Baba Helps Das Ganu

Aum Sairam

Dasganu Maharaj was an ardent devotee of Sri Sai Baba and was
instrumental in spreading the name and fame of Sai Maharaj with his
Kirtans. He was also an author of two books, Bhakta Leelamrut and Sant
Kathamrut. Presumably he wrote these two books in Marathi. From Shri
Sai Satcharitra, we also know that he was trying to translate and write
a commentary Shri Isha Upanishad in Marathi.

Shri Hemadpant explains how brief this Upanishad is [just 18 slokas].
It is a well known fact that the shorter the original message, the more
cryptic it will be. And when we try to magnify a small object into a
big object, a lot of distortion will normally get introduced. So, when
Dasganu Maharaj did not feel satisfied with his intellectual efforts
and when his consultations with other learned scholars did not satisfy
him, he turned to his Sadguru Sri Sai and Sri Sai did solve Dasganu's
difficulty through Kakasaheb's maid servant.

The message which Dasganu got is that the whole world is God's form and
He is all pervasive. And that one must accept in humility what one is
bestowed with by God. Why Dasganu did not think of approaching Sri Sai
in the beginning itself and when he did finally approach, why Sri Sai
sent him to Vile Parle [Mumbai] to the house of Shri Kakasaheb instead
of explaining the philosophy? It is one more of His Leela's. Dasganu
Maharaj got a practical demonstration of the teachings of Shri Isha
Upanishad. And why did he not think of asking Sri Sai in the beginning?
He had to learn and experience the lesson that learning fades before
self realization! In fact, that seems to be the real lesson which Sri
Sai taught him.

Allah Malik

Today In History

Aum Sairam

September 29, 1952:

"Kalash" of gold was fixed on the spire of Samadhi Mandir.

Allah Malik

Prayer for Love

Aum Sairam

Within the heart is enshrined the secret of Nama
The name divine
The way to unlock the secret is the way of love
Teach me Oh Sai!
To love thee not myself
Bless me that I forsake myself and think of thy Lotus Feet

Love is the power that makes the world worth living, whether materially
or spiritually love is needed. Turning to the spiritual path love plays
a primordial role.

Love of a devotee towards the almighty is the motor of this
relationship. When love becomes deep, sincere and selfless, one becomes
free from all bondage's and the devotee merges in the beloved.

Talking about the love of the Lord for the devotee makes the almighty
perform menial tasks for the love of his disciple.

Allah Malik

Simple God

Aum Sairam

May This Thursday [Baba's Day] Bring You Strength, Good luck, Happiness Success and Joy.

God is simple. He is seen, heard, felt, sensed, loved, and despised. However the most difficult thing for us is to explain how simple God is. It is the intellectual limitation of our species. Why do we have so many Gurus, Gods and Religions? For the reason that God may be made simple to understand.

How blessed are the religions? Perhaps not so blessed as long as they do not realize the very function of religion. As long as they do not underline that religion are a path and not the destination. Blessed is the mankind, stars dawn on our horizon occasionally. The Supreme Conscious that walks the earth with the message that God is too big to fit into any single religion. The entity that represents timeless conscious; just like the begging fakir of Shirdi who cautions that human life is just a frozen frame of a few years and the actual idea should be to zoom ourselves out to eternity. The Super Star who simplifies our pursuits that any single religion has perhaps failed to accomplish.

During Sri Sai Baba's tenure at Shirdi, inscrutable were His ways. Someone was sent to every temple in Shirdi before entering His abode. The other was kicked out after entering from other temple. One was sent to high mountains, the other was made to read scriptures. And, one was simply made to, wait! Let us be those fortunate children of God that does not confirm to one form. He is Dattatreya and the Crucifix. He is Allah. He is the Burning Fire, and the Banyan Tree.

Let us on This Thursday [Baba's Day] love everyone and their religions too. Let us truthfully attempt to see His message of unification. By this simple God's grace, for that is the beginning.

Allah Malik

Sai Philosophy Differs

Aum Sairam

Religions differ based on principles, way of life, festivals, and method of worship and so on. Sri Sai philosophy is beyond religions. In fact it brings all the religions together. Baba specifies the nine qualities namely: [1] Absence of egoism [2] Absence of jealousy [3] Untiring service [4] Absence of worldly desires [5] Complete faith in Guru [6] Peaceful nature [7] Desire to know the truth [8] Absence of envy, and (9) Absence of self-boasting and finding faults in others.

These qualities are not specific to any religion.

Also the greatness of Sri Sai Baba is that he brought (and still brings) people of all religions together. Today people of all religions can visit his mandir. Sri Sai philosophy requests all of us to mention the name of God. Sri Sai Baba never insisted that his devotees should only worship him.

The greatness of Sri Sai Baba was that he did not create a new religion. Thru his teachings, he made sure that people followed their religious practices and that they understood the purpose of religion. Sri Sai Baba also tried to convince people not to distinguish one another by religion. A good example is the celebrating of the Ramanavami and Urs festival at the same time. Religion is a path to God. Sri Sai Baba's teachings are also a path to God.

Allah Malik

Free Us Oh Sai

Aum Sairam

Blessed, Oh Sai, are Your Feet, blessed is Your remembrance and blessed
is Your darshan which frees us from the bond of Karma.

Though Your Form is invisible to us now, still if the devotees believe
in You, they get living experiences from You. By an invisible and
subtle thread, You draw your devotees far and near to Your Feet, and
embrace them like a kind and loving mother. The devotees do not know,
where You are; but You so skillfully pull the wires, that they
ultimately realize, that You are their back to help and support them.

The intelligent, wise and learned folk fall into the pit of the samsar
on account of their egoism, but You save by, Your power, the poor,
simple and devout persons.

Inwardly and invisibly, You play all the game, but show that You are
not concerned with it. While You do things but pose Your-self as
non-doer. Nobody ever knows Your life. The best course, therefore, for
us is to surrender our body, speech and mind to Your Feet, and always
Chant Your Name for destroying our sins.

You fulfill the wishes of the devotees; and to those, who are without
any desire, You give Bliss supreme. The chanting of Your Sweet name is
the easiest sadhan for devotees. By this sadhan, [means] our sins,
Rajas and Tamas qualities, will vanish, the Sattwa qualities and
righteousness will gain predominance and along with this,
discrimination, dispassion and knowledge will follow.

Then we shall abide in our Self and our Guru [who are one and the
same]. This is what is called complete surrender to the Guru. The only
sure sign of this is, that our mind gets calm and peaceful. The
greatness of this surrender, devotion and knowledge is unique; for
peace, non-attachment, fame and salvation etc...Come in its train.

If Sri Sai Baba accepts a devotee, He follows him and stands by him,
day and night, at his home or abroad. Let the devotee go anywhere he
likes, Sri Sai Baba is there ahead of him in some form, in an
inconceivable manner.

