pradhan's mother. `In two

or four days it will be all right', Baba said. Actually in two days

it was all right with Pradhan's mother. Baba's antarjnana and his

blessing to the mother of Pradhan had this double advantage of first

benefiting the devotees in the family and next of developing faith.

So, every member of Pradhan's family went to Baba and got his

blessing.

(to be continued)

 

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.