SAI DIVINE Inaugural issue Volume 1 Ram Navami Issue 28 March 2015 SAI AMERICAN FOUNDATION
Guruji Dr Chandra Bhanu Satpathy at the feet of Shirdi Sai Baba
CONTENTS 2 4Editorial 6Zinny Satpathy 8 13Ram Navami Message 14Guruji Dr Chandra Bhanu Satpathy 18 23Sai American Foundation 24Mousumee Jena 29 30SHIRDI – The Sacred Gurusthan 34Sunita Tripathy 36 40BABA – The Invisible Hand 42Sonakshee Shree 46 50Shree Guru Bhagavat – An Unparalleled Creation 52Biswaranjan JenaGURUJI - The DivinitySuchismita PradhanGURUJI - The LighthouseManoj GoudaWitnessing Sai Movement in USANikhil SinglaLaughing in the rainKim WatersBaba’s PresenceSutapa GhoshDevotee's ExperiencesSarita Sanjaya, Anil BiswalShri Shrdi Sai Movement in EuropeAbhijit NarayanBABA’s ChildrenThe Story of the Sugar CandyRenuka ArunThe Shirdi Sai Temple of ChicagoSantanu PatraWho is God?Suvendu DashBABA – Then and NowShammi Chopra
EDITORIALOn the Occasion of Shri Ram Navami we would like to seekblessings from Mahaavatar Sri Sainath of Shirdi and PujyaGuruji Shri Chandra Bhanu Satpathy Ji for the first edition ofThe Sai Divine, E-Magazine of The Sai American Foundation.With the Blessings of Shri Guruji, the Sai American Foundationwas established to propagate the teachings and philosophy ofShirdi Sai Baba in the Americas and Beyond. In 1989 Guruji's lifecompletely transformed after visiting Shirdi and He set out on amission to bring Sai into the lives of millions across the globe. Inthe year 2000, Guruji set His foot in Chicago to ignite the Saimovement in the Unites States of America. A decade later, as apart of His global mission, Sai American Foundation wasestablished. Under the guidance of Guruji, Sai American Foundation hasachieved major milestones in its mission in the last few yearsfrom organizing Sai congregations, organizing Guruji'sdiscourses, books and music releases, organizing culturalevents on the life and teachings of Sainath, inspire devotees toform study groups to propage Guruji's literature, organize SaiArati and much more . Guruji’s literature and music on ShriSiridi Sai Baba, spirituality, perfect masters , Guruparampara ,cosmogony etc have been a constant source of inspiration forthe foundation. Guruji leads millions in a mission to spreadSaiism across the Globe and the chief mentor of numerousorganizationsdedicatedtohismission. Todaywearepleasedtopublishthefirsteditionof “TheSaiDivine”e-magazinefromtheSai American Foundation.
We will be publishing this magazine four times a year, on theoccasions of New Year, Ram Navami, Gurupurnima,Dussehra(Mahasamadhiday).Runningthismagazinehasbeenone of my most motivating experience of my life. Simply put ,\"Just surrender to Sai Baba. Make your life simple and you canfeel Sai all around you \" .On behalf of Sai American FoundationwepraySainathandGuruji toblessusall.Weprayandwishthatall be blessed with happiness and good health and may the SaiDivine E-magazine inspire all the readers and devotees toprogress spiritually in their lives. It was beyond our imagination that we could publish ourmagazine within such a short period of time. But as we all know\"When Sai Baba and Guruji is there why fear? \" From SaiAmerican Foundation we thank each one of the you from thebottom of our hearts, especially the children who havecontributed to this magazine. I Personally thank all of our Saifamily members, the Sai Divine team and all contributors fortheir hard work to make this possible. I hope this magazinereaches everyone across the globe, inspires all and draws alltowards the Ever Protecting Sainath and Benevolent Guruji. Ipray and hope that Sai Divine becomes a medium to spreadSAIISM as an integrated part of Guruji's Sai Global Movement .Jai Shree Sai . Jai Gurudev.Zinny SatpathyEditor in-chief (Sai Divine)
4 SHIRDI SAI BABA MESSAGE For Ram Navami Shirdi Sai Baba, at the earliest period of His settlement at Shirdi, had undertaken the onerous task of creating a flower garden. This flower garden was on a piece of land on which the Sathe-wada, Buti-wada and Dixit-wada have been built. Within the Sathe-wada enclosure, there exists the famous Gurusthan, where the Margosa tree (Neem tree) is located. According to Baba, in his previous Incarnation, He had performed his Tapasya / Guru Sadhana inside a cavern located at this spot inside which four burning lamps were discovered. He used to refer to it as His Guru’s place. Hence, the name ‘GURUSTHAN’. Baba used to provide water to the plants with two earthen pitchers which were supplied to him by a devotee by name of Vaman Tatya, every day. With these, Baba used to water the plants on a daily basis. He used to draw water from the well and carry the pitchers on His shoulders in the evening. He would place the pitchers at the foot of the Neem tree. As soon as placed, the pitchers would break, as they were made of raw earth and not baked. Next day, Tatya would supply two fresh pitchers. Such an arduous exercise went on for 3 years. With Sai Baba’s concern and toil, there gradually grew a flower-garden. Presently, a huge mansion, known as the Samadhi Mandir of Baba, stands with all its majesty on this site. Besides creating the flower garden, Baba had also planted many medicinal and fruit bearing trees like Margosa, Mango and Guava trees. Baba used to sit under the Margosa tree (Neem tree) for long hours in meditation. He used to practice herbal medicine in the village. For that He used to go out in search of medicinal herbs in the forest area surrounding the Shirdi village. To some, He used to give the leaves of the Neem tree for cure of certain diseases. It is mentioned in Shri Sai Satcharita that He applied a paste of Beeba (Semicarpus Anacardium) having an anti-inflammatory effect. He was fully conversant with the medicinal effect of herbs. His devotees used to fondly address Him as Hakim (Doctor).
5 Even when He was extremely busy with the welfare of the people ofShirdi and His visiting devotees, Baba took care to ensure that plantsand trees were protected in Shirdi and planted many trees. Hebehaved like a traditional environmentalist of His time. Many of theVedic Rishis and Saints of yore, in the past, had propagated the themeof environmental protection because they used to stay in jungles andknew the value of the nature surrounding them. The theme is that ‘ifyou protect the jungle, the jungle protects you’. It is a matter of give andtaken between the human race and the bountiful nature. Environmentalism is basically, an attempt to balance the multi-faceted relations between humans, other living species and thevarious aspects of nature on which they mutually depend. Itadvocates the lawful preservation, restoration and/or improvementof the natural environment, and may be referred to as a movement tocontrol pollution or protect plant and animal diversity. Protection of the environment has become a concern with thehuman society today. Unnecessary felling of trees in the forest andenvironmental pollution is increasing with every passing year and iscausing grave and irreparable damage to the eco-system of the earth.There are hundreds of factors that contaminates the environment likethe use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, mis-management of the sanitary system, contamination of the river water(effluence from industries, exuding of toxin gases), non-biodegradable litter and many more resulting in adverse healthdiseases like lung Cancer, Asthama, loss of life expectancy, skindiseases, also doing harm to the flora and fauna. Preserving and protecting our environment should be one of ourmain concerns as it was with Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. From among allthe species, only humans can think and act to make positivecontribution towards the maintenance of a healthy environment.Therefore, we must make a resolve to give priority to this vital issue. Itwill not only help us survive but also the other species at large.Jai Shree Sai Dr. C. B. Satpathy Gurgaon, India
SAI AMERICAN FOUNDATION - Mousumee JenaGurujishoweredhisblessingsonallofusduringHisSatsangatourCenter at Dallas, USA in 6th March 2011 . Initially after enquiringabout each of us about our roots in Odisha, Baba then spoke fewwords on Odia culture and how we need to progress in our path tospiritually. There were about fifty Odia families attended this Satsang asGuruji spoke on Jagannath culture, Odia music, dances andrelevance of Shirdi Sai Baba in today’s world. We sang Shri GuruBhagabata (part-1) togetherevenifthiswasfirsttimeinthelife ofmost of the Odias to have come across such tunes. Along with thatfew Odia bhajans on Lord Jagannath were recited togethercreating a great vibe and the atmosphere was over pouring withemotions. Guruji sang some beautiful Odia songs which he had composed40yearsbackandwegottotallyshockedthatevenafter40yearsHestill remembered all his lines. Along with the Odia songs, Gurujialso sang few bhajans with the musical instruments. Even if themusical instruments had no sharpness in them, Guruji could stillmanage to sing and play in different Ragas. It was like theseinstruments came to life after He touched them ! Its still a dream for all of Odias and we are discussing about theevening over and over again. Guruji advised us on how to proceedon OSA ( Odisha Society of Americas) – 2011 convention and whatsteps should be undertaken to make this event a successful one.The OSA office bearers are now quite happy to have received suchgrace from Guruji The whole program spanned almost for five long hours andGuruji expressed His total satisfaction on the event. He was ofopinion that he never used to sit for such long hours with anygroup. It is our good luck and fortune that we had Guruji among usfor such occasion. Each family had brought a special Oriya dish oftheir choice and Guruji had his dinner with us after the Satsang.