Allah Malik

Sai

Aum Sairam

Sai, as we are constantly reminded in Shri Sai Satcharitra, is both
Nirgun and Sagun. Depending upon the devotee's level of development and
as per the situation, He was showing the particular aspect. Once we
accept that He represents that aspect of Parabrahman with attributes,
i.e. Sagun aspect also, we have to accept both the positive and
negative qualities and what is also referred to as duality. As long as
the devotee thinks of himself different from his surroundings, duality
is the ruling aspect.

This is true also for the devotee looks upon Sri Sai as God or Guru,
i.e. different from himself. With duality comes another aspect of
duality, viz., opposites. Where positive qualities exist, automatically
negative qualities exist. So affection [love] and anger are opposite
sides of the same coin. One more reason for Sri Sai's occasional spells
of anger was that He wanted to give a practical training and
demonstration of the lesson which He always used to din into the ears
of His devotees, viz., to accept praise or criticism with equanimity
and to accept whatever God gives as Prasad. So, those devotees, who
took Sri Sai Baba's scolding as blessings prospered materially as well
as spiritually.

Allah Malik

Confidence

Aum Sairam

Consider a tiny bird which has come and landed on a branch where it continues to sit for some time afterwards. Now, suppose a wind comes up and the branch starts to move, swaying back and forth. The little bird will not get frightened by this movement of the branch. Why? Because it does not depend entirely on the branch for its support. It depends on its wings and so it has strong self-confidence that no amount of movement of the branch would disturb it. Even if the branch were to break, this would not threaten it or cause it to fall. But today's man gets easily frightened by the smallest difficulties in day-to-day life. He does not have the self-confidence which even a little bird has. What is the reason for this? The reason is too much food. He takes in food which is full of dross and which, in turn, generates feelings that are saturated with the quality of rajas, excessive nervous energy and activity, which promotes apprehension and anger. As a result, he has no chance to experience his true nature which is even-minded and pure.

The youth of today have many doubts. They see animals and birds relating to one another in all kinds of ways, enjoying a great deal of freedom. The youth wonder why they should not have the same freedom and independence that the animals enjoy. The proper answer to this question is, "Yes, you are also entitled to freedom, but it is the freedom appropriate to a human being, not that of an animal." Animals enjoy the freedom which is natural to animals. You should enjoy human freedom, the freedom that is natural to human beings.

Live as a true human being; develop the qualities appropriate to a human being. Calling yourself human but trying to enjoy the freedom of an animal will not get you far. The human characteristics are sacrifice, love, compassion, generosity, sympathy, nonviolence and other such noble qualities. Do not develop the qualities associated with an animal. And even worse than that, do not succumb to qualities much lower than an animal, namely, the qualities of a demon such as selfishness, anger, hatred, lust, jealousy and the like. These demonic qualities have no place in a human being.

Allah Malik

Ganesh Anant Chaturdashi

Aum Sairam

Dear Sai Brothers and Sai Sisters,

Today is Ganesh Anant Chaturdashi, the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi. It's been a real way where we all have celebrated the festival of Lord Ganesha with great pomp and pleasure. Today is the day when he sublimes beyond the horizon to again come to us the very next year. But for truly He never goes, He lives in all our hearts, only the things which He sublimes are our evil thoughts, ego and all sarcasms. With the last day in Anant Chaturthi, the Lord annihilates all the sins of His devotees and gives us another chance to improve to be good human beings and also to lead a life which could enable us for not only uplifting ourselves but for also uplifting our fellow beings.

Let us all pray to Him unanimously to give us all solace and peace of mind. Let us all pray to Him to have selfless love for others, so that we may come in need to them when they require our helpful hand. As Sri Baba, has very rightly said that Lord Ganesha represents the elephant which signifies faithfulness and gratitude for others and marks a way as a leader for His disciples. He is the Vignaharta, the removal of all our problems and encapsulates us with devotion and selfless love.

As by our very natural human tendency we speak out only for petty things, fall into useless gossiping, fill our heads with unnecessary thoughts and virtues and drain our energies completely too meekly fall a prey of greed and lust, which are the sisters of evil. These causes differences in all of us and though we don't want ourselves to be a part of this nasty game we keep continuing to play it, whose result is quiet obvious nothing less then disaster.

Our Sainath has always kept on feeding us with the thoughts of repeating God's name not only at times of trouble but also when we are cherished and have an easy going life. As, all circumstances and consequences begin with Him and ends with Him. He is the only wirepuller of this Universe and no one can even willing could make a move, without HIS consent. Man, has time in and again gained experiences of the existence of God but still he keeps on committing the same mistakes, though he is very well aware that nothing is actually hidden from Him. This is what we all know as Maya, as it blinds us all away with it by showing us this false world of existence and behests us with something really worthless. Only His name can save us from such tranquility else by letting Him away from our minds and hearts we go away from Him day by day. In today's world we don't fight with swords but we fight with our emotions, not with external enemies but our internal enemies which always keep on harassing us. For this we need His grace.

Let us all pray to our Sri Sai Ganesha to always keep blossoming our devotion day by day and always keep alive the flavor of spirituality in all our hearts so that we remain indebted to Him for gifting this beautiful life to all of us. Bless be this Universe, Bless be every one. The main aim of these festive is not just enjoyment but is the purification of our minds and souls. That's what we need to perceive and achieve at the end of the day.

AUM GANESHAYA NAMOH. GANPATI BAPPA MORIYA...MANGAL MURTHI MORIYA.

TAMEWA MATATA PITA TAMEHWA, TAMEHWA BANDHU SAKHA TAMEHWA

Allah Malik

Lessons in Life

Aum Sairam,

Ever wondered why we are subjected to the same tests over and over again?

Life goes like this.
We get hit by little pebbles - as a kind of warning.
When we ignore the pebbles, we get hit by a brick.
Ignore the brick and we get hit by a boulder.

We have the habit of forgetting the lessons that nature and our life taught us and hence when we come up with the same thing again it feels all new and we have not been able to cope with the problem. We also hesitate in exploring the unknown for the fear - fear of not knowing what is at the end. Lest we know that we find our treasures in the form of experiences at the end of the unknown journey.

It is only by going down the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.
Where you stumble there lays your treasure.
The very cave that you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you were looking for.

Let us be bold and march ahead to meet the fate head on with God on our side.

Allah Malik

The Lighter Side

Aum Sairam

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer.
The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The Lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves.

When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups."

"Just like in life, if Life is water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold /maintain life, but the quality of life doesn't change."

"If we only concentrate on the cup, we won't have time to enjoy/taste the water in it."

"Faith gives us a new vision of the world. Without it we see only the darker side of life. We are still slaves. It is faith which liberates us and makes us see the spirit of power and love at work in our lives."

Allah Malik

Megha

Aum Sairam

Sri Sai Baba worked on Megha internally so that Megha changed considerably.

Megha came to Sri Sai Baba's fold via H.V.Sathe. As an orthodox Brahmin, his simple mind refused to see God in the Jewel of Shirdi. When Megha approached Sri Sai Baba, Sri Sai Baba yelled at him, kick out the rascal You are a high caste Brahmin and I am a low Muslim. Strange it might sound; the ego of being a sattwic is still a blob of ignorance.

