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Sai Sandesh Volume
5, Issue 6; June 2008 |
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In this issue |
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Have blind faith
in the guru
Arjuna--the
ever-shining beacon light
Sai Wisdom
Faith - Oka
Chinna Katha
Our techie
Baba's miracles
Share!
Swami doesn't need
electric fans
God serves us!
Fear of death
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Have blind faith in the
guru |
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By The Sai Sandesh Team |
If we resort to Sai Baba's feet our
sufferings are minimized significantly. Whatever little pain and
suffering we undergo is a very small fraction of what we would have to
undergo had we not resorted to Baba.
The ways of a guru are often difficult to understand. Through, what
appear to be strange actions, a guru always benefits his devotee in ways
that are beyond human understanding.
Once, Mahaavatar Babaji, an immortal 2,000-year-old Himalayan Saint, was
sitting with his band of disciples. Suddenly, he struck a hard blow to
the shoulder of a disciple. The remaining disciples were very upset at
this strange behavior and questioned the necessity of hitting an
innocent person.
Babaji smiled and explained that the disciple was to die at that time
and Babaji had saved his life by kindly substituting the blow of his
stick for what was to be the blow of death.
There are innumerable instances where the guru's grace has helped in
overcoming karma. Guru Thirupalluvar, while at his deathbed, instructed
Elela Surya that after the samadhi the disciple should pull the body
with a rope and drag it across the village. The devotee was shocked to
hear this order but knew that implicit obedience was the best course of
action for any disciple.
After the master's death, the disciple dragged his body across the
village. The villagers were disgusted to see this behavior and threw
stones at him. Despite the blood and pain, with tear-filled eyes, the
devotee continued dragging his master's body for three full days.
Finally, at the end of three days he turned around to look at the
master's body and was horrified to see the torn remains of his beloved
master. The scene was unbearable for him and he died immediately. Why
did the guru instruct his disciple in this manner?
The master had foreseen that the disciple, due to karmic forces, was to
be reborn in a fallen state for three subsequent births. By making the
disciple adopt this course of action, karmas that would otherwise take
three births were exhausted within a short span of three days and the
disciple was liberated.
Sai Baba has helped (and continues to) countless souls. He has saved
innumerable devotees from critical dangers and has uplifted many souls
from the common realm of mortality to the perfect state of a sadguru.
Kashinath Upasani is one such example. Kashinath came to Baba as an
ordinary person but within a short span of four years, Baba transformed
him into a perfect master.
The journey wasn't easy, though. From enduring harassment from young
boys to suffering the pangs of hunger and abject poverty, Kashinath
quietly underwent a lot of suffering. As a result of this process of
karmic elimination, he was transformed to a perfect saint within a
remarkably short period of time.
During the course of life, we are often subjected to pain and suffering.
The purpose of these events is not to hurt us but rather to help us
evolve to a higher level. Those who understand this truth will surrender
to Baba and continue living their lives in accordance with His will.
The difficult times we face are really a very small fraction of we would
have to undergo were it not for Baba's grace. What is wanted on our part
is firm faith in Baba and ceaseless chanting of His name. Sai is sure to
pull us out of all dangers. |
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Sri Rudra
Abhishekam - 11 Times Daily |
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For the welfare of humanity,
Sri Rudra Abhishekam is being performed eleven times a day. The prayers start at 8.00 A.M. and continue until 11.30
A.M. All are welcome to participate. |
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Arjuna--the ever-shining
beacon light |
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The Sai Sandesh Team |
Arjuna stands forth as a shining example
of what can be achieved through devotion and unconditional surrender to
God. By relying on Lord Krishna, Arjuna was able to defeat a mighty army
and re-establish the victory of truth over untruth and righteousness
over unrighteousness.
