Category Archives: Shirdi Sai

There Is No Physician Abler Than Me

My cousin Rup (name abbreviated) was diagnosed with liver failure at the age of twenty two. He was too young but due to sudden progression of the disease, he collapsed into a comma. He was lifeless and barely breathing. Doctors made several attempts to revive him and put him on life support systems.

As the family was discussing his prognosis with the doctors, a team of doctors at Kothari Hospital, Mumbai, advised the family to start arranging for his funeral. Apparently, they did not see any hope for the patient. It was true. Medically, nothing appeared to be possible.

In the team of doctors, however, the family physician happened to be a devotee of Baba. He knew medically that was all that could be done but he also knew that Baba is more capable than any physician and started praying fervently. Just then, another devotee arrived from Shirdi. He applied Baba’s udi (holy ash) on the patient’s forehead and both of them started praying to Baba for the welfare of the patient.

Things took a strange turn the very next day. The patient’s vitals returned to normal and he started communicating the following day. The team of doctors was exhilarated at the recovery and attributed this revival as a “true miracle”.

Lord Datta has emphatically declared in the Guru Charita: “There is no physician abler than Me!”

Guru The Eternal Guide

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“Manasa Bhajore Guru Charanam, Dustara Bhavasagara Taranam.”

Oh mankind, worship and install in the mind the feet of the Guru; it is very difficult to cross the ocean of life and death, but the Guru can safely carry you to the shore of divinity. This was the first bhajan sung by Baba himself. Baba was calling all those suffering in the endless rounds of births and deaths to worship the feet of the Guru, who was announcing Himself, and who had come again for taking upon Himself the burden of those who sought refuge in Him. (Vijayadashmi Discourse, 1953).

Once, Emperor Shivaji and his minister were going on an evening stroll. On the way, they came across a Buddhist monk. Immediately, Shivaji removed his crown and prostrated at the monk’s feet. The minister thought Shivaji demeaned his stature by this act. The righteous emperor at once sensed these feelings and wanted to teach the minister a lesson.

One day, he asked the minister to bring the head of a goat, a sheep, and a human being. The minister collected the goat and sheep heads. He went to a burial ground and cut the head of a dead person.

Shivaji commanded him to sell them in the market. The heads of the sheep and goat were sold in no time, but none came forward to buy the human head. When the emperor was informed, he ordered the human head to be given at no cost. The minister took the human head to the market and waited there for a couple of days. Despite his best efforts, nobody was willing to accept it. When this was conveyed to the emperor, he said, “Oh minister, you felt sad when I placed my head at the feet of a monk. Do you realize that the same would be the fate of our heads too, when we leave our mortal coils? Hence, we should sanctify our lives by serving noble souls.î Material wealth is momentary. Only truth and right conduct will remain with man and redeem his life. (Guru Poornima Discourse, 2002).

What is the significance of Guru Poornima? “Gu” means darkness and “ru” means light [the dispeller of darkness]. Guru is thus the one who illumines the path to divinity. Poornima stands for the cool full moon light. Full moon symbolizes a mind with total illumination. It is spotless. (Guru Poornima Discourse, 2002).

Shankarcharya had five disciples. One of them, Padmapada, was pure-hearted and always engaged in the service of his Guru. He considered himself as a Dasa [servant] of the Guru. While others would be engaged in studying scriptures and other sacred texts, Padmapada would busy himself in serving the Guru. No task in his Guru’s service was menial to him. He would regularly wash the Guruís clothes and attend to his every need.

Once, on his way back from the other bank of the river, he did not realize that the Ganga was in spate.

As he was crossing the river, it rose up to the level of his neck. He looked around, but had no fear whether he would be washed away by the swelling waters.

His only worry was how to take the clothes to the Guru even at the cost of his life. Placing the clothes on his head and chanting the word, “Guruji, Guruji,” he continued wading through the river. Because of his intense devotion, at every step he took there was a lotus-shaped stone on which he could place his foot. He thereby earned the appellation “Padmapada.”

Shankaracharya called him and imparted his teachings to him. He told Padmapada: “Service to the Guru is a great virtue. You have adored the Guru as God. Guru represents the Divine Trinity and is the Supreme Self.” Then, he imparted to Padmapada the sacred truth. The other four disciples used to treat Padmapada previously as an ignoramus. After receiving the teachings from Sankaracharya, Padmapada could repeat the entire Vedic texts at one stroke. He became a good exponent of Vedanta. (Guru Poornima Discourse, 1998).