Megha had to endure the mental turmoil, traveling from place to place thinking of God's grace. After several months, he was allowed into the masjid and he began to see Sri Sai Baba through different eyes and worship him as he would worship his beloved deity Shiva. Seri Sai Baba, without unsettling the mind of this simple folk, began giving him the experiences that reinforced his faith in God. Not only that, his experiences was such
that he was completely convinced of Sri Sai Baba's divinity.

A practice of Megha worth mentioning is his method of worshipping Sri Sai Baba; he used worship Sri Sai Baba's picture in the wada and later proceed to Dwarakamai for Sri Sai Baba's darshan. He used to participate in regular worship and Aarti’s. When Megha passed away in 1912, Sri Sai Baba said, this is the true devotee of mine.

It is well known that inscrutable are Sri Sai Baba's ways. Megha's episode is a nice example where Sri Sai Baba spoke very less but did a magnificent job so that Megha's ignorance was completely driven out and he was able to see God in the most tangible way.

Allah Malik

Always Remember

Aum Sairam

Happy Baba's Day.

Always remember to forget the things that made you sadBut never forget to remember the things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget the friends that proved untrue.But don't forget to remember those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget the troubles that have passed away.But never forget to remember the blessings that come each day.

Allah Malik

The Illusion of Enlightenment

Aum Sairam

Prayers are the divine flowers, meditation is its fragrance.
Serving the needy is to learn the thread of truth.
To tie them up round with devotion as a garland and by offering at the Lotus Feet of Sadguru Sri Sainath Maharaj is a devotional act of the real seeker.

Ignorant is he who gives importance to worldly things.
Blessed is he who ever remains undivided from God.
Know thou that renunciation of desires rather than renunciation of objects lead to liberation.
Know well that other than God within everything and everyone will perish. Realize the Imperishable before perishing.
He who gives importance to perishable things remains bound.
He who is detached from his possessions and desires not to possess anything becomes free from the bondage of the sansar.
Truly great is he who considers others greater than him.
A prayerful mind ever remains in peace.
Service with love is curative whereas service without love is injurious.
Blessed is the house from where the guests return appeasing their hunger & thirst.
A prosperous man is he who stops not his efforts till he achieves his goal of life.
Know well that all great achievements are the results of continuous hard work and
never by chance.
He who works through God succeeds and he who works without God suffers.
He who discards God remains discarded from God.

Allah Malik

ONE [If You Get It Then Rest Will Come To You Soon]

Aum Sairam

One SONG can spark a MOMENT
One FLOWER can wake the DREAM
One TREE can start a FOREST
One BIRD can herald SPRING
One SMILE begins a FRIENDSHIP
One HANDCLASP lifts a SOUL
One STAR can guide a SHIP AT SEA
One WORD can frame the GOAL
One VOTE can change a NATION
One SUNBEAM lights a ROOM
One CANDLE wipes out DARKNESS
One LAUGH will conquer GLOOM
One STEP must start each JOURNEY
One WORD must start a PRAYER
One HOPE will raise our SPIRIT
One TOUCH can show you CARE
One VOICE can speak with WISDOM
One HEART can know what is TRUE t
One LIFE can make a DIFFERENCE

ONE is only complete and perfect, and that ONE is none other then "GOD"

Allah Malik

Enlightenment and Unity

Aum Sairam

Thank you Sri Sai Baba for everything. We are here to pray to You and seek Your blessings for ourselves before we pray for others. The reason being we realized we are the cause for the disturbance in the world. We are totally engulfed in the illusion of secratarianism based on class, caste, religion and nation. If we remove these divisions then we can make a difference to the world. We would be in a better position to pray without any restriction for others and be called as your children.

Today we stand in front of You humbled. We realized that we indeed are Your children hence we have no caste. Sri Sai Baba, we are your devotees we lack class, and are all beggars in front of You. We have no religion for You taught us no religion other than religion of love. We belong to a nation of universal brotherhood whatever be our color and language.

Sri Sai Baba, as your children we stand before You, we seek Your blessings to remove the veil of ignorance off our mind and eyes. Today we stand in front of You as the beacons to carry Your lamp. But before we carry Your work we beseech You to cleanse our minds off the division amongst us based on class, caste, nationality and religion. Help us to stand united, united in religion of love, united as human class and forget the sense of differentiation.

Thank you for considering us worthy enough to see the light of the new day. There are many who have perished in the earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunami, and in the name of religious war. You spared us for a purpose and obviously consider us worthy to carry Your work and have bonded us in this holy bond of Sai Parivar. This alone is a great blessing on us. Help us always to be reminded of this favor on us and help us to be humble and forget our differences and know that we originate from You, the one who has no identity and we beg to be merged within You.
Please heed to these prayers to bring us enlightenment about the purpose of our origin and bind us in unity. When our relationship is strong without any differences then we are sure You will listen to our prayers for the welfare of the world and prayers for peace of departed souls and prayers for the bereaved ones. Only when we are thus cleansed Oh Sri Sai Baba, do listen to our prayers.

This we humbly beg of You, to listen to our prayers. This is a prayer of united voice belonging to this holy family of children committed to praying for the welfare of others. Cleanse us to help cleanse others off their words, actions and thoughts.

Allah Malik

Sri Sai Baba's Love And Grace Envelop One And All

Aum Sairam

No prayers go unanswered. There is delay in answering of the prayers Sri Sai Baba, who knows our past, present and future is the best judge of what is useful for us and what we need. There is always a conflict of desires and needs in our life. Sri Sai Baba our master knows what our needs are and accordingly He pulls things to make our life comfortable based on our previous acts. Not all our desires are fulfilled. When we pray, we do it with the intention of getting things and we do not think of the consequences of fulfilling that need. But Sri Sai Baba our father gives us only that are good for us. Next time, when we think - alas! Sri Sai Baba has not heard my prayers, let us stop and reflect up on His teachings and know that - He did indeed answer our prayers and has given us what is good for us. He is the best judge. Do the duty and leave the results at His lotus feet. All will be well. Sri Sai Baba will always look after the welfare of His children.
Here is the related story,

Rutonji Shahpurji Wadia of Nanded had a great regard for Dasganu Maharaj Dasganu advised him to go to Shirdi, and take Sri Sai Baba's darshan, and fall at His lotus feet to seek His blessings and pray for issue. Ruttonji liked the idea, and decided to go to Shirdi. After some days he went to Shirdi, took Sri Sai Baba's darshan and fell at His lotus feet. Then opening a basket, he took out a beautiful garland of flowers and placed it around Sri Sai Baba’s neck and offered Him a basket of fruits. With great respect he sat near Sri Sai Baba, and prayed to Him saying- "Many persons who find themselves in difficult situations come to You, and You relieve them immediately. Hearting this, I have sought anxiously Your lotus feet, please, therefore, do not disappoint me. “Sri Sai Baba then asked him for Daksbina of Rs. Five which Ruttonji intended to give, but added, that He has already received Rs. 3-14-0 from him, and that he should pay the balance only.

