GENISIS OF SAIDARBAR: Pranams to Saibandhus, Saidarbar completes Thirteen years and enters the Therteenth year. We sincerely believe that this milestone is achieved firstly due to the Grace of our beloved Guru Sri Shirdi Sainath and secondly due to the excellent cooperation and support rendered by our Sai brethren. In fact Saidarbar is dream project of SaibanisaJi (GopalaRao Ravada) who has dedicated his total available time and untiring efforts for this cause, by putting his mind and soul into it. He is affectionately addressed as SAIBANISA. Lord Sainath appeared in the dream of Saibanisa on 24-12-1998 and instructed him to distribute the SPIRITUAL CAKE TO THE WORLD. Saibanisa was perplexed with the guideline and was not able to conclude anything from the message. A close associate Sri.Srinivas Katta then gave out his opinion that, perhaps Baba wanted him to spread SAI PHILOSOPHY across the world through the media of INTERNET. Thus Saidarbar was born on 25-12-1998 and has grown to the present position where it is acclaimed as AT HOME by many of its cross section of viewers. Internet was just making its entry in Andhra Pradesh India. Saibanisa at that time neither knew typing nor has computer knowledge. He put his entire weight on Baba and started with a web site and brought it today’s position. Every one working for Saidarbar is very much aware that all this not possible without blessings and Grace of Baba. There are many obstacles and tough times faced by us and I am grateful to Saibanisa for the full backing and unstinted support provided in my day-to-day work. His directions are very valuable and made work pleasurable by his wit and humor. I take this as opportunities to rededi-cate my services to the Lotus feet of Lord Sainath.

The Glory of Shirdi SaiThe Glory of Shirdi Sai

1 5 - D E C E M B E R - 2 0 1 1 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 2 5

गरुुॄह्मा गरुुिवरं् ण:ु गरुुदेर्वो महेश्वर: | गरुु: शाक्षात परॄह्म तःम ैौीगरुवे नमः:||

CONTENT Satsangs of SaiBaNisaji Time Machine Shirdi Dairy Sri Sainatha Mananam The Dreams Train Devotees Corner Baba’s close devotees Children Section Spiritual Gems From Sai Satcharita   Quintessence

ौद्धा सबुरी

Ninth Year of Publication - Published as Bi-Weekly www.saidarbarusa.org ~ an affiliate of www.saidarbar.org

JAI SAI RAM

SAIDARBAR COMPLETESSAIDARBAR COMPLETESSAIDARBAR COMPLETES THIRTEEN YEARSTHIRTEEN YEARSTHIRTEEN YEARS

P A G E 2

Lastly I pray to Baba to shower HIS blessings on all HIS devotees and look for-ward for SaidarbarUSA to celebrate many more anniversaries in the future to come under the able guidance of Saibanisa Ji. I hereby acknowledge gratefully all those responsible for the success of Saidar-bar movement. JaiSaiRam. SaiSevak Badri ~ Saidarbar USA

Be the Self and that is Bliss.

1911: 18 December Saturday, Shirdi My throat is better today than it was yesterday. After prayer I sat talking with Mr Shingne, Wamanrao Patel, and Durveshisaheb whose full name would appear to be Durvish Haji Mahomed Saddik of Kalyana. I saw Sayinsaheb go out and later went to the Masjid when he returned. He said I had filled my bucket was enjoying the cool breezes of the Nim tree & was enjoying myself while he was enduring all manner of trouble & had no sleep. He was in a very pleased moods & many people came to worship. My wife also came. We returned after mid-day Arti, and after meals, sat talking with Hajisaheb, Bapusaheb Jog & others. Towards evening we went to Masjid and sat near Sayinsaheb but there was not much time as it was approaching evening. So he gave us leave, & we stood in front of the Chavadhi and as usual saluted him there. Returning to our lodging I sat listening to Bhishmas ’Bhajan.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

1908: Pundalikrao of Nanded met Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati. (Tembe Swami) at Rajahmundry on banks of Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh and Swami gave a coconut to be presented to Sai Baba. BABA showed cognizance of Swamiji's gilt and showed his oneness with Swami by describing him as his brother (Bhau).

