saipatham magazine -...

SAIPATHAM – OCTOBER 2002

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Letters to the Editor

The Editorial

The day when he who had transcended form left the body

What is the real Vijayadasami?

The clarion call of Sri Sai Baba sounds in the west

Children's Sai Baba

Khaparde's Diary

Satsang News

SAIPATHAM MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2002 SEPTEMBERNOVEMBER

Inside Cover

RARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF SHIRDI OF YORE

The photographic vignettes of Buty Wada (The Samadhi Mandir of Sai

Baba) in those early days when Baba entered mahasamadhi.

Page 2

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sir,

We received the Guru Purnima issue of Saipatham

with great happiness. It is true that to bring out a

regular journal is a very difficult task. It is due to


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some inescapable reasons that there may have

been a delay in the recent past in bringing out the

magazine. But it is not necessary for you to give

such a long explanation to us about the delay as we

are fellow devotees and can well understand and

sympathise with you about the delay. This is even

more so when we know that you have been trying

with the utmost vigour to publish the magazine on

time. The Guru Purnima issue was very good. We

were all delighted with the article Tatyasaheb

Noolkar who was an intimate devotee of Sai Baba.

The copies of the letters of those days published in

manuscript form gave the stamp of authenticity to

the article.

It is my hope that Saipatham fulfils the needs of the

devotees of Sai Baba.

Ever in the service of Sai Baba,

Katragadda Suryanarayana, Tenali.

_____________________________

Dear Sir,

I happened to go through your magazine, Saipatham

and was enthralled as I read the articles and the

biographical accounts of the devotees. I felt that the

true Sai is being reflected accurately in this

magazine. You gave us all the details of those days

with such clarity that I feel as if these events are all

happening before my eyes. I congratulate you on an

excellent magazine.

Yours


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L. Siddha Reddy, R Locherla, Anantapur District

_______________________________________

Dear Sir,

I received the ninth issue of Saipatham. I was

disappointed that the magazine had not been

published and sent to us for the last six months. The

sudden arrival of this issue plunged me into surprise

and happiness. Your assurance that you would send

twelve issues to all the subscribers who had paid the

annual subscription regardless of the date of expiry

is to be admired. It would not be too much to say

that Saipatham had introduced a new ethical

standard in journalism, which other publishers would

do well to emulate. I congratulate the management

team of the magazine. I hope that you continue to

maintain the same ethical standards in your dealings

with the devotees of Sai Baba in the future too.

Yours,

L Venkateswara Rao, Khammam

___________________________

Dear Sir,

The month is spent looking forward to the arrival of

the postman with a copy of Saipatham. One is

plunged into indecision the moment the magazine

lands in one's hands. Which article to read first?

Which can be savoured later? One is eager to read

everything at once without leaving out a single word.

But one has only two eyes and in front of them lay a

veritable feast of words. What to read first? Can we

not read everything at once? The mind wavers in

confusion. Start from the beginning and read on till


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the end commands the intellect. One reads on with

mounting delight till, all too soon, the magazine is

over. Only twenty-four pages! One is despondent

that the magazine is finished within such a short

time.

Each article is in such detail with great clarity and

wealth of information. The headlines and captions

give us the highlights of the articles. These

headlines and captions themselves are the beacons,

which light our way forward in life. The cover is a

delight to the eyes and keeps changing its

appearance to give us more and more happiness

every month.

This is Saipatham. None other can compare with it!

Yours,

B Satish, Chennai

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THE EDITORIAL

Ardent feeling: the life force of the bhajan (singing of devotional songs.)

"Those who remember me and sing my divine leelas (divine play) become

me," said Sai Baba. Guruji, in his description of Sai Baba's mission, said

"The religion of Baba is to improve man to make him God."

Happiness is the ultimate objective of all our endeavours in the worldly or

the spiritual fields. That is why Sai Baba exhorted us, "Meditate upon me


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as the embodiment of bliss." There are many sadhanas (spiritual

practices), which Guruji has given to the devotees of Sai Baba in order to

discover and enjoy the bliss lying dormant within us.

Of these sadhanas, the one dearest to his heart is bhajan, the remembrance

with love of Sai Baba's name. Bhajan is the expedient to express the

deeply-felt devotion for Sai Baba by word, deed and thought. It is the

submission to Sai Baba of the anguish piercing our hearts; the expression

of our gratitude to him that all that which is happening to us is by his

divine grace and therefore his prasad to us. (Prasad is the food offered to

a saint which is redistributed among the devotees as the conveyer of

purification and grace of the saint).

