Sai Vichaar for Thursday , November 02, 2006

Sai Vichaar www.saibaba.org
Thursday , November 02, 2006 :: Volume 9, Issue 25
(In its nineth year of publication.)
Sai Vichaar is a Weekly newsletter distributed every
Thursday and is devoted to the life, philosophy and teachings
of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Feel free to forward this newsletter
to your interested associates in its original form.

IN THIS ISSUE:
FEATURE OF THE WEEK
CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE
DEVOTEES SAY
PRAYER CLUB
EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES
QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
SAI ACTIVITIES
FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD

FEATURE OF THE WEEK: What selflessness!

Sai Baba of Shirdi was known as a great mystic saint when
he was in flesh. One curious story would be enough to
indicate his saintliness.

One day, a man came to him begging for his blessing and
some alms. Sai Baba told him, "I shall give you a rupee a
day, if you would sit here the whole day long from morning
till night and abuse me in front of all my devotees". The man
was surprised and readily picked up the challenge saying,
"It is the easiest thing in the world".

The first day, his voice was in its fullest strength. He abused
and slandered the fakir to his heart's content. None knew
that he was paid for it. The second day, he poured out the
abuses, but they became distinctly feeble and weak. On the
fourth day, he refused to carry out the fakir's orders. "I would
rather go without your rupee and strive than slander a man
like you."

The principal object of this great fakir was to drive away fear
from the hearts of his devotees and to take upon himself
their burdens. What selflessness!

(Source: "How I found God", by Yogi M.K.Spencer)



CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: See Sai!

"Those who see Me in everyone and knows Me thus is
blessed", said Sai Baba. How does this translate to
practical terms? May be this is a yardstick one might
use to see how realized they are spiritually. Myth does
not allow one to drop everything that he/she acquired
at an instance and embark on a spiritual journey or
realize Sai in everything that is heard, seen, and felt.
While part of the myth is due to the natural orientation
the souls with the human body have to endure,
significant effects do come from the slips of ignorance
even for those who are vigilant. Saadhana should be
such that the growth is progressive and the results
permanent. It may not come with an ego-driven pursuit
of an entity that is hard to explain, much less realized.
On the other hand, the goal may lie next waiting to be
realized. Shri Sai Satcharitha narrates several incidents
supporting the thought that Sai is ubiquitous and some
were made to realize this, the episode of Laxmibhai
and the dog to cite an example. The principle of non-dual
nature of the supreme has never been demonstrated in
such simple terms. Blessed are the followers who realize
this aspect of Sai tatva. Blessed are those who strive to
see His dispensation at every encounter of life, animate
and inanimate. Blessed are those who see Sai in every
being and treat everyone as they would treat Him. Here
lies the practical terms of egolessness and humility, very
virtues Sainath stands for.

(Contributed by Sai devotee)

DEVOTEES SAY:

Haritha
Thank you Baba for bestowing on us everything we wished
for. We asked for a nice house although there was no
possibility of the same to get materialized but nothing is
impossible unto you. Everything has fallen in to right place
at right time, it surely is a miracle. My family and I feel
blessed by you and we always feel your presence there
around us.

Kamal
Sai Baba thankyou for giving my nephew the job he wanted.
He really worked hard to get this job. I had promised to
write the success of his interview. I finished reading Sai
Satricharitra yestarday and today we got the good news.
Thank you Baba. Always be with us and protect us.

Radhika
My koti pranams to Sai Prabhu. You have answered my
prayers Sainath. I have been praying to Sai Dewa to bless
my daughter with a child. Each time she called me from
US, I used to beg Sai to answer and bless her with a child.
When I got to know she had conceived I pleaded Sai to
protect her like his own child and take good care of her. He
was with us always. Me and my husband came to US to
see our daughter without any delay, and His loving grace
was with us and my daughter always. On 20th October 2006
she was blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Normally they
don't allow more than one person to be with the patient other
than the husband, but one of the doctors asked me to go in
and be with her. All this time I was holding the Sai Satcharita
in my hand and praying to Him as my daughter was supposed
to deliver only on November 26th. The doctor had to do a
C-sect for her. All this time I was sitting by her head and
holding the book and showing her Sai's photo. She is also a
great devotee of Sainath. I am even more happy as the baby
was discharged on Thursday, Baba's day, I had just finished
my afternoon Aarthi then. This shows that Sai was with us
always in some form or other. His Udi which I got from Shirdi
was with us and I gave Udi in water to drink before she left
home and in the hospital. Sainath please bless the little one
with good health and let him also be your ardent devotee.
When we all go to India I want them all to visit Shirdi as also
my daughter wishes. Please make it possible Sainath. We
bow to You and hold onto Your lotus feet, Sainath.