Pujyasri B.V.Narasimhaswamiji, who visited Shirdi in the year 1936, collected authentic information about Lord Sainath from persons lived with Sai and wrote many books on Lord Sainath. All his works are authentic . One such book is SRI SAINATHA MANANAM. This book was published as early as in the year 1942 and the fourth edition came in the year 1945.

P A G E 3 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 2 5

(The syllable) "Gu" denotes darkness. "Ru" denotes removal.. "Guru" is therefore the name of dis-peller of (darkness or) ignorance.

Padodaka The man who drinks the padodaka (water with which the feet of the Guru have been washed) and

applies liberally to his head obtain the merit of bathing in all the holy waters (Thirtha). The water of the Guru's feet clears away the mire of sin, kindles up the bright flame of God-

Realisation (Jnana) and ferries one excellently across the ocean of Samsara. Let one drink the water of Guru's feet which obliterates the root of Ignorance (ie. Ahankara) produces

detachment (Vyragia) and serene peace( santi) and avoids the performance of action(karma) leading to Samsara.

One must drink the water of the Guru's feet, eat the remnants of the plate, meditate on his form always

and always sing his praise. This Guru is (for us the same as) residence at Kasi. The water of his feet is the Ganges. He is the im-

mediate and present God Visweswara(i.e. the image worshipped at Kasi). He is the Taraka Mantra, i.e. his name ferries us across Samsara.

The head that touches the Guru's feet is as pure and sacred as Gaya with its sacred Banyan (Akshaya

Vata). The Guru's form is undoubtedly as holy as Prayag reputed to be the chief of all holy thirthas. A thousandth part of a drop of water that has touched the Guru's feet gives one the same benefit as a

bath in all the sacred waters found (on earth) encompassed by the seven oceans. Meditate always on the Guru's form; pronounce his nasme always. Strictly obey his injunction. Pay

no regard to anything except the Guru.

...will continue.....

P A G E 4

The state free from thoughts is the only real state.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

DEVOTEES EXPERIENCE AND ARTICLES Meeting H.H. Sri B.V. Narasimha Swamiji By Late Dr. Ramaswamy. It was my good fortune that the sacred privilege of meeting His Holiness Sri Nara-simha Swamiji was vouchsafed to me. It was in 1942 at the residence of the late Sri Durgaiah Naidu Garu in Waltair. Naidu Garu became a dedicated devotee in the service of Baba when he was cured of his gastric ulcer with¬out surgery through the blessings of His Holiness Swami Kesaviahji, a specially blessed apostle of Baba for curing thousands of persons of their long standing illnesses and saving many (including the writer) from imminent death. It was through the untiring efforts of Naidu Garu that H.H. Narasimha Swamiji came to A.P, and travelled all over the area in a whirl-wind tour and through his inspiring talks enabled the people every-where to become Baba's devotees. To-day there is hardly a town in A.P, which does not boast of a temple for Baba-worship. H.H. the Swamiji led a spartan life and used nothing but Baba's Udhi mixed with a little honey to cure himself and others of all ailments. All his waking time was dedi-cated to Baba's service. When he was not lecturing, he was writing and publishing through the All India Sai Samaj Mylapore, Madras, (established by him) many pam-phlets like "Sai Baba, the Wondrous Saint", "Who is Sai Baba", etc., and books like

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Dreams Of Saibanisa Compiled by Saibandhu Raghu Raman Satulury 28-04-1997: Sai appeared as my School teacher and said: God created nature for man’s well being. Men on other hand failed to realize this basic principle and bent upon disrupting the harmony made hell out of things. He is daydreaming to create, by going against the nature only to get lost in wilderness and further darkness. Law of nature has set balance for everything in the universe.

