EDITORIAL
Sixtyone Years
of Publication
Our contributors, readers, subscribers,' well-wishers and Sai devotees will be glad to know that Shri Sai Leela has completed sixtyone years of its publication and has entered into the sixtysecond year of its publication from this issue. There are other magazines which have been published for even longer period than this; but it may be noted that they have been devoted to subjects different than the one to which this magazine is dedicated and therefore its publication for so long a time is really to be welcomed and praised.
As stated on
the cover page of this magazine, it is the Official Organ of the Shirdi
Sansthan. It was originally started with the basic idea of publishing seriatim
the Sai Satcharit, written by the late Annasaheb Dabholkar -and to circulate it
among the Sai devotees through this magazine and giving publication to the
experiences of the devotees about the divine favours shown to them by Shri Sai
Baba from time to time. Sai Satcharit is now available in book-form and
therefore that purpose is now served; but the second purpose of publishing this
magazine is still needed. With the spread of Sai devotion far and wide in this
country and abroad, Sai devotees can now be counted in millions and their varied
experiences are simply marvellous and amazing. The greatness of our Sadguru
Shri Sai Baba lies in fulfilling His promise, which He gave to His devotees
during His life-time. He had promised His devotees prosperity during their
worldly existence and moksha or relief from the cycle of birth and death. There
is actually no gauge to measure the latter part of the above promise; but the
former part of it is an every day occurance, which is experienced by thousands
of devotees and it will continue for ever. This magazine will therefore have to
continue for ever for spreading the greatness of our Sadguru.
The Sai
Satcharita contains many episodes that took place at Shirdi during the
life-time of Shri Sai Baba. We cannot say that those must be the only episodes
that must have happened during the presence of Shri Sai Baba at Shirdi for more
than sixty long years. There must be many more incidents relating to Shri Sai
Baba, which may not have been heard by Shri Dabhoklar and therefore they might
have gone unnoticed. Shri Narsimha Swamiji, a veteran Sai devotee, who spread
Sai devotion on a mass scale in the south of India, interviewed many Sai
devotees and noted down their experiences. These experiences really speaking
form a sort of addendum to Sai Satcharita. In the same way this magazine also
serves- the same purpose in as much as it also records the experiences of Sai
devotees.
The experiences
of a few Sai devotees are read by others through this magazine and it thus
helps to spread Sai devotion further in this country and abroad. The modern
World is moving towards a very fast life full of frustration. People do not
ordinarily find peace and solace in this life. They therefore need some
spiritual guidance whereby they can achieve peace of mind. This magazine does
not concentrate only on the life and experiences about Shri Sai Baba. It is
dedicated to the spiritual uplift and that is done by publishing articles
relating to saints and sages of the past and present times, who have helped
mankind to proceed on the spiritual path in some way or the other. This
magazine thus helps the aforesaid frustrated people who have lost themselves in
this great chaos of the modern world.
What Pandharpur is to the devotees of Vitthal in the Warkari sect that is Shirdi to the Sai devotees. They want to know what is happening at Shirdi from time to time. They want to know what changes are taking place at Shirdi. As this magazine is published by Shirdi Sansthan and as it is its "Official Organ" as mentioned before, it naturally gives, to the devotees information they need about the festivals and functions, that are taking place at Shirdi and also about the construction of new buildings and expansion of the Shirdi Sansthan through the Shirdi news, that is being published every month in this magazine The name of this magazine viz. Shri Sai Leela creates a wrong impression in the minds of a few persons who do not care to go through it and shun it from a distance. The subscribers and readers at large of this magazine Know the broad outline of this magazine and the subjects and topics on which articles are being published in this magazine. They will therefore know that this magazine is not limited to any subject but it covers all subjects relating to the spiritual path which helps the devotees to proceed on it. It is therefore a sort of a duty of the readers of this magazine to try to remove any such misunderstanding, that might be lurking at the back of the mind of certain persons, who are devotional minded and who really want to proceed on the spiritual path for their welfare in the next world so that they will also take advantage of the articles that are being published here.
Some
contributors and readers of this magazine feel that in order to spread Sai
devotion, the circulation of this magazine should be boosted and for that
purpose they should make serious efforts. The intention of these people is no
doubt good and laudable, but there is saying in Sanskrit, (Na he kasturi
kamado, shapyan vibhavakte) which means that the fragrance of kasturi is not
required to be made known by taking an oath. Kastoori (musk) has such a strong
smell that it will spread automatically.. No body need take an oath for that.
To generalize from the above example we may say that any good thing spreads
automatically. It does not require much canvassing. The fragrance of Shri Sai
Baba's devotion is so sweet and pleasant that it is spreading far and wide, it
is spreading at the sweet will of Shri Sai Baba and therefore while making efforts
to spread Sai devotion through the circulation of this magazine, we the Sai
devotees should remember the teaching of Saburi that Shri Baba wanted his
devotees to learn and should not get discouraged. The circulation of this
magazine is increasing slowly and steadily and during the last ten years or so
it has increased seven times the number which was being printed on 1-4-1973, on
which date the issues of English and Hindi and Marathi were separated.
