Guest guest Posted November 27, 2008 Report Share Posted November 27, 2008 Sai Vichaar www.saibaba.org Thursday , November 27, 2008 :: Volume 11, Issue 29 (In its eleventh year of publication.) Sai Vichaar is a Weekly newsletter distributed every Thursday and is devoted to the life, philosophy and teachings of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Feel free to forward this newsletter to your interested associates in its original form. IN THIS ISSUE: FEATURE OF THE WEEK CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE DEVOTEES SAY PRAYER CLUB EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES QUOTATION OF THE WEEK QUESTION OF THE WEEK SAI ACTIVITIES FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD FEATURE OF THE WEEK: Patience provides the nourishment! Baba's simplicity is well known and in fact baffling to those who associated Gurus with grandiose pomp, and showmanship. He did not consider himself to be above everything. Such was his humility. The fact that he did not allow anyone to worship him until a few years before his death stands testimony to this. The Spotless of Gurus, Sadguru Sainath is the jewel reflecting the divine wisdom. It is a practice of those who seek Guru to request for a special instruction or "upadesh". Baba gave none. When Radha Bai Deshmukh insisted that she would fast herself to death, the fakir simply stressed the virtues of faith and asked her to mind patience. Faith and patience will ferry one across the sea of mundane existence, said Baba. How does patience work? Is the patience just a waiting period that will culminate into the period of material riches? If so, it will be just a passive stage the end of which will take one to the beginning. What are the spiritual lessons one can derive from patience? Patience provides the nourishment to the seed of faith. It is during this active phase that faith in one's Sadguru will begin to blossom and bloom. Taking one close to His magnificence, patience provides the excellent of opportunities to receive, ruminate, and absorb everything that the Sadguru has to offer. Patience is the incubation phase that leads one to the realization of the everlasting. The most patient of His children were not richer by the material they possessed but by the higher level of transformation they were blessed with. Bhagath and Abdul remained materially poor their entire lives. While Baba gave lots of money to other devotees, He always kept these two poor. Baba always practiced repentance, abstinence, renunciation, and poverty. He guided these two in the same lines and having Him with them, they never felt that they were ever poor! CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Thanksgiving! What is the method of teaching that Baba followed? Did He install any institution or a particular way of thought for His followers to propagate? For that matter, has there been any record of Sadguru Sainath appointing anyone to continue His mission? Inscrutable are His ways! During His lifetime and after, Baba showed a peculiar way of teaching and guiding His followers. He had asked some to be more disciplined, perform rituals, and undertake reading of sacred texts, while some were asked to keep quiet or just wait. Some were commended for their piety while some denounced for their orthodoxy! Baba seemed to have answers to the innermost of the questions His followers had. He seemed to have a certain way of giving "individualized instruction" depending on one's earnestness. However, He seems to be very particular in emphasizing certain virtues in His followers. The two pice (two cents) He demanded were faith and patience. Invaluable! By calling Himself as a servant, Baba has stressed the importance of humility, because humility is a virtue that reaps rich harvest in one's pursuits. By insisting on the surrender of the self and accepting the will of the supreme over the individual, Baba stressed the existence of a unifying higher order. His views on the purpose of religions were simple, "There is only one God and the purpose of every religion is the same". In a unique way, Sai Baba of Shirdi also had asked His followers to investigate the "self". He also expounded on the obstacles for such a pursuit, native as well as acquired. Is it possible to categorize this unique way of spiritual leadership? For some, Baba's life and teachings might look like a paradox, but in reality, His ways are as simple and natural as it could be! He did not give any set of rules to follow for His disciples. On the other hand, He was present in the minds of earnest devotees who sought His guidance on matters, big and small. For such people, in His words, He guarded them from front, back, and sides. To those who would differ with His advice, Baba said simply, "God will do good". Neither was there an insistence on a rigorous stewardship. Faith and patience are two traits common to everyone regardless of their religious, social, and financial or other status. By invoking the traits common to every human being, Sai Baba of Shirdi has indeed simplified the pursuit and the purpose life may have in the mosaic of modern day life. How shall one thank the God of Shirdi for this? On this Thanksgiving Day, let us be happy for being so fortunate. (Contributed by Sai Vichaar team) DEVOTEES SAY: NidhiNamaskar Sashtang Sri Sainatha, a million thanks for the blessings and grace shown on my son. His nose problem is much much better. Please make my son to study well and make him a good person and give him a good health. Dear Sai Baba, thank you very much for the blessing. You have showered on us but sorry for placing my thanks giving to You in this regard. Swami, I have no words to express my gratitude. I know You always help us through the tough times, thanks deva. Please be with us all the time here