P A G E 5 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 2 5

"Devotees' Experiences", "Baba's Charters and Sayings" and to crown it all, the four-volume biography of Baba, an illuminating work and commentary not only about Baba but all his close disciples on whom Baba shed his personal aura. In the words of Sri Bharadwaj, the Telugu biographer of Baba, it will be most appropriate to say that H.H. Swamiji continues to be one of the "Kalpatharus" planted and nurtured by Baba. INTRODUCING SHRI SHIRDI SAI BABA - (Late) Dr. RS.R. Swami "..qive my children what they want so that they will begin to want what I want to give them." "People do not come to me of their own accord, but I draw them to me as we draw birds by strings tied to their legs." "Why fear when I am here? Throw your burdens upon me and I will bear them." The above are some of the answers given by Baba in reply to questions of devotees when He walked on the earth as a human embodiment. They give us an idea about Him and the manner of His functioning. He was Grace incarnate and the greatest boon He conferred on those who sought Him was ABHAYA-heedom from fear. He used His divine powers viz. 'Yathaa Samkalpa Samsiddhih 'i.e. realising whatever one wants, and Tasya Cha Aajna Yathaa Mamah' i.e. getting one's command obeyed universally (vide Srimad Bhaaghavata) for the awakening (UDBODHAN) and upliftment of devotees by stages according to each one's capacity depending on 'rinanubandha' (residual after-effects of previous births) to rise through material advancement of directly on to Spiritual enlightenment. People came to Him in small numbers at first from the neighborhood and here long in ever increasing numbers from far flung places. It might be as a result of a vision or a dream, initiation or prompting provided sub-consciously, or super-consciously, or a message conveyed through a friend or even another divinely at-ONE-ment Saint like the Akalkot Maharaj vibrating in unison directing a person to go to Shirdi, or in rare and blessed instances, Baba Him-self appearing as the incarnation at Shirdi or as some fakir or Sadhu to render timely help in ire need and disappear leaving it to the person concerned to realize post facto either when he beheld a photo of Baba or a lucky coinciden-tal visit to Shirdi en route to some place, when to the consternation of the person himself and the assembled devo-tees, Baba referred to the occasion of His visit with exact details. Not very often, His visits were simultaneous at widely separated places. At other times He appeared as a dog or cat and later gave proof by exhibiting on His body traces of the injury inflicted on the animals by them. He proved both from His knowledge of past births and objec-tively how the relationship between Him and some chosen devotees had continued through successive births in some of which the latter were born even as lower mammals, reptiles or amphibians. He modified or completely ob-viated impending danger from various sources including the elements in respect of His devotees in answer to prayer or as a rule of His own volition as 'Bhaktha Paraadina'. The frantic gestures He used to make all of a sudden, wav-ing His hands, hitting at imaginary Objects or shouting abuses, used to mystify those present at the old mosque where He stayed till, after calming down; He explained how they symbolized His efforts at putting down a fire, pre-venting a fateful fall or an attack by robbers or a poisonous bite bound to prove fatal and thus saving a devotee far away. Not till the concerned persons happened to visit Shirdi and narrated before Baba how they were saved by the appearance of a Good Samaritan at the nick of time or some such unexpected help did the people resident at Shirdi and were witness to those symbolic gestures realize the divine aspect of Baba. How truly did Robert Oppenheimer' aver that 'Symbolism is more real than fact'. He demonstrated beyond all doubt that He had nothing to do with the body they identified Him with by leaving the body for three days on one occasion (1886 Dasara) saying He was going to Allah* and if He did not return to the body duly, they were to bury it at certain spot. But He did return to re-animate it and let it house Him for another 32 years.

Will continue….

P A G E 6

Baba’s Close Devotees Rao Bahadur S.B.Dhumal, B.A., LL.B, Pleader, Brahmin, aged 63, Nasik

