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NASSTA NEWSLETTER OM SAI RAM Issue # 5 1

NASSTA NEWSLETTER Om Sai Ram

5th Issue

July 2013

OM SAI RAM IN THIS ISSUE

This is our fifth NAASTA newsletter with

the list of upcoming events, temple

pictures, stories and future temple

projects. With our devotee’s participation,

we would like to publish more monthly

newsletters.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Man is lost and is wandering in a

jungle where real values have no

meaning. Real values can have

meaning to man only when he

steps on to the spiritual path, a

path where negative emotions

have no use.”

EVENTS AT NASSTA

1. Lecture in Telugu – Sri

Samavedam Shanmukha

Sarma

Friday, July 5th, 2013 from 6.30

pm to 8.30 pm

2. Health Fair

Saturday, July 13th & 20th, 2013

NASSTA is conducting a health fair

on July 13th (blood work) and July

20th (consultation).We are

requesting all our trustees who are

doctors to volunteer their time for this

cause on July 20th. If you are not a

doctor but know somebody else who

can participate in this fair, that is also

welcome. Please contact Sohini

Ayinala at [email protected] if you

are able to spare few hours on July

20th.

3. Guru Purnima

Monday, July 22nd, 2013

ARATI TIME - EVERYDAY

Kakad Arati –6:00 am

Abhishekham - 6:30 am

Madhyana Arathi –12:00 pm

Dhoop Arati –6 pm

Shej Arati – 8:30 pm

FREE BHAJAN CLASSES - CHANGED

Friday 7.30 pm Children and Adults

are welcome to attend. Look forward

to your participation!

SAI ELEVEN ASSURANCES

SAI ELEVEN ASSURANCES

1. Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi

soil, their sufferings will come to an

end.

2. The wretched and miserable will rise

to joy and happiness as soon as they

climb the steps of the mosque.

3. I shall be ever active and vigorous

even after leaving this earthly body.

4. My tomb shall bless and speak to the

needs of my devotees.

5. I shall be active and vigorous even

from my tomb.

6. My mortal remains will speak from

my tomb.

7. I am ever living to help and guide all

who come to me, who surrender to

me and who seek refuge in me.

8. If you look to me, I look to you.

9. If you cast your burden on me, I shall

surely bear it.

10. If you seek my advice and help, it

shall be given to you at once.

11. There shall be no want in the house of my devotee.

Gurupurnima

NORTH AMERICA SHIRDI SAI TEMPLE OF ATLANTA 700 JAMES BURGESS ROAD, SUWANEE, GA 30024

Phone: 678-455-7200 www.atlantasaitemple.org

July 22, 2013 - Monday

Sponsorships:

6:00 AM Kakad Arathi

6:30 AM Nava Kalasa Avahanam, Sankalpam, Punyahavachanam

7:00 AM Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama & Sri Sainatha Mula Mantra

Homam

9:30 AM Sri Sainaatha Abhishekam

10:30 AM Sri Dattatreya Abhishekam

12:00 Noon Madhyana Arathi

2 PM – 6 PM Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Parayanam (108 times)

6:00 PM Sandhya Arathi

6.30 PM Palki Seva

7:15 PM Sri Sai Vratham (Open to all - 108 families) Please sign up at Temple front desk

9.30 PM Shej Arathi 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sri Sai Satcharitra Parayanam by devotees

(Please sign up at Temple front desk)

Sri Sainatha Mula Mantra Homam $51.00

Sri Sainaatha Abhishekam $51.00

Sri Dattatreya Abhishekam $51.00

All day Sponsorship $116.00

Temple opens from 5.45AM to 10.00PM

NASSTA NEWSLETTER OM SAI RAM | Issue # 5 2

With Guru Poornima being celebrated his month, we sought out to do some research from various sources for the general benefit of all Devotees. The results are published below in a concise format. This is only an attempt to summarize what other authors, preachers, documents and books have said about this great event. This document is by no means a complete or authoritative account of the subject but will serve as a good starting point.

Description of Guru:

The human soul, even though

initiated in the spiritual path,

cannot love an abstract power;

and it is for this reason that the

scriptures advise us to venerate

those who lead us to God and to

love their physical presence as

the Divine manifesting itself in

human form. The Guru's physical

body is just a receptacle of the

mighty Divine, and as such worthy

of the utmost devotion and

reverence.