We should lovingly sing his glory, as he is forever protecting us from all

harm, both in the worldly as well as in the spiritual dimension, even

though we do not necessarily deserve to receive his grace. These are the

different expressions inherent in the bhajan.

Guruji defines bhajan as "The sadhana to express the yearning, the love

and the longing which we feel in our hearts for Baba". Bhajan reduces the

illusory effects of "I" and "mine" in our hearts and minds, and fills them

with the divine glow of love for Sri Sai. Bhajan makes us one with Baba,

the one who is the embodiment of single-minded love and infinite bliss,

and raises our voice in a harmony of love towards him.

Guruji says, "Ardent feeling is the life force of the bhajan." Furthermore,

"To the devotees of Sri Sai, he is the sadguru, the sadhana as well as the

destination." But over the years, the true essence of bhajan has been lost

and the teachings of Sai Baba have been forgotten. A veneer of orthodoxy,

using mere outward forms of worship and religious observances, has come

to replace the true essence of Baba's teachings. His name has been linked

in bhajan with other gods such as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha, Datta,


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Maruti and so on. It was at this juncture that Guruji emphasised Baba's

words, "They all call me Sai Baba," as Baba's divine call. He presented the

bhajan, "Sai Baba, Sai Baba" as the sadhana with which to recognise Sai

as only Sai, to kindle the flames of the true tradition of Sai in the hearts of

his devotees and to give life to the tradition of universal love - which is the

mainspring of Sai Baba's teaching.

To enable the devotees of Sai Baba to experience Sri Sai's grace, Guruji

has exhorted us to "Meditate solely upon one god," and has given us the

nectar of Sai worship in the single bhajan "Sai Baba, Sai Baba". Guruji's

purpose and mission in life is to immerse us in the river of Sai Baba's love

and make us cry out in ecstasy, so that we merge into that ocean of bliss.

The satsangs, which are meetings organised by Guruji's devotees at

various places, are for the furtherance of that aim. Sai Baba said, "My

name will talk, my samadhi (the tomb of a saint) will answer." The

satsangs are filled with the presence of Sai Baba as they resound with his

golden name. They offer solace to the many grief-stricken people of the

world, giving them the necessary guidance to receive the grace of Sai

Baba and thereby achieve bliss.

Sai Baba said, "Meditate upon me as the embodiment of bliss. If you are

unable to do that, meditate upon my form." Guruji says, "By his numerous

leelas Sai Baba has given his devotees the direct experience that he is the

embodiment of all life forms in this world. Hence the physical form of one

who has transcended form is the one for meditation by the devotees of Sai

Baba and the way to achieve happiness."

The first part of the nama smaran is to bring to one's mind the

omnipresence and the universal form of Sai Baba. Another facet of bhajan

is the recognition and celebration of the fact that he showers his blessings

upon us even though we are so undeserving of his grace, and gives us


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whatever we ask for the moment we ask, exclaiming, "My business is to

bless". Sai Baba once said, "My leelas are unfathomable. Whoever dives

deep into them will be rewarded by the precious jewels of knowledge." To

meditate upon his leelas and immerse oneself in the contemplation of the

true traditions of Sai Baba is another part of bhajan. Baba said, "Whoever

constantly sees me, and constantly keeps their mind upon me will certainly

reach god." To lose the confines of our ego and merge into the universal

ego of Sai Baba in contemplation of his divine teachings is the last part of

bhajan.

In Guruji's words, "The divine, effulgent and powerful form of Sai Baba

and the love he shows towards his devotees he expresses by granting

anything the moment one wishes for it. The divine, unfathomable nature

of Baba, the enchantment of our hearts in the quest towards divining his

nature, and the dissolution of our individuality in the collective, universal

consciousness in that enchantment Ð these are the beginning and ending of

bhajan."

The truth gleaned at satsang and in our own study becomes evident at

bhajan. The devotees, hitherto insulated in their various individual egos,

merge into one and worldly desires and proclivities diminish. The feelings

of ego, the 'I' and the 'mine', are weakened and the heart is ennobled by a

universal love. Our feelings about divinity, which had hitherto an

amorphous and indistinct form, take a firmer shape and the heart is

purified wherein God makes his presence felt. The feelings of love and

devotion become stronger and further purify the hearts of devotees. The

devotees lose their sense of self and merge into the divine; they lose their

sense of themselves and achieve the feelings of the infinite and limitless

extent of God. They discover an experience of the true form of Sai Baba in

the silence between the words. This is the ultimate experience of bhajan.