This story illustrates the power of a real Guru. Although a true Guru can lead the disciple to enlightenment, in modern times there is a scarcity of such perfected beings.

In today’s time, God alone is the real Guru.

What greater proof of this than the fact that Baba himself has come as the world’s divine teacher and is imparting his teachings to one and all. One only needs to look inside and the inner Guru will safely lead us to the shore of divinity.

When Baba Says No, It Is For Our Own Good

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Despite our chronological age, spiritually we are all like small infants in front of the Divine Lord. We lack the foresight, vision, and omniscience that God possesses, at least until the time we merge with God and realize our true nature.

Baba is a very benevolent avatar and one of His assurances is that He will give us whatever we ask for. Sometimes, however, Baba firmly denies our requests or postpones them until an appropriate time arrives. Often, we misunderstand this denial to be Baba’s indifference to us. How can that be? Baba is love incarnate. What we perceive as His denials are, however, His acts of true love because He knows the ultimate outcome of what we are asking, even though we may not be able to perceive it in the short run.

Those who abide by Baba’s will fare well in the long run whereas those who disregard His instructions often face unfavorable events. Quoting from the Sai Satcharita:

“Baba gave certain suggestions or hints, when Bhaktas (devotees) went to bid good-bye and take leave. These suggestions had to be followed. If they were not followed or were departed from, accidents were sure to befall them, who acted contrary to Baba’s directions.”

He may deny one request but open doors to so many other opportunities

A friend of mine was applying for a job with a very big company. Despite his qualifications and intense preparation, the job offer did not turn out in his favor and he was dejected. At first we could not understand Baba’s leelas but eventually he received another offer at a much higher salary and was able to progress very quickly in his career. What happened to the first job? Well, the division met with severe financial losses. It was then that we realized why Baba did not allow him to work there in the first place.

Pedda Bottu’s story

Pedda Bottu was an ardent devotee of both avatars of Baba. She was fortunate enough to have witnessed both Shirdi Sai and Parthi Sai avatars and spent a considerable amount of time in His physical proximity. Pedda Bottu was spiritually very advanced but despite her metaphysical accomplishments, she would always behave like a child when it came to Baba.

When she was young, she would often accost Shirdi Baba with a request to initiate her with an upadesh. Baba uses a different way for each devotee and teaches each individual in a manner that befits him/her. Apparently, Baba did not want to initiate her with an upadesh but wanted to teach her in a different way altogether. She was adamant, however, and would repeatedly question Baba.

Finally, one day Baba decided to bless her in a very unique way. When she visited Shirdi Sainath with a request for mantra, Baba kicked her on the chest and said: “You are obsessed with upadesh.” To ordinary mortals, this may appear as a kick but Baba must have awakened her chakras because subsequent to this act of grace, she advanced very, very quickly.

Pedda Bottu was too young to grasp the hidden blessings and walked away dejected and disappointed. She went and lay under a tree. As she was crying, Baba suddenly appeared in front of her and said the following words:

“My child, I could not sleep in Dwaraka Mayi when you were lying here without food since morning. I have brought you here, for, I want to tell you something, but first you must eat.” Saying thus, Baba stretched His hand and materialized food (roti, kheer, and some other items) and water. When she was satiated with food, Baba revealed the secret to her: “Gori, I will appear in Andhra Pradesh with the same name of Sai Baba but in another avatar. Then again you will come to me. I will keep you with me and will give you joy.”

True to Baba’s words, she did experience the opportunity to live with both avatars and made very rapid spiritual progress as well. Although she wanted a verbal upadesh, Baba awakened her to many more divine powers that flowed from within her.

Surrender To Me And I Will Make You Number One

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Many years back, I had invited one of my friends to Baba’s mandir in Flushing, New York. He was browsing through some books on the shelves when he came across the following sentence: “Touch My feet and I will crown your head.” No sooner did he read this sentence, he dashed across the room and came to me. Since this was his first visit to Baba, he seemed rather upset. “Why does Baba say like that?” he questioned. I was rather young and did not have a response to his question but seeing that his intention was only to understand Baba’s message I turned to Baba to explain the significance of this message.

Immediately, Baba prompted me from within: “Tell him that it means if you surrender your ego to my feet, I will crown you with knowledge.” I could have never thought something like that but immediately shared the message with my friend. He was very excited to hear this explanation and became a deep admirer of Baba from thereon.

