The Sai Times Unity in Divinity

June 2020

SAI- SERVICE ADORATION ILLUMINATION-KARMA, BHAKTI, JNYANA

Loving Sairams dear fellow devotees Our website and blog sites CONTENTS in this spiritual journey. https://sailitsg.com/ Gratitude note This is a humble attempt to spread the message of Sai through our http://premaarpan.wordpress.com Message on Respecting the Nature- Sathya Sai monthly Newsletter. Hope you find http://saibalsanskaar.wordpress.com this meaningful in your spiritual Life and teachings of Shirdi Sai path. Immerse yourselves in divinity with our recent posts and videos created There are lot of opportunities for Unity in Divinity- Shirdi Sai-Parthi Sai by our own Singapore youth and seva if anyone is interested. We need devotees, bringing joy listening to Sarva Dharma prayer help for our Sai glory videos, sharing His glory of Sai literature, translation of Story time- Be happy the way you are articles, stories, videos, transcription Listen to the experience of absolute of videos, coordinators for surrender to Swami by Mrs Lakshmi Moments of learning Tapovanam and Sathya Sai Manickam Kalpadruma group parayans esp in Individual Seva and Sadhana and other countries. Most of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= opportunities

these activities can be done from the zFZ8uO7tgoU comfort of your homes. Official Sai websites Bhagavatha Vahini Chapter 8 For further info pl contact us at https://premaarpan.wordpress.com/ [email protected] 2020/05/25/bhagavatha-vahini- chapter-8-dhritharashtra- transformed/

1

Gratitude Note Nature is more progressive than Man, that is the fact that there are over a and to protect Nature, Man has to hundred institutions named after Sai, Grateful to the Divine Masters for make use of it within limits. When Man carrying on Sai , Sai Bhajan, Sai their grace. tampers with Nature recklessly, It Prachar, often called Sai Samajs or Grateful to all readers in the spiritual reacts adversely and trouble arises. In Sammelans, Bhajan groups. Most of journey. order to protect Nature, Man has to them have Sai Mandirs. A good Love All Serve All place a ceiling on desires. number of decent buildings with Help Ever Hurt Never Foster the tiny seed of Love that clings suitable compounds sometimes with “Samastha Lokaha Sukhino to “me” and “mine.” Let it sprout into gopuras or towers are seen dotting Bhavantu” Love for the group around you and grow the face of the country. In Madras City into Love for all mankind and spread alone we have the Mylapore All India “May all the beings in all the worlds out its branches over animals, birds, Sai Samaj Sai Mandir, the Guindy Sai be happy” and those that creep and crawl and let Mandir and the Egmore Sai Mandir, At Kurnool, Coimbatore the Love enfold all things and beings in all the world. Proceed from less Love to Ventrapragada, Tenali, and other more Love, narrow Love to expanded places there are notable Mandirs Love.” attracting thousands to worship –Sathya Sai Baba there. These are but the nucleus of what is to be, a tiny patch of cloud prognosticating the vast rainy clouds Life of Saibaba- By Shri that will soon screen the sky and flood Narasimha Swami the whole country. Sri Sai Baba has ordained all this expansion.

Baba’s gradual permission of his worship has been noted, and it has

been specially stressed that Baba Sathya Sai on Respecting Nature allowed his own worship with the prescience that it would be the means

for providing temporal and spiritual Worship, Its Further Expansion benefits to millions of individuals and also the means of solving India’s We have stated so far how the national problems of communal and worship of Sri Sai Baba expanded and religious unity as Sarva loka malapaha. assumed vast proportions during his lifetime. This however did not stop Today, all the five elements (earth, In India we have not merely Hindu water, fire, air, and space) are polluted with 1918 but continued to expand further and further, not merely as to and Mohammadan divisions but and, consequently man is mired in various sub•divisions of religion, insecurity. Today the world is losing its the forms and modes of worship but also in respect of the populations and among the major communities also. In ecological balance as man, out of utter their ideas and modes of worship they selfishness, is robbing mother Earth of areas covered and further extended in its inwardness and heightened its differ widely from one another. Till her resources like coal, petroleum, iron, recently, religion meant differences etc. As a result, we find earthquakes, results. In des•cribing the post- between group and group and, floods, and such other devastating Mahasamadhi developments, and the therefore, mutual conflicts, natural calamities. Human life will find introduction of Southern modes of preventing the unification of India or fulfillment only when ecological worship the spread of Sai faith to all even of , urgently calling for balance is maintained. Balance in parts of India and beyond will be dealt its purification and unification66. Sri human life and balance in Nature, both with more fully. One feature of and Siva conflicts have been are equally important. present day worship will be noticed by any one touring the Indian States, and going on for centuries. Also Hindu- Muslim conflicts. To Akbar must be 2