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The feeling expressed by Guruji that, "Time does not exist when the mind

merges into the divine," is experienced by the devotee in bhajan.

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THE DAY WHEN HE WHO HAD TRANSCENDED

FORM LEFT THE BODY

A SPECIAL ARTICLE BY SRI SAINATHUNI SARATH BABUJI

It was 15th October 1918, and the festival of Vijayadasami was being

joyfully observed everywhere. At two in the afternoon, when according to

the lunar calendar dasami had just finished and ekadasi had just started,

Sai Baba chose to enter mahasamadhi.

The news spread like wildfire to the four corners of the country. A volcano

of anguish burst in the hearts of his devotees and eyes which had shed

tears of joy seeing the divine form of Sai Baba when he was alive filled

with tears of dismay and grief. On hearing the news that he was no more

and that life had left that glorious body, their hearts filled with the glorious

memories and they rued, "Never will we see those days again".

Despondent and dispirited they felt abandoned, their hearts became

desolated and a dark cloud of insecurity seemed to envelop them. A dreary

sadness reigned.

Great crowds of people thronged for the last darshan of Sai Baba. The

body was kept in a sitting position at the mosque so that all could see him

and have his darshan. A veritable sea of humanity occupied the mosque


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and it was said that one had to wait five hours to have darshan of that

glorious form of the one who had transcended all forms.

Baba had said before he left his body, "I do not like it here. Take me to the

Dagdi Wada (Buty Wada), great people will serve me there." This was

taken by many devotees as Baba's directions to put his body into samadhi

in Buty Wada. So they started to excavate the place earmarked for the

Muralidhar statue in Buty Wada to bury his body.

A dispute soon arose as to where the samadhi of Baba was to be located,

for many devotees had taken Baba's words, "Take me to Dagdi Wada

(Buty Wada)," as directions to put his body in samadhi in Buty Wada. But

some elders of Shirdi, perhaps motivated by the fact that Sai Baba was a

Muslim, or by the superstitious belief that it is bad fortune to have a grave

in the middle of a village, insisted that the body should be put in samadhi

in the burial ground outside the village. Many Muslim devotees too, such

as Ameer Shakkar and others, insisted that Baba's body should be buried

in the burial ground according to the tenets of Islam, and that a samadhi

should be built over it. They were apprehensive that since Buty Wada was

the private property of a Hindu they might be prevented from visiting the

samadhi in the future.

Shama had initially opposed putting Baba;s samadhi in Buty Wada but

Tatya Kote Patil was firmly of the opinion that it should be in the Buty

Wada, though he was bedridden due to severe illness. So he summoned his

close friend Ramachandra Patil and told him that it was Sai Baba's last

wish that his body should be interred in Buty Wada and enjoined him to

comply with Baba's request.

Many people of Shirdi, especially the youth led by Ramachandra Patil,

insisted that Baba's body should be kept in samadhi in Buty Wada.

Prominent among this group were Bayyaji Patil Kote, Bappaji Lakshman


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Ratnaparkhi, Balaji Pilaji Gurav, Santaji Bhivasan Shelke, Vamanrao

Mankoji Gondkar, Martand Bhagath Sonar, Tatya Tukaram Patil Shinde,

Nivratti Hanumant Gondkar, Appa Bahir Gondkar, Bhavadu Dulab Bhill,

Sakharam Ramji Kote, Dada Mahadu Gondkar, Tukaram Bharaku Mahar,

Yadav Radhunath Shinde and others. The arguments and counter

arguments as to where Baba's body was to be interred became more and

more serious and the village split into two opposing factions over the

issue.

In the evening the Fauzdar (Police Sub Inspector) arrived from Rahata and

an inquest was conducted in the presence of the Shirdi village police Patel,

Santaji Patil Shelke. As Baba had left no heirs, they decided to hand over

all his belongings to the Government. Yet still no agreement could be

reached as to where his samadhi was to be and the night of Tuesday

passed amidst heated arguments about the issue.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Baba appeared in a vision to

Shama's uncle, Lakshmanmama Joshi and said, "Get up quickly! Bapu

Saheb Jog thinks that I am dead and will not come to give arati

(congregational worship) to me. You must come and do kakad arati

(morning arati) to me." Jog, who had conducted arati every day to Baba,

did not come on that day as Baba had foretold. So Lakshmanmama Joshi

came, and disregarding the objections of the maulvis (Muslim priests)

present at the mosque, gave kakad arati to Baba and left. Jog, on learning

of this, came in the afternoon and continued the aratis to Sai Baba.