Hearing this, Ruttonji was rather puzzled. He could not make out what Sri Sai Baba meant. That was the first time, he came to Shirdi and how was it that Sri Sai Baba said that He had formerly got Rs. 3-14-0 from him? He could not solve the riddle. But he sat at Sri Sai Baba's Feet and gave the balance of the Dakshina asked for, he explained to Sri Sai Baba fully, as to why he came and sought His help, and prayed that Sri Sai Baba should bless him with a son. Sri Sai Baba was moved and told him not to be worried, as his bad days have ended. Sri Sai Baba gave him Udi, placed His hand on his head and blessed him saying that Allah [God] would satisfy his heart's desire."

Allah Malik

ALL GLORY TO GOD

Aum Sairam

"We it is to be noted here that doubts and difficulties surround us just to move us and confirm are tested as it were." - Shri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XXIX.

If God did exist, it would be necessary to invent Him," said Voltaire. The question arises: What sort of God do we want? The vast majority of men and women want God who is a sort of a store keeper ready to supply them all those things for which they send in a requisition - the wealth of the world, its pleasures and power.

So long as God gives them what they want, God is good, kind and loving, God is wise and there is none like unto Him. But the moment He refuses to oblige, He becomes a cruel God, unjust and unkind. His very existence is denied.

The God of the majority of us is a "servant" God ready to do our bidding, eager to satisfy our cravings and caprices the moment they arise.

In plain words, we do not want to do God's Will. We want God to do our will. The more we strive for our will to be done, the more restless do we become, and consequently, the more unhappy and miserable. It is only God's Will that can restore harmony and order. Until we learn to submit to the Will of God, even if we reach out to the moon and conquer the stars, we shall but continue to wander from restlessness to restlessness.

What we need is not this, that or any other thing. What we require is a divine adjustment. At some time or the other this truth dimly dawns on our consciousness. Pressed hard by circumstances, surrounded on all sides by trials and temptations, we feel like turning to God as the only remedy. But we are afraid to leave things in His Hands for fear of what He may do.

The one essential mark of the one, who loves God, is that he bears joyfully all suffering and pain that God sends him. He who has become a captive of love lives in a life of surrender to God; in this surrender is true freedom. Watch, therefore, for the ring of love and when it closes in on you, feel happy, for in your captivity you will have found the freedom of the truly free. Then in your heart you will hear songs of rejoicing. And each day will bring to you thrills of joy.

Love God with all your heart and soul. Talk to Him. Think of Him, Rest in Him. In the midst of your daily work, turn to Him, again and again. These glad turnings of a loving and grateful heart are your best prayers to God.

Allah Malik

Opening the Gates of Heaven

Aum Sairam

There are many different feelings which have an influence upon us, and which give a feeling of joy, of exaltation, but there is no sentiment greater or more effective than the feeling of bringing one's faults and weaknesses before God to ask for His pardon.

To become conscious of one's shortcomings, to be sorry for them, to repent of them, and to ask His forgiveness in all humility; no ethics, no philosophy can give a greater joy than this. It is the sincere devotee of God who knows best what feeling it is to humble oneself before God.

The proud one, ignorant of the greatness of God, of His all sufficient power, does not know what is this exaltation that raises the soul from earth to heaven.

To be really sorry for one's errors is like opening the gates of heaven.

Allah Malik

Oue Expectations

A turtle family went on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outings. Finally the Turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found it. For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements.

Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.

He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years a Six years… Then in the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, “SEE I knew you wouldn’t wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt.”

Lesson Learned:
Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don’t do anything ourselves.

The Golden Rules

Aum Sairam

Some people are over-credulous. This is bad, as they are easily cheated by others. You must fully understand man. You must know his nature, his qualities and his antecedents. You must know his behavior. Test him on several occasions and only place your confidence in him when you are fully satisfied.

He may be a deep man who puts on a false appearance and who turns out to be quite the reverse. Watch him closely, move with him closely and hear about him from several other people. Man cannot hide his nature for long. You will see that his face registers all his inner feelings and thoughts.

Too much suspicion is also bad. It is the opposite of over-credulousness. Mind always moves in extremes. The husband suspects the wife and the wife suspects the husband. There is always trouble in the house.

If the proprietor suspects his servants, then how can business go on? It cannot. The world runs on perfect faith. Business too runs on faith. If people are too suspicious there is always friction and rupture. Do not be over-credulous or over-suspicious. Keep the golden medium always.

Another undesirable quality is intolerance, or petty mindedness. All the restlessness and fighting in this world takes its origin from intolerance. An Englishman is intolerant towards an Irishman or a German. A Hindu is intolerant to a Mohammedan and vice versa. All this is due to perfect ignorance.

How can a man, who sees the one atman in all, be intolerant? All these small differences are purely mental creations. Expand. Embrace all. Include all. Love all. Serve all. Behold the Lord in all.

See God in every face. Feel his indwelling presence in all. Be liberal and catholic in your views. Destroy the barriers that separate man from man. Drink the eternal, atmic bliss. Become perfectly tolerant. Forget and forgive.

Allah Malik

Dear Sai - Thank You

Aum Sairam

Dear Sri Sai, I want to say Thank You for all your blessings and grace. But, where shall I start.

Should I say Thank You for being blessed with this human birth to experience You?

Should I say Thank You for the tender parental love and care that You fed me when I was a child? When my little girl laughs and plays in my lap, it is Your laughter and Your life, how can I repay this debt to You.

Should I say Thank You, whenever I see the glorious night sky filled with stars and planets and I realize that, it is You who has breathed life into these heavenly bodies and created me to admire them.

Oh essence of all knowledge, You revealed the messages of divine scriptures and music that have thrilled me to my core. Merciful one, what can I give as Guru Dakshina to You.

Dear Father, I have lost count of the times that I requested and received your support when all seemed lost, your helping hand steadied my flimsy boat. Can mere words suffice to thank you with deep humility; we bow in body, mind and soul to your Holy feet.

Please continue to be the Divine Light in our lives.

Thou Art our Mother
Thou Art our Father
Thou Art our Friend
Thou Art our relative
Thou Art Knowledge
Thou Art Riches
Oh Sri Sai You are our everything

Allah Malik

The Significance of Ganpati

Aum Sairam

Ganesh Chaturthi starts from 15th Sept and lasts for 11 days.

A common Sanskrit word to denote elephant is GAJA. Here Gajanan means elephant faced - a name for Ganapati. But the word Gaja has a deeper connotation. GA indicates gati, the final goal towards which the entire creation is moving, whether knowingly or unknowingly. JA stands for janma, birth or origin. Hence GAJA signifies GOD from whom world have come out towards whom they are progressing, to be ultimately dissolved in Him. The elephant head is thus purely symbolical.

