The Glory of Shirdi Sai - Issue 22-2007 from Saidarbar.

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THE GLORY OF SHIRDI SAI Fifth Year of Publication Published as Bi-Weekly Issue 22/2007 25-10-2007 You can read this E- Magazine in 3d page turning NEW FORMAT http://ettitudemedia.com/loadbook.php?BookName=EMagazineCurrent ------------------- GURUR-BRAHMA, GURUR-VISHNUH; GURU-DEVO MAHESWARAHA; GURUR-SAKSHATH PARAM BRAHMA; THASMAI SREE GURAVE NAMAHA: Sairam. You can watch Live Web casting from Shirdi Sai Samadhi Mandir from following Link: http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/onlinedarshan.asp THIS ISSUE CONTAINS: 1. FROM THE SATSANGHS OF SAIBANISA JI 2.

SAI'S NEWS FROM TIME MACHINE 3. SAI IN DREAMS 4. QUINTESSENCE OF SRI SAIBABA'S PHILOSOPHY 5. SANATANA DHARMA & SHRI SHIRDI SAIBABA 6. DEVOTEES EXPERIENCES 7. SAI WITH CHILDREN 8. SPIRITUAL GEMS FROM SAI SATCHARITRA 9. ARTICLES FROM SAI DEVOTEES 10. LETTERS FROM SAI DEVOTEES 11. TELUGU SECTION 12. SAI'S BOOK WORLD 13. EDITORIAL. ------------------------------- 1. FROM THE SATSANGHS OF SAIBANISA JI http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/saidarbar/pages/S3500055.htm Compiled by: Sai Sevak Smt. Rajeswari Kasturi, Saidarbar – Hyderabad. Shirdi Sai’s Philosophy in the words of Saibanisaji There is an allegory that depicts human life. Once there was a man rowing a boat down a river. Some one on the shore warned him, “Stop rowing so gaily down the swift current; there are rapids ahead and a dangerous whirlpool, and there are crocodiles and demons lying in wait in rocky caverns. You will perish if you continue.” In this allegory, “The swift current” is a life of lust; “rowing gaily” is giving rein to one’s passion; “rapids ahead” means the ensuing suffering and pain; “whirlpool” means pleasure, “Crocodile and demons” refers to the decay and

death that follow a life of lust and indulgence; “ Someone on the shore,” who calls out, is Sai. Om Shantih Shantih Shantihi Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu To be continued… --------------- 2. SAI'S NEWS FROM THE TIME MACHINE: October 16, Wednesday1918: Baba's Body was taken in procession through the Shirdi village and then interred in Butty Wada with due formalities. October 27, 1918: Baba's devotees from all over gathered and funeral rites were performed by Balasaheb Bhate with Annadhanam to poor in Shirdi. October 27,

1918: A committee was formed to manage the worship of SaiBaba's Samadhi, comprising of 15 members with Bapusaheb Butty as the Chairman. October 27, 1918: Nanavalli a great but quaint and queer devotee of Baba breathed his last. October 7, 1954: A big and beautiful marble statue of SaiBaba was installed behind Baba's Samadhi at the hands of Swami Sai Sharnandji. October 19, 1956: H.H.Narasimha Swamiji passed away (Aged 82 years). ----------------- 3. SAI IN DREAMS: http://www.ettitudemedia.com These are the dream sequences and messages as received by SaiBaNiSaji From our beloved GURU LORD SAINATH OF SHIRIDI. In Anticipation that this

