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Friday, May 25, 2012

Shirdi Sai Baba - Blissful joy that subdues our sufferings

Om Shri SaiNathaya Namaha,

Last post was about Sai Baba taking the sufferings upon Himself. In layman terms this becomes little difficult to understand. Although numerous incidents happened, people actually experienced that their suffering ended and there were many witness to those incidents. If we read the leelas of Shirdi Sai Baba, these sort of incident happened almost daily. They have not stopped after the Compassionate One left His physical body, which is called MahaSamadhi.

Blissful Joy is my Nature

In the Sacred text Shri Sai SatCharitra chapter number 19. Sai Baba have explained "Know that which is knowledge incarnate, or Supreme pure Consciousness or Blissful joy -- that is my true nature. So meditate on it regularly."

Those chapters (18 and 19) of Shri Sai SatCharitra has excellent guidance for meditation from Master Guide Baba himself. But here the topic we are about to see is different and the above quote is relevant with it.

Since Sai Baba is one with the almighty, He is also the ocean of bliss. The topic of this particular was knocking on the door of mind and i stumbled upon an article signs of spiritual perfection by Meher Baba as a help to this post. I consider it a little miracle :). The quote below fits perfectly well.

The second sign is the atmosphere of bliss that Perfection radiates in its immediate vicinity, an atmosphere that a stranger in search of it cannot help feeling. A Perfect Master not only enjoys infinite bliss but also experiences universal suffering. The acuteness of suffering however is nullified or subdued by the overwhelming feeling of bliss. Hence Perfection can outwardly appear blissfully calm in the face of every kind of suffering and persecution.

The acuteness of sufferings subdues

Now what was going on in my mind to understand this in layman's term. Lets suppose we individuals are glass of water holding some amount of that spiritual infinite bliss. More an individual is spiritual more bliss he or she experiences and also radiates the same.

Nobody is free from suffering. It's a fact that sufferings visits each and everyone. Lets imagine suffering as ink. Now suppose a drop of ink is dropped in a small glass of water. The color of water (consciousness or chitta) will change. It will all be the color of ink (suffering). So individual with very less spiritual advancement will experience that more intensely. If the same drop of ink is dropped in a lake or river (more spiritually advanced beings), the same drop of ink will have negligible effect for a short time.

While Sadguru's are infinite oceans of bliss. They can consume rivers of inks with and diffuse it's effects. This explains that when Sai Baba took upon the pain and sufferings of devotees, not a trace of pain was seen on his glowing benign face. Not only this the Sadgurus or spiritual Gurus are the ones capable of awakening the source of infinite bliss in each one of us.

What should we learn from this?

We can also understand from this that more the person gets spiritually advanced, he or she experiences more and more bliss. The smile and experience of bliss and happiness is not easily disturbed with challenges and trials of life. Happiness and bliss becomes a the nature of those people. They carry it with them along with the other good qualities like compassion. As Sai Baba has taught us to seek His blissful nature, we should seek His blissful nature and love and grace. Then there would be no need to ask for mundane things which our mind feels would bring happiness and harmony.

Divine love the answer against anguish

Since Sai Baba fulfills our desires

Love is what sadguru wants

Sai SatCharitra - Baba's grace a couple of experiences

Asking from Baba His grace and miracles

Little more about Sai Baba's grace

Attraction towards Sai Baba's clothes

Friday, May 4, 2012

Sai Baba taking sufferings up on Himself

Om Shri Sadguru SaiNathatya Namaha!

Sai Baba taking pain upon Himself for the sake of His devotees welfare

In G.S. Khaparde's diary, it is mentioned that Sai Baba once pointed out His body and said that His body got emaciated, His digestion impaired, His food reduced to bare bread and water(due to looking after worries of innumerable devotees), and yet in spite of these He must go on doing His duty, whatever the consequences. Such is the Eternal love and Compassion of SadGuru Sai Baba.

In Shri Sai SatCharitra Chapter 7 we can read two examples of Sai Baba suffering for the sake of His devotees. In the first incident Sai Baba was sitting near the Dhuni, the sacred fire in revered Dwarkamai, which burns 24 x 7 since He lighted it. A close devotee of Sai Baba Shama, noted that the Protector Sai thrust His hand in the sacred fire of Dhuni. The hand got scorched. Shama immediately pulled back the Merciful Baba. He asked the Holy One, "Deva for what have you done this?"

The Preserver Baba said, "Oh, Shama, you know, a child slipped from it's mother's arms suddenly, and felt into smith's forge! Hearing her husbands call, the wife of the smith began to blow the bellows vigorously, out of fear, while holding her child in her armpit all the while. While doing so unintentionally she lost her attention from the child for a while. The restless, over-active child slipped from there."

"But Shama, No sooner did she fall, than I picked her up. And as I picking her up, this is what has happened! Let the hand be scorched, but at least the child's life is saved!"

