Feature of the Week: Sai Apostle - Sri Ekkirala Bharadwaja

Shri C.Rajagoplachariar in introduction to Bhaja Govindam says wisdom matures and flows in action into bhakthi. The life of Late Sri E. Bharadwaj is an illustration to this great statement. Like Shri B.V.Narasimhaswamiji who first went to Ramana Maharshi, wrote his biography and later spent all his services in Shirdi Sai Seva, Sri Bharadwaj spent his time with very great souls and served finally Shirdi Sai.

Bharadwaja's father Ananthachari garu, was renowned Veda scholar and an authority in Ayurveda medicine. He practiced at Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India. Later he moved to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and was hailed as a renowned authority on both our ancient lore and Ayurveda. Bharadwaja was the youngest son. The eldest of all the three brothers is Sri Veda Vyas shone as senior IAS officer in the state Government of Andhra Pradesh. He embellished any job he held as a fearless and very independent officer. He is equally proficient in Vedas and ancient lore. He has innumerable followers and published books explaining the great ancient Veda and puranic wisdom. His second brother was late Krishnamachari garu. He got his doctorate in Telugu when he was very young and worked for few months in Hindu College Guntur and later settled down in Visakhapatnam Andhra pradesh. He started his own group by name of Vishwa Hindu parishad and taught Indian Philosophy to his devotees and spread the power of mantras and power of pujas etc. He laid down a brilliant line of puja method and all his devotees today also. He had numerous devotees in Europe and used to visit Netherlands-Denmark Sweden, France and other places. All his devotees were taught to do free service to society by treating patients with Homeopathic drugs. He not only taught his devotees to worship God by pujas, repetition of mantras, but also made them homeopathic doctors who were directed to treat all patients free. Bhardwaja was selected for I.A.S, the highest govt. position, but did not join any position saying that his destiny was for finding out truth and explaining the spiritual enlightenment to others. He obtained Masters degree in English and worked in Bapatla College first and then in Nellore dist. He finally settled down in Ongole, where he built a Shirdi Sai temple and brought various devotees into path of surrender to Shirdi Sai maharaj I first met him when he was about twenty five to thirty years in Jillellamudi Amma's place. He was immensely immersed in spiritual seeking and was very close to Jillellamudi Amma who was considered a very highly evolved soul. Whenever he would talk to e or any other, he would only talk of attaining full realization of god. He became our tenant in our house in Bapatla when he joined college at Bapatla as English lecturer. He joined the college only to be near Jillellamudi Amma and spend all his spare time with her only. He mentions the triggering point for his perpetual search for self-realization in his book Shri Sai leelamrutam. He says that in 1955,his eldest brother's son who was very close to him died. This death of the young nephew made him to search in his heart and find answers for the meaning of birth and death and the reality and connection between jeevatrma and paramatma. This search went on till 1961 when his soul reconciled the contradictions and his searches for truth. In those days he was constantly in search of sadhus saints and all types of sincere sadhakas. He used to visit and stay with these sincere spiritual seekers who attained d very high stage of spiritual bliss. He thus met Shri Ranganna babu, Shri Pakalapati guru, Shri Rakhadi Baba, Sri Satya Sai Baba, Mummadivaram Balayogi, Periaswamy Kanchi Kamakoti. Further he met Anandamayi Shri Akhandananda Saraswati avadhutas at Chirala, Cuddapah, Chivatam Amma, Shri Anasuya maata -Jillellamudi amma-Shri Pundi Swamy and Shri Gulab Baba and many others. All blessed him in his search.

