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Sai Vichaar 01.Feature of the Week 02.Contributed Article 03.Experiences of Devotees 04.Devotees Say 05.Sai Activities 06.Prayer Club 07.Quote of the Week 08.Question of the Week 09.Subscribe to Sai Vichaar 10.Email Newsletter to a friend 11.Submit Articles to Sai Vichaar 12.Un-Subscribe Sai Vichaar 13.From the Editor's Keyboard ` 14.Disclaimer From the Editor's Keyboard... Sai Vichaar requests the devotees to continue to submit to Sai Vichaar using the pages intended for various sections of Sai Vichaar. Sai Vichaar gratefully appreciates the patience of its readers during the past few weeks of revamping of our database. In the true spirit of Sai devotion, contributors are requested to remember to suit the content, language, style, and presentation, appropriate to a worldwide readership. It should also be noted that when a section from any material other than their own is quoted or referred to, it is the authors' responsibility to acknowledge the source appropriately. The "Question of the week" for this week is, Can intellect be an obstacle to devotion? Humbly Yours, The Editor
Disclaimer Sai Vichaar is devoted to the philosophy and teachings of Shri Sadhguru Sai Baba of Shirdi, and will take every measure to avoid topics or themes contradicting the same. Sai Vichaar team or saibaba.org is not responsible for the opinions expressed by individual contributors.
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Feature of the week:
Will Hari Provide
A child does not ask for the nourishment, mother who feeds and clothes the child brings upon its care. As the child grows, its demands increase. However, the child is still not equipped to procure its needs. Although the child knows what it wants, it is the prerogative of the caretaker to provide the demanding child with its wants. The child as it enters the adulthood, loses the luxury of being cared for by others. The adult gets what he/she works for. The process of spiritual advancement is analogous to the above. Baba pulls His child to Himself and provides the infant with the necessities without being asked for. The later stages involve the growing child command for its wants. Baba gives. Smilingly. This stage is the audacious lag of the journey, every prayer answered, every benefit awarded. Soon this stage should end. The realization dawns once the power of temporary bliss wanes away and the longing for something bigger begins to take a shape. How is the intangible realized? The inexplicable mastered? Will Hari provide? Hemadpanth wrote beautifully, "If there be my Hari (Lord), He will feed me on my cot". This proverb is only true in respect of food and clothing, but if anyone trusting in this sits quiet and do nothing in spiritual matters, he will be ruined. One has to exert himself to his utmost for attaining self realization. The more he endeavors, the better for him. Mercy of Sadguru sees one safely through the stages of infant and the growing. Constant contemplation on the nature of the self, in whatever name it is called, is the endeavor for the adult. Yes, the adult has to work for it and gets what he/she works for!
Contributed Article: Yugadi and Sadhguru Sainath!
Om SaiRam! This year Ugadi (Hindu's New Year) was celebrated on 27th of March. A typical celebration of Ugadi includes tasting of special Ugadi chutney, made up of neem flowers, tender mangoes, tamarind and jaggery etc. Our elders said Ugadi as Yugadi; Yug (New Era) + Adi (Beginning), means the beginning of a new auspicious time cycle in the process of constant evolution.
Now let us see how Yugadi is related to Sadguru Sainath. Upasani Maharaj described Saibaba as "Sadaa nimba vrikshasya moolaadhi vaasaath.." (Ever seated at the root of the neem tree….). By His divine power Baba made the neem as kalpavriksha, a wish-fulfilling tree. The leaves of the branch under which Baba was sitting lost their bitterness. Once Baba was distributing a bunch of the leaves and to one Keshab Naik (a fortunate deep trusting devotee) the leaves tasted sweet and to others bitter.
The spread out neem tree is symbolic to the creation. To the ignorant folks these worldly experiences are bitter and the happenings a big puzzle, but to those who surrender to Sadguru each occurrence brings a meaningful message opening new portals of higher understanding, (Avadhuth learned from 24 teachers and liberated).
