Faith is the state of mind towards the all supreme. It is a devotional surrender for the protection and grace of the lord.
Sri Sai Baba preferred the sadhanas involving faith and bhakti. He advocated worship of several things -images, coins, pictures, padukas etc. He has no mean place for the guru, the giver of Ghana and the solidifier of faith.

The path to the goal is rugged, and Sri Sai Baba warns us that it is infested with hungry wolves and tigers and with yawning pits to negotiate and stresses the need for a guide or guru. In brief, the attainment of gnana is largely upon our Guru. Trust in the guru fully and wholeheartedly. Leave off all doubts that is the only sadhana. Guru is God. Guru is everything. He is brother, father, well wisher, relative and true friend. Seeing all as Guru is the highest state and he who feels him in every creature verily becomes Myself.

To aspirants for gnana, the mere acquisition of a Guru alone can never suffice. Lucky indeed must be he that finds the proper guru at whose feet he is privileged to sit and learn. Hindus, before they start on any of their prayers, first invoke their Gurus to lead them aright and to be acceptable to their Gods. A subjugation of the mind and will and absolute faith in the guru are the essentials of a true Bhakta.
Sri Sai Baba Says: "Stick to your own Guru with unabated faith whatever the merits of the other gurus. We must not give up our attachment to our own Guru but even more firmly rest in Him and Him alone."

One may have an idea of what constitutes Bhakti and how every one of us old and young, men and women, rich and poor strong and disabled, cultured and uncultured- can follow the path of devotion to attain salvation. To be deeply devoted to God, we should have an idea in the first place. God is everywhere. There is no place, where He is not. Everything rests in Him, He resides in the heart of every being. He is in the king, in the beggar, in the animal, in the minutest worm, in plants and also in inanimate objects. That is why in the Gita the Lord said, "He who sees me everywhere and seeth everything in me, of him I will never lose hold and he shall never lose hold of me."

Holiness Guru Swami Kesavaiahji apostle of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba deprecated the practice of being lured by those who exhibit occult powers, but He always insisted in his articles that infinite faith in the Guru will ultimately give satisfaction and bliss to those who respect tradition and religion. Swamiji stresses on saying all saints, Guru's are one. Service to suffering humanity is Baba's Dharma. He taught catholicity of religion. Everyone should serve and help others to his capacity. It is only the good we do, that accompanies our souls. Hatred and jealousy should be forbidden. Honesty and truthfulness are a must. God recedes from those who are dishonest and untruthful. Character and truth are essential. Truth and righteousness alone save us. The ignorant youth is running away from religious and moral discipline because he gets no religious education either at home or at school to mould his character. Now-a-days science and politics are considered to be the 'Be all and end all' of man's life. The responsibility to teach their children, the devotion to God reverence to one's Guru, obedience to their elders, and to make them speak truth always is on the parents.

Contributed by Arun Reddy Nukala
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Contributed Article: BHAKTI

Once a father wanted to test the intelligence of his two sons and allotted to each of them the task of looking after a mango tree promising to reward the boy whose tree yielded the best fruit in abundance. The foolish boy discovered that the leaves were withering off and promptly watered every leaf. The leaves withered still more and the tree eventually died. The wise boy went on watering the root and so finally, the tree was green, healthy and yielded delicious fruits in abundance. Similarly, God gives human birth to man in order to test the evolution of his intelligence. The foolish man seeks to pay attention to the satisfaction of his sense-cravings and to the acquisition of worldly knowledge to get the reward of Eternal Peace and Immortality and finally dies the miserable death of an ignorant man. The wise man devotes himself to the contemplation of God (The Root of all Creation) and thus obtains all the wealth and knowledge of the universe. God gets pleased with him and bestows upon him the reward of Immortality and Eternal Bliss. Water the root (Krishna) of joy in your heart with tears so that you get the chance to sing and praise his name and glory. Do not use the tears of sorrow as they contaminate the Lotus feet of the Lord.

Bhakthi is really unswerving loyalty to God with form, name and attributes (sakaara, saguna, swaruupa). When you place your attachment, your affection, you unswerving loyalty at the feet of Lord, it becomes Nishkaama bhakthi (desireless), paraa bhakthi (Supreme), madhurya bhakthi (Sweet devotion) and Karma Bhakthi (devotion in action). Ghee transforms into white and granular form when exposed to cold from its natural state of colourless liquid. Similary the nirakara is rendered sakara in the cool recesses of the bhaktha's heart.

There is a mixture of reality and unreality in the variety of the universe. The happiness contributed by unreal things is as unreal as you derive from your dreams. When you are drawn towards unreality (i.e., pleasure giving objects and other material gains), you are inviting worry, fear, anxiety and ashaanthi (absence of peace). Your duty is to draw strength from the belief that "Lord is the impeller of all your activities". Develop faith "All is his and nothing yours" because he is the prompter, the executer, the giver of the required strength and skill and the enjoyer of the fruit. The faith thus gained, holy company and holy thoughts must be applied to the ego-affected mind until Reality is realised.

