Shirdisaila Newsletter for May 2009

Sai Sai

Newsletter May 2009

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan Los Angeles' newsletter is published 1st Thursday of every month to propagate the teachings of
Shri Shirdi Sai and connect the devotees of our Baba temple. Devotees may kindly send their articles on any section of newsletter
by emailing the same to newsletter@shirdisaila.org.

Sections

From our Temple

Life of Sai Baba
Sai Baba Says
Experiences, Saileela
Topic of Discussion
Children Section
Priest Section
News and Events

From our Temple

We begin this newsletter with Baba's saying

"There was a fickle-minded gentleman. He had health and wealth and was free from both physical
and mental afflictions, but he took on him needless anxieties and burdens and wandered hither and
thither, thus losing his peace of mind. Sometimes he dropped the burdens and at other times
carried them again. His mind knew no steadiness. Seeing his state, I took pity on him and said,
"Now please keep your faith on any one place (point) you like, why roam like this? Stick quietly to
one place."

How beautiful is the message above ..... And how often we forget to hold the hands of Baba to
wander away .... But our Baba keeps finding us again and again ....

A touching story on Jesus further beautifies this message .....

Imagine today that you are a sheep, and you are lost! You have wandered into dark, menacing
woods. You are frightened of the strange sounds and the glowing eyes you see in the dark. You are
terrified! Just this morning you were with Jesus, the Good Shepherd. You were safely grazing on
sumptuous new, spring, grass, enjoying His protection. Suddenly off in the distance you see some
delicious looking clover!
You know that the Shepherd does not want you to leave the circle of His protection and wander off
alone. But the flowers look so beautiful and good to eat. You will just be gone for a moment. You
sneak out of the sheep fold and start towards the tantalizing flower patch. You walk and walk, but
you do not reach it yet. You soon realize that it is farther than it had appeared.

Next thing you know it is getting dark, and you can not longer see the clover patch. Soon you have
stumbled into these menacing, terrorizing woods, and you are scared! You wander aimlessly trying
to find your way back out, but you don't seem to be making any progress. You become more and
more scared till you begin to run frantically, scratching your legs and face as you run through the
trees and the brush. Next thing you know, you run full force into someone. Who is it? What evil
intentions might a person have for being in this horrible wood? You look up wild-eyed and scared
and are relieved to see your Shepherd.

You melt into His arms with relief and fatigue. You are so glad you are to see Him, yet you feel
guilty. You knew not to leave His protection, but you did anyway. And now you have disappointed
Him. What will He think of you? What will He do? Surely He will be quite angry.

You are afraid to look into His eyes, for fear of seeing rejection and contempt there. But He has
not yet said anything to you. He just continues to hold you. Curiosity finally gets the best of you,
so you chance a quick glance into His face. And there you see the most unimaginable, irresistible
look in His eyes. You see...unbridled joy and enthusiasm! He is excited to see you! And you see a
deep love that you had not thought possible. And most amazingly, you see forgiveness. You realize
He has already forgiven you and is now overflowing with joy at the pleasure of finding you again!

Before you even finish contemplating this amazing line of thinking, the Shepherd sweeps you off of
your feet and sets you safely on His shoulders. You cannot fall, and no evil would dare touch you
there. Your body relaxes for the first time since your unwise choose to leave the Shepherd. You
curl yourself around the Shepherd's neck and lay your head down to rest on His shoulder. This is
heaven. This is where you always want to be!

(Courtesy: http://capturedbygod.wordpress.com )

Continue reading

Life of Sai Baba

THE TIMETABLE OF THE GLORIOUS SAINT (7)

"Sometimes Baba would cook food himself and feed all the devotees. He had two vessels which were
big enough to cook for fifty to a hundred people. On the day that he decided to cook for the
devotees Baba would go to the market and get all the condiments and groceries himself. He would
do all the work such as lighting the fire, grinding the herbs and condiments and the cooking all by
himself. (We can see the fireplace used by Baba to cook food at the mosque to this day). He would
cook sweet rice pudding or milk rice pudding or mutton pilau. He would insert his bare hand instead
of a ladle in to the boiling cauldron and stir and mix the food while it was cooking. Astoundingly, his
hands were never burned. Sometimes he would cook gravy and add rotis to it. Other times he would
cook gruel and serve it to the devotees together with buttermilk, or he would grind wheat and cook
large rotis on the fire of the dhuni. Those rotis would be large and have many layers and one roti
would satiate even the hungriest.