7 We really enjoyed every bit of this evening and it was truly amemorable one for all of Odiyas in Dallas, USA. His actions aretotally unthinkable and unknown to all humans. We are sofortunate to have him in our group that people are still singing hispraise after he left for Houston. In order to spread Baba’s message, under the guidance of Guruji,Shirdi Sai Center was formed. Although it started as a smallcongregation of Sai devotees from Odisha who had settled in Dallas,today Sai American Foundation has cruised past the regional andlanguage barriers and has become a real Global organization. Thegroup now includes devotees from all over USA and Canada andclosely connected with Sai devotees in Europe, Australia, NewZealandandIndia.Asthewordspreadandmoreandmoredevoteesjoined the movement under Guruji. On the 1st of August 2014, SaiAmerican Foundation was registered as a non profit organizationin the state of Texas, USA.Objectives:- To spread Shirdi Sai philosophy ( SAISM) across US and other partsof the globe….-TodoresearchintothelifeandteachingsofGuruji,especiallythoseaspectsthattransformhumanlivesandimprovethequalityoftheirlives.- Spreading the message of love, purity and sanctifying the lives inthe service of Lord Shirdi Sai.-MakingpeopleawareofthehappeningsandeventswhichGurujiisinvolved around the world and make significant contribution tosociety in terms of distribution of Books, CDs and various otherliterature by Guruji by spreading the message.- Making the people of the world to realize their inner Self and self-surrender to Shirdi SAI.-Topromotequalitiesofhumankind’sidealsofquality,coexistence,selflessness, and extend a helping hand to the poor and the needy intimes of distress.- Be the center for spreading the message about all the activitiestaken up by Guruji in the field of spiritualism and services tohumanity. Plano, TX
SHIRDI The Sacred Gurusthan - Sunita TripathySai Baba first came to Shirdi in the form of a Bal Yogi - a child ascetic.He was first spotted seated under a Neem (margosa) tree. This placecame to be known as Gurusthan - “Place of the Guru”. It is both whereBaba spent most of his time when he first came to Shirdi, and alsowhere, according to Baba, the tomb of his own Guru is located.Gurusthan is therefore one of the most important places in Shirdi.One day Lord Khandoba possessed the body of some devotee andpeople inquired him about young Sai Baba and from where has hecome from. Lord Khandoba asked them to bring a pickaxe and dig ina particular place. This was done. The villagers found a cellar underthe ground which was 10’ in length and 10’ in breadth and 12’ high.Inside it they found a flat stone. Under the flat stone were found fourburning lamps and a corridor leading to another cellar where theydiscovered a 'cow-mouth' shaped structure, and a Jaap Mala(rosary). Khandoba said that Baba practiced penance for 12 yearsthere. The people began to question young Sai Baba about this. Hediverted the question by telling them that this was his Guru's placeand requested them to guard it well.To prove his point, baba placed his right hand on a branch of theNeem tree. That was the branch facing the east and said “This is thetruth, and from today the bitterness of this side of the Neem willdisappear.” Thus it came to pass that the leaves on the right side arenot bitter. The villagers then covered the portion of the ground thatwas dug. They placed the mud over as it was before. Then Baba said,“Anyone who applies slurry of cow dung on this area, on Thursdayand Friday, and offer incense sticks, will be benefited greatly”.Devotees offer incense sticks at Gurusthan even to this day.
9As a reminiscence of Baba's first appearance in this place, devoteesinstalled his Padukas there. Today at Gurusthan, in addition to theneem tree, there is a pair of marble padukas on a pedestal, a‘Shivalinga’ and a statue of Baba. The padukas were the initiative of acouple of devotees from Mumbai (Bombay). During their visit toShirditheybecamefriendlywithtwolocaldevotees,G.K.Dixit(nottobe confused with H. S. “Kakasaheb” Dixit) and Sagun Meru Naik. Asthey were sitting and talking one day, they all felt it would be good ifthere were some kind of memorial to Baba’s advent in Shirdi and hisstay under the neem tree.Theyfirstthoughtoflayingsomepadukasmadeofroughstone.Thenone of them suggested that if he put the proposal to his employer, Dr.Ramrao Kothare, he would probably be willing to sponsorsomething more elegant – as indeed he was. Dr. Kothare gladly cameto Shirdi from Bombay, drew up a plan for them and showed it toUpasani Baba. He made some improvements adding a conch, lotus,and Mahavishnu wheel – and suggested that the following twoSanskrit shlokas extolling the tree’s greatness and Baba’s powers beinscribed on the padukas’ pedestal: \"Sada Nimbarvrikshasya mooladhiwasat, Sudhasravinam tiktamapi-apriyam tam, Tarum Kalpavrikshadhikam sadhayantam, Namameeshwaram Sadgurum Sai Natham\"
“IbowtoLordSainath,whobyhisconstantstayatthefootoftheneemtree – which although bitter and unpleasant, was yet oozing nectar –made it better than the wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpavriksha). I bow toLord Sainath, who always takes delight in resting under the neemtree and bestowing material and spiritual prosperity upon hisdevotees who lovingly attend on him.” The padukas were made in Bombay and sent to Shirdi. When theyarrived, Baba commented that they were “Allah’s padukas” andshouldbeplacedinGurusthanonaparticularday.Thepadukaswereduly installed in a solemn ceremony on the August full moon day(15th) of 1912, having been carried in a procession from theKhandobaTemple.Afewmonthsaftertheirinstallationthepadukaswere damaged by a lunatic who also destroyed some of Shirdi’stempleidols.Thedevoteeswereverydistressed,believingitauguredill. Baba, however, took the matter casually and told them simply torepair the crack with cement and undertake a poor-feeding. In fact,the broken padukas were later replaced and the originals are said tobe in the pedestal underneath. Once when some villagers were digging the foundations for SatheWada just behind the neem tree, they came across some bricks in thesoil and what looked like the opening of a tunnel. Uncertain whetherto proceed or not, they asked Baba what they should do. He told themthat this was the site of the tombs of his ancestors and that it would bebetter not to disturb them. There are several references to Baba’sGuru recorded in the literature, but they are somewhat enigmatic,and it is not clear whether he was referring to a Guru in his presentlifetime, or a previous one. The first thing that catches a devotee’s eye at Gurusthan is the hugeneem tree. This tree gave shelter to Baba for a few years when hestayed beneath it. Neem has many medicinal properties, though itsleaves are notoriously bitter. However, some people once reportedthat the leaves of one of the branches tested sweet. For them it was asign of Baba’s grace; others see it as evidence of the tree’s exceptionalsanctity.
11One incidence concerning the neem tree illustrates how practicaland down-to-earth Baba could be. In the early 1900s, after Baba hadmoved to the mosque, construction work on Sathe Wada washampered by a long branch of the tree. However, nobody wanted toremove it, as this tree had been sanctified by Baba’s stay under it.When Baba was approached for his advice he told the villagers, “Cutoff however much is interfering with the construction. Even if it isour own fetus which is lying across the womb, we must cut it!” Butdespite this clear instruction from Baba, none dared to meddle withthe tree. Eventually Baba himself climbed up and lopped off thebranch. The shivaling was installed in Gurusthan the same year. It hadpreviously belonged to Megha Sham. How Megha acquired theshivaling is a beautiful example of Baba’s leela: Megha was a simple,austere Gujarathi Brahmin, who worshipped Shiva but saw hischosen deity in Sai Baba. Characteristically, Baba encouraged hisdevotee to maintain his worship of Shiva. One day Baba blessed himwithavision,appearingtohimearlyonemorningtellinghimtodrawa trident (emblem of Shiva) and leaving behind a few grains of rice(the kind that are used in puja). When Megha went to him in themosque Baba emphatically confirmed the instruction, and Meghareturned to his room to carry it out. The next day someone presenteda shivaling to Baba. Baba called Megha over saying, “Look, Shiva hascome for you!” and giving the shivaling to Megha, told him to use it forworship. At that time, Megha was staying in Dixit Wada. He took theshivaling home with him and showed it to H. S. Dixit. Dixit thendisclosed that he had just had a vision of the very same shivalingarriving at the wada! Megha worshipped this shivaling with greatdedication until the end of his days. When the padukas were to beinstalled, the devotees wanted to take the opportunity to put ashivaling there too. If there was a tomb here as Baba had said, thenaccording to Hindu custom, it required a shivaling.
