Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center Inc., Twin Cities
Minnesota, USA
Volume 1 Issue 3
March 2003


Contents
Total Surrender

The Wood, The Leather and The Clay

Ruso Mama

Sai Sandesh

Did You know?

About Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center



Sai Sandesh

Sai Sandesh is a Monthly Newsletter dedicated to the Life and message of Saibaba of Shirdi. Please send your contributions to hamaresai@yahoo.com. If you want to receive this newsletter please click here. Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Twin Cities, MN is not responsible for the opinions expressed by the individual contributors.

About Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center.

Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Inc., Twin Cities, MN is registered as a Non-profit corporation in the state of Minnesota. The organization is funded by the voluntary contributions of Sai devotees. The Prayer Center is currently located at 725 NE Lake St. Apt. 139, Hopkins, MN, where regular Sai Satsangs are conducted and occasions of importance to Saibaba of Shirdi are celebrated. In addition to the Prayer Center activities, the organization is also involved with community service including "Meals on Wheels" and "Adapt a Family" programs. Please visit the Prayer Center and participate in its activities.  Please write to hamaresai@yahoo.com for more details.

Sri Ramanavami / Baba's Urs Celebrations

By the grace of Sadguru Sainath and devotees' wish, Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, TwinCities,MN will be organizing Sri Ramanavami / Baba's Urs  celebrations on April 12,2003 from 3:30 pm at Geeta Ashram, Brooklyn Park,MN. For more details  click here.

Fortnightly Satsanghs


Shirdi Saibaba Prayer center conducts fortnightly satsanghs from 5pm onwards and the program includes Abhishek to Baba, Dhoop Arti, Bhajan/Kirtans, Naam Jap, Shej Arti and Maha Prasad. The next 2 satsanghs are scheduled on March 15 and March 29.



Activities
Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center celebrated Maha Shivarathri on March 1, 2003 to the satisfaction of over 60 devotees  who attended the event. The event included Sai Satcharitha Parayan, Sai abhishek, Bhajans, Artis, and Telesatsangh.

Devotee volunteers have also participated in “Meals on Wheels” a voluntary food distribution program in Twin Cities, MN in the month of February.

Monthly Feature
Total surrender

(Source: "Letters from Ramanasramam" -Suri Nagamma)

Baba taught us the path of total surrender. To surrender fully to God or the sadguru is the path as well as the final destination of Sai Baba's teachings. "You sit still, I will do whatever is necessary and make you reach the final destination", said Baba. "Hand over the reins to the guru and sit quiet", said Baba.

What does handing over the reins to the guru mean? How can we sit still? How do we surrender totally to the guru? What is the essence of this total surrender? How can we live in this world if we leave everything to the guru and sit doing nothing? Is it possible at all? Can we keep an oil lamp in a windy place and ask God to look after it? The devotees of Sri Sai Baba face a lot of such doubts and questions. Baba never gave detailed explanation of spiritual matters nor did he engage in the discussion of them with his devotees. He imparted great spiritual truths to his devotees by his leelas, by his own behavior, by short allegorical stories and by his aphorisms.

That was Baba's way.

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was more forthcoming in engaging in discussion and explanations of spiritual matters. If we examine the brief and allegorical teachings of Baba in the light of what Bhagavan said in like matters, we may find Baba's teachings easier to understand.

Once a youngster from Andhra wrote a letter to Bhagavan and gave it to him. In the letter he asked,
"It is said that we get everything if we totally surrender to Bhagavan. What does this total surrender mean? Does it mean to sit in a place leaving all worries and activities, including the activity of feeding this body, and to keep meditating on God? If the body gets sick, should one not even imbibe any medicine and leave the well being of the body to the care of God?