On the same day Amir Bhai and others from Bombay arrived along with

the Mamlatdar of Kopergaon. Still no agreement could be reached on

where Baba's samadhi was to be. Tension filled the air and clashes seemed

imminent. At this point the Mamlatdar decided to resolve this issue by a

vote and collected signatures of the villagers. In the voting 1,503


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signatures were in favour of installing Baba's samadhi in Buty Wada and

730 people supported putting Baba's samadhi in the burial ground.

Even though the majority favoured Baba's samadhi being in Buty Wada,

the Mamlatdar feared that this might lead to violence and inter-religious

strife in the village and stated that he would not take a final decision over

the issue unless both parties agreed unanimously. He stated that he would

seek the decision of the District Collector over the matter, so Kakasaheb

Dixit started for Ahmednagar to consult with the government officer.

Dixit himself was opposed to the body of Baba being placed in Buty

Wada, and the other group was well aware of Dixit's prestige and

influence in the local government and his wide acquaintance with

government officials. They knew how efficient he was in getting work

done, and could well imagine the consequences if Dixit had met with the

District Collector. So they immediately agreed to compromise on the

issue, and it was decided that Baba's body would be kept in a lying

position in a wooden coffin in the Muslim tradition and that no objections

should be raised over the Muslims' right to enter the samadhi and worship

Baba. All acquiesced unanimously to this and agreed to put Baba's

samadhi in Buty Wada.

By the time all these negotiations and compromises had been concluded it

was Wednesday afternoon. Baba's body was bathed and placed in a seated

position in a four-wheeled carriage covered with an arch, and this was

taken out in a grand procession along with a palanquin and horse all

around the village until it arrived in Buty Wada. There Bapusaheb Jog

offered arati to Sai Baba and in the usual manner placed the dakshina

(alms) in Baba's hand by opening his fingers and then enclosing it in

Baba's fist. Although it was now twenty-one hours since Baba had entered

samadhi, his fingers were not affected at all by rigor mortis and opened

and closed very easily. Baba's body bent in a natural manner as if he was


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merely asleep, and the devotees were easily able to remove his kafni

(cloak).

Before covering the samadhi with a stone, Baba's satka (stick), chillum

(pipe), a needle along with some reels of thread, flowers and aromatic

incense were placed in it. Baba had a brick, about 12 by 9 by 3 inches in

size which he used to place under his hand when he sat and used as a

pillow while he slept. Some devotees said that the brick was given to Baba

by his guru, although there is no concrete proof that Baba had ever stated

that it was given to him by his guru.

A few days before Baba entered samadhi, a devotee called Madhav Fasle

was cleaning the mosque when he dropped the brick and it broke into two

pieces. There is also another story that Mhalsapathi was handing the brick

to Baba one day and that it fell and broke into two. Baba was not in the

mosque at the time, and the devotees were apprehensive that when he

found out that the brick had been broken he would fly into a towering

rage. But contrary to their expectations, when Baba returned to the

mosque he did not get angry when he saw the broken brick. He simply

took the broken pieces in his hand, his eyes brimming with tears, and said,

"It's over, it's finished. My relationship with this brick in this life has

ended. I must go now." (Sevat jhala ata sarvach atoople. Janmachi khari

sobateen sevati goleech. Ata apanhi goli pahaje. Aphan veet sonyacha

tarene neet julvoon bandhan ghevu.)" Buty, in seeing Baba's sorrow,

offered to have the broken pieces of brick joined together again with silver

or gold wire, but Baba would not allow it. But after his samadhi the pieces

of the brick were joined together with silver wire and it was placed under

Baba's head in the samadhi.

As well as this brick Baba also had an old cloth bag which he would never

allow anyone to touch. Nobody knew what was in it as he kept it beside

him all the time. After his death, when the devotees opened the bag they


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found inside an old, bedraggled green kafni and a cap, which Kasinath

Shimpi had presented to Baba many years previously. No one could

fathom why Baba had guarded them so zealously, and the kafni and cap

were placed in the cloth bag and put in the samadhi with Baba. By the

time all this was done it was four in the afternoon before the samadhi was

sealed. It is said that a little blood came from Baba's mouth when the body

was placed in the Samadhi Mandir for darshan, a unique occurrence in the

annals of medical science. However it was not surprising that normal

physical laws did not apply to a yogi such as Baba, who could do various

yogic practices such as expelling his intestines and washing them,

dismantling and reassembling his body parts and the astounding miracle

when he had returned to life after being dead for three days thirty years

previously.

