Thursday, October 11, 2012
Shri Sai Satcharita
Brief History of Sai Baba of Shirdi
The exact date and place of birth, family name and parentage of Baba are still shrouded in mystery, although researchers speculate that He was born in a village called Pathri now in Maharashtra (India), somewhere between 1835 and 1838. Whether He was a Hindu or a Muslim is still not clear, because Baba never encouraged questions on such issues. He sported a beard and moustache, donned a long robe and hand gear and head gear like some of the Sufis, and yet had a perforation in the ears like the Hindus. He spoke in Urdu, Hindi, Maharashtrian and some South Indian languages. He participated in Hindu and Muslim festivals. His approach in short, was universal and humanitarian.
On the second arrival, He stayed in a dilapidated mosque on the outskirts of Shirdi for about sixty years, although He spent some nights in an adjacent place called Chawdi. He used to be visited by some fakirs and Sufis and also Hindu sadhus. He used to beg in a few houses daily in Shirdi and share His food with dogs, birds and poor people. For some time He used to treat people by administering some kind of herbal medicine. Initially, the local Hindu community looked upon Him with suspicion. But when they found the kind fakir was able to help them through miraculous methods, people like Tatya Kote Patil the farmer, Mhalsapathy the goldsmith, Shyama the school teacher, Das Ganu the police officer Nanasahed Chandorkar the magistrate, Buti the rich money lender from Nagpur, Kakasaheb Dixit the solicitor from Bombay., Abdul and hundreds of others from different places flocked around him. All of them and their families got direction and solace, as well as material and spiritual support from Baba. His name spread gradually to many parts of India and hundreds of visitors started coming to Shirdi every day, as if visiting a temple. Their experiences with Sai spread his name further and became the folk lore of that time. Worship of Shri Sai and the composition of devotional songs about Him started then. The mosque known as Dwarkamayee looked like the court of a king, with thousands of people appearing before Baba for help and the Sadguru helping them every day.
Shri Sai renovated the mosque and the temples in Shirdi and got the village well cleaned. Baba planted trees with His own hands on a piece of land which is now known as Lendibagh garden. He created an atmosphere of mutual support covering all aspect of social life in the villages. He participated in all religious festivals, encouraged group dining and group worship to bring all the devotees together. He got built three rest houses called wadas with the help of His devotees. These rest houses, called Sathewada, Butiwada and Dixitwada were built for the convenience of the visiting devotees. At times Shri Sai even used to cook food Himself and serve the devotees, and cured their sickness by giving the sacred ash from his fireplace called the Udi. This practice continues even today and the people are getting the benefit. He even took care of the animals and birds in the village. He was the biggest social reformer of His time, because of which many of His devotees started similar humanitarian activities wherever they went. Nationalist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and others used to visit Him for solace and direction.
Shri Sai left His bodily form on 15th October 1918. His body was entombed in a place called “Samadhi Mandir”. The Samadhi Mandir, Dwarkamayee Mosque, Chawdi, Lendibagh, the Gurusthan and the sweet neem tree, and the temples of Khandoba, Hanuman, Ganesh and Shani are the places visited by devotees.
During his lifetime Shri Sai never set up any institution or place of worship in His name. After His departure, Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust of Shirdi came into existence and also a magazine called “Sai Leela” which is being published regularly. These are the works of the devotees. Today in India, there are a few thousand temples of Baba and hundreds of trusts have been formed. A large number of books written by Indian and foreign authors, hundreds of magazines / journals and reading material in almost all Indian languages have been published.