feature will help in one's spiritual growth are hereby compiled from his personal Diary and presented to SAIBANDHUS. Translated and presented by RAGHU RAMAN SATULURY. APRIL-1995: 23-04-1995 Yesterday, Sai has given a wonderful message on the bonds of love between a husband and wife- It is right to opt for god’s service after fulfilling all the responsibilities in life, but avoid being lustful after separation caused due to death of the partner. Such a life will often lead to rebirth to fulfill those unfulfilled desires. Towards the end, engage mind and attention in chanting the God’s name. The principles of the four-ashrama dharmas (The four stages of life-Balyam, koumaryam Yavvanam and vruddhapyam) are to be followed in true sense. 26-04-1995 Sai appeared in the form of Katikapari (in-charge of the burial ground) and said- Death does not discriminate a person dying due to cardiac problem or for that matter the one dying due to the most known dreaded decease on the earth (AIDS). However death embraces them equally. It is by far the human tendency that restricts to view both deaths on an equal plane. They end up glorifying the one while engage in talking ill of the other. Death strikes everybody equally. 30-04-1995 Sai appeared in the form of my bitter enemy and said- It is natural for the mother to get wild when she is not listened to. However it is the same motherly instinct that showers her full love when her

child is suffering. Nothing on the universe can substitute mother’s love. To be continued….. ---- 4. QUINTESSENCE OF SRI SAIBABA'S PHILOSOPHY: (By Late Sri Bharam UmamaheswaraRao) "Shashi": shashi_31 30. Efficacy of Prayer and Worship While we pray, we seek God’s help and lay at His feet the load of our worldly troubles and seek his aid to get over them. Most of our prayers take the form of a petition for God’s succor. The real purpose behind this kind of prayer is to obtain mental relief by submitting our troubles to Him. While doing so, we get a feeling that God will not desert us and will surely help us. That belief infuses strength in out minds to go thru our troubles unperturbed. Prayer is acknowledgment of the Lordship of God over

us, of our finite and littleness. Prayer is the most potent means of rebinding ourselves to God as all our ills are due to our separation from Him. Prayer opens our heart to God. When we pray, we surrender ourselves wholly and entirely to God’s dispensation. It is willing confession of our helplessness and seeking refuge in God. But such surrender merely means that we are not very much particular about the fruit of our actions. Whoever does his duty is liked by God. Pujya Radhakrishna Swamiji advices his disciples: Plough with plough, share of truth; Plant the seed of the desire for knowledge; Weed out untruth; Irrigate the field with the water

of patience; Supervise your work by looking into yourself (by introspection) Build the fence of the rules of Dharma If we follow Swamiji’s advice, our Bhakti will grow. Touching the Holy Feet of God’s idol in prayer symbolizes and evolves in the devotee a sense of humility and the evanescence of physical Self. Thru the act of prostration, the devotee gets as close as possible, physically to effacing the ego. To be continued….. ----------------------------- 5. SANATANA DHARMA & SHRI SHIRDI SAIBABA. let the scriptures be your guide in what to do and what not to do. Understand their teachings; then act in accordance with them. -Bhagavad Gita 16:24 Ignorant of their ignorance, yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men, Proud of their vain learning go round and round Like the blind led by the blind. Far beyond Their eyes, hypnotized by the world of sense, Opens the way to immortality. "I am my body; when my body dies, I die." Living in this superstition They fall life

after life under my sway. -Katha Upanishad NEWS www.ndtv.com DELHI, INDIA, October 6, 2007: It is one of the grandest Hindu temples in the capital

and has been built with a lot of thought and precision. An architectural marvel, the Akshardham temple is the cynosure of all eyes. Soon a replica of it will be constructed, thousands of miles away in China. The first Hindu temple in communist China. The Chinese government has invited the Swaminarayan Trust that runs the Akshardham temples in Noida and in Gandhinagar, to build a similar temple. A huge piece of land has been earmarked in Fohsan state, which will not only house the temple but also an Indian cultural center. ''Initial thoughts are to have a cultural center also along with the

temple, a traditional Indian music learning center and also various Indian language teaching centers including Hindi, on this temple premises,'' said Jagat Shah, Joint Secretary-General, Indo-China Trade Council. indiapost.com NEW YORK, NEW YORK, October 1, 2007: The long-awaited Prana Pratistha

