Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center Inc., Twin Cities
Minnesota, USA
Volume 1 Issue 10
October 2003


Contents
Mahasamadhi

Personality of Sai Baba

SAI Quiz

Devotee Experiences

Devotee Letters

Sai Sandesh

Quotation of the month

Did You know?

Receipts for contributions

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 Satsanghs 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.

Activities

Maha Samadhi Celebrations

Om Sai!
Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center under the blessings & guidance of Sadguru Sainath, with the devotees' help will be celebrating 85th Anniversary of Sadguru Saibaba's Maha Samadhi on Saturday October 11 from 3:30pm at Geeta Ashram, 10537, Noble Ave, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 - Tel. 763-493-4229. Program includes Abhishek to Baba [with devotees' participation], Artis, Bhajans/Kirtans [Children/Adults], Palki Seva and will conclude with Maha Prasad at 9:00pm.

A $3 donation per person is humbly suggested and the proceeds will be used for the Permanent Prayer Center Building Project.

Please join in the celebrations and invoke Sadguru's Blessings. Please see attached invite for more details. Request you to share this with your family and friends.

Meals on Wheels
 Shirdi Sai devotees are volunteering for the Meals -On-Wheels, in various locations in the Twin Cities. Volunteers pick up packed meals and deliver them to the needy as per the list given by the organizers. The volunteers have given a very positive feedback about the good feeling one gets for having done something to reach out to the elderly and needy.

The following volunteers participated in Meals on Wheels

  • Abdul Rahiman Shaikh
  • Rama Krishna Gandham
  • Ravin Gnanasambandam
  • Satyamohan Chelluri
  • Srihari Posani
If you would like to join in this program please send us email

FortnightlySatsanghs

 Shirdi Saibaba Prayer centerconducts 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 Oct 25, Nov 8.


Monthly Feature
MahaSamadhi

Every incarnation has an end. The supreme power that manifests itself in a physical form has to follow certain temporal rules and Sadguru Sai Baba's mortal form came to an end on Vijayadashami day, a Tuesday, the 15th day of October 1918. The day was also significant for other reasons; Moharram and Buddha Jayanthi, two important occasions for the people of Islamic and Buddhist faith, were observed on the same day. The day resulted in an enormous grief for the followers of Sai Baba who had the divine fortune of living with Him for several years. These included Mhalsapathi, Madhavrao Deshpande, Nana Chandorkar, Bapusaheb Booty, Laxmi Bhai Shinde, and Tatya Patil. Sai Baba's mortal remains were placed in Booty's bhavan, which was initially constructed as a temple for Murlidhar, and Sai Krishna Himself became Murlidhar.

During His last moments, Sai Baba in His own characteristic way demonstrated the virtues of devotion, sacrifice and faith. His emphasis on devotion came through His charity to Laxmi Bhai, a devout soul who was with the Sadguru when the end came. Sai Baba gave Laxmi Bhai, nine coins symbolizing nine forms of devotion, Shravana (hearing) , Keerthana (praying), Smarana (remembering), Padasevana (resorting to His feet), Archana (worship), Namaskara (bowing), Dasya (service), Sakhyatha (friendship), and Atmanivedana (surrender of the self). Sai Baba always mentioned that if any of the above were faithfully followed, God would be pleased.

It is also believed that Sai Baba had sacrificed His life for Ramachandra Dada and Tatya Patil two devotees who fell ill at the same time as Baba's passing away. While Ramachandra Dada got well a few days prior to Vijayadashami, Tatya's condition grew worse. As Vijayadashami dawned, Tatya's pulse became weaker and he was expected to pass away very shortly. Truly inscrutable His ways are, Tatya became all right but Sadguru Sainath's physical form came to an end. By averting the death of His devotees, Sai has proved that it is the duty of the Lord to protect the devout. The virtue of sacrifice is stressed similarly in the life of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life for His followers.