The day after Baba entered samadhi, Baba appeared in darshan to Das

Ganu Maharaj at Pandaripur, early in the morning, and said, "The mosque

has collapsed. The oil merchants have troubled me a great deal. That is

why I am leaving. I have come here to tell you this. Come at once to

Shirdi and cover my samadhi with flowers." The news that Baba had

entered mahasamadhi reached Das Ganu as dawn was breaking, and he

rushed to Shirdi as quickly as he could, along with his followers, and

placed flowers on Baba's samadhi. He did nama sankeertana and fed the

poor in honour of Baba.

As Baba was dying, Nana Wali started weeping and wailing and said,

"Uncle, I cannot live without you. I am coming with you." So he stopped

eating or drinking and on the 13th day after Baba entered mahasamadhi

he, too, left his body.

In those early days, the ritual bathing (abhishek) of the samadhi was done

only once a week and performed by Abdul Baba. Buty had appointed

Kamalakar Dixit to conduct the regular worship of Baba's samadhi, but


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after a few days he left Shirdi and settled at Sakori with Upasani Baba in

his ashram. Bapusaheb Jog, who used to conduct the regular arati to Sai

Baba while he was in the body, also took sanyas a few months after Baba

entered mahasamadhi and took up residence at Sakori.

The devotees who visited Shirdi between 1918 and 1922 were very few in

number. Kakasaheb Dixit took the initiative and formed a trust to

administer the Samadhi Mandir in the name of Sri Sai Baba Sansthan

(organisation). The monthly expenditure of the Sansthan in those early

days was only between 250 to 300 rupees; today it is a few million! From

1918 until 1954 there was only a simple photograph of Sai Baba on the

samadhi. Then on Thursday, October 7th, 1954, a beautiful marble statue

of Sai Baba sculpted by Balaji Vasant Talim was consecrated in the

Samadhi Mandir.

Box on page 6

THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS YEAR'S VIJAYADASAMI

Whatever the puranic stories say about Vijayadasami, it is the most

important and holy day for the devotees of Sai Baba, as it was on that day,

Tuesday, October 15th 1918, that he chose to leave his body. According to

the Lunar Calendar, the Dasami had just finished and Ekadasi had started.

Ever since then, the day of mahasamadhi of Sai Baba has been observed

on Vijayadasami. It is remarkable coincidences that after 84 years the

lunar and solar calendars agree, and the samadhi day of Sai Baba happens

again to happen on a Tuesday, the 15th of October 2002, which gives a

special importance to this year's Vijayadasami.

Let us all spend the day in Shirdi in remembrance of how Baba entered

mahasamadhi.


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Saipatham

Box on Page 8

On the day when Baba entered mahasamadhi, Panduranga Balaji Kavade

and Vaman Ranganath Gokhale interviewed several prominent devotees.

Kavade is the author of the Marathi history of Sai Baba, Sri Sant Sai

Maharaj Yanche Charitra, which was first published 1956. Gokhale wrote

Nirvanicha Sakha Ð Shirdi che Sainath Maharaj Yanche Jeevan Charitra,

first published in Marathi in 1965. They had met many of the elders of

Shirdi, including Ramachandra Kote Patil, Ratnaparkhi and other

devotees, and later published these interviews.

An examination of the events of that day shows that, contrary to widely

held opinion, the dissension of that day was not between Hindus on the

one side and Muslims on the other. Rather it was the result of the

differences of opinion about where Baba's body should be interred. Not all

those who voted to keep Baba's body in Buty Wada were Hindus, nor

were all those who preferred to place it in the burial ground Muslims. Both

parties had Muslims and Hindus amongst them. In fact Ramachandra Kote

Patil, in the interview, is especially appreciative of the help given to him

by a Muslim police functionary during the dispute.

Caption of the photo on Page 9

The wooden platform on which

Baba's holy body was placed

when he was last bathed

Caption under photo on Page 11

This rare photograph, said to

have been taken of the mosque

or Dwarakamai three days after


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Sri Sai Baba entered

mahasamadhi.

Back to Contents

WHAT IS THE REAL VIJAYADASAMI?

Sai Baba's tradition is of true love – universal, selfless love, which looks

upon all creation as Sri Sai and loves it as such.