He would never let the vegetarians draw near when he was cooking with meat. Once the food was
ready he would have the maulvi offer it to god and later send a little to the houses of Mahalsapati
and Tatya. Later the remainder would be distributed to all the devotees. After 1910, the number of
devotees increased and the offerings also grew, so Baba stopped cooking food. The food offerings
given as naivedya to Baba would feed 150-200 devotees daily at the mosque.

Once all had finished their meal, Sagun Meru Naik would clean up the place. As Baba sat in his place,
he would offer him betel leaf and nut along with a glass of water and two rupees as dakshina.

No one would be allowed to stay at the mosque after the noon meal. Baba would send everyone away
and stay alone at the mosque between 1.00 and 2.30 pm. Baba always had a brick with him which he
used to look after very carefully. He would say that the brick was a prasad from his guru. He would
keep the brick under his head when he slept. Whenever he sat down he kept the brick to his right
and rest his right hand on it. Baba never slept during the day and never rested his back on the wall
when sitting. He would sit alone unobserved by all and take out an old cloth bag. There would be
some old worn out coins in it. They were of various denominations such as four annas, two annas half
a rupee, one paisa and so on. (A rupee had sixteen annas in the currency of that time.) He would
take out these coins and rub them vigorously saying, "This is Nanas; this is Kakas, this Somyas and
this Damyas". If he heard anyones footsteps nearing him, he would at once hide the coins in the
bag. What those coins indicated or why Baba rubbed them thus was an unfathomable mystery. Baba
never told anyone about those coins. It was also during this time of solitude that he would repair
the holes in his old and worn out kafni

Baba would again go at 2.30 pm to Lendi garden and return. He held court once again at the mosque
after he returned from the Lendi garden. After this, in the evening, Sri Sai would walk about the
forecourt of the mosque. He would stand next to the boundary wall of the mosque and talk to the
passers-by. Sometimes he would talk in some coded words that only he could understand. He used to
say things like, "Ten snakes have left, and many more will come". "Vani (the merchants) and Teli (the
oil sellers) have troubled me too much. I am not going to stay in this mosque any longer. I am going
away from here." Sometimes he would really start to go away from the mosque and Shirdi. This
would be conveyed to Tatya who would come running to Baba and pacify him saying, "I will punish
those who have troubled you. I will not let you leave Shirdi and go away. In any case do not go today.
We will see about your departure tomorrow." Only Baba knows why he threatened to leave Shirdi.
After allowing him to be cajoled into staying by Tatya, Baba would sit as usual in the mosque and
talk to the devotees as if nothing was amiss. One can see small padukas, which have been placed
where Baba used to stand at the boundary wall of the Mosque to talk to the passers-by. Padukas
have been placed on the wall where he had rested his hand. It is said that Baba used to stand there
sometimes and watch the sunset."
(Source: Suchitra Devi in Sai Padham)

Sai Baba Sayings

58. I am god (Allah) ;I am Mahalaxmi; I speak the truth-sitting as I do at the Mosque.

(I am Vittoba of Pandari)- Go, I am at Pandhari (NGC)
(I am Ganapathi; Mother), all offerings you made to Ganapati have reached Me.
(I am Dattatreya); Are you puffed up? Where was male progeny in your destiny? (in answer to the
prayer you offered before Datta at Gangapur) I tore up this body and gave you a son.
(I am Laxmi Narain); Why go for Ganga elsewhere. Hold your palm at my feet. Here flows Ganga.
What matters it whether in your meditation you see this (Sai) figure or the figure of Laxmi
Narayana?
(I am Maruti); My father dedicated me to Maruti.
I make gestures before his temple telling him I am his brother.

59. (I am Krishna); Saibaba (seated in Dwaraka Mayi) to Uddhavesa Bua: "Give me Rs.11 dakshina".
60. All that (viz, other Gods) is Allah (to Rohilla)

61. Q-Baba, who are you? whence?

SaiBaba: (in the absolute mood): I am the attributeless, Absolute, Nirguna. I have no name, no
residence.
(Again in the mood of Duality)I got embroiled by Karma, and came to a body. (So) I got a name and
abode. Dehi, i.e., the embodied, is my name; and the world is my abode, brahman is my father and
Maya, my mother. As they interlocked, I got this body. The world is evanescent, mutable.
62. I am Parvardigar (God). I live at Shirdi and everywhere.
My age is lakhs of years. My business is to give blessings. All things are mine. I give everything to
everyone.