The Bhagavad Gita, describing the Stithaprajna says - Vihayakaman yessarvan pumaanschalati nisphruha; nirmamo nirahankara ssasanthi madhigatchathi. Does this not mean to abandon all desires? So, should we keep meditating on God and leave all food unless it comes to us of  its own accord, as if from God? Or should we make minimal attempts at acquiring food? I beg Bhagavan to clear my doubt and bless me."
Bhagavan read the letter patiently. He said, "It is true that total surrender means that one should be with no other thoughts. What can one answer if one is asked if even the thought of food, which is essential to life, is to be eschewed? You ask if you should eat food if it comes, unsought, by the will of God, or if you should make minimal effort to acquire food? Let us assume that the food comes of its own accord. Who is it that eats it? Or if someone puts it into your mouth, you have to swallow it. Even that is action. You ask, "If the body gets sick, should one not even imbibe any medicine and leave the well being of the body to the care of God?"

"Kshudvyadhe aharam say the srutis," Bhagavan continued. "This has two meanings - hunger too may be regarded a disease, the medicine for which is food. So the disease which is hunger, is cured by the medicine which is the food. It is stated in the Sadhana Panchaka written by Sri Sankaracharya, "Kshudvyadhischya chikitsyaataam pratidinam bhikshaushadham bhujyataam."

So the medicine to cure the disease called kshuth is to eat the food begged from householders. So one has to do the action of going to beg. If everyone sat with their eyes closed and said that they would eat only if the food came of its own accord, how would the world run? So one should enjoy what comes by his destiny or karma and be without a feeling of attachment.

The feeling that one is doing a particular act is bondage. One should reason and evolve a method of staying without that bondage. But if one keeps thinking of whether one can eat food to satisfy hunger or if one should take medicine to cure disease, the doubts would be never ending. Can I breathe? Can I groan in pain? Such similar doubts will also assail us. It could be God or it could be our karma, we should put the responsibility on his shoulders and keep marching forward without the feeling that it is I that is the doer.

When we are walking, do we notice that we have to first lift one foot up and then the other, at every step? Does not the activity of walking go on by itself? It is the same with breathing. We do not consciously try to breathe every second. Can we leave anything if we wish to? Can we do anything when we wish to? Didn't we perform many activities subconsciously and unconsciously earlier? Will we not do them in the future too?

Total surrender to God implies that one leaves the thought of all activities and keeps one's mind centered on God. The more our mind concentrates on God the less we think other thoughts. If our thought, action and speech are totally centered on God, it will be God's responsibility to look after all our activities. Sri Krishna Bhagavan said to Arjuna, "Ananyaschinta yantomaa yejanaa paryupasate Teshaam nityabhiyuktanaam yogakshemam vahamyaham." The Bhagavad Gita - chapter 6 "Arjuna had work to do, so God said, put your burden on me and do the work. Keep in mind that you are but a mere instrument, I will look after it all. You shall not be troubled by anything. But before totally surrendering one should inquire into who it is who is doing this surrender. Unless one eschews all thoughts, one cannot totally surrender. If one eschews all thoughts, what is left is one's self. So one is surrendering to one's self. If one is following the path of bhakti, one should place the entire burden on God and do his activity with no thought of the self doing the activity. After a while, it becomes evident as to who is doing the activity and who is the self.

All these paths lead to the same destination. Surrender is to inquire into the nature of the self and to stand as the self. What is there which is other than the self?"

"What is the path to realize that?" asked the youth.

"Many ways were prescribed in the Gita" answered Bhagavan, "Meditation has great power; the path of bhakti was also prescribed. Some do yoga, some perform karma without any feeling of being the doer, and many other paths. One could follow any path. The self always exists, so the work keeps getting done by itself, as per our samskara. The feeling that I am the doer is bondage. If one gets rid of that feeling by careful inquiry, these doubts will not arise. To sit inertly is not surrender. If everyone sat thus how will the world run?" said Bhagavan.

The bell rang from the dining hall "There's the bell for lunch," said Bhagavan laughing, "Should we not do the activity of rising, and go for lunch?"