and every where. Please forgive me for all the mistakes which I have done in the past. Please always bless us to be in good path, with good people and do good. Always give us the strength to have confidence in You and to pray to You. We love you and seek your blessings. Thank you very much Sainath. You are the God almighty Baba. I will devote my entire life in your service. FarahOm Sai Ram, Koti koti pranaam. I just want to tell you Sai baba that I have full faith in You and Your doing. I know that whatever you have decided for me is for my betterment as You will bestow nothing but the best on Your devotees. My prayer to you is Sai give me the strength to face each obstacle bravely and with the assurance that Your hand is there to guide me through and Your blessings are there to protect me against all harm. Love you Sai. PadmavathyDear Saibaba, thankyou very much for helping my son in getting third price in management training. Please help to get rid of all debts, every day we are facing the problem. I don't know how to come out of this probelm, please guide me in this regard. Sai devoteeKoti koti pranam, hey Sainath, thanks a lot for the support You are indirectly sending. Without your Kripa it would never have been possible, how we got the up-stairs apartment for our guests though it was on rent till now, how you managed all the things. I bow to you Sai for all your support, please Sai fullfil my wish for which I am praying You since last few months. Sairam, double our happiness by making that wish come true. hey Sainath, you know everything I need not mention. I wish You will fullfil my wish in this week, sai please do this. Sai, my wish fullfilling tree please help. Thanks Sairam. PRAYER CLUB: Sai devoteeOh kind Sai a thousand namaskars to You. Thank you so much for enabling us to visit India. I now pray that our trip go off without any problems, that we all should have good health and there should be no untoward incidents. Kindly bless all Sai devotees. AnushaI did a mistake by accident and feeling guilty for the past three weeks, I won't do that again. Please give me mental peace and save me. Forgive me from that blunder and erase it. Please come into my heart and guide me all the time. Thank you and kodi pranams for helping me with the IRS refund if not we would have lost $ 1,800. Please take care of my children, take care of my parents and sister who is pregnant, her son, take care of my father who is in India. MeenakshiOm Sairam, Kodi kodi nameskaram to Sainath. Please Baba help my daughter and son to study well and my son is going to write talent exam in January 2009 for that he didnt receive the materials till date. Baba help him to get the materials and get my certificate renewed. Sai devoteeBaba, I know you have heard my prayers. The doctors were happy with the blood results. But my son has to undergo a lot of tests again. He had a complete day with different doctors preparing him for the second session of chemotherapy. Please make the second dose of chemo to be low type. There is high dose and low dose, I want my Baba to make it low dose. Please Baba, I am holding your wonderful feet now and requesting for my son. Then he will have the next step of treatment in January 2009. Baba, you are the wire puller and you are the saver, please save my son and give him courage and strength. He had some rash on his body, please also show us the results are good and nothing to worry. Show your miracle Baba and give us good results that the scan is normal and nothing to worry. Baba, I really don?t know what else to ask you my Lord. I have full faith in You, please cure him and be with him day and night holding his hands and guiding him. Being today a Thursday, Baba?s day by next Thursday with the help of my Baba all the tests should be normal. I have faith in you my lord. Sai devoteeMy dear Baba please solve the crisis my husband ifs facing in his company. Its been going on for the past so many months. Baba I finished my satcharitha parayan today with your grace and blessings. Baba only you can solve this problem, which his company is facing with a courier company. Please Baba let it not be a police case. The courier company is taking back its complaint and solving it peacefully. The money matter is getting settled immediately between these two companies. Also bless his company, which is going under loss. My dear Baba please do something immediately to solve all the problems. I've completely surrendered to you, only you can solve it. This daughter of yours is begging you to you to solve the matter peacefully and immediately by coming Monday. SavithriDear Sairam kindly bless me with good life. My daughter is going to complete her intermediate with Your blessings only. Next year she has to go for degree. I wanted to be here in Hyderabad to continue my life along with my daughter, husband and sister who is left alone as her husband is no more and also due to so many reasons and now my husband wanted me to go to Chennai to live with my in laws as my husband job is touring job. Now I am unable to know what to tell my husband. You only have to show me the way that I have to. Sai devoteeBaba please help me. I work only with Your blessings. Please Baba listen to my prayer and be always with me. Thankyou Baba for whatever you have given me, please Baba keep your blessing hand on me and nothing will be impossible for me. Thankyou Baba once again. SudhakarDearest Shree Shirdi Sai Baba, Om Sai Nathaya Namha. Sai, you have given me good job when I desperately needed it. Sai, please help me in getting suitable family accomodation from the comapany so that I can call my family here and also help in getting school admission for my son as soon as he comes here. I know You will do all these but as a human being I have fear of all these things to