Heera, a blind convict, came to Shirdi to seek Sai Baba. He came with his young son. After visiting Baba and spending some time in Shirdi, the blind Heera rested on the fields in the outskirts when he heard a voice, "tired?" It took no time for Heera to figure out that it was Baba speaking to him.

"Falling to the way of vices, you sinner, did not hesitate to kill even your wife. You killed her for her jewelry, and spent all the money on your bad habits. You also lost your sight due to an accident", Baba told Heera. Heera replied in a repentive tone, " Yes, Baba. I have paid my price by doing my time in the prison and I regret all I have done. I have come to you to seek your blessings for my son".

Sensing the true regret and a sense of repentance in Heera, Baba said, "Do not worry about your young one. Leave it on me. It is my duty to protect him". Heera was relieved to hear this. His worries about taking care of his son duly addressed, Heera begged Baba, "Oh my Sainath, please let me touch your feet at least once". Baba enticed him to walk forward as the blind ex-convict surged forward until he hit the trunk of a tree and fell down bleeding on the forehead, unconscious.

A while later, Heera's young son came back to see his father lying unconscious. Perturbed, he started to wake him up. Heera slowly woke up and the unbelievable happened. At an instance, Heera realized that Baba had restored his sight. Now he could see his young son with his own eyes! His joy overboard, he shouted, "Sai Baba..! And he began walking briskly towards the hamlet to fall at the feet of the God that realized his true repentance. He heard the voice again, "There is no need to see me, you may go back to your village". There was no need to go anywhere to see Baba. True repentance is God realization.
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Contributed Article: Bhakthi

Narada bhakti sutras mention that Satasmin parama premarupa. Bhakti is described as the supreme love towards Him. Here we see God is himself love and bhakti is supreme love towards God who is satyam sivam sundaram. God is embodiment of love, as he loves all his creation, as all creatures in the creation are his amsa or part of him. Therefore, God can only be reached by supreme love. What are the types of love we see in our lives? The maximum love is that of a mother to her child. I saw a movie called Ma. Mother has two sons. One works very hard in the field while the other is truant roaming about with evil characters. The mother loves the bad son much more than her good son. That is the mother's love. Her son neglects such sacrificing mother in her old age as he concentrates on his wife after he gets married. Mother also loves her children but not other children born to other mothers. God in his eternal love loves all virtuous and sinners alike. Though we may start going to God because we need help for health wealth etc, we have to love him with out any desire, this is supreme love.

Let us consider other kind of love, the love between a man and a woman. In the beginning, this love appears to be the supreme love. After marriage with all family problems, most of the times, his love wanes. Once a newly wed started to go on a walk. The gentle husband was very cautious and he tells his wife to look for thistles and thorns on the road. The same couple after some years took the same path for a walk. He remains silent but after a while just warns her to be careful. A few years later, he is indifferent to her well being and does not even speak during the walk. This is a good example of what happens to the feelings we call as love. This is the human love. So one may start with desires to approach God but that affection should grow into unconditional, supreme love to God. Guru is embodiment of God and should be approached with absolute surrender and unconditional love. (Contributed by MRK, Phoenix, AZ, USA)
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Experiences of Devotees