It is the inhuman aspect within us which prevents us from following his

teachings and progressing further, which keeps us mired in orthodox

spiritual practices. Those who propagate these tendencies towards

fanaticism in the name of orthodoxy are the true demons that beset

society. When we eradicate these demons in one form they arise, phoenix-

like, in another and continue to plague us.

It is only when we summon up all our strength, using the weapons of

nistha (faith) and saburi (patience) with thought, speech and action united

in the common cause that we can vanquish the dead wood of orthodoxy

and win the battle against these base tendencies. The day when that

happens and we gain victory over the fanatical trends plaguing our society,

will be our real Vijayadasami

Sri Babuji

Captions for the photographs on Page 12

Left photo - The Samadhi of Sai Baba in 1920 (two

years after he entered mahasamadhi)


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Right Top - Baba's samadhi in 1926

Right Bottom - Baba's samadhi before 1954.

Caption on Page 13

HAVE YOU NOTICED?

We all know that Sai Baba, in the form of a white marble

statue, is seated upon a silver throne from where he governs

his spiritual empire with such benign grace. The weight of this

throne is 60.822 Kg.

However a new grand silver throne weighing 205kg. was

installed on Ramanavami day 2002. The new throne is used

only during special festival days and the old throne is used on

all the other days.

Page 14

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THE CLARION CALL OF SRI SAI BABA

SOUNDS IN THE WEST

Our sastras regard self-study and listening to spiritual treatises as

important steps in sadhana. The Saipatham satsang kendras are

developing this theme by becoming centres where love for Baba is

awakened, where the happiness of being with Baba is shared and the

presence of the guru is enjoyed. Saipatham, or the path of Sai, is where

these feelings predominate. The feet of Sri Sai dance in happiness in such

places.


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Many are the devotees who have taken shelter in the kindly arms of

Guruji, and who enjoy his love, protection and the feeling of security he

evokes in them. Even though they may be abroad in pursuit of their

careers, they want to share the love and bliss they have enjoyed with

others too, and want to keep their lives forever immersed in the

remembrance and talk of Sai Baba. They have therefore united to form an

organisation called the 'American Saipatham Kendras', or ASK.

This reflects Sai Baba's willingness to fulfill his devotees' wishes, as

defined by Sri Babuji when he reminds us, "It is his vow to keep giving us

whatever we ask of him. It is the path of Sai to teach us how to ask him."

Although these devotees have gone abroad to work, they are careful not to

become enmeshed by a secular culture and are seeking to influence those

around them by keeping to the path of Sai Baba. Almost every month they

devote a long weekend to gathering together and focusing on their inner

sight and in awakening the feelings of Sai love. Time which would

perhaps normally be spent on a holiday or some form of entertainment is

used to refresh themselves in the rich draughts of Sai Baba and Guruji's

teachings and in sharing their experiences with new arrivals.

These satsangs first started in the States in April 1999, and from their

humble beginnings they have developed into sizeable gatherings. The

satsang is held once a month in a teleconference form and around 200

people are able to join in at the same time. Those who wish to join the

satsang dial (949)-270-2290 and then dial the password 724. The

interactive system then asks them for the place they are dialing from, and

they are then linked into the system and can join in. Any number of

devotees can take part in the satsang and ask whatever they wish, so that

all those taking part in the satsang can hear the answer. Everyone can talk

to each other as if they were all sitting together. Once all the American

devotees are online, they call up India and link the Indian devotees to the


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satsang. Everyone joins in the satsang, which ends with the Sai nama

being sung by all.

There are many Sai devotees who cannot read Telugu, even though it is

their mother tongue. This is because of the prevailing education system

which teaches them in languages other than their own. ASK can rightly

take pride in recording Sai Bhakti Sadhana Rahasyam for the use of such

devotees. Written by Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji in the form of an audio

book, using the latest digital technology, it is the first such innovation in

the field of Telugu publishing.

In this way the members of ASK are able to propagate the loving tradition

of Sai Baba and Guruji on an equal footing with the satsang kendras of

India.

The burning desire with which Vivekananda spread the teachings of his

guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, to the Americans is well known. No

less is the zeal of the members of ASK, who are eager to share the love

and teachings of their guru Sri Babuji in the USA. May Guruji bless the

members of ASK to continue on that path with renewed vigour and faith.

May Guruji shower his blessings on them and their satsang.

Mangalagiri Radhakrishna

Poems on

With sweet words for a temple

Asked Sai in his darbar

Shama and Buty saw the dreams as one

Isn't it the glory of Sai – the dream?


