Guest guest Posted December 13, 2007 Report Share Posted December 13, 2007 Note: forwarded message attached. ______________________________\ ____ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. http://tools.search./newsearch/category.php?category=shopping Sai Vichaarwww.saibaba.org Thursday , December 13, 2007 :: Volume 10, Issue 31 (In its tenth 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 WEEKCONTRIBUTED ARTICLEDEVOTEES SAYPRAYER CLUBEXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEESQUOTATION OF THE WEEKQUESTION OF THE WEEKSAI ACTIVITIESFROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARDFEATURE OF THE WEEK: Sadguru - God Saibaba!Agnaani mein janmon se Sayee.... Eswar ko naheen jaan paatha Tere karuna ki ek jhalak se... Khudaa ko mein ne pahli baar dekhaa "Being ignorant since many births, Oh Sai, I haven't known God! By the flash of your mercy, I see God for the first time!" What is the most important thing one could get from Sadguru Sainath? He Himself said that although He is willing to give from His open coffers, most are not inclined to seek it. After every desire is answered and the truce between needs and wants established, Sadguru begins His work on the chosen ones. The most competent Sainath has innumerable ways that he chooses according to the nature of the devotee.God vision, the realization of the supreme, the purpose to any quest, realization of the self, knowledge of the absolute, these are some of the descriptors of the dormant quest one might have in the spiritual path. The satsang with Sadguru is never passive! It is not a choice! Is Saibaba a mere Guru or God himself? This is a stale question as any reader of books on Saibaba can say that Baba appears to those in whatever form they chose. Stories abound where Saibaba appeared as Vitthal, Shiva, Dattatreya, Jesus and other forms of divinity. In spite of this, is there a question whether Saibaba is just a siddha purusha, someone who acquired supernatural powers due to saadhana or He the absolute beyond all siddhis? Is He the God? What is God? What are God's attributes? None is able to describe this. Hence, even the question whether Baba is God or not, is not completely legitimate and at the best can only be a relative rhetoric! To make this simple, if one would choose any form of God within one's confine, describe the attributes of such a form, Rama, Shiva, Jesus, Krishna, Vishnu, Allah or Buddha, all those attributes can be found in the perfect master of Shirdi. If God is defined as an object of faith, the faith will reveal God's form.CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Miracles!Miracles happen in every one's life on a periodic basis. Some notice it while others do not. Miracles come in various shapes, forms and the effect it has on the person who experiences or witnesses it. Miracles need to be differentiated from a magician's trick. For most people when they experience something out of the ordinary, it appears as a miracle, especially more so if that is tied to some religious or spiritual topic or subject. For some, a life saved in the most adverse situations is a miracle! For some, things materializing out of nowhere are a miracle! In the early 1960s, western scientists performed controlled experiments on some Mediums (in this context, a medium is a person who can communicate with souls from other worlds using their clairvoyant skills) and noticed that a medium could call on external forces and have the furniture around them moved about or hang in mid air. (One can go on the Internet and read about the experiences of many such great Mediums.) Witnessing something that seems impossible or out of the ordinary alone should not be labeled as a Miracle. The effect that the said miracle has on both the object and subject are equally important. Nature has in its fold many hidden attributes, properties and laws that we are not aware of. Human beings stumble upon these hidden aspect of nature periodically, discover and later apply them to use. These discoveries have been happening since time immemorial. What seems common like a cell phone or ipod today would be a miracle for someone from the earlier centuries!Miracles that tend to have materialistic aspects such as materializing objects or things are more geared towards satisfying the ego of a person who craves for influencing, seeing or observing something. It is either help from the other side as a medium or direct knowledge of the hidden laws of nature that are used to perform such miracles. Scientists agree that this universe comprises of atoms and sub atoms that are in constant motion. The whole universe is in constant motion! It is further said that single unbroken particles are rotating around their vortex. According to some Meta physicists, it is the speed at which particles are rotating around its vortex that makes it visible or not. For instance, take a table or mountain, it appears as a solid to the naked eye but deep within each particle is rotating on its vortex but at a very slow speed. On the other hand, consider gas or air, it is also composed of particles that are rotating at a very fast speed around its vortex. By slowing the speed of the vortex of particles one can make the particles appear to the naked eye. When one embarks on a spiritual journey and constantly practices meditation, one gains knowledge of lot of hidden treasures of Nature. A truly spiritual advanced soul will not use this knowledge for any personal gain. They may use these to aid in healing the sick and needy as the great Reiki masters do. On the other hand, Perfect Masters such as our Sadguru Shri Sai do not need to perform any miracles. They are in such a high state of consciousness that their mere wish becomes the command for Nature! Their mere glance satisfies and nourishes the hungry soul. Cheap miracles are not their calling cards! The biggest miracle Shri Sai performs is to change the nature of the person whom he attracts inside out and continue with it in life after life so that it attains perfection to the same state that He is in!