Category Archives: Editor

Return Love for Hatred

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When Baba arrived in Shirdi, many did not recognize Him as God. Young kids thought He was a queer person and would often pelt Him with stones. Do you know what Baba would do to those kids? Baba was strong as a wrestler but instead of getting angry with them, He would seek each child out and offer sugar candies. Such was Baba’s love.

In Puttaj_3parthi, too, Bhagwan Shri Sathya Sai Baba taught the same message — the message of love. Once, one of His devotees was traveling by plane and the same was hijacked by terrorists. As bullets were flying across, the devotee nervously connected with Baba in her heart. She asked for Baba’s guidance. Surprisingly, none of the bullets were touching her or her husband. That is the shield of Baba’s protection.

Baba suggested a strange solution. He asked her to look at the terrorists with love. The devotee followed Baba’s instructions and as one of the hijackers came close to her, he pointed his gun toward her. She looked at him with intense love. No sooner did she do so, he became extremely nervous (overpowered with love) and the gun fell off his hand. Needless to say, both husband and wife were unharmed during the entire episode.

Leave your Burdens to Me and be Light like a Feather!

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That is what Baba says. Modern life can cause a lot of stress but Baba always assures us that He is the one who is carrying us through life and so there is no need to worry. He gave the following illustration to clarify the concept:
Once, a villager was traveling by train. As soon as he entered the train, he placed all his luggage on his head. One person asked him, “Sir, why are your carrying the luggage on your head? The train is carrying all the weight already.” The innocent villager replied, “I don’t want to trouble the train with the weight of my luggage and so I am carrying it on my own head.”
Baba likens us to the innocent villager. Our worries and anxieties are the heavy luggage we are carrying on our head. The truth is that God is carrying our burdens already so there is no need to place all the worries on our head.
Let us leave all our burdens at His feet. He will take care of everything!


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What Should we Ask from Baba?

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Baba says that all the treasures in the universe are at His disposal and that we can seek anything we like. What, then, should we ask? The Lord illustrated this with a beautiful story.

Once, a king held an exhibition and put all his treasures there. He then called his subjects and said, “My dear children, you can all come and take anything you like from my treasures. I have given everything to all of you.” No sooner did he make this announcement, all his subjects thronged to the exhibition. Some carried away gold coins, others took furniture, still others took away food and pleasures … each person took all that she/he desired. The king was watching his subjects with great astonishment when an elderly lady came there.

She stood at the entrance of the exhibition and did not appear to be interested in anything that was there. The king was surprised at her behavior and rushed to her. He said, “Why do you not take anything?” The lady replied, “I don’t want all those things.” The king was surprised further and started tempting her with money, lands, servants, elephants, horses, and the like. She refused all those things. Then the king begged her, “Please take something. I really want to give.”

The lady then said, “Do you promise to give me whatever I ask?” By now the king was completely in awe of her detachment and said, “I promise, I will give you whatever you ask.” The old lady then said, “I want you!”

The king was taken aback for a moment, but he had to keep his word and said, “Honorable Lady, I am all yours.” Then the old woman explained that the people who sought small petty treasures were missing out on an important thing — the king with a golden heart. Which king would be so generous and such a king must be a great human being and that is why the lady wanted him. Now that she had him, all the treasures in the kingdom — nay, the entire kingdom — was hers. The king applauded her wisdom and gave her a permanent place in his palace.

Baba says that we must be like the old lady. We must not worry about the trifles in the universe, but rather God (the greatest giver) Himself. Once we have Him, everything in the universe is ours.



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What is the Most Important Quality a Sai Devotee Must Have?

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Life is an amazing learning experience and Baba is the most magnificent sadguru one can have. Baba does not teach with words, but rather through real life experiences — ones that we can never forget. Often time, Baba will bring forth similar experiences in our life repeatedly until we learn to correct our inner weaknesses. A spiritual aspirant who is prone to anger, for example, may repeatedly find himself in situations that test his patience until the person learns to get control that particular weakness. Once that is done, Baba may choose to work on another aspect of spiritual development. Each one of us has our own journey, though, and only Sai is capable of leading us ALL to ultimate perfection. If we stick with Baba, He will accomplish that without fail.