Shri Hemadpanth wrote in Sai Satcharitra (Ch. 42) ... ...next morning (16th October 1918) Baba appeared to DasGanu at Pandharpur in his dream and said to him - "The Masjid collapsed, all the oilmen and grocers of Shirdi teased me a lot, so I left the place. I therefore came to inform you here, please go there quickly and cover me with 'Bhakkal' flowers." Das Ganu got the information also from Shirdi letters. So he came to Shirdi with his disciples and started bhajan and kirtan and sang Lord's name, all day before Baba's samadhi.

Sagun form is the most convenient form of worship since human being can relate to an existing physical entity. However, Sai Baba always said that God exists everywhere and in every being. To emphasize this fact, Sainath appeared in the dreams of Das Ganu and directed to His devotees to have faith in His words and see Him even after His physical end. The words of Sainath are so true that even today, His presence is felt in Shirdi and seven seas across by anyone who has faith. Thus, Mahasamadhi is the day for the devotees of Sainath to remember His ever-living message of devotion, sacrifice, and faith.

Devotee Contributions
Personality of Sai Baba.

Satya Bajjuri, Plymouth, MN
It is on account of Sai Baba that Shirdi grew into importance. Let us see what sort of a personage Sai Baba was. He conquered this Samsar (worldly existence), which is very difficult and hard to cross. Peace or mental calm was His ornament, and He was the repository of wisdom. He was the home of Vaishnavite devotees, mostly liberal (like Karna) amongst liberals, the quint-essence of all essences. He had no love for perishable things, and was always engrossed in self-realization, which was His sole concern. He felt no pleasure in the things of this world or of the world beyond. His Antarang (heart) was as clear as mirror, and His speech always rained nectar. The rich or poor people were the same to him. He did not know or care for honour or dishonour. He was the Lord of all beings. He spoke freely and mixed with all people, saw the actings and dances of Nautchgirls and heard Gajjal songs. Still, He swerved not an inch from Samadhi (mental equilibrium). The name of Allah was always on His lips. While the world awoke, He slept; and while the world slept, He was vigilant. His abdomen (Inside) was as calm as the deep sea. His ashram could not be determined, nor His actions could be definitely determined, and though He sat (lived) in one place, He knew all the transactions of the world. His Darbar was imposing. He told daily hundreds of stories, still He swerved no an inch from His vow of silence. He always leaned against the wall in masjid or walked in the morning, noon and evening towards Lendi (Nala) and Chavadi; still He at all times abided in the self. Though a Siddha, He acted like a Sadhaka. He was meek, humble and ego less, and pleased all. Such was Sai Baba, and as the soil of Shirdi was trodden by Sai baba's feet, it attained extraordinary importance. As Jnaneshwar elevated Alandi, Eknath did to Paithan, so Sai Baba raised Shirdi. Blessed are the grass leaves and stones of Shirdi, for they could easily kiss the Holy Feet of Sai Baba, and take their dust on their head. Shirdi became to us, devotees, another Pandharpur, Jagannath, Dwarka, Banaras (Kashi) and Rameshwar, Badrikedar, Nasik, Tryambakeshwar, Ujjain and Maha Kaleshwar or Mahabaleshwar Gokarn. Contact of Sai Baba in Shirdi was like our Veda and Tantra; it quieted our Samsara (world consciousness) and rendered self-realization easy. The darshana of Shri Sai was our Yoga-Sadhana, and talk with Him removed our sins. Shampooing His Legs was our bath in Triveni Prayag, and drinking the Holy water of His Feet destroyed our desires. To us, His commands were Vedas, and accepting (eating) His Udi (sacred ashes) and Prasad was all purifying. He was our Shri Krishna and Shri Rama who gave us solace and He was our Para Brahma (Absolute Reality). He was Himself beyond the Pair of dwandwas (opposite), never dejected nor elated. He was always engrossed in His Self as Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. Shirdi was His center; but His field of action extended far wide, to Punjab, Calcutta, North India, Gujarat, Dacca (Now in Bangladesh) and Konkan. Thus the fame of Sai Baba spread, far and wide and people from all parts came to take His darshana and be blessed. By mere darshan, minds of people whether, pure or impure, would become at once quiet. They got here the same sort of unparalleled joy that devotees get at Pandharpur by seeing Vithal Rakhumai.

