Sri Ganeshayanamaha Sri Saraswatyainamaha Sri Gurubhyonnamaha
Sri Sai Ramachandrayanamaha
Sri Sai Satcharitra Sārāmsh
(Tuesday Paarayan)
Source: Sri Sai Satcharitra written by Sri Hemad Pant and published by Shirdi Samsthan
Abridged by: Ch. K. Surya Prakasa Rao, Visakhapatnam (A.P., India),
Sai Devotee
Translated by: Suryanarayana Vulimiri, Morrisville, NC USA,
Sai Devotee
Baba never liked if someone ridicules Gods or their abodes such as temples. He used to get all the temples repaired which needed some attention in the Shirdi village. Some people used to think that Baba is a Hindu while others used to think that he is a Muslim. But in reality, Baba never belonged to any caste or religion. Nobody knew where Baba was born or his parents.
Being aware that he will be going into the Samadhi soon, Baba gave a vessel full of buttermilk to Hemad Pant and asked him to drink it. This tells us that Baba is omniscient. All the readers should salute to Hemad Pant. Because he drank a vessel full of buttermilk and in turn gave the amrit (nectar) of Baba’s leelas (miracles) to everybody in the form of Sai Satcharitra. Let us rejoice by drinking this amrit as much as we can.
Baba’s words during the time he fell sick just before his samādhi “place me in the stone temple (Buti wāda)” are suggestive that he himself is Muralidhar. Since Baba was engraved in Buti wāda, we should realize that Baba is actually Muralidhar and the Buti wāda is the Samādhi mandir.
Once at the instance of Baba, a devotee Lakshmi Bai ran in haste, made roti (bread) and brought to Baba. Baba fed it to a dog saying “The appeasement of the dog’s hunger is the same as mine”. “Know for certain that whoever feeds the hungry really serves Me with food. This suggests that Baba is present in all creatures great and small. Baba is omni-present, birthless or deathless. He is immortal. It is said that yogis come to this earth wearing a body on a mission. Once the mission is accomplished they exit smoothly, quietly and peacefully just the way they came.
Even after his demise Baba appeared in the dream of Lakshman Mama Joshi, a maternal uncle of Shyama and said “Get up soon, Bapusaheb thinks that I am dead and so he won’t come. You do the worship and the Kakad (morning) Arati for me!”.
Baba’s body did not get stiff, though it was exposed for 36 hours and that all limbs were elastic and that His Kafni could be taken out without being torn to pieces. Some days before Baba’s departure a brick against which Baba used to lean or rest in the mosque, was broken into two pieces when a boy accidentally dropped the brick while cleaning. When Baba came to know this said, “It is not the brick, but My fate has broken into pieces. It was my life-long companion, with it I always meditated on the Self, it was as dear to Me as My life, it has left Me today”. About 32 years before this incident, i.e. in 1886 Baba went into samādhi for 72 hours and finally returned to life again. It is a point to ponder for the readers to consider whether Baba was the three and a half cubit’s body that He occupied or He was the self (ātma) inside!
Sri Satchidananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaj Ki Jai!
38th Chapter:
Sri Sai is the Sadguru and an embodiment of purity. He protects and nourishes those who surrender to him and seek his refuge. Baba used to prepare food with his own hands and used to feed vegetarians with vegetarian food and others with meat-based food. Baba used to mix the food with his bare hands while the food was cooking on a stove. Even then he never got his hands burnt. Our scriptures say it aloud that we should perform tapasya (penance) in Kruta yug, acquire jnyana (knowledge) in Trētā yug, yagyna (sacrifice) in Dwāpara yug, and dān (charity) in Kali yug. Of all the charities, anna-dān (food-donation) is the greatest. “Annam Parabrahma Swaroopam”, meaning food is the symbolism of the superior divinity.
Baba never liked if someone ridicules Gods or their abodes such as temples. He used to get all the temples repaired which needed some attention in the Shirdi village. Some people used to think that Baba is a Hindu while others used to think that he is a Muslim. But in reality, Baba never belonged to any caste or religion. Nobody knew where Baba was born or his parents.
Kala mixture (hodge-podge): His devotees used to mix all the prasādam brought by different people and offer it first to Baba and then used to take it as his prasādam.
Being aware that he will be going into the Samadhi soon, Baba gave a vessel full of buttermilk to Hemad Pant and asked him to drink it. This tells us that Baba is omniscient. All the readers should salute to Hemad Pant. Because he drank a vessel full of buttermilk and in turn gave the amrit (nectar) of Baba’s leelas (miracles) to everybody in the form of Sai Satcharitra. Let us rejoice by drinking this amrit as much as we can.