At the start of the Mahabharata War, Lord Krishna asked both Arjuna and
Duryodhana to choose between Krishna and His mighty army. Arjuna wisely
chose Krishna while Duryodhana, under the influence of maya (illusion),
chose Krishna's mighty army. Arjuna was wise in choosing the Lord and he
was therefore able to win against such powerful forces. Through this
incidence, Arjuna has established a wonderful example for all of us to
follow. If we chose God over his mighty army (personifying illusion,
worldly pleasures, fame, money, and the like) we will surely win the
battle of life and achieve the ultimate goal of liberation. If, however,
we behave like Duryodhana and run after worldly objects, we are sure to
suffer spiritual martyrdom.
It was Arjuna's decision of choosing Krishna that protected him
throughout the battle. During the battle Ashwatthama, the powerful
warrior, released the powerful missile Narayan Astra on the Pandava
army. Further, the divine weapon was so designed that nothing could work
against it-it could never fail. As soon as this weapon was released it
caused havoc in the Pandava army. Soldiers were dying by the millions
and it appeared as if the entire Pandava dynasty was going to be wiped
out that day. Finding themselves completely helpless, the Pandavas
surrendered to Lord Krishna and sought his refuge. In response to their
prayers, Krishna advised Pandavas to adopt an unusual strategy. He asked
them to drop all weapons and stand humbly in front of the missile. With
implicit obedience, Arjuna and his brothers stood as instructed by
Krishna. The weapon immediately calmed down and disappeared. This was a
miracle and it happened only because of their reliance on Krishna.
Such was Arjuna's surrender to Krishna. He set aside all logic and
quietly obeyed the commands of the Lord. Pointing to a bird, Krishna
once asked Arjuna, "Do you see that peacock?" Arjuna responded in the
affirmative. "Oh Arjuna, it is not a peacock; it is an eagle," said
Krishna. Arjuna promptly agreed. The naughty Krishna then said, "I am
sorry; it is a dove." Arjuna approved again. "It is not a dove at all;
it is a crow," asserted the mischievous Lord. Arjuna acceded yet again.
Krishna was now roaring with laughter, as if mocking Arjuna's blind
agreements. The wise Arjuna, however, gave an eye-opening response:
"What you say is the truth for me. You can make a crow into a dove, or a
peacock into an eagle. Why should I differ from what you declare? Your
word is the truth I go by." Arjuna had realized that the five elements
were nothing but God's slaves and would unfailingly carry out His
command.
It was for his devotion and foresight that Krishna instructed Arjuna in
the knowledge of Gita and made him an instrument for conveying God's
message to mankind. As such, Arjuna is a true beacon light for the rest
of humanity. |
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Sai Wisdom |
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I have come to light the lamp of
Love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added
luster. I have not come on behalf of any exclusive religion. I
have not come on a mission of publicity for a sect or creed or
cause, nor have I come to collect followers for a doctrine. I
have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into my fold or
any fold. I have come to tell you of this unitary faith, this
spiritual principle, this path of Love, this virtue of Love,
this duty of Love, this obligation of Love.
-- July 04, 1968, BABA |
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Faith |
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Oka Chinna Katha |
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During the Second World War, a
steamer carrying Indian Sepoys sunk as a result of bombardment
by the Japanese. Many lost their lives. However, five among them
managed to row their lifeboat and hoped to survive despite the
surging ocean. They were tossed around for many hours.
One of them became desperate and cried, "The sea will swallow
me. I will be a meal for the sharks." He drowned immediately.
Another, wept for his family saying, "Oh, I am dying without
arranging for my family's future." He, too, lost faith in his
survival and died. The third sepoy thought, "I have with me the
policy and documents of insurance. What a pity!" I should have
kept them at home.
What will my wife do? I am sure to die." He also died. The other
two men reinforced each other's faith in God and said, "We shall
not yield to fear. We shall prove that however desperate the
situation may be, God will certainly protect man if he has faith
in Him."
Even as they were talking like this, a helicopter sent from a
coastal ship spotted these two men and hauled them to safety.
After a safe landing they said, "It was only five minutes
between victory and defeat. Faith earned the victory, while the
lack of it caused defeat and death." |
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Our techie Baba's
miracles |
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By The Editor, Sai Sandesh |
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Many consider Baba's role as being
limited to showering spiritual blessings. The argument is
certainly true, but not all-inclusive. While Baba's larger plan
is to make us progress spiritually, He is also here to take care
of our daily needs. Sai is the giver of both bhukti (worldly
benefits) and mukti
(liberation), the latter being the real goal. A villager was
traveling by train for the first time.