Baba often says that He is like a jeweler who takes raw gold and molds it into perfect jewels worthy of being worn by God Himself (through life’s experiences). All that is needed on our part is patience and faith in His wisdom.

Once, the author was serving Baba and was marveling at all the transcendental spiritual qualities described by great saints. He was wondering how to gain control over one’s mind and achieve that super-transcendental stage when Baba called for him and asked “What is the most important quality a spiritual aspirant should have?” Baba knows how to prick the bubble at the right time and He does so in His own beautiful way. Along with the question, Baba sent two people to the author. These individuals behaved in a manner that would be enough to elicit an angry response from any reasonable person. With Baba’s grace, the author was able to maintain his composure and he did not respond to their behavior but at the same time, he was strained by the situation.

It was then that he was reminded of Mother Sai’s saying: “One cannot oblige always, but one can always speak obligingly.” As he pondered over this saying, it flashed on him that the most important quality a spiritual aspirant should have is “LOVE!” Isn’t that what Baba teaches us “Love ALL, Serve ALL!” As he conveyed his response to Baba’s question, Swami smiled and agreed. Love is indeed the most important quality a Sai devotee should have.

Why worry about complex spiritual concepts when the simple practice of “love” is enough to help us win Baba’s grace.

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The Easiest Way to Win Baba’s Heart

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Sometimes, years of penance does not move the Lord even slightly, but the slightest selfless gesture moves Him, the ocean of bliss, into tears. At Om Sai Mandir, we have experienced numerous leelas of Baba and His constant presence and guidance. We are sharing a wonderful experience that left us completely in awe of Baba’s magnificent powers and His boundless love for all of us.

About five years back, Om Sai Mandir received a call from a South Indian school dedicated to blind, orphan children. They were visiting the US for a performance and wanted our assistance with transportation, food, accommodation, and the like. Since the group consisted of small children who had none except Sai, we decided to do our part and serve them in accordance with Baba’s teachings (“Love All, Serve All”). The volunteers at the mandir are ever-eager to render selfless service and so everyone started preparing for the kids’ arrival. We picked them from the airport and arranged for their overnight stay at the local YMCA. In the morning, our volunteers picked them up and brought them to the mandir. During the day, they were served in all possible ways. Some volunteers helped them put on their shoes, others carried their bags around, still others arranged for their food and other comforts. During their stay, we did everything in compliance with Swami’s teachings. We continued serving the children during their stay and finally helped them back to the airport.

The children were treated as we treat our own family members and we could tell they were very happy. Everyone’s eyes were filled with tears because these children were so beautiful and so talented. Their physical challenge did not deter their spirit in the least.

Little did we know (or expect) the big surprise Baba had in store for us. Seva is never rendered with the expectation of any reward or recognition (even by God) and all this was done silently without any public display.

The Thursday immediately after the event is when we discovered the impact of our small seva. That day, we heard literally hundreds of stories of Baba’s intervention, grace, and help to the devotees who come regularly to the mandir. In addition to miracles that happened at the mandir, some recovered from long-term (otherwise incurable) health issues, others told of Baba’s dreams and visions, still others had their legal problems solved … these were not isolated occurrences … every single person who came to the mandir that day — every single person — came with good news. Most talked about “obstacles” that had been nagging them for years and felt that they were miraculously resolved on that particular day.

It is very normal to witness Baba’s leelas at Om Sai Mandir, but what was significant about that day was the collective wave of leelas that every single person had to share. A wise elder then explained that Baba was indeed pleased to see the visiting children happy. These differently-abled children had none except God and since they were served, God, too, was happy and He was displaying His happiness in this manner — by providing grace to His devotees.

We have witnessed many similar incidences when Baba has expressed His happiness with acts of selfless service. His presence is also felt very strongly during group bhajans and devotional gatherings.

During both Sai avatars, Baba has taught us the importance of selfless service. One afternoon, Mrs. Tarkhad, a devotee of Baba saw a hungry dog and felt great mercy for him. She immediately fed him with a piece of bread. When she met Baba that day, He said:

“Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up to my throat, My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well.” She could not at first understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied, “Baba, how could I feed You? I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment.” Then Baba replied, “Eating that lovely bread I am heartily contended and I am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals and to which you gave the piece of bread is one with Me, so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows, etc.) are one with Me. I am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction, and serve Me, as you did today.”