We observe creation in its two fold manifestation as the microcosm [sukshmanda] and the macrocosm [brahmanda]. Each is a replica of the other. They are one in two and two in one. The elephant head stands for the macrocosm [representing vastness or bigness], and the human body for the microcosm. The two form one unit. Since the macrocosm is the goal of the microcosm, the elephant part has been given great prominence by making it a head.

The Chandogya Upanishad has pronounced a philosophical truth as TAT-TVAM-ASI, THAT-THOU-ART. It simply means "You, the apparently limited individual, are in essence, the cosmic Truth, the Absolute". The elephant human form of Ganpati is the iconographical representation of this great Vedantic dictum. The elephant stands for the cosmic whereas the human stands for the individual. The single image reflects their identity.

Vedanta is the synthesis of the within and the without; the macrocosm and the microcosm. The study of this 'within' of nature through an inquiry into the within of man, who is the unique product of natures evolution, is religion according to Indian thought. The synthesis of the knowledge which the physical science give, and the within which religion gives, is what India achieved in her Vedanta. This she calls BRAHMA-VIDYA or philosophy; God or Brahman is the Upanishadic term for the Supreme Reality, [God] standing for the totality of reality physical and non physical, Brahman-vidya is Sarva-vidya-pratishtha [philosophy is the basis and support of all knowledge].

The Ganpati Upanishad identifies Lord Ganesh with the Supreme Self. Lord Ganesh represents the Pranava [AUM] which is the symbol of the Supreme Self. Taitiriya Upanishad states AUM ITI BRAHMAN-AUM is Brahman [GOD]. AUM is all this. Nothing can be done without uttering it. This explains the practice of invoking Lord Ganesh before begining any rite.

Lord Ganesh removes all obstacles on the path of the spiritual aspirant and bestows upon him worldly as well as spiritual success. So he is called VIGNA VINAYAKA or VIGHNESHWAR.

Allah Malik

Ganesh Mantra

He is called the destroyer of obstacles - 'Vighna Vinayaka',
The one who gives happiness and joy - 'Sukha Kartha',
The absorber of sorrow and misfortune - 'Dukha Hartha',
He makes wishes come true - 'Siddhi Vinayaka'.

By ancient tradition, the elephant-headed God, Ganesha is always worshipped first and foremost in every ritual or festival. He likes sweet items and milk; hence we can offer
them to win his attention. Common belief is that Ganesha is most deity-friendly. He is happy with simple offerings of coconut or three "Kuttu" [gently tapping of both temples with folded fists] or just a prayer with a pure heart.

Recite this mantra to clear your path from bad luck and fill it with good fortune, before you start any new project to ensure success and prosperity. Recite it every morning before you begin your day. The power of this mantra will ensure smooth sailing of life even in the most turbulent of times.

Ohm Eka danta ye Vidma he,
Vakra tundaye Dhi-Mahi
Tan No Buddhih Prachodayat

Points to Ponder

Aum Sairam

Envy is a dangerous enemy to self. It creeps up un noticed and takes us by surprise. The twinge in our heart, that sudden rise of anger when we hear of somebody's success, that disappointment that we did not have what others have, the tendency to move away from successful people, wailing that others are happy while we are suffering, are all the signs of envy and immature mind. Remember, everybody is a dear child of God, and each one is rewarded according to their deeds. So throw away the sense of differentiation and rejoice at the happiness of the others and encourage them to do better. God will surely bless your efforts in curbing vices and will help to evolve as a better human who is successful not just materially but spiritually as well.

Allah Malik

Ten Key Word Messages from Sri Sai Baba

Aum Sairam

While Sri Sai Baba has conveyed a number of messages, in trying to consolidate my understanding, please allow me to present Ten of them that could be easily remembered through single words, as follows: Love-Humility-Devotion-Forgiveness-Calmn

ess-Desirelessness-Charity-Benevolence-Egolessness-Control [of mind and body].

While not totally successful, trying to ensure that all actions and reactions reflect one or more of above [TEN)] guiding principles from Sri Sai Baba has been extremely helpful. When faced with difficult situations, checking if what we wish to do falls within the above often prevents undesirable behavior. In responding to demands from our near and dear parents, spouse, children and friends, if we are not watchful, we may say or do those might make us repent our words and actions. When such events occur, a quick remembrance of Sri Sai Baba and ensuring that our response will reflect either love or one of - forgiveness, calmness, devotion, benevolence, will likely enable us to act better. Likewise, at work, we often get challenged by our colleagues, superiors or others and a quick review of our actions to ensure that they reflect humility or one of forgiveness, desirelessness, benevolence, and egolessness - is likely to guide us to take a safer path. In public places, when faced with people who may annoy us, trying to follow the path of charity, control of mind and body might be helpful.

Allah Malik

And I called my Master Poem

…And I called my Master
With mute lips
And a loud heart
‘O Master, so grateful am I
The seed of your love in me
Sowed by you
Has sprout and is longing
Only for thou.’

‘Please my Master
Let my heart be
Only in you
And in none else
Let my soul go
Only to you
And to none else, and
Let my love be
Only for you
And for none else.’

Then came His message
‘O my child,
I have nothing but love
For thou and for thee
And you must love me
The way I ought to be.
Love one and love all
Love those whom you can
And those whom you can’t;
Then my child
Accomplished my purpose will be
And you will love me
The way I ought to be.’

‘Thus my child
Your heart is in me
And in none else
Your soul comes to me
And to none else
And you love only me
And none else.’

Thursday The Best Day of My Life

Aum Sairam

May this Thursday [Baba's Day] bring you Strength, Good luck, Success, Happiness and Joy.

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds the trees, the flowers, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for her and how much she means to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!

Allah Malik

When God Created Father

Aum Sairam

This inspirational story is about fathers, a great story to read to your little children. Why do we look up to our fathers? It is because he is a strong and confident figure, someone who believes in raising his family with great morals and values? It is because he is a loving father and an ardent husband and provider.

Whoever is born, the father is the cause of his birth. Therefore, the father is everyone's visible God. Fathers can be the kindest, loving, compassionate and tender beings that God has created. In some family situations fathers often take the role of a mother and become the nurturing care givers. Enjoy being a father.

When the good Lord was creating Fathers, he started with a tall frame.

A female angel nearby said, what kind of a Father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put the Father up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without stooping.

God smiled and said, yes, but if I make him child size, who would children look up to.

And when God made Fathers hands, they were large. The angel shook her head and said, large hands can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails, or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats.

Again God smiled and said, I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets, yet small enough to cup a child's face in them.

Then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders, do you realize you just made a Father without a lap. The angel chuckled.

God said, A Mother needs a lap. A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, to balance a boy on a bicycle, or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus.

When God was in the middle of creating the biggest feet any one had ever seen, the angel could not contain herself any longer. That's not fair. Do you honestly think those feet are going to get out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries, or walk through a birthday party without crushing one or two of the guests.

God again smiled and said, they will work. You will see. They will support a small child who wants to ride to Branbury Cross or scare mice away from assumer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill. God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant.