Mahotsavam (installation of the Deities) at the first Hindu Temple "Shree Ram Mandir" built in Staten Island was held on August 24-27. During the three-day holy ceremony, the Deities of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman made of white marble in Rajasthan were installed per Hindu ritual and worship. Also installed were Deities of Lord Ganesh and Lord Venkateshwara made of black granite in Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is dedicated to

its presiding Deity Lord Rama. www.ncicj.com JAMAICA, September 30, 2007: Indian culture is one of the oldest cultures. It came to Jamaica with Indians after the abolition of Slavery. Indians were brought as indentured laborers by British plantation owners between 1845 and 1917 to work on sugar estates and banana

plantations. The first ship, SS Blundell, carrying 261 Indians arrived at Old Harbour Bay on May 10, 1845. From 1930 onwards, there has been an influx of Indian merchants and professionals. Government of Jamaica in 1995 proclaimed the Indian Arrival Day May 10 as the Indian Heritage Day in recognition of the Indians' contribution

to the social and economic development of the country. theseoultimes.com SEOUL, KOREA, September 16, 2007: Ganesha Visarjana has been celebrated in Korea in recent years as a means to bring a taste of Indian culture to the country. This year 500 Indians and 100 Koreans gathered to enjoy Indian culture. The news release elaborates, "The Ganesha Festival started on Saturday (September 15) evening with great stage decorations of flowers and rangoli (colored sand). The backdrop of the stage was prepared so nicely with a combination of both Indian and Korean culture. On Saturday the Ganesha Deity was installed by doing puja. During the puja various mantras were chanted and Indian sweets were distributed as prasadam. Both the Indian and Korean communities enjoyed the cultural interactions. The Koreans were especially excited to see this program and were busy catching every moment on camera. Finally the program concluded on Sunday with the Ganesha Visarjana Pooja and volunteers reflected on the joy of conducting the program successfully." -------------------------- 6. DEVOTEES EXPERIENCES: From the files of Saidarbar: This story starts with the traditional beginning of ‘long, long ago’. My parents were young and they were friendly with the redoubtable Swami, BV Narasimhaswami. This was in Madras, where the Swamiji was trying to spread Sai Bhakthi. My mother was thrilled by the passion the great man brought to his Sai devotion and caught fire from it. She decided to name her second child (me) Sainath in honor of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. But alas, I turned out to be a girl and they hurriedly picked another name for me. The Sainath bit was dropped. By now, they had shifted to Bangalore and contact with Narasimhaswami ended as well. Many decades and many vicissitudes later, the whole episode of Sai Bhakthi was totally forgotten. Now, I was a middle aged working woman with my own family. And though I was deeply religious, I wasn’t keen on worshipping any saint....I thought most of them were charlatans and preferred to stick to my Krishna puja. Every day, on my way to School, I passed the Lodi road, Sai Mandir. An elderly lady, who traveled with me, never failed to remark that I should turn to Sai Baba. I invariably smiled and kept quiet. Once, in school, I misplaced a most important book. I was in charge of the records of all House activities. I needed to tally the points gained by each House and submit a report to the Vice Principal. But what could I do? I had misplaced the blessed book and I was really in a stew. A thorough search had yielded no fruit and I was getting desperate.