Some readers
and contributors of this magazine, criticize that many prose articles and poems
are not upto the literary standard. In this connection it may be stated that
originally this magazine was started by some Sai devotees for the benefit of
other Sai devotees and not for erecting a land-mark in the literary
field of this country. There are many other magazines, which are started and
are published with this end in view. Those magazines are publishing various
kinds of forms of literature such as short stories, essays, novels, poems etc.
and literary criticisms with the view of helping the spread of literature and
improving its standard in general. However as stated on several occasions, the
main aim of this magazine has been to spread Sai devotion and devotion being an
emotion, more attention is paid to emotion rather than the literary value of an
article while choosing articles for publication in this magazine. Hence we
would request our readers, contributors and subscribers to look at the emotion
of the writer embodied in his article and not to examine or criticize any
article from literary point of view. We are therefore quite sure that all the
poems published in this magazine are oozing out emotion like an honeycomb,
which is full of honey.
Every living
organism in this world wants to undergo a Change—a change for the better and
this magazine, in which life is being poured every day by our contributors, is
quite alive to change for the better every day. We are thankful to our readers
and subscribers as well as contributors, who are constantly thinking about the
improvement of this magazine and who are very often sending suggestions to us
for making improvement in this magazine. It may be recalled that from 1975
onwards, every year a gathering of the contributors to this magazine is held at
Shirdi in the early months of the year. In this gathering many valuable
suggestions are being made by sincere Sai devotees for the improvement in the
get-up and material of this magazine. Our readers will agree that improvements
are being made in this magazine from time to time and some readers are eloquent
about it. If some others have not committed it to writing it may be because
they have no time to do it or they are thinking that it is the duty of the
editor and executive editors to effect improvements in the magazine, which they
are publishing. Anyway we wish to point out that we are slowly but surely
marching on the path of improvement.
Issuing a
magazine every month is not a one man show. It requires co-operation and
co-ordination at various levels. The contributors, subscribers and readers are
no doubt the main people, who encourage the editor and executive editors to
bring out better issues every month; but the printer also plays equally
important role in the publication of a magazine. If our readers are getting
their issues regularly every month in the first week, it is because our
printers are very regular in their work. With the co-operation of all these
people, who are concerned with the publication of this magazine and above all
with the cherished blessings of Shri Sai Baba, we wish to serve our readers for
many years to come
Report of the
20th All India Sai Devotees' Convention at Nellore
The 20th All
India Sai Devotees' Convention held under the joint auspices of Shri Sai
Bhaktha Mandali, Nellore and All India Sai Samaj (Regd), Madras on 7th, 8th and
9th January, 1983 was unique in many respects.
As a very
happy augury and active participation and Blessings, Shri Sai Baba's Padukas
arrived from Shirdi on 6th evening itself a significant Thursday - at Nellore
Sai Mandir and were received with Poorna Kumbam and traditional honours. Shri
R. L. Reddi, President, Shri Chinta Srirama Murthy, Vice-president Shri P.
Malekondiah, Secretary and other senior Sai devotees received most
reverentially Baba's Padukas. Shri P. Malekondiah carried Shri Baba's Padukas himself
and placed them in the Sanctum Sanctorum of Sai Mandir. Shri T. Kesava Rao,
President, A. I. S. S. was also present on the occasion and welcomed Dr.
Parchure,
Shri S. Chendwankar, Sai Leela Editors and Shri M. S. Srinivasan who took all
care and efforts to bring the Padukas from Shirdi.
Immediately
after the - Arati thousands of devotees had the Darshan of Padukas and their
donations were collected in a special Hundi kept for the purpose.
That morning
and throughout the day delegates began arriving at Sai Mandir and Shri Sai
Bhaktha Mandali office bearers and volunteers made all good arrangements for
receiving the delegates and looking after their stay etc. at the Andhra Sabha
Kalyana Mandapam very near the Mandir, Special invitees were accommodated by
senior ardent devotees in their homes. That evening by about 5-30 P. M. Shri
Daivagna Raghava Narayana Sastry Garu from Chendole a saintly person, was
received with Poorna Kumbam and taken to Sai Mandir and later to the residence
of Shri Chinta Srirama Murthy Garu.
On 7th at 3-30
P. M. the Dyana Mandir at Sai Mandir, Nellore was declared open by Revered
Daivagna Raghava Narayana Sastry Garu. Portrait of Sai Baba was unveiled by Dr.
Parchure. M A, Ph.d, Executive Editor, Sai Leela Magazine while that of H. H.
Narasimhaswamiji presented by A. I. S. S. was unveiled by Shri K. V.
Ramanamurthy, president Shri Sai Seva Natya Mandali, Kakinada, and that of Shri
Saipadananda Radhakrishnaswamiji presented by Shri Sai Spiritual Centre,
.Bangalore by Shri C. V. Bhaskara Rao, President, Shri Sai Spiritual Centre,
Bangalore.
