Choosing a GURU

To lead a satisfied life, a role model and a GURU is always necessary. There are some disciples who follow a particular GURU, because they ful-fil their wishes. If they follow a GURU and if they did not gain anything, they would change and start finding a new person to follow. They also dis-cuss about this with their friends and family who can help them make a decision. But the true purpose of having a GURU is to have spiritual ad-vancement.

Always Shri Sai advises that his disciples should learn how to serve their GURU in the correct manner and do not want them to keep changing their GURU. The true meaning of Guru is "One who dispels darkness of Igno-rance". "GU" means" Darkness of Ignorance" and "RU" means "One who removes". The word Guru also means "One who is beyond Attributes and Forms".

Have faith and confidence in our Guru. Believe fully, that Guru is the sole Actor or Doer. Baba tells his devotees, "Let us do our prescribed duty and surrender our Body, Mind and Five Pranas [Life] to the Guru's feet. Guru is God, all pervading. To get this conviction, strong unbounded Faith is necessary." It is the grace of the Guru that can give us peace and prosper-ity. The objects of our life such as Dharma, Artha and Kama are attainable with our effort, but the fourth object, Moksha [Liberation] can only be had with the help of the Guru.

ON THIS THURSDAY MAY ALL OF US FOLLOW OUR SHRI SAI AND GET BLESSSED…..

***

The Glory of Shirdi SaiThe Glory of Shirdi Sai

1 6 - J U N E - 2 0 1 1 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 1 2

गुरुब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णु: गुरुरे्दवो महेश्वर: | गुरु: शाऺात परब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः:||

CONTENT

Satsangs of SaiBaNisaji

Time Machine

Shirdi Dairy

Shri Sainath Stavan

Manjari

The Dreams Train

Devotees Corner

Baba’s close devotees

Children Section

Spiritual Gems From Sai

Satcharita

Quintessence

श्रद्धा सबुरी

Ninth Year of Publication - Published as Bi-Weekly

www.saidarbarusa.org ~ an affiliate of www.saidarbar.org

JAI SAI RAM

P A G E 2

If one sees me

and me alone

and listens to

my Leelas and

is devoted to

me alone, they

will reach God. 1911 21 January Saturday

Amravati.

I had court work today & got up early in the morning though not feeling well. I could not

sleep as usual last night. There was not time to do much in the morning. A few clients

came & Gopalrao Dorle read their papers. After breakfast I & Dorle went to court and

appeared before Mr Price, in the appeal adjourned to today. Pandit Rao Joshi appeared on

the other side. The court decided to examine a witness in appeal though he was cancelled

by the other side in the L.C. This is very unusual & I pointed out the thing to the Court.

The appeal was adjourned to 11th Feb next and I returned home, & not feeling well lay

down. There is a kind of lumbago in my back & I felt uneasy. So I came out & lay in the

long chair reading. Shriram came & sat talking about a matter that he was fighting in the

Session ’s Court. A young man who has grown long matted hair & lets them fall all round

his face & be something like a veil even on the eyes, came in a cart driven by himself. I

noticed him near my house under one of the trees on the roadside. He drove into my

compound. So I went near him & saluted as he was dressed as a Sadhu in saffron robe. At

my request he came & sat down in my verandah. Mahadeva, who is an ex-post office

officer was also present. Shriram thinks the Sadhu is a detective & hinted to me

accordingly. The Sadhu said that he had seen me before. I replied that I remembered

nothing. He said that was true, but he remembered it. To use his expression he said “the

black dog has become white.” He sat talking of my visit to England, then asked that I

should build a small house for him near Kondeshwar & I replied that I had not the means

at present to comply with his request. Then he asked for Ganja .We sent for it & he had a

smoke. He had his bulls fed, and towards dusk went away. V.K.Kale, & Karandikar came

while he was sitting & joined in the conversation. We sat talking after he went about

Sayin Maharaj of Sherdi till about 8.30 P.M.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

Shri Sai has always stressed the importance of the Guru. The relationship between the Guru and

disciple is incomparable to any other kind of relation. Sri Sai relates the greatness of Guru in the

following story:

Once Sri Sai and three others were looking for a temple in the forest on their own and could not

find it. At that time a vanjari asked them to sit down and rest for a while and then search again.