Finally, almost as an after thought, He added tears. The He turned to the angel and said, NOW ARE YOU SATISFIED HE CAN LOVE AS MUCH AS A MOTHER CAN

Divine words of our Beloved Lord Sai
The mother can be compared to the earth and the father to the seed. Unless the seed is sown in the earth the plant will not sprout. You cannot ignore the father and mother who are responsible for your birth and growth. Show the parents respect with love and devotion. It is a tribute you should offer them for the great chance they gave you to come into this world, with all the wonderful opportunities it offers for self realization. The heart of the father who fosters the child, and develops his personality, is sweet.

Allah Malik

Bhakti or Love of Sri Sai Baba

Aum Sairam

The one great advantage of Bhakti is that it is the easiest, and the most natural way to reach the great divine end in view; its great disadvantage is that in its lower forms it often-times degenerates into hideous fanaticism. The fanatical crew in Hinduism, or Mohammedanism, or Christianity, has always been almost exclusively recruited from these worshippers on the lower planes of bhakti.

In every mind, utility is conditioned by its own peculiar wants. To men, therefore, who never rise higher than eating, drinking, begetting progeny, and dying, the only gain is in sense-enjoyments; and they must wait and go through many more births and reincarnations to learn to feel even the faintest necessity for anything higher. But those to whom the eternal interest of the soul are of much higher value than the fleeting interests of this mundane life, to whom the gratification of the senses is but like the thoughtless play of the baby, to them, Sri Sai Baba and the love of Sri Sai Baba form the highest and the only utility of human existence.

Get the mercy of Sri Sai Baba and of His greatest children; these are the two chief ways to realize the Truth. The company of these children or the Messengers of Sri Sai Baba of Light is very hard to get; five minutes in their company will change a whole life, and if you really want it enough, one will come to you. The presence of those who love Sri Sai Baba makes a place holy, "such is the glory of the children of the Lord". They are He; and when they speak, their words are Scriptures. The place where they have been becomes filled with their vibrations, and those going there feel them and have a tendency to become holy also.

At times, when we hear a word or get a signal from Sri Sai Baba, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what Sri Sai Baba wants is just a simple, dedication, devotion, obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still the will of Sri Sai Baba, Who moves the mountains.

Whenever, any thing seems to go wrong ... just P.U.S.H.! When the job gets you down ... just P.U.S.H.! When people don't react the way you think they should ... just P.U.S.H.! When you are disappointed in love, just P.U.S.H! When your money is "gone or lost" and the bills are due ... just P.U.S.H! When people just don't understand you ... just P.U.S.H.! When in any disharmony, just P.U.S.H! The real and effective meaning of PUSH is..........

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens.

Do not under estimate these four alphabets, they are full of meaning and result oriented, and does work. I am more confident that they have been showing enormous results and have experienced it and you will also experience it, but you must hold on to your temptations and build up hope, faith, perseverance and character to reach to this level. Do not look for instant result, but have Faith, Patience and Confidence in yourself.

Allah Malik

Prayer

Aum Sairam

In Praise of lord the ultimate Shirdi Sri Sai Baba here is an Abhang from great Marathi poet Tukaram who pray to Lord to allow his mind to rest on His feet wherever his body may be. Similarly we feel the same and pray to our Sadguru Sri Sai to keep us close to Him and guide us always.

This is my prayer to Thee, Oh God.
I place my head on Thy feet.
Let my body be where it likes, but let my mind always rest on Thy feet.
Let me spend my time in meditating on Thee.
Let me turn away from body, and mind, and wealth,
Cleanse me at the time of death from such dangers as phlegm, and wind, and bile.
So long as my senses are whole, I have called upon Thee, in order that Thou mightiest help me ultimately

Thy secret I have come to know by the power of my devotion.
I have enclosed Thy form within me, as a tortoise encloses its feet.
I shall never allow Thy form to melt away,

I do the duty which has fallen to me, but I always remember Thy feet.
Why should I give expression to my love?
Thou know est it already.
I look at Thy form at all times, and somehow carry on my worldly existence.
I have appointed my speech to sing Thy praise.
My mind is anxious to have a vision of Thee without any craving for money or wealth.
I am walking my worldly way, as a man must who has a burden to carry; but my mind is ever set on Thee.

Allah Malik

God Is The Sole Proprietor

Aum Sairam

Really this Jiva [human soul] transcends the three qualities, viz. Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas, but being deluded by Maya, he forgets his nature which is Existence knowledge-bliss, and thinks that he is the doer and enjoyer and thus entangles himself in endless miseries and does not know the way of deliverance. The only way of deliverance is Loving Devotion towards the Gurus feet. The great Player or Actor Lord Sai has delighted His Bhaktas and transformed them into Himself [His nature].

We regard Sri Sai Baba as an incarnation of God but He always said that He was an obedient servant of God. Though an incarnation He showed the people the way, how to behave satisfactorily and carry out the duties of their respective stations in this life. He never emulated others in any way, nor asked others to have something done for Him. For Him, Who saw the Lord in all movable and immovable things of this world, humility was the most proper thing. None He disregarded or disrespected; for He saw Narayan [Lord] in all beings. He never said, I am God, but that He was a humble servant and He always remembered Him and always uttered Allah Malik [God is the sole proprietor or Owner].

We do not know the various kinds of Saints, how they behave, what they do and eat etc. We only know that by God's grace they manifest themselves in this world to liberate the ignorant and bound souls. If there be any store of merits on our account, we get a desire in listening to the stories and Leela’s of the Saints, otherwise not.

This Brahmin can bring lacs of men onto the white path and take them to their destination.

Allah Malik

Ordeal of Guru Bhakti

Aum Sairam

Somebody brought a goat to the Masjid. It was weak, old and about to die. At this time Fakir Pir Mohammad of Malegaon alias Bade Baba was near. Sri Sai Baba asked him to behead it with one stroke, and offer it as an oblation. This Bade Baba was much respected by Sri Sai Baba. He always sat on the right hand of Sri Sai Baba. After the chillum [clay pipe] was first smoked by him, it was then offered to Sri Sai Baba and others. After the dishes were served, at the time of taking meals at noon, Sri Sai Baba respectfully called Bade Baba and made him sit on His left side, and then all partook of food. Sri Sai Baba paid him also daily Rs 50/- out of the amount collected as Dakshina. Sri Sai Baba accompanied him hundred paces whenever he was going away. Such was his position with Sri Sai Baba. But when Sri Sai Baba asked him to behead the goat, he flatly refused, saying, Why it should be killed for nothing?

Then Sri Sai Baba asked Shama to kill it. He went to Radha-Krishna-Mai and brought a knife from her and placed it before Sri Sai Baba. Knowing the purpose for which the knife was taken, she recalled it. Then Shama went to bring another knife, but stayed in the Wada, and did not return soon.