Devotee Contributions
The Wood, The Leather, and The Clay

By Ravin Gnanasambandham, Coon Rapids, MN

Bluish eyes, wrinkled skin, all the Universe contained within, the absolute walked!
Are those pebbles, on the streets of Shirdi? Precious diamonds for they bore His weight!
The golden rays of Sun hesitantly touch the wheatish skin as He strolled in search of food..
How fortunate art thou Laxmibhai for the Lord stood in front seeking a morsel!
Jasmines and roses, marigolds and chrysanthemum, just waiting to adorn the conch of His neck
Some with fragrance and some without, all of them found their purpose just right!
Fortunes of fortunes for those who heard Him speak, Bhagoji to Bade Baba!
Also for those to whom He did not at first, Haji to Megha!
The stick He held, the shoes He wore, and the pipe He smoked
Worth trading their places, who calls them lifeless wood, leather and clay!
Durandhar inhaled the divine breath only to be cured
The leaves of the best kind, perfuming the wind!
Sai, Oh Sai, Oh Sai, show us unto You, blessed are we to listen to your stories
Shama, Kaka, Nana, Tatya, the best of their kind unto them the glories
The Sun amongst stars, the closest amongst the farthest,
Stay, Stay, Stay with us, our thoughts and actions and speech, our humble behest!

Ruso Mama ...

By Ravi Venkataramana, Stillwater, MN

Traditionally it has been a much-celebrated custom to sing artis in praise of God. It is a very articulate and appealing form of worship, lovingly celebrated by devotees.In Baba's worship also arti's play a prominent role. Singing arti is considered as a thrilling spiritual symphony we love to offer to the Sadguru.

Congregational worship of Saibaba commenced with the Madhyahna [Noon] arti around 1909; followed by the Shej [Bed-time] arti after Chavadi procession from 10th of February 1910 on alternate days. The Kakad [morning] arti took place at the Chavadi before Baba went to Dwarakamayi. The practice of Dhup [Evening]
arti started much later.

As it is aptly said, arti is a form of expression filled with a deep sense of passion that comes out of love towards a beloved deity. Hence the saying "Arti in its true sense is a divine song of love sung with arti and it is not a simple group song".

In Evening Arti, "Ruso mama .." is one such expression which reveals an ideal state of dependency with the Sadguru. Following verse is a small portion of Evening Arti.

Kunacihi ghrna naso na ca sphra kasaci ,
Sadaiva hrdayi vaso, manasi dhyani Sai vaso,
Padi pranaya vorso, nikhila drsya Baba diso,
Na Datta Guru Sai ma, upari yacanela ruso.

                                                 -Babance Bala


Let me not be contemptuous of anyone.
Let me have no desires. Let there be
only Sai in my heart, intellect and
meditation. Let my love be oozing
towards the Lord's feet. Wherever I
look in the world, I should see him
only. My Lord, do not deny me these
above-mentioned entreaties.
                                          - Baba's child

Through these four lines phrased out of simple yet emotive words, the author is earnestly pleading Baba to bless him to be an embodiment of that unconditional love in abundance, forever. As a result what he sees within and outside of him is nothing but only his Sadguru Saibaba, manifestation of pure existence, knowledge and bliss, who is King of Kings! King of Yogis! Absolute Brahman!.When Sadguru thus blesses him, the language he communicates turns out to be Sadguru's grace in the form of bountiful love that flows out unconditionally.

It is a wonderful expression portrayed in natural and yet pure language bestowed upon us by Sadguru Shri Sainath Maharaj making the author as a mere instrument.

It may not be out of place to mention another quote from Das Ganu Maharaj
"For worship of other deities, the articles required and the ritual are specific. But, for your worship, there is nothing in the world worthy of you."
 

Did you know?

Saibaba of Shirdi never encouraged performance of tricks in the name of spirituality. Kusha Bhav (Krishnaji Kashinath Joshi) devotee of one Datta Maharaj used create sweetmeat by performing tricks and distribute it amongst people. When he approached Baba, Baba did not allow him to come into His darbar until he relinquished his powers to perform such tricks.

(source: “Devotees Experiences of Saibaba – Part I,II, and III” by Shri BV Narasimha Swami ji)