Shama wrote a letter to one of the prominent devotees of Sai Baba, Chandorkar. On hearing the news Nanasaheb Chandorkar rushed with a doctor. But the Unique Baba never cared to show the wounds of hand to the medical doctor. He said, "Allah is our Vaidya"

Sai Baba taking the plague disease on himself

Another incident described in the same chapter of Shri Sai SatCharitra is of the son of G. S. Khaparde. G. S. Khaparde and his wife were having a long stay in Shirdi, according to the wishes of Preventer Sai Baba. Sai Baba wanted to prevent a danger on this family, thus made them stay in holy Shirdi for about two months . We will see this story later.

The little son of Khaparde was sick, burning with fever. This made the mother's heart broken and her head became restless. Her home was in Amravati, and she wished to go there. On finding a suitable opportunity, when Baba came for his evening round near Wada. She clasped the Compassionate One's feet and told about her son's condition. Moreover she said there was the fear of dreaded plague.

Gently the Holy One said, "The sky is overcast, but it will rain, bringing forth harvest and the clouds will melt away.

"Why be afraid?" So saying, He lifted His Kafni up to the waist and showed inflamed buboes to everyone. The size of hen's egg, four buboes could be seen spread in four directions.

"See I have to take upon myself all your sufferings", said Baba.

Two another such incidents of taking the sufferings of disease in short

Mrs. Tarabai Sadashiv Tarkhad of poona, was suffering from a long-standing disease of eye. Her eyes were in constant pain and watered. Doctors had failed to cure or even diagnose the disease.

She made a Shirdi visit, and sat in front of the Sai Baba, the Responsive One gave a divine glance in her eyes. Instantly the lady's eyes were restored to normal. The Restorer's eyes were seen watering, and the pain of many years, had to be dissolved in the infinite Bliss.

One Mr. Noverkar was suffering from high fever. He sent his son to Shirdi with Rs.500 as an offering to Sai. As soon as Baba received the sum, His limbs began to shiver and body was in fever for few moments.

Baba explained, "I have to bear the burden of my devotees."

The task of Sadguru is very difficult and beyond our imagination. They have that Great High Powers to do so. This was not the only way the Merciful took up on and still takes away the sufferings of innumerable devotees. There are more. We will see them here on this blog in days to come.

Om Sai Ram.

Vaidya = In Sanskrit it means "one who knows" and in Ayurveda it means physician

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

How do you go to Shirdi?

Om Shri SaiNathaya Namaha!

How do you go to Shirdi? Obviously the question asked is not about the physical or gross means like do you go by air plane?, train?, or road?, or car? or walking? or perhaps on a bicycle (devotees do reach by all these means). It is about our mental attitude. So this article also implies to how you go to any local temple of Sai Baba or the temple sacred space in your home.
As it appeared on Sai Baba says blog, Sai Baba himself once said People do ask for abundance of wealth and prosperity, or for the cure of disease, removal of difficulties, or for fame, honour, power and authority. It is happiness they always ask for.
Shri Sai SatCharitra Chapter 16 verse 40.

So, the above given reasons are the chief reasons for most of us to get attracted to Shirdi or Sai Baba. We mostly go there with reasons of our own. The reasons we think would would bring about happiness or do away with problems and troubles. Or we might think certain spiritual activity would give us a spiritual push and we might go there with that idea. So basically our ideas rules. We try to push our ideas on Baba.

So mostly, either we go with some demand in our heart and mind. Or we might go with ideas like I will do Naamsmaran, do Sai Satcharitra parayan, attend Sai Baba arati in Samadhi Temple, do pradakshina, do meditation. And all these activities are really very good and helpful and Sadguru Sai Baba have always asked us to spend more time in such activities.

And there is another way also. We just go there, without any desire. Worldly or spiritual. We go empty. We might have lots of things running around inside us, few or many desires knocking hard within our self, if that is the case we just present our present state to the divine grace of Baba. We can I say, Baba I have come to you. I don't know what is best for me. I surrender myself to you and I love you. Whatever within me, good or bad, I offer it to You. I will sit here and love you. Or engage my self in the activities like Naamsmaran, Sai SatCharitra Parayan, doing seva. But all the rest I completely leave to you. I have full faith in You, so will leave the results to You.

If we go with go with one of the many spiritually helpful activities. Again we might get stuck. If we just go there and let it happen. Humbly we go to Shirdi. There we let Baba decide what we should do. Because while we are there, Sai Baba is the doer. He does work on us. We are not the doer. The all knowing and all powerful will decide how,when and where to give you.

I have seen many devotees. They think I should and must get a chance to attend arati standing or sitting near Samadhi. Or i must read this much. As if, not doing so will lead to failure in getting Baba's grace and favor.

Actually it's opposite. If we go there without our ideas. Worldly or Spiritual. We are able to receive more.

