Volume 1 Issue 11
November 2003
Contents
Maha Bhagath
Devotee Experiences
Sai Sandesh
Quotation of the month
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 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
Adapt a Family
Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center was one of the organizations that
participated in “Adapt a Family”, a program designed to help deserving people during times of
need. Holidays are approaching and there will be small and big needs of deserving people that
can be filled. This holiday season, the Prayer Center would like to work with a local Church
and help a few families identified by the Church. The help will include fulfilling the family
wish list consisting of smaller needs such as clothes, toys, small appliances and other gift
items befitting the Holidays. For more details and if you would like to sponsor, please write
to
hamaresai@yahoo.com.
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 Nov 22, Dec 6.
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Monthly Feature
Maha Bhagath, a matter of fact!
What is needed of those involved in spreading Sai message is humility, utmost faith in Sadguru
and acceptance that He is the wirepuller and the individuals are mere participants. Humility
for a Sai devotee should be a constant reminder. The association with any image or emotion,
even be satwic, can only be a form of hindrance to the task. Hemadpanth aptly wrote that
ahankara, the sense of doership in this context, couldn't be conquered as long as association
with any emotion persists. Dasganu was chided by Baba for setting out like a bridegroom for
singing God's glory. Sai prachaar may not be an elevated state of activity, time bound and
material driven. It happens with the mere intention of sharing Sadguru's word. Until one
truthfully considers himself to be the least qualified to do the task and realizes that it is
providence that bestowed the blessing, the self remains hindrance to the task.
Baba set up an example by calling Himself a devotee of God. He extolled the virtues of God,
Himself remaining a meek servant. Some say Baba was 'Bhagawad baktha', the devotee of Lord.
"Allah maalik", "God is great", said the God Himself! In the spiritual context, one may ascribe
this attitude of Baba to adwaita, the non-dual nature of the divine, where Sadguru and
Sadbhaktha are one and the same. However, in the context of spreading God's words, Baba set up
an example. If God calls himself a meek creature, an insect in the dung, where would that place
his followers?
Let this be our reminder as we embark onto the newer phase of understanding Sai message, by
learning and sharing, with humility as a mater of fact!
Devotees Experiences
Sai responds to devotee's longing
Sathya Bajjuri, Plymouth, Minnesota
I bow to the Lotus feet of our beloved Sadguru, His Holiness Sainath Maharaj. This is one of
the beautiful Sai leelas that happened in my Life. This happened in MAY 2000 and it was a
Sunday. I used to go to Hindu temple located at Central Avenue, Minneapolis on Sunday mornings
to Satsangs / Aratis couple of times in a month. In every visit to the temple, I used to (it
is a must!) take the darshan of our beloved Saibaba. As we enter into the temple, first room
has Durga Maa’s Idols in a showcase and Shiv ji’s and other Devathas' pictures and Idols. There
is a Sai’s picture (5 x 7 size laminated) by Shiv ji’s idol on the dias. I prostrate and pray
to our Sai here every time I go to the temple. This went smooth for few years.
One Sunday (I think it’s first/second week of May 2000), I went to the temple and entered Durga
Maa’s hall as usual to pray to Sai. And to my surprise, I couldn’t get Sai’s darshan, as I
couldn’t find Sai’s picture by Shiv ji’s idol. I searched on that dias, since it is a small
picture it could be behind other Devathas' big pictures/Idols. But I couldn’t find. I was
totally upset (I am almost crying in my heart) and very sad. Since I was leaving on a one-month
vacation to India at end of that month, that made me even more sad that I cannot take darshan
of our Sai, where I used to take His Darshan for years, for next 6 to 8 weeks. I went into main
hall where they were getting ready for Hindu temple’s regular Sunday Noon Arati. As I entered
the hall, I met Sesha Komanduri, the then President of the Hindu temple. I complained to him
that I couldn’t find Sai’s picture in the other room. We both went back to the room, and
started searching for the picture, we could not find it, and we both were upset.
