Sai Vichaar for Thursday, January 08, 2009

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Sai Vichaar

 

www.saibaba.org

 

 

Thursday , January 08, 2009 :: Volume 11, Issue 35

 

 

 

(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: Walking on the Water!

A Christian quote goes as follows, "Next time when you think you are perfect, try walking on the Water". This is in reference to the incident when Jesus walked on water to reach his disciples sailing in a ship. This incident is often quoted to extol the virtues of Jesus and hold his magnificence high. At the same time, it takes a dig at the shortcoming or limitation of men who think they are perfect. Spiritual journey with Sadhguru is unique to every soul. There are no external yardsticks and no comparisons can be drawn from one individual to the other. The argument that all are equal is also questionable since each of us are unique; hence, the question that if all are equal or not is also irrelevant. One such revelation in the context of spiritual journey is the feeling of "blessedness" and a perception that one's pursuit, standing and understanding of Sadhguru are superior to that of others. The episode of Anna Chinchanikar and Mavsibai in Sai Satchaitamritha spells the fact that none but Sadhguru is capable of judging others' devotion. In Sai path, everyone is in the process to perfection, each a work in progress. While one aspect of Sai devotion is to perfect his/her own human nature towards divinity, by the grace of Sadguru, the other aspect is to spread the love, peace, compassion and harmony that Sai has bestowed upon the self. A spiritually fulfilling journey for a Sai devotee is the spreading of love, compassion, and forgiveness that Baba has bestowed on him to others, however small that might be. None is perfect; all are just forgiven. Saibaba, the merciful fakir, the compassionate father, and the Perfect One!

 

 

 

 

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: The Perfect One

Sai Baba of Shirdi was proficient in several Yogic practices and His accomplishments are still not completely deciphered. The missing years before the Lord showed up in Shirdi is yet to be accounted for. In fact, His simplicity was deceptively dissuading to even great saadhakas that approached Shirdi. The stories of Megha and Somdev are two such examples. However, myth shattered, these great men did not waste a minute and had good fortunes of having enlisted in His Kingdom. Rarely did Baba led His followers into His physical self, be it the Dhauthi that dismayed some of the accidental onlookers or the proficiency in Sri Mad BhagavadGita Nana had seen for himself. Abdul did mention that Baba used to recite Kalma and other versed in Urdu. He also depicts incidents where Baba chatted with Moslem scholars, although such events were rare in Shirdi and probably have not been always recorded. No Mantras chanted and no benediction pronounced. He did

not prescribe any Asanas, neither had he approved fasting. Initiation may have a different connotation in spiritual world. But Baba's magic then and now has drawn several to His mystic self. Whether one would call this initiation or divine call, it is a fortune, a blessing to be revered. He is Rama the king, He is Krishna the thief (the Great one that stole butter), He is Mohammed, the Prophet, and the Messaih Jesus. Let us on this holy day reaffirm our faith to the Simple One, and the Perfect One and contemplate on His self.

(Contributed by Sai Vichaar Team)

 

 

 

 

DEVOTEES SAY: MukeshI do not know which way to lead, but I will follow wherever you take me. Please take me to your way. I want to give all the happiness to my wife, who is your extreme devotee. Please help me in this effort so that I do not let her down, Prabhu. Please accept my love offerings. We as a couple want to live our life to the fullest and want to follow your way. O my lord please provide a 'Pragya' which we need. We thank you for being with us all the time with us and have no words to express our gratitude enough.

ReenaI have had the fortune (that too by Baba's grace) to witness His blessings on our lives. I do not know where to start from but from the time when I got a seat in MBA in 1994 to getting a suitable job in an IT company in India to marrying the person of my choice to moving to US and settling down here with my husband, His blessings and grace is unmeasurable. Everything that I have in my life now is because of His presence. There were very difficult times that I faced in my life which threw me into disappointment, discouragement and disheartenment, but all I knew I could do was to pray to Baba sincerely and with all my heart. But the emphasis was also on conducting properly in terms of duties and responsibilities, doing seva as Baba emphasizes, being true in heart and mind. The list goes on and even includes the time when I performed Sai parayan for seven weeks for conceiving. We had been trying for 6 months already and

my age is certainly not on my side in this (am in my early-mid thirtiees). Miraculously for me, I conceived in the 7th week of reading. But we lost it in the 4th month. We certainly have not lost the hope though....Baba will surely bless me and my husband and I sincerely remember Him now and thank Him for all the mercies he showered on our lives. All that we want now is His grace that we hold a baby soon in our arms.

DevoteeOm Sai Ram. I need help. I did 9 guruvar(Thursday) and my worries and sadness and unhappiness is still not going away.and I need help now. I have been patient for long time but not anymore. Why my mano kamna puri nahi hoti. I pray to all God and Goddess. Sai DevoteeHey Sai Nath you are my only hope. Today is Thursday and you know how much faith I have for this day. Baba please solve my husband's business problem. Please guide him whether he should own the office or not. Baba please take him into your sharan. Help him Baba what ever decision he takes it should be in his favour. He is so much worried. Baba please help him. I will write my experience in Sai Vichar . Please Baba do some miracle.