Three of them would not listen but Sri Sai listened to the vanjari and Lo! He found his Guru in

front of him. His Guru asked Sri Sai to follow him. He then tied Sri Sai to a well for five hours in

the night and went away. When he came back in the morning, Sri Sai's Guru asked him how He

felt, and Sri Sai replied. In eternal Bliss. When I know that my Guru was with Me at all times,

there was no fear in Me. In this way, Sri Sai explains the importance of Guru.

P A G E 3 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 1 2

(A Humble Tribute of praise by Dasganu Maharaj)

(Translated from the marathi by Smt.Zarine Taraporevala and edited by Dr. Smt.Indira Kher, Ex.Executive Editor, Shri Sai

Leela Magazine)

A HUMBLE TRIBUTE OF PRAISE TO SHRI SAINATH

You are BRAHMADEV, creator of the world;

You the sustainer of the world VISHNU ;

The destroyer of the three worlds,

You are that very RUDRA ! 4-127

There is no place on this earth,

Where you are not

Omniscient, oh you Sainath,

You dwell in all our hearts. 5-128

Forgive us all our sins

I implore you !

And those weaves of doubts and delusions,

Repel instantly. 6-129

You are cow, I the calf,

You are moon, I the stone melted by It's light;

At your feet, which are like the Ganges,

Respectfully the slave (DAS) bows down ! 7-130

Place on my head

Your hand and bless me, oh Lord!

Wars off my sorrow and worry

For this GANU is your servant. 8-131

With this eight-fold prayer

I prostrate myself before ;

My sins (demerits) suffering and poverty

Ward off immediately. 132

You are the cow and I the calf ;

You are the mother and I the child ;

Do not harbour

Any harsh feelings towards me. 133

Will be continued......

P A G E 4

I get angry with

none. Will a

mother get

angry with her

children? Will

the ocean send

back the waters

to the several

rivers?

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

DEVOTEES EXPERIENCE Sai Ram

A couple of years back I was facing a tough time with lots of tension, anxiety and

panic every moment. I could not even sleep properly. At that time I spotted a book

(in the library) on the life of Sri Krishna. It was the book that later inspired me to

learn Vishnusahasranamam.

The reading was going on great but I started developing neck pain since it was a long

time since I read a book continuously for hours. But the pull towards the book was

great and so I did not let the pain deter me. The more my mind was engaged in read-

ing this book, the less time it spent with anxiety and fear. A few days later the pain,

however, became severe and it began to spread all over my shoulders and spine. I

could not turn or sleep or sit or walk without my husband's help. At that instant,

these lines from our Sai Satcharitra flashed across in my mind:

"First it was not noticed, but as the Lord protects those, who are intent on hearing

His stories, he casually cast a glance over his right shoulder and noticed the scor-

pion."

Please tune in and

listen to non-stop

bhajans at: www.saibhaktiradio.com

Now you can view

this eNewsLetter

from iPhone at http://worldofsai.com.

(Dreams Of Saibanisa after Undergoing Bypass Surgery on 17-5-1996)

Compiled by Saibandhu Raghu Raman Satulury

24-02-1997:

Sai appeared as my paternal uncle and said:

1.People exploit you for their personal gain. Same people do not come near

in your difficult times.

2.Do not underpay the labour.

3.You will loose to stand the day your mind is filled with ego.

4.No body comes to you just like that, speak to them with love and respect them.

5.Desire for other’s money and women end up creating more problems for you.

Good moral values and conduct are essential in spiritualism.

P A G E 5 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 1 2

I smiled teasingly at Sai (mentally) asking Him, 'Well Sai, I am now reading Your story. This pain troubles me. Will

you come to protect me and help me get rid of it?' Then I continued with my reading but not before slightly mocking

at Him saying, 'How will You come?'

That night I had a strange dream. I still don't know whether to call it a dream because it was so real. I was sleeping

when all of a sudden I woke up to see a lady in pink saree walking towards my room. I panicked and wanted to

shout to my husband but my voice failed me and I was literally paralyzed with fear. The lady came almost near me

but now it was not the lady but Sai in His white robe. Though it was Him, I was scared to death and did not want to

face Him. I could not move an inch nor call my husband. I began to sense His touch, pressing my neck hard and I

could not bear the excruciating pain. In my mind I was moving about here and there and pleading with Him to let

me go. But He would not listen.

He seemed enraged and pressed hard and asked, 'Do you now believe I can and will personally come to help those

who read My stories?'

I cried, 'Yes Sai. I believe so. I believe so.'