Surrender is not complex. It is very simple. But our inner fears often come in our way. Baba once made some very emphatic remarks. The gist of his message was as follows: “You surrender yourself to the pilot when you get into the plane. You never make an effort to check whether she/he is fit to drive. You implicitly trust a fellow-man to take you from A-B. However, when it comes to God you question everything.”

It isn’t that we are the only ones who surrender. God surrenders back to His surrendered devotees in turn. In that state, God stands at the beck and call of His devotees, eager to render any service possible.

When we surrender, God will surely render

Surrender is a very powerful state, one in which God surrenders back to his surrendered devotee. It is like a kitten who blindly trusts the mother to put her in a safe place. The mother holds the young kitten in her jaws and takes her from place to place but the jaws never hurt the child. The kitten on its part simply meows the mother’s name, knowing fully well that she is safe.

Once, a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) learnt about his nearing death. He was terrified and vehemently prayed to Shirdi Sai Baba. Baba appeared to him in meditation and said that He would not reverse the verdict as his allotted time on earth was over, but also added that there was one surrendered soul (Guruji) whose prayers could never be refused. The sadhaka immediately rushed to Dr. K.V. Raghava Rao, on whose request Baba prevented the demise and extended the sadhaka’s life by eight years.

Baba surrenders back to those who surrender to Him. God is pure compassion and love, nothing else.

If we let go, He will find a way

We are so afraid to let go. It is just like a child. The mother wants to feed wholesome food to the child, but the child wants to eat on her own. Once, a young student was visiting Parthi. He had to make a life-changing decision and was extremely confused with the outcome that was to occur. All along, he was constantly vacillating like a pendulum.

Those who have visited Parthi may be aware that there used to be very long lines and a token system was implemented wherein numbered lots would be drawn to decide which line a devotee would be seated in. This boy would fight every single day to be in the first line but inevitably would end up far behind.

Finally, one day he let go of his desire to choose. With a true heart he said, “Swami, you decide what has to be done. I trust you completely and leave everything at your feet. Thy Will will be done.” On saying this he closed his eyes and went and sat in a random row. Much to his surprise, that day when the lots were drawn, his row was number one. He had the closest darshan of Swami on that day — in fact, the closest he had ever had in his young life. Indeed his small act of surrender had drawn an immediate response from God.

Needless to say, by the time he returned home Swami had made the decision for him and his dilemma was resolved in his favor.

If we surrender to Baba sincerely, He will take us all the way to the most beneficial outcome. The entire universe is in Baba’s hands.

Devotees’ Collective Prayers Moved Baba To Save Patient From Irrecoverable State

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When we had just started the mandir, a devotee’s brother-in-law suddenly became infected with Jaundice. At first, the disease was not of major concern but due to some erratic reasons it progressed to a point where it became life threatening due to severe liver damage.

The patient collapsed and became nearly comatose. The diagnosis was grim and doctors in Delhi, India, did not give much time or hope to the family. Apparently, the patient’s liver was damaged beyond a point of medical recovery.

At that time, his family members were living in New York, just a few blocks away from Om Sai Mandir. They visited the mandir and started praying to Baba very fervently. At first, there was no sign of recovery and the condition appeared to worsen even further. Just as the situation was getting out of hand, the family members came together and prayed to Baba from the bottom of their heart every single day without a gap.

They collectively chanted Baba’s name, sang 108 Hanuman Chalisas, conducted bhajans, performed seva at the mandir, and did various other prayers. Then, one day, the family members came in a very dejected state. Apparently, the doctors had lost all hope as that day the patient was not responding at all.

Some senior devotees participated in the prayers along with family members to give them moral support. As bhajans were being sung with deep devotion, suddenly we heard Baba’s voice: “Bach gaya” (He was saved from impending death!). The voice was very loud, but the few devotees who heard it kept quiet out of respect for the family members.

That day, they received a call from Delhi. The patient had indeed revived from what appeared to be an otherwise irrecoverable state. From thereon, he made a full recovery and with Baba’s grace is doing very well now, after nearly ten years. It was indeed Baba who had saved him.

When we pray from the depth of our hearts and refuse to give up until He hears our call, Baba has no choice but to help us out. When appropriate and beneficial, He even changes the writ of destiny itself. Nothing is impossible for Baba.

In the Sai Satcharita, Baba has promised us that He will pull us out from the jaws of death:

Baba Manifests In Kumkum

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Rudra Abhishekam was started at Om Sai Mandir on June 11, 2007. Since then Athi Maha Rudram (14,641 chants of Rudram, a vedic hymn) has been performed nearly twice. During the prayers we were blessed with several miraculous manifestations, ranging from the appearance of divine Ganga Jal to images of various deities.