Out of ignorance, he placed all the luggage on his head thinking
it would ease the train's burden by not having to carry the
extra weight. Would it have made a difference if he had put the
luggage on the floor? In reality, the train was bearing the
burden of both the man and his luggage, and where the weight was
placed was immaterial.
Our habit of worrying can be compared to this ignorant person,
for, whether we realize it or not, God is like the moving train
who is always carrying us forward (with the burden of all our
worries and responsibilities). What is the use worrying then?
We just need to place all our worries at His lotus feet. In one
of His eleven assurances Baba has said, "If you cast your burden
on me, I will certainly bear it."
The current issue of Sai Sandesh is a case in point. Weeks of
preparation had gone into the writing of the Beacon Lights and
Editorial articles. Unfortunately, the laptop storing those
files crashed one night. (Translation: all Sai Sandesh files for
the current issue were lost.) It was a huge blow (and also a
lesson to not forget the human part of backing up), considering
the deadline for submission was nearing. Several rescue attempts
failed and the computer wouldn't even start. Swami always comes
to the rescue in such instances, and a strong inner voice asked
us to wait until the following morning. The Sai Sandesh team
decided to follow the intuition. The next morning, all attempts
to reboot the computer were unsuccessful again. Sai was not to
let us down so easily, however. Immediately, a strong inner
voice again guided us with simple troubleshooting instructions.
The instructions, though very unusual, were followed and the
computer rebooted miraculously, with all files intact. This
wasn't an isolated incidence, though. Swami's guiding hand is
always helping all his children. A devotee with no previous
programming background was once forced to undertake a project in
which he had to code a website using the programming language
ASP (Active Server Pages). The devotee somehow managed to finish
most of the work, but the application would not work.
Finally, after exhausting all his intelligence, efforts, and
references, he sincerely prayed to Swami saying, "I am going to
close my eyes and put my fingers on the "lower arrow" key to
scroll through the code. Wherever I stop should be the place
where the error is occurring." He then closed his eyes and
scrolled for a few seconds.
Much to his surprise, the problem was exactly at the line where
he stopped. For several hours, the devotee had relied on his own
intelligence and met with failure; however, the moment he
invoked Sai's blessings-and expressed his sincere reliance on
God, the task was accomplished within seconds.
Baba is always eager to help and will come rushing to our rescue
when called. While Sai is always protecting and guiding
everyone, many fail to recognize-or underestimate-his guiding
hand and protection.
Many attribute successes to their own efforts or intelligence.
The truth, however, is that even the act of breathing cannot be
accomplished without God's infinite grace. He who recognizes
this truth and sees the hand of God in everything is truly
blessed. |
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Share! |
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Readers of Sai Sandesh would love
to hear your experiences, stories, miracles, articles,
suggestions, etc. for publication in forthcoming issues of Sai
Sandesh.
Please e-mail your contributions to the editor’s attention at:
saisandesh@omsaimandir.org
Your contributions will benefit thousands of readers of Sai
Sandesh. |
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Swami doesn't need
electric fans |
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Puttaparthi recently (August 09 to
August 20, 2006) witnessed the performance of a grand Athi Rudra
Mahayagna (holy ritual where Rudram is chanted thousands of
times) -- an event so great, it happened only once before in the
history of mankind when Lord Shiva Himself performed it, many
thousands of years ago, to promote world peace.
We are very fortunate to be living in present times when Sai
Shiva re-established the glory of this holy rite by performing
it in the midst of thousands of devotees.While the yagna was
being performed many strange incidences were reported throughout
the world, including a report of sea water tasting sweet.
Whether the occurrences had a direct correlation with the yagna
is known only to Baba, but it is worth mentioning that many such
phenomena were reported during the same time span.