God is like a child. He does not need complicated rituals and expensive gifts. What really pleases Him are heartfelt prayers and selfless service. Selfless service is the royal expressway to God!

Did Baba Ever Get Angry?

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By The Editor, Sai Sandesh

Anger is a human quality. The Divine Lord is devoid of anger. He is pure love, bliss, and happiness. At times, Baba did feign anger to transform His devotees and that would be like a mother scolding the child for its own benefit. Even the mother’s “feigned anger,” however, is filled with selfless love. There is not a trace of hatred interlaced with anger.

In both Sai avatars, Baba appeared angry to human understanding, but in reality He was acting out of pure love. To quote a few instances: Once, a saint called Gadge Maharaj came to Shirdi because he was having some trouble starting a divine project. As soon as Baba saw Him, Baba let loose a volley of angry words. The onlookers were perplexed but Gadge Maharaj starting laughing and was very happy (because he could understand a fraction of Baba’s glory). As soon as Baba spoke those words, all the difficulties in way of the Maharaj’s project disappeared. This was the reason why Gadge Maharaj was so happy. How Divine are Baba’s acts.
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In Puttaparthi, too, Baba would often act in this manner to transform His children. Once, a married woman came to Baba with a strange problem. Her husband was very suspicious and he would always doubt on her. Baba called the couple for an interview and explained to the husband that his wife was pure and holy like mother Sita. Despite Baba’s intervention, the husband’s mind was filled with unnecessary doubts.

When the couple was returning to their home, the husband was sleeping in the train. Suddenly, he was awakened to a strange phenomenon. In the train, an orange light appeared from nowhere and from that light emerged Baba. He sat on the man and started beating him up, repeatedly telling the man to believe the fact that his wife was pure and holy. Finally, the husband relented and assured Baba that he will never doubt her again. No sooner did he do so, Baba blessed the couple and disappeared. After some time, Baba was telling devotees that He never gets angry. At that time, Kasturi, a close devotee of Baba, jested: “Baba are you sure you never get angry? What about that poor husband you beat up?” Baba burst into laughter and explained that the mild beating was to transform the man and not to hurt him.

Such is Baba’s love. We can never understand Baba, but we can always stand-under Baba, always surrendered to His divine will. Whatever He does will be for our own good. Baba can never harm His children. Impossible!

The Royal Shortcut to God: Love All, Serve All!

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By The Editor, Sai Sandesh

We are accustomed to instant and easy ways to accomplish our goals. Fortunately, Baba has shown us two shortcuts that truly work: selfless service and constant chanting of God’s Divine Name. Saints and religious leaders in all parts of the world perform intense prayers to please God and once they achieve self realization, many return to the world to serve others selflessly.

Aren’t we fortunate that Baba has put us on the path of selfless service from the very beginning itself? Serving God that is present in every man is a sure way to please God, as He is easily pleased with selfless service.

Once, there was a devotee of Lord Vitthal. He had performed intense prayers and had gained the ability to converse with Lord Vitthal at will. The Lord would appear to His child instantly, whenever He was called.

Once, it so happened that a big saint was visiting the village where this devotee resided. The saint was famous for his magnificent powers and was said to have achieved the highest stage of self realization. A huge assembly had gathered in his presence. The saint had a queer method to evaluate his followers. He would take a small hammer and knock it lightly on the head of individual followers (as if checking a coconut). After doing so, he would declare “ripe” or “unripe” depending on the individual’s spiritual progress. When he tested the devotee of Lord Vitthal, he proclaimed “UNRIPE!” in a thunderous voice.

The latter was shocked and ran to his prayer shrine, where the Lord appeared to his devotee instantly. When the devotee questioned to the Lord, Vitthal said that He agreed with the saint’s assessment. Now, the devotee was shocked. After intense prayers, he had obtained the vision of the Lord. What more was left to be achieved?

The Lord then directed him on the right path and he understood that the highest state is one where the individual recognizes his unity with God and the entire creation (all beings). Now, he started practicing his new-found knowledge and progressed very rapidly.

After some time, it so occurred that the devotee was called to participate in a conference of sages. While the meeting was progressing, an old and sick dog arrived there and snatched a piece of bread that was to be offered to the deity.