(Contributed by MR)DEVOTEES SAY: ShrutiRecently I thought I lost an important document. I was very tensed. I prayed to Baba to help me find it. I found it after some amount of frantic searching at a place where I never would have searched. It is only due to Baba's grace that I was able to find the document.NehaI would like to narrate my experience to all the devotees that yesterday I felt as if Baba gave me darshan. I was sitting with my parents and was watching TV and suddenly I could smell chandan(sandalwood) from somewhere, it started becoming strong. Then I realized that it was coming from my right hand! I then showed it to my mother and father, even they could smell it. I was very happy, it was like Baba has given me His blessing and has indicated that He is there to take me out of all the problems I am facing.SriniSaibaba, thank you so much for liberating me from the pain I have been going through for the past three years. It just happened like a miracle. You showed me that having Shraddha and Saburi can produce miracles. With your blessings, please show me a good future. Please bless me so that I can come and see you at Shirdi.Dharam SinghBaba thank you for your inspiration. With Your grace I have got my Class A license. I know with Your blessing I will be stable again.NirmalaJai Sainath Maharaj. I thank You again and again for my normal MRI and blood report. Though medications given by doctors don't show much result but I have full faith in You.MozaAny devotee can feel Baba's presence around, wherever he or she might be. There are certain acts of His mercy we encounter in day-to-day life and I would like to share with all Baba devotees some of my personal experiences. My daughter, who due to some medical problems had difficulty conceiving. I was extremely sad about her condition but did turn to my Lord Sai Baba Maharaj. After praying and sobbing before Him to bless our daughter with an offspring, my Baba as always, fulfilled my wish soon after. Incidentally it happened to be a Thursday and during my evening pooja to Baba the phone rang with my son-in-law on the other end who surprised us with the greatest news, we all had been yearning for. My daughter was pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl in months to come. She has also been blessed by Baba with a lovely baby boy who is 4 months old now. Thank you Baba!SheelaSai Ram, I would like to thank Ankita from bottom of my heart for sharing the ten guidelines with each and everyone of us who is or may not be Sai devotee. You have literally opened our eyes and thought us to add up in "Sai's to do list". Keep up the good work and keep on sharing Sai's teaching with whomever you can. Sai, thank you for being always there with all your children. Sai, thank you for giving us the beautiful house to live in, I had never imagined we could buy our own house. Please always show your presence there. We love you Sai.NeerjaI am a new immigrant to Calgary, Canada. For the last two years I have been struggling to make some career and studying in University of Calgary. Two weeks before I lost my purse in a mall and I had all my credit cards and other important documents as well as house key including Baba's small album from Shirdi. I was very sure that I will find my purse as Baba is there to take care of everything in that. Surprisingly after one week on Thursday I got a call from mall's security that they found the purse intact with all the things. I will just call it a miracle of Baba and we need to have faith and patience.PujaHey Baba koti koti pranam. I just can't thank enough all my life to Baba for all He does every moment in my life. He is there at every step to help me and guide me. From smallest to the biggest problem. Baba please call me to Shirdi or tell me that this is not the right time as I have not been to Shirdi for 4 years now. I want to come to You with my husband, my children and my mother. Baba I know You are every where but I want my daughters to see their dear Baba's Shirdi. Please make it possible. You know how my husband feels about the whole thing. Only You can arrange this. It is on Your list. Thanks Ankita for the wonderful 10 sayings of God. It has changed my whole perspective of my relation with Baba. God bless all. PRAYER CLUB: RamkumarPlease bless my parents with good health and a long life and Baba I beg You, please see to that my father gives up his smoking habit. You know how much I have been praying to You for that and also given up eating my favorite vegetables. Please shower Your grace Sainath, I beg You earnestly.VandanaMy parents are going through a bad time. Please help them Baba. Shower Your blessings upon them and my brother.JBI am jobless for the last 7 months and each day am passing for Your blessings by way of a job offer. It is getting tough each day and desperately need Your blessings.MohanYou know every thing, please help my brother to find a decent job and help me to quit this habit of drinking.SreedharBaba, we need your help with regards to my success in the MBA exam, which I wrote recently. Also hope to see success with my Green Card.ShobhanaMy husband has gone abroad for job and he is not satisfied with it. Please help him and be with him always Baba and take care of him.GeetaPlease protect and bless my daughter so that she becomes well soon. Please help her get good grades in her exams.ShibaniBaba please look after Nikita and please bring her blood counts to normal soon. Please let the cause be something simple and easy to treat.RosalinI beg you in Your lotus feet Baba, please listen to my prayer. You know Baba, except You none is here for me. Please Baba, listen to my prayer and fix my marriage with the person I love.PreetiPlease help your child this time as I am entering into a new phase of my life. I don't know where my life