Category Archives: Parthi Sai

Guru The Eternal Guide

“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 Never Forgets His Children

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As always, a large congregation of tens of thousands devotees had assembled at Prashanti Nilayam, Baba’s ashram in Andhra Pradesh, India. Swami is always full of love-filled surprises and on one particular day, He suddenly announced that He would distribute prasadam to each and every devotee who had assembled there that day.

Immediately, a band of hundreds of volunteers swarmed all over the ashram to distribute Baba’s prasadam. Like honey bees eager to feast on nectar, these dedicated volunteers, anxious to perform their seva, covered the entire place in a spirit of selfless service. These well-trained men and women are a great example of how complex and large-scale logistics are executed quickly. Within a few minutes every one in the hall had received a packet of sweets. The ashram was all smiles but Swami did not appear to be satisfied.

As the volunteers approached Baba to tell him that the distribution was completed, Baba said “No!” The volunteers were surprised because they had personally handed out the offerings to every single person. They inspected the logistics of their distribution but could not find any error.

Finally, Swami revealed His omniscience and said, “There are some people near the gates. Go and give them prasadam.” The volunteers rushed to the gates but could not see the devotees. Then suddenly they saw a bunch of devotees running toward the ashram. Apparently, they were late that day and had just arrived. Due to the large crowd they could not get a seat within the ashram and were feasting their eyes from outside.

It was then that the volunteers realized that Swami had already seen these devotees even when no one else could.After these devotees received their packets, Swami was all smiles.

Baba bears the love of a thousand mothers — He never forgets His children.

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.

Baba Reciprocates Love And Only Love

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When Baba arrived in Shirdi as a lad of sixteen, He was welcomed with an emotional mix of love, animosity, suspicion, jealousy, anger, and even hatred. Yet, Baba reciprocated love and only love, no matter what was thrown His way.

In fact, some ignorant young children of Shirdi (at the time) would often pelt stones at Baba. Guess how Baba reciprocated this gesture. Baba would go and run to each child who threw a stone at Him and offer sugar candy in return. Yes, even those who threw stones at Baba received sugar candy as a return gift. Baba has repeatedly said that He is pure love and nothing else. In effect, through his loving actions, Baba gave us a practical demonstration of what Lord Buddha had proclaimed during his time:

Needless to say that within a few years, many in the hamlet of Shirdi recognized Baba for who He was and started worshipping Him with utmost love and devotion.

Every avatar is subjected to intense human resistance during the beginning, but eventually the avatar conquers His way toward the fulfillment of His avataric mission. All along, the only unfailing weapon utilized by the avatar is the very potent and effective instrument of LOVE!

When Baba arrived in His form as Sathya Sai, He was subjected to the same initial resistance. The author’s father once shared a wonderful story recounting Baba’s abundant love for everone without exception. Once, the father’s friend visited Puttaparthi to see Baba. The gentleman had no interest in Baba and was apparently pushed to visit Prashanti Nilayam due to pressure from his family. As he was seated in the darshan line, Swami was busy speaking with the crowd of tens of thousands of devotees who had assembled there.

In the darshan line, the man continued staring at Baba. Though externally, he was maintaining calm internally he was abusing Baba with the choicest of volleys. None in the darshan line knew what was going on in this man’s mind but Baba is omniscient. He came straight to this man and looked at Him pointedly. Baba then addressed Him in the most loving fashion as follows:

“Child, you do not like me, isn’t it?” The man was shocked but kept quiet as Baba continued: “It is okay if you don’t like Me. You are hungry, aren’t you? How can I not know when My children are starving?” On saying this, Baba waved His hand and instantly materialized a silver cup that was filled with warm milk. Baba asked the gentleman to drink the milk. He was so shocked by the turn of events that he quietly gulped down the milk with utmost relish. On seeing him satisfied, Baba smiled with divine motherly love and moved away from there.

This was a life-changing lesson for the gentleman who subsequently turned into a very staunch devotee of Baba. It was Baba’s pure love that had transformed him.

The following words of Baba in Tapovanam always give us hope and solace:

“The Lord of Puttaparthi protects you always; the ever-merciful holds your hand in help, never leaves you abandoned.” –Baba

You Can’t Hide From Me

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As most know, Baba runs a free university where students from all walks of life gain access to free education (from kindergarten to Ph.D.). The atmosphere in Baba’s institutions is unique. Students not only gain knowledge, they develop character and become ideal citizens.

As such, smoking is not allowed on the campus. Nearly all students follow Baba’s teachings in a devoted and loving manner. One student, however, was innocently tempted to test the Lord Himself. He bought a cigarette and knowing that smoking is not allowed on the campus went to another village. There, he reached a secluded spot and after ascertaining that no one was watching went behind the bushes to smoke.

After having satisfied himself that no one saw him, he returned to Puttaparthi and resumed his classes. That same day, Baba visited his campus un-announced and walked into the class where the young boy was seated. As he approached the classroom, students rejoiced to see their beloved Lord in their midst. Swami blessed everyone and looked into the direction of the boy. “Did you smoke today,” The Lord asked.