They therefore asked Baba’s permission, and he said they could usethe shivaling that Megha had worshipped until his death at thebeginning of that year. So the shivaling that we see there now is thesame one that Baba lovingly handed over to Megha.DuringBaba’slifetime,Gurusthanwascompletelyopenandlookedquite different from the fully paved and enclosed area it has nowbecome. Shri Sai Baba said that whoever burns incense and cleanshere on Thursdays and Fridays would be blessed by Allah(Thursday is sacred to Hindus, and Friday to Muslims). We assumethat out of love and respect for his Guru, Baba wishes the place to bevenerated and kept clean.Now, one can often see large numbers of people going around theGurusthan throughout the day and night. Others find thatGurusthan is a powerful place to sit quietly. Some people regard thetree as a symbol of the Guru’s grace under which humanity maytake shelter and protection. Indeed, Sai Baba once commented thathis devotees are simply resting in the shade of the neem tree whilehe bears the brunt of their deeds.||Jai Shri Sai. Jai Gurudev|| - Frazer, PA Sadguru sets a devotee free from concepts caused by sheer intellect. All such concepts are symbols of ignorance. - Guruji Shri C. B. Satpathy ji
13BABATHE INVISIBLE HANDI was running from my fears, Sonakshee Shree Fear of failures, Fear of the uncertainty, Fear of the future.While running and running,I came across the invisible hand.He embraced me and said: “Why fear when I am here”I woke up from this frightening Yet blissful dream and suddenlyI was reborn with new confidence. Confidence that pushed me to strive for nothing but excellenceConfidence that made me believe in myself when the rest of the world laughed at my dreams,Confidence that only this invisible hand had in me that no one else had,And because of this invisible hand, I am a little wiser, A little bit more patient - University of Houston, Texas
14 Shree Guru Bhagavat An Unparalleled Creation - Biswaranjan Jena Shri Guru Bhagavat originally written in Odia language (five volumes have been published so far) is a supreme creation of Guruji Dr. Chandra Bhanu Satpathy. Till now four volumes of this epic creation have been translated into English. This book elaborately depicts the theme of devotion towards Guru and theme of Guru Tradition in totality. This treatise contains invaluable aspects of human life like greatness and uniqueness of Guru, the different levels of Gurus, the relation between Guru and disciple and the importance of rendering services to guru is written in a poetic manner(eachlineinninelettersincoupletform).Thispoetictreatise standslikealighthouseforeveryspiritualtravelerandshowsdivine path towards knowledge, devotion and action. For every on in the path of spiritual journey, this book is worth a treasure collection for daily reading. Guruji Shri Satpathy has himself admitted that, behind the creation of this epoch making and humanistic literature written in traditional Odia Bhagavat style (nine letters in couplet form), lies the inspiration and blessings of his Sadguru Shri Shridi Sai Baba. As per Guruji – “many years ago, I had heard one of my near relatives singing some lines from Odia Bhagabat (originally written by Jagannath Das). I remember four lines of the Bhagavat which I recite mentally at times and derive utmost delight. The same is quoted below:- “Govinda Govinda Govinda, Padu Khyaruchi Makaranda Se Makaranda Pana kari, hele tarile Brajanaaree” This means “Oh Govinda! From your Holy feet, honey like nectar always flows. Drinking this honey nectar, the women of Vraj (Gopi of the Indian epic- Mahabharat) got salvation”
15 The beautiful and exotic tone in which she had sung had attractedme immensely and touched me to the quick. In 2001, I again had thechance of listening to her recital of these lines. This had illuminatedin my mind with exalted emotion, rhythm and imagination. Onenightaround11p.minthelaterhalfof2001asIsettleddowntowritea song on Sadguru Shri Sainath Maharaj, four lines in “NabakshariChhand” (a poetic meter of nine letters in each line in a couplet)startedflowingspontaneouslyinmymindinthesamesweettuneasheard earlier. This is what came to my mind: “Shri Gurudeba Gurudeba, Praana mo Khoje paada Taba Tuma Shri Payara Dhyaanare, Ekaagrata Aase manare”This means “Oh Shri Gurudev (Oh the Master!) My soul ever yearnsfor your feet. When I meditate on your feet, only then my mind getsabsorbed in it”. Whilewritingthesefourlines,Gurujihadenteredintotheplainofdivine ecstasy and his entire night passed away in that state. Thosefour lines of the first day have taken the shape of “Shri GuruBhagavat”containingabouttwentyfivethousandlinesuntilnowinthe shape of five volumes. The volume one describes about – Shri Sadguru (The PerfectMasters),Gurus(Masters),Santhas(Saints)andSanyaasi(Ascetics).Subsequent chapters deal with - Types of Guru, Divine activities ofFive Sadgurus, The role of Sadgurus in the evolution of Jeevatma.What are the classifications of Sanyasis (Mendicants)? This volumealso sheds light on - Who is called a Sudha Yogi (Pure Yogi) and who iscalled an Evil Yogi. Classification and characteristics of Devoteesare also described in detail in this volume. Guruji has very keenlydescribedhowdifferentclassificationsofdevoteeshappenintermsof desire, Karma and Bhakti.
This volume has explicitly describes between- Who is called a “Su-Bhakta” (Good devotee) and who is called a “Foolish Devotee” aswell. Mention about “Ankit Santan” (Spiritual Children) is alsopretty unique towards the end of this volume which Guruji hasdescribed in detail. The volume two describes the Divine characteristics of theSadguru, the divine signs on the body of Shri Guru and the power ofmiracles of Shri Guru. The relationships between the Guru and thedisciple’s devotion towards Guru have been described in detail inthis volume. The evolution of the seed of devotion of Guru, theevolutionofdevotee’sconsciousness,Guru’scontroloverdevotees,the divine influence of Shri Guru, Guru’s method of impartingknowledge and Guru showing path in the new life of devotees aresome of the notable features of this volume which Guruji hasdescribed elaborately. One unique feature– “The Science of Death”has been a hallmark of this volume which has drawn an inquisitivemind to seek answer for how and what happens at the time of“death of the body”. Thevolumethreestartsfrom“Thescienceofdeath”fromvolumetwo and deals elaborately with the knowledge of Death (Mrityu-Vidya). The main aspects of Mrityu-Vidya deals with- the role ofSadguruatthetimeofdeathofdevotee.Remarkablefeaturesofthisvolume is the mention of journey of soul after death into Heaven(Swarga-Loka) and Hell (Narka- Loka). The theory of Karma- Phala(action reaction syndrome of Hindu spiritual science) is alsoanother prominent feature of this volume wherein Guruji hasmentioned various aspects of seed of Karma. Guruji has alsorevealed on how Karmic debt results and how the shackles of debts(Rinanubandha) manifested as per Karma is pretty much eyeopening for the readers to realize in this volume. Another notablefeature of this volume is – Guru Sadhana (Meditation on Guru)deals with different types of meditation, mental worship, worshipof Guru and seven levels of Sadhana( Meditation).