You are unaware of diseases that eat into the very vitals of your happiness i.e., diseases of envy, malice, hatred and greed. You ignored the divinity in you and the opportunity (life) to unfold it is getting wasted. The gifts of reason and conscience must not be wasted through neglect. You cannot see Lord's Omnipresence because you are blind. Believe that the Lord is living in every heart and so any pain (physical or mental) inflicted on anyone result in the slighting the Lord or denying him because he is everywhere.

Purify the heart by being good and kind to all. Do not attempt to find fault with others. Look upon all with love, respect and with faith. Do not entertain hatred or contempt in your heart. Repent for the errors that you commit and decide never to repeat them. Pray for strength to carry out your resolutions. Show your anger, bitterness, ill will through words (if you must), but not through action.

When the magnet does not attract the needle, the fault lies in the dirt that covers up the needle. So too, When the Lord does not approach the devotee, the fault lies in the heart of the devotee i.e., it is not pure enough to attract him.

(Contributed by Sathyanarayana)
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Experiences of Devotees

Ashwani Marwah

I had visited Shirdi in the month of September. During my last day at Shirdi, I was wanting to spend maximum time with Baba as I knew that I will be returning back to my home town and I don't know when again Baba will call me. Somehow I managed to enter into the main temple premises as there was heavy rush that day but unfortunately could not reach near Baba as the gates were close for Aarti. We were asked to sit at the main hall from where we could see Baba from a distance. When we sat down there were numerous people before me and I got a seat which was right behind a big pillar. I was almost about to cry as due to the pillar I was not able to see anything. There were Baba's bhajans being sung and I just started singing the bhajan. I had my eyes wet and was just praying to Baba that it is up to you if you want to give me darshan. To my utmost surprise all of a sudden there was a massive panic in the hall as a lot of security persons came and started telling everyone to squeeze a bit as there was a lot of rush outside. In this panic and shifting I was just pushed to the front and was placed at a place where I could see Baba very clearly and had fantastic darshan. I guess Baba heard my prayer. Thanks so much Baba for fulfilling my wish. Jai Sai Ram.
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Devotees say...

Kiran Buddi
Aum Shri Sainathaya Namaha! I have been worshiping Baba since the past couple of years and participating in the local activities of Baba and reading lot of literature relating to Baba. Everyday I feel there is something lacking in me and the zeal to cut the spiritual cake. I asked myself what qualities I need to develop to cut the spiritual cake and stay in Baba's path. The answer to me was simple that Baba wanted faith coupled with patience. Just as a needle covered with mud can never attract magnet (God), unless one gets rid of lust, anger and greed we can never attract God. Just as our soul requires food the atma or the inner-self requires meditation on Lord. Similarly unless our heart is pure and egoless, Guru or God can never reside in our heart no matter how hard we strive for God realization. Baba said to one Mr. Thakur "What Appa (A Kanarese saint) told you was all right, but these things have to be practiced and lived. Mere reading won't do. You have to think and carry out what you read, otherwise, it is of no use. Mere book learning without the grace of the sadguru and self-realization is of no avail". I prayed to Baba to shower his grace and keep me in his path but faith is what is lacking in me even today? To tread on the spiritual path is not an easy task and inner illumination is verily impossible without seeking enlightenment from one's Guru. Wealth of liberation is piled up in Guru's treasure and we must makes ourselves egoless to receive his grace. The powerful Maya is gripping Chaitanya, Only an untarnished and undiminished faith- living faith in living God and our ideals alone can ensure us reaching Reality and realizing God which finally helps us to cross the ocean of the worldliness (samsara). Baba has tested several times my faith and as a result of Maya I have failed innumerable times! God tests the soul, tries his faith and enriches his experience. I have been tested and my faith has failed but still the merciful fakir has given me the enriched experience. The mother 'Sai' can never see her child fail and does whatever it takes to make the child cut the spiritual cake. Bowing to the lotus feet of Sadguru Sri Sainath maharaj!
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Prayer Club

Dev
OM SAI RAM, we have lot of faith & trust in you, we got what we wanted in our life since we started praying you. You know that we have mortgage of just over a quarter of million rupees, family of three to look after without any job & earning. Our new business is not giving sufficient money to survive and attracting lot of running expenses. Yesterday Doctor has informed that my wife is pregnant; Of course we need second child with your blessing. We are unable to survive without your blessing, May we request you to please bless us so that we can survive in this difficult time with love & happiness.

Sai devotee
Dear Baba, I have made numerous appeals to you, it seems that I am so confused. Please give us direction and show us the right path. You know all our problems and worries, only you can help us. Please answer our prayers O Sai.

A devotee
I am getting upset at my family's behavior towards me. Please give me strength to bear it. Shradha and Saburi.

