Sai Baba & Makara Sankranthi

Aum Sairam

On one Makar-Sankranti day, Megha wanted to besmear the body of Baba with sandal-paste and bathe Him with Ganges water. Baba was first unwilling to undergo this operation, but at his repeated requests, He consented.

Megha had to traverse a distance of eight koss (going and returning) to bring the sacred water from the Gomati river. He brought the water, made all preparations for the bath at noon and asked Baba to get ready for the same.

Then Baba again asked him to be freed from his bath saying that, as a Fakir He had nothing to do (or gain) with Ganges water; but Megha did not listen. He knew that Shiva is pleased with a bath of Ganges water and that he must give his Shiva (Baba) that bath on that auspicious day.

Baba then consented, came down and sat on a pat (wooden board) and protruding his head said - "Oh Megha, do at least this favour; head is the most important organ of the body, so pour the water over that only-it is equivalent to the full or whole bath."

"Alright" said Megha and lifting the water pot up, began to pour it on the head but in doing this he was so much overwhelmed with love that he cried out 'Har Gange' and emptied the pot on the whole body.

He kept the pot aside and began to look at Baba, but to his surprise and amazement he found that Baba's head was only drenched but the body quite dry.

This is One of the Leela's of Baba.

Om Sai, Sri Sai, Jaya Jaya Sai.

Allah Malik.

Makara Sankranthi

DearAll,

Om Sai Ram.

We Wish you All a Very Happy Makara Sankranthi/ Pongal 2010. Let this New Year Start with Abundance Luck,Good Health, Prosperity, Success & Lots of Blessings from the Holy Divine.

Pongal Nalvalthukal.

Makara Sankranthi Subhakanshalu.

Makara Sankranthi Subhashayagalu.

Lohri Mubarak Ho.

Regards & Best Wishes.

Raghav N
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aum Sairam

Makara literally means 'Capricorn' and Sankranti is the day when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. The Sankranti of any month is considered auspicious as it signifies a fresh start.

However Makara Sankranti is celebrated in the month of Magha when the sun passes through the winter solstice, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn.

According to Hindu mythology, one 'human' year of 365 days is equivalent to one day and night of the gods. Saur Varsh (solar year) is the period of during which the earth completes one circle of the sun. This going in circular from round the sun is called as Kranti Chakr (zodiac). Dividing this into twelve months makes twelve rashis (signs of zodiac). These have been named according to twelve constellations. The movement of one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti. Earth in Northern direction (Uttarayana) is called Makara Sankranti and Southern as Kark Sankranti (Dakshinayana). The movement of the sun from the northern tip to the southern tip during Shravan to Posh (July to December) is Dakshinayana and from Magh to Aasadd (January to June) from southern tip to northern tip is Uttarayana. The days are longer during uttarayana and are brighter. The opposite happens during dakshinayan.

According to Hindu scriptures, uttarayana period is gods day and Dakshinayan their night. Makara Sankranti marks the beginning of the day of the gods, which is equivalent to six solar months and is believed to be the auspicious part of the year. The previous six months, considered the night and therefore symbolic of darkness and evil, are inauspicious. Thus Makara Sankranti is the morning of the gods. On Makara Sankranti to receive the offerings, the gods and deities come to earth.

Makara Sankranti is believed to be the time when Surya rides his chariot, drawn by seven horses, from the southern skies to the north. For the pastoral people therefore, it is of prime importance for it signifies the end of the winter and the 'turning back' of the sun to the north. This festival has been celebrated for thousands of years. Initially, this was probably a festival celebrated in the cold climate, when people prayed for the warmth of the sun. Today, Makara Sankranti is celebrated throughout India as a harvest festival. It is a way of giving thanks to the elements of nature that help man. This is the period when the winter recedes, paving the way for the summer. It is the time the farmers bring home their harvest. In the coast al regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra.

In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu, and in Punjab it is called Lohri. In North India, a ritual bath in the river is important on this day. In fact, bathing is considered mandatory on this day, Khichiri is eaten and given away as charity, and some call the festival Khichiri Sankranti. People also distribute rice and lentils to the poor and needy. In Maharashtra, a special dish called tilgul, or laddoos made of jaggery and Sesame seed, the chief crop of the season.

A big fair is held at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Sarasvati rivers at Triveni in Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) on this occasion. Being the month of Magha, this fair is also called Magha Mela. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar and Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar. Since it is also the season to fly kites, the evening sky is awash with colorful kites of all shapes and sizes. Several kite competitions are held in various localities.

Allah Malik

SAI - SAAKSHAT ISHWAR

Aum Sai Ram

I Wish all Devotees/Readers a Very Belated Happy & Prosperous New Year 2010. May Sai Shower you with his finest blessing & Bring you with Good Health, Sufficient Wealth & Lots of Success.

This year has started a bit rough with some Health Problems & problems with Broad Band Internet service due to which i'm not able to publish articles in time.