Reverting to the place of the yagna, Puttaparthi, among the many
miracles that devotees experienced at the event, the author was
humbled by a unique experience that sheds some light into the
divine glory of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Throughout the event, Sai Kulwant Hall was packed to capacity,
and the heat emerging from the flames of the mahayagna was
intensified manifold by the presence of the large gathering.
Aggravating the unbearable heat was the afternoon sun that
relentlessly tested the patience and enthusiasm of the
gathering. Despite the physical ordeal, we were all craning our
necks to witness the magnificent prayer orchestrated by none
other than the Lord.
All along I was joking in my mind: "Swami you should install
fans in this hall." Much to my surprise, one afternoon, we
experienced a sudden drop in the oven-like temperatures. A
strong gush of cool breeze caused the beautiful decorations to
dance in a wave-like fashion. I was thrilled to get some relief
but was immediately distracted by the Vedic chants that were
welcoming Swami.
At first, I failed to correlate Swami's entry with the gift of
breeze, but this incidence repeated itself over the next few
days with impeccable precision -- as soon as Swami would enter
the hall, a cool wind would start blowing. My observation was
confirmed by fellow-devotees nearby, who had experienced the
same act of grace. Swami doesn't need fans that run on
electricity -- the Lord of Wind himself is a slave to the
commands of Bhagavan.
-- Sai Devotee, New York |
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God Serves Us! |
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Many live with the mistaken notion
that devotees serve God and God just sits and enjoys all these
offerings and prayers. The truth couldn't be farther.
If one were to get a sneak peek into God's office, we are sure
there would be an endless pile of prayers and requests awaiting
God's [immediate!] attention. Add to that God's daily duties --
making sure the universe runs in order (sun, moon, solar system
… the entire universe, basically), ensuring all His children are
well-fed and well taken care of, taking incarnations on earth
and other places, patiently listening to our constant complaints
and suggestions about how the world (and our lives) should be
run, making sure His ministers (angels and demigods) are doing
their jobs in compliance with allotted job descriptions,
resolving universal problems, keeping the devils in check …
phew, the list appears to be endless. He does all this
single-handedly, and despite such a busy work schedule, God,
surprisingly, finds time to connect with each and every one of
us.
[Oh, did we mention that He survives on strictly voluntary
compensation (our love and gratitude) that He rarely receives.]
Compare this with our easy nine-to-five work schedules, limited
job descriptions, fat paychecks, small problems, and ample
support from God, friends, and family members.
An interesting story comes to mind. A follower once requested
Sai Baba to grant him the view from God's eyes. Baba sternly
refused. The devotee was adamant, however, and refused to move
until his request was fulfilled. The compassionate Lord finally
acceded to his prayer and gave him the vision for a split
second.
The disciple's fancy soon turned into a nightmare, for he could
now see the entire universe with millions of creatures seeking
succor from Baba -- some crying, some praying for the
fulfillment of their desires, some holding His robe …. This
almost maddened the devotee and he cried to make the vision
vanish; the merciful Sai complied immediately.
The view from God's eyes was unbearable for the devotee to
withhold for even a fraction of a second. Imagine, Swami does
all this (in addition to serving devotees, running hospitals,
educational institutions, and many mammoth projects) quietly and
yet remains ever cheerful, acting as if He does nothing.
A devotee asked Swami: "Swami who are you?" Baba replied, "I am
the servitor of all." Prompted by pure love, the devotee burst
into tears chiding Swami for talking about Himself in that
manner. Prompt came the response: "But, everyone gives me a job
to do."
This truth has been exemplified in the life of every avatar,
saint, and prophet. Krishna spent every moment of His life for
annihilating evil forces and for providing succor to His
devotees; Rama enacted the drama of His exile (for fourteen
years) to rid the world of the demon, Ravana; Shiva saved the
world by drinking poison that emerged from the churning of the
ocean; Jesus allowed his crucifixion to save countless souls
from their sins.
At the end of Mahabharata war, all the brave warriors were
egotistically boasting of having destroyed many demons. A
devotee who had been blessed with divine vision appeared there
and corrected their folly.