But they were mere words and who could deceive Him? He got so wild with rage that I thought my neck would

break once and for all. I cried from the bottom of my heart, 'I am sorry for doubting You, Sai. I will ne'er doubt Your

words. Punish me but I promise I am truly sorry.'

A few seconds later the hold began to loosen and I could feel some movement in my body. I tried whispering to my

husband saying, 'See to my left. Sai is here. I am afraid.' I closed my eyes tightly and went to sleep.

The next day morning everything was fresh in my memory when I opened my eyes. I asked my husband if anything

happened that night. He said he could hear me saying, 'See, Sai is here' and things like that, but he could not open

his eyes though he could hear my voice. Both of us were surprised when I got up from the bed all by myself and went

about doing things as usual - no trace of pain whatsoever. The pain that tortured me for one week vanished in just

one night with no medicine or pain balm!

Aum Sri Satchidananda Sadguru SaiNath Maharaj Ki Jai!

Aum Sri Sai Ram.

Nandini

(Courtesy: www.saiheals.com)

Om Sai Ram

English and Telugu Version of SHIRDI SAI NATHUNI MADHURANAMAMRUTHAM

(Prema Maniharam) is now available.

Diamond Necklace to Shirdi Sai BabaDiamond Necklace to Shirdi Sai Baba

Publisher: Sterling Publishers

This book is about 108 names of Shirdi Sai

with Detailed Meaning + Miracles + prayer for each name

Please contact: Sai Giridhar Ari

http://www.shirdisaiashtothara.com/

http://shirdisaimadhuranama.blogspot.com/

http://www.sterlingpublishers.com/bookinfo.asp?na=9788120758681

P A G E 6

Baba‟s Close Devotees

Continued from last issue…..

Justice M. B. Rege

It was probably in 1912 that I went up to Shirdi on some festive occa-sion (Guru Poornima?). I saw the devotees at Manmad each having a grand basket with flower garlands etc. I was much pained to note that I had forgotten to take a flower garland when I was going to my Guru, who was everything to me. We all went to Shirdi and at the mosque, I found Baba was under a great weight of flower garlands and it pained me again that I had not a garland to give him. Baba lifted up a bundle of the garlands with his hand and said, "All these are yours". How kind of Baba! What love was his to me! -all forgiving, all forgetting love!

About the same year 1912, I had taken Rs. 100 with me to Shirdi in my

pocket. Sai Baba asked me for dakshina (Rs.40). I readily gave it. A

little later he asked for another 40 rupees and that too was given with

equal readiness and joy. Finally he asked me for the remaining 20 and

that also I gave him. I was happy to give him all that - though I was

left without a pie in the result. Then again Baba sent for me and asked

me for dakshina. I said I had nothing to give. Then he suggested that I

should go and get money from some others. I agreed but told Baba

that if he should indicate whom I was to go to, I would gladly go and

ask him. Baba said, "Go to Shama". I went to Mr.Madhav Rao

Deshpande (Shama) and told him what took place and asked him for

money. He replied that I had not understood Baba right. "Does Baba

care a rap for your rupees? " he said, "No, what he wants is your mind

and heart, your time and soul to be devoted to him. That is his mean-

ing". I went back to Baba and reported what Shama had said. Then

Baba smiled and said, "Go to Dixit and ask him". I went to Mr. Dixit

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

If you make

me the sole

object of your

thoughts and

aims, you will

gain the

supreme goal.

P A G E 7 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 1 2

and told him of what Baba had bidden me to do. He then replied that Baba's direction to

me had to be understood in the circumstances as a lesson to me that I should not feel ab-

sence of money or the begging for money or for anything else to be a humiliation, and

that I should not esteem myself to be above begging. I went back and reported Dixit's re-

ply to Baba. He smiled and then asked me to go to Nana Saheb Chandorkar and ask him

for a loan. I went to Khandoba's temple where Nana Saheb Chandorkar was reading

some religious books with the learned K.Upasani Sastri. I went and told Nana Saheb all

that had occurred and Baba's order that I should approach him for money. Nana Saheb

at once showed his worldly wisdom. He said that he knew how delicate the situation was

when Baba asked for dakshina and there was nothing to be given to him to satisfy him

and that I should learn his plans and ways. "Whenever I go to Shirdi", he said, "I start

with a certain sum, and leave a half at Kopergaon, i.e., on this occasion I came with

Rs.200 out of which I have left Rs.100 at Kopergaon and come down to Shirdi with only