Nasik, 16th October, 1936 & Shirdi, 28th October, 1936 I have one great difficulty in answering the question "What are your experiences of Sai Baba?" All hours of day and night, I am having experiences of Baba. There is no inci-dent or event in my life which I do not connect with him - however trivial it may appear to be. I firmly believe that everything in my life is swayed by Baba. What then is to be mentioned as my experience? Of course, the outside world will not be ready to accept my belief as correct or well-founded. But that matters nothing to me. In fact, that very disbelief of people seems to be a reason for refusing

to disclose one's experience. Every devotee feels that his experiences are his own, and are given to him for his own spiritual and temporal benefit and not for ventila-tion or publication to the general public which, of course, includes masses of igno-rant, irrelevant carping critics and scoffers. Yet ardent biographers are anxious to ferret out one's innermost secret and sacred experiences to embellish their work. But the devotee whom they delve into feels that in the very act of dragging the se-cret experience into light, its reality and life are destroyed. The anatomist anxious to examine the living organism inch by inch cuts out what he wants and places it under his microscope, but in that very act, life is destroyed and what he examines with his instrument is dead tissue and not the living organism. The best way of un-derstanding Baba is to experience him oneself. Where is Baba gone? He is still alive and active - more active, if that were possible, than he was before his Mahasamadhi. Anyone in downright earnest can get into touch with him, to-day and at once. But if one will not do that, but wants experiences, secondhand, third-hand or even fifth-hand, he will get but poor stuff. I feel also very strongly the re-grettable fact that experiences which get their significance and full force when ex-pressed in our vernacular are to be now expressed to you and by you in English and that the loss in translation will be serious.

Anyhow as you want some facts about Baba I shall narrate some that I can person-ally vouch for i.e., about myself chiefly.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

The Self is pure consciousness

P A G E 7 Y E A R 2 0 1 1 — I S S U E 2 5

I was first (in 1903) devoted to Gajanan Maharaj whom I took to Srimant Gopal Rao Buti. About 1907 I went to Sai Baba. From my very first visit, I was greatly impressed with his extraordinary personality. At his unspoken command, I took Buti to him and at once Buti also became his devoted follower. Among the services of the latter to Baba, perhaps the most momentous and memorable is his allowing his huge stone-pile (Dagdiwada) to be used as the temple for the reception of the mortal remains and the worship of Baba. It is difficult to sort out my recollections of Baba, as I consider that every act of mine and every event in my life is moulded and directed by him. I may quote some sayings and acts of His which throw light on what Sai Baba is, has done, and is doing for devotees (like me). Once Baba told me, "At every step of yours, I am taking care of you. If I did not, what will become of you, God knows". This was no overstatement. At another time, when we two were alone, Baba told me, "Bhau, the whole of last night, I had no sleep". I : Baba, why so? Baba : I was thinking and thinking of you, all the night.

At this declaration, I was overpowered by a sudden gush of love, gratitude, surprise, etc., feelings which could find no other expression than a free flow of tears. What intense love he had for me! What an amount of trouble he took for my sake! Just as I was always thinking of him, he was kind enough to think of me - with this difference. My thought of him, though loving, was weak, and I could render him no real service. But his love was accompanied by such vast insight and such power that I was helped in every act and event. He could and did foresee things far ahead and took every required step to avert the evil and acceler-ate or promote the good that was coming to me. There are numerous instances that may be cited to show this. Outsiders may not be convinced that every such benefit derived by me was and is due to his guidance and ordering. But some instances of his help are so glaring that any fair-minded inquirer who is open to conviction, will be immediately convinced of the truth of what has been stated by Baba and by me.

Emboldened by his love, I used to write to him and Sri Madhava Rao Deshpande would read my letters to him and communicate his replies to me. In some cases, even during his lifetime and in all cases after his Mahasamadhi (1918 October) I addressed my queries to him mentally or by prayerfully placing chits {or casting lots) before his portrait and I invariably got his answer showing me what was the correct and safe course for me to follow. I invariably followed his advice, however much it might run counter to "common-sense", "medical opinion", "rules of prudence*' etc., and invariably discovered that the path chosen for me by Baba was the safest and wisest.

Will continue…..