He immediately revealed to them that all the tasks they were
boasting of, were invisibly accomplished by the sudarshan chakra
of the Lord, and not by their own might as they so arrogantly
proclaimed.
God, out of His merciful compassion, tirelessly takes care of
all His children and serves them in all possible ways. Boons,
miracles, grace, protection -- these are just a few of the many
instruments He uses to accomplish the purpose of serving His
children. The truth of the matter is that it is God who is
constantly serving us. |
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Fear of Death - Oka
Chinna Katha |
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There was once a Raja, who had
transferred all responsibility of ruling to his manthri
(minister), and who was spending his time in ease. He never
worried about anything, be it big or small. He had a personal
companion, whom he had always by his side, more or less as a
bodyguard. This fellow was very wise, for he never did anything
without deep deliberation, about the how and the why and the
wherefore.
The Raja took all this deliberations to be just foolishness and
he nicknamed the companion, "Avivekasikhamani" or "The
Crest-Jewel of Fools". He went to the length of actually
engraving the title on a plate of gold and compelling him to
wear it on his forehead for all to see! Many people were mislead
by this and they took him to be an ignoramus at court; they did
not heed to his words.
Meanwhile, the Raja fell ill and took to bed. The kingdom was
combed for physicians who could heal the king. Messengers went
to the eight corners, seeking drugs and doctors. Hundreds were
busy around the royal patient, but, all efforts failed; the
illness worsened day by day. The Raja was at the very door of
Death.
The Raja suspected that his end was near, so he hurriedly made
some dispositions, spoke to all those whom he wanted to meet,
and was immersed in sorrow. He had no thought of God or any
other auspicious Power. He was in terrible fear of Death and
could not think of anything else.
One day, he called Avivekasikhamani to his bedside and whispered
feebly in his ear, "Well, I am going soon, my friend!" Then, the
Fool asked without any compunction, "What? You are weak and
cannot walk a few steps; I shall order a palanquin, please wait
till it is ready." "No palanquin can take me there," said the
Raja. "Then, I shall order a chariot," entreated the Fool. "The
chariot too is of no use," replied the Raja. "Of course, then,
the horse is the only means of journey," wailed the companion,
who seemed eager to come to the rescue of his master, and spare
him the toils of travel.
The Raja said that the horse too could not enter there. The Fool
was at his wit's end. Then suddenly an idea struck him, he said,
"Come on master! I shall carry you there." The Raja became sad;
he said, "My dear friend, one has to go alone to that place,
when one's time has come. No companion can be taken." The Fool
was thrown in great doubt; he asked the Raja, "It is curious, is
it not? You say that the palanquin won't reach there, that the
chariot can't go there, nor the horse; you say that no second
person can join you! Well can't you tell me at least where that
place is?" The Raja replied, "I do not know."
Immediately, the Fool unwound the Golden Plate with the
engraving of the title, 'Avivekasikhamani', and tied it round
the brow of the Raja, saying "Raja! You know so much about the
place, even, which things cannot go there, but, you do not know
where it is, and still you are going there soon. O, you deserve
this title much more."
The Raja was overcome with shame. "Alas," he said to himself, "I
wasted my years in eating and sleeping and pursuing pleasures,
never caring to inquire who I am, whence I came, what I am
doing, whither I am going, and why I came.
The precious time allotted to me has come very near its end.
There is no time for me any more for all that inquiry. Death is
knocking at the door; children have started weeping; my subjects
are in great anxiety. Can I, under such conditions immerse
myself in inquiry? Can a thought that I never entertained
throughout my life suddenly arise now, during my last moments?
It is impossible.
Yes, I deserve the title, Avivekasikhamani more than anyone
else, for I wasted my life in useless pursuits; without any
thought of the reality."
The Raja let it be proclaimed that inquiry is the best means of
knowing the Truth, that the inquiry must be directed to
separating the true from the untrue, the eternal from the
temporary, that people should arrive at the conclusion that,
'God is the only true and eternal Entity' and that by their own
independent investigation, his subjects must not only grasp the
entity intellectually but must also attain the Grace of God, by
their pure lives. |
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