When he was a tenant in our house, he came over to Madras for a short stay. I was fortunate to have him as my guest. He came there to meet Shri Pandrimalai Swamy who did tapas in Dindigul hills and attained great siddhis. Bhardwaja and myself went to Pandrimalai Swamy. He left all other devotees and came directly to Bharadwaj and embraced for over ten minutes, each looking into their respective eyes in absolutely ennobling spiritual heights. Pandrimalai also blessed me because of my going with Bharadwaj. I cannot in words explain the spiritual ecstasy that prevailed then and imprinted deeply in my memory. In 1963 Bhardwaj visited Shirdi with his second brother and from then on Bharadwaj was embraced by Baba into his fold and guided his spiritual seva. Till then he was not married. Baba directed him to marry and then late in life he got married. Earlier he was not inclined to marry. From then on at Vidyanagar and later at Ongole he served Baba till his samadhi.

(Contribution by Sai devotee MRK, Phoenix, AZ, USA)
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Devotees Say

S.V. Swamy, Hyderabad, India

Why did Sai give Udhi?
I belong to that inquisitive tribe who, like small children, have to keep asking questions always. We all know that Sri Sai, when he first started healing sick people was using some herbs but later stopped using any thing except Udhi, which was continuously getting generated in the Dhuni. Now the question arose in my mind: "Why did Sai give only Udhi? What message was he trying to give to us?" With the grace of Sai, I got a few answers, which I would like to put before the Sai devotees.

A very simple, trivial answer is medicinal. Udhi is almost completely made of inorganic salts, which are only slightly soluble in water. When applied on body, in a hot tropical climate like ours, Udhi serves the purpose of a talcum powder, absorbs sweat, and the slight dissolution of the inorganic salts gives the bodies requirement of micro-nutrients, especially minerals and thus protects health or improves health.

The second reason is quite spiritual. Sai used to say that he burns the sins of his devotees in the fire and thus purifies them and relieves them from the bad karma. He used to spend a good amount of the Dakshina, which he used to collect from his devotees on firewood.

He also used the Dhuni, which he always kept going, as a means of inducing VAIRAGYA in his devotees. Just as a piece of wood burns in a short time, the human body also has a definite life span determined by the higher forces and after that it is to be burnt off, for Hindus. Thus the piece of wood and Udhi was Sai’s way of reminding his devotees of the short span of human life.

Udhi represents the spiritual nature of man whereas Dakshina represents the material aspects. By asking Dakshina from the devotees and by spending the same on wood which he put in Dhuni leaving only the ash (Udhi), Sai was conveying that material aspects of human life are to be burnt in the fire of devotion to Satguru Sainath and the result will be immortal (immaterial) bliss.

Sai also used to discard his old torn Kafni etc. into the Dhuni. This was another way of telling devotees that the soul casts off this body when the time comes. Thus Sai taught the temporary nature of the human body and the distinct separation of the Atman from the body, like Sri Krishna did in his Gita.

When either wood or old clothes burn off, all dirt and dross and other disease producing organisms die in the fire and Udhi which is just mineral ash and which is quite pure is left. This was again Sai’s way of reminding his devotees that the soul is pure and incorruptible though the body may rot. Thus Sai taught his devotees the essence of Gita.

Any thing including just a look from Sai was enough to cure the sick. However, when they leave his presence, ordinary devotees find it difficult to continue to focus on him with their full faith. Sacred Udhi was a good adjunct.

Sai is revered by most of his devotees as the incarnation of Sri Guru Dattatreya. Those who have read "Sri Guru Charita" are quite familiar with the virtues of Bhasmam extolled by Sri Datta when he took the name of Sri Narasimha Saraswati. NAVANATHA CHARITAM also extols the power of Bhasmam when used by Sri Matsyendranath and other Naths. The origin of wearing Bhasmam is traced to Lord Siva himself. This is probably why Sri Sai too continued the sacred tradition.

Well, Sai Bandhus. These were the reasons, which in my humble view, prompted Sri Sai to give Udhi to all his devotees. I solicit your view on this.

