- Baba, as a God incarnated in this divine form,
- “if any devotee
- meditates on Him
- day and night with
- complete self-surrender,
- they will joyfully experience
- profound union (without any difference) with Him,
- like the delight of sweetness and sugar, the harmony of waves and sea, the togetherness of eye and its sight.
- He, who aspires to transcend the cycle of births and deaths,
- should embrace a righteous life,
- with a calm and composed mind.
- Engaging in good actions is essential,
- diligently fulfilling his duties and
- surrendering himself, heart and soul, to Baba.
- With this dedication, he need not fear anything at all.
- Those who place their trust in Him completely, hear and share His Leelas/play, and focus solely on Him, are surely destined to attain the bliss of Self-realization.
Category: Baba and Creatures
See God in ALL
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Wants to get rid of cycle of births and deaths?
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He, who sees Me (Baba) in all the creatures
“Eating that lovely bread I(Baba) am heartily contended and I am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals, and to which you gave the piece of bread is, one with Me.
So also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows etc.) are one with Me. I am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved.
So abandon the sense of duality and distinction, and serve Me, as you did today.
Baba in SSSC-Chapter 9 to Mrs. Tarkhad
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Make me the sole object of your thoughts and aims, you will attain Paramartha
“Look here, my Guru was a great saint and highly merciful.
I fatigued myself in trying to serve him and yet he did not utter any mantra in my ear. Instead he first shaved me clean and then begged of me two pice (money).
What he wanted was not metallic coin—he did not care even for gold,but only Nishta and Saburi, i.e. faith and courageous patience. I gave these to him and at once, he was pleased.
Mother, Saburi is courage, do not discard it. It ferries you across to goal. It gives i) overcomes all fears, ii) manliness to men, iii) eradicates sin and dejection and
For 12 years I waited on my Guru, who is peerless and loving.
- How can I describe his love to me?
- When he was Dhyanasta (in love trance),
- I sat and gazed at him; and
- we were both filled with Bliss.
- I cared not to turn my eye upon anything else.
- Night and day, I pored upon his face with an ardour of love that banished hunger and thirst.
- The Guru’s absence, even for a second, made me restless.
- I meditated upon nothing but the Guru and had no goal or object other than the Guru.
- Unceasingly fixed upon him was my mind.
- Wonderful indeed the art of my Guru!
- I wanted nothing but the Guru and
- he wanted nothing but my love.
- Apparently action less,
- he never neglected me,
- but always protected me by his glance.
That Guru—I tell the truth, sitting as I do in this Masjid— never blew any mantra into my ear; nor do I blow any into yours.
- Go thou and do likewise.
- If you make me, the sole object of your thoughts and aims,
- you will attain Paramartha, the supreme goal.
- Look at me with undivided attention;
- so will I look at you.
- This is the only truth my Guru taught me. The four sadhanas and the six sastras are not necessary.
- With entire confidence, trust your Guru. That is enough.”
- The lady bowed, accepted the advice and gave up her satyagraha.
Baba to a Lady, who started Fasting to get mantra from Him, about His Guru.
- How can I describe his love to me?
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Quotation- BCS 309
Alms giving without discrimination
“Athiti is what ever creature is hungry and comes on to you, at that (kakabali-crow offering) time, whether it is human or a bird, beast or insect.All these seek food. The real Athiti that you get, (but) you do not regard as such. These have come to you in lakhs.
Nana! give up your rotten interpretation*. At kakabali, take plenty of boiled rice outside the house and leave it there.
Do not shout or call for any, nor drive away. Whatever the creature that comes to eat, let not that disturb your mind. You get thus the merit of feeding lakhs of guests. “
Baba in BCS para 309 to N G Chandorkar alias Nana
*The phrase “Atithi Devo Bhava” translates to “The guest is akin to God,” highlighting the reverence and care that should be given to guests.
In Hinduism, welcoming guests, especially unexpected ones, is considered a sacred duty. This practice is deeply embedded in the culture and traditions, emphasizing the hospitality that should be extended to guests. Here are a few key aspects:
Rituals and Practices for Welcoming Guests
1. Traditional Welcome:
– Guests are often greeted with a warm “Namaste,” a gesture of respect and reverence.