Gayatri, Atlanta, GA, USA.
I would like to share My Experience with all SAI Devotees. My Husband has asked to One of his Friend to apply for H1for my brother-in-law (My sisters Husband) on August 2000, he told that he will apply & October 1st week we got a mail from him saying that Attorney has send papers to INS & we are waiting for the Receipt number normally it takes 20 to 30 days to get the SRC or LIN number (Receipt number), Days are Passing but we didn't hear any news from him Finally in December He told that he is going to withdraw the application because he didn't hear anything from INS, I was really very sad after hearing from him & I was literally crying, My Husband told nothing to worry ,We will apply through the other Company, In Jan 2001 we applied through other Company & we got a mail that attorney has send Papers on Jan30th & this time I was desperately waiting for the receipt number & I was counting the days almost 4 weeks gone but we didn't hear any thing finally we heard that INS has send Papers back because some of the papers are Missing & even Check also got missed so, he is sending again with new set of documents & I was really upset & thinking why its happening to me , from few weeks I became a Regular Visitor of this site & I read one of our devotees experience that after reading Sai Satcharitha for 7days on 8th day itself Miracle Happened & her desire got fulfilled. So, I thought of reading Sai Satcharitha with full belief & I started reading on April 12th & I finished by April 19th,'GUESS WHAT' ON April 20th we got a mail saying that My Brother-in-law 's Receipt number (LIN Number) has come & I prayed god that if this Miracle Happens I am going to share my Experience with all Sai Devotees. I became very happy that Baba heard my Prayers. With BABA blessings Surely he will get his H1 & very soon we will see them in U.S. Finally Dear Devotees Sai Baba is a Karuna Murthy, He will give what ever you want, Just we Should Believe him With Whole Heart. OM SAI SHIRDI SAI DWARAKAMAI, OHM SREE SAMARTHA SADGURU SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI
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Devotees say...

Ragu C. Nathan, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
I am looking for the e-mail address of Mrs.Veena Gupta in New Delhi, that appeared in the Mahashivarathri Issue of Sai Vichaar in February 2001.Also, how can we access old issues of Sai Vichaar?

Anu
OM SAI RAM I wanted to know what is the procedure to be a part of the prayer club and send our prayers/requests in the Prayer club of this newsletter. Thanks.
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Prayer Club

Sai Utsav 2001
Lord you are the inspirer and doer of all events. We pray to you to please remove the influence of negative bad thoughts and actions. Please bless the event to conclude peacefully and successfully.

Gayathri
Baba please give me peace of mind for which I am praying past 20 years. Please get a good match for my sister; whole family is suffering past many years. Please pray for my parents who are not well. I wan to join my husband please bless me. Pray for us.

A Sai devotee
OM SAI RAM This prayer is for my sister. She is very nice and kind human being and she has to get married. I am doing lot of prayers for her and I do not know why she is not getting married. My parents, my brother, and my other sisters are worried for her. She has a job with Baba's grace. I want her to get married. Why you all do not understand my problem because I got married before her and I feel guilty about getting married early. If she does not get married, I will be guilty in my heart though out my life. I want all Sai Devotees to pray for her. I believe in BABA so much he will soon listen to our prayers and her prayers.

A Sai devotee
Dear Sai Bandhus, I am writing on behalf of my sister-in-law who is living with her pretty daughter who is 11 years old. My brother due to losses in the business left us in 1990 after one year of the birth of the daughter. We do not know his whereabouts. I request all Sai Bandhus to pray for the unity of my brother with his wife and daughter soon. I am confident that Sai will listen to all our prayers and bring unity in the family. Sairam, Sairam, Sairam bring my brother soon and make all of us happy.

Padma Panguluri
Sai Ram. I am writing in response to a letter published in Apr 18ths Sai Vichaar about rashes being suffered by a 3-yr. old child. I myself have suffered from it about eight yr. ago and again about 2 yr. ago. I was treated both times using homeopathic medicine. So if there were any homeopaths in your city I would suggest that u consult him for treatment. From my experiences with rashes and consulting docs I have gathered that rashes usually occur due to allergies which r best treated with Homeo medicine. I am sure that with Baba's blessings the child will get better soon. I suffered with similar rashes so I can understand what the child is going through. I will pray for relieving his discomfort. Om Sai Ram

A Sai devotee
My child had the same problem and we did everything there was to be done and there was no cure- until someone told us to stop her drinking milk- please do it and see the difference- it is amazing. The boy will get better in a week and soon after the rashes will disappear.