Vishal
After reading Mala’s letter for prayer, I wish to remind Shradha & Saburi (Faith & Patience). Though the going may seem tough at the moment and there may be anxiousness and at times doubt may bother you, but this is the time to hold steadfast to your belief that you will succeed with HIS Grace ....it is just a matter of time. HE puts you to these tests to polish you..to reaffirm your Faith in HIM. HE will make sure that to get more than what you deserve.

Omkar Tadepalli
This is to Mr. Arun P Talpade Om Sri Sai Ram! I am delighted to see the pictorial life story of Sri Sai Baba in your website. I am very very happy and my heart is filled with joy. I am actually short of words to explain my happiness when I was going through the life story. I felt as if I am in Shirdi. Some of the rare photos of Baba in the site are very beautiful. This is an excellent work. I wholeheartedly appreciate you for the job. I copied some of the pictures, which I do not have. Keep it up! May Baba bless all of us and give us the strength to continue in his path and teachings. Sai Ram!

Dipak S Anchan
I have one question to ask for which I am searching an answer, which is not been able to answer by lots of spiritual people (whom I asked). Sadguru Sainath always referred to the ALMIGHTY as his SIRKAR , does this mean that the protector/ruler/guide of this whole world is male in gender. I know that lots of people would make mockery of this question and say that there is no form or gender to the Supreme Almighty, than why our Sadguru Sainath referred to the Almighty in an male gender form. Also sometimes in Baba's references it is mentioned ALLAH MALIK which again reflects the gender form of the Almighty Same is also referred in the Bible where Jesus say to the Almighty as his Heavenly father. Would request if anybody can clarify my above query.

Nishal Kumar
Aum Sai Ram, According to the philosophy of Sai Baba, how do we define the duties and responsibilities of a student. I hope to get some clarification in the coming Sai Vichaar or any other time at your convenience. Humbly yours, Aum Sai Ram.

Monica, New York, USA
I am here in this country for last 8 months now and haven't been to a Baba’s temple I will be grateful if any of you will let me know if there is any As Baba mandir near New York, you can mail me and let me know at mosai99@hotmail.com I miss Baba a lot.
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Prayer Club

Julie
Dear Sai Baba I know I have done a very bad thing at work by over using the telephone. I have done this once before but I do not know why I had to do it again. Forgive me for doing this because I need my job. I will make a big promise I will not use the phone again as long as you guide me with this problem. I will also pay up what ever calls I made as long as they keep me with this job. Please SWAMI do a miracle and go into this two people Dr M H Cassimjee and Mr Chaplin that they should keep me on with my job. Forgive me. Please reply to this email. Many thanks OM SAI RAM JULIE

Kadhir
Please pray for my family to overcome from heavy financial problems and debts. Sayee, give us a peace and happiness to our family.

Sangita Shreshta
Since one year I am became a strong devotee of baba. Since then Baba showed me his love by time to time. Eight years ago I got married. Every time I got pregnant, abortion took place. The doctor said that the skin of uterus is attached so it happens. Now on April 28th at Bangkok I am having an operation. I know my Sadguru Baba will help me .Please prey for me to Baba.

Umesh
Pray all as devotees that my elder sister should get married as early as possible. let Sai Baba help us as every body is very much worried about above issue. oh Sai Baba please help us as you helped me for getting my job.

Sangeeta Rao
I am a Sai devotee and am going through some hard ships. I used to visit Shirdi as often as once a month, but right no I am very far away from my Baba. I have experienced a lot of miracles and have felt very close to My Baba, but suddenly I feel I am drifting away from him. I have now settled in the US and have not visited Shirdi for the past two years. I have a temple at home with Baba's murti. Please pray for my family. My husband has been looking for a job for the past year and has not succeeded. Today was his last interview I pray to My Sai Baba to help him get this job offer. I have a 6-week son who was in the hospital, they could not diagnose his problem but put my dear one on antibiotics and then sent him home, suffering from reflux, he cries all the time my father gives him vibhuti every morning that has helped him. May Sai Baba shower my family with his blessings. Bow to Shri Sai, Peace to be all.
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Sai Activities

Sri Sai Narayan Baba leaves Mumbai on Sat 29th April, 2000 for his Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Updesh Prachar 19th overseas tour along with eleven senior devotees of the Sansthan and will return on Sat 20th May, 2000. During this tour he will conduct Havan, Satsang and will give discourses in Dubai, London, New Jersey (May 4th through May 10th), Las Vegas(May11th thru May 13th), Los Angeles(May 14th thru May 16th) and Hong-Kong.