Written by: Revered Guruji C. B. Satpathy ji
Friday, October 5, 2012
Sai Baba – Experiences of Devotees
Das Ganu was once performing his Kirtan (religious discourse) and singing the gloryof Sai Baba, in the Koupineshwar temple in Thana. One Mr. Cholkar, a poor man serving as a candidate in the Civil Courts in Thana, was amongst the audience. He heard Dasganu’s Kirtan most attentively and was much moved. He there and then mentally bowed and vowed to Baba saying – “Baba, I am a poor man, unable to support my family. If by your grace, I pass the departmental examination, and get a permanent post, I shall go to Shirdi, fall at Your Feet and distribute sugar-candy in Your name.” As good luck would have it, Mr.Cholkar did pass the examination and did get the permanent post and now it remained for him to fulfill his vow, the sooner the better. Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support; and he could not afford to pay for the expenses of a Shirdi trip. As Mr. Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as possible, he resolved to economize, cut down his expenses and save money. He determined not to use sugar in his diet and began to take his tea without it. After he was able to save some money in this way, he came to Shirdi, took Baba’s darshan (sight of a holy person), fell at His Feet, offered a coconut, distributed it with a clean conscience along with sugar-candy as per his vow and said to Baba that he was much pleased with His darshan and that his desires were fulfilled that day. Mr. Cholkar was in the Masjid with his host Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and the guest both got up and were about to leave the Masjid, Baba spoke to Jog as follows:- “Give him (your guest) cups of tea, fully saturated with sugar.” Hearing these significant words, Mr. Cholkar was much moved, he was wonderstruck, his eyes were bedewed with tears, and he fell at Baba’s Feet again. Mr. Jog was also curious about this direction, regarding the tea-cups to be given to his guest. Baba wanted by His words to create faith and devotion in Cholkar’s mind. He hinted as it were, that He got the sugar-candy as per his vow and that He knew full well his secret determination not to use sugar in his diet. Baba meant to say, “If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you, day and night. Though, I am here bodily, still I know what you do; beyond the seven seas. Go wherever you will, over the wide world, I am with you. My abode is in your heart and I am within you. Always worship Me, Who is seated in your heart, as well as in the hearts of all beings. Blessed and fortunate indeed, is he who knows Me thus.”
Bread and Onion Story:
Once it so happened, that a sadhak (disciple) of Yoga came to Shirdi with Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He had studied all the works on Yoga, including the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali, but had no practical experience. He could not concentrate his mind and attain samadhi (the highest meditative state) even for a short time. He thought that if Sai Baba be pleased with him, He will show him the way to attain samadhi for a long time. With this object in view he came to Shirdi and when he went to the Masjid he saw Sai Baba eating bread with onion. On seeing this, a thought arose in his mind, “How can this man, who is eating stale bread with raw onion, solve my difficulties and help me?” Sai Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb – “Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else”. Hearing this remark, the yogi was wonder-struck and then he fell at Baba’s Feet with complete surrender. With pure and open mind, he asked his difficulties and got their solution from Baba. Thus being satisfied and happy, he left Shirdi with Baba’s Udi (sacred ash) and blessings.
Faith Secures Passing Grade:
There lived in Bandra, a suburb of Bombay, one Tendulkar family, all the members of which were devoted to Shirdi Sai Baba. The son of the family was studying hard day and night and wanted to appear for the medical examination. He consulted some astrologers. Examining his horoscope they told him that the stars were not favourable that year and that he should appear for the examination next year, when he would be certainly successful. This cast a gloom over him and made him restless. A few days afterwards his mother went to Shirdi and saw Baba. Amongst other things she mentioned the gloomy and morose condition of her son, who was to appear for the examination in a few days. Hearing this Baba said to her,”Tell your son to believe in Me, to throw aside horoscopes and predictions of astrologers and palmists and go on with his studies. Let him appear for the examination with a calm mind, he is sure to pass this year. Ask him to trust in Me and not to get disappointed”. The mother returned home and communicated Baba’s message to her son. Then he studied hard and in due course appeared for the examination. In the written papers he did well, but being overwhelmed by doubts he thought that he would not secure sufficient marks for passing. So he did not care to appear for the oral examination. But the examiner was after him. He sent word through a fellow- student, stating that he had passed in the written examination and that he should appear for the oral. The son being thus encouraged appeared for the oral examination and was successful in both. Thus he got through the examination that year successfully by Baba’s grace, though the stars were against him. It is to be noted here that doubts and difficulties surround us just to move us and confirm our faith. We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success.
