Sai Sai

Baba Newsletter April May 2010

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan Los Angeles' email newsletter

is sent every month to propagate the teachings of Shri Shirdi Sai
and connect the devotees of our Baba temple. Devotees may
kindly send their articles on any section of newsletter by
emailing the same to [email protected].
"Man's Endeavour

Realizing how precious the human life is, and knowing that
Death is certain and may snatch us at any time, we should
be ever alert to achieve the object of our life, we should
not make the least delay but make every possible haste to
gain our object, just as a widower is most anxious to get
himself married to a new bride, or just as a king leaves no
stone unturned to seek his lost son. So with all
earnestness and speed, we should strive to attain our end,
i.e., self-realization. Casting aside sloth and laziness,
warding off drowsiness, we should day and night meditate
on the Self. If we fail to do this, we reduce ourselves to the
level of beasts.

How to Proceed?

The most effective and speedy way to gain our object is to

approach a worthy Saint or Sage - Sadguru, who has
himself attained God-vision. What cannot be achieved by
hearing religious lectures and study of religious works, is
easily obtained in the company of such worthy souls. Just
as the sun alone gives light, which all the stars put
together cannot do, so the Sad-Guru alone imparts
spiritual wisdom which all the sacred books and sermons
cannot infuse.- Chapter 8, Sri Sai Satcharitra "

Sections
From our Temple
Life of Sai Baba
About Shirdi
Sai Baba Says
Experiences, Saileela
News and Events

From our Temple

Dear Devotees, May the choicest blessings of Baba

envelop you. May He take care of all your worries.
May all the children of Baba occupy the
privileged driver's seat in the bus of life.
There is a beautiful line in the hollywood movie
Spiderman - "With great power comes great
responsibility".
May we all realize that as Baba's privileged children,
our responsibility is even more towards guiding all to
the umbrella of Baba.

Our Baba temple is progressing with every passing day.

We would like to inform our devotees to visit our new
revamped website
www.shirdisaila.org. Our very dear devotee and
volunteer Sai Kumbeswaran and friend Nasir worked on
the website and
with Baba's blessings, it has taken a new shape. May we
always continue to serve Baba and spread His name.
Continue reading

Life of Sai Baba

Babas Earlier Years at Shirdi

When he was an unknown fakir he was practically

ignored and treated by most of the villagers as of no
account. Suddenly one day an incident occured which
brought a thorough change in the situation. He always
had his Mosque, wherein he lived, lit up with three or
four -earthen lamps, according to the view common to
both Hindus and Muslims that places of worship should
be lit up at night. So, he went round begging for oil
from the Vanis or, oil mongers. There were only two
such shops and they supplied him with oil, gratis. The
oil pressman also supplied him with oil. One day it
struck these people that either they should make Baba
realise their importance or should have some fun at his
expense and they told him mockingly that they had no
oil. Baba had to return to his mosque with his oil tin pot
empty. It was already dusk. The vanis and ganamdar
came behind him to see what he was going to do in the
darkness and thereby to have .some fun. Baba took
some water from the water jar37 and shaking up the
little bit of oil sticking to the tin, drank it up. Then he
too pure, aqua from the water pot and filled his four
earthern lamps with it. He placed in each of them a
cotton wick and struck up a match and lighted it. The
spectators thought at first that cotton soaked in
water could not possibly be lit up. But to their great
surprise, the lamps were lit up and went on burning the
whole night38 After a little time, consternation seized
the guilty vanis and ganamdar, and being terribly afraid
that Baba, having shown himself to be a man of mystic
power, might curse them just as Viswamitra cursed
Rambha and Konkanava killed a crane with a glance, fell
at his feet and prayed that he should not curse them.
Baba was the exact opposite of what they thought. He
was not a magician resenting contempt and anxious to
seize an advantage. On the39 other hand, Baba was
more like the Bhikshu Monk in Bhikshugita40 and had a
true motherly heart, and noted that these men now
repenting were in the proper mood to receive
instruction to alter their conduct, and he gave them
wholesome advice which was what they needed most.
First he asked them, You really had oil with you when
you said you had none, eh?' They admitted that they
had uttered falsehood. Then Baba told them never to
utter falsehood. Falsehood displeases the God of truth.
There was, therefore, no necessity for Baba to curse
them. Next he pointed out to them how unsocial and
wicked their conduct was. The lights were needed for
the use of all who visited the mosque and the public
would be inconvenienced if there were no lights. He
asked them if they had not come to the Mosque to
enjoy the pain which they expected him to endure while
remaining in darkness. They admitted the fact. He then
pointed out that persons who took delight in others'
miseries instead of sympathising with them would be
punished by God. God is mother to all and loves all
equally. If you hurt a child and tell the mother that you
have hurt the child, will the mother be pleased? Thus
they had displeased God by coming to rejoice in his
miserable plight or supposed miserable plight in the
absence of lamp oil. He asked them never again to take
pleasure in other's distress, or in the words of W.W.
Wordsworth "never to blend our pleasure or our pride
with sorrow of the meanest thing that feels". They
promised. Thus, after giving them excellent pieces of
advice, so badly needed by them and by many people
now, he dismissed them from his presence. The effect
of this incident was marvellous.
(Source: Life of Sai Baba by Sri B V Narasimha Swamy
- http://www.saileelas.org/)