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Completed was the temple

stay I would, here, said Sai

Now it is the temple of our hearts

Save us oh Sai! Our protector

Page 17

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CHILDREN'S SAI BABA

We perform so many acts every day. Yet we recognise that

most of what we do is of little value. We waste so much time

and effort over activities of little use. Moreover, sometimes

what we do is not only futile but offends others and lands us in

trouble. How can we overcome this situation? We just have to

sit alone and consider what is essential and what is not. We

should perhaps first stop doing that which does not further our

aims.

The next thing is to undertake only that which is useful and

essential, even if it is not to our liking, and endeavour to like

that which we are obliged to do. Although this may not happen

immediately, with the passage of time and diligence we will come

to accept them as a routine or habit. If we read the biography


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of Sai Baba we can see that he followed a routine, even though

he had no need to do so, and gave much importance to doing

whatever he set himself in a proper manner.

For example he used to make a daily round to beg for alms, only

stopping a few days before he died. He would only go to five

houses for alms and never changed the houses or the order in

which he visited them throughout his life. His devotees would

place tasty delicacies before him but he would always eat only

what he had had been given on his daily round.

On one occasion Baba put his hand in the dhuni in order to save

a child from burning. His hand sustained a severe burn, and

every day Bhagoji, a devotee who was a leper, would bandage

the hand. Even though the wound healed after a few days, Baba

continued for eight years to allow Bhagoji to dress his hand

right up until his death.

The mosque where Baba lived was dilapidated and in daily

danger of collapse. His devotees would have preferred him to

stay elsewhere, but he would never accede to their request.

Even when a huge storm engulfed the town and it seemed as if

the roof would cave in at any moment, Baba refused to budge.

In desperation a devotee, Narayana Teli, ignoring his orders

forcibly carried him to the Chavadi and made him stay there

the night. Thereafter, Baba developed a routine of spending one

night at the mosque and one night at the Chavadi.


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Baba's daily routine never varied. He would follow the same

route every day when he went from the mosque to the Lendi

gardens to answer the calls of nature, and return by a different

way. Nor did he choose the most direct path, but preferred a

lengthier detour for reasons which he never explained. Perhaps

by his scrupulous adherence to habit, he was trying to set us an

example.

Middle Box on Page 18

From the diary of

Kakasaheb Dixit

The headmaster of the school at

Shirdi was called Daji Vaman

Chidambar, whom I met within a

short while of his arrival. In the

course of our conversation he

said to me, 'The good name I

have developed as a teacher is in

danger of becoming ruined.

Children in Shirdi show little

inclination to study and have no

fear of examinations. Such is

their faith in Baba that they tell

me that all they need to in order

to pass is to take udi from Baba

and this in itself will confer on

them the necessary abilities.'

About six months later, when

the examinations had been


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completed, I met him again.

'Well,' he volunteered, 'it seems

I was wrong. The school has got

excellent results. All the children

who took the exam after

receiving udi from Baba have

passed!'

Box in the bottom of page 18

Dear Children,

Vijayadasami is the day when Baba entered mahasamadhi. It is

also the day that our dear Guruji was born. That is why that day

is a big festival, which we celebrate with joy. We do the Sai

nama and the procession with Sai Baba's photograph around the

streets of Shirdi on that day. This year we will also have some

cultural programmes presented by the children on the 14th,

15th and 16th October, 2002 at Saipatham. We would like you

to present some skits and short plays and dances about Sai

Baba and Guruji. If you are interested in taking part can

organise skits or plays of ten minutes duration and use this

opportunity to show your love for Baba and Guruji.

Page 18

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KHAPARDE'S DIARY


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Khaparde's diaries were published by the All India Sai Samaj, Mylapore,

Chennai long ago but are no longer available. They were also published as

"Shirdi Diary" from August 1985 to February 1986 in Sai Leela magazine.

The Sai Baba Sansthan have published the diaries in a book form under

the editorship of Sri V B Kher, but some of the original passages have

been removed and the book is incomplete.

The original diaries are presently in safe keeping at the National Archives.

We have spent a great deal of effort and expense to acquire copies of these

rare original manuscripts and are publishing them with the photocopies of

the original English diaries, along with a Telugu translation.

Saipatham

1911 -13TH DECEMBER, WEDNESDAY

Sheradi.

I got up as usual, prayed and wished to bathe but hot water was not ready.