When my elderly friend once again remarked that I ought to take up Sai worship, I promptly vowed in my mind.... If you are so great a saint, then please help me find this book. Then I will take up your worship. Need I say it? Yes, I found the book where it had absolutely no place to be and I wouldn’t have found it in a month of Mondays but for a very lucky chance (Sai’s hand?). Apparently, I had turned to him in the nick of time...A load of troubles was awaiting me. I fell very ill, my husband faced a grave crisis in his career, and my son was very depressed. I really didn’t know which way to turn. All my confidence in my ability to face life oozed away. Till then I had had the ability to take Life on the chin. But now I was sorely perplexed and very, very upset. The Sai prayer book thrust upon me by my colleague was my only anchor. I prayed to Baba by day and through the long, painful nights. Within three months, my husband got his rank, my son regained his will to study and an old friend came back into my life and gave me homeopathic medicine which cured me of my malaise. And to give my darling son that much needed boost in confidence to boldly face his first ever failure, Baba per! formed one more of his numerous leelas. I found. I don’t know how it got there! in an old much neglected handbag of mine, an old, old pendant of silver with Sai on one side and ‘shraddha’ and ‘saburi’ engraved on the other. I promptly put it on a silver chain and round my child’s neck, where it nestles close to his heart. His bride’s thali is also Baba’s picture in gold. Never ever will we be alone again. Baba’s always with us. Source : (From Sai Leela, October, 2000) --------------------- 7. SAI WITH CHILDREN: http://www.saidarbar.org/HTML/portraits/7.jpg Smt. Madhu Gopal Ravada, Saidarbar, Hyderabad. Hello Children! I am Madhu aunty. Do you know Baba use to play with children and used to tell stories to them? I felt children visiting

Saidarbar should be entertained with good stories. Now I want to tell the stories what heard in my child hood. The Farmer's Donkey One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was too old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly. Then, a few shovel-fulls later, he quieted down completely. The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovel-full of dirt that hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and

take a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of everyone. The Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to stop wailing, and not let the dirt bury you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each one of our troubles is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up. -------------- 8. SPIRITUAL GEMS FROM SAI SATCHARITRA swamymain On 9/21/07 Sai Ram. We will now, with His grace, take up Chapter 25 of His Satcharitra. Sai Ram. SSS: Damu Anna Kasar of Ahmednagar - (1) Speculations - (2) Amra-Leela SSG: Sai Ram. A good demonstration of Baba's oneness with all and thus His ability to know what is in the minds of all of us. And Shama was a witness to such Leelas often. Sai Ram. SSS: Then Shama read the letter and Baba heard it attentively and said feelingly - "The Sheth (Damu Anna) has gone mad; write to him in reply that nothing is wanting in his house. Let him be content with the half loaf

(bread) he has now and let him not bother himself about lacs." Shama sent the reply which Damu Anna was anxiously waiting for. Reading it, he found that all his hopes and prospects about lacs of rupees as profit were dashed to the ground. He thought that he had done a mistake in consulting Baba. SSG: Sai Ram. The power of Maya, to which Baba was always alluding. No one is immune from Maya. Sai Ram. SSS: But as Shama had hinted in the reply that there was always much difference in seeing and hearing and that, therefore, he should come to Shirdi personally and see Baba. He thought it

advisable to go to Shirdi and consult Baba personally about the affair. So he went to Shirdi, saw Baba, prostrated himself before Him and sat shampooing His legs. He had no courage to ask Baba openly about the speculation, but he thought in his mind, that it would be better if some share in the business should be assigned to Baba and said in his mind, that if Baba were to help him in this transaction, he would surrender some share of profits to Him. Damu Anna was thus thinking secretly in his mind, but nothing was veiled from Baba; everything past, present and future were clear to Him as an Amalaka fruit in hand. A child wants sweets, but its mother gives bitter pills; the former spoil its health, while the latter improve it. So the mother looking to the welfare of her infant, coaxes it and gives it bitter pills. Baba, kind mother as He was, knew the present and future prospects of His devotees, and therefore reading Damu Anna's mind, He openly spoke to him -