Hope to cope up with things & bring you the finest of articles specially picked by me.

Enjoy Reading & Be Blessed By Sai. Today's article is on Sai Saakshat Ishwar.

With Regards & Best Wishes.
Raghav

Sri Jyotindra, Son of Ramachandra Tarkhad( Chap 9 of SSS) defined the word SAI as follows -- SA means Saakshat (real), I means Ishwar (God),after experiencing the Divine powers of Sainath Prabhu in his very first meeting at Shirdi itself. Baba Himself gave darshan to Jyotindra in Mumbai in the guise of a 'Fakir'. We are aware that Baba has declared "I require no conveyance, carriage, tonga nor train nor aero plane" and also "No door is necessary for my entry, I have neither shape nor size, I am always everywhere”. Yes, Baba's assurances are always true.

One day while Jyotindra was crossing the road to go to school (St Xaviers, Bombay) after lunch, a Fakir approached him for alms. Young student gave one copper paisa coin of the year 1894 assuring it was in circulation. The fakir blessed " Allah Bhala Karega". We will know Baba preserved the same to return to the boy at Shirdi in his first meeting.

How Tarkhad family was pulled to Shirdi? Mrs. Atmaram Tarkhad i.e., Jyotindra's mother had a chronic headache, which could not be cured by doctors. The family of Tarkhads was full of doctors. One of them was personal doctor to the then Viceroy. Somebody suggested her to approach Pir Moulana Baba residing near Bandra for suitable medicines. On seeing her, Moulana Baba advised to go to his brother at Shirdi for treatment. After getting details of location of Shirdi including route particulars both mother and son left for Shirdi. The moment Baba saw them at Dwarakamai; He Himself told they were guided by His brother from Bandra to Shirdi. He blessed her with a 'Abhaya Hastha' with Udhi and said "Oh, Mother! from now onwards you will never get headache in your life", she got instant relief and was surprised to know that Baba Himself did what was required without their telling Him. Of course this incident laid firm foundation of Sai devotion in her and son's heart.

Jyotindra who was observing Baba's peculiar treatment for his mother's headache was astonished and fell on Baba's feet as a mark of gratitude. Then Baba asked whether he could recognize Him. As he could not Baba narrated how He collected one paisa copper coin of 1894 while he was crossing the road on his way to the school. Now Jyotindra could recollect and caught hold of Baba's legs with tears of joy in his eyes. Then Baba confirmed it was He who received the coin and the Fakir and Himself were one and the same. To confirm this He showed the same coin and returned it to Jyotindra for preservation and worship.

We know from the above that Baba in His own mysterious ways pulled the sparrows (devotees) to Shirdi.

Allah Malik.

Destiny, Fate or Just Random Events?

This morning I read a very sad tale in the newspapers about a maid who was not paid by her Singaporean employer for six years! She was not allowed to go out or call back home so much so that her relatives thought that she had gone missing. Thankfully that employer was charged in court and the maid was paid $20K in back pay. When asked why she did not report her plight, the maid simply said that she was afraid of her employer and that she believed that not being paid WAS JUST HER FATE.

FATE
I believe this notion of FATE is what keeps many people from changing their lives for the better and turning their fortunes around. By saying FATE, it removes all sense of control, power and responsibility from yourself as it is not your fault but just meant to be. When you believe in fate, it means that you have absolutely no control over the outcomes in your life. It is just meant to be. If you are fated to be rich, then no matter how lazy you are and whatever you do, you will end up rich. If you are fated to be poor, then you are damned, no matter what you do. No matter how hard you work, it will all be taken away. This is why some people remain in abusive relationships, remain poor, remain depressed etc…

DESTINY
I don’t know about you, but I believe in DESTINY,which is entirely different. I believe that God loves all of his creations (this is true in almost any religion) and created every individual with unique gifts, talents and interests to make a huge contribution to the world. I believe within all of us lies a power to be great, its just that many people never make full use of their amazing potential. Some people are destined to be great singers, some people destined to be great communicators, some people destined to be great inventors…all of us are destined to be great in something.

The difference between destiny and fate is that in fate, YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. In destiny, you HAVE A CHOICE. You can CHOOSE to make full use of your God given talents or CHOOSE to walk away and give up. Like Frodo (in Lord of the Rings) was destined to destroy the Ring of Power, but always had a choice to give up at any time or to fulfill his destiny.

The trouble is that many people never find their path (i.e. destiny). They make decisions based on other people’s expectations (e.g. parents or teachers tell them to be lawyers, doctors, engineers when they have absolutely no interest, whereas their passion and gifts lie in drawing or sports). Like I said, all of us are destined to be magnificent in a particular area. And God has given us clues based on our interests, talents and passions.