God as the abstract Creator

eludes our imagination, but when

a human temple enshrines divinity

we begin to understand through

this familiar medium the purpose

of our own ultimate destiny. Thus,

when God assumes a human

form, He establishes Himself as

the Guru. Guru is manifested

God- this is perhaps the most

succinct and satisfying definition

of the word, and eliminates the

false claims of some so-called

Gurus who are ready to assume

the mantle of spiritual authority

without the true manifestation of

the divine principle.

The Guru as manifested God

soon becomes the Light, the

inspiration and the great

exemplar. The life of the average

seeker, as it is lived on the

material and physical level, is

barren and unproductive until it

finds its focus in the Master. It

requires the grace, protection and

the powerful push of the Guru to

release this imprisoned splendor

which lies captive in each and

every one of us.

The Guru and God are one

because the Almighty and His

medium of manifestation cannot

be different. The Guru embodies

not only the Saguna

(characteristics) but also the

Nirguna(quality) of the Supreme

Being, and so to that extent the

Guru is approachable and

accessible to man's needs and

comprehension.

Relationship between a Guru and

a Disciple:

Once a contact between the Guru

and the bhakta (disciple) is

established, the relationship

between master and disciple

becomes a thing of beauty. This

leads us to consider the principle

of reciprocity which operates in

this relationship. In return for the

innumerable demands which a

bhakta makes on the Master, it is

but natural that the Guru too

should impose a few conditions

on the bhakta. The Guru expects

total surrender, absolute

obedience and, the last and most

important, supreme effort.

Guru Poornima Festival – July 22nd 2013


Guru's mission:

The Guru's mission appears to be

two-fold. The first and most

important concern of the Guru is

to awaken, elevate and transform

the seeker. The second and final

purpose of the Guru is

paradoxically to help the disciple

seeker to transcend this state of

complete dependence on the

Master, which dependence the

Guru himself had taken such

pains to foster. The final spurt of

realizing his true identity with God

is exclusively the Seeker's job.

Saint of Shirdi - Shri Sai Baba -

Saguna Brahma - Guru:

The saint of Shirdi recognized and

emphasized the beauty of a Guru-

guided life. Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi

is the Guru incarnate to live on

this earth in the late part of last

century and early part of this

century. Shri Sai Baba gave

tremendous importance to the

adoption of the Guru in one's

spiritual "Sadhana"(pursuit). With

an innate compassion Shri Sai

Baba often declared -"I am your

savior, not only from the weight of

sin, but from the weight of care

and misery". "Guru is all the

Gods", said the Saint of Shirdi.

Moreover, the Baba declared

reassuringly though as the all-

pervading Guru he would naturally

expect complete surrender,

obedience and loyalty, he

promised that through his

supreme powers he would extend

complete protection to those who

put their implicit faith in him.

Is Surrender to the Guru the only

Sadhana Prayer?:

This question was hotly debated

even in the presence of Baba.

The answer to this complex

question as given by Shri Sai

Baba comes straight out of Sri Sai

Satcharita.

Kakasaheb Dixit (an ardent

Devotee of Shri Sai Baba) has

published his notes regarding this

matter. Next day after

Hemadpant's meeting with Sai

Baba, Kakasaheb went to Baba

and asked whether he should

leave Shirdi. Baba Said, "Yes".

Then someone asked - "Baba,

where to go?" Baba said, "High

up." Then the man said, "How is

the way?" Baba said, "There are

many ways leading there; there is

one way also from here (Shirdi).

The way is difficult. There are

tigers and wolves in the jungles

on the way." I (Kakasaheb) asked

- "But Baba, what if we take a

guide with us?" Baba answered, -

"Then there is no difficulty. The

guide will take you straight to your

destination, avoiding wolves,

tigers and ditches etc. on the way.

If there be no guide, there is the

danger of your being lost in the

jungles or falling into ditches."

Mr. Dabholkar was present on this

occasion and he thought that this

was the answer Baba gave to the

question whether Guru was a

necessity (Vide Sai Leela Vol. I,

No.5, 7); and he thereupon

took the hint that no discussion of

the problem, whether man is free

or bound, is of any use in spiritual

matters, but that on the contrary

real Paramartha (absolute

meaning) is possible only as the

result of the teachings of the

Guru, as is illustrated in this

chapter of the original work in the

instances of great Avatars like

Rama and Krishna, who had to

submit themselves to their Gurus,

Vasishtha and Sandipani

respectively, for getting self-

realization and that the only

virtues necessary for such


progress are faith and patience.

Vide Sai Satcharita, Ch. II, 191-

92).

