Sai Vichaar For 30th July 2009

Sai Vichaar Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 :: Volume 12, Issue 12 (In its twelfth year of publication.)

www.saibaba.org

Sai Vichaar is a Weekly newsletter distributed every Thursday and is devoted to the life, philosophy and teachings of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Feel free to forward this newsletter to your interested associates in its original form. Please do not reply to this email. All replies will be ignored. To contact us please see information at the bottom of this newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE: •

FEATURE OF THE WEEK

•

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE

•

DEVOTEES SAY

•

PRAYER CLUB

•

EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES

•

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK

•

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

•

SAI ACTIVITIES

•

FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD

FEATURE OF THE WEEK: Reverence to the One and Only puTrilvaazh aravum anjEn poyyartham meyyum anjEn kaTraivaar sadaiem aNNal kaNNuthal paadham naNNi maTrumOr theyvanth thannai uNdena ninainthem pemmaaRku kaTrilaa thavaraik kaNdaal amma-naam anju maaRE I am not afraid of even the shiny snakes (that live) in the anthills. I am not afraid of even the (so called) 'truths' uttered by the charlatans (whose aim is to fool others). There are some people who think that there is some other god, and do not seek the holy feet of our Siva, who has an eye in the forehead and long matted locks of hair. If I happen to come across them, I am afraid of them indeed! Manikkavasagar, the great poet-saint of the ninth century Tamil land penned Thiruvasagam, which is considered as one of the most sacred anthology of Saiva Siddhantha. The above potent stanza from Thiruvasagam very strongly stresses the importance of single pointed devotion to one's object of reverence and not entertain anything that is even remotely converse. When a certain devotee who advocated changing one's religion was referred to Baba, it was not a pleasant experience! Baba roared, "Are you going to change your mother?" On another occasion, Baba was reported to have cited the qualities of a disciple as that of a chaste wife to her husband and a loyal servant to the Master. Several incidents cited in Sri Satcharitha stresses Baba's insistence on sticking with one's Guru only and not waver in their devotion and reverence to that Guru. Sri Sai Himself stood a

testimony to this spiritual truth. Baba has clearly said that it is only due to "rinanubandha", the karmic indebtedness, that one is drawn towards Him and He will draw His men towards Him from distant places. Hence, if one finds himself drawn to Baba, it is understood that he is Baba's man and Baba is the one and only recourse, resort, and the only object of reverence. For one who wants to progress in his spiritual life and achieve his goal, the above remains an axiomatic truth to be adhered to. CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: Spiritual Theme Park at Shirdi The Shri Saibaba Sansthan which manages the Saibaba Shrine at Shirdi, is planning a 25-acre Spiritual Theme Park at a cost of Rs 50 crore and is looking for International Firms with expertise in creating Theme Parks like Sentosa Island in Singapore for the Project. On a normal day, over One lakh people visit the Sai Baba Shrine at Shirdi, which is the Second Richest in India. On holidays and weekends, the number goes upto Five lakh and during festivals, it exceeds Eight lakh. Though most devotees are from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, a large number come from other parts of India. In recent years, the Shrine has been attracting Devotees from Abroad too. Shrine Trustees said that most Devotees, especially the young were interested to know more about the Life of the Saint. For their benefit, the Trust came up with the plan of a Park with Laser Shows that could relate the Story of the Saint's Life through the medium of Light and Water Fountains. The trust said that Two 40-minute Shows could be shown in the Park for Devotees, which will be located about a kilometer away from the Temple. The trust has already asked Companies interested in the Project to submit their 'Expression Of Interest' document. The Spiritual Theme Park is expected to be ready in a Year. "We have already made a provision of Rs 50 crore for the project. Entry into the Park will be free & we are modelling the show on the lines of the one at Sentosa Island in Singapore," said Jayant Sasane, chairman of Shri Saibaba Sansthan. (Source:Santosh Andhale in Mumbai Mirror posted on July 27th ) DEVOTEES SAY: Vasanthi I had lost my diamond ring and was very upset. I searched everywhere in the house in the bank locker and everywhere I could think of. I prayed to Baba and didn't know what to do, He was my only hope. After a few months, I went to the bank locker for something else. Unexpectedly I found my ring. I am so sure I had searched each and every box in the locker but it was not there before. None else but Baba could have put it there. HE is the one that blessed me and when I realized this tears were rolling down my eyes. Baba, your mercy is what keeps us going. Om Sai Ram PRAYER CLUB: Deepti