Source - Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 4

Om Sai Namoh Namah

Raghu Duggirala, West Haven, CT

Match the following

Ravin Gnanasambandam, Coon Rapids, MN

  1. Jamner miracle
  2. Saibaba’s Mahasamadhi
  3. The year Megha passed away
  4. Mahalsapathi
  5. The Tailor
  6. Suffered from asthma
  7. Baba’s garden
  8. All India Sai Samaj
  9. Shri Sai Satcharita
  1. Kashinath
  2. 1912
  3. 1918
  4. Mainatai
  5. Lendi
  6. “Aaoo Sayee”
  7. Hemadpant
  8. Balaram Durandhar
  9. Sri BV Narasimhaswami ji
(Answers: 1-D, 2-C, 3-B, 4-F, 5-A, 6-H, 7-E, 8-I, 9-G)

Devotees Experiences
Happy and Grumpy

 -Ravin Gnanasambandham, Coon Rapids MN
The other day my first grader son walked in from school with the weekly newsletter from his class. On the note, a kid's name was displayed as "Star of the Week". I was curious about the title and asked him why was that he (my son) did not get the title. He said he did not know. I asked him to enquire about it with the teacher as to what should he do to get the title.

I kept thinking about the above incident as my curiosity arose, I knew there was a message from Baba through this incident. After a few days, I asked my son,

"Did you ask your teacher?"
"Yes", he said.
"What did you ask"?
"I asked her what I should do to become Star of the week", he replied.
"What did she say?" I asked getting very curious as to what Baba's direction here was.
"She said, "You have to do nothing. I will select". He replied.

Experiences of Sai in whatever form it is manifested within or outside makes one happy. As days of complete bliss goes by without any trace, the days of grumpiness sets in as if He had kicked me out into the open without any cover. Each of such days is a naked crawl on a hot desert under blazing sun. Crawl is what I do as His shade runs away and away from me. As the suffering is intense, clueless to me, He comes right over on to me with the Himalayan protection from the blazing sun! No logic explains the process, but submission does. Willful submission with love and devotion but not conditioned slavery! When He keeps me happy, let me be happy! When he keeps me grumpy, let me be grumpy! What would be my state or status? He will select!

(Previously published feature in “Sai Vichaar” http://www.saibaba.org/newsletter5-35.html.)
Quotation of the Month
“The foremost duty of Sai devotees is to read Shri Sai Satcharitra and absorb it into their beings completely. The more they read this book, the more it will bring them closer to Baba and all their doubts and apprehensions will be cleared. It also has been experienced that during a crisis, if any devotee searching for an answer, if he randomly opens Shri Sai Satcharitra, praying to Baba sincerely and with faith, his answer can be found in that open page. Many people have got their desired benefits after reading Shri Sai Satcharitra for a week as Paraayana”
        - Guruji Sri C.B. Satpathy ji.

Did you know?

The following are the five blessed ones to whose house Baba went and took Bhiksha:
First two houses are Vaman Gondkar and Vaman Sakharam Shelke, beside Chavadi (adjacent to each other).
Next two houses are Bayajabai (Tatya's mother) and Bayaji Appa Kothe Patil, just beyond Narasinh Lodge opposite to Ithiraj Hotel (adjacent to each other).
Finally to Nandaram Marwadi, this is in the lane between Dwarakamai and Gurusthan (local money lender).
– Experiencing Saibaba's Shirdi - A Guide.


Devotee Letters

Raghu Duggirala, West Haven, CT
Sai Sandesh - Sept 2003 - Vol. 1 Issue 9 is very good. The experience shared by Padma happened to me couple of times. We are leading peaceful even in our difficulties.We are bold enough to face them with saibaba blessings.

Receipts for contributions between Jan 03-Jun 03

Devotees are kindly requested to pick up receipts acknowledging the contributions to prayer center between Jan'03/June'03. They are kept at prayer center in sealed envelopes. Receipts for the contributions made after June will be acknowledged in the 1st quarter of 2004. For any questions please send a mail to hamaresai@yahoo.com marking in the subject Attn:Receipts.

Om Sai! Please send your comments, suggestions, contributions in the form of features, quotations and experiences to hamaresai@yahoo.com. Please forward this to all who will be interested.