About Shirdi

TULASI BRINDAVAN

Baba planted this Tulasi Brindavan outside His Masjid.

After the outer pavilion was constructed, the devotees
brought this Tulasi Brindavan inside and tended it. It
now stands in the NE corner and is looked after by the
Pujari of Dwarakamai. As it is under the roof of the
Dwarakamai its nourishment is not upto the mark for
lack of sunshine. Every year Tulasi Vivah is done on the
twelfth day of Deewali. SHYAM KARAN

Kasam, a horse merchant, was distraught because his

mare had no issue for a very long time. He vowed to
Baba that if his mare had a foal, he would offer the
first born to Baba. By Baba's grace the mare did have a
series of issues. So he came and presented Baba with
the first born. Baba called the horse 'Shyam Karan' as
his body was brown while his ears were black. The
horse loved Baba and Baba reciprocated. The trainer
Khajgiwalle saw that the horse was well looked after
and decorated. This horse was housed in the room
situated on the eastern side of Dwarakamai; now called
'Shyamsunder' hall.

At every Arati the horse would stand in the Sabha

Mandap (where the tortoise is now) and wait patiently
for the Arati to start. When the Arati was begun he
danced merrily keeping beat with the tiny bells tied to
his feet. After Baba'sLalkari he would climb the
central steps of Dwarakamai and bow to Baba. Baba
blessed him by applying Udi to his forehead, then all
the other Bhaktas received Udi and Prasad.

On Chavadi procession days he was fully decorated with

mala, leg rings, bells and a beautiful cloth for his tail.
All his decorative articles are kept in the show room of
the Samadhi Mandir. It was a sight worth seeing as he
danced all the way to Chavadi leading the procession.
After Baba entered the Chavadi he stood outside
facing Baba.

After Baba's Mahasamadhi he would dance in the

Samadhi Mandir during the Aratis and also participate
in the Chavadi procession.
This beloved horse of Baba died in 1945 and his
samadhi is built in Lendi Bagh.

Bala Sahcb Sulthe of Shirdi presented this idol. It was

installed on the left side of the stone on which Baba
sat.

This statue was in remembrance of the deep love that

Shyam Karan had for Baba and Baba reciprocated.

Source - Adopted from Ambrosia In Shirdi by Dr.Vinny

Chitluri, this book can be read
at http://saileelas.org/books/ambrosiainshirdi1.htm
and this book is a
virtual guide on Shirdi with lots of rare photos on Baba
Sai Baba Sayings

98. I put the Rohilla, Pishya and Rao Sahib Galwankar

each into his mothers womb.
99. (To Akkalkote Sapatnekar). The soul of your
deceased son. I shall bring back to your wifes womb.
(Next year A.S.got a son)
100. I will take my Kaka (H.S.Dixit) in Vimana
(HSD had a happy blessed ending).
Sai Babas Charters and Sayings
From the book (The God and the Apostle) - By Pujyasri
B.V.Narasimhaswamy
Published by All India Sal SamaJ, Chennai.

Experiences, Saileela

Other experiences with Lord

"Om Shri Sainathaya Namaha."
Dear readers, as informed earlier that my father had
visited Shirdi around 17 times and the span of each
visit use to be anywhere from 7 days to one month.
During the stay they used to come across such
interesting Leela's of Baba that they never felt like
leaving Shirdi. Of course, no sooner Baba would order
them to leave; they would depart from Shirdi. My
father had good collection of these experiences which
I might not remember all. In this chapter I will try to
narrate to you some of these experiences which are
other than those depicted in Sai Satcharitra. I am sure
Sai devotees of those times must have come across
many such interesting experiences and they must have
passed them on to their dear ones. I am narrating them
to you to purely express my love and devotion to Lord
Sai.