be in place on time. Sai forgive me for all my sins. EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: SampaI live in California and there are two Baba temples near my house. In April this year, I thought about offering Baba clothes for those two idols. I called my mom in India and told her to get those robes stitched according to measurements. As my sister-in-laws were visiting US, I thought they could carry the clothes with them. I was working as a contractor in a big company here and I was very tensed as to whether my contract with them would be renewed or not and the economy was also not doing well. My sister's in- laws arrived in US in end of May and got the clothes that my mom had sent. I offered clothes to Baba on my husband's birthday in one of the temples near my house but I could not offer clothes in the other temple as there was huge wait list to offer clothes on Thursday, so I happen to get a date on August 7th, a Thursday. I was not happy with the delay as I was telling Baba that why do you want me to wait for two more months, but then I realized in my heart that Baba had a plan, may be was going to do a miracle in the mean time. I would often pray to Baba to get me a good job. In end of June, my employer told me that my contract would not be renewed and it would end on July 31st. I was so tensed cause I had just one more month to look for a job. In my conversations with Baba I realized that Baba had a plan with him and that He wanted me to wait have patience and I often said in mind that Baba please do a miracle for me. In July, I received a call from a company for a job. The hiring manager told me that I should apply for another job that was a much senior level position. I had apprehensions as to whether I would be suitable for that position or not. My interview was schedule on 31st of July in the afternoon and that was my last day with the previous company. (continued....) continued......I had a dream early in the morning on 31st, that I visited a Baba temple and as I did pranam to Baba, Baba put his hand on my head and offered me $10. I was so touched by these gestures that I started to cry and throughout the day I was wondering what it implied. I was very tensed and I turned on my PC and put the Baba idol that I had on my desk in my purse and headed for the interview. The interview went very well and I was offered the job the very next day. On August 7th, Thursday I offered clothes in the other temple. Now in hindsight I know what $10 signified, nine dollars for nine types of bhakti and the remaining one dollar was Baba's way of saying that he will give me this job. It is very interesting to note how Baba orchestrated the whole thing, it is indeed a miracle. Baba please bless my parents and family. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: "Remember that the rainy clouds come to pass. I am always there with you".-Shri Sai Baba QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Q. Who did Sri Saibaba refer to saying, "This was a true devotee of Mine" and why? A. by Havovi This was a True Devotee of Mine". Baba said these words for Megha who passed way -Megha was a Brahmin cook who actually did not want to meet Baba cause he thought Baba was a Muslim-but upon seeing him he became totally besotted and devoted himself to the service of Baba. I think Baba really saw the tremendous faith, loyalty and love Megha had for him it was so profound that it touched his heart for him to have made this remark as there were so many devotees surrounding him always but as one devotee asked "do all men who come here benefit? " This one certainly did and just as he benefitted from Baba so did Baba from him remember Baba always said "I need you as much as you need me." Q. Who did Sri Saibaba refer to saying, "This was a true devotee of Mine" and why? A. by Manav These words were said by Baba at the time, when Megha passed away. Megha was a staunch devotee of Baba. After continuous service of Baba for many years, doing regular worship and Arati every noon and evening, Megha passed away in 1912. Then Baba passed His hands over his corpse and said - "This was a true devotee of Mine." Baba also ordered that at His own expense the usual funeral dinner should be given to the Brahmins, and this order was carried out by Kakasaheb Dixit. SAI ACTIVITIES: Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs, Illinois, USAShirdi Sai temple is open daily from 8:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m.(Winter hours). Daily program includes Kakad Arathi at 8 a.m. followed by Abhisek. Madhayana Arathi at 12 noon, Dhoop Arathi at 6 p.m. and Shej Arathi at 9 p.m. Archana, Homams, Sahasranama and sponsored poojas continue in between the Arathis. To request a pooja for yourselves, your friends and family, please call. Devotees can request water (Abhishek Jal) from the Holy bathing of Baba by sending us an email or by phone. Temple is located 25 minutes drive west of Schaumburg on intersection of IL Route 47 and Plank Road in Hampshire, IL. For more information please call 847-931-4058 or send email to maildrop. Sri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MNSri Saibaba Mandir is located in Minneapolis, MN at 1835 Polk St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418. The mandir is open 7 days a week in the evenings from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm and during morning hours from 9 am to 12:30 pm, everyday. Satsangs are conducted every Sunday mornings, 9 am to 12:30 pm. Please visit the mandir website www.hamaresai.org or call 612-789-7729 for more information on mandir activities, events and other information. Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Dallas/Fort Worth, TexasSri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW Metroplex is located at 2109 West Parker (Parker Plaza), Suite 212, Plano, TX 75023. For temple hours and activities please call the temple office at 469-467-3388 or visit the website www.shirdisaidallas.org. Shirdi Sai Temple of New England, Boston AreaSri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of New England is now operational. It is located at 1827 Bridge St # 8, Dracut, MA 01824. The temple is open every Thursday from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm and Saturday's from 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. For temple hours and activities please visit the website www.nessp.org or send mail to maildrop. Shirdi Sai Center in Bay Area, CAShirdi Sai Center is located 897-B East Kifer Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. For more information please call 408-705-7904 or 408-564-6704 or send email to saibandhu. You can also visit our website is www.Shirdisaiparivaar.org. Shirdi Saibaba temple, Los Angeles, CADevotees in Los Angeles area are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Los Angeles area. The temple is located at - 144 South 4th Street, Montebello, CA 90640. For more information please call Krishna Samantula at 949-679-9938 or visit www.shirdisaila.org. Saibaba Temple, Columbus, OhioDevotees in Columbus and surrounding Ohio locations area are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Metro Columbus area. The temple is located in a leasing space at 6599 Dublin Center Dr, Dublin, OH 43017. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday bhajans. For more information please call Panditjee at 614-799-8411 or visit www.saibaba.cc or new website www.srisaimandir.org Shirdi Sai bhajans every Thursday at Maitland, FloridaDevotees are invited to participate in Sai study and bhajans on Thursdays between 7-8 pm at Meditation Gallery, 219 E Horatio Ave, Maitland, FL 32715. For more details please contact Bonnie at 407-830-1276. Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, TXSri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, Texas opened at 601 E Whitestone Blvd (RM 1431), Cedar Park, TX. Daily 4 aarthis are performed to Sai Baba. As part of service to needy, a weekly sandwich seva is also conducted. For more information, please visit www.saiaustin.org. Shirdi Sai Mandir, Dulles, VAShirdi Sai Mandir is located at 43671 Trade Center Place #166 Dulles, VA 20166. The mandir is open through the week in the evenings from 6pm to 9 pm. Sri Satyanarayan pooja will be conducted every full moon day. Please visit the mandir website www.shirdisaimandir.org or call (703) 661-4724 for more information on activities, events and other information. Shirdi Sai Mandir, TorontoShirdi Sai Mandir Toronto is open from 7am to 9 pm for darshan. Extended hours on Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information, program schedule or directions please call 647-444-4724. FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD: Please note that Sai Vichaar is only yet another global platform on the electronic medium for sharing information on the life and message of Sadguru Sainath of Shirdi. Sai Vichaar does not profess to endorse any particular thought, nor will judge or reflect the opinions expressed by individual contributors. Sai Vichaar wishes all readers in the US a Happy Thanksgiving. The "Question of the week" for this week is Q. Who did Sri Saibaba refer to saying, "This was a true devotee of Mine" and why? Humbly Yours,The Editor ABOUT THIS EMAIL: This newsletter is not sent unsolicited. This newsletter is e-mailed to you because of at least one of the following reasons:1. You have d through our on-line page,2. You have visited our web site and shown interest in the Sai topics and asked for information, or3. You have been gifted a subscription by a friend or a relative. To Subscribe Sai Vichaar for receipt by Email please visit the URL http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter.html and select the option from the menu. If you are subscribing the newsletter for your friend or a relative, we request that the person concerned may be notified about receiving the newsletter and the willingness to receive the newsletter be confirmed. To Un-Subscribe receipt of Sai Vichaar, please visit the URL http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter.html and select the option from the menu. If you have problems accessing the web page due to network problems, please send an e-mail to support with the words "Un Sai Vichaar" in the subject line. To make a contribution to any of the sections of Sai Vichaar, please visit the URL http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter.html and select the Submit Articles to Sai Vichaar option from the menu. Back copies of HTML version of Sai Vichaar can be accessed by visting the URL http://www.saibaba.org/whatsnew.html. For any questions or more information regarding this e-mail or our web site, please send an e-mail to maildrop and your inquiries will be attended to promptly. Thank you,The webmaster From and Editor: Shirdi Sai Baba Web Site Shirdi Sai Baba Sanstha (A non-profit organization) Mail: 12N950 State Route 47 Hampshire, IL 60140, USA Email maildrop Phone 847-931-4058 Fax 847-931-4066 © Copyright 1998-2008 saibaba.org, Shirdi Sai Baba Sanstha - Sai Vichaar Weekly may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Written permission must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter. Sai Vichaar is devoted to the philosophy and teachings of Shri Sadguru Sai Baba of Shirdi, and will take every measure to avoid topics or themes contradicting the same. Sai Vichaar team or the Shirdi Sai Baba web site is not responsible for the opinions expressed by individual contributors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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