given the credit for trying to solve the the religious unification of India. Sai him either as an Avatar or Ishtadeva problem of religious disunity in India Baba fully grasped the difficulties of or a Gurudeva, as they liked, while he by using his powerful position and the problem. The only thing that could allowed the Muslims approaching him influence to unify and consolidate bring Hindus and Muslims together to read their Koran and the shariat at the two chief religions, namely, was a weird, saintly personality acting the Mosque and to join his flock as his Hinduism and Islam, by making the as a Guru or god-Man, absolutely devotees, treating him merely as an representatives of both gather at one neutral, allowing all sects, religions Avalia or a saint with remarkable place to worship the common father and creeds to have their own ways, powers. of all, Din llahi, Akbar’s attempt and yet bringing them all to a though slightly successful during his common platform, namely, devotion All alike noticed that Sai was the soul days, perished with him. His to that saintly personality and of love and purity, and a storehouse of successors did not take up the idea enabling them to see that the superhuman power and superhuman and some of them took up the differences are petty and ridiculous, enlightenment. It is such a person that opposite idea of oppressing the non- unworthy of serious men of jnana or has succeeded in drawing the Muslims with a view to inducing them realisation. otherwise jarring and warring sects to embrace Islam -Aurangazeb being into a peaceful flock of Sai devotees. the most notable of such successors. Sai Baba was such a person. In him, divine qualities, obviously super- When his puja is gone through during What Akbar tried in the region of human powers combined with even- the day time with all the din, bustle, statesmanship and politics was minded beneficence were so patently and formalities of mantras and rituals attempted in the field of literature and manifested that all alike, Hindus, of Hindu worship in the Mosque or religion by Kabir, Guru Nanak, and Muslims and Christians, who came to Dwarkamayee, the Muslims do not others, and they tried to establish the know about him felt that they were interfere. When the Muslims on Idga bedrock of ideas on which Indian before a higher influence and that Day have their rituals or prayers at unification in religion could be they could all approach and reach Baba’s Mosque, the Hindus do not accom•plished. Each had some degree God through him, that he was the interfere. During the day, Hindu of success, but even their efforts fell high watermark of saintliness, or , Tukaram gathas, Ramayan, short of that completion and Godliness or God head and they Vedas, were being read or recited and perfection which we shall find in willingly made him their Gurudeva at night the Koran or shariat was read Baba’s performance Sai Baba and protector. Some of them treated or repeated either by Abdul or by a declared on one occasion that in a him as their god. The result was that person known as the Rohilla or by former janma he was Kabir, and it Sai, by allowing his worship to be some other person, offerings brought may be noted that Baba, as Kabir, done at the Mosque by different to Baba were distri•buted by him to all was suiting the narrow views of people with varying sets of ideas, was after fatia was pronounced in true former centuries, while Baba of the drawing all to Mysticism, the common Muslim fashion. Though Baba did not 19th and 20th centuries had broader essence of all Religion and thus himself perform the five Namazes views and more efficient means of building up, by a slow but inevitable every day, he encouraged the reaching unity. Kabir brought under process, a united community engaged orthodox Muslims to do so at his his own leadership Hindus and in common worship which ultimately place. Muslims who gave up former labels could include at least the whole of and were called Kabir panthis. But a India. Baba was djspleased and showed his little later, a short time after his anger when any religious intolerance demise, the spirit of division carne in, Sai devotion means tolerance towards was exhibited. On one occasion a and there were Hindu Kabir panthis all, faith in God and in Sai as Guru, devotee came up and deplored the and Muslim Kabir panthis separating and the acceptance of the basic fact that the newly appointed each from the other. Guru Nanak also principles found in all religions. These Foujdar, that is, Police Sub-Inspector accomplished the same remarkable factors were stressed by Sai Baba at Ratha was neither a Hindu nor a feat in bringing Islam and Hinduism from time to time and many a time. Muslim but a Christian, Baba’s closer to each other. But the Sikhs, immediate reply was, ‘What of that? who now represent the fruits of his Sai allowed the Hindus to adopt their He is my brother’. labours, cannot provide any basis for puranic method of worship and treat 3