Following this,
Baba's Photo nicely decorated and kept in a, Padakki was taken in a procession
with Bhajans by all the assembled
delegates and Sai
devotees of Nellore
in a most enthusiastic manner
from the Mandir to the Convention Venue. Baba's procession nearly
took about two hours and gave a good filip to the Convention proceedings.
Just then the President of the Convention, Retired Justice N. Krishnaswamy Reddy of Madras High Court,
Dr. Dabholkar, son of famous Hemad
Pant Anna Saheb Dabholkar, who wrote the immortal Sai
Satcharita and Shri Viswanathan Chetty, Retd Registrar of Co-op. Societies and who laid the foundation stone of Nellore Sai Mandir were duly welcomed.
Shri R. L.
Reddy, President, Shri Sai Bhaktha Mandali extended a hearty welcome to the
delegates and the distinguished guests and referred to the fact of Nellore Sai
Bhaktha Mandali hosting for a second time the All India Sai Devotees'
Convention along with AISS and spoke of the great stride made by Sai Movement
and stressed that Sai Bhakthi is bringing about universal brotherhood and paid
tributes to the pioneering efforts made by H. H. Narasimhaswamiji in this
regard. Shri R. L. Reddy then requested Justice Krishnaswami Reddy to preside
over the function and paid tributes to the devoted services rendered by him to
the cause of universal religion.
Earlier with
prayers by two sisters Chi. Kumari Subbulakshmi and Chi. Kumari Vijayalakshmi
the Convention started.
Conducted by
Shri Chinta Srirama Murthy and Shri Malekondiah, Shri Daivagna Raghava Narayana
Sastry Garu lit the traditional lamp thus signifying the inauguration of the
Convention. Speaking on the occasion Shri Daivagna Raghava Narayana Sastri Garu
referred to the aspects of Para Brahmam, the Paramatraa and the Jeevatma and
the cycles of births and deaths when the soul seeks the merger with the
originator and conveyed the purpose of the lives of Saints like Sai Baba who
have come down on earth to uplift the common people into the real purpose of
life. He spoke of the Upanishads and Vedas comparing the truths expounded with
Science trends and stressed the aspects of good life and conveyed his blessings
to one and all offering his prayers to Almighty for the success and prosperity
of all devotees.
Following this
inaugural speech Dr. Dabbolkar was introduced to the audience by Shri Chinta
Srirama Murthy and the attractive Souvenir brought out by the Nellore Sai
Bhaktha Mandali marking the Convention was then released by Dr. Dabholkar.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Dabholkar referred to the magnetic personality of
Shri Sai Baba (whom he had the good fortune of taking personal blessings) and
prayed for Baba's Blessings to one and all. Shri G. Viswanathan Chetty released
the Karavalamba Stotra written by Shri Parthasarathy Garu of Cheruvu. (Shri
Parthasarathy is the son of revered Bapatla Hanumantha Rao Garu. a great Sai
Sevak).
Shri N.
Krishnaswami Reddy then gave the Presidential address and spoke at length on
the theme of the Convention namely, Universal Religion - the message of Shri
Sai Baba. He spoke on the exemplary life of Sai Baba and stressed his teaching
based on Upanishads and Vedas -being the sum and substance of Universal
Religion and also referred to the life of H. H. Narasimhaswamiji in bringing to
the world the rich wisdom of Shri Sai Baba. He traced the lives of Saints and
Sages of India who stressed this universal aspect and in particular referred to
the clarion call given by Swami Vivekananda expounding the message of
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He concluded that universal religion is a true panacea
to all the ills of the world and prayed to the Lord Almighty and Shri Baba to
bless the simple, honest seeker with that enlightenment.
Shri Malekondiah,
Secretary gave the history and activities of Nellore Sai Bhaktha Mandali
describing the various activities carried on - and Shri Rajaram read the
messages from various dignitaries and leading Sai devotees wishing the
Convention all success.
Shri Chinta
Srirama Murthy proposed a vote of thanks to the President of the function and
to Shri T. Raghava Narayana Sastry and others.
Sai Baba Drama
in Telugu was staged by Kakinada Sai Seva, Natya Mandali at the Town Hall that
night itself. The hall was packed to capacity & the public& Sai
Devotees very much appreciated — the
life of Sai Baba enacted by Shri Vadrevu Rama Rao and other Sai Devotees
of Kakinada.
The 2nd Day of the Convention-Delegate Session
(8-2-83)
The delegates,
open session was then held at 9 A. M. on 8-2-83 at the spacious Co-operative
Bank Buildings fully covered by Shamiana and carpets laid for the comfortable
seating of the delegates and public. Shri Kanuparti Venkata Subrahmanyam Garu,
donor of a Building for Sai Mandir, presided.