In the holy text Vishnusahasranam Lord Vishnu is described as Yugadi - Krit (Creator of Yugas/Time Cycles), and Yugavartah (Power behind the wheel of time, Mighty Administrator). Sadguru Sainath is our Lord Vishnu. A new Sai Yug already commenced and fundamentals of new age enlightenment are emerging at the global level. People are finding solutions in the sacred SriSai Satcharitra. Is it not our utmost holy effort to welcome the New Era and become a part of it?
May Sadguru Sainath Maharaj ever guide us!
Renu Our difficult times spanned for a period of more than 2 years and during those difficult times, we felt that our sorrows were never ending and we couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel! Even when there was no light at the end of the tunnel and times were tough, we all held our faith in our beloved Sai and kept praying day and night for this painful saga to end and end it did finally on 2nd Jan 2009 by our beloved Sai's kripa!! It is no less than a miracle how our sorrows have ended so fast as anything could have gone wrong at any point of time and our period of suffering could have been longer but, by our beloved Sai's kripa, this whole episode has ended finally and now we are leading a happy life once again and this a dream come true for us! It's only now as we look back and think, we realize how our beloved Sai has always been with our family day and night, helping us, protecting us and showing us the correct path to tread which has finally led us to our happiness once again, so, I would sincerely like to urge everyone who is having a difficult time, please think positive only and keep praying to Lord Sai with a pure heart day and night...He listens to every little whisper of ours and surely your prayers will be answered when the right time comes....have shraddha and saburi in the Lord Sai....these 2 magical words will take each and everyone through the thickest of turbulences in anyone's lives....we are living proof of it! All glories to our Lord Sai....our many, many thanks to you Lord Sai for taking care of us so well in the most difficult times of our life and we pray that may He look after every single soul and lead them to everlasting happiness at His lotus feet!
Ammu Ajay Rajnish Smitha Krishnamoorthy Srujana Preeti Ved Swathi Maitreyi Srinivas Shobhana
Q. What is the attitude of Sai devotees towards raising their children? A. by Sai devotee The children should be encouraged to learn and understand the significance of various practices followed by our ancestors and us. Even though some could not be scientifically justified, the mere significance and the advantages of the practices will create interest in them. They should be encouraged to show interest in reading/listening to the hymns and stories that value human life. Inner peace, morals and ethics should be valued more than the external riches. Sai Baba's life and stories is something, which I am sure, will inculcate the above on our children. Q. Can intellect be an obstacle to devotion? A. by Kiranmai I once heard a wise saying when someone was discoursing Bhaja Govindam and Vishnu Sahasra Namam saying if intellect doesn't lead to Bhakthi/Devotion then that is not intellect in itself. "Adi Sankaracharya wrote a number of Vedantic works for imparting knowledge of the Self and the Universal Spirit. He also composed a number of hymns to foster Bhakti in the hearts of men. One of these hymns is the famous Bhajagovindam. The way of devotion is not different from the way of knowledge or Jnana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life, and issues out in action, it becomes Bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is Bhakti. If it does not get transformed into Bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that Jnana and Bhakti, knowledge and devotion, are different from each other, is ignorance. If Shri Adi Sankara himself who drank the ocean of Jnana as easily as one picks water from the palm of one's hand, sang in his later years hymns to develop devotion, it is enough to show that Jnana and Bhakti are one and the same. Sri Sankara has packed into the Bhajagovindam song the substance of all Vedanta, and set the oneness of Jnana and Bhakti to melodious music." Quote from 'Rajaji'.
Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs, Illinois, USA Sri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MN Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Shirdi Sai Temple of New England, Boston Area Shirdi Sai Center in Bay Area, CA Shirdi Saibaba temple, Los Angeles, CA Saibaba Temple, Columbus, Ohio Shirdi Sai bhajans every Thursday at Maitland, Florida Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, TX Shirdi Sai Mandir, Dulles, VA Shirdi Sai Mandir, Toronto Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, Canada -Toronto Sai Mandir, Baldwin New York Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Iselin/Edison New Jersey Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Flushing New York
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