– In some households, a ceremonial welcome called Aarti might be performed, where a small lamp is waved in front of the guest, accompanied by singing or chanting.
– Some families may apply a small mark (often a red dot known as tilak) on the guest’s forehead as a sign of blessing and respect.
2. Offering Refreshments:
– Guests are typically offered water, tea, butter-milk or other beverages upon arrival. This practice signifies hospitality and the intention to make the guest feel comfortable and valued.
– Following this, guests may be served snacks or meals, often including traditional and home-cooked dishes.
3. Providing Comfort:
– Hosts ensure that the guests have a comfortable place to sit and rest. Clean towels, refreshments, and any other necessities are provided.
– In many cases, if the guest is staying overnight, special arrangements are made to ensure their comfort, including clean bedding and private space.
4. Treating Guests with Respect:
– Throughout the visit, guests are treated with utmost respect. Conversations are often centered around the guest’s well-being, their travel experiences, and any needs they might have.
– Hosts may also offer small gifts or tokens of appreciation when the guest departs, further signifying the importance of their visit.
These practices not only reflect the value placed on hospitality in Hindu culture, but also emphasize the spiritual aspect of serving and honoring guests as part of one’s duty (dharma). -
Baba is a Master of “Catechectics”
Catechectics is an Art of teaching by Question and answer (as a Part of ‘How emotional investments shape our behaviors and thoughts’). Baba is in very advanced stage in this science. This is an example:-
It was in the year 1916, a Chennai Bhajani Mela (Party of the Ramadasi Panth) started on a Pilgrimage to the holy city of Kasi/Banaras. The Party consisted of a man, his wife, daughter and sister-in-law; and they had come to Shirdi to get Gift of money from Baba. There the husband got a wonderful vision in his dream one night as follows :-
He was in a big city, the police there had arrested him, tied his hands with a rope, and put him up in lock-up. As the police were tightening the grip, he saw Sai Baba standing quiet outside, near the cage. On seeing Baba so near, he said in a plaintive tone – “Hearing Your fame, I came to Your Feet, and why should a calamity befall me, when You are standing here in person?”
- Baba said – “You must suffer the consequences of your action”
- He said – “I have not done anything in this life, which would bring such a misfortune on me.”
- Baba said – “If not in this life, you must have committed some sin in your past life.”
- He replied, “I do not know anything of my past life, but assuming that I did commit some sin; then why should it not be burnt and destroyed in Your presence, as dry grass before fire? “.
- Baba – “Have you got such faith?”
- He – “Yes.”
- Baba then asked him to close his eyes.
- No sooner did he shut them, than he heard a thumping sound of something falling down, opening his eyes,
- he saw that he was free and the police had fallen down, bleeding.
- Being much frightened, he began to look at Baba who said – “Now you are well caught, officers will now come and arrest you.”
- Then he begged – “There is no other saviour except You, save me anyhow.”
- Then Baba again asked him to close his eyes. He did so and when he opened them,
- he saw that he was free, out of the cage and
- that Baba was by his side.
- He then fell at Baba’s Feet.
- Baba then asked him –
- “Is there any difference between this namaskar (Hello) and your previous ones? Think well and reply.”
- He said “There is a lot of difference; my former namaskaras were offered with the object of getting money from You, but the present namaskar is one offered to You as God”
- Then a desire arose in his mind, to get the darshan of his Guru Ramdas;
- when Baba asked him to turn back and see. And when he turned,
- lo, Ramadas was in front of him.
- No sooner did, he begin to fall at His Feet, Ramadas vanished.
- Then he inquisitively asked Baba,”You look old. Do You know Your age?”. Baba – “What! Do you say I am old! just run a race with Me and see.” Saying this, Baba began to run and he too followed. Baba disappeared in the dust raised by His foot-steps while running, and the man was awakened.
- After awakening, he began to think seriously about the dream-vision. His mental attitude was completely changed and he realised the greatness of Baba. After this, his grabbing and doubting tendencies disappeared and true devotion to Baba’s Feet sprang in his mind.