Unaware of Baba’s vast powers, the boy said, “No Swami. I did not smoke.” Swami smiled and raised his hand toward the blackboard. Lo! A divine picture appeared on the screen displaying every move the lad had made since that morning. The journey to the village, the effort to hide behind the bushes, the act of smoking — all of it appeared minute by minute on the visual. The boy was shocked! Swami made another gesture and the screen vanished as miraculously as it appeared.

The boy was now in tears and fell at Baba’s feet, begging for mercy. Baba, who bears the love of a thousand mothers, immediately forgave the boy and advised him to adopt the path of truth and love. Needless to say, the boy was transformed and went on to become a humble devotee of Baba.

Baba Always Watches Over His Children

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After attending the Sunday bhajans at Om Sai Mandir, the author was on his way home when he came across a four-year-old girl running alone on the street. An unseen voice urged the author to help the little child.

The child was very difficult to control and was impatiently hurrying to the main intersection, an area frequented by many speeding vehicles. When he questioned her about her whereabouts she did not give a definite answer and babbled strange words. It was very clear that she was lost.

How was the author to control her? She was unwilling to take his help and was intent on running in an unknown direction. It was a dilemma. If he were to force help on her, people could easily mistake his intentions. Leaving her alone was not an option either. Baba was the only one who could suggest a way out of this dilemma, and so he fervently invoked Baba’s grace.

The invisible voice again drew the writer’s attention to the girl’s forehead. There was a distinct vermillion mark, suggesting that she had just visited the Ganesh temple across the street from Om Sai Mandir. This was a wonderful clue. Next, the voice suggested, “Ask her to run a race with you. That way she won’t resist your help.”

It worked. The girl cheerfully ran in the direction of the temple. When they reached the temple’s cafeteria a group of people were frantically looking for the girl and as soon as they saw her they felt very relieved. It was a wonderful reunion — all hugs and kisses.

How did the author reach the spot just when the girl was lost? Who was the invisible voice guiding him through the entire situation? It was none other than Baba. Were it not for Baba’s help, the innocent child could have fallen in serious danger.

When devotees are in harm’s way, Baba cannot but rush to their help. This has been the experience of countless devotees. When Baba was physically present in Shirdi, a devotee visited the place to seek His blessings. As is normally the case, some villagers misguided the man into visiting a woman who offered her services to travelers.

The two engaged in a conversation and just when the man was to face spiritual downfall, the door slammed open and
he saw Baba physically standing there. Baba made hand gestures, indicating as if that you have come to seek my blessings and is this what you engage in? The devotee immediately left the place and was saved by Baba’s timely warning.

Nanasaheb Chandorkar, too, was saved from physical harm because of Baba’s vigilance. Nana was on a pilgrimage to a shrine that was situated on a hill. When he was climbing the hill, he felt intensely thirsty and extremely weak.

He prayed to Baba and at that very moment a man came to him and offered water. It need not be mentioned that the man was none other than Sainath. In fact, at that very instance, Baba remarked to villagers at Shirdi that he just gone to deliver water to Nana. None understood this comment but when Nana visited Shirdi, the purport of Baba’s remark became clear.

Our beloved Baba keeps an ever-watchful eye on His children and He ensures our safety and welfare in every way possible. He is ever vigilant and ever-ready to help everyone.

The Devotion Of A Little Squirrel

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In the legend of Ramayana one cannot but help notice the mighty contribution of the little squirrel, the same squirrel that was blessed thrice. First, for being able to make a contribution to the Lord’s cause; second, for being blessed by Lord Rama; and third, for being sanctified by His holy touch, a mark of which is still borne by descendants of the squirrel race.

When in order to reach Lanka Lord Rama was getting a bridge built over the Indian Ocean, millions of members of the monkey army were gathering large stones and mountains for the construction. When the monkeys were busy constructing the bridge, a little squirrel busied itself in carrying small pebbles to the site of construction. It would run and carry small pebbles in its mouth and empty them at the place where huge stones were being assembled. The squirrel’s small size was not a deterrent to its gigantic determination and devotion.

A band of monkeys noticed this unusual behavior and tossed the squirrel out in an act of mockery. Their apparent cruelty turned out to be an act of blessing, a blessing seldom secured by even the greatest of gods, for the squirrel landed straight into the hands of the Lord Himself. [What a beautiful lesson this is. When the world tosses us out, the Lord's ever-protecting hands are always ready to save us.]

The all-knowing, ever-merciful Lord feigned ignorance for the sake of teaching the world and asked the squirrel: “What is it that you were trying to accomplish, my child?” The meek creature humbly replied, “Lord, I am very small in size and I cannot carry big rocks, but I was very eager to contribute to your cause and was therefore carrying these small pebbles in my mouth. I did not want to lose this opportunity to serve you and so I tried performing service in a manner that befits my size, strength, and abilities.”

When the squirrel fell into the hands of the Lord, three beautiful lines were imprinted on its back, and Lord Rama blessed the squirrel with the boon that all its descendants would bear the same three marks on their backs. This act was a beautiful lesson for mankind. The big works being performed by giant, able-bodied monkeys did not catch the Lord’s attention, but this little act of service that was being performed with sincere devotion ultimately won blessings.