Gimmicks of Nanavali

There was a eccentric devotee of SaiBaba by name

Nanavali. I am taking this liberty to term him as cranky
because he use to perform very funny acts (monkey
tricks), which use to annoy people and they use to
complain to Baba about his misbehavior. Baba would
then scold Nana stating that devotees would go away
from Shirdi if he continues to misbehave. My father
had different kind of admiration for Nanavali. He was
suffering from hernia so much so that the grown up
portion use to touch the ground and he use to walk in
that fashion only. Sometimes he used to tie the pieces
of cloth to his trousers at the back forming a long tail
and then he use to jump like a monkey. All the children
of the village use to get amused with his monkey tricks
and then in that state he used to come running to Baba
to save him torn the onslaught of the children. My
father used to wonder as to how can this man in that
state of hernia run so fast. He never thought pf him to
be a mad person. Nanavali used to call my father by
name Gawalya' and use to beg him for food. Then my
father used to go to the eating, house run by Sagun
and request him to feed him with sufficient food.
According to my father Sai Baba and Nanavali was like
a pair of Lord Ram and his ardent devotee Lord
Hanuman. Nanavali once commanded Baba to allow him
to sit on his seat. Baba responded positively to his call
and got up from his seat and allowed Nanavali to occupy
the same. Nanavali sat for a while on the seat and then
got up saying, Oh Lord only you can occupy this seat
because it suits you, my right place is near your feet
only. You can all imagine what great guts Nanavali had
to ask Baba to allow him to occupy his seat and also the
enormous quantum of love that Baba extended to him
and vacated his 'Asan' (seat) for beloved Nanavali.
Offcourse the reason why my father use to reckon
them as an equivalent pair of Lord Ram & Hanuman is
different. Once Nanavali told my father "Hey Gawalya
come with me and I will show you some fun". He then
took my father to 'Chavadi' which is a little distance
from Dwarkamai. Baba was sitting there in Chavadi. In
no time Nanavali reduced his stature and made himself
so small that he could fit in a 'Handi' (glass bowls
which are tied with small ropes and hung onto the
ceiling of the Chavadi) and then literally jumped up and
went and sat up in one of the 'Handis'. Like a monkey
he was sitting in the Handi and teasing my father. My
father was astonished to see that act. It was
unbelievable. It was nothing short of a miracle. How
can Nanavali with that state of his body jump so high
and make himself small enough to sit in that Handi. It
was simply amazing and unbelievable. He then realized
that Sai Baba and Nanavali are Avatar of Lord Ram and
Lord Hanuman in Shirdi. He instantly prostrated in
front of Baba there and then venerated Him.

Dear Sai Devotee readers Nanavali was deep in sorrow

after Baba had taken the Samadhi and on the
thirteenth day he himself renounced this world.
Nanavali's Samadhi is situated near the eastern
entrance door of Lendi Baug. I always bow before it
whenever I visit Shirdi. Millions of bows to Lord Sai
and his amazing Leelas.

Source - LIVE EXPRIENCES OF THE TARKHAD

FAMILY WITH SHRI SAI BABA OF SHIRDI BY
VIRENDRA JYOTINDRA TARDHAD
http://saileelas.org/books/jyotindra.doc

Devotees may share Baba 's leela in their life in our

"EXPERIENCES" section. Kindly email us the same.
Continue reading
News and Events

Monthly Event

Date : 08 May 2010 3:00PM Shri Saibaba Satya

Vratham
Date : 26 May 2010 3:00PM Sri Satyanarayana
Vratham

Weekly Event

Bal Gokulam and Sri Sai Amritvani - Every Saturday

after Madhyahana Aarti
Mahaprasad/Annadanam every Thursday evening

Daily Event

8:30 AM Kakad / Morning Arathi

9:00 AM Abhishekam for BABA
9:30 AM Archana for Baba
10:00 AM Abhishekam for Shiva
12:00 PM Madhyan/ Arathi
6:30 AM Dhoop / Evening Arathi
8:30 PM Shej / Night Arathi
All Arathi lasts for about 15 to 25 minutes
approximately.
SHIVA ABHISHEKAM Monday 7.00PM

Temple Timing
Week Days 8.30 AM To 12.30 PM
6.30 PM To 9:00 PM
Thursdays 8.30 AM To 9.00 PM
Weekends 8.30 AM To 9.00 PM

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Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, 144 South 4th Street,

Montebello, CA-90640, USA.