A Sai Devotee
Jai Sai Nath. With your help Baba we have shifted to our own place, away from all the family politics, but Baba I ask myself is this right what has happened? Will we be happier here, or do we still have to hear things people are saying about us. All I want is to be happy with your blessings. We have moved, but we still are suffering with the families requests, we are being pressured and asked to do according to tradition, but please baba, I am all for tradition, and prefer the traditional ways, but these people ask for things to be done traditionally when it suits them, so I feel as if they have got one over me. What should I do, guide me baba on what's right. I pray to you daily, and will never forget you. I bow to your lotus feet.

Sai Devotee
I am a saibaba devotee and have gone through tough times in my life. I could manage to go through because of my immense faith in Saibaba. However I truly need his blessings and help at this time, as I am waiting for someone's response to my matrimonial ad. Until now I accepted everything, believing it is Saibaba's wish. I am not asking for anything extraordinary. It is what every girl wishes in her life. I hope this time he will be kind to me.

Sai Devotee
Baba please show mercy on our family, please see that my brother gets married soon, you know what all had happened. Baba i am falling at your feet, please show some daya, see he gets a nice match pretty soon and gets married. Baba, please show some karuna. i don't have anyone except you. Please help us out.

A devotee
Dear Baba please forgive my mistakes. Please help with the confirmation of my husband's job. Please bless our family and bless my sister in law who is getting married. Please help her with a wonderful marriage as she is wonderful and deserves all the happiness in the world. Also guide me. Thank you for your love that we feel in our lives.
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Quotation of the Week
"To experience Shri Sai, one needs to form and develop a relationship through which will flow Sadguru's grace. That relationship is not a barrier in spiritual growth as it will snap on its own at the appropriate moment".-Sai Devotee
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Question of the Week

Q. Besides highlighting the ever-knowing nature of Baba, does the episode of two lizards in Chapter 15 of Sai Satcharitha signify anything else?

A. by Sai Devotee

The significance of the story of the two lizards is, not only that Baba is omnipotent and omnipresent but all that happens in the world is according to His divine will. It is said that even a leaf doesn't move without God's will. The story of the two lizards proves this saying. In this story, it is by God's will that the lizard happened to be in the bag of the man who came from Aurangabad. It is by God's will the horse got hungry and it is by God's will the man stopped in Shirdi to feed the horse and it is by God's will the lizard jumped out of the bag and met it's sister.

We often forget the fact that God alone is the doer (Baba used to say "Allah Mallik") and that everything that happens in one's life is according to His divine will. In the verse given below, Lord Krishna describes the qualities of a devotee whom He considers very dear to Him (Bhagavadh Gita, chapter 12 on Bhakthi Yoga):

"One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a doer, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me--he is very dear to Me."

Forgetting this fact, we suffer in our own self created sufferings. We take doership of all the good we do to others and hold others responsible when we get hurt (either through word or deed) forgetting the fact that it is God's will that has given us a chance to do good to others and it is also His will that we got hurt (whenever others hurt us through word or deed). We also suffer when our desires never get fulfilled or when they don't get fulfilled as per our wish. The root cause of all the desires which lead to suffering is the feeling of "Me" and "Mine".

We have been told time and again by great Yogis, Saints, Mahatmas, who have realized God and by God Himself that getting a human life is very fortunate and so we should make the best possible use of it. So, using this opportunity given by God, if we can try and start practicing the qualities (of renouncing the idea of doership and trying to be free from false ego) mentioned in the above verse, with the firm conviction that, all that happens is according to His will, it will become easier for us to love all and to increase our devotion towards the Lord, so that we will one day become worthy of becoming very dear to Him who will save us from the cycle of births and deaths.
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Sai Activities

Shri Sai program in Delhi
Sri Shirdi Sai Prachara Yagna Committee, New Delhi invites you on the auspicious occasion of SHRI SAI SATYANARAYANA POOJA, NAVAGRAHA & MRUTYUMJAYA HOMAM by pundits of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi on Sunday the 22nd February, 2004 at "T" Park, Lodhi Road Complex, Opp. Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. All devotees are requested to participate in the program and obtain divine blessings of Sri Sai Baba. For details please dial: 26527924 or 26834731

Sai Naam jaap in Hyderabad
Dattaguru Bhandara Trust is observing the IXth aradhana of Pujyasri Sri Sivanesan Swamiji with Sainama Sapthaham from 02/02/2004 to 09/02/2004 to be concluded with annadan. Devotees are requested to participate in this namasankirtan and seek the blessings of Sadguru Sainath. For details dial: +91 40 27225895. or email to sai_sivanesan_swamiji@yahoo.co.in

Shirdi Sai Satsang in Canada
SHIRDI SAI BABA SANSTHAN OF CANADA invites you all to join in our weekly Satsang every Thursday at the two Locations. For more information please call Shammi Chopra 905 887 1752 or Roshan Dastoor Ph: 905 812 8290 or email us at saileela99@yahoo.com
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