Then came the turn of Kakasaheb Dixit. He was good gold no doubt, but had to be tested. Sri Sai Baba asked him to get a knife and kill the goat He went to Sathe's Wada and returned with a knife. He was ready to kill it at Sri Sai Baba's bidding. He was born in a pure Brahmin family and never in his life knew killing. Though quite averse to do any act of violence, he made himself bold to kill the goat. All the people wondered to see that Bade Baba a Mohammedan was unwilling to kill it while this pure Brahmin was making preparations to do so. He tightened his dhotar and with a semicircular motion raised his hand with the knife and looked at Sri Sai Baba for the final signal. Sri Sai Baba said what are you thinking of? Go on, strike. Then, when the hand was just about to come down, Sri Sai Baba said stop,

how cruel you are! Being a Brahmin, you are killing a goat? Kakasaheb obeyed and kept the knife down and said to Sri Sai Baba Your nectar like word is law unto us, we do not know any other ordinance. We remember You and always, meditate on Your form and obey You day and night, we do not know or consider whether it is right or wrong to kill, we do not want to reason or discuss things, but implicit and prompt compliance with Guru's orders, is our duty and dharma.

Then Sri Sai Baba said to Kakaseheb, that He would Himself do the offering and killing business. It was settled that the goat should be disposed of near a place called Takkya, where fakirs used to sit. When the goat was being removed to that place, it fell dead on the way.

There are of three kinds of disciples [1] First or best [2] Second or middling and [3] Third or ordinary. The best kind of disciples are those who guess what their Gurus want and immediately carry it out and serve them without waiting for an order from them. The average disciples are those who carry out the orders of their Masters to a letter, without any delay, and the third kind of disciples are those, who go on postponing the carrying out of their orders and making mistakes at every step.

The disciples should have firm faith, backed up by intelligence and if they and patience to these, their spiritual goal will not be distant. Control of breath -- ingoing and outgoing, or Hath-Yoga or other difficult practices are not at all necessary. When the disciples get the above-mentioned qualities, they become ready for further instructions and the Masters then appear and lead them on, in their spiritual path to perfection.

Allah Malik

Each Is Unique

Aum Sairam

Sri Sai devotees have a unique relationship with the master and their experiences are varied and individualistic too. We may at times feel that an experience narrated by others is much enriching than ours or our own experience is much important and profound than that of others. This sought of behavior will lead to unhappiness and an uneasy mind. Sri Sai Baba clearly instructed his devotees not to compare notes, discuss and argue as each one's path is different. He strongly advised his devotees to resort to his name if they were not able to control their urge otherwise. The methods used by the master are beyond the comprehension of one.

Shri Sai Satcharitra exemplifies varied methods used by Sri Sai Baba. To one devotee He advised being locked up in a dark filthy room for spiritual progress. For the same purpose, another one was asked to go to the top of a mountain! Even when curing devotee's diseases, He had different treatments. One was given to drink juice of some leaves when they caught cold which would otherwise be harmful, another was asked not to sleep upon snakebite. One suffering from asthma was made to sleep in the Chavadi. When a child devotee of his fell in fire at a distant place, He immediately put his hand in fire sitting in his abode to save the child! It is certain that the same process is continuing today too. As Sri Sai's Aarti states, one experiences Him based on their approach and bhava.

Experience Sri Sai Baba with love and humility. One's own experience is the most important thing. Other's experiences may only serve as guidance or words of encouragement. Ultimately it is one's own effort towards reaching the master that is rewarded. Lobbying by others may only lead one to the master! After that each one has to toil. It is one's own journey and it is advisable if one becomes aware of this fact quicker and toils accordingly.

Allah Malik

Thursday Message [Baba's Day]

Aum Sairam

May this Thursday [Baba's Day] bring you Strength, Good luck, Success, Happiness And Joy.

Awakening is simple. Healing is available in a way that defies reason. But there are certain steps which each of us must take.

The first and most essential step is to know, through your own experience, the awakened state of being. It is a state of profound inner silence, peace and stillness.

The second step is to come into right relationship with certain aspects of yourself including your ego, your thoughts and your feelings. You must bring the energy of love and acceptance to every aspect of yourself. All judgment of yourself and others must end if you are to awaken into the truth of life.

The third step right understands. We are souls on an extraordinary journey. Once you know the true nature of your journey, you will begin to awaken. Everything that has ever happened in your life will suddenly make sense. You will come to regard the problems and difficulties in your life as nothing more than opportunities to learn your lessons and awaken into oneness.

The fourth step is to come into alignment with the universal laws of life. If you are to awaken fully, it is necessary to live in integrity in every aspect of your life.

Allah Malik

How Does Shri Sai Satcharitra Parayan Work?

Aum Sairam

I have penned down my thoughts on a certain act of worship that most of us follow in our daily lives here. I would be happy to read about other devotee’s thoughts and additions to this.

How reading Shri Sai Satcharitra or any Holy book for that matter would ease our burden and misery and grant us 'salvation'. The merit of Satsang cannot be described, I have heard. But how does this company of the saints ['sat'] destroy our problems that we face in our daily life?

Problem is a problem only when we think about it. When it is out of our mind [for example, in deep sleep] it is no longer a problem. Immersing ourselves in these sacred stories takes our mind away from our worries and fears [at least for those few hours] and relieves us of our stress. Secondly, the characters and circumstances in these stories, that we often read, are no different from what we face in our daily lives even today. We can easily relate to those characters and whatever advice or solution that the Saint or God gave them holds good in our case also. That is why, when we open the Shri Sai Satcharitra for our problems we feel Sri Sai is talking to us through that book and thus we learn our lessons.

The most common advice offered to all those people [who went to Him with problems] is 'Cast your burden on Me. I will take care of everything' How easy it sounds and yet how difficult to practice in daily life! This single advice, when followed, will teach us the meaning of Trust and Surrender. Where there is Trust, there Surrender will come naturally and where there is Surrender, Peace will come to stay. When we entrust something to our friend or parents or spouse, who we know will do it to perfection, we will no longer worry about it anymore and what more, we will only be glad we have them in this life.

How do we develop habits? When we are accustomed to doing something again and again. The same thing, applies here also. When we read these stories again and again, even unconsciously we imbibe the essence of His teachings. So next time we face a tough time, we know how Sri Sai would advice us to act. We would have the silent but a constant urge to make Him feel proud of us [i.e., strive to practice His teachings].We learn to accept rather than question Him 'why me?'
This is the secret to salvation, and the greatest miracle that these readings can perform is this change in attitude or outlook that it brings about in us. The greatest devotees that our scriptures talk about were not rich or happy in all respects. They were those who saw God in everything - in their happiness and in their misery. This sameness of vision alone made them great and this is what the company of a saint would offer.

Some people might tend to call things like this 'blind faith'. When we are in distress we cry to Him, 'I do not know how, but if at all someone can pull me out of this hell, it is only You. You are my only refuge.' Do we then care to see any logic as to how He is going to perform the impossible? What is it that we have then?

Faith - Faith in His Name, Faith in His Mantra, Faith in His words and blind only to the ways in which His Grace would work [which is impossible for the human mind to fathom anyway]. I firmly believe that anything done with Faith will bring its own rewards.