 

 

 

 

PRAYER CLUB: MonicaYou have given me strength and have always been with me during my difficult time of past one and half years. You know all about my problems. Please show me the right path always and help me thru my new problem.

AlkaBaba Ji, thank you for all that you have given to me. Sai you know about the intelenet interview that day. I am looking for a job like this one which is close to my house also. Baba, meri job ka kuchh kara dijiye na please. JyotsnaBaba, please bless me and my husband to have a smooth move to a new apartment. Today we will go to see the apartment and we will keep your udi for blessings. Baba, please fill the apartment with lots of blessings for us. Please bless us to get all kinds of successes and happiness in our job and in our personal lives. Baba, please bless us to fulfill our desires. Please bless our daughter to have a good health and mind always. Baba, please be with us always. Baba we need you help and presence with us always.

DevoteeWhile you perhaps already know what I want, I will repeat. My life has been in turmoil for many many years and I have commited some sins too. Please help me heal from these by getting me married to her. She has always believed in you and has always prayed to you. I will do my best to take good care of her. I promise that I and she will come to visit Shirdi after marriage. Baba, please help me for without your help, nothing is possible. Please accept the prayer of this sinner. With due respect. DevoteeMy kind request in the prayer club is for my parents and sister. They are not treated properly and it is going worst day by day and they were treated like servant maid only which i am sorry to say this in the prayer club. Anyway I kindly request all Sai devotees to pray for my parents and sister. I will be the happiest lady if this miracle happens by keeping my parents and sister from that lady. Now her parents are coming back and the situation will become worst. So rest I am leaving it to Sai Baba. I know that I am wrong to express my feelings in the prayer club but nobody is there to solve this problem. So Baba has to bless my parents and sister.

DevoteeSai, please cure me. I am tired of medicines. He has finished his. You have helped us through out the course and are always helping and are with us. You know everything on my heart. How I feel and what I am going through at times. Please forgive us for our past birth sins and please fulfill my wishes. I want to see You Baba always and I want to sing in Your Praise always and I want my family to do the same always. When will You invite us useless people?

 

 

 

 

EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: UshaOn Thursday, Nov 29, 2007 I went to Sai Baba temple in Mylapore. I entered the temple at 10.30 AM at 10.40 when I wanted to for Anna Dhan, I found my purse missing. Mandir is flooded on all days, especially on Thursdays, it's packed. I was sure at 10.30 I had my purse in my handbag, because my husband gave me money for the subscription, I had kept the money in my purse and put it inside the bag. It was our Wedding Anniversary and I was terribly upset, to be very honest, I could not pray sincerely that day. I had all my cards in the purse. Fortunately, there were a couple of police constables in the Mandir, and I lodged a complaint immediately with them and blocked my cards by calling the banks from the Mandir itself. Returned home that day with a heavy heart and prayed SAI MA to get back my purse with the cards, because my purse had all the cards like medical, pan, etc?. Days elapsed, months elapsed. Suddenly on 22 March 2008, I got a call on my cell from a gentleman that he had found my purse on the road. . While he was standing in the bus stand, he saw my purse on the road, he picked it up and found a few cards along with my business card. He called me immediately the moment he saw my business card. He said in a couple of hours, he will let me know as to where I should go and pick up the purse. I was skeptical and could not believe at the first instance. That gentleman shared his contact to me, so I called my husband who was away, to get in touch with that gentleman to collect the purse. In the evening when my husband was returning from office, he had been to that gentleman's house to collect the purse. My husband was dumb founded to receive the purse along with Sai's prasad. That gentleman had been to Shirdi and just returned the previous day. He has given a couple of rare photographs of SAI MA, Udi along with the purse. WE WERE SPELL BOUND. MiniRecently I took my teenage daughter for her annual dental examination. Much to my dismay the dentist told me that she wanted to talk to me since my daughter had a white patch on her tongue. I was worried since a white patch can be a symptom for pre cancer /cancer. I prayed very hard to Sai Baba the ever benevolent and read the Sai Charitra in a week. I also mixed a little Vibudhi in water and gave it to her every day.We took an oral biopsy and by Babas' grace the report was normal and there were no abnormal cells. I made avow that I would post my experience on the Sai Vichar web site. Thank you Sai Baba and please continue to help your bhaktas overcome their problems

 

 

 

 

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

"Sai Baba often said that-let His man (Devotee) be at any distance, a thousand koss away from Him, he will be drawn to Shirdi like a sparrow, with a thread tied to its feet"-Sri Sai Satcharitha

 

 

 

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Q. Please read question below in Editors column:

 

 

 

 

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 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.

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 9pm 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. The "Question of the week" for this week is Q. Sri Sai said, "Come what may, leave not, but stick to your Bolster (support, i.e. Guru) and ever remain steady, always at-one-ment (in union) with him." How does a Sai devotee live by the above words from Baba? Humbly Yours,The Editor

 

 

 

 

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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

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Phone

847-931-4058

 

Fax

847-931-4066

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Copyright 1998-2009 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.