63. I am in Gangapur, Pandharpur and in all places. I am in every bit of the globe.
64. All the universe is in me.

65. Stick to the one whom you worship or rever. God will protect you soon.
65-A. (To Shankar Rao Gowhanker) ; Baba: ‘"They had many giving them trouble. As they were with
me, they did not suffer by that trouble. God punished the troublers. See, god rewards the doers of
good and punishes evil-doers.

Sai Babas Charters and Sayings

From the book (The God and the Apostle) - By Pujyasri B.V.Narasimhaswamy
Published by All India Sal SamaJ, Chennai.
 Experiences, Saileela

Facing Death in a Cloudburst in Shirdi

"Om Shri Sainathaya Namaha."

Dear Sai Devotee readers, I presume that you must have paid a visit to Shirdi at least once. The
present Shirdi and the Shirdi of yester years when my father used to visit, there is a vast
difference. During that time when you enter Shirdi from Kopergaon end there was a rivulet, which
you were required to cross to enter Shirdi village. Most of the times of the year the rivulet was
dried up, only during monsoon season one would find it actively flowing. Currently one would find a
small bridge over it on the main road. In those days villagers use to perform their morning duties on
the banks of this rivulet. As such there were lot of shrubs and the place was appropriate before
the sunrise, as there was hardly any traffic on the road.
Those were the rainy days when my father was in Shirdi. He was in the habit of getting up early and
after performing morning duties he would attend the Kakad Aarati. On that eventful day he got up
early and proceeded to the bank of the rivulet to perform his morning duties. It was drizzling so he
carried an umbrella and torch with him. During his course of morning duty he heard someone
shouting from the other bank of the rivulet. Initially he ignored the shouts. He tried to locate the
person but due to darkness he could not see anyone. Soon he realized that the person was shouting
and asking to runaway from the bank. He was shouting in Marathi and saying that" LONDHA ALARE
ALA PALA." My father did not understand the meaning of LONDHA. (A torrent) as such his
education was in English medium and it was difficult for him to understand the colloquial Marathi.
However he could sense that the person was warning everybody to run away from the place. He
hurriedly finished his morning duty and stood up and lighted the torch to find out what was going
around. Soon he realized that a huge column of black colored water 15 to 20 feet in height was
coming towards him. There was a cloudburst, which had taken place during the night at a far away
place resulting into sudden floods in the rivulet. He realized that his end was near and he shouted
saying "BABA MELO MALA WACHAVA". (Baba I am dying and please save me.) He closed his eyes
and just stood still in that place, all the time chanting Baba's name. After some time he realized
that he had not been swept away and he was still alive. He opened his eyes and what he saw was
believable. The column of water was divided into two parts and Pushing past him without touching
him. He was standing still in that gushing water. He was scared to death and the entire time
chanting Baba's name (NAMASMARAN). After some time the water level receded and when it was
down to knee level the water touched his body Now he was in knee deep water. He could see around
him branches of trees, shrubs, catties etc were passing through that floodwaters. He thanked Baba
there and then as he realized that only Baba could have Saved him from that sure death situation.
He then .slowly walked back through those knee-deep waters. He came to their place of stay and
took bath. Needless to mention that he had missed Kakad Aarati that morning. He informed his
mother what he had undergone that morning. She advised him that as Baba had pulled him out of
the jaws of death, he should immediately go and thank him for saving his life. He immediately paced
up to Dwarkamai and as he was climbing the steps with pooja material in his hand Baba talked to him
in raised voice, "Hey Bhau today early morning why were you shouting for my help and are you afraid
of death?" My father fell at his feet and told Baba that he knows everything and an ordinary man
like him is bound to get scared with the sight of sure death in front of him. Baba then lifted him by
holding him from his shoulders and said " Hey Bhau get up. I bring you to Shirdi not for dying.
Please remember you will not die like this so easily, as you have to perform lot of constructive work
in future."