"Bapu, I do not want to be entangled in any such wordly things (sharing profits)." Seeing Baba's disapproval Damu Anna dropped the enterprise. SSG: Sai Ram. A beautiful example of Baba's oneness with all people and animals, nay, even inanimate things. By giving such demonstration of His Yogic powers (Yoga means union and Sai was One with all), He was trying to pull up forward on the path of spirituality and thus trying to make us one with Him and dispel our Maya. Sai Ram. We will continue with this chapter in the coming weeks. Sai Ram. S.V.Swamy, Author, Editor, Proof-Reader and Book Reviewer www.freewebs.com/swamyreviews ----- 9. ARTICLES FROM SAI DEVOTEES: Ramchand Chugani rgcjp Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:35:19 -0700 (PDT) Tharkad Discipline There was a sheristadhaar by name Thakad. His wife and 16-year old son were ardent devotees of Shirdi Baba. Tharkad did not object to their worship of Baba. One day when they wanted to go to Shirdi, he gave them his consent. But Tharkad himself did not go to any shrine as he was a Brahmo Samajist. He did not to go to Shridi despite many appeals from his wife. Tharkad's son told his father that he would not go to Shirdi because he was performing regular worship to Shirdi Baba in their house. This worship would be affected if he went to Shirdi. The lad told his father that every day he was making

an offering of sugar candy to Baba and he was partaking part of the candy as prasaadh (blessed offering) out of the conviction that Baba was receiving the candy. He declared: "I do not want any break in this practice. Hence I do not want to go to Shirdi." The father had great affection to the son. He told the son: "Babu, I shall perform that duty. You better go to Shirdi.".... "Will you offer worship to Baba as I have been doing? Will you offer candy to him and later eat part of it as prasaadh?" The father gave promise to carry on the worship during his absence. The mother and her son left for Shirdi. The father performed the worship in the manner of the son for a few days. Offering a candy to Baba, he took a part of it after the worship before taking his meal. On a Thursday, Tharkad had some urgent business in the court and left the house in a hurry after performing puuja (worship). Returning for his meal, he asked the cook to bring the prasaadh. The cook informed him that he had not offered any offering of candy that day. Tharkad was sorry that he had failed to make the offering to Baba. At Shirdi, when the mother and the son went to see Baba on the following Friday, Baba told the son: "Babu, yesterday I had been to Bangra, but no one gave me any food. Even the candy which you use to offer daily was not available. I have come back very hungry. Will you give me something to eat?" The boy was shocked on listening the Baba's words. He wept in his mother's lap. "I cannot stay here any longer. I must adhere to my daily routine." At that time,

Baba sent a message to the boy. In His message, Baba said: "There is no need for you to go now. Your father failed to keep his word, but you have not failed in your duty. You have all My Grace. You can stay here as long as you wish." Source: (Excerpts from details of short compilation: (Sharing with Love) Ram.Chugani Ram Chugani Kobe, Japan rgcjp -------------------- 10. LETTERS FROM SAIDEVOTEES: Saroj On 9/13/07 SaiRam, By SAI grace I am fortunate to get the weekly issue of Glory of Shirdi Sai from SAI Darbar. These issues on Baba are and has been inspiring and devotional. I also go thru the E-magzines. But one point I would like to bring to your kind attention and hope that may be appreciable on your part. SHRI SAI SATCHARITRA AND OTHER HOLY BOOKS are either in ENGLISH or TELUGU whereas there is a large group of devotees who are anxiously waiting for HINDI version. WITH ALL GOOD WISHES Sai beti SAROJ ----------------- Response for “The

Glory of Shirdi Sai” E- Magazine in the 3d page turning NEW FORMAT anusoma20 On 10/11/07 Jai Sai Ram. I really thank you for your efforts in bringing up this article. Its so devotional and aspiring to read these articles. I liked the E-zine format very much. We believe in Baba very much and every Thursday we feel very

auspicious and also Baba blesses us with good news also on Thursdays. Thanks, Anuradha ------------- pundarit On 10/4/07 JaiSaiRam, The concept of MP3 of bhajans is very good. I am conveying my sincere thanks to the team for this valuable bajans and I hope more bhajans will be added to this list. Turaga Pundarikakshudu ------------ shikha_4ever05 On 10/1/07 Jai Sai Ram, This site is very very beautiful. The words are more Neat n Clear. Baba Bless u n all over the World. Sai Daughter, Shikha Kohli. ---------- blakshmipriya On 9/28/07 SaiRam, I love Swamy. Thank U. God Bless