The address of
Shri T. Kesava Rao, President, AISS, was read by Shri S. Seshadri,
Vice-President, AISS. He referred at length to the purpose of such Conventions
which bring all Sai devotees together from different parts and that the
resultant Sath Sangh was of immense value adding to the development of Sai
Bhakthi and Sai Prachar. He spoke of the need of such Sath Sangh and explained
how H. H. Narsimhaswamiji who started Conventions and Shri Saipadananda
Radhakrishna Swamiji stove hard to build Sai brotherhood based on love and
service. He made an appeal to all Sai Institutions to support the AISS in this
noble task of Sai propagation and listed out the various concrete steps taken
by AISS in making available Books on Shri Sai Baba written by H. H. Narasimha
Swamiji. He also laid stress on training Sai Pracharaks and also desired to
honour writers and Sai Sevaks so as to create an impetus and incentive for
bringing out more works on Shri Sai Baba in various languages. Shri S.
Seshadri, Vice-President AISS explained the significance of the role of AISS
and H. H. Narasimhaswami and stressed the need for expanding various activities
such as Sai Vidyalaya, Sai Dispensary and publications on Shri .Sai. He laid
great stress on social services in the name of Sai and assured all possible
help and support to other Sai Centres for such activities.
(To be
continued)
Aradhana of H.
H. Shri Saipadanand Radhakrishnaswamiji
The Third Aradhana of H.H.Shri
Saipadananda Radhakrishnaswamiji was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the
Shri Sai Spiritual Centre on Wednesday, the 9th February 1983. A large number of devotees (men and women) both
from the City and the mofussil were
present.
Shri D.
V.Krishnamurthi performed the Aradhana assisted by Dr. Vaidyanathan and Vidwan
Rajagopala Sarma, Chief priests, After
the Aradhana and
distribution of prasadam, there was mass feeding.
In the evening,
Shri Vitthal Srinivasan and party
conducted Bhajan.
On the 10th,
Shri Vishnu Sahasranama Homam was conducted, This day, a larger number of devotees
attended. After Poorna Ahuti
and distribution of prasadam, there was
mass feeding. In the evening, there
was Veena music concert by Shrimati Alamelu.
On the 11th,
Shivaratri day, Mahanyasa Purvaka Rudrabhishekam was
done to Shri Sai Baba and Shri Swamiji. A large number of devotees attended.
C. V. Bhaskara
Rao
Shri Sai
Spiritual Centre, Shri Sai Baba Mandir Road
Thyagarajanagar,
Bangalore 560028 Karnataka
Akhand Shri
Sai Nama Saptaham
For the first
time the numerous Sai devotees of Twin Cities (Hyderabad, Secunderabad) and
Shirdi Sai Mission, A. P. Centre conceived the idea of celebrating Akhand Shri
Sai Nama Saptaham, recently. The Saptaham was inaugurated by Dr. Sai Kumar with
a number of Bhajan parties leading a colourful procession from Shri Ganesh
Temple near Secunderabad Railway Station and proceeded to Darji Temple in
Regimental Bazar, the venue of the Saptaham.
Daily Sai
Sahasranama Archanas both in the morning and evening and continuous Sai Nama
Sankeertan round the clock were done. Sai Bhakta Shiromani Shri G. V. R.
Naidujee, graced the inaugural function. The Akhand Sai Nama Saptaham was
memorable for many reasons. For the first time in our twin cities such a grand
solemn ceremony was conducted with great spiritual fervour, dedication and
devotion enthralling the numerous Sai devotees thronging throughout the day.
On the second
day of saptaham, Poojya Neelakatha Babaji visited and conducted Shri Sai Nama,
Sankeertan himself giving the sacred refrain "Om Sai Shri Sai Jai Jai
Sai". It was a highly soul-stirring experience for the large assembly of
Sai devotees. Among the distinguished visitors on other days were notably, H.
H. Swamiji of Veerabrahma Ashram, Shri Nagasai, and Chief Minister's wife Smt.,
Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, and several Sai devotee luminaries. All the seven days,
the Akhand Nama Sankeertan was carried on in intense devotional ecstasy keeping
up the refrain "Om Sai Shri Sai Jai Jai Sai" round the clock. Indeed,
a wonderful and unforgettable experience for Sai devotees of twin cities.
On the last day
there was a huge concourse of more than 5000 devotees, when a colourful
poornahuti function was performed with Anna Purna (a huge mound of cooked rice)
in the centre richly adorned with glittering lights and coloured rangoli
designs circumscribing was a feast to the eyes and it infused a rare atmosphere
of devotional ecstasy. All the seven days Annadanam to the large concourse of
devotees visiting throughout the day, was a strikingly significant factor of
the saptaham. specially, the -magnificent assistance in coin and kind of Sai
devotees and tremendous service and efforts of Sai Bhakta Sevaks contributed in
no small measure to the grand success of the saptaham. This new rich experience
should inspire confidence in Sai devotees to have many more saptahams in course
of time, which would engender the right environment replete with Sai
brotherhood, oneness of all religions and selfless service to the poor and
suffering which form the outstanding tenets exemplified in the 19th/20th
century by Shri Sai Nath, the sampurna Avatar of Shri Dattatreya.
M. Rangachari
Narayanguda,
Hyderabad 500027 (A. P.)
