SHIELD OF THE ALMIGHTY (November 1973)

We are glad to place in the hands of our readers this special number, which is being published in commemoration of the anniversary of Shri Sai Baba (Dassara day).

In response to our call to our readers to contribute articles regarding their experiences about their devotion to Sai Baba, we have received a number of articles from oxir readers of the Marathi issue and they have been published in that issue. The response from the readers of the English issue is comparatively poor. However the articles received from our readers in this behalf have been published in this issue.

Mahabharata is a great epic of India, It contains everything. Truly did Vyas say about this epic (Whatever is here will be found elsewhere and that which is not here will be found nowhere), This epic contains a number of stories which have attracted the attention of all the thinkers in the world. A number of them have formed the nucleus of plays, films and novels. Hence we also intend to publish a few of them in our issues. The first such story viz Ashtavakra is published in this issue. We hope that our readers will like this new introduction.

We mortals are under constant strain and stress. We require some protection from somewhere which will make us farless. The saints all over the world have _t shown the way to become fearless and that is by keeping faith in God and by being His faithful devotee. Sickness, Oldage and Death: these are the natural calamities that every human being has to face sometime or the other: but those that have no faith anywhere, are totally upset under such calamities. They simply do not know what to do and where to look for inspiration and protection; but those that are devotees of God or the incarnation of God like Shri Sai Baba, know that these are the calamities that are bound to fall on every human being one day or the other and it is only He (Shri Baba) who has got power to protect them or shield them in these adversities. They are, therefore, never afraid of these calamities and are able to face them boldly. The experiences of Sai devotees go to show that Shri Sai Baba has shielded them, inspired them and protected them under adverse circumstances. The shield of the favour of the almighty is always protecting the devotees of Sai Baba and showing them light in deep darkness. May this shield, which the devotees obtain because of their devotion to Shri Sai Baba, protect them for ever.