17The volume four is devoted to God realization, difference betweentheworshipofGuruandworshipofDeity.Yoga-Sadhana(Principlesof Yogic practice), Power theory of meditation and Definition ofSamadhi are the notable features of this volume. The science of Godand Brahma’s Blueprint of creation in terms of attraction andrepulsion theory also worth reading from point of view of relatinghuman body and the Universe. Guruji has very clearly depicted thetheory of mediation along with ancillary knowledge of Mediationfor the readers in the path of spiritual journey. The volume five (in Odia language) is more eye opening for thereaders where in Guruji has cleared doubts in our minds by mentionof - what are blind beliefs and effects of blessings and curse on adevotee. Guruji has very evidently mentioned how the evil effects ofCurse can be minimized by Guru’s blessings and how to get rid ofblind beliefs as a whole. The volume five is yet to get published inEnglish. Devotees will get a glimpse of it once it gets translated intoEnglish soon. - Plano, Dallas
GURUJI - Suchismita PradhanTHE DIVINITYRevered Dr. Chandra Bhanu Satpathy is fondly known as ‘Guruji’tosomedevoteesofShriShirdiSaiBabaandalsoknownas‘Baba’tosome other devotees. Born on 24th December, 1948 at cuttack,Odisha, India, He was raised in a highly educated and religiousfamily under the guidance of His father Shri Gokul ChandraSatpathy and mother Smt. Harsha Mayee Satpathy.He was a perfect blend of all round- education and culture. He hadhis elementary education at a church run English school atBerhampur. After completing his high school, he went on to finishhis undergraduate studies at Ravenshaw College at Cuttack. In1970, he graduated from Ramjas College, University of Delhiearning his Master’s degree in Political Science. Coming from an academic and literary family background, hetooktowritingandmusicfromaveryyoungage.HetaughtPoliticalScienceinacollegeaffiliatedwithUniversityofDelhiforacoupleofyears. In the year 1972, he got selected by the Union Public ServiceCommission of India for the Indian Police Service (IPS) and joinedservice in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the most populous state in India.There he held various positions such as Senior Superintendent ofPolice (SSP), Inspector General of Police (IGP) and other importantassignments. On deputation to the Government of India, since 1986, he servedas Additional commissioner of aviation security under Ministry ofCivil Aviation, Chief Vigilance Officer in India’s top two oilcompanies (Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Oil and
19Natural Gas Corporation of India (ONGC)) under Ministry ofPetroleum and served as Additional Director General, CentralIndustrial Security Force (CISF) under Ministry of Home affairs.He returned to U.P. State in 2006 as Director General of Police andDirector Dr B. R. Ambedkar Police Academy from where heretired in 2008.In his career, The President of India awarded himwith police medals thrice for gallantry in 1981, meritoriousservice in 1991 and for distinguished service in 1997. Happily married to Smt. Meera Satpathy for over forty years, hehas two daughters and a son. He is an ideal grihastha (house-holder). While shouldering domestic responsibilities as ahusband, father, son, brother with affection and concern, heattendstothedutiesofhiscallingwithdedicationanddevotion.Asa house-holder, he has set an example in the art of living ofblending harmoniously the secular facets of life. He is additionally involved in social, educational and healthrelated activities through his association with several NGOs likeSukarya and through His own Charitable Trust “Shirdi Sai GlobalFoundation” registered in the year 2010, in Gurgaon, Haryana,India. Since from inception, the foundation has been instrumental inworking in the fields of disaster management, relief andrehabilitation during natural calamities and related areas with asense of urgency and empathy. It was in November 1989, that Hepicked up a video cassette of a Hindi movie ‘Shirdi ke Sai Baba’from a video library on recommendation of the Library owner,who said that this film showed miracles of Shirdi Sai Baba. Theword ‘miracle’ stimulated interest in Him, as He had always beenfond of supernatural subjects. It was while watching the moviethat another ‘miracle’ took place thereby transforming Guruji’slife, as the lighthouse of Shirdi Sai World.
20 Pursuing the ideals preached and practiced by Sai Baba of Shirdi (1838 - 1918), so far, he has inspired and has been instrumental in establishing over 300+ cultural and community centers, not only in India but in USA at Chicago, Minnesota, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, New Jersey and Tennessee. Outside USA these community centers are located in Montreal and Toronto in Canada; Kent, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Johannesburg, South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya. An admirer of history, arts and culture, He has championed preservation of old artifacts and historical documents, inspiring institutions of art and dance, libraries and documenting history through regular publications. In the field of education, He has been the guiding force in establishing world-class schools and university that emphasize character growth, encourage sports, culture and arts, impart value based education using latest teaching aids, technology and run international student exchange programs. To teach the values of devotion, compassion and dedication he has set an example of his readiness to serve and be available for all the events in this cause. He has stood by them wherever and when there has been a need. His attempt has been to integrate the world through his extraordinary works in literature, music, spirituality and humanism. Spontaneous overflow of his powerful emotions for his master, Shri Shirdi Sai have emanated from the deepest recess of his heart in the form of literature and poems that have composed to soulful music uplifting the listener into divine ecstasy.His poems and music compositions are also available in CDs sung by eminent singers of Bollywood like ‘Vardaan do Sai’,‘Living with Sai’, ‘Welcome Sai’, ‘’TubhyamNamami’ and many more.
His English books titled “Shirdi Sai Baba and other Perfect Masters”first published in 2001 and “Baba, May I Answer” first published in2009andreprintedseveraltimessincethenhavebeentranslatedinmore than ten Indian languages and also in Slovenian, Nepali,Spanish and German. “Gopya ru Agopya” (Revelation of theUnknown) written over a span of nine years in Odia in the year 2010is a magnum opus of cosmology, cosmogony and principles ofNature and serves to bridge the Hindu spiritual science andModern science. This book was originally written in Odia language and thentranslatedintoSanskritandisintheprocessofbeingtranslatedintoEnglish and other languages. “Sri Guru Bhagabat”, a spiritualtreatise, originally written in nine lettered poetic metre in Odia,over a span of nine years, comprises of more than twenty thousandlines in a five volume book series published over two years in 2010and2013.ThefirstthreevolumeshavealreadybeentranslatedintoEnglish and other languages. This monumental work (book)reflectsthequintessenceoftheentireHinduphilosophy,VedasandYoga Shastras. This work was the topic of discussion at the WorldSanskrit Conference held at New Delhi in February 2012. This workhas received appreciation from many quarters and from theHonorable President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil. Hisbook titled “The God who descended on Earth” published in 1994 isavailable in English, Spanish and Tamil languages.For his outstanding scholarship and contribution to arts andliterature, the Rashtirya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (National SanskritUniversity), Tirupathi conferred ‘Vachaspati’ (Doctorate HonorisCausa in Literature) on him in February 2012.
22 In May 2012, University of Behrampur conferred Doctorate of Laws; LLD degree on him. In Aug 2012, the prestigious Ravenshaw University conferred on him Doctorate of literature degree, D.Litt.In 2012 he was honored and recognized with the Building Bridges across the Nations Award at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Seattle Center by the City of Seattle and the State of Washington for his literary excellence and extraordinarycontributiontothehumankindthroughtheGlobal Sai Movement. His mission is to serve humanity. The world is his family and the suffering humanity can never escape his sensitive psyche. For him, Humanism is not a concept limited to one group, one people or one country but is a universal phenomenon cutting across nationality, race, language, gender, religion or any other barrier. His work and life continue to have a tremendous impact of building bridges among thousands of families in various communities across many nations. Jay Shree Sai! - Houston, TX
23GURUJI THE LIGHTHOUSE - Manoj GoudaYou are my lighthouse Guruji, you are my Navigator, You are the energy of my Life, you are the Motivator, You are the process, you are the experience, You are my guiding light in mayic interference, Your footsteps lead to the realm of the infinity, You are - That inner call that made my deaf ears to listen the real music, - That humming music that sooths my soul,, - That Courage that takes away all worries, - That mother that makes me sleep like a child, Baba,You know - Every thought I break ... - Every step I take ... You Baba - Guide the dancing wave of the mind and stable thy, - Show both Happiness and Sorrow being a mere Play, - Made realize your presence in every living being, - The direction, The Path, - The Light to the many unseen ... You are the lighthouse for the world to get the right direction. - Seattle, WA
24 Witnessing Sai Movement in USA A Trip Etched in Memory - Nikhil Singla “Life is a journey” guided by destiny, and it has so far taken me through many adventures especially during the eleven years of my life in the West- through the hallowed portals of University of Cambridge for my higher studies, through Cornell University for my PhD, through some reputable global organizations for work, and through some of the finest cities in the world. Yet there has been a longing in the heart, a void in the very being that has been yearning for something more. The mind has been looking for answers as to what is my purpose in life, why am I here, who am I? The heart has been craving for a true friend, a guide, someone who can understand me and love me more than I do myself. Someone whom I can trust completely and someone who can help me address my search, someone who could lift me out of the deep darkness of ignorance and can put me in touch with the divinity within the Self! Through Shri Shirdi Sai Baba’s grace, I got initiated towards the answers when I returned back to India in September 2013, and met Shri Chandrabhanu Satpathy Ji, also fondly referred to as “Guruji” or “Baba” for His endearing love for Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. The spiritual and Saiful journey took stronger shape with Him when I got the opportunity to make a trip to USA to attend the “Sai Sandhya” event organized by the Sai family in Dallas in November 2013. Very honestly while I was ecstatic about this trip, I was also a bit apprehensive as it had not even been two months since my return from USA to India, I did not have a regular job and I wasn’t sure about the purpose of the trip. This trip however, turned out to be blissful and transformational for me. I had been told that the Sadhguru, the Master exercises subtle methods to initiate the devotee, the spiritual aspirant to come out of the deep ignorance, the ego, the selfishness, the negativities and move towards self-realization.