Baba it's been almost five years to my marriage .I did IVF also but it came negative. My in-laws are also against it and they wanted me to leave the house also if I decide to go in for second time because they think via this treatment it will not be my child they say it is against their dharm. Baba pls help me conceive for once Baba help me Maitreyi I thought you would bless me with a good life partner, but I am a big failure at this. What wrong did I do, how bad were my past karmas that I am still going through all this. Please lord, listen to my prayers. Bless my family and me. You know my parents are very sad due to me, please Sainath we are your children and have faith in you. Put an end to our miseries, bless us lord. EXPERIENCE OF DEVOTEES: Uma Pranams to Shri Saibaba. Thank you so much Baba for everything. You know you blessed us with a baby boy around 5 months back. Thanks for that Baba, you helped me through out my pregnancy, made my pregnancy success, the treatment& I was worried about the health of the baby. My pregnancy was not easy. You know everything you solved all my doubts, fears, and helped me in his name, date of namakarnam & in everything. It all happened because of your kind grace, my niece was sick last week and hospitalized I promised to post this message long back but please forgive me for the delay. Now my niece is fine and back home, thank Baba. Please help me and my son to reunite with my husband as soon as possible. Help my sister and her kids to reunite with her husband. Let him get a good job &settle down. Please take care of my parents & in-laws, bless us all. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: "Nobody should take the labor of others in vain. The worker should be paid promptly and liberally" - Sri Saibaba QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Q. What did Baba say regarding the need of a Guru in one's life? A. Your answer can go here. SAI ACTIVITIES: Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Chicago and Suburbs, Illinois, USA Sri Shirdi Sai temple is open daily from 7:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m.(Summer hours). Daily program includes Kakad Arathi at 7 a.m. followed by Abhisek. Madhayana Arathi at 12 noon, Dhoop Arathi at 6 p.m. and Shej Arathi at 9 p.m. Archana, Homams, Sahasranama and sponsored poojas continue in between the Arathis. To request a pooja for yourselves, your friends and family, please call. Devotees can request water (Abhishek Jal) from the Holy bathing of Baba by sending us an email or by phone. Temple is located 25 minutes drive west of Schaumburg on intersection of IL Route 47 and Plank Road in Hampshire, IL. For more information please call 847-931-4058 or send email to [email protected].