To The Executive Editor,
Due to the keen interest and valuable
cooperation of Shri Kakreji, Shri G. R. Inamdar, Dr. Parchure, Shri Dabholkar
and other elite Mahans of Shirdi Samsthan, the people of Andhra Pradesh,
Nellore and Madras had the rare and special privilege of having the invaluable
darshan of our beloved Sadguru Shri Sai Baba Maharaj, and His divine blessings
through His sacred lotus feet (Padukas), accompanied by your good self and
other eminent members of the Shirdi Samsthan. This reminds us of the epic
"Ramayana" where Shri Bharata carried Shri Rama's Padhukas from
Chitrakoot-to -Nandigrama. This is a good: augury for all devotees one and all.
The Almighty had begun to radiate His rays of benevolence and love (prem) for
the bhakthas all over. Glad to hear that the Padukas blessed the Inamdars and
family at their Prabhadevi residence, performing miracles on the way, en route.
With divine blessings/best regards to
your good self and to one and all.
V. Rajagopala
lyer
(Elder
Brother of H. H. Shri Saipadanad Radhakrishna Swamiji)
Whoever you may be
If you look at me
I am your slave
Wherever you may be
If you think of me
I am at your service ,
I am Lord, Om Shri Sai
I reside at Shirdi
Leave your worries and cares
I am ready to take care
Cast off your sorrow
I am with you like a shadow
Have no fear of morrow
Simply you have to follow
Your past sin will be washed
Your heart will turn sacred'
A new leaf will be opened
Joy and happiness will be found
if you are Rahim
You can call me ‘Allah’
If you are Rama
You can call me Krishna
Whatever be the name
I am one and the same
Riddle of life need not puzzle
Even in the thick and thin sing and
whistle
Have faith and patience
I will listen to your voice
Universe is my home
Love is my language
I dance and rejoice
In your happiness and welfare
Love toil and share
The joy and fruits of life
Have faith in Almighty
I will change your destiny
This is my experience
This is my inner voice
K. Sitaraman
Bombay 64
We are very
sorry to inform our readers that Shri Vasantrao Suryavanshi. Superintendent of
the Shirdi Sansthan, expired on 14-2-1983, after brief illness, at a very young
age of 35 years.
Shri Vasantrao was the eldest son of Shri
Wamanrao Suryavanshi, who retired from the Revenue Department. Shri Vasantrao
was a graduate and after joining the service of the Shirdi Sansthan in 1969, he
rose to the present post due to his sincere work and dedicated service.
Due to his
amiable nature, he was very popular among the staff of the Sansthan, who felt
very sorry for his untimely death.
He is survived
by his father, mother, three brothers, sister, wife, one son and two daughters.
We extend our
heartfelt condolences to the members of his family in their sad bereavement and
pray at the feet of Shri Sai Baba that the departed soul may rest in peace.
Destiny of Nations
Karma and
Reincarnation are the two jewels that adorn the crown of Hinduism with which it
distinguishes itself from the rest of the religions of the world. Karma is the
result of the collective deeds of an individual. The fate of a nation is
similarly built on the collective actions of its individuals. And, by the same
token, the destiny of the world is the sum total of the collective affairs of
the nations. In the totality of these collective affairs, one can always
observe a mysterious force which guides itself, marks - its inexorable imprint
and set in motion what seemingly look like inconsistent situations. Taken
together they form a mighty sweep that set the pattern for a change in the
course of world affairs. On this wide expanse of world arena, while most men
are born just to live and die, a chosen few come out as men of destiny. The
Architect of the universe in His wisdom has designed them to be so.
To this
reckoning Rasputin, a morally decrepit Russian monk, may not fill in the bill
as a man of destiny but certainly he was the architect of his own fate and in a
more emphatical way he left enough footprints on the sands of time to change
the course of world history and the destiny of nations. He was responsible
vicariously for the birth of a new cult of governance, that is, Communism, that
divided the world into two hemispheres built on a platform of perpetual war
hysteria. The story of Rasputin is the story that depicts the extent of
destruction that can be caused by an ambitious, half-baked pseudo, spiritualist
whom the society should shun like a hot brick. Without going into the lurid
details that may dirty these divine pages, only an acceptable account of the
man is given here to illustrate the example,'
Born as Gregory Effimovitch in sub-zero
colds on 7th July, 1872, in a
'god-forsaken' Siberian frozen wasteland, he was a terror even as
a young boy. When he rose to
his teens, he inherited an instinct for all morbid tastes of soft skins,
soul-less robberies and sodden habits. Needless to state, he was despised by
everybody and was nick-named Rasputin-a term used by Russians for
incorrigibles.
In 1903, he
came in contact with a kindly priest who preached him the virtue of honest
living. Touched by the soulful innocence of the priest and in a fit of sudden
remorse, he left his wife and children to lead the life of a recluse and did a
spell of penance in a Russian monastery. The effort gave him only the Devil's
scripture to walk upon but not the Biblical commandments. He did gain a vestige
of miracles but they were all used for meaner purposes Coming out of his
penance, he declared that
St. Michael had commanded him to build a church for Him. Like fools, gullible
people too are born one a minute. They came from all sides calling him a prophet
and showered on him great gifts of money. Inebriated by the initial success, he
conceived an extraordinary doctrine of "Sin for Salvation".