While others in the room wanted to beat the dog for the sacrilege, the devotee ran behind the dog with a container of ghee (clarified butter). He ran behind the dog, screaming like a mad man: “Vitthal, don’t eat the bread without the butter, or it will get stuck in your throat.”

Instantly, everyone understood that he was RIPE beyond description.

Is Sai Baba a Guru, Sadguru, or God?

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By The Editor, Sai Sandesh

The Sai Satcharita is an ocean of knowledge and for many Sai devotees, it represents not just a holy book; it is a pathway to Sai and His teachings.

After reading the Sai Satcharita, some come away with the feeling that Baba is an enlightened Sadguru or a higher level guru. While it is true that Baba is a Sadguru (the highest guru), one needs to put Hemadpant’s writing in context. The most honorable Hemadpant was an ardent reader of Guru Charitra, the holy gospel that recounts the life of Lord Dattatreya. When Hemadpant refers to the word guru or Sadguru, he is likening Baba to an avatar of Lord Datta (who symbolizes the Supreme Lord).

Baba is the Supreme Lord who incarnated as a “guru avatar” — an incarnation of God who came to teach mankind the way to God. As such, He is the guru of gurus, a divine Sadguru.

There is a subtle, but important, difference between a guru and a guru avatar. Although both represent the same essence of the divine principle, a guru avatar is the Supreme Lord who takes incarnation as a divine teacher. A “true” guru, on the other hand, is a great enlightened being who has risen to the state of enlightenment and has therefore become one with God.

In fact, Baba’s greatness is incomparable. Although Baba acted as a human being, He is the Highest Universal Absolute (God) in human form. Many saints have extolled the wonderful glories of Baba. Meher Baba, a divine incarnation Himself, often said that Sai Baba is the creator of this universe. When someone asked Him about Baba’s exploits in privacy, Meher Baba replied that when Baba created the universe, He made it perfect. When alone, He does minor maintenance on the universe, such as adjusting the positions of stars, planets, galaxies, and other cosmic bodies.
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Another enlightened saint said that even if he were to take 127 births, he could NOT attain even a fraction of Baba’s greatness.

We can never comprehend Baba’s glories, but we can easily love Him and bask in His grace.

Not everyone qualifies to be called a guru. True gurus are rare and in today’s age and one must seek the Divine within our hearts — Baba!

Don’t Waste your Life on Lower Thoughts

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Spirituality has often been ridiculed and condemned by intellectuals, but the truth is that spirituality is far beyond intellectual pursuits. While science explores within the confines of time, space, and matter, spirituality enlightens one on the transcendental, the realm of the Universal Absolute.

Baba has often told us that our thoughts are very powerful and they must therefore be carefully channelized toward Godly pursuits. It is only fairly recently that science has started recognizing this wisdom. Scientists are now able to capture thoughts through ultra-modern technologies. These thought forms are then used to power and direct robotic instruments that benefit individuals who have been partially or completely paralyzed.

Our sages knew the power of thought waves as potent energies. Ancient sages did not communicate through cell phones. Instead, they utilized thought waves to speak with each other. These sages could walk in space, teleport themselves to distant spaces and galaxies, regrow amputated limbs, and perform many acts that modern man would marvel as miraculous. Our inventions appear trifles when compared to the inner power of these saints.

Many timeless secrets are encoded within laws of spirituality. Baba has given us these truths through His simple teachings. Take the instance of good thoughts. Baba has often extolled the power of simple, noble thoughts as being uplifting and conducive to our own enlightenment.

If thoughts are so powerful, imagine the damage we do to ourselves when we indulge in basal thoughts. Conversely, consider the benefits to be reaped if we constantly engage in Godly, noble thoughts.

Brain scans have confirmed these truths. When we think loving thoughts, our brains reward our bodies through release of beneficial chemicals whereas unwanted thoughts release harmful substances that damage our body. Isn’t stress a form of such negative conditioning?

From hereon consider cultivating beneficial, loving thoughts and channelize these toward Baba. If you have difficulty, resort to chanting the Divine Name of Baba. Slowly, but surely, the mind will calm down and allow you to focus your energies on Baba.

Victory comes to those go beyond trying. Victory belongs to those persist despite repeated failures.

Emerge victorious through Sai naama smarana.