Contact Numbers:
New Jersey - Smt. Pramila Tahilramani at 732-817-0561
Mr Mohan Bharani at 973-398-3640
Las Vegas- Smt Chandra Kewalramani 702-739-0345
Dr. Chander Raj 702-731-1147
Sri William Sani 949-552-0070
Los Angeles Mr. Gopu Khiani 949-559-8887
Mr. Raju Shewa 714-693-0453
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Experiences of Devotees

Srinivas Puppala, USA
I am writing here what I latter realized is my only encounter with Baba. This happened some 8 months back when I was in India. In those days I was staying away from my family due to my computer course training. My family was staying with their parents. My father-in-law is a staunch devotee of Baba and he got Baba's reminder about his long-due vow to build a temple for him. Since then Baba appeared on many occasions. He used to speak through my wife and give messages. All this I was told during one of my visits to my family. During the above said visit on one Thursday we were doing Baba's prayer in a open area in the verandah of my father-in-law's house and many others were also present there. I was sitting in a corner and chanting Baba's name. After some time Baba's appeared and began to speak through my wife. This is the first time I ever saw such a thing happening and I was in all kinds of thoughts. People started taking aseervadam (blessings) from Baba (my wife) by falling on her feet. My father-in-law asked me to follow suit. I was in two minds as I still thought it is my wife sitting there and not able to realize Baba and sat in my place. I was thinking how to fall on Baba's feet as I was still thinking that it was my wife. After a few minutes Baba asked me to go to him. He spoke out my thoughts: "Are you thinking that you are bowing to your wife's feet?" Those words gave me full belief that it is Baba sitting there and I prayed to him. Since then Baba is guiding my life here in US and I am ever devoted to him. I pray to Baba to guide me always in all my endeavors.

Parameswara Rao
I am a Sai devotee for the last few years. Whenever I have a problem, I used to read Sai Satcharitra for 7 days. I used to be out of problems, as soon as I finish reading the book. I have plenty of experiences; the most recent experience is:

I got a very good job and applied for the new work permit. I came to know that it is taking more than 3 months. By the grace of Saibaba the new company is ready to wait till I got the work permit. After two months I started reading Saibaba's Satcharitra. My experience with Sai Baba is once I start reading the book (on Thursday), first few days (may be till Saturday) you will not see any hope, to solve your problem. May be from Monday things will be changing to your favor. By Wednesday your problem will be solved no matter how big it is.

This time also I called my lawyer on Wednesday, I was very confident and asked him about my status. Surprisingly, except me all others got the work permit. Those who applied later also got the permit. I could not believe this. I did not know what to do. I was slowly cursing Lord Saibaba (here I want to tell one thing I was having a lot of experience with His miracles still when some thing unexpected happened, I lost my hope. That is the biggest blunder I made).

That day I was supposed to go to temple, and distribute prasad prepared by me. There is a little hope left so I prepared Kesari and went to temple distributed came back. I just called INS (which gives work permit) halfheartedly. I got a recorded message my work permit has been approved and the same is sent by mail. I could not believe it. It was a miracle. Now I understood why only me did not receive the permit. It is Saibaba's test. He tested me. Because every time he is giving and I am taking. So he needs to know how much I believe him, I failed in that but Saibaba came out again as the savior...He is there.. here with us.. always...Anybody can prove his presence. The greatness or uniqueness is you need not be a Mirabai.. or Prahalad to get his blessings.. any ordinary, below intelligent person with the sincerity in his thoughts can get the blessings of lord Saibaba.
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Question of the Week

"How does a Sai devotee define complete surrender to Guru?"