Perversity parexcellence, his contention was that the Lord's pardon is not
possible without already committing a sin. So the sure way to salvation is to
commit sin ! Across the dreary frozen lands the slogan spread like a battle cry
and his name echoed far and wide much sooner than expected.
In 1904 fate
conspired to bring Lydia Backmakow, a rich millionaire widow, to his door step.
Mesmerised by his mysterious credo, she allowed the use of her money and
influence to bring many a Czarist official to him providing the right kind of
connections everywhere. Spurred by success and high ambition, in 1905 he
installed himself at St. Petersburg, the then capital and now the modern
Leningrad. Instantly his mystic popularity sky rocketed. In the bargain he
gained access to the royal palace with the help of one Madame Sund. By a quirk
of circumstances and with his Devil's magic wand he soon held the royal couple
like prisoners to the will of his mind. Prom that time onwards Rasputin's
influence over the royal family was total. There was not an occasion when they
did not consult him from the highest state affairs to the trivial morning
sicknesses. The reins of administration were thus passed on to him without his
actually holding them.
For the next 10
years Rasputin, the devil masquerading under a monk's robes, was the undisputed
master of Russia. His life's ambition reached its zenith. But all good things
too must come to an end. Vain glorious, greatly debauched and with an
insatiable greed for power and wealth, he allowed himself to be the instrument
of ,total disorder, chaos and mis-rule. A land of great riches was turned into
a land of seething poverty. Discontentment was writ large everywhere. The
rulers were sitting on a powder keg. A country's fortune, like money, is a good
slave but a bad master. The Czar when he ruled the country with his capable
hands it behaved like an obedient slave and a disciplined soldier but no sooner
the reins were loosened it struck vengeance.
Speculations of
'ifs' and 'buts' of history are of no avail — nations rise and fall — men and
women are but threads on the loom of fate, the weaving of the pattern lies in
the hands of design before which we mortals can only bow the .'head and say
"Thy will be done". Like Napolean, Kaiser and Hitler, Rasputin was
but a servant of destiny. Like a robot he obeyed those unknown forces of life
that make themselves manifest in all. In that manner fate at last had forsaken
her favorite and the Nemesis of Rasputin was sealed He was stewed in his own
medicine — the soft skin syndrome. The wrath of the people turned against him.
They hatched a plan to pay him in his own coin — treachery. As a ploy he was
invited for supper by a much-sought-after-by-him soft skin. He fell to it hook,
line and sinker. There at the table, as a preliminary, he drank glass after
glass of wine which was surreptitiously been treated earlier by the schemers
with enough potassium cyanide to kill a dozen — but nothing happened ! He ate
the supper similarly treated. Still nothing happened' ! In desperation the
killers came out of their hiding and pumped several bullets into his heart at
close range. He bled profusely but refused to die ! Finally he was taken over
to the Petrovsky Bridge and was pushed over into the freezing waters of Neva.
This time fate did not cheat them.
The trail of
Rasputin comes to an end here but not the story. He left behind an avalanche of
destruction. Out of this destruction sprouted an enormous economic disaster.
Out of this was born a people's unrest and upheaval, and out of this, an
unparalleled revolution led by the father of Communism — Lenin. Lenin with his
ideas as a harbinger of a new order of society would not have been the Lenin we
know of from history had not a Rasputin paved the way earlier for him.
Rasputin was
born a peasant, a very lowest kind at that,, so ignorant that he could scarcely
read or write — yet this man became a power that destroyed a dynasty, wrecked a
civilization and caused more ruin and upheaval than any other man of recent
history — and unwittingly paved the way for a new idea of government. His life
portrays in a nutshell the dangers that lurk in encouraging and patronising
such half-baked pseudo spiritualists, They are nothing but wolves in sheep's
clothing. They spell nothing but doom and destruction to everybody.
Today if the
nations of the world are arraigned behind Communism or Capitalism facing each
other on the brink of a total war of extinction with piles of deadly arsenal,
it is India as the third block which is breathing a whiff of fresh air.