Generally, as soon as we finish the prayers we decorate the deities with ornaments and apply a kumkum (vermillion) mark on the forehead of all deities. On September 19, 2011, we were performing the Rudram as usual in the morning.

As soon as the prayers were finished, we applied the dot of vermillion on the white shiv ling at Om Sai Mandir. To the wonder of all devotees present, the vermillion dot immediately turned into a portrait of Shirdi Sai Baba. The attached image was taken during the prayers and devotees can see how the dot of kumkum has transformed into Baba’s face. His eyes, nose, beard, lips, face, head-dress — everything can be seen very clearly.

How Baba Demonstrated His Omnipresence

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Baba has repeatedly assured us that He is not only present everywhere, but that He is the wirepuller of this entire universe. As humans, we cannot grasp the concept of Baba’s omnipresence so easily. To teach a child alphabets, the parent, too, has to recite the basics along with the child. In the same manner, Baba tries to explain His reality in the simplest form we can understand. At the very basic level, Baba wants us to know that we are all ONE, even though our forms are different.

Baba in ants

Once, Nanasaheb Chandorkar, a devotee of the Shirdi Sai Avatar offered some sugar to Baba. He requested Baba to eat the sugar. Baba smiled and within just a few seconds, hundreds of ants appeared out of nowhere. They started feasting on the sugar with great relish. Nanasaheb again asked Baba: “Deva, please eat my offering.”

At this Baba smiled and said, “Nana, I just ate through so many forms.” It was then that Nana understood that Baba is present everywhere and He is immanent in every living being.

Mrs. Tarkhad’s bread reached Baba

Mrs. Tarkhad, a devotee of Baba, wanted to feed Him roti (Indian bread). She rushed to her home to cook for Baba and when she was returning, a hungry dog appeared in front of her. Seeing the dog’s frail condition, she felt a deep sense of compassion and immediately fed the roti to the dog instead of Baba. When she returned to Baba, He appeared to be too pleased. On seeing her, Baba said:

“Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up to my throat, My afflicted pranas (life forces) have been satisfied. Ever act like this and it will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry and then eat yourself. Note this well. Eating that lovely bread I am heartily contented 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, and so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows, …) are one with Me. I am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all creatures, is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction and serve Me as you did today.”

Baba restores a blind man’s eyesight and reveals His formless reality

During the last few years of Baba’s avatar in Shirdi, hundreds of thousands of devotees would flock to get a vision of Sai. On one occasion, an elderly blind man went to Baba with an unusual request: “Baba, please restore my eyes for just one second. I just want to see you. After that, you can take my eyes away.” Baba is ever merciful in granting His devotees’ wishes and He immediately restored the man’s vision. Much to his surprise, however, He saw Baba everywhere in the universe. From earth to sky, enveloping the entire creation, he could see only SAI and nothing else.

In the Sai Satcharita, Baba has said the following words:

Saved From Sure Death: How Baba Averted A Fatal Accident

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During my first Master’s, I would often get absorbed in Sai’s thoughts and become oblivious to my surroundings. Often, objects in front of me would just appear as pure white light. Baba was aware of my state and inevitably, He would always protect me from oncoming dangers even when I was ignorant about their existence.

Just before a danger would appear, He would make me chant His name or sing a bhajan.

One morning, I had a premonition that I would be facing some danger and Baba internally asked me to start chanting His name to ensure divine protection. Before leaving the house, I started ceaseless recitation of Baba’s name. As I was walking toward school, I slipped and fell flat in the middle of the street. Unfortunately, just as I fell, the lights on the opposite street turned green and a sports car came zooming in my direction.

I had fallen flat on my back and had no time to get up and move away from the car. Within a fraction of a second, the car was at an arm’s length. Unfortunately, since I had fallen in the middle of the street, there was no room for the car to move on either side and the driver had no option except to run me down — unless of course, if he could apply the brakes on time. Since everything happened so fast, there was no question of that possibility either.

My subconscious mind quickly gathered the gravity of the situation and thinking that I had just a few more moments on earth, I closed my eyes and awaited the inevitable. All along, I was fervently praying to Sai.

Just then a miracle happened. When I opened my eyes, the car was on the other side and I was unharmed — not even a scratch on me. When I got up, several witnesses, bus drivers, and other cars signaled to me that God had indeed saved me. They were all still during that moment but none understood how the car had passed on the other side.

