“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
Tag: Offering
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He, who sees Me (Baba) in all the creatures
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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). -
Why should we never give up service to society?
Even liberation (moksha) can be won through serving and promoting the progress of society.
Through the sense of unity, the willingness to sacrifice and the softness of compassion, all objects can be gained.
So, the Sathya Sai Organisation must move forward with hearty enthusiasm in the field of service to society.
The first lesson in seva must be learnt in the family circle. Father, Mother, brothers, sisters –
in this limited well-knit group, one must engage in loving service and prepare for wider seva that awaits outside home.
The character of each individual member determines the peace and prosperity of the family;
the Character of each family is the basic factor that decides the happiness and joy of a village or community.
And, the nation’s progress is based on the strength and happiness of its communities.
So, for the welfare of the country and of the entire World, the spirit of service, vital enthusiasm, constructive imagination, pure motivation, and unselfish alertness are urgently needed.
– Puttaparti Satya Sai Baba in the Divine Discourse on Nov 19, 1981
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Who is competent to accept our’s bad thoughts, and return Good thoughts
There is a soiled and tattered currency note with you. No one is prepared to accept it from you.
But when it is tendered to the Reserve Bank, which issued it, it is bound to accept it and issue a new note in return.
Likewise, who is competent to accept one’s bad thoughts, perverse feelings and evil intentions? Only the Almighty can accept them.
God is the Spiritual Reserve Bank that will accept the soiled notes of your mind and give in return good currency (in the form of good thoughts).
Hence, offerings should be made only to those who are competent to receive them. All bad thoughts and feelings should be offered to God so that we may receive, by His grace, good thoughts and feelings in return.
Spirituality, thus, means transforming one’s life into an ideal one by offering one’s bad qualities to the Lord and receiving from Him good qualities in return.
– Divine Discourse by Puttaparti Satya Sai Baba, May 24, 1992 -
How our character can be improved?
Baba has advised us to remember him before the senses, mind, and intellect enjoy their objects. Doing this is, in a way, an offering to Him.
The senses etc. can never remain without their objects, but if those objects are first offered to the Guru, the attachment for them will naturally vanish.
In this way, all the Vrittis (thoughts) regarding Desire, Anger, Avarice etc. should first be offered and directed to the Guru. If you follow this practice, the Lord will help you in eradicating all the Vrittis.
When, before enjoying the objects, you think that Baba is close by, a question will arise at once. Is the object fit to be enjoyed or not? Then the object that is not fit to be enjoyed will be shunned. As a result, our vicious habits or vices will disappear. Our character will improve.
Then, love for the Guru will grow and pure knowledge will sprout up. When this knowledge grows, the bondage of body – consciousness (ie we are the body) will snap and our intellect will be merged in spirit-consciousness (ie. we are the spirit). Then we shall get Bliss and contentment.
There is no difference between Guru and God. He who sees any difference in them, sees God nowhere. So leaving aside all ideas of difference, we should regard Guru and God as one,
and if we serve our Guru as stated above, Lord (God) will be certainly pleased and purifying our minds
He will give us self- realisation. To put the matter in a nut-shell, we should not enjoy any object with our senses etc. without first remembering our Guru.
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UBIQUITY OF BABA
Para Number in the Book-BCS & His Universalities
- I am formless and everywhere.
I am in everything.
I am in everything and beyond.
I fill all space. All that you see taken together is Myself. I do not shake or move. - All that is seen is my form; ant, fly, prince, pauper.
- I am in the water, in dry places, in woods, amidst crowds, and in the solitary wilderness. I am in the fire and in ether. I am not limited to any place.
- Feeding the hungry bitch is feeding me. I have the feeling of my hunger being satisfied, when hers is satisfied.
Baba to Laxmi Bai Sciedhe: I am hungry.
Laxmi Bai Scindhe; Shall I go and bring food?
Baba; Do.
Laxmi Bai Scindhe; Then brought food; Baba took nothing from it and placed the entire plate before a hungry bitch.
Laxmi Bai Scindhe: Baba why do you do so?
Baba: Is not the bitch also a Jiva? We talk, bitches do not. She is hungry; she and I are one and the same. It is the same if I eat or she eats. - I am still belching with the heavy feeding you gave the dog this morning. I am also in the mire besmirched pig (that you did not feed, though it came to you).
To serve me, give up differentiation, (to Bombay Lady) - Sometimes I come as dog, sometimes as pig.
The devotee who recognises me in each form and treats me adequately is blessed. - You have been with me eighteen years Nana. Does “Sai” mean to you only this 3’/2 cubits height of body?
I am in the ant and fly.
Whenever you see this sign, remember that I am there and that I can eat food through ants, flies etc.
72-A. Baba: This body is but my house. My guru Mourshad has long ago taken me away from this. - I went as a cat to drink this man’s Hansraj’s curds to save him, despite his cussedness. But he beat me to day.
I was the black dog.
I was the sickly sudra. I am in everything, and beyond.
I was the fakir who begged of you, at Bombay.
I was the spirit, you saw at midnight under the tree.
[I am Akkalkote Maharaj.] I gave you Rs. 2, Pitale(Devotee)
73-A. Baba as a cat is beaten.
Baba to Hansraj, an Asthma patient: Do not take curds or taste sour things. But Hansraj was daily preparing curds overnight to drink it, at the noon meal. Daily a cat drank it off and one day he beat the cat.
Baba to others, in the presence of Hansraj: “There is an Urphatia. a cussed, cross-grained man. I told him not to take curds. But he daily prepared it. Daily I went as a cat and drank it off, to save his life. Today 1 went again. Do you know what he did? He beat me over the shoulder. See here. (Hansraj looked and found a fresh weal on Baba’s shoulder, though it was a cat, he beat with a stick on the shoulder) cf. 359.