U Lakshmi Priya B -------- kris_sujatha On 9/27/07 SaiRam, You have done a wonderful job. K.SUJATHA -------- ashasathya On 9/22/07 SaiRam, This E-zine is excellent. I am very happy to have d for it. I am very thankful to Baba for showing me this ezine. You are doing a wonderful job. Please try to record Baba's ashtothra Namavali as I find it difficult to say a few words

from the book. Also please give us more info about the varieties of puja for Baba. Asha Sathya Narayanan. ------------------- balatv34 On 9/9/07 Jai Sai Ram. You are doing wonderful service. I enjoyed the journal and videos very very much. T.V. Balakrishnan. -------------- anju777 On 9/17/07 SAIRAM, THIS IS REALLY VERY NICE. THANKS. Anju Bharadwaj --------------------- shas_prof On 9/22/07 Om Sai ram audio & video clippings are good shantha ----- sureshvarma_gadiraju On 9/22/07 SaiRam, Excellent work, keep it up. Varma. ---------- You can read this E- Magazine in 3d page turning NEW FORMAT in web page http://ettitudemedia.com/loadbook.php?BookName=EMagazineCurrent 11. TELUGU SECTION: Please visit: http://www.telugubhakti.com/telugupages/Misc/ShiridiSai/shirdisai.htm Please visit for Sai Aaratis Audio: http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/saibaba/saibaba_aarti.asp ------------------------------- FOR STARTING A SAIDARBAR CHAPTER OUT SIDE INDIA: Please contact: saidarbar ----------------------------- 12. SAI'S BOOK WORLD: (HINDI) Title: Sai

Sneh Author: Vikas Mehta Siddharth Publications, 10 DSIDC Scheme-II Okhla Industrial Area Phase -II New Delhi - 110 020 ------------- Title: The Golden Words of Shri Sai Baba

Shirdi Author: Vikas Mehta Siddharth Publications, 10 DSIDC Scheme-II Okhla Industrial Area Phase -II New Delhi - 110 020 --------------------- Title: Worship of the Manifested

Shri Sadguru Sainath Author: Ms. Zarine Taraporewala Meher-Dhun Endowment Nata Shahi 69 Worli Sea Face Mumbai - 400 025 ------------------- Please Note: Those desirous of

using this facility (Sai's Book World) to spread the word about their books may send ONE new copy of the book to Saidarbar, for details contact: saidarbar Acknowledgement of receipt of books will be done by E-mail only. Book(s) sent to Saidarbar will be retained by Saidarbar and cannot be returned. -------- 13. EDITORIAL. Things impressed me from this magazine: Nothing on the universe can substitute mother’s love. When we pray, we surrender ourselves wholly and entirely to God’s dispensation. It is willing confession of our helplessness and seeking refuge in God. Sai devotees may write about their Sai activities in their place, essays, articles and poetry on Sai to "The Glory of Shirdi Sai" – they may be address their contributions to E-mail id: saidarbar with a copy marked to webmaster We shall put in our best efforts to include them in the Glory of Shirdi Sai- the Bi-weekly E -Magazine. Unless the author of the articles instructs, not to publish his/her E-mail id, we will publish them as a matter of routine practice. You can for THE GLORY OF SHIRDI SAI for a friend /relative by submitting e-mail ID in the main page of http://www.saidarbar.org Also read the old issues from: http://www.saidarbar.org/glory.htm If you are subscribing this E-magazine for your friend or a relative, we request that the person concerned may be notified about receiving the same. Editor does not accept responsibility for the views expressed in the articles published. This e-magazine is intended for Private circulation only. Submitted by: Sai Sevak Srinivasa Rao Kasturi. Saidarbar-Hyderabad-India. P.S. In case you do not like to receive "The Glory of Shirdi Sai ", Kindly reply UNSUBSCRIBE for our necessary action. ------------

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