Anup
Jai Sai Ram. I am working in Nigeria. This time while coming
from India I brought my mother with me on visit. Due to not
knowing the right procedure I brought her on Visitor Visa
without knowing that the same cannot be extended. While it
came to expire after three months I was sure the same can
be extended again for three more months, so I got changed
the air ticket of my mother accordingly. But to my surprise
when I contacted the Immigration, they informed us that as
per present rule of Immigration this visa can not be extended.
I tried from all sources but all in vein. Finally I prayed Sai Baba
and to my surprise I had one way to represent my case to
Controller General at Abuja but for that the time was not
enough as well it was quite expensive to tavel to Abuja and
meet him. I again prayed Sai Baba to help and again to my
surprise the local controller had agreed to present the case
to Contoller General and within two days I got the visa
extended as a special case. Thanks to Baba who is always
there to help us.

Maitreyi
These days I am not able to concentrate. I am getting so
many questions in my mind about existence of God etc. I
know You are there for sure but I am not able to control my
thoughts. Please help me to come out of these illusions
and attain great spirituality. I know without You I could not
be here where I am now. Thanks Sai for everything You have
given me. Please shower Your blessings as always on
everyone and bless everyone with good thoughts and health.

Kanthy
I am very thankful to Baba for Your blessings on my husband
to get permission to sit for exams. Baba please be along with
us and guide us to right path.

PRAYER CLUB:

Rajyalakshmi
I am really disturbed and depressed with the family problems.
Shower Your blessings so that I can have a very smooth and
peaceful delivery in Singapore without any family tensions
and misunderstandings.

Sampa
Baba I want to be something, I have failed many times in life.
Baba please give me a chance where I can succeed, make
my parents feel proud of me.

Rajani
I am really stressed with my health problems, Baba. Please
don't be angry on me. Please be with me and my family
always.

Nirmala
Baba, by Your grace I have become pregnant. Please bless
my husband with good health Baba. He is having a skin
problem. He started taking medicine for that, now he is
having backache also. Please bless him with good health,
Sai.

Sandhya
Please help my husband to overcome his addictions and
his short temper. Please give me some more patience.
Baba, I want my life to be peaceful, it is in Your hands.

Satbir
I have been married since five years but have very restrained
relations with my husband. Please bless us with a happy
married life. Also I want my son to be admitted to a good
school.

Kumari
My mother is feeling very sad about my brother. Please
remove his problems as soon as possible Sainaatha. Please
help Baba, please improve his devotion towards You.

Ramkumar
Of late, bad thoughts have been troubling me and I beg You
ernestly, Baba please be with me during this difficult time
and protect me. Please do not let durbudhi take control of
me and drift away from Your Lotus Feet. Shower Your
motherly love on me and guide me in the right path.

Sai devotee
Baba you know what my husband is going through and I
am doing everything to help him with his problem with a lot
of patience. I need You to help him and also give me
strength to work with him as well so that we can come
over this hurdle together.



EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES:

Rohini
Three days back, my brother called from USA that he lost
his passport. The whole family was very worried about him.
I prayed to Sai baba and asked him to help my brother to
get his passport. He also lodged a complaint in Indian
embassy. He flew from Miami to Chicago. Once he reached
Chicago, he found that the passport was missing. After the
weekend, he drove back to Miami again for some official work.
Suddenly, it struck to him that he might have left it in the cab,
which he took to the airport for flying to Chicago. When he
called the rental services office, the concerned cab driver
searched and found his passport. The driver handed it over in
the office. Saibaba was always there for us when we sought
his help. Today morning, we got a call from my brother that
he got his passport. Baba, thank you so much for everything
that you did. My brother is a very good soul and help him all
the time. Kindly be with us all the time and shower your
blessings on our family and help me in fulfilling my desires.