Again, H.S. Dixit, though generally note about Baba’s unification is that continuously in snow for 8 days. He observing all propriety, once fell into there was no fixed book or doctrine to also lost his vision in the left eye and the unfortunate mood of decrying which he wanted all people to then he collapsed. -Parvathi Christianity and Christ when talking subscribe; and no fixed observance stopped their dance. Lord Shiva at his quarters with some others. After was forced on any one. came to his rescue and revived him that, he went up to Baba to pay his by sprinkling some water from His respects. But Baba severely said Unity in Divinity ‘Kamandalu’. When the Rishi “Don’t come near me”. regained consciousness, Shiva told The Shirdi Sai- Parthi Sai Connect him, “Shaktimata’s glance and her At once Dixit felt that, by decrying smile was a blessing for your yagna. Christ and Christianity he had We will definitely be present for the offended Baba, and immediately he yagna.” repented. It was only thereafter that When Bharadwaj Rishi performed Baba allowed him to approach him. the yagna, both Shiva and Shakti manifested during ‘Poornâhuti’ and Baba expressly declared that when blessed Bharadwaj Rishi with a boon devotees were quarrelling amongst saying, “We will take birth in human themselves, he was feeling great pain, form in your lineage three times. The whereas if they all put up with each first incarnation will be ‘Shiva other and pulled on amicably, he felt avatar’, who will be known as ‘Shirdi happy. In effect, his message was Sai’, the second incarnation will be “Love ye one another even as I love On 23rd May 1940, when Baba first ‘Shiva-Shakti avatar’, who will be you all”. declared to Pedda Venkappa Raju known as ‘Sri Sathya Sai’ and the that ‘I am Saibaba’, He also indicated third incarnation will be ‘Shakti Baba’s love and wonderful power of that His ‘Gothra’ (lineage) is avatar’ who will be adored as ‘Prema reading and controlling hearts was Bharadwaj. Sai’. mainly responsible for the almost perfect concord between Hindus and However, He shed more light on this Further Shiva added, “You thought Muslims that always reigned at during the Guru Pournima discourse Shakti had neglected you at Kailas Shirdi. In other places when a Muslim in 1963 when He said, “ The reason for eight days. Due to this Shakti will festival came on the same day as the why I have taken birth in Bharadwaj suffer in Shiva Shakti avatar. At that Hindu festival, battles were fought, Gothra, is the boon Bharadwaja time, I (Shiva) will cure her by and heads were broken. But at Shirdi received from Shiva.” sprinkling the holy water on her, as I there was not a single occasion of a did for you at Kailas.” Once Bharadwaj Rishi thought of Hindu-Muslim class fight. When performing a yagna. He went Baba’s picture was carried in Just as Bharadwaj Rishi had darshan personally to Kailash mountain to procession through all the streets of Shiva-Shakti, Swami also has invite Shiva-Parvathi. At the time including the neighbourhood of the given darshan to some of His Shiva and Parvathi were engaged in Muslims, no one felt the least devotees in the form of Shiva- a dance. They were so engrossed repulsion or objection. On the other Shakti. This was in the earlier days that they did not notice Bharadwaj hand, in front of, and behind the during Navarathris when Swami was Rishi for seven days. The Rishi could palanquin carrying his picture, Hindus taken in a procession, many of His only see Shiva but not Shakti. On the and Muslims vied with each other for devotees were blessed with a eighth day, when he got darshan of the honour of carrying various resplendent darshan of the Shiva – Mâta Parvathi, she cast a glance at insignia of devotion, namely, whisks, Shakti form. him, smiled benignly and once again umbrella and Maces etcetera. Shiva-Parvathi got engrossed in the dance. Baba distributed prasad brought by members of any community to all, The Rishi felt sad. He felt ignored, and they were accepted by members and thought of leaving Kailas. But his of all communities. The chief point to left leg was numb, due to standing 4