He ignites the flame of peace and happiness through Hissilent methods. Yes, I had been dying to experience this, and I washappy to realise from this trip that the process had begun for methrough the blessings of Baba. WithShriSatpathyJi’s(“Baba’s”)graceeverythingwasfallingintoplace towards the trip. Firstly, my subconscious apprehensionswere put to rest when my parents supported me and blessed me forthis trip. My very first telephonic conversation with the organizersoftheeventinDallasgavemeasenseofcareandwelcome. Iwasnowall the more looking forward to the trip, to meeting Baba, to meetingthe fellow Sai devotees. I reached Dallas on a cold Novemberevening, but was immediately engulfed into the warm welcome ofthe devotees who had assembled there from all over the world. The next few days were simply wonderful and I was deeplytouched by the close-knit Sai family with Baba at the helm. It wasamazing to experience the simplicity, purity, love and warmth thatformed the essence of this family and of the Sai movement inAmerica. Whatwasevenmoredelightfultoexperiencewasthetimewith Baba and observing the Guru-Shishya interactions. His jovialdemeanour, His loving, compassionate and humorous nature, Hisvery presence was uplifting for one and all. I got a chance to interactwith many of the devotees- the stories that they shared about theirmagical experiences with Baba, and about their progress in thespiritual path were awe-inspiring! They shared how they had comeintouchwithBabaorasShriShirdiSaisaidwerepulleduntoHimlikea string attached to a pigeon!
26 For some it was love at first sight, and each one had a unique story, like me, of their own. Moreover, I was touched by the humility of the devotees who despite their significant success in their respective professions were very down-to-earth. ThedevoteesfurthersharedtheirdeepconnectwithBabathrough which they were able to experience transmission of the spiritual energy and moving away from the suffering and pain of ignorance, whilebeingengagednormallyintheirroutinelife. Therearetimesin life when one is crowded by one’s own thoughts, by situations, by opinions, by pressures, by unfulfilled desires, and this is when one can easily succumb to the darkness of depression and hopelessness. Many devotees shared how in times like these because of their faith in Baba they could get into a silent conversation with Him and following this how things started to simplify, situations both good andbadfellintoperspective,andonecouldclawbackintothestateof peace, strength and happiness. People from all walks of life came to visit Baba during this time, including some Bollywood stars- all immersed in different situations/problems and looking up to Baba for strength, support and guidance. I am myself no stranger to pain, and I could very well empathize with experiences of many in the Sai family as after meeting and spending time with Baba I had personally got this strong feeling that all is well, a feeling of invincibility, a feeling that I could achieve anything and everything while I was surrendered unto Him. Under the blessings of Baba, for some inexplicable reason, the bruises of betrayal, selfishness and mistrust of the past were being replaced by joy, love, freedom, faith, patience and peace. They also shared how subconsciously spending time with Baba in person and in thought had helped them develop creative skills beyond their wildest imagination! Some of them had started to write, compose poems and music, sing, paint, dance and become expert photographers among various other skill sets. These had given them avenues to transform their frustrations and pains in life into positive energies. This state of mind was also exhibited in their ever smiling, calm and innocent demeanor.
The main event of ‘Sai Sandhya” was spectacular in itself- about300 Sai devotees from around 21 states of USA, and from othercountries such as Canada, UK, and India had congregated inDallas. The colourful event had an array of items, including ShriShirdi Sai Baba’s Pooja and Aarti, cultural program comprising oftraditional dances and music by children and well-known artists,devotional address by eminent scholars, devotional music byeminent singers, and to top it all an engaging discourse by BabahighlightingtherelevanceandimportanceoftheSaiMovementinthe current time. Theorganizersensuredthattheeventwascoveredontelevisionand broadcasted over the internet so that devotees all over theworld could also participate and benefit from the same. Devoteesfrom all over the USA also got an opportunity to interact with BabathroughaQuestionandAnswersessiononRadio. Itwashumblingto see the dedication and hospitality of the organizers and the Saidevotees in America in making the event impactful andcomfortable&accessibleforeveryone. Themostamazingpartforme was to see how people from far and wide, from differentreligions, cultures and beliefs, from different standings in societywere getting linked to the ever growing Sai family by the commonthread of love and devotion being propagated by Baba for ShriShirdi Sai, and celebrating the same through such occasions. One may have come alone for such a trip, but one does not goback so. While new and fond memories can be carried along forcompany, but it is the new friendships that one forges that makesuch events even more interesting- and so did I! Enjoying the blissof the Sai Movement and Baba’s grace, I along with some of thesenew found friends from the Sai family planned a Sai expedition byroad along the East Coast of America. We travelled close to athousand miles and visited various Sai temples and met Saidevotees across the major eastern states, includingMassachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut.
28 The trip culminated in the peace and quiet of a National Park in Maine where we had the opportunity to further share and hear spiritual stories and experiences of devotees with Baba, while peering over the vast expanse of ocean, the horizon with beautiful sunnyblueskiesandenjoyingthesunsetandsunrise. Thecoldwind that blew over us, as we were standing on the rocks and viewing the beautifulcombinationoflandandwater,seemedtotakeawayallthe pains and weariness of the body, mind and soul and filled it with renewed energy, freshness and bliss. As I alluded to earlier, the Guru has his own subtle ways of catalysing the disciple’s spiritual progress, and this trip played an importantroleinthisdirectionforme. HavingspenttimewithBaba and hearing the experiences of various devotees, I felt more thankful for all the blessings in my life; I realized that the vagaries of life can make one to become focused on the \"not so good\" experiences/issues of life, so much so that these manifestations overshadow the many more joyous experiences provided by life- and one needs to celebrate more of the later and be steadfast during theformer. MeetingthelargenumberoflovingSaidevoteesandthe interactions helped in expanding my creative/thinking faculties, my confidence and channelizing my energies in more positive endeavours and thoughts. Enjoying the natural beauty in Maine as an offshoot of the event made me realise how miniscule an individual is in the context of this whole beautiful creation, but our worries, pains and aspirations seem to engulf us completely barring usfromthisreality. Icamehomeahappyandrelaxedperson,atease and at peace with myself, feeling blessed and thankful. Like the Lotus flower focuses on the Sun for its energies, each Sai devoteehassubmittedandmooredoneselfuntotheGraceofBabato protect him/her, sharing the joys and sorrows with Him through the unique connection of the heart like two lovers spaced by distance in thisUniverse. Andthroughthistrip,Ihavealsobeenblessedtohave become a member of the Sai family; my journey has yet begun again! - New Delhi, India
Laughing in the rain - Kim Waters One of the things that I love and admire the most about Guruji is his sense of humor. He often jokes and laughs with his devotees, cracking a joke at every opportunity. One of my favorite stories about this happened in Seattle Washington, after 3 glorious days in Guruji's company. We were at the Westin Hotel and there was a small group of us standing outside getting some fresh air with Guruji before he left for the airport. I was standing next to Guruji when he looked up at the sky then looked down at me and said very seriously \"in about 3 or 4 hours it's going to rain here\". It had been unbelievably sunny and beautiful in Seattle for weeks, and this day was no exception. Not a cloud in the crystal clear sky above! But I was so happy to be with Guruji I said \"Really Baba? You think it will rain?\" My mind was full of wonderment but I was so overjoyed to be in Guruji's company that I didn't think too much of it, and the group continued chatting. Then about 15 to 20 minutes later Guruji looked down at me again and after looking up at the sky said \"Yes, I'm telling you there are going to be showers here this afternoon\". At that point I just nodded my head but I was thinking; yeah right, whatever... It was FAR too sunny and the weather forecast predicted that to continue for several more days. After Guruji left for the airport a few of us went to the restaurant to have breakfast, we spent a long time sharing stories and experiences about Baba and Guruji. Then we all said our goodbyes and I went up to my room to pack and get ready for my journey home. After getting all of my things packed in my bags I decided to take a shower. I noticed when I went to turn the shower on that someone from the hotel must have come in and changed the shower fixtures in the bathroom. There was a large shower overhead and a smaller hand held one lower. I turned the shower on and within seconds the entire bathroom was completely drenched! I mean EVERYTHING, my bags, the walls, mirrors, counters, they were all wet. After getting everything dried off I walked out to the bedroom to catch my breath and regroup. I looked out the window and up at the beautiful blue! sky and thought to myself \"I guess Guruji must have been wrong about the weather...\" then I got his joke and fell over in fits of laughter!!! Never again will I doubt Guruji. - Silverton, oregon
Devotees Experience BABA'S PRESENCE - Sutapa Ghosh I pray to the merciful Shri Sainath Maharaj for His Grace before making an endeavor to write about the few Blessings received recently from Him. We visited Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple at Hampshire, Chicago in November 2014 on the occasion of the Temple’s tenth anniversary celebrations. We met our reverend Gurudev, Shri Chandra Bhanu Satpathy Ji, who came from India to bless us all. His Darshan was a Divine Blessing. We did Baba’s Aarti, attended various programs, had plentiful Prasad all day and met many known as well as new devotees from across the globe in two days. This was our first visit to a Shri Sai congregation after coming to the US (California) in 2011 which made it even more special for our family. The Chicago experience was so enjoyable that it will remain etched in our memory for years to come. A few days after returning from Chicago, our fond memories of that visit inspired us to organize a monthly, evening Prayer Service for Baba at our home as we do not have Baba’s Temple in and around Santa Barbara. With the Blessings of Shri Gurudev, we held the first Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Aarti & Bhajan on January 10, 2015 and started a small library with Baba’s books and CDs. There were twenty of us present on this wonderful occasion and we enjoyed our time with Baba to the heart’s content. The children also sang and chanted during the entire Service. What better time to start than in the New Year of 2015! As I write today, we completed our third Prayer Service on March 14, 2015 with the number of devotees increasing slowly but steadily.