Dear Sai devotee readers, I know it is difficult for common people like us to comprehend such
experience. Then came a thought-provoking event in my life, which I will describe it to you now.
It was the month of June 1962 if I remember correctly. There was a great movie running at New
Talkies (today's Globus Theatre) in Bandra. The name of the movie was "TEN COMMANDMENTS."
This film was produced by Cecille Be Demille, one of the most renowned producers of Hollywood.
The movie had broken all previous records in Regal Theatre at Colaba and the New Talkies at
Bandra was renovated with 70 MM screen and stereophonic sound system. I saw the film and
realized that the miracles shown in the film matched with the miracles seen by my father during his
association with SaiBaba of Shirdi. After lot of persuasion I convinced my father to come with me
to see the movie. May be after a long span of 30 to 35 years he was to enter a theatre to watch a
film. He saw the scenes, the divine light. Moses comes across when he visits the mountain and when
Moses take all his Jew people leaving the terrain of Egypt and come on the shores of Red Sea and
prays to the Lord and the Sea water divides into two parts giving them way to escape from the
wrath of king Faroha. My father was delighted to see that picturisation and tears of joy welled and
were flowing through his eyes. When we came out of the theatre he confirmed to me that the
Shirdi Sai Baba possessed the same type of supernatural powers and he very much resembled the
character of Moses as shown in the film Ten Commandments. He went on to add saying "Viren at
least now you have some reason to believe what unprecedented experiences I have gone through in
association with SaiBaba of Shirdi."

Source - LIVE EXPRIENCES OF THE TARKHAD FAMILY WITH SHRI SAI BABA OF SHIRDI BY
VIRENDRA JYOTINDRA TARDHAD
http://saileelas.org/books/jyotindra.doc

Devotees may share Baba 's leela in their life in our "EXPERIENCES" section. Kindly email us the
same.

Continue reading

Topic of Discussion

Question -

Do you ask us to give up our Rama worship and Shiva worships? And if we have those worships, why
should we worship Sai? Why should you go on propagating Sai and not Shiva or Rama?

Answered beautifully by Sri Narasimha Swamiji -

In the first place, one has to give up all hope of satisfying such curious objections because the
objections arise not from reasoning but from the underlying mentality or emotional factors.

The first question reminds us of the opt-quoted illustration of a leading question - Have you left
off beating your mother? Answer Yes or no - there is a vicious assumption, which is patent in the
question about the mother. Nobody would object to people worshipping Shiva or Rama. Sai Baba sent
Appa Kulkarni to worship Mohiniraj i.e., Shiva at Nivas before appearing to answer in a court case.
He sent Shama to worship Goddess Vani on a hill and Megha to worship Khandoba. He blamed
Chandorkar for bypassing a Datta temple.

The second question is again a baseless assumption. Nobody asked people to give up Shiva or Rama
worship and take Sai as a substitute. The question may be however referring to the fact that
several hereditary worshippers of Shiva or Rama or other Gods have taken ardently to Sai worship
which at the final stage drowns all other worship in rt. Sai becomes finally the one God and so the
same as the other forms of God eg., Shiva, Rama etc., The worshippers find enormous, unmistakable
and clear benefit accruing to them from the heartfelt Sai worship that they are going for, and
above all they felt the presence of Sai as an ever present guardian with them, undertaking to
safeguard and advance all their temporal and spiritual interests and carrying out the undertaking by
most miraculous or remarkable means unavailable to such worshippers and undreamt of by them till
they came to Sai Baba.

Coming to the objection to any propaganda being done for Sai, the short answers are this. The
honey and flavor in the flower do propaganda for the flower to attract bees and carry on the work
of more reproduction of the plant so that the earth may be replenished and more fruits may be
had. This is nature. Similarly the bhakta after achieving so much of welfare desires in his heart of
hearts to share it with others, and therefore communicates his experience to others so that the
others may also have the same benefit following the well-known principle - "When you get nice
things to eat, do not monopolize it, but share it with others."

Ramanuja's Guru gave him a sacred 'mantra' for 'Moksha' consisting in the utterance of the holy
name of God and advised him not to reveal it to others, but keep it a profound secret. What did
Ramanuja do? He got up on the temple tower and shouted the 'mantra', and later said, "If I have
committed a sin, let me go to hell. But if the 'mantra', being heard by others, will save them, let all
these innumerable people who hear it get saved hereby. I am willing to be damned to save all.

Source - Obstacles and Objections By Sri Narasimha Swamiji

Kindly post your question and/or replies at newsletter@shirdisaila.org
Continue reading

Children Section

An eight year old child heard her parents talking about her little brother.
All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left.
They were moving to a smaller house because they could not afford to stay in
the present house after paying the doctors bills. Only a very co
stly surgery could save him now and there was no one to loan them the money.
When she heard daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation,
Only a miracle can save him now, the child went to her bedroom and
pulled a glass jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured
all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Clutching the
precious jar tightly, she slipped out the back door and made her way
six blocks to the local drug store. She took a quarter from her jar and
placed it on the glass counter.

And what do you want asked the pharmacist.

Its for my little brother, the girl answered back. Hes really, really sick and
I want to buy a miracle.