Sarva Dharma Prayer Story Time So Parrot flew to the tallest tree in the forest and found Major Macaw. Om Tat Sat Sri Narayana Tu Be Happy the way you are Purushottama Guru Tu Siddha Buddha Tu Skanda Vinayaka Savita Pavaka Tu Mazda Tu Yahve Shakti Tu Ishu Pita Prabhu Tu Vishnu Tu Rama Krishna Tu Rahima Tao Tu Vasudeva Go-Vishvarupa Tu Chidananda Hari Tu Advitiya Tu Akala Nirbhaya Atmalinga Shiva Tu

Meaning:

Om Thou art that, Thou art Value: Contentment, optimism Narayana, God, in the form of man; “Excuse me Major, I have a Thou art the Embodiment of problem,” said Parrot. Sub value: gratitude, positive perfection and the perfect master; attitude Thou art enlightened Buddha; Thou “Oh dear, what can it be?” asked the art Subramanya and , the venerable Macaw. A Parrot came home upset and remover of obstacles; confused. Thou art the Sun-fire; “I have a stupid beak. Why can’t I Thou art Brahma, the Creator; have a cool beak like Spoonbill, Mazda, the Great One; “What’s wrong?” his mother asked. Pelican, Hawk or Finch?” Thou art Jehovah and the Divine Mother, the creative Energy; “I hate my stupid beak!” Parrot “You’re right.” said the Macaw, O Lord! Thou art the Father of Jesus; blurted. “They do have cool beaks. Tell me Thou art Rudhra, the Transformer, Parrot, do you like eating worms and and Vishnu, the Preserver; “Why do you hate your beak? I think crustaceans?” Thou art Rama and Krishna; it’s beautiful,” his mother said Thou art Rahim, all kindness, always reassuringly. “Yuck! That would be disgusting!” giving and expanding; responded Parrot. Thou art the Tao; “All of the other birds have much Thou art Vasudeva, the Sustenance cooler beaks. Spoonbill, Pelican, “Well, that’s what the spoonbill’s of all, omnipotent and omnipresent; Hawk, Finch, all of them!” beak is designed for. So it wouldn’t Thou art Hari, Destroyer of illusion, work. What about fish?” the blissful Spirit; Parrot’s mother sat silently for a Thou art unparallelled, beyond time moment. “He may be right,” she “I couldn’t think of anything worse,” and fearless of adversities; thought to herself, “they do have said Parrot. Thou art Shiva, Creator of the very cool beaks. lingam, Symbol of the formless “So, the Pelican’s beak would not Absolute. “You should go and see Major work either. What about rabbits and Macaw, he’ll know what to do. He’s mice?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= the wisest of the parrots and lives in dPyKhjaQs1k the tallest tree in the forest. Yes, “Eeeks. No” he’ll know what to do,” responded

Parrot’s mother. “OK, so maybe you shouldn’t aspire to have a Hawk’s beak. Small seeds?” 5