73-B. Baba as a dog and sickly Sudra:
Kasinath Govind Upasani-KGU Maharaj, who lived at Shirdi in 1911-4, prepared his food which a black dog was watching. Offering nothing to the dog, K.G.U. went to the masjid and offered it to Baba.
Baba: Why did you bring it here? I was there.
K.G.U.: Baba, there was none there, except a black dog.
Baba : I was that black dog.
Baba refused to accept food that day.
Next day K.G.U. prepared his meal at his quarters and found no dog there. But a sickly Sudra(Lower caste) was standing, leaning on a wall and looking at the food. The orthodox K.G.U. drove him away from that place and brought the food to S.Baba.
Baba : Yesterday you did not offer me food. Today also you drove me away. Why bring the food here?
K.G.U.: Where were you there, Baba?
Baba.: I was leaning on the wall.
K.G.U.: What! Could you be in such a person?
Baba: Yes I am in all things and beyond.
Purusha Sukta -i.e. HE pervades the earth and transcends it.
- I am formless and everywhere.
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Nine types of Devotion
Nine forms or types of Devotion (Bhakti) are, viz.,
- (1) Shravana (Hearing);
- (2) Kirtana (Praying);
- (3) Smarana (Remembering);
- (4) Padasevana (resorting to the feet);
- (5) Archana (Worship);
- (6) Namaskara (Bowing);
- (7) Dasya (Service);
- (8) Sakhyatva (Friendship);
- (9) Atmanivedana (surrender of the self). These are the nine types of Bhakti.
If any of these are faithfully followed, Lord Hari will be pleased and manifest Himself in the home of the devotee.
All the sadhanas, viz. Japa (vocal worship), Tapa (penance), and Yoga practice are quite useless. Studying the scriptures and expounding them are also quite useless. These activities need to be accompanied by Bhakti, i.e., devotion. Knowledge of the Vedas, or fame as a great Jnani, and mere formal Bhajan (worship) are of no avail. What is wanted is Loving Devotion.
Think of yourself as someone searching for the truth. Be anxious and eager like the seeker to collect or cultivate the nine types of devotion. Then you will attain stability and peace of mind.
SSSC Ch 21
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“Give your guest, cups of tea, fully saturated with Sugar.”
Dasganu was once performing his Kirtan and singing the glory of Sai Baba, in the Koupineshwar temple in Thana.
One Mr. Cholkar, a poor man serving as a candidate in the Civil Courts in Thana, was amongst the audience. He heard Dasganu’s Kirtan most attentively and was much moved.
He there and then mentally bowed and vowed to Baba saying – “Baba, I am a poor man, unable to support my family. If by your grace, I pass the departmental examination and get a permanent post, I shall go to Shirdi. I will fall at Your Feet. I will also distribute sugar-candy in Your name.” As good luck would have it, Mr.Cholkar did pass the examination. He got the permanent post. Now it remained for him to fulfil his vow. The sooner, the better.
Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support; and he could not afford to pay for the expenses of a Shirdi trip. As is well said, one can easily cross over Nahne ghat in Thana District. It is easy even to cross the Sahyadri Range. However, it is very difficult for a poor man to cross Umbareghat, i.e., the threshold of his house.
As Mr. Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as possible, he resolved to economize, cut down his expenses, and save money. He determined not to use sugar in his diet; and began to take his tea without it.
He saved some money in this way. Then, he came to Shirdi and took Baba’s darshan. He fell at His Feet and offered a coconut. He distributed it with a clean conscience along with sugar-candy as per his vow. He told Baba that he was much pleased with His darshan and that his desires were fulfilled that day.
Mr. Cholkar was in the Masjid with his host Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and the guest both got up and were about to leave the Masjid, Baba spoke to Jog as follows:- “Give him (your guest) cups of tea, fully saturated with Sugar.”
Hearing these significant words, Mr. Cholkar was much moved, he was wonderstruck, his eyes were bedewed with tears, and he fell at Baba’s Feet again. Mr. Jog was also curious about this direction, regarding the tea-cups to be given to his guest.
Baba wanted by His words to create faith and devotion in Cholkar’s mind. He hinted as it were, that He got the sugar-candy as per his vow and that He knew full well his secret determination not to use sugar in his diet.
Baba meant to say, “If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you, day and night. Though, I am here bodily, still I know what you do; beyond the saven seas. Go wherever you will, over the wide world, I am with you. My abode is in your heart and I am within you. Always worship Me, Who is seated in your heart, as well as, in the hearts of all beings, Blessed and fortunate, indeed, is he who knows Me thus.”
SSSC Ch-15
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Sathya Narayana Poojah
People in the Maharashtra, India always celebrate God Satya-Narayana Puja in their homes every fortnight or month.
When they are suffering from any problem, they say, ‘I do Satya Narayana Pooja.’ After getting rid of the problem, they performed the Satya Narayana Puja.
In all Sai Baba Temples, Sai Satya-vrata Puja is performed instead of Satya Narayana Pooja. People choose to recite the Sai story. It was told in three figurative verses. These were from the book “Bhakta Liyamaruth” composed by Daskanu Maharaj.
Satya Narayana Puja will be held daily at 7 am and 9 am in Shirdi. At the end of the prayer, the priest reads the three stories in Marathi. He reads them on behalf of all the devotees present. Then the offering will be given.
If you have time, please attend the Sai Satya Narayana puja, at Shirdi Mandir(RS.100 per couples), and also do monthly Pooja at your home in front of Satya Narayana picture and get Health, Wealth and Happiness
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