A Sai devotee, Vancouver BC, Canada
Shri Sai Baba, while explaining the meaning of a Sanskrit shloka (verse) from the Bhagavad-Gita to Nana Saheb Chandokar (Chapter XXXIX & L, Shri Sai Satcharita), emphasizes the importance of 'Sarvaswa Sharanagati' or complete surrender with a feeling that the devotee and his/her body exists merely to render service to the Sad-Guru. While one may interpret the meaning of such 'complete surrender' in different ways, from His Grace, it seems that what is important is our attitude towards Sai Baba. We need to grind our 'ego' and thoughts of 'I and Mine' and try hard to attain the trait of 'desirelessness'. A pre-requisite is to cultivate humility. Sai Himself expressed to His devotees that He is an insect in the devotees' excreta and of course, all His actions and the way He presented Himself denotes the level of humility He practiced. We need to practice complete 'Faith and Patience' in Sai and give ourselves up to Him like one devotee beautifully expressed recently 'like kittens leaving the burden to Mommy-Cat'. Literally, if we surrender in such a manner then we should be able to attain the status of disassociating ourselves with our body, name and appearance and there should be no cause for fear or anxiety over our health, wealth, welfare etc. As a token, from now on let me present myself as a 'Sai devotee' only without any additional descriptive. At this very moment, I am having high fever with severe colds and cough. By disassociating with my body and surrendering to Sai with complete faith that He knows what is best, with preparedness to accept whatever He bestows with 'prasada budhi' (reverence), amazingly I feel very energetic and fit. So, in effect to 'completely surrender to Guru' we need to develop good attitude towards Shri Sai Baba. Jai Sai Ram!

Alphanso
How does a Sai devotee define complete surrender to Guru? Believing Sai, meditating on Him, chanting His name with love, merging all of our wants and desires to His will, acknowledging Him to be in control and praising and giving thanks to Him silently, are all forms of surrender. As Sai Baba devotees, I believe that we must KEEP SURRENDERING our very selves at His feet. It is our faith and surrender to Him - total surrender to our Lord that will cause Sai Baba always to stand by us and give us that calm reassurance when we need it. No wander He can say 'There shall be no want in the house of my devotees.' For me, I have learned to depend on Him with the gradual breakdown of my self-sufficiency. My inadequacies forced me to depend on Him, In time, it became crystal clear that the very same principles that helped me in a crisis situation could surely help me at all times. So dependency on Him became my chosen way of life which I freely do unto Him. The result was greater wholeness and fruitfulness. I know for sure that there are many trials and tribulations that I have escaped and not endured simply because of my faith in Him. Sai is known to have accepted the charity as well as the responsibility of bearing on himself the karma of those deeds for refining many individuals. He moulds me, guides me and will take me step by step to liberation which is the key to eternal and everlasting bliss. All praise, glory and honor to Him. 'To him who surrenders unto Me totally I shall be ever indebted' is Sai's assurance to us. Take what He gives you; accept willingly that what He does not give, relinquish the things that you think you so urgently desire. All become a demonstration of our sincerity in saying with conviction 'Not mine but Thy will be done'. It is making all those desires an offering for sacrifice that He will transform it into something exceedingly, abundantly and above that what we can ever think or even imagine. Surrendering to Him is being aware that He will melt but at the same time mould us into that perfect loving devotee. 'Not in vain are My promises that I shall ever lighten your burden' He says and even dares to challenge anyone saying 'Show unto me he who sought refuge in ME and has been turned away.' What more rest and security can one have, to know that He will accomplish all His plans and purposes for our best in due time. It is now to us to have that faith and patience, which is all, He so requires from us by simply surrendering it all to Him.
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