39th Chapter:
Dwārakamāyi is as auspicious as Shirdi. Becaused Sai lived, moved, roamed and ultimately attained Mahā Samādhi there. When Nana, a close follower of Baba felt out of pride that Baba does not know Sanskrit, Baba recited the 34th shloka “tadviddhi pari prānēna pari prasnēna sēvayā, upadēksyamti tē jnānam jnāninās tatva darsinaha” from the 4th Chapter of bhagavad-geeta, and explained its meaning in detail. Baba emphasized few points: “service is not something you do when you like it and not do when you don’t like it”. “This body is not yours, you are not its owner, instead you should assume that it belongs to the guru and it is meant for serving the guru. Here guru means the God. A true devotee always thinks that everything what he possesses belongs to the supreme Lord Krishna.
Construction of Samadhi Mandir:
Baba never used to let anyone know of what he is going to do. When Sriman Bapu Saheb Buti and Shyama told Baba that they would like to build a spacious temple in Shirdi where they intend to install the idol of Muralidhar (Srikrishna), the omniscient Baba said “Once you complete the temple construction, I will go and live there”. “We should only use the temple after the completion of construction”. It is true that it is impossible for anyone to know the depth of Baba’s life or intensions.
Baba’s words during the time he fell sick just before his samādhi “place me in the stone temple (Buti wāda)” are suggestive that he himself is Muralidhar. Since Baba was engraved in Buti wāda, we should realize that Baba is actually Muralidhar and the Buti wāda is the Samādhi mandir.
40th Chapter:
Just as the rivers flow into the ocean during the rainy season, his devotees are energized when they meet Him. Baba said “I will not forget those who remember me. I do not need a vehicle or a train or a tāngā or an aeroplane. Anyone who calls me with love, I will appear in front of them in no time”. If devotees seek the shelter of sadguru with complete surrender, the sadguru will make sure that ominous things happen in the devotees’ homes all the time.
41st Chapter:
Baba loves those who are keen in spiritual thinking. Besides, he removes their problems and makes them happy. Baba lives in every devotee’s heart. Baba does not like it when someone asks others to know about him or other devotees. Baba says “When I am here why should you ask others about me? Why don’t you ask me directly?”.
42nd Chapter:
Baba attaining Samādhi:
All our troubles will go away if we remember the divine feet of sadguru. Even ‘death’ looses its nature. Worldly sorrows will go away. Those who wish to be secure should listen to Sai’s miracles. It purifies their mind. Baba prophesied the time of his death and averted the death of his devotees Ramachandra Patil and Tatya Kote Patil. Instead, Baba left the world on 15th October, 1918. This indicates that Baba always showered love and affection upon his devotees.
Once at the instance of Baba, a devotee Lakshmi Bai ran in haste, made roti (bread) and brought to Baba. Baba fed it to a dog saying “The appeasement of the dog’s hunger is the same as mine”. “Know for certain that whoever feeds the hungry really serves Me with food. This suggests that Baba is present in all creatures great and small. Baba is omni-present, birthless or deathless. He is immortal. It is said that yogis come to this earth wearing a body on a mission. Once the mission is accomplished they exit smoothly, quietly and peacefully just the way they came.
43rd & 44th Chapters:
Period after Baba’s Samādhi:
Whoever thinks about spiritual matters and withdraws from worldly things at the time of death would reach upper worlds naturally and easily. Although Baba is an incarnation of God and does not need such help, in order to set an example he asked a devotee Mr. Vaze to read the holy book Ramavijayam to him for 14 days.
Even after his demise Baba appeared in the dream of Lakshman Mama Joshi, a maternal uncle of Shyama and said “Get up soon, Bapusaheb thinks that I am dead and so he won’t come. You do the worship and the Kakad (morning) Arati for me!”.
Baba’s body did not get stiff, though it was exposed for 36 hours and that all limbs were elastic and that His Kafni could be taken out without being torn to pieces. Some days before Baba’s departure a brick against which Baba used to lean or rest in the mosque, was broken into two pieces when a boy accidentally dropped the brick while cleaning. When Baba came to know this said, “It is not the brick, but My fate has broken into pieces. It was my life-long companion, with it I always meditated on the Self, it was as dear to Me as My life, it has left Me today”. About 32 years before this incident, i.e. in 1886 Baba went into samādhi for 72 hours and finally returned to life again. It is a point to ponder for the readers to consider whether Baba was the three and a half cubit’s body that He occupied or He was the self (ātma) inside!
Baba’s nectar-like words:
Baba said “Those who love Me most, always see Me. I am dependent on those who do not eat anything without first offering it to me. I feel indebted to those who surrender themselves completely to Me without having even a little bit of pride or egoism. I shall repay their debt by giving them salvation (self-realization). See Me inside yourself as well as in all beings. If you practice this, you will realize all-pervasiveness, and thus attain oneness with Me. He, who carps and cavils at others, pierces Me in the heart and injures me, but he that suffers and endures, pleases Me most”.
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