31 \"If you look at me I will look at you\"Baba is always kind. His kindness translates into His Blessings.These Blessings have been experienced by some who attend thePrayer Service. I shall now narrate one such experienceThe second Prayer Service was held on February 21, 2015. In themorning, I prayed and pleaded to Baba for giving us someexperience during the Service that could be felt by everyone. Adevotee friend called during the day to say that her family wouldarrive late for the Service and leave early as both her children hadperformances. She also mentioned that they would get somepictures of Baba and few books for the library. Baba has His plansfor all of us! Not surprisingly, one of her child’s performancefinished before schedule for some unexplained reason. Hence,contrary to our conversation earlier in the day, they were the firstones to arrive at our home with Baba’s numerous pictures and fewbooks.We were very happy to keep these pictures and books in the libraryfor distribution. During the Service, this particular family sharedtheir experience on how they got Baba’s pictures and books. Theyhad requested us earlier to hold the Service on the third SaturdayinFebruaryastheywouldbevisitingtheirfriendintheLosAngelesarea during the long weekend of February 13 through 16.
32 During their stay there, their friend’s friend, whom they did not know, was moving and our friends volunteered to help him in doing so. When they reached the home of this person, he wanted to know if they would take Baba’s pictures and books. Surprisingly, this unknown person did not even think it necessary to inquire if our friendsprayedtoBaba.Theyimmediatelyrepliedintheaffirmative. Ourfriendstalkedabouttheelementofsurpriseasthatpersongifted Baba’s pictures and books which ended up in the library for our Prayer Service. After the Service, lots of people took Baba’s pictures and only few remained. Everyone felt blessed and happy. At around 11 PM, my husband and I were discussing Baba’s Leela (Divine Play) of how the person gifting the pictures did not know the people taking it. It was at that moment, my husband suddenly realized that Baba had indeed come to attend our Prayer Service that evening. Baba came in the form of His picture! We got the shivers. Although, we read about experiences of Baba coming in the form of His pictures in ‘Shri Sai Satcharita’ and had received Baba’s Darshan in the form of His picture on New Year Day, 2013 in downtown Santa Barbara, we did not realize Baba’s Blessing when He bestowed it upon us. We felt very sad and were filled with remorse. Yet, at the same time, we were extremely happy that all of us present that evening received Baba’s Grace in the form of His Divine Presence. ShriSainathMaharajblessedthePrayerService.Wewerefilledwith excitement and emotion at the very thought of actually having Baba amongst us. He answered my morning prayer and blessed us all! He hears one and all. We decided to keep one of the pictures. On February 25, 2015, Baba gave me a vision, wherein He showed me His framed picture on the wall above the Keyboard. It was the same picture of Baba which we had chosen. We went to the Store with Baba’s picture and the person in the framing section took out a frame that matched exactly with the frame in my vision. We took the frame immediately and fitted Baba’s picture in it.
No cutting of the picture was required! Is this not Baba’s Leela onceagain?ThepicturewasprintedinIndiaandtheframewasboughtintheUS. Yet, it seemed as if the picture and the frame were made to order.Baba in His own way guided us on the reading and experience sharingsection for our third Prayer Service. We read ‘Hemadpant’s ShimgaDining’ (Chapter XL) and ‘Vitthal Vision’ (Chapter XXVII) from ‘ShriSai Satcharita’ and ‘The First Meeting of the devotee with the Guru’from ‘Shri Guru Bhagavat’ (Volume II, Chapter 4, Stanzas 44 to 47,Pages116&118,Englishtranslation)writtenbyShriGurudev.Welinkedour experience of receiving Baba’s pictures brought by our friendsthrough the Holy Books. Some of us then shared our experiencesincludingadevoteemeetingBabaintheformofHispictureforthefirsttime as mentioned in Shri Guru Bhagavat. All of us were engrossed inhearing Baba’s unfathomable Leelas.We welcome Baba’s devotees to our home to join us for the monthly(generally second Saturday) Prayers. As we continue with our PrayerService,wepraytoBabaforcontinuingtoshowerHisDivineBlessingsand Guidance on all of us.Jai Shri Gurudev - Santa Barbara, CA “Before we ask for Baba’s grace we should request Baba to make us worthy of His Grace.It is necessary to become worthy of His grace before yearning to receive it.” Shri C. B. Satpathy ji
BABA CAME - Sarita SanjayaI am blessed, fortunate and thankful to BABAfor giving me this opportunity to write aboutmy experience. I get goosebumps when Iremember this experience.It was Christmas season 2014, It was early Devotees Experiencemorning when I woke-up as my cell phonealarm went off, I was really sleepy and didn’twanted to wake-up but I had to get out of bed toshut-off the cell phone alarm which was inkitchen. I thought of just laying down on thecouch in the living room facing Baba’spicture. Usually once I wake up I won't getsleep very easily, but that day I was in somestate, I can't tell I fell asleep or awake orsomething else.I only remember that as soon as I closed my I'm Not sure if thiseyes, all these this happened right away. It was a dream orwas dark, and suddenly I see a personstanding in the pathway to the door wearing a reality. Baba onlyblanket on top of his head. I thought it was my knows!husband, then I was calling my husband, butthat person was not saying anything, juststanding and watching me from there. Then Isaw his face clearly and realized that he isnone other than BABA. I saw him physicallyand I was calling him loudly BABA! BABA!BABA! But my voice was MUTED, no soundcoming out. I kept my hand on my throat andwas checking what happened to my voice. Allthat time, BABA was watching me from therefor a while, and then he slowly came to me andtook my hand in his hand, at that moment Ijust opened my eyes. As soon as I opened myeyes, I saw no one. - Bellevue, WA
35MY FIRST EXPERIENCEWITH GURUJI - Anil BiswalI came to know about Guruji in1993 through an article in aMagazine or Newspaper as SeniorIPS Officer from Orissa who canpredict future. I visited him at hisresidence in Netaji Nagar, NewDelhi. During that visit, he had beengiven me implicit hint about myfutures and advised some remedieswhich I did not follow. Guess what,whatever he told me came truewhich I was able to understand lateron. If I was able to understand thosehints and followed Guruji‘s advice, Icould have avoid the obstacle in mylife.I again approached Guruji during2008 to seek his blessing andguidance on the resolution of seriousissue which was bothering me forlong time. My problem got resolved I became Sai devotee and Ithe day after I got his blessing onGuru- Purnima day. Since then am trying to practice Baba’sGuruji has showered his grace soabundantly on me and continues to teaching after I came intogive me solace and have taken care of contact with Guruji in 2008.my agonies. He is the one who Since then I started to experience theepitomized Sai Baba's teachings, presence of Sai Baba in my life andshowed me and my family the path to my family’s. He is the guiding forceBaba and helped us experience his behind us to do the right thing. I praybounteous love. to Guruji and Shri Shirdi Saibaba forThough, I visited Shirdi Sai Baba’s their kindness and blessing.temple in 1996 for the first time but - Cleveland, OH
36 SHRI SHIRDI SAI MOVEMENT IN EUROPE - Abhijit Narayan It has been a little over 2.5 years since I moved to Germany to workwithaEuropeanlawfirm.ShriShirdiSaifirstenteredinto my life in 1992 when I was only 9 years old. During the last 23 years,theimportanceofSaiinmylifehasbeensteadilygrowing. Itwouldnotbefar-fetchedtosaythatIhaveliterallygrownupin Baba's temple. Consequently, when the time came to move to Germany, a thought came to my mind - how would life be without Shri Sai? In other words, I had very conveniently assumed that Baba is only in India. The series of incidents in the last 10 months have convinced me that I couldn't have been more wrong! It was in August 2014, when our revered Guruji Shri C.B. Satpathy asked me to visit a Sai temple in Frankfurt. I had heard aboutthistemplealmostimmediatelyaftermovingtoGermany in 2012. However, for some strange reason, I had never managed to visit that temple. After receiving the instruction from Guruji, I started visiting the temple. Needless to say, the experience was beautiful. I also started interacting with the devotees, both Indians and Germans. After a couple of months of visiting the temple, I thought that there must be devotees of Baba in other parts of Germany and also in different parts of Europe. Therefore, I started reaching out to them. To provide a platform for devotees based in Europe to interact with each other, I created a group on Facebook - Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Devotees (Europe). Within a few months of creatingthegroup,wehavenowover600members.Whilesome devotees are based in India, most of the others are based in different parts of Europe.