Even to this day, I don’t know how the car passed on the other side. After several years, though, I read a story about how Swami was once driving with a band of devotees when a truck appeared in front of them. The truck was moving very fast in their direction and neither party had a chance to escape. They knew Swami was with them so they held on to Him with faith. Miraculously, the car passed through the truck (just like a sci-fi movie) and was behind them in no time. No one was hurt.

It was then that I understood what had happened during my accident.

It is for this reason that we should always chant Baba’s name. His name protects us from all dangers — known and unknown.

The Power Of Prayers: Countless Problems Vanish

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A group of elder devotees were once praying to Baba at the mandir. Suddenly, Baba appeared in front of them. Usually, Baba appears with a bright aura around Him and He reveals His form, bright and resplendent as a million suns. This time, however, Baba appeared to be covered with a thick, dark black liquid.

Everyone was shocked to see the substance around Baba and requested Him to explain the meaning of the vision. Baba then said: “Millions of devotees pray to Me asking for several material benefits. Often, their past sins come on their way and so I take on their sufferings and sins on Myself to relieve them and give them an opportunity to move toward a brighter future. I don’t mind suffering for the sake of My devotees. The black liquid you see is their sufferings that I have taken on Myself.”

One elder devotee could not see Baba in this form and begged Baba to show a way to minimize the impact of these sins. At first Baba kept quiet but upon repeated requests, finally gave way and in His characteristic compassionate voice said, “Don’t lose heart. Even mountains of sins will disappear if you pray sincerely. Chant God’s name.”

The band of devotees took this advice seriously and collectively started chanting God’s name 27,000 times. Upon completion of each round of 1,000 names the black liquid would start reducing little by little. Finally when the round of 27,000 names was completed Baba appeared bright as a million suns. Countless sins from humanity had vanished by this small effort by a determined group of devotees.

Indeed prayers are very powerful. If we adopt the practice of praying daily, all our sins will be burnt to ashes and our future will become very bright.

Onion Transformed Into Sweet Potato: Baba’s Will Is Supreme

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In early 1900s, the environment in Shirdi was a multicultural place where devotees from different faiths freely practiced their religious beliefs without fear of persecution or ridicule. Baba always allows devotees to adhere to their own beliefs and practices.

Once, a devotee by the name of Kusa Bhav visited Baba. Kusa Bhav was hardly in his early twenties when he had met a guru who taught him several mystical mantras. With the aid of these mantras, Bhav would produce various objects out of thin air. Unlike real miracles, these objects were merely transported from other dimensions and were not a product of Divine Will, like one demonstrated by Baba.

When Bhav arrived in Shirdi, Baba did not let him enter the place. Baba said, “If you want to come here, you must give up your attachment to lower powers. You are using them to fool people.” Kusa Bhav loved Baba deeply and immediately gave up the practice of lower powers. Baba asked him to read the Guru Charita 108 times as an act of purification, which Bhav willingly did.

One day, Bhav visited Baba during lunch time. Baba was eating an onion with bread. Seeing this, Bhav said, “Baba, today is Ekadashi (eleventh holy day of the Hindu Calendar). Why are you eating onions today? They are prohibited on Ekadashi.”

Baba was in a playful mood that day and said, “Child, I did not eat onion. I ate sweet potato. Do you want proof?” Saying this Baba vomited a sweet potato in lieu of the onion He had actually eaten. Kusa Bhav was young but very intelligent. He immediately snatched the potato from Baba’s hand and gulped it down with great relish. Baba feigned anger and said, “Arre, why did you eat my ushti (something I had already eaten)?”

Baba had indeed eaten an onion but His will is so powerful, the onion had transformed into a sweet potato. In Parthi, Baba had said several times: “I can transform earth into sky and sky into earth. All powers are at the tip of my palm. My will is supreme.”

Yet, Baba was deeply touched by his faith and granted Kusa Bhava a boon. Baba said: “From today whenever you think about Me, the vibhuti from Dwarakamai will manifest in your palms the moment you think about Me.”

Baba is such a kind and powerful incarnation. Knowing that Kusa Bhav had given up lower powers, Baba granted him the ability to produce vibhuti which was bound to benefit devotees. In 1940’s or 50’s when Narasimha Swami, a saint, visited Kusa Bhav, he manifested warm vibhuti straight from Baba’s Dwarakamai just by thinking about Him. This was nearly thirty years after Shirdi Baba’s Mahasamadhi.