“They’re not so bad, but my Moments of Learning we planned to visit Krishna temple at favourite is Brazil nuts.” exclaimed Udipi (again Krishna’s day is Parrot, salivating at the thought. supposed to be Thursday) and later proceed to . “That’s lucky, I think I have a few here. Would you like one?” asked We quickly found an Ola cab to take Major. us to these temples. Here I would like to tell something about our Parrot’s eyes lit up. ”Yes, please.” driver. His name was Riyaaz. I have yet to meet such a polite and kind “Tell me Parrot, if you had the beak driver. of a spoonbill, pelican, hawk or finch, do you think that you could eat that From the very start; with a smiling Brazil nut?” face he greeted us and told us that he knew each and every temple in On May 2018 we decided to go on a and that he would stop temple tour down south to Dakshin by on the way for us to have the Kannara in . After the darshan. My husband had sprained sweltering heat in Andhra; the his leg and his feet were hurting and weather was a pleasant change in he was unable to move much. Mangalore. Riyaaz saw to it that wherever Our India pilgrimage trip this May possible we were dropped right at first started by seeking the blessings the entrance so that my husband of our Divine Master Bhagavan Sri “I guess not,” said Parrot with his had to walk minimum on the roads. Sathya Sai Baba at Prashanti mouth full. He requested the temple guards at Nilayam. After that we set about our many places to let the car to the temple tour in Mangalore. “You see, young parrot, you have closest possible entrance. We were been designed a certain way, with touched by this kind act of his. He We reached Mangalore around 11 certain skills, attributes and tastes. did this without any expectations. Don’t waste your life being envious am one fine Thursday morning and initially had planned to visit the of the capacities of others, just make We had him with us for 3 days and famous Lord Subramanya temple at sure that you know what you’re good each and every trip he ensured that Kukke. It was about 3/3.5 hrs drive at and why you’re here.” we were comfortable, and we didn’t from Mangalore and we thought we miss out on any wayside temples. could cover only that temple for the Learning: But for him we would have missed day. out on the main temple Manjunatha We must be happy with whatever at and Polali However, before we proceeded we talents we are blessed with. We must Rajarajeshwari. also strive to bring out the hidden called a few temples to enquire about the timings. Sringeri was also talents and excel rather than wasting I still remember when he dropped us on our itinerary. We realised that if our time comparing ourselves with at the Kukke Subramanya temple; we had to have darshan of Sri others. we asked him to have lunch in the Shankaracharya at the Sharadha meantime and he said he had first do peetham; Thursday would be the Don’t waste time envying others. Be his prayers and then only have food. right day being Guru Vaar and also happy about what you are good at It was 3pm by then. We finished the the Guru observed silence on darshan quickly and he had yet to Fridays. eat after his prayers, but he told us that he was fine to drive right away. So, we decided not to waste any time and since Udipi was on the way;

6

However only when we insisted that INDIVIDUAL SADHANA AND SEVA Experience Sharing we needed a tea break and he should OPPORTUNITIES eat along with us; did he stop to eat. Devotees can share their written There are good people everywhere. Akhand parayans experiences on the parayans, transformations by different seva And we were fortunate we found one Sri Shirdi Sai Satcharitra, such person. activities, Sai leelas especially after Tapovanam , Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi. Kalpadruma group parayans online When I look back; I felt he was like as well as being part of the weekly Official websites Sai for us; taking care of our comfort whats app group parayans and making sure that we had Shirdi Sai- darshan at maximum possible places Tapovanam Mahaparayans within the 2 days of our stay in https://www.sai.org.in/ Mangalore. Devotees from all over the globe are invited to join this parayan and also Learning for me from the above was; to help in coordination people like Riyaaz make us feel Fistful Rice Seva welcome and at home. It reminds us that there are still good people out Daily keeping a fistful of raw rice and there who care and make us believe later offering after a month to the Sathya Sai- in humanity irrespective of caste, needy. http://www.sathyasai.org/ creed, religion etc. LACASA-

As Swami says everything is (Home to Love All Care for All Serve resound, reflection and reaction. All) helping out migrant workers for Stop judging people. We perceive meals, medicines and other needs others the way we are. If our especially during this challenging intentions are pure and we show love period of COVID 19. and kindness it is usually returned with the same. Translation Seva Offering our humble salutations at Human value stories, Sai literature the Divine Lotus Feet of our Guru, I am very much influenced by the being translated in different Guide and God- SAI. SONY TV serial ‘Mere Sai’ (on Shirdi languages. Sai) and keep remembering the message which is often repeated in Sai literature the show. “Jaise jiski neeyat, waisi uski barkat”. As we sow so we reap. Blogging on Sathya Sai Speaks, Sai Vahinis- essence of vedas and Upanishads by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Glory of Sai May Lord Sai shower His choicest blessings on all. Jai Sai Ram Spreading of the message of Universal love through stories, interviews, articles- Seva- Administration of social media pages, blogs, IT help, audio visual, transcription etc

7