I beg your pardon? said the pharmacist.

His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my
daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?

We dont sell miracles here, child. Im sorry, the pharmacist said, smiling
sadly at the little girl.

Listen, I have the money to pay for it, if it isnt enough, I can try and get
some more. Just tell me how much it costs.

In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped down and asked the little
girl, What kind of miracle does your brother need?

I dont know, she replied with her eyes welling up. He is really sick and mommy
says he needs an operation. But my daddy cant pay for it, so I
have brought my savings.

How much do you have? asked the man.

One dollar and eleven cents, but I can try and get some more, she answered barely audibly.

Well, what a coincidence, smiled the man. A dollar and eleven cents the exact
price of a miracle for little brothers. He took her money in on
e hand and held her hand with the other. He said, Take me to where you live, I
want to see your brother and meet your parents. Lets see if I have
the kind of miracle you need. That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton
Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was
performed without charge and it wasnt long before Andrew was home again and
doing well. That surgery, her mom whispered, was a real miracle.
I wonder how much it would have cost? The little girl smiled. She knew exactly
how much the miracle cost .one dollar and eleven cents plus the
faith of a little child. Perseverance can make miracles happen.

Devotees, kindly email children related stories, articles at newsletter@shirdisaila.org We also

request parents and Raju Guttula from Bal Gokulam to encourage their children to write on suitable
topic of interest. Kindly compile those answers (along with child's name, age) and email us the same.
Continue reading
 Priest Section

Meaning of Kakad Aarti - portion 11 in English

Xi. PADH
Composed by :: Sri Dasganu Maharaj

Raham nazar karo, ab more Sayee Tumbin naheen mujze maa baap bhaayee
Raham nazar karo Raham nazar karo
Refrain:
Look at me mercifully, O my Sai, without you I have no one no mother, no father, no brother.
Look at me mercifully.
Look at me mercifully, O my Sai, without you I have no one no mother, no father, no brother.
Look at me mercifully.

Mein andhaa hoon banda tumhaaraa Mein andhaa hoon banda tumhaaraa
Mein naa jaanoon Mein naa jaanoon Mein naa jaanoon Allaah ilaahee Raham ....
I am blind and ignorant devotee of yours , I am blind and ignorant devotee of yours :
I know nothing , I know nothing , I know nothing of God or the rites. Look at me mercifully .

Khalee jamaanaa meineh gamaayaa Khalee jamaanaa meineh gamaayaa

Saathee aakhar kaa Saathee aakhar kaa Saathee aakhar kaa kiyaa na koyee Raham ....
I have wasted my whole life, I have wasted my whole life
and made no lasting friend, and made no lasting friend, and made no lasting friend for the final journey.
Look at me mercifully ..

Apne maszhid ka zhaadoo Ganoo hai Apne maszhid ka zhaadoo Ganoo hai
Maalik hamaare Maalik hamaare Maalik hamaare tum Baabaa Sayee Raham ....
I, Ganu, am the broom of your mosque, I, Ganu , am the broom of your mosque
And you, Baba Sai, you are our Lord, And you, Baba Sai, you are our Lord, And you, Baba Sai, you are
our Lord. Look at me mercifully..

Shri Satchitaanand Sadguru Sainaath Maharaaj kiJai

Let us Hail! Shri Sachchidananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaj!

News and Events

Monthly Events

Shri Sai Satya Vrat Every second Saturday - 10 am

Satyanarayan Vrat Every Poornima - 9 am

Weekly Event

Bal Gokulam Every Saturday after Madhyahana Aarti

Mahaprasad/Annadanam every Thursday evening

Daily Event

All 4 aarti and Baba Abhishekam takes place in the temple daily 7 days a week, 365 days an year

Temple Timing

WeekDays 8.30AM To 12.30PM, 6PM To 9PM

Thursdays 8AM To 9PM
Weekends 8AM To 9PM

ARATHI TIMINGS -EVERYDAY

8:30 am - Kakad Arati

9:00 - 9:40 am - Baba Abhishekam/Archana
12:00 pm - Madhyana Arati
6:30 pm - Dhoop Arati
8:30 pm - Shej Arati

All Arathi lasts for about 15 to 25 minutes approximately.

SHIV ABHISHEKAM Monday 6.00PM

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Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, 144 South 4th Street, Montebello, CA-90640, USA.

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subjects contradicting His teachings or philosophy. Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan Los Angeles is
not responsible for opinions expressed by individual contributors. If you prefer not to receive
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