We can leave the workings and results on the all knowing, all powerful, who has the knowledge of most secrets, the divine light and a perfect guide, our Sadguru Shri Sai Baba.

Om Shri SadChitAnand Sadguru SaiNath Maharaj Ki Jai.
Bow at your holy feet.

Since the gross information is also helpful to most devotees, a detailed post/article has already been written earlier Travelling Shirdi pilgrimage and Places to Visit in Shirdi.

Related articles

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Sai SatCharitra and Baba's grace - couple of experiences

Om Shri Sai,

Reading Sai SatCharitra or going through Sai SatCharitra parayana is one of the most loved activity of mine. It all started with my first experience with this sacred book, which is mentioned in my first experiences with Shirdi Sai Baba.

It was an experience amazing, while i was not reading this sacred book. Would like to quickly share it here again. It was real tough time on my consciousness. My heart and complete self was in real pain (not physical). Was spending the days lying on the bed, with often burst of silent tears rolling out of eyes. There was nothing else to do but to go through this pain with inner chanting of the name Sai Baba. The pain was accepted as a part of karmic happening and so there was no complain towards anything or anyone, according to the teachings of Sai Baba.

Only things that i got of my bed were, to complete the needed gross rituals like brushing teeth, answering nature's calls, taking bath etc. Little food was taken to sustain the physical body as a help to go through this pain. Then, at a point the pain in the heart got real wild. The painful energies started rushing madly starting from the heart towards the brain and it felt this will make this person insane. Somehow with a miracle of Sai Baba. My hand moved itself and grabbed the copy of Shri Sai SatCharitra that i used to read often. The sacred book placed itself on the left hand side of the chest. There was a rush of Baba's grace or Baba's love from the sacred book towards the heart.

The pain was still there. But a far more powerful force called Baba's grace was holding and supporting the heart. The maddening rush of energies in the head, condensed at a single point on the third eye. The fear of getting mad was over. The pain was there, but the support was far greater, and slowly and gradually in few days the pain had to leave.

I was reading this sacred book few moments ago, like to share a story of Sai Baba from it as i saw it. So started writing. At this point it seems Baba wants the above and the more recent experience with this sacred book of Sai Baba to appear on this blog. So shall do this.

I was reading a wonderful book on Sai Baba called 'Sai Baba the Master', by Pujya Acharya Sri Ekkirala Bharadwaja, you can read Sai Baba the master online. This book is also on my list of good books on Sai Baba. While reading it i came to an incident where Sai Baba asked a devotee to do 108 parayans Guru Charitra. This evoked my love for Sai SatCharitra. As reading it is always an experience to being very close to Sai Baba. The grace constantly flows through my hands holding the sacred book and filling my body from within.

I started doing it and was able to finish 108 Sai SatCharitra parayans. A devoted singer and a good friend of mine Vikram Hazra happened to visit my home and sung Bhajans for Baba, as a part of spiritual ceremony of the completion of these 108 Sai SatCharitra parayans. Below you can see a video snippet recorded on normal digital camera.

This sacred book i prefer to keep near me always. Often in my hands, as i feel the flow of Baba's grace. I keep it beside the pillow and keep one hand on it and go to sleep with mental chanting of Sai Baba's name.

One night in deep sleep i had a dream. Somebody pulled me gently and showing me a well, told me, "Something very valuable has fallen in the well. Pull it out quickly."

So with the help of pulley and a rope i pulled up that valuable thing out of the well. I leaned forward and grabbed it. It was a kind of box in a gift wrapping. I removed the wrapping and moved the wrapping and tried to feel the content with both the palms of my hands. It was a small plastic cuboid, with small door. I opened those small doors and saw Sai Baba picture, sound of chanting of name Sai Baba along with soft music was clearly herd.

Oh, This is Baba i said to myself. Then in a split of second the dream was over. Since it was real deep sleep it took a while and much efforts to open my eye lids to have a look at Baba's picture again, while my hands and fingers tried to open the plastic doors of that slim cuboid to have another look at Baba. It took a while an some struggle to open up that cuboid. As it was opened, the struggle to open the eye lids also ended. "Hey, where is Baba!" i said to myself. I had a closer look and could see marking i did with the pen for each completions of Sai SatCharitra Parayan, on the first inner page of this sacred book. It was a record which i kept. "Oh, this is Sai SatCharitra. i said to myself. Then i realized that, it had fallen down from bed on the other side. I put back the sacred book where i generally put it while i sleep. Placed my hand on it, in less then a second i was in sound deep sleep again.

In the morning i remembered everything and wondered how the book travelled all the way from one side of pillow to the other side. I still wonder! But most important thing is, with this incident Baba showed me how valuable this book is for me, and other devotees who love him. It is not just a book. Baba's grace flows through it!

Om Sai Om Sai Om Sai.

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