Rs.100. It is very painful to say 'No' when Baba asks for money. So I go on giving dak-

shina out of the stock in hand to Baba and when it is exhausted, I send for the reserve at

Kopergaon. You must act like this". I went back to Baba and then told him what Nana

said. While I sat there, Baba sent for Nana and asked him for dakshina of Rs.40. He paid

it and went away. Again he sent for him and asked for Rs.40 more. That was paid and

again Nana was sent for and the last amount was paid up and at once he sent some one to

Kopergaon for his reserve fund. Then Baba at once wanted more. Nana felt humiliated at

having to say, 'No', as there was no time for the Kopergaon reserve to arrive. The lesson

that then taught to him, to me, and to all was that it was presumption on the part of any

one to think that he himself was the great Providence supplying the needs of Baba, or

that any one could supply all that Baba might ask for. Thus Baba showed me how differ-

ently the demand for dakshina was interpreted by devotees. The real explanation of

Baba's demand in this case was not what Shama, Dixit or Nana said it was. It was evi-

dently to teach lessons to me, Nana etc. Baba really cared nothing for money or for pre-

sents. What he really wanted was, love - deep, intense, passionate, wholehearted love. To

give him that was my aim. He knew it and read it in my heart and responded to it - as

only he could respond.

Will be continued….

Stories for this Week: “ Paapbuddhi and Dharmabuddhi”

Participate

Learn and

Participate

Learn and Children Section

In a city in the north, lived two friends named Dharmabuddhi and Paapbuddhi. One day,

Paap thought, “I am a man without worldly wisdom and added to that I am also poor. Let

me persuade Dharma to take me to far off lands and earn lots of money through his business

skills. Later I will deprive him of all his wealth and live happily ever after.”

With these plans on his mind, Paap told Dharma, “My friend, you are growing old and can-

not manage your business. Unless you go out into the wide world how can you tell your

children about the wonders of the world? Elders have said that he is born in vain who does

not see the countries in the world, learn several languages and know the dress styles of

other people. You cannot earn wealth and knowledge without wide travel.”

Dharma liked this advice and taking the blessings of his teachers set out on overseas travel,

taking Paap with him. Both of them earned a lot of money abroad due to the business talent

of Dharma. It was time for them to return home because it is natural for people who go

abroad in search of wealth and learning to think of home when they have achieved both.

As they were entering their native place, Paap told Dharma, “It is not safe to take home all

this wealth because relatives and friends in need will seek help if they know about our

riches. We shall bury most of our money in some secret place in this forest. Whenever we

need money, we can come here and take whatever we need. You know that money tempts

even saints.”

Dharma agreed to Paap's plan and went home after both of them dug a pit and covered it

after burying most of their earnings in it. One midnight Paap went to the secret place in the

forest and stole all the money and brought it home. Next morning, he went to Dharma and

suggested that they should go to the forest because he was in need of money.

When both of them arrived at the secret spot in the forest and dug there, they found the pit

empty. At once Paap began shouting loudly, “Dharma, you stole the money and nobody

else. The pit was carefully covered. You must give me half of what we have buried here.'

Though Dharma denied it, Paap insisted that they should take the dispute to the King.

When the case came before the king, the king asked them to take oath in the name of God.

But Paap quoted experts as saying that relevant documents should be produced first as

proof, then witnesses would be summoned to give evidence and oath in the name of God is

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

taken when neither documents nor witnesses are available.

"I can produce the gods of the forest as witnesses. They will determine who is guilty and

who is innocent,” said Paap. Impressed by this plan, the king asked both the parties to be

present next morning at the forest for a hearing.

Happy at the king's order, Paap went home and told his father, “Father, I have stolen all

Dharma's money. There is a case in the court that I can win only with your help. Other-

wise, my life will be in danger.”

“What have I to do to get that money, son,” asked his father.

“There is a big tree there. You have to go now and hide in the hollow of that tree.

Tomorrow morning when the kings and others assemble there, I will ask you to tell the

truth. Then it is your turn to declare that Dharma is the thief,” said the son.

The father left at once for the forest to hide in the hollow of the tree. The morning of the

next day, the son took a bath and went to the tree taking Dharma and the judges with him.

Paap went near the tree and shouted, “O sun, moon, air, fire, earth, water, the God of

Death, day and night, you are all witnesses to the history of humanity. O Goddess of the

Forest, declare who among us is guilty.”

