Sai Vichaar for Thursday , November 22, 2007

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Sai Vichaarwww.saibaba.org Thursday , November 22, 2007 :: Volume 10, Issue 28 (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: ThanksgivingWhat 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 stewardship?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, or any 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 ARTICLE: InspirationOne morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather cross my back terrace. Several times it was confronted by obstacles in its path and after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour.

At one point the ant had to negotiate a crack in the concrete about 10mm wide. After brief contemplation the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked across it and picked up the feather on the other side then continued on its way.

I was fascinated by the ingenuity of this ant, one of God's smallest creatures. It served to reinforce the miracle of creation. Here was a minute insect, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome. But this ant, like the two-legged co-residents of this planet, also shares human failings.

After some time the ant finally reached its destination - a flowerbed at the end of the terrace and a small hole that was the entrance to its underground home. And it was here that the ant finally met its match. How could that large feather possibly fit down small hole?Of course it could not, so the ant, after all this trouble and exercising great ingenuity, overcoming problems all along the way, just abandoned the feather and went home.

The ant had not thought the problem through before it began its epic journey and in the end the feather was nothing more than a burden. Isn't our life like that?

We worry about our family; we worry about money or the lack of it, we worry about work, about where we live, about all sorts of things. These are all burdens - the things we pick up along life's path and lug them around the obstacles and over the crevasses that life will bring, only to find that at the destination they are useless and we can't take them with us.(Contributed by Ankita)DEVOTEES SAY: GeetaFirst of all let me thank the Sai Vichaar team for giving us a platform to share our feelings towards our beloved Baba. Just last week I submitted a prayer through this site requesting Sai's divine intervention for a medical seat for my son. Today being Thursday as soon as I finished my kakad arathi and begging You to give me Darshan, You did appear on TV. I did see Your mangala moorthi. Thank you Baba, you are really the merciful Fakir. Immediately my telephone rang and my son told me he got seat in not one but 3 medical schools. I don't know how to express my joy Sai. It is nothing but Your krupa. Thank you Sai for blessing your child. Please keep our family under Your protective wings always.ShamikThank you Baba for helping us sell our house in a short time. It would not have been possible without Your grace and blessing!!NaveenSaibaba, thank you very much for your blessings on our cousin's newborn son. I heard that he is doing well. Thanks again and please continue to bless us.VenkatasrinivasBaba has helped me a lot in my life. Today whatever I get that is because of Him only. Recently one of my friends was about to be fired from the organization. When I heard that I started praying Baba to bless him and if every thing goes fine I thought I would post it in Sai Vichaar. The next day everything was cleared and he continued in his job. Thank you Baba and I once again pray Him to shower His blessings to all my family members and friends. We all require your helping hand!RajuThank you for Your blessings. I got laid off last month. I prayed to Sai Baba everyday to get me a good full time job opportunity. Sai blessed me with very nice job. I prayed with full faith in Saibaba. I know Sai did for this for a reason; I left it to Sai to decide for me. I know Sai always takes care of His devotees. I truly believe it is a miracle, what happened with me, I could not believe I got 2 competing offers. Daily chanting Sai's name, praying and completely believing in Sai, He will take care of every devotee. Sai, I bow to You, bless our family and bless us with one more child. Please, I am praying for this for a long time, you know Baba, I leave it You.