After that, we attended the Sunday Arati. I took Prasad in the basement. As I was leaving the
temple around 1pm, I noticed the first room was full of smoke and I thought may be it is
because of Incense sticks. I came out of the temple and was standing on the corner of the
inter-section, opposite to the temple on that nice and rare sunny day in Minneapolis. After few
minutes, a devotee walked towards me from inside the temple and told me emotionally “Your Sai
came out from Fire for you”. This devotee had seen me complaining to the president in the
morning. As we went into the room, the room is full of smoke. They told me, there was a fire
accident in the room (during the Arati or Prasad time) and President and few other devotees
(including the devotee who called me) fought with fire and put it to halt. The fire accident
occurred exactly by the Shiv ji’s idol, where Sai’s picture used to be kept. No one knows the
reason, that caused the fire-accident. In the process of putting out the fire, they were
removing all idols from the dias and they found Sai’s picture behind one of the idols/frames.
Immediately they put the Sai’s picture on a separate table and called me to take His Holiness'
darshan. I am first shocked on knowing this and then I am very happy to have got the darshan. I
cannot express my experience and feelings in words here. But it is marvellous.
You
could still see the carpet damage today also near to the Shivji’s Idol, they cut that little
part of the carpet where it got damaged, it is right in front of the Shiv ji’s Idol. I was so
happy that I could get Sai’s darshan and the miraculous way of Sai coming out of fire. There is
saying for Sai in Telugu “Piliste palike daivam, mana daivam SAI” (Sai will always respond to
his devotee’s call). “TRUST ME, YOUR PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED – SAI BABA”. Oh My Lord, Please
keep continuing to shower your love on all of our families, we are most luckiest people on the
earth being SAI DEVOTEES.
Bow to Shri Sai, Peace be to all.
Faith....Termite-proof!
-Ravin Gnanasambandham, Coon Rapids MN
The other day I had a dream in which I saw the hood of a cobra from its back. The surroundings
appeared like our 3-room one level old home in India. I woke up and remembered my mother saying
that she had seen a cobra in the surroundings several times and that she let it go always as
she thinks it is Baba who appears in the form of the snake. I also remembered about a
particular photograph my mother used to worship in our altar. This was a big portrait of Baba
blessing with His hands high up over a Shiva lingam and hooded cobra. Later that evening, I
was at the Prayer Center. Srihari ji, another Sai devotee who had just returned from his trip
to India, gave me a silver coin with Baba's picture on it, similar to the pose as in the
portrait my mother worships. Quite moved as to how Baba already gave the indication, I shared
my dream with Srihari ji and we wondered about Baba's leelas. I returned home that night and
called my mother. She was quite emotional and was choking up as she was talking to me. I asked
my brother about it and he explained that she was very sad about the portrait in the altar. The
old portrait was breaking up, as it was termite-ridden. My mother being attached to the
portrait for so many years, had memories of worshipping it, was very sad about it. When I
narrated to her about my dream and subsequent experience with the silver coin, she was very
happy and I could picture her tears and smile! Shiva, Ram, Krishna or Sai, when the faith is
strong, Baba will never let anyone down. Sai in dreams or in consciousness, it appears to be
all one continuum of Sai's loving gaze on His children only broken by our memories!
The termite-proof silver Sai is waiting to go into the right hands!
Quotation of the Month
“Sadguru subjects his disciple to several tests" – that is what most of us understand. Let us
not confuse the wayward nature of our mind and our unstable devotion as 'tests'. Even after
attaining total devotion and knowledge, if we encounter instability, then we may consider it as
'test'. Till such time, whatever we may face is not 'test', but the foul play of our fickle
mind.
- Guruji Sri
C.B. Satpathy ji.
Did you
know? |
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Baba’s daily routine during His life in Shirdi was very unique. He used to
take a particular route to Lendi. Baba never changed this route even once. He gave a lot of
importance to a fixed routine or a certain way of doing things. The work may be small or big,
but Baba would never agree to an iota of change in it. Baba said that if one takes up a work,
he should see that it is properly completed. (Source: Saipatham)
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| 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. |
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