Has Shri Sai Baba qualified to be

a Guru?

Not only did the Saint of Shirdi

perform his duties of Guruship

during his life, but was able to

establish a lasting Guru-

parampara (successors of Guru's)

through his vision and foresight.

Shri Sai Baba was not content to

transfer his messiahship to his

descendants. In the last years of

his life, he said to his devotees

with a mother's solicitude, "Do not

grieve when my body passes

away. My tomb will live and move

and speak with all those who

make me their sole refuge." Sai

Baba's promise is abundantly

fulfilled even to-day. Millions of

devotees flock to his Samadhi

regularly to seek his blessings.

Through decades of void there

comes echoing down the years

the gracious message- "Lo, I am

beside you always".

Significance of Guru Poornima

Day.

The Poornima(Full Moon) Day in

the month of Ashadha(July-

August) is known as Guru

Poornima. This is a very sacred

day on which special worship is

performed to the Acharyas

(Gurus), who, through their Infinite

Compassion and Supreme Grace,

have imparted the Knowledge of

the Absolute(Brahma Vidya)

through a long and continuous

line of Acharyas (Guru

Parampara) to all the Seekers of

the Self.

Celebration of Guru Poornima

Day in Shirdi

The celebration of Guru Poornima

began in Shirdi around 1908. One

day Shri Baba told his disciple

Shri Dada Kelkar, "Do you know

this day is the day to approach

Gurus? Bring your worship

articles". Then Shri Kelkar and his

friends looked up the calendar

and found that the day was Guru

Poornima day. They started

worshipping Shri Sai Baba as

their Guru, and that practice has

continued till today not only in

Shirdi but all over the world where

prayers are offered to Shri Sai.

How does one celebrate Guru

Poornima?

Guru Poornima is celebrated by

devotees by performing Guru

Pooja (offering prayers to the

Guru) to our Lord Shri Sai Baba.

Each Sai Devotee can either

perform the Sai Guru Pooja

(prayer) at home or attend a Sai

Guru Pooja or sponsor a Sai Guru

Pooja being performed at a Sai

temple by offering donation or

other articles used in Pooja (Pooja

samagri).

One can attend a bhajan or visit a

Sai Mandir where ever possible.


Source: Shri Sai Leela Magazine – February 1985 By Sai

Devotee Mrs. Usha Ranganathan Chikmagalur Karnataka

Our love to Sainath should be wholehearted. Then it

banishes the feeling of loneliness and dependence on

human relationships. The companionship of Sai is

incomparable. Man, in his arrogance, says that he is able

to do all things. If a man thinks that he is able to do

anything, he will come to know by experience that by his

effort be is not able to do anything. When that stage is

reached he surrenders to God, confessing that he is

helpless. Unless we feel that “We are nothing and He is

everything”, he will not accept us. So he alone must guide

us on the right path.

A devotee rightly says "O Sainath, I remember you

because you remembered me first." Sainath must draw us

towards Him. Then alone we can go to Him. It is just like a

needle attracted by a magnet. We must become needles

to the divine magnet to draw us towards it.

How to become needles? This is possible only by wishing

to have Sainath, aspiring to have Sainath and Sainath

alone and nothing else in the world

Shri Paramabamsa Yoganandaji quoted as follows; which

is a direct perception of truth ;-

" ... if we are influenced by-the values of outward material

consciousness, we lay ourselves open to sadness and

depression. Why ? Because in this world of duality - life

and death, pleasure and pain, wealth and poverty -

everything passes away; nothing here gives lasting

satisfaction. To a person, life seems to be one paradox

and injustice after another and this produces deep

frustration. On the other hand, the person who realizes

that God is with him despite all adverse circumstances

cannot be affected by the machinations of satanic force of

duality. If we learn to lift ourselves above the

consciousness of duality, we can keep our serenity amidst

the crash of breaking worlds...... "

When the storms of life seem to be crashing all around,

we might wonder if Sainath is aware. Indeed He is. He is

always watching over us, silently guiding us, speaking to

us through the voice of eternity, when we turn within and

become calm.

So we MUST BECOME NEEDLES TO THE

GREAT MAGNET - Lord Sainath.

Shri Sachidananda Sadhguru SaiNath Maharaj Ki Jai!

..

NASSTA ADDRESS

700 James Burgess Road

Suwanee GA 30024

(678)455-7200

http://www.atlantasaitemple.org

TEMPLE HOURS

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AM to 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Thu 5.45 AM to 9:30 PM

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