- The vision was a mere dream, but the questions and answers therein were most significant and interesting.
- Next morning, when all the persons assembled in the Masjid for the Arati, Baba gave him as prasad two rupees’ worth sweetmeats and also two rupees from His pocket and blessed him.
- Baba made him stay there for a few more days and gave him His blessing, saying, “Allah (God) will give you plenty and He will do you all good”. He did not get more money there, but he got far better things viz. Baba’s blessing, which stood him in good stead all along.
- The party got plenty of money afterwards; and their pilgrimage was successful: as they had not to suffer any trouble or inconvenience during their journey.
- They all returned home safe and sound, thinking of Baba’s words and blessings and the Anand(Bliss) they experienced by His grace.
In SSSC Ch-29
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BABA WORSHIP I -Individual Worship
The benefits attending Baba-worship were quickly seen and hence Devotees from outside the Shirdi village, that is, from the immediate neighbourhood were drawn to the worship. This spread gradually from place to place and people from even remote parts were attracted to the worship.
Individual worship itself was first not systematic, nor organised. But K.G. Bhishma, a good Kirtankar and a great adherent of Vittal-worship at Pandharpur, drew up the ritual for Sai-Baba-worship on practically the same lines as the Pandharpur-worship.
He brought a set of artis that is ritualistic; verses for use by individuals at Shirdi, (and these were sent up by Baba to Nana Saheb Chandorkar at Jamnere) were approved of by HIM.
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Inner Worship
PRAY WHAT?
All the things that we see in the universe are nothing but a play of Maya (cosmic illusion)- the creative power of the Lord. These things do not really exist. What really exists is the Real Absolute. Just as we mistake a rope of a garland or a stick for a serpent on account of darkness, we always see the phenomena, i.e. things as they outwardly appear, and not the Noumenon (Thing-in-itself ) which underlies all the visible things. Only the Sad-guru opens the eyes of our understanding. He enables us to see things in their true light and not as they appear. Let us, therefore, worship the Sad-guru and pray to him to give us the true vision, which is nothing but God-vision.
Novel Form of Worship
Hemadpant has given us a novel form of worship.
- Let us, he says, use hot water in the form of tears of joy to wash the Sad-guru’s feet.
- Let us besmear, His body with sandalwood-paste of pure love.
- Let us cover His body with the cloth of true faith.
- Let us offer eight lotuses as our eight Sattwik emotions.
- Let us present fruit as our concentrated mind.
- Let us apply to His head bukka (black-powder) in the form of devotion. Let us tie the waistband of Bhakti and place our head on his toes.
After decorating the Sad-guru with all jewelry in this way,
- let us offer everything to Him.
- We wave the chamar of devotion to ward off heat.
- After such blissful worship, let us pray thus:- “Introvert our mind.
- Turn it inward.
- Give us discrimination between the Unreal and the Real.
- Grant us non-attachment for all worldly things.
- Thus enable us to get Self-realisation.
- We surrender ourselves, body and soul (body-consciousness and ego).
- Make our eyes Yours, so that we should never feel pleasure and pain.
- Control our body and mind as You will and wish.
- Let our mind get rest in Your Feet”.
SSSC Ch-26
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WORSHIP V-Baba worship, Stages
Baba worship had and has all stages in it, and all sorts of worshippers.
Baba who first objected to his worship, did by his own Antarjnana or prophetic vision foreseeing what was to follow, namely, not only individual benefits to millions, but also national benefit and ultimately benefit to the cause of religion itself for the sake of humanity.
That is why HE gradually promoted and then developed HIS worship:-
- Individual worship of Baba attracted larger and larger numbers from the immediate neighbourhood and
- from distant places and this developed into congregational worship;
- and that again from simple congregational worship to the highly complicated forms, which are seen in famous places of worship like Pandharpur.
- Worship like Pandarpur and Tirupati were developed for Baba worship at Shirdi, including ritual, hymnology, music, processions, cars, palanquin horse and pujaris.
"I draw to Me, My man from far off or even across the seven Seas to Shirdi, like a sparrow with a string fastened to its feet"-Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian Spiritual Guru-God 