37This year, we also started the initiative of sending Baba's wallcalendars and greeting cards to devotees based across Europe.With Baba's blessings, we were able to send the cards andcalendars to devotees based in more than 15 Europeancountries.Therequestsforcardsandcalendarsarestillcoming.It is a very heartening to see that Baba's devotees are across theworld. Many of the devotees which I have interacted with arealso Europeans. They are very curious about Baba and ask memany questions relating to His life and teachings.In Europe, we have many devotees of Baba, but not enoughtemples. I am often asked by fellow devotees to give address ofthenearesttemples.WiththeobjectiveofconnectingwithBaba,Iusuallysuggestthemtogettogetherandsingbhajans,readShriSai Satcharitra and do aarati. Earlier this month, we hadorganized the first ever Shri Shirdi Sai Sandhya in Frankfurt. Iwas surprised to see that not only people from Frankfurt came,but also some of them came after traveling for over 100 kms.These people have been searching for Baba for a long time. Wehave unanimously decided to organize a Sai Sandhya everymonth in Frankfurt.What makes it even interesting is that seeing the example ofFrankfurt, devotees based in other parts of Europe have beenasking me to organize similar events in their cities. With Hisblessings, the first Sai Sandhya in Finland will be held nextmonth. In Amsterdam also, people have been organizing SaiSandhyas every month. Some devotees have also shared theirexperiences with me, which I would like to briefly mention here.(i)adevoteewhoisbasedinFinlandwaspregnantandcontactedme through our Facebook group. She told me that she had beenlookingforBaba'sUdiformanymonthsbutwasn'tabletogetit.Iimmediately sent her some Udi which I had from Shirdi.Normally it takes 4 days for a post to reach Finland fromFrankfurt. But in this case, she received the Udi in 2 days.
38 (Ii) a devotee based in Germany told me that she had been going through a tough phase. Her little son was ill, there were some deaths in her family and had also lost her job. She told me that she daily reads Shri Sai Satcharitra. I asked her if she has ever visited Shirdi. Sherepliedinnegative.Thenafteracoupleofweeksshetoldmethat even though there was no plan to visit India this year, suddenly she and her family are decided to travel to India and also visit Shirdi. Within a day, everything had been finalized. Iii) a couple based in Frankfurt had been in contact with me for a couple of months. They had been living in Germany for over a year. The husband had been working with a large IT company and his projecthadjustgotover.Thecompanyhadtoldhimifhedoesn'tfind out another project soon, he will have to go back to India. His wife was pregnant and wanted to remain in Germany. The couple and their son had also attended Sai Sandhya and had prepared prasad for Baba. I told them to have faith in Baba. However, as there was no news from the company they started packing their things. But just a few days back, they informed me that the company has allocated him a new project and they would stay in Germany for some more time. Needless to say, they are extremely happy and would like to organize a Sai Sandhya at their home in the near future. (Iv) the last incident is my own experience. During the weekends, I often keep reading until I fall asleep. On a Friday night, I dozed off while reading something on my ipad.
Sometime after the midnight I felt as if someone had jumped on me!Scared, I woke up and looked around. As the lights were still on, Icould see everything properly. I noticed that a large part of theceiling had suddenly fallen down. It was all over the room and evenon my bed where I was sleeping. Therewasalsoalargeandheavychunkofplasterwhichfelldownon the bed only inches away from my face. But thanks to Baba,except a very minor scratch on my leg, leave alone getting injured,nothing else had even touched me! I went to the balcony thinking itwasprobablyanearthquake.Itwasn't.Duetocontinuousrains,theceiling had become a little weak and hence, this incident happened.Althoughtheroomwasinaterribleshape,nothingreallyhappenedto me. Even my landlord who came to check on me the next day wasquite surprised. Who else should I thank except our Shri Sai?Shri Shirdi Sai had once said “Main Guli Guli mein rahene wala hun”.The process to spread Baba's philosophy in Europe has just begun.As I am finishing this article, my flight is landing in London where Iwould attend Baba's function on the auspicious occasion ofRamnavami. Jai Shri Sai ! - Frankfurt, Germany“We cannot change the world which is so complex and ever changing. We can change ourselves to adjust the problems arising out of the complexities of the worldly life.” Shri C. B. Satpathy ji
BABA'S CHILDREN Sonali Dash 10 Years. - Bellevue, WA Shreyansi Swain 7 Years. - Redmond, WA \" Why look for weaknesses in others? Why not identify the weaknesses within ourselves.\" Rev. Dr. C. B. Satpathy ji
41 Misika 5 Years. - Redmond, WAArchit Gouda7 Years, Issaquah, WA Adishree Tripathy 5 Years. - Frazer, PA
42 THE STORY OF THE SUGAR CANDY - Renuka Arun Today was a special day for Amol. He eagerly waited for the last bell of the school to ring so that he could get into the school bus quickly. All through the ride back home, Amol smiled to himself thinking of his grandpa. His grandpa, his mom’s father would have arrived. Amol lived in the suburbs of Chicago. His Grandpa was arriving from India. He would be bringing with him all of Amol’s favorite things: comic books, toys, sweets and yes his favorite pedas. Amol’s mouth watered at the thought of the sweet pedas. At last the school bus reached his stop and Amol could see his Grandpa and his mother waiting for him. Amol jumped off the bus and hugged his grandpa and screamed in delight. ” “I missed you very much Grandpa.” His Grandpa had become old but had the same sweet kind smile and the calm face. Grandpa hugged Amol and carried him in his arms. As they walked back home towards Elms street, Grandpa put his hands in his shirt pocket and took out a packet of pedas. “Pedas! Pedas!” screamed Amol in delight “you didn’t forget my pedas. “How could I?” said Grandpa smiling. “Baba reminded me to take them for you.” How could I then forget?” Amol happily ate the pedas and soon they were home. After lunch when all the presents were opened and all the goodies distributed Grandpa returned to his room for a short nap. Amol joined him and asked if he had more pedas in his pocket. Grandpa had a few more and readily gave it to Amol. Amol thanked his Grandpabuthisgrandpasaid“Don’tthankme.ThankBaba.” Amol then asked his Grandpa “Who is Baba. Why did he remind you to bring pedas for me? How does he know me? Grandpa smiled and replied “Baba… that is my Sai, Saibaba … He knows everything …. He reminds us all about everything.” So saying Grandpa took out a picture of Shri Saibaba, the Saint of Shirdi from one of his prayer books.