Mahatma Gandhi,
a man of destiny, gave us the freedom and changed the course of world events
with his cult of ahimsa and non-violence. His dream of an India 'was that there
should be equal distribution of wealth, honesty of administration, racial
tolerance and, above all, a spiritual undercurrent manifest in all walks of
life. But today — within 30 years after independence — that dream of Ramraj has
been shattered like a mirage on a summer horizon. If one Rasputin of yester-year
corrupted a whole nation there are now a whole mushroom of them at all levels
on the Indian landscape to doom it for eternal perdition. We, the mere mortals
and playthings in the great design of the shape of things to come, can only
lift our hands in supplication to that architect of the universe to give us the
man of the hour, the man of destiny, to reconnoiter the disparate divisive
forces and to channelise and re-shape our beloved country to play its ordained
divine role as a sobering restraint in a world chased by many schisms. Many
things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of... Let us all pray to
our Murlidhar Sai through a Niranthara Akhanda Sairama Nama Japa at Shirdi for
the destruction of all evil and restoration of the good and for the
establishment of dharma and righteousness. Is this a tall order ? No. It is the
faith with which we build our hopes that make the proposed Niranthara Akhanda
Sairama Nama Japa a success to provide for us the man of the hour — a man of
destiny. The sooner Shri Sai Sansthan makes arrangements for this Akhanda Nama
Japa the better. A
K. Navin
Chander
This is my most
humble attempt to put forth my miraculous experiences ever since I have become
Sai devotee, say about four years back. Before I go-ahead, let me write that I
have started this article without any pre-planning and believe it or not, after
returning home from five days' stay at Shirdi last week, today I sat on my
typewriter after doing my usual pooja and praying fervently to 'Shree Sai baba'
to inspire me to write 'Sai Leela'. I am not a writer by any chance nor have I
ever attempted writing before in .my life and it is only 'Saibaba's Leela, that
I have managed to complete this first introductory paragraph.
Till 1978, I
was not aware of Baba's supernatural powers and only after I had resigned from
my job in a private concern, I realised my grave mistake and in utter
frustration I sought refuge in Sai. Since then, I had to undergo tremendous
upheavals and overcome several obstructions which came in my way to ultimately
secure a good job. But here I must mention that, it was only Sainath who saw me
through all my worst days, which, lasted for nearly two to three years. Then, I
was staying in a working ladies' hostel where as soon as the hostel management
came to know that a particular resident
was jobless, immediate notice was issued to her to vacate the hostel as there
would be a long waiting list of new girls trying to seek admission. Out of this
fear of losing accommodation (I being parentless and homeless) which was the
only shelter and protection during my unemployment, I used to set out during usual
office hours after having lunch, to spend time in far distant temples praying
to God to employ me in some office and then return only in the evenings. If I
remember those days now, I am most grateful and thankful to Sairam that it was
only He who protected me all the time, because all my friends were working
girls and there was no chance for me to confide in anyone to ask for their
company lest I had to lose my seat in the hostel. Besides, all my relatives
were in Bombay and I did not wish to bother them with my problems and burden
them unnecessarily. In later days, as this feeling of guilt of cheating the
hostel management became unbearable, by Saibaba's guidance I finally confided
in one of my social worker friends, who was very much moved to hear as to how I
spent my day only to keep myself away from the hostel. After that, she used to
take me along with her during her visits to slums and homes of her office
workers, which helped me to pass away a few hours of the day and also learn a
lot from life. In addition to my physical and mental deterioration, my
financial condition also was going from bad to worse and when the time came for
my bank balance to become nil, I prayed sincerely to Baba to come to my
rescue. And one day, while I was scanning through the classified advertisements
of daily newspaper, my eyes fell on a small advertisement which offered
attractive income in cash with little effort and within a short period of time.
This scheme was sponsored by ,a Pune office itself and that too in the name of
'Saibaba'. Well, immediately I wrote to them and started with this scheme as
soon as I received a beautiful sticker of Baba accompanied by a prescribed form
for which I had to collect only three members and Rs, 2'- form each member. The
main reason for mentioning this scheme here is that, on days when I used to
have only a few paise left in my purse, my hostel warden would hand over the
money received by M. O. of this scheme when I returned in the evening, thereby
driving off my worry for the next day's expenses. Besides this, Baba had also
guided me to approach the right persons for advice, financial help,
applications for service etc. and this guidance had never failed-me. Now, it is
only by His grace that I am in a better position in all respects so much so
that I not only have a good service but have also purchased a new typewriter
for which I had no difficulty in getting a loan from Bank.
Last year, my
wrist watch had stopped dead in August and inspite of my trying frantically. I
could pot start it, so I kept it in my cupboard. In November, when my
transistor cells too were completely consumed, I did not have any source of
knowing the correct time which made me very desperate as I am in the habit of
doing my daily routine by the movement of the watch. So on one Thursday, I wore
my watch and went to Swargate Saibaba temple and prayed to Sai Baba sincerely
to repair my watch by His ways since I could not afford to give it to a
watchmaker for repairing. And what wonders ! The next day in the evening my watch
started working automatically and till this moment it is working accurately. I
really did not have any words to express my gratitude towards Him, Who answered
ay prayers in this manner.