PraveenaDear Baba, we have suffered a lot in the past 7 months and now it is only by Your blessings that both of us got jobs. Please forgive us for any mistakes, which we might have committed knowingly or unknowingly.SirishaBaba, I sincerely thank you for Your blessings. I faired well in my examination and secured good percentage. Its all Your grace Baba and I also request to bless my brother so that he can go through the CAT examination well.RamkumarLast week, it so happened that I was a little careless (or should I say over confident) that I made a few glaring mistakes at work which could have earned me a bad name. I prayed to Baba earnestly to forgive for my mistakes and save me from disgrace because of my carelessness and vowed to be more careful. To my delight, Baba ensured that the situation didn't get worse and helped me to rectify them gracefully.PRAYER CLUB: ChandrakalaBaba, please bless my husband and me and see to this that we should be able to start our family soon and should be blessed with a healthy and beautiful baby. Baba please listen to my prayers. Soon please let me hear wonderful news about my pregnancy.Sai AkhilDear Baba, thank you very much for saving my little one. He is so little and he can't take this pain anymore. Please save us.SumitJai Sai Ram, please pray for me. I have applied for work permit extension in UK, please do pray for me.JayanthOm Sai Ram, my mother-in-law is not keeping well for the past few weeks. Baba, please bless her and shower her with Your blesssings to regain her lost strength. She is the strong pillar of the family. Only You can remove this agony. We completely trust you as always. You have showered us with so many miracles in life.Sai devoteeA thousand namaskars to You, oh deva. Oh Sai please please let him realize his mistake and come back to me. Why did he behave like this? He should realize that what he has done has hurt me and should come back into my life. Kindly bless all Sai devotees.HarshanaSai, You know what Adi is going through, please relieve him from that terrible pain. I apologize on his behalf for any mistakes he or even I have made. Please cure him soon. I have complete faith in You. Sai, please don't let him suffer.ChitraDear Sai Baba , please solve our endless problems. Cure my mother's illness. Keep my parents happy. I would like my daughter to be married soon to a good boy from a good indian family and bless her with a good married life. Bless my son with a good future. Let my children be devoted to You. Please solve my husband's problems and give him peace of mind. Let me not ever forget You till the end of time. Please grant me my wish to have darshan of You. Sai devoteeOm Shri Satchidanand Satguru Sainath Maharaj Ki Jai!! Saibaba my daughters are trying extremely hard to get a house in camp area, closer to my house so that life becomes more and more easier in every respect. I beg you to help them as always and grant their wish. I shall post my article in Sai Vichaar.

VenkatWith the blessings of Lord Sai things are slowly coming back to normal after my father's passing away. It was really surprising and shocking. I pray to almighty Baba to give strength, courage and good health to all our family members in general and to my mother and my wife in particular. We always look at him for His blessings and for inner strength. Also I sincerely pray at His lotus feet for my father's soul to rest in peace. Where ever He is, we need His guidance and blessings.EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: PadminiOm Sainathaya Namah. Few years ago, someone told me about Shirdi Sai Baba, I did not give much importance at that time. But, recently, one of my colleagues at office who is a staunch believer of Baba told me about Baba and asked me to read Baba's Satcharita as Saptaha. As my wedding was not happening for a long time, I started to believe Baba and as per my colleague's words, I visited Baba's mandir and started to read Baba's Sai Satcharita with full faith and devotion. Also, I was suffering from sciatic nerve disorder for 4 years and the pain was so terrible, chronic and unbearable, there was a time I could neither walk, stand nor sit. My entire leg was badly swollen due to blood clot. But it was Baba's miracles, that during my 4th day of reading Satcharita as Saptaha, I could sense and feel that something was turning in my leg. After sometime, I felt I was relieved from the pain by 50 percent and the next morning another 25 percent was reduced. I could feel that my leg was lighter than before. I was very happy and thanked Baba for His grace and blessings on me. I am very grateful and thankful to Baba for His mercy that I cannot express it in words. I seek His grace on me, every moment of my life on earth. Baba, please bless me with good life partner and good married life as early as possible. You are my guide, protector from evil, and help me in all my endeavors in life. Baba has given me so much peace of mind that I focus on my work and leave the rest to His decision both in official and personal life.AjayOm Sai. May be this is not new to all Sai devotees. But want to share with Sai family. Last Thursday Sai blessed me. When I was sleeping, He stood there and said to me "You are my devotee". I was in a bliss supreme. When I was in problems I prayed many at times to Sai to bless me. Two weeks back I posted an article in devotees forum asking to bless my friend's mother with good health, as she was suffering from liver problem. After my posting, she got cured gradually and now she is on her own, going for walk, attending classes, even going for shopping. It is all because of Sai. Then the next Thursday he accepted me as His devotee after removing all my problems and curing my friend's mother health.QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: "Remember that the rainy clouds come to pass. I am always there with you.".-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 any kind of discussion on this?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, 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. For example use Devotee Experiences page for sending your experiences 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 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.