Suicide Thwarted:
Mr. Gopal Narayan Ambadekar of Poona was a devotee of Baba. He served for ten years in the Abkari department, from where he had to retire. He tried to get some other job, but he did not succeed. He was overtaken by other calamities and his condition grew from bad to worse. He passed 7 years in this condition, visiting Shirdi every year and placing his grievance before Baba. In 1916 his plight became worst and be decided to commit suicide in Shirdi. So he came there with his wife and stayed for two months. One night while sitting in a bullock cart he resolved to end his life by throwing himself into a well close by. He proposed to do one way but Baba wished to do something else. A few paces from this place, there was a hotel and its proprietor Mr. Sagun, a devotee of Baba, came out and accosted him thus, “Did you ever read this Akkalkotkar Maharaja’s life?” Ambadekar took that book from Sagun and began to read it. Casually, or we may say providentially he came across a story which was to this effect. – During the life time of Akkalkotkar Maharaj a certain devotee suffered very much from an incurable disease and when he could endure the agony and pain no longer, be became desperate and to end his miseries threw himself one night into a well. Immediately the Maharaj came there and took him out with his own hands and advised him thus, “You must enjoy the fruit – good or bad – of your past actions; if the enjoyment be incomplete, suicide won’t help you. You have to take another birth and suffer again; so instead of killing yourself, why not suffer for some time and finish up your store of the fruit of your past deeds and be done with it once and for all?”
Reading this appropriate and timely story, Ambadekar was much surprised, and moved. Had he not got Baba’s hint through the story, he would have been no more. Seeing Baba’s all-pervasiveness and benevolence, his faith in Him was confirmed, and he became a staunch devotee. His father was a devotee of Akkalkotkar Maharaj and Sai Baba wanted him to walk into his father’s footsteps and continue his devotion to Him. He then got Sai Baba’s blessings and his prospects began to improve. He studied astrology and gained proficiency in it and thereby improved his lot. He was able to earn sufficient money and passed his after-life in ease and comfort.
Posted by: Admin
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Greatness of Udi and its Importance in Healing
It is well-known that Baba took Dakshina from all, and out of the amount thus collected, He spent a lot on charity and purchased fuel with the balance left with Him. This fuel He threw in the Dhuni – the sacred fire, which he kept ever burning. The ash from this fire was called Udi and it was freely distributed to the devotees at the time of their departure from Shirdi. Udi or ash is the purest substance on earth having tremendous powers of doing and undoing and is the result of sacrifices offered to fire (agni) which purifies everything by destroying whatever is evil. Performing ‘Yagha’ (Dhuni) is the most pious ritual recommended. The ancient Vedic literature.
There is a deeper underlying significance behind Baba’s practice of for distributing Udi. Baba taught by His Udi that all the visible phenomena in the universe are as transient as the ash. Our bodies composed of wood or matter of the five elements will fall down, become inanimate after all their enjoyments are over, and will be reduced to ashes. In order to remind the devotees of the fact that their bodies will be reduced to ashes, Baba distributed Udi to them. Baba also taught by the Udi that the Brahman is the only Reality and the universe is ephemeral and that no one in this world, be he a son, father or wife, is really ours. We come here (in this world) alone and we have to go out alone. It was found and is even now found out, that the Udi cured many physical and mental maladies, but Baba wanted to din into the devotee’s ears the principles of discrimination between the Unreal and the Real, non-attachment for the Unreal, by His Udi and Dakshina. The former (Udi) taught us discrimination and the latter (Dakshina) taught us non-attachment. Unless we have these two things, it is not possible for us to cross over the sea of the mundane existence. So Baba asked for and took Dakshina, and while the devotees took leave, He gave Udi as Prasad, besmeared some of it on the Bhaktas’ foreheads and placed His boon-conferring hand on their heads. When Baba was in a cheerful mood, He used to sing merrily. One such song was about Udi. The text of the Udi song was, “Oh, playful Rama, come, come, and bring with you sacks of Udi.” Baba used to sing in very clear and sweet tones.
So much about the spiritual implication of Udi. It had also its material significance. It conferred health, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, and many other worldly gains. So the Udi has helped us to gain both our ends – material as well as spiritual.
Posted by: Admin
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