A Sai Devotee
By grace of Baba I have a wonderful family, but from past one and half years my daddy who used to very good in nature has turned bad, He is creating troubles in the family by spreading false rumors and causing a lot tensions in the family, I live in the US and my brother, my mother & rest of the family stay in India, I am not able to hear the things he is doing and there is lot of tension. My only request is that I want my dad to become the person he used be before. BABA, please help my daddy to become good again, I believe in you and your are the only one who can help us out. Please help Baba. Jai Sai Ram.
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Quotation of the Week

"So with the tongue you have, chant his name, with the ears hear his glory, with the eyes see his manifestations. Waste no time in trifles. Human body. God's Gift is seldom obtained" - Sai Baba

Question of the Week

Q."Why did not Baba leave any successor?"
A. by Sai devotee
Sai Baba Need not leave any successor...He is still there alive. With each one of us... As he always said that he will leave his bones in the tomb and come running whenever anyone calls him with a sincere heart. When He is omnipresent & ever with us what is the need of having any successor... Shashwat

Q."How do spiritual pursuits help material contentment?"
A. by S.V. Swamy, Hyderabad, India
Spiritual pursuits sharpen our Vivek (Sense of Discrimination) so that we distinguish between the Real and the Unreal, the Permanent and the Impermanent. We also differentiate between needs and wants/desires. We learn that needs are finite and are taken care by God. Hari will indeed feed us on our cots, if we allow Him. Desires on the other hand are endless and lead us into endless births through Sakamya Karma. So spiritual pursuits, such as Reading, Hearing Scriptures and Satcharitra, Meditating about the dual aspects of God Sai, i.e. His Sagun and Nirgun Manifestations, His Maya etc., lead us to material contentment since our desires will gradually decrease and finally vanish. Since needs are already taken care of, contentment is bound to increase. One accepts whatever is given, in the spirit of what ISA UPANISHAD teaches, and what was beautifully articulated by Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara.

Satsangatve Nissangatvam,
Nissangatve Nirmohatavam,
Nirmohatve Nischala Tatvam,
Nischala Tatve, Jeevan Muktih
Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam.

(From Satsang, i.e. good company or good attachments, we progress to detachment, from Sagun worship to Nirgun meditation By Detachment we get freedom from Illusion Freedom from Illusion leads to Steady Mind Steady Mind leads to Liberty from birth while Alive To achieve all that Worship Govinda (Lord)(SAI)!) Hari Om. Sai Ram
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Sai Activities

Sai Utsav 2001 - Sydney Australia
Sai Utsav, an event commemorating the life and teachings of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba is being organized over the Queen's birthday weekend in Sydney, Australia on June 9th and June 10th. The event comprises of traditional Pooja and arathis offered to Baba in Shirdi vidhi, discourses by Guruji Shri Chandra Bhanu Satpahtyji and many other items. Registrations are free for the event. There will be a special Bhajan concert by renowned singer Shri Manhar Udhas on June 9th. Entry passes are required for the concert. Help will be provided to devotees attending the Utsav from outside Australia. For complete program details, registration forms or further information, please contact sydsaisansthan@mailexcite.com.au in Sydney, Australia or saiutsav@saibaba.org.

Inauguration of Sai Dhuni
Shirdi Sai Baba Mandira (A Unit of Sri Shathashrunga Vidya Samsthe (R), Sai Mandir Road, Near old check post, Kamakshipalya Extension, Bangalore - 560079, South India, Tel: 91 080 3488157, 3283823, e- mail: saishathashrunga@hotmail.com

Date: 06.05.2001 at 9-15 AM

All are requested to participate in this sacred function and receive the blessings of Sadguru Sainath. The daylong program includes Sri Sai Sahasranama, Sri Vishnusahasranama Parayan, Sai Naam Jaap, Sai arthis, and Narayana Seva. Voluntary contributions/donations in kind or cash will be accepted with great reverence. Please send donations to Sri Shathashrunga Vidya Samsthe (Tax exempt under Section 80 G of the Indian Income Tax Act 1961 from 01-07-2001 to 31-03-2003.)
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