Stories for this Week: “The Monkeys and the red berries”

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Long, long ago, there lived a troop of monkeys in a hilly region. When win-ter fell, the monkeys began to shiver with cold. They had no place to pro-tect themselves. One of the monkeys suggested that they should go to the

nearby village and take shelter in the houses of human beings till the winter lasted. His suggestion was accepted by all the monkeys. All of them shifted from the hilly region to an adjoining village. But, next morning, when the villagers saw a big troop of monkeys, all of a sudden, jumping from branches to branches and on their rooftops, they greeted them by pelt-ing stones and showing sticks. Thus, the monkeys, instead of getting shelter in the village, were compelled to retreat to the hilly region and face the chilly winds and the snowfalls once again. Then, ultimately one of the monkeys thought of making a fire to warm up the sur-rounding. He had seen the villagers sitting around fire and warming up themselves. There were some red berry trees around. The mon-

keys mistook them for burning coals. They plucked those berries and placed them under a pile of dry sticks. They tried to make a fire by blowing into the pile. But there was no fire. The monkeys became sad.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

There were also a few birds that lived in the same tree where the monkeys lived. Seeing the plight of the monkeys, one of the birds named Suchimuka said to them, "What a fool you are, trying to make fire from those red fruits. Have the fruits ever made fire? Why don't all of you take shelter in the nearby cave?" When the monkeys saw the bird Suchimuka advising them they became red with rage. One old monkey said, "You dare call us fools. Why do you poke your nose into our affairs?"

But the little bird Suchimuka kept on chirping and advising the monkeys. Then one huge monkey caught hold of the neck of that noisy bird and dashed it against the tree trunk. The bird died on the spot.

It's no use advising idiots. Instead, it might create more

troubles

P A G E 1 0

Take no notice of ego and its activities, but see only the light behind.

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

Chapter 46 Contributed by: swamy@saimail.com ..

Baba's gaya Trip - Story of Goats

This Chapter describes Shama's strip to Kashi, Prayag and Gaya and how Baba (in the Form of His portrait) was there ahead of him; it also describes Baba's reminiscences of the past birth of two goats. Preliminary Blessed, Oh Sai, are Your Feet, blessed is Your remembrance and blessed is Your darshana 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 from 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 at 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. You do things and pose yourself as a 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. Chanting 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. Sai Ram. Excellent advice from Shri Hemadpant, a great devotee him-self who was pulled and hugged by Sai Maharaj Himself. Sai Ram.

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all. Will continue...

P A G E 1 1

(By Late Sri Bharam UmamaheswaraRao) ~ Contribution by "Shashank"crazydiode@gmail.com, Mrs and Mr Anand

Chapter 38: Reality About the Soul God had provided independence to the soul to make proper use of objects such as the body etc to attain salvation. Sri Sai Baba says: The soul is not powerless, insentient and dependent. It has capa-bility and discrimination to renounce the assumed affinity for the world and realize its true affinity for God. The embodied soul, taking all of them, migrates to the body which it acquires, just like a person casts off worn out clothes and puts on new ones. Similarly the embodied soul castes off worn out bodies and enter others which are new.

Will be continued...

T H E G L O R Y O F S H I R D I S A I

For all SaiDarbarUSA activities in Greater Philadelphia, please visit www.saidarbarusa.org. Sai Temple, Downingtown, PA. (http://www.saitemplepa.com/.) Temple is open on Thursdays and Sundays after 2:00 pm. Please contact Mr. Raj Singh at 610-656-1396 or Sai Temple at 610-269-1112 for more details about the temple activities.

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From the Editor’s Desk

Liberated from the grip of egoism, like the moon (after the eclipse), full, ever blissful, self-luminous, one attains one’s essence.

~ Adhyatma Upanishad

Sai devotees may continue to write about their Sai-related activities, essays, articles or poetry and send to the email id editor@saidarbarusa.org. We shall put in our best efforts to include them in the upcoming newslet-ter. Unless the author of the articles explicitly instructs not to publish his/her email id, we will publish them as a matter of routine practice.

JAI SAI RAM

Disclaimer:

The editor does not accept any responsibility for the views expressed in the articles published. This

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Shirdi Sai Literature and Sanatana Dharma.

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Publisher and Editor: Badri Narasimhan

Editorial Team: Radhika Nistala, Kanchana Kumar, Sumathi VijayBhaskaran, Kalyan Koduri

Email: editor@saidarbarusa.org

BOW TO SHRI SAI ~ PEACE BE TO ALL