is headed once I leave India.Sai devoteeBaba, I have so many difficult works to complete in my office. I am unable to complete these works without other co-workers help and co-operation. One of my co-worker don't want to co-operate with me. Baba please change his attitude and mind favour of me. Thank you Deva.EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: SwatiSaibaba, thank you for helping my son become calm and understanding. Everyone was telling us it is his age that makes him behave like the way he does. One day my friend told me that she was reading Sai Satcharita for her son's help and immediately I thought to do so. (Before marriage I used to go to Saibaba temple every Thursday for the evening Arati and it used to make me feel good, however after coming to the US I thought of Baba on and off but did not find out about continuing my devotion here). When I heard my friend was doing so, it felt like Baba was saying He would help me and He has not forgotten me. The day I started reading the book was the first day I saw a change in my son. By the time I finished the book he was a different child. Baba gave me strength to talk to him and somehow made changes in him that he listened to what I was telling him. (The same thing we had been saying for the last 2 years) I told him that I was reading Sai Satcharita to help him go through this difficult phase in life where his body was going through changes and making him behave bad. I asked him if he would like for me to read it loud out to him, he declined. When I started reading, he would take a book and read in the same room as me (he always resisted reading before) and would ask me everyday, what did you learn about Baba's life today. All this is a miracle for me. Thank you for blessing him, I know now You will be with him for the rest of his life and help him through his difficult times. I pray that You accept him as a devotee.VenkataI am from Bangalore, presently in USA. I had a great desire to visit USA. One of my friends told me to visit the Baba temple every Thursday continuously for seven weeks. This happened in the year 2000. I think I did seven weeks, but not continuously. So the wish did not happen. I was discussing about this to my colleague last month (October 2007). He asked me to visit the Baba temple in Bangalore. First I went to the temple at JP Nagar and later that week I went to the temple in Ulsoor. After that, I was doing my work as ever before. No possibility of visiting USA was in site. Suddenly one fine day, my manager said, I have been selected for a project in USA and I need to be there as soon as possible. Everything happened like magic. Within 14 days of my manager's announcement, I reached US. I am now in US. I still don't believe how it all happened. My heartfelt thanks to Baba. I am feeling the miracle and enjoying it. Thanks to my friend too. He is a devotee to the core. I wish and pray to Baba, to shower His blessings to all those who seek it.SitapatiI was suffering from heartburn for a while. I was too scared to go to doctor and ignoring it for some time. Everyday I used to pray Baba to cure me and relieve my symptoms. One fine day with Baba's blessings my condition got better and since then my symptoms are gone. I have done endoscopy also and everything came normal. Baba is always there for us and you just have to have the patience. Sraddha and Saburi are the two things we should have and Baba is always there for us. May Baba shower His blessings on all his devotees.QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: "Fortunate are those who keep My name on their tongue."-Shri Sai BabaQUESTION OF THE WEEK: Q. Question of the week is given below.......A. by .Q. Baba left his bodily coil for 72 hours much before his mahasamadhi. Did Baba give any indication to his devotees what transpired in those 72 hours or was there any kind of discussion on this?SAI ACTIVITIES: Special New Year Eve pooja on Monday, December 31st Temple open till midnightThis year Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago, Illinois, USA will be open till midnight on New year eve for devotees wishing to invite the new year in Baba's presence. Bhajans and Naam jaap after dhoop arathi onwards. Participate in person or in absentia in special archana pooja followed by Shej arathi at midnight to Shri Sai Baba for all His blessings in the new year. Please call temple office at 847-931-4058 for sponsorship details or questions.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, except Mondays. 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 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 7674 Sawmill Rd, Dublin, OH 43016. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday bhajans. For more information please call Panditjee at 614-799-8411 or visit www.saibaba.cc.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.FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD: In recent days many devotees are using submission forms for their writings incorrectly. Please help Sai Vichaar by sending your contribution under appropriate topics. Kindly do not use Devotee Experiences page for sending your prayer requests, and use Prayer Club for prayer requests only. A Sai devotee suggests the Question of the week for this week as follows: Q. Baba left his bodily coil for 72 hours much before his mahasamadhi- did Baba give any indication to his devotees what transpired in those 72 hrs or was there any kind of discussion on this?Humbly Yours,The EditorABOUT 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, or 3. 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 webmasterFrom and Editor:Shirdi Sai Baba Web SiteShirdi Sai Baba Sanstha(A non-profit organization)Mail:12N950 State Route 47 Hampshire, IL 60140, USAEmailmaildropPhone847-931-4058Fax847-931-4066© Copyright 1998-2006 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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