Amolwascurious:WhoisheGrandpaandwherecanIfindhimtosaythank you!“He is everywhere and thank Him silently in your heart,” saidGrandpa. “He always hears your prayers and thoughts from yourheart.”“Really? How can that be!” exclaimed Amol.“ThenletmetellyouarealstoryofmybelovedMasterShriSaibabaofShirdi.” And Grandpa told Amol this story:Mr Cholkar“Once upon a time there lived a poor man called Mr. Cholkar. Heworked very hard to support his family. Cholkar went to work earlyin the morning and did not return till late at night because he had tomake enough money so that he could buy food for his children andhis wife and his parents who he took care of.”He has a temporary job. Even though he worked very long hours itstill did not mean that he was safe in his work place. His job was suchthat the people he worked for could ask him to leave, any time.”However there was one way that Cholkar knew that he could workhard and keep his job safe. And that was by studying for an exam. Atthe place that Cholkar worked anyone who passed that exam couldnotbeaskedtoleave.ThusCholkarhoped thatwithhishardwork,hewould get a promotion by passing the department exam and thus geta permanent job to support and care for his family.“Just like me!” quipped Amol. “I too have exams!” “Yes very much,”said Grandpa. ”Now listen to the story.”One day Cholkar went to a temple to pray. In the temple was a well-known man called Das Ganu who went from place to place singingsongs in praise of god. This wonderful man happened to be singingabout my Guru Shri Saibaba. Cholkar loved the songs. And morethan that he loved what the songs said about Baba.
44 In his heart Cholkar prayed and found himself bowing to Baba in his heart and telling Baba, “ “Baba ,I am a poor man. I work hard every day but I sometimes cannot bring enough money to buy our food. Please help me pass this exam. I promise to study hard, but this exam is a very hard one. Not everyone is able to pass it. If you bless me and if I pass this exam, and that means I will get place at work that pay well as well as takes care of me—I will come to Shirdi where you are fall at Your feet and distribute sugar candy in Your name.” With his hard work and Baba’s blessings Mr Cholkar passed his exams and did get a permanent job. “Wow,” said Amol “That’s so nice and what happened to his promise….did he remember it?” “Yes, he did remember the promise he had made to Baba, ”said Grandpa. “But he was a poor man. He had enough money to buy food for his family, but not enough to buy a ticket to travel to Shirdi and for the sugar candy he promised. “But a promise is a promise isn’t it Grandpa?” said Amol. “Yes indeed,” said Grandpa and so Mr Cholkar decided to save as much money as he could so that he could fulfill his promise to go and see Baba at Shirdi. To do, so he decided not to use sugar in his tea.Withthemoneyhesavedbynotspendingitonbuyingsugarfor himself he slowly collected money to travel to Shirdi and buy sugar candy!” “Oh wow!” said Amol. “Yes,” said Grandpa. “His prayer was sincere and so was his promise. When you do something with your heart and try hard, God always see that you are taken care of. “So did Cholkar Uncle go to Shirdi?”
“Yes with his saved money from not eating sugar Mr. Cholkar wasable to buy his ticket for the trip. When he finally reached Shirdi, hewent straight to see Baba. Baba was in the Masjid with his manydevotees. Mr. Cholkar was very happy and pleased to see Saibaba.He fell at His feet, bowed to Him, offered a coconut along with thesugarcandyaspromised.SeeingSaibabawasthebestdayofhislife.He was filled with peace and joy and felt that all his wishes werefulfilled.Baba blessed him and just as Mr. Cholkar was leaving the Masjid,Baba looked at one of the devotees Mr. Jog who had boughtChoolkar to Shirdi and said the following words, “Give him(yourguest) a cup of tea fully saturated with sugar.”Hearing these words Mr Cholkar was shocked. “How did Babaknow what no one knew? How did Baba hear what he had only saidin his mind? Tears came in Mr Cholkar’s eyes.“How Grandpa..?? How did Baba know about Mr Cholkar’spromise? Is it just like Baba knew about my wish for pedas? I tooprayed in my heart for pedas.“Yes, just like that,” answered Grandpa. “Baba knows everything.He knows everyone’s heart. He is seated in your heart and is withinyou and me and everyone. God does not live in heaven; He lives inthe hearts of His children. He is always with you. You can liveanywhere you want, but Baba is always with you.Sai Baba always told his children that if we remember Him in ourhearts, He was there immediately day and night with us.Amol was silent. Then he said with a smile, “What a beautiful storyGrandpa!” “I will always remember it and remember Baba alwaysin my heart. I will always remember you too grandpa in my heart.”So saying, little Amol slowly drifted to sleep in his grandpa arms. - Hamilton Ontario, Canada
46 The Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago A pilgrimage like no other P - Santanu Patra eople who were in Chicago during the weekend of November 15th,2014,toattendthetenthyearanniversaryofShirdiSaitemple of Chicago (located in the Hampshire suburb), were definitely fortunate and blessed, without a doubt. Needless to say, it was a pilgrimage like no other for Sai devotees and followers of Guruji C.B Satpathy Ji. This event was special for two reasons - It marked the 10th anniversary of Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and it also commemoratedfourteenyearsofGuruji’sGlobalSaimovementin the USA. Ofthemanytakeawaysfromthisspiritualtrip,thisisoneofthem. Our trip started with some challenges. People across North America, New Zealand, Europe and India had booked their tickets flying in to Chicago. A week before the event, a rare polar vortex hit the upper Midwest breaking all records of winter temperatures pounding snow all over. The storm slowly approached the great lakes area and was forecast to hit Chicago with a snow storm, during the event. Travelers started getting all precautionary emails regarding the weather and had to prepare well for the trip. With devotion in their heart and faith in Sai, travelers and organizers both went ahead with the planning as scheduled. It was a test of Baba which surely did raise some concerns in the minds of devotees. As it has always been, Baba's kids are always protected. It was evident as the weather became dry and sun was shining as people started landing in Chicago. Faith conquered the first psychological challenge. As people reached Chicago, Guruji's Sai family started adding more and more members. The warmth of emotions and brotherhood was something to feel. Weather was challenging but not as harsh as expected. The protection of Baba was already reflecting.
Swami Vivekananda had said \" Every Soul is potentially divine. Thegoal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature :External and Internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychiccontrol, or philosophy - by one, or more, or all of these - and be free.\"As per the Vedanta philosophy and also practices prescribed byShirdi Sai and Guruji, the four paths of yoga are -Jnana Yoga, BhaktiYoga, Karma Yoga and Raja Yoga. Shirdi Sai Temple Chicago is a truedemonstrationofthethepathsmentionedabove.Thisishowitgoes-The temple complex was divided into distinct four parts eachreflecting one of the four paths.Bhakti Yoga \" Because the past was imperfect and futureDivinity through worship. The uncertain, we must notmain temple hall where Baba'sstatue resides, you can feel only spoil the perfectone thing - the ever present \" - Gurujicompassionate presence ofShirdi Sai Baba. What emanatesfrom Baba's hall is pure andserene bhakti (devotion). Hispresence is in the life-like formof His statue in this temple. Hiscompassionate love can beexperienced in the hall filledwith hundreds of portraits ofcharacters associated withShirdi Sai Baba during His stayin Shirdi. Also in this Hall, youwould see Baba's paintings andphotographs performing hisdivineleelas. Baba and HisBhaktas (Devotees) who saw the'God who walked on earth',adorn this hall.
48 Jnana Yoga Divinity through philosophy. Just below Baba's hall, there is 'Guru Sthan' - The abode of the Gurus. Photographs of many realized saints or Gurus from the past adorn the Guru Sthan. You will see Guruji C. B Satpathy Ji's portrait above entry to Guru Sthan. These Gurus with their divine knowledge had transformed the society and still guide millions of people towards God realization through the Jnana or knowledge imparted. Their divine knowledge acts as the lighthouse for millions of souls drifting in the ocean of Maya. Raja Yoga Divinity through psychic control. Adjacent to the main temple, there is a meditation hall. Baba with a hookah adorn this hall generating a divine and serene environment for devotees to meditate on God. Raja yoga is the practice of meditation. Themeditationhall is the place to practice the same. “A Sadguru is one who dispels the darkness called ignorance and lights the lamp of wisdom in the devotees. “ Shri C. B. Satpathy ji
Search