Faith must trample under foot all sense, reason and understanding. May Sri Sai bless all His children with Faith and Patience.

Allah Malik

Happy Janmashtami.

Janamashtami [also known as Krishna ashtami or Gokul ashtami] is a festival dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna and commemorates his birth.

Krishna's birthday falls on the eight day [Ashtami of Krishna Paksh] of a lunar fortnight i.e. 8th day after Raksha Bandhan; hence it is named as [Krishna + Ashtami] which comes sometime in August- Sept and is celebrated over two days.

The first day is Krishna ashtami or Gokul ashtami. The second day is called Kaal ashtami or more popularly Janam ashtami.

At midnight between the first and second days the birth of Lord Krishna is replicated with pomp and ceremony. Delicacies are prepared from milk and curds that Krishna loved. The temples all over the world witness an extravagant and colorful celebration on this occasion. The image of the infant Krishna is bathed at midnight and is placed in a cradle, amidst the blowing of the Shankh [conch shell] and the ringing of bells. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration of this festive occasion.

Shri Krishna, the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu is the most popular avatar and all other deities are regarded as his manifestation. His story and his exploits [leela] are numerous and very well known. To the Hindu, he is the supreme statesman, warrior, hero, philosopher, teacher and God himself.

Fear and Problem

Aum Sairam

The most admirable charters of Sri Sai Baba are "Why do you fear, when I am here!" This itself is an answer to us for the success of our life. It is universal phenomenon that a success cannot be achieved without overcoming troubles. The art of facing trouble and converting them in to success is easy to all Sri Sai devotees.

This world has numerous problems and freely distributed gift to us according to our materialistic ambitions. If your ambitions are totally controlled by `Maya' then your struggle in the life is unending. The so called modern needs of life, such as prestigious profession, overflowing pay and perks, luxurious shelter, beautiful wife, handsome husband, genius children, reliable relations, confidential friends etc, do you think these are the things that will provide you real pleasures in your life? Be honest in your judgment with practical current situations.

If you are very sincere in your judgment, the answer will be a big 'NO'. Your neighbor in a rented house, earning meager salary in a private commercial establishment, children studying in government school is happier than you. Your countless problems on taxes, falling profits, inability to meet business target, ever increasing household and business expenditures, disturbed / sleepless nights, mis-understanding with wife, careless children. etc. etc. is a partial list. Despite with all these odds, if you are peaceful and happy that is because of your faith on Sri Sai Baba and leading life as per His teachings.

Sri Sai Baba declared that he had come to give blessings to people, temporal and spiritual wealth, and that He draws them under various pretexts. In this world, material aims and objects cannot be ignored and man cannot be blamed if worldly prosperity is one of the main motives of their devotion to God. This fact has been recognized not merely by Sri Sai Baba, but by Lord Krishna Himself.

Chaturvidha Bhajante Mam
Janah Sucrutino Arjuna
Aartho Jijnasuh Artharthi
Jnani Cha Bharatarshabha.

This means, four sorts of men are drawn to Me. They are all blessed. They are

a] The distressed,
b] Those seeking knowledge,
c] Those wanting worldly objects and
d] The man of perfect wisdom.

The distressed people are the largest number in the world and it is not surprising that they were the earliest to approach Sri Sai Baba. Persons are indifferent to God and Saints, so long as they are well off. But once distress besets them, they feel helpless and seek the aid of a Higher Power. When distress enters, all fancied obstacles of inability to understand, doubt and carping fly and leave the man with a ready receptive heart and make him rush to the one who he believes and his distress makes him believe- to be gifted with power to redress. Distress rouses hope and faith and these work wonder of turning a skeptic into a believer. This has proved thousands of times and it is true all times.

Sri Sai Baba's message to His distressed devotees "Cast off your anxiety, your sufferings have come to an end. However, oppressed and troubled one may be, as soon as he steps in the Masjid, he is on the pathway to happiness".

Hence Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi is our savior and protector, - why fear, when He is always with us.

Allah Malik

Contentment and Equanimity

Aum Sairam

Devotees seek Sri Sai Baba in anger and in peace. Sadguru is sought during times of distress as well as at times of festivities. The compassionate father also reveals Himself to the devotee full of love and compassion. The demands put forth in front of the wish-fulfilling tree are fulfilled. Everything asked shall be received sooner or later. Faith also teaches the other requisite namely patience.

However, the peace experienced at Sadguru's feet is always challenged. The pursuit of Sadguru does not make one immune to the perils of Karma. Sri Sai Baba said, "If you have not done anything wrong in this life, you probably did some actions in your past life and you are bearing the consequences now". Several stories in Shri Sai Satcharitra and other works on Sri Sai Baba refer to the incidents in which a faithful devotee is fully tested and stressed to the extreme before being brought back to normal by Sri Sai Baba, the "Karma Dwamsi", the destroyer of Karma. Such episodes reinforce faith in Sadguru and in the process the state of contentment is experienced. A complete understanding of the role of Sadguru in karmic cycle should naturally lead one to the state of contentment. Is there anything beyond the state of contentment that one experiences in Sri Sai Baba's path? Yes! Equanimity!

True contentment should transform itself into equanimity, the active state that constantly defies the lure of pleasures and the fear of pain. If it does not, then the contentment experienced in Sadguru's fold is probably just an imagination, far from realization. The difference between contentment and equanimity is subtle yet significant. Contentment is the result of faith and patience while equanimity is accomplished through Sadhana, the active pursuit, by Sadguru's grace.

Allah Malik

Life's Struggles

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck. Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily.

But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.

Living In Harmony With Sri Sai Baba

Aum Sairam

Imagine that Sri Sai Baba has descended into the earth's consciousness and taken birth as a human being. Imagine that He has retained most of His divine qualities, but none of His magical or supra mental powers. How would have He lived? How would have He solved His day to day problems, dealt with people and conducted Himself in society or family? Imagine and live that way. Live the way Sri Sai Baba would have lived and conducted Himself on earth. Live the way He would have spoken to others, the way He would have behaved with others, the way He would have coped with adversity, the way He would have faced negative people and situations, and the way He would have had relationships with various people in His life and so on.

Whenever you have a problem or difficulty imagine how Sri Sai Baba would have solved the problem or conducted Himself. As you start measuring yourself against Sri Sai Baba you develop the urge to measure up to Him. Sri Sai Baba becomes your goal and your true ideal and you would be drawn to Him for ever.

It is not very difficult to visualize the life of Sri Sai Baba on earth as how He would have lived here amidst us like a man, not as a super human being but with all the limitations to which mankind is subjected to. It is not that Sri Sai Baba has never visited the earth and shown to us the way we should live. The purposes of His incarnations are but to show us the way we should live and conduct ourselves amidst difficulties.

So let us mold our lives in accordance with the divine values, with Sri Sai Baba as our imaginary role model, as our true ideal, as our goal on earth. Let us think like Him, act like him and live like Him. It is in the richness of our imagination and in the strength of our devotion that we can learn to follow Him truly and successfully.

Allah Malik