Hitesh
We are devotees of Baba for long time. We live in US. Recently
one of the great miracle occurred in our life and we want to
share with so many hundreds of devotees like us. Baba gave
us a wonderful baby boy on 21st August 2006. Our two months
old son suffered from severe ear/stomach pain for last two days.
He was not drinking milk. We did not know what to do. Even the
doctors were not able to give us solution to make him drink milk.
Yesterday we went to the pooja room in our home and prayed to
Baba and gave milk with pinch of udi in it. Miracle of miracles
after eight hours our son drank milk inside the pooja room. Even
now he is drinking milk only with Baba's udi. We thank our God
Sai for all the help and guidance He has given to us so far and
ask Him to continue His blessings on us. From this incident we
came to know that Baba is always shadowing his devotees every
minute even if we are across seven seas.

Ramkumar
I wish to share my experience regarding Baba's motherly love. I
had completely forgot to pay my personal property tax this year
and yesterday, I got a letter from my County saying that my
account is delinquent and asked me to pay the tax immediately or
face legal actions. I was very concerned and I had never been in
such a situation. I prayed to Baba that everything should go on
well as I was going to pay the tax the first thing in the morning.
Today I went to the County office and paid them and fortunately,
was told that I would not face any issues with the credit. The
miracle is that if this letter had come a little later, we would have
been in serious trouble as we are going on a month long vacation
and would not have noticed it. The County might have seized our
property and also filed legal claims. Baba, being a kind mother for
us all made sure that the notice came before we left on vacation
and thereby taught me a lesson to be more cautious in the future.
I had prayed to Baba that I would post it once everything is
resolved. Pranams Baba. Please protect us as ever!



QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

The love that a chaste woman bears to her husband is sometimes
compared to that which a disciple bears to his master (Guru). Yet
the former falls far short of the latter, which is incomparable. No
one, whether he be father, mother, brother or any other relation,
comes to our aid in attaining the goal of life (self-realization).
-Sri Sai Satcharita

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Q. Why did Baba call Masjid as Dwarakamai? What is the
significance of Dwarakamai?

A. by Geeta

The question this week was about Dwarakamai, the place where
our dear Sai Baba used to sit. Baba sat here and all his devotees
came to meet him, to some Baba gave Udi, some He gave His
blessings by touching their back or head, some He used to give
messages either directly or through some verses from Bhagvad
Gita or similar books. In Sai Satcharita, Chapter 22, where Baba
addresses his devotee Balasaheb Mirikar, Balasaheb was going
to Chitali for some office work. He reached the office at 9:00 am.
Since his office people had not come he and Shama, another
devotee of Sai Baba, who had accompanied Balasaheb, on
Baba's instructions, sat chitchatting at the Maruti temple. When
he was waiting for his office people to come, a serpent came and
sat on his upper dhotar. Shama and some other people came
and killed the snake. This was predicted by Sai Baba when
Balasaheb came to meet him before leaving for Chitali. He had
asked Shama to accompany Balasaheb because of this. Before
leaving Baba asked Balasaheb "Do you know Dwarakamai"
- Dwarakamai is the place when Baba sat and his devotees
gathered to listen to Him. She wards away all the dangers and
anxieties from your life. The Masjidmai its presiding Deity, is
very merciful whom she will save in calamities. Once a person
sits on here lap, all his troubles are over. The person who rests
in her shade get bliss. By warding off the danger from Balasaheb's
life he protected Balasaheb from death. The significance of
Dwarakamai is very great. Lets imagine that we are sitting on her
lap and enjoying the bliss that Balasaheb and other devotees of
Sai Baba received.

Q. Why did Baba call Masjid as Dwarakamai? What is the
significance of Dwarakamai?

A. by SL Abhyankar

Baba was incarnation of God. Most popular amongst Dashavataras
is that of Lord Krishna. Krishna created Dwarika to be the safe
abode for Yadavas. Likewise the mosque was and is the abode,
where devotees get blessed with the feeling of safety and security
against all their travails. Since Dwarika connotes a place, where
devotees feel secure, because God lived there in person, it was
only apt of Baba to call the mosque as Dwarika. That is in tune
with His assurance, "Maajyaa Samaadheechee Paayaree
Chadhela Dukkha hee hareyl sarva tyaachey " (Whosoever will
climb up the steps of the place, where I Rest in Peace, the person
will be blessed with alleviation of all his travails).

There is another beautiful reference in the 27th chapter of Sai
Satcharita, where Baba has succinctly suggested His being
incarnation of Lord Krishna. When telling of previous births of
Mrs. Khaparde, He said, "She was a cow in one of her previous
births and how much I relished her milk then!!" Does it not become
the story from Krishnavatar in Vrindavan - Go-maataa and Go-paala?

