Rockland Doctor helps bring Sai Baba`s Statue to New Jersey Temple

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 April 8, 2009http://www.lohud.com/article/20090408/NEWS03/904080346/1019Rockland Doctor helps bring Statue of Indian Saint to New Jersey

TempleHema EasleyheasleyThe statue of Sai Baba will installed at the Hindu Samaj Temple in Mahwah, New Jersey. (Dilip Subhedar) For years, Dilip Subhedar and his family and friends met in each other's homes to worship and sing hymns in praise of Sai Baba, the 19th- and 20th-century Indian saint who is revered by Indians of all religious denominations across the world.On Saturday, Sai Baba's devotees

in the Lower Hudson Valley will be able to meet at a temple to worship. Subhedar has presented a 4-foot-high marble statue of the saint to the new Hindu Samaj Temple of Mahwah, New Jersey, which will be installed in a special ceremony Saturday.The statue is made of marble quarried in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It was carved by local artisans in the state capital, Jaipur."I always wanted to have the presence of Sai Baba in our

tri-county area," said Subhedar, a Suffern resident and specialist in pain management at Good Samaritan Hospital. "With the coming of the Mahwah temple, I thought we could all come together and worship collectively."The temple, believed to be among the largest Hindu temples in the country, was inaugurated in November. It has a large collection of Hindu deities. Sai Baba's statue will be the first of a saint.On Saturday, a special

ceremony will accompany the installation of the statue in the temple's mezzanine.There will be a ritual bathing of the statue followed by chantings from the sacred Hindu texts, the Vedas.For devotees, the statue is a manifestation of the saint himself, said Mohan Khanna, a trustee of the Mahwah temple."The statue is like having the guru in person, while we pray," said Khanna, a resident of Kinnelon, N.J. "We look at him and we talk to him as

if he was the real thing. We're trying to get his blessings.."Though Sai Baba's statue is installed in various Hindu temples, it's not clear if he was a Hindu from India's majority religion.His parentage and the first 16 years of his life are obscure.He lived the life

of a simple hermit in Shirdi in southwestern India, and his teachings of love, compassion, forgiveness, patience and faith in God drew from both Hinduism and Islam.He practiced rituals from both religions and is believed to have performed many miracles, which attracted devotees from Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Parsi circles in India.For the Rockland, Westchester and Bergen counties, the Mahwah temple would be the most accessible for Sai Baba devotees, said Subhedar.Jitendra Gupte of Montebello was among several Indians planning to attend the installation. His daughter also will be driving from Cornell to attend, he said, and he and his wife would be hosting the luncheon after the ceremony."It's something our family has believed in," said Gupte, a researcher at Novartis in New Jersey. " It's a pleasure for us to be part of the installation

ceremony."Additional FactsIf you go:What: Sai Baba installation ceremony and prayer serviceWhen: Saturday at 10 a.m.Where: Hindu Samaj Temple, 247 W. Ramapo Ave.,

Mahwah, New Jersey." It's My Business to do Shri Sai's Business, and it's His Business to take Care of My Business."                                                                                   - Buzy-mess (Busi-ness) - rOhIt

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