Complete surrender to the ‘Guru’

Shri Sai reiterated the essentiality of complete surrender to the ‘Guru’ with his own example when he said pointing to his physical frame, “This body is my house. I am not here. My Guru (Master) has taken me away”.
One who reaches the feet of fully realized spiritual masters, must surrender his body, mind and soul to the Guru. The spiritual benefit accruing to an aspirant of the path is in measure in which the surrender to the Master is done. The more he gives himself the more he receives. Perfect Master say ‘Give us all you have, we will give you all we possess’
Infact, the spiritual mentor works harder to help the aspirant to make a total surrender to himself. At times Baba adopted shock tactics to weaken or eliminate the ego of the seeker.
There was a supreme peerless quality in Baba’s personality which made all those who came in his contact, feel the urge to surrender to him. Sai Baba was in the truest sense a Guru incarnate, who naturally attracted people and they were willing and anxious enough to surrender to him. He said, ‘Keep still and I will do the rest’. The tremendous power of the Guru is working, all that the seeker has to do is to refrain from obstructing it ! This is only possible if the surrender is complete.

Shraddha and Saburi

Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi descended on the earth to lead mankind to the realm of eternity. As the divine mother He gave his immense love and as the divine father He gave direction to our search for truth. His mission was to make people conscious of their divine nature. The people who follow His teachings and preaching are indeed blessed souls. The cardinal principles of Sai Path are 'Shraddha' and 'Saburi'. Sai Baba explicitly asked for these two qualities in His devotees by giving his self-experiential instance that his 'Murshid' or Master asked from him only two pice - one Shraddha and other the Saburi.

Understanding Sai Baba

Baba always maintained the "Dhuni" or the perpetual fire. The realisation that all the phenomenons of the nature are perishable and unworthy of our craving, is signified by "Udi" which Sal Baba distributed to all. Baba never left Shirdi. He talked to people who came to see Him. Sal Baba would often speak in symbols and parables leaving his devotees to work out the answer - such as, "A man had a beautiful horse, but no matter what he did, it would not run in harness. An expert suggested that it should be taken back to the place from where it had come. This was done and it become tracable and useful". The explanation of this story is that the horse is the Ego. As commander of the physical and mental powers of man, it is useful but self-willed and therefore cause endless trouble. Taking it back to its source is re-absorbing it in the spirit source which it arises. It is the return to the source which purifies and enlightens. From there the ego issues forth again, no longer an ego, but a conscious agent of the spirit. Baba would ask for Dakshina (money offered with respect to the Guru) from some of those who came to see Him. This was not because he needed their money. This was one of Baba's methods for testing out the devotee's attachment to worldly things and willingness to surrender his ego. Once one has surrendered himself totally to Him, Baba takes care of all His spiritual and temporal needs. Baba regarded money like everything else, in a symbolical manner. He once said, " I ask only from those who the fakir (God) points out and in exchange I give them ten times as much". By the end of the day, all the money Baba had earned was distributed to the destitute, poor, sick and the needy. Baba used to feed the fakirs and devotees and even cook for them. For those who were accustomed to meat, he cooked meat and for the others vegetarian fare.
The Dwarakamayee of Sai Baba was open to all, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Among those who came to see him and got his darshan (establishing spiritual contact with the Guru) and blessings were ministers, government officials, business people and village folk. He was the common man's God. He Stayed with them, hejoked with them, He slept and ate with them, he smoked a chillum (pipe) with them, he sang and danced with them, having no pretensions of a God. But all of them Knew that He protected them. Even today, though He has left his gross body, they feel his presence and realise his worth all the more. Baba would also refer to the sounding of the drum of the beginning of eternity within the soul. This "anahat" sound emerged from Baba's heart from every limb, every bone and pore of his body. It was permeated with divine essence and Baba claimed that though one day his physical body will not exist, his remains will communicate with from the grave. Therefore, the most important place in Shirdi is Baba's temple - the Samadhi Mandir is his grave, which literally millions have visited and still continues to draw many more.

Omnipresent

"There is only one religion, the religion of Love;There is only one language, the language of the Heart;There is only one caste, the caste of Humanity; There is only one law, the law of Karma;There is only one God, He is Omnipresent."

Sai Sai Sai Ram

Then and Now

Baba has promised, “I shall be active and vigorous even from the tomb,” and it is perhaps in the Mandir that we can most fully experience the phenomenon of Sai Baba and the remarkable way he has touched the hearts and lives of millions of people from all over the globe. Baba’s omniscient presence is felt when one has Baba’s glance, when one sits at Baba’s feet .

Dhooparti Aarti Video link

Who so ever puts his feet on SHIRDI soil, his sufferings would come to an end, the wretched and miserable would rise into plenty of joy and happiness, as soon as they climb the steps of DWARAKAMAYEE.

Click here to see Shirdi Sai baba Dhooparti Aarti

Just one

JUST ONE....One song can spark a moment, One flower can wake the dream. One tree can start a forest, One bird can herald the spring. One smile begins a friendship, One handclasp lifts a soul. One star can guide a ship at sea, One word can frame the goal One vote can change a nation, One sunbeam lights a room One candle wipes out darkness, One laugh will conquer gloom. One step must start each journey. One word must start each prayer. One hope will raise our spirits, One touch can show you care. One voice can speak with wisdom, One heart can know what's true, One life can make a difference, You see......... finally.....it's all up to you! The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are...... but on how happy others can be because of you!!!

Keep faith on Baba

One day I decided to quit... quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.God, I said. Can you give me one good reason not to quit?His answer surprised me...Look around, He said. Do you see the fern and the bamboo?Yes, I replied.When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care ofthem. I gave them light. I gave them water.The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered thefloor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grewmore vibrant and plentiful.And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit onthe bamboo He said.In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But Iwould not quit.In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I wouldnot quit. He said.Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Comparedto the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over100 feet tall.It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strongand gave it what it needed to survive.I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.He said to me. Did you know, my child, that all this time you havebeen struggling, you have actually been growing roots I would notquit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.Dont compare yourself to others He said. The bamboo had a differentpurpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.Your time will come, God said to me. You will rise highHow high should I rise?, I asked.How high will the bamboo rise?, He asked in return.As high as it can, I answeredYes. He said, Give me glory by rising as high as you can.I left the forest and bring back this story.I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.Never Give up - just keep the faith!!!!!