I believe that I was destined to do what I am doing now, to be put on earth and inspire and change the lives of millions. In other words, by destiny is to be a TEACHER OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. It is this belief in a spiritual plan that has gotten me through my most painful times and is what is guiding me everyday today. For example, I used to ask myself why I did so badly earlier in my life and went through some hardships. Why did I get expelled in Primary 3? Why did my parents divorce? Why did I screw up my Primary 6 PSLE exams? Why was I bullied in school? Why did my interior design business go bankrupt? Why did my ex-partner play me out? Why did I lose $30,000 in the stock market when I was in the university? Now, looking back, it is clear that all HAPPENED FOR A REASON. It was to teach me the lessons I need to walk my path. If I did not screw up my school life, I would never have read about NLP and accelerated learning that I now used to change my own life and other people’s lives.

If I did not fail in my business and lose money in stocks, I would never have had the hunger and drive to master these wealth building tools and create Wealth Academy and all these best selling books. If I did not go to a neighborhood school and mix around with the avengers and gangsters, I would not understand and be able to help some of these tough and wayward kids that come to my program today. Yes, it was destiny. But , it is NOT FATE. I could have chosen to NOT to read all the NLP books, I could have chosen to blame the world, I could have chosen to become an Avenger myself and I could have chosen to give up.

I hope by reading this, you will begin to find your path and your destiny of greatness .

Quote: “You were meant for greatness. When you play small with your life, you dishonor not only yourself but God who created you”. I read this in a book, forgot which one, but sums up what I was MEANT to say

Ways To Remove Negative Thoughts

Aum Sai Ram

What are negative thoughts and if I at any time should I be affected with pessimistic thinking should I be concerned. Yes is the answer. The more positive you are in thought will certainly help dampen any off-putting hold me back negatives which restrict you from living a decent life, Negative thinking has seen man or woman, who, ideal for a job post lose it before having had chance to secure it, because they believed they were not worthy enough.

Any negative thoughts you have about your self have to be dealt with sooner than later for health and happiness to prevail and more importantly prosper. Negative thinking can affect a relationship.

Cognitive restructuring can help a person identify and challenge overly simplistic, negative thoughts that cause pointless distress. Not a healthy combination, negativity and stress, in fact both very destructive factors. To lead what one would call a normal life will entail you change your way of thinking. What is a normal, normal is having belief in your self which in return will help you to venture forth and cope with the wicked ways of the world and the people in it? To help cure your way of thinking is easier when the thoughts are clearly untrue: e.g. “I never do anything right,” It’s harder when there’s an element of truth mixed in with naive lies: “At my age, it’s to late its over; there is nothing out there for me now.” You can stop there right now; the pope is proof, candidates for this position – 65 years and over. If you have a dream or goals then do something about it

You can follow two Principles to prevent stress caused from negative thoughts:

1.Stop and take time out to think positive (mental time-out).

2.Control your breathing. Breathe in taking deep breaths slowly
to help release growing tension.

Allah Malik

Of Equal Worth Humility

The notion of humility as a virtue brings numerous images to mind. We tend to envision those rare individuals who humbly bear life’s struggles while downplaying their own strengths. Yet humility is also associated with people whose insecurities compel them to judge themselves unfavorably as a matter of course. The true definition of humility, however, does not correspond precisely with either of these images. Humility is not passivity. Rather, it is an utter lack of self-importance. The individuals who embody the concept of humility appreciate that each human being on the planet occupies a unique place on an infinite spectrum of development. Though they can take pride in their own accomplishments, they also understand that the people they interact with each day are as valuable and have as much to offer the world as they themselves do.

To be humble is to accept that while there will always be individuals more and less advanced than yourself, those on all parts of the spectrum of development can provide you with insights that further your personal evolution. Recognizing these insights is a matter of opening yourself to the fact that not only do others think and feel differently than you, but their life experiences have shaped them in a very different way than yours have shaped you. This means that while you may have a greater understanding in some areas, others will always be able to teach you something. When you cultivate a genuine yearning to know what skills and talents those you encounter have been blessed with, you cannot help but learn humility. You instinctively understand that emotions like envy breed resistance that prevents you from growing, and that being flexible in your interactions with others will help you connect with unexpected mentors.

When you practice humility, you want to become as accomplished and evolved as you can possibly be, yet you are willing to submit to the expertise of others to do so. You understand the scope of your aptitudes yet you choose to eradicate arrogance from your attitude, and you can distinguish the value you possess as an individual while still acting in the interests of your fellow human beings.

Humility, simply put, is a form of balance in which you can celebrate your own worth while sincerely believing that every other person on the planet is just as worthy as you.

Grief

Aum Sairam

Grief is the feet and joy the head; both are part of the same entity. You cannot welcome joy and reject grief at the same time. You cannot have the obverse without the reverse. The diamond is at first just a dull piece of stone, a hard pebble. Only when it is cut by a skilled artisan does it shine brilliantly like a flame. Allow yourselves to be treated by the Master so that all your dullness will disappear and you will emerge effulgent as a resplendent diamond.

Allah Malik