So I came out & sat talking. I saluted Sayin Maharaj as he went out & then

had my bath. I read Panchadasi. Later on I went to see Sayin Maharaj at

the Masjid and returned after Arti. About 4 P.M. I went away with

Balvant, Bhishma & Bauda who brought my Hukka & Sayin Maharaj had

a smoke out of it. Madhavarao asked for permission for me to return to

Amravati but Sayin Maharaj said that he would decide about it tomorrow

morning. He got all the people there out of the Masjid & advised me very

very kindly in a truly fatherly way. At sunset we went again & saw him

opposite the Chavadhi and later on attended the Sheja-Arti. Then Bhishma

had his Panchapadi, earlier then usual. Bhai also sang a Bhajan.


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1911 - 14TH DECEMBER, THURSDAY

Shiradi.

Wishing to go away I got up early, attended the Kakad Arati and praying

somewhat in haste went to Sayin Maharaj at the Masjid with Madhavarao

Deshpande. Sayin Maharaj said that I could go tomorrow or so and added

that I should serve God alone & no one else. He said 'What God gives is

never finished & what man gives never lasts.' Then I returned, and saw

Durveshasaheb Falke of Kalyan arrive. He is a very nice old gentleman of

he old sort. Mr Shingne & his wife are with him. Mr Shingne is a High

Court Varkerl of Bombay & has a law class also. He said that the partition

of Bengal has been naturally modified, that Delhi has been substituted for

Calcutta as capitol & that some prisoners have been released, but their

names &c &c are not yet known. I attended the mid-day puja & had my

breakfast with Bapusaheb Jog. After it I lay down & fell asleep. I went to

the Masjid a little late & then made my namaskar near the Chavadhi. Then

I sat talking with Durveshasaheb & Shingne. Later on Bhishma had his

daily Bhajan.

Box on page 21

Hari Sitaram Dixit is prominent

among those devotees who were

fortunate enough to be close to

Sri Sai Baba during his lifetime.

He first came to see Sai Baba in

1909 and kept a notebook from

that time until his death in 1926,

in which he records the divine

leelas of Sai Baba that he had

witnessed, as well the ones he

had gathered from other


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devotees. His diary is therefore a

valuable and authentic source of

Sai BabaÍs life, along with

KhapardeÍs diaries. As yet the

book has not been published in

Telugu, but we intend to remedy

this as part of our endeavour to

publish authentic books about

the life and times of Sai Baba.

Box on page 23

The places of interest in Shirdi,

their details and importance in

the background of Sai Baba's

history and leelas. An

investigative guide to these and

many other details with many

rare photographs.

Experiencing Sai Baba's Shirdi - A guide by Alison

Williams

Page 24

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SATSANG NEWS

NELLORE

In zealous observance of Sri Babuji's saying "To think only of Sai and to

talk only of Sai, there is no other way;" the Sai Baba Mandir at

Venkatramapuram, Mini bypass, Nellore organised a twenty-four hour


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bhajan starting at 6 a.m. on the 14.09.02. Many local devotees as well as

devotees from other parts of Andhra Pradesh took part enthusiastically.

Approximately 2,000 people were fed in the annadan, which was part of

the dayÍs observances.

PALAKOLLU

The Sai Baba satsang kendras are fast spreading over the nooks and

corners of Andhra Pradesh. One such new comer is the Satsang Kendra,

which was started on 01.09.02 at Palakollu on the Banks of river Gautami

(Godavari) in the Konaseema, the granary of Andhra Pradesh.

The satsang was started at Spandana Apartments, Bangaru vari cheruvu

gattu with bhajan of Sai Nama and satsang with Sri P. Sai Prasad between

6 p.m. and 10.30 p.m.

VENKATAGIRI

On June 23rd the Venkatagiri Sai Baba satsang celebrated its seventh

anniversary with great joyfulness and ceremony. Bhajan was conducted

for 24 hours starting at 6 a.m. on the 22nd, and a procession was made in

the morning of the 23rd with the photographs of Baba and Guruji. About

5,000 people were fed in the annadan, which was conducted in the

afternoon. Satsang was conducted in the evening, which was well attended

by the devotees who had come from the afar to join the celebrations.

Speeches were made by in the satsang by Sri P. Sai Prasad, A

Bhanumurthy, S. Vijaya Bhaskar, B. Kondayya and S. Subbarayudu.

Back cover

The Samadhi which answers


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"My samadhi answers those who

make me their refuge. It moves

with them. I perform my mission

even from my samadhi. My

bones shall speak to reassure

my devotees. My name will

speak, I shall be with you even

after my samadhi, whenever you

think of me."

Sai Baba

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