Sri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MN Sri Saibaba Mandir is located in Minneapolis, MN at 1835 Polk St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418. The mandir is open 7 days a week in the evenings from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm and during morning hours from 9 am to 12:30 pm, everyday. Satsangs are conducted every Sunday mornings, 9 am to 12:30 pm. Please visit the mandir website www.hamaresai.org or call 612-789-7729 for more information on mandir activities, events and other information. Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW Metroplex is located at 2109 West Parker (Parker Plaza), Suite 212, Plano, TX 75023. For temple hours and activities please call the temple office at 469-467-3388. Shirdi Sai Temple of New England, Boston Area Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of New England is now operational. It is located at 1827 Bridge St # 8, Dracut, MA 01824. The temple is open four days from Thursday to Sunday. For temple hours and activities please visit their website. Shirdi Sai Center in Bay Area, CA Shirdi Sai Center is located 897-B East Kifer Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. For more information please call 408-705-7904 or 408-564-6704. Shirdi Saibaba temple, Los Angeles, CA Devotees in Los Angeles area are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Los Angeles area. The temple is located at - 144 South 4th Street, Montebello, CA 90640. For more information please call Krishna Samantula at 949-679-9938. Saibaba Temple, Columbus, Ohio Devotees in Columbus and surrounding Ohio locations area are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Metro Columbus area. The temple is located in a leasing space at 6599 Dublin Center Drive, Dublin, OH 43017. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday bhajans. For more information please call 614-799-8411. Shirdi Sai bhajans every Thursday at Maitland, Florida Devotees are invited to participate in Sai study and bhajans on Thursdays between 7-8 pm at Meditation Gallery, 219 E Horatio Ave, Maitland, FL 32715. For more details please contact Bonnie at 407-830-1276. Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, TX Sri Shirdi Sai Temple of Austin, Texas opened at 601 E Whitestone Blvd (RM 1431), Cedar Park, TX. Daily 4 aarthis are performed to Sai Baba. As part of service to needy, a weekly sandwich seva is also conducted. Shirdi Sai Mandir, Dulles, VA Shirdi Sai Mandir is located at 43671 Trade Center Place #166 Dulles, VA 20166. The mandir is open through the week in the evenings from 6pm to 9 pm. Sri Satyanarayan pooja will be conducted every full moon day. Please call (703) 661-4724 for more information on activities, events and other information. Shirdi Sai Mandir, Toronto The Mandir is located at Unit 7 & 8 2721 Markham Road Toronto ON M1X 1L5 Canada. Daily services offered to Baba include abhishek and all aartis. For Mandir hours and activities, please call 647-444-4724.

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, Canada -Toronto Devotees in Toronto, are invited to join in Sai Namavali, Satcharita reading, Bhajans, Aarti and Prasad every Thursday from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. at GUR MANDIR 207 Queen's Plate Dr. Etobicoke - Hwy27 South of Finch for more info call (416) 294 4804 Sai Mandir, Baldwin New York Devotees in New York and surrounding locations are informed about Sri Sai Mandir in Baldwin NY. The temple is located at 1889 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday Panchamruta Abhishekam and bhajans. For more information please call at 516-867-8008. Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Iselin/Edison New Jersey Devotees in New Jersey and surrounding locations are informed about Sri Shirdi Saibaba temple in Iselin NJ. The temple is located at 465 Lincoln Highway (Route 27) Iselin, NJ 08830. Please attend daily Aaratis and Thursday Panchamruta Abhishekam and bhajans. For more information please call at 732-283-1800. Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Flushing New York This temple is located near the famous Ganesh Temple, Flushing, New york. All the day-to-day rituals at the temple are being conducted in a manner similar to that in Shirdi. The temple is located at 46-16 Robinson Street Flushing,NY,USA 11355. For more information please call 718-321-9243. Sri Sai Amruta Narayana Sarveswaraalaym, Richmond, VA The temple is open from 5.15 am to 9.00 pm, everyday (no lunch break etc). We have all 4 aarthis every day and Baba's paalki seva on every Thursday after Dhoop Aarthi. Further information can be obtained by calling the temple at 804-708-0867. FROM THE EDITORS KEYBOARD: Sai Vichaar has learnt that there has been disruption in distribution of newsletter to many subscribers due to techincal issues. Please remember that to continue receiving the newsletter email weekly please add the sender address into your contacts or check your unwanted email folder if your provider has introduced new filtering rules. Due to the nature of content, Sai Vichaar sometimes quotes texts or verses from other languages which are not in english and may be filtered under the provider rules. It is best to add the sender address of Sai Vichaar in your contact so that you continue to receive the newsletter without interruptions. We thank you for your cooperation and continued support. In the true spirit of Sai devotion, contributors are requested to remember to suit the content, language, style, and presentation, appropriate to a worldwide readership. It should also be noted that when a section from any material other than their own is quoted or referred to, it is the authors' responsibility to acknowledge the source appropriately. Sai Vichaar requests the devotees to continue to submit to Sai Vichaar using the pages intended for various sections of Sai Vichaar. Sai Vichaar gratefully appreciates the patience of its readers during the past few weeks of revamping of our database. A Sai devotee suggested the The "Question of the week" for this week as,, Q. What did Baba say regarding the need of a Guru in one's life?

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