The father shouted back from inside the hollow of the tree, “Listen all of you, it is Dharma

who stole the money.” The judges and the king's men heard the verdict and sat down to

decide what punishment they should give Dharma. Meanwhile, Dharma filled the hollow

with rags and hay, poured oil on them and threw a matchstick into it. The fire forced the

half-burnt father to come out of the tree.

“All this is the work of Paap's evil mind,” said the father and soon collapsed and died. The

king's men at once bound Paap hand and foot and hung him to a tree.

Moral of the Story:

Our elders have always said that wise men should not only be resourceful but also know

the consequences of being resourceful.

P A G E 1 0

Whatever

you do,

wherever you

may be,

always bear

this in mind:

I am always

aware of

everything

you do.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

CHAPTER 43 AND 44

Contributed by: swamy@saimail.com continued from last issue..

Baba's Passing Away

Breaking of the Brick

Some days before Baba's departure, there occurred an ominous sign fore-

boding the event. There was, in the Masjid an old brick on which Baba

rested His hand and sat. At night time He leaned against it and had His

asan. This went on for many years. One day, during Baba's absence, a

boy who was sweeping the floor, took it up in his hand, and unfortunately

it slipped from thence fell down broken into two pieces. When Baba

came to know about this, He bemoaned its loss, crying - "It is not the

brick but My fate that has been broken into pieces. It was My life-long

companion, with it I always meditated on the Self, it was as dear to Me as

My life, it has left Me to-day." Some may raise here a question - "Why

should Baba express this sorrow for such an inanimate thing as a brick?"

To this Hemadpant replies that saints incarnate in this world with the ex-

press mission of saving the poor helpless people, and when they embody

themselves and mix and act with the people, they act like them, i.e., out-

wardly laugh, play and cry like all other people, but inwardly they are

wide awake to their duties and mission.

Sai Ram.

While that may be true, it is also likely that the inanimate brick is not life-

less as it appears to us with limited senses, but is in fact pervaded by a

spirit friend and guide of Sai. It is given elsewhere that the brick was

thrown at Sai when He was young and a disciple of a great Sadguru by

other disciples jealous of this favorite disciple and that the brick was

stopped in mid air by the Guru and after the disciples repented was al-

lowed to hit the Guru! Thus, the brick represented His Guru's grace to

Sai, the perfect disciple!

Sai Ram.

Will be continued….

P A G E 1 1

(By Late Sri Bharam UmamaheswaraRao) ~ Contribution by "Shashank"crazydiode@gmail.com, Mrs

and Mr Anand

Chapter 36: The Value of Human Birth

Continued from the previous issue…

Having obtained human birth in this life, we should utilize the opportunity extended to us by God for spiritual progress, instead of frittering it away in material pursuits. As long as one has unfulfilled desires for material things, one has to be reborn again to enjoy them. So the most important virtue that a spiritual aspirant must cultivate is satisfaction with one’s lot in life. Only then will it be possible for him to concentrate his mind on realizing the Spiritual Goal.

Man evolves spiritually in the course of various births and whatever merit he acquires by the performance of good deeds is never in vain. They may not bear fruit immediately but remain latent and fructify at an opportune time. Likewise, when one has progressed along the path of devotion and remembers God always, this natural tendency of the mind is retained and passed on from birth to birth. The circumstances of birth, like for instance, the family in which one grows up are determined by one’s own action in the previous births. This is the reason why some exhibit a very high level of spiritual evolution even in their young age.

Spiritual tradition also emphasizes the importance of one’s mental preoccupation at the mo-ment of death. If through constant practice the mind dwells on God, then the Soul is liberated. This may seem on the face of it quite easy, but it is not so. Unless one is a steadfast devotee of God, it is not possible to fix them in on God when the mind and body are under great strain.

Will be continued...

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

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From the Editor‟s Desk

These are three things which are rare indeed and are due to the grace of God – namely, a human birth, the longing for Liberation, and the protecting care of a perfected sage.

~~Vivekachudamani, 3

Sai devotees may continue to write about their Sai-related activities, essays, articles or poetry and send to the

email id editor@saidarbarusa.org. We shall put in our best efforts to include them in the upcoming newslet-

ter. Unless the author of the articles explicitly instructs not to publish his/her email id, we will publish them

as a matter of routine practice.

JAI SAI RAM

Disclaimer:

The editor does not accept any responsibility for the views expressed in the articles published. This

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BOW TO SHRI SAI ~ PEACE BE TO ALL