Baba was incarnation - He was Shri Ram to the lady of the Madrasi
family mela and also to the doctor, He was Lord Shiva to Megha,
He was Lord Datta, whom Nanasaheb had overlooked when coming
to Shirdi, with Binnivale, who was highly devoted to Lord Datta, He
became Kaka Puranik for Panditji, who dared to apply Tripundra on
Baba's forehead, He became Gholap-guruji for Muley Shastri, and
Swami Samarth gave Drushtanta to Bhai in Mumbai that now I am
in Shirdi. He became Vithu Patil for Kaka Dikshit and He drenched
Dasganu Maharaj with the Kumbha waters of Prayag. In mythology,
reference to a place, where devotees were secure, comes only in
Bhagawat Puran of Krishnavatar. Baba gave that name of Dwarika
to the mosque.

Q. Why did Baba call Masjid as Dwarakamai? What is the
significance of Dwarakamai?

A. by S Ramani

From the days when Shri Sai Baba came to Shirdi with a marriage
party, he stayed till he attained mahasamadhi, at the dilapidated
old mosque which he called as Dwarakamai. Sai Baba always
encouraged every one to practice their own beliefs and at the same
time live let live united. By calling the mosque as Dwarakamai,
Sai Baba symbolized unity in diversity. He always uttered that
God is only one and is above all human beings. True to its name,
Dwarakamai gave shelter to one and all who reached her floor.

Skanda Purana explains the meaning of Dwarakamai as the place
doors are open to all people of the four castes for accomplishing
the four purusharthas (objects of man's life) viz. dharma
(righteousness), artha (means of living), kama (fulfillments of
legitimate desires) and moksha (release from ignorance). The
significance of Dwarakamai can be better understood by Sai Baba's
own saying "Dwarakamayi wards off all dangers and anxieties from
her children. Highly merciful is the Masjid Ayi, she is the mother
of those who place their entire faith on her. If they are in danger,
she will save them. Once a person climbs into her lap, all his travails
will be over. He who sleeps in her shade attains bliss". Dwarakamai
was open to all living beings, humans of all religions and castes and
even animals of all types. Thereby Sai Baba established that God is
one. All were allowed to worship there according to their religion.

SAI ACTIVITIES:

Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs, Illinois, USA
Shirdi Sai temple is open daily from 7:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m (Summer
hours). Daily program includes Kakad Arathi at 7 a.m. followed by
Abhisek. Madhayana Arathi at 12:00 noon, Dhoop Arathi at 6:00 p.m.
and Shej Arathi at 9:00 p.m. Archana, Homams, Sahasranama and
sponsored poojas continue in between the Arathis. To request a
pooja for yourselves, your friends and family, please call. Devotees
can request water (Abhishek Jal) from the Holy bathing of Baba by
sending us an email or by phone. Temple is located 25 minutes drive
west of Schaumburg on intersection of IL Route 47 and Plank Road
in Hampshire, IL. For more information please call 847-931-4058
or send email to maildrop@saibaba.org.

Shri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Saibaba activities in Minneapolis were conducted at Shirdi Saibaba
Prayer center since the year 2002. Now, with the grace and
blessings of Baba and the support of devotees, a new Saibaba
Mandir has begun to function at 1835 Polk St NE, Minneapolis from
July 11th 2006. Please visit www.hamaresai.org for all details.

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW Metroplex is located at
2109 West Parker (Parker Plaza), Suite 212, Plano, TX 75023.
For temple hours and activities please call the temple office at
469-467-3388 or visit the website www.shirdisaidallas.org.

Shirdi Sai Center in Bay Area, CA
By Baba's grace, Shirdi Sai Parivaar is pleased to announce the
grand opening of Shirdi Sai Center in Bay Area. The center is
located at 897-B East Kifer Road, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. For
more information please call 408-564-6704 or 408-705-7904.

FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD:

Sai Vichaar thanks you for your support for the Question of the
Week feature. This feature is intended to initiate useful discussion
on topics related to Sai philosophy, His message, and Sai
devotion. Please send your suggested topics for the same.

The "Question of the week" for this week is,

Q. Why did Baba call Masjid as Dwarakamai? What is the
significance of Dwarakamai?

Humbly Yours,
The Editor