At the
beginning of this year, my younger sister, (who got married in another caste
and had arranged everything by herself) had left her one month old baby boy,
handicapped husband and orthodox in-laws house all of a sudden in sheer
frustration. When I got this news, I was in a complete dazed condition as to
how and where to search for her. because she was at a very far off place like
Dehradun and neither she had informed us in writing about her reasons for
leaving her house nor we knew her whereabouts. One can just imagine my state of
mind and the mental torture I had to undergo at that time as I was constantly
receiving trunk calls and telegrams from the other end, I being the elder
sister. When everything was beyond my capacity, reach and imagination, finally
I just left it to our great saviour - Saikrishna, who answered my cries and one
fine morning I got the news that she had reached Pune safely and was staying
with one of our closest acquaintances after she had travelled alone to
Rishikesh and Shirdi in search of solace. Oh ! What a relief it was to see her
safe and sound although she had become very thin. It was only Sai who had
protected her and brought her in one piece to us. Later, by His inspiration and
guidance, I was successful in reaching her back to her in-laws' place as well
returning alone safely to Pune inspite of heavy rush in the trains. Here I
would like to specifically mention that on the eve of my sister's marriage in
February 1981, a burning lamp was toppled by a mouse due to which the bound
edge of Sai Satchaiita got burnt which clearly indicated as a bad omen but
inspite of that she being a staunch Sai devotee (in fact, I consider her as my
Guru to show me the path of Sai Seva) she went ahead with this marriage and
when she came down to Pune with her husband, we had gone to Shirdi to take
Saibaba's Ashirwad and somehow or the other she could not join us in the
Abhishek which we performed there the very next day of our reaching. I presume
that Saibaba did not approve of her hasty step inspite of His warning.
If I sit to
write in detail all my experiences of Sai Krupa, I shall never be able to
conclude this article because in my day to day life at
home, office, during long and short journeys, I feel the presence of my Sai who
is showing His Leela even though He has left His earthly body and that reminds
me of His third saying "I shall be ever active and vigorous even after
leaving this earthly body". This translation I had got just in time for my
article during my latest visit to Shirdi where a leaflet was being distributed
by "A devotee from Hyderabad A. P. '. Well, is it not Sai Leela ? Truly,
Sai Leela is unfathomable.
Miss Neelain B.
Sanglijkar
Pune - 411006
Not One
Word I
Oh !
Sai, the great
Thou art a powerful figure.
How can I express Thy great tasks ?
Thou art omnipotent and omnipresent.
May I know Thy place and power ?
Thou art the pioneer.
Can Thou show me the way which leads to Thee ?
Thou art the supreme being.
May I know Thy great talents ?
Thou art the architect of mind.
Can Thou build my mind with devotion ?
Thou art the veteran.
May I know Thy experience with devotees ?
Thou art the philanthropist.
Oh ! Sai bless Thy devotees, and
Save them from bad effects.
Machilipatnam – 521001
Sai Baba
Where Not ?
Is it not a
wonderful thing to note that Baba's eyes are every where, fulfilling the
cherished desires of devotees sooner or later. One may shed tears while facing calamities in life but' the
same eyes may bring tears of joy in the long run. This is popularly know as "Sai Leela". If what is
expected happens then there is no wonder in it If an unforeseen or unpredicted
thing happens then it is a miracle. Some times with the best efforts put in,
people fail and say it is bad luck and on some occasions with little efforts
they get success. This is a matter of luck. If joys and sorrows are not mixed
and interwoven then the very purpose of life is defeated.
Today Sai cult
is spreading far and wide like passing the that current when the switch is made
on. Why ? The answer is very simple. Sai Baba's blessings are with those
devotees who look to Him and serve humanity selflessly. Another key reason is
that; Sai Baba is easily approachable without observing any hard and fast
dogmas or religious practices. Baba does not have any faith , of the in caste,
creed or isms. .
I for many
reasons believe that Baba's leelas are very strange and He wants things to take
their own course and time whether for good or bad To substantiate the above
matter. I feel here to pen my few but most significant experiences in recent
times.
The first and
foremost worth recording event took place on Thursday 21-1-1982. As usual I
applied udi and prayed to Sai to fulfil my two desires while leaving home for
office. The first desire was that as being the senior most in my department
having j put in service for 19 years I wished for my promotion and secondly the
posting in the same district and office where I am working at present. To my
great surprise and to that of all others, the postman delivered a cover on
21-1-1982 at 4-15 p.m. When I opened the cover, I found the proceedings
of my Head of the department wherein I got promotion as Statistical Officer and
was posted in the same office where I was working.
Another equally
worth noting miracle is that no sooner I reached my home joyfully on 21-1-1982
at 7.00 p.m. than my daughter N. Vasanthi handed over a post card to me. The
readers may be very anxious to know what was this letter. That was an
invitation to me from Shri. K. H. Kakresaheb, the Court Receiver, requesting me
to come to Shirdi as a delegate to participate in the annual gathering to be
held on 31st January and 1st Feb' 1982. You can well imagine what 'were my
feelings on that day. Accordingly I visited Shirdi on 30-1-1982 and
participated in the annual gathering on the forenoon of 31-1-82. While at
Shirdi I associated myself with Dr. S. D. Parchure editor of English Saileela
magazine who was kind enough to inform me that my article "The purpose
of,; Human Life" was under active consideration for publication then (now
it is published in the issue of March, 1982). As already mentioned above I
received my promotion orders on 21-1-1982 but it is after paying homage to Lord
Shri Sainath on 30th and 31st January, 1982 I took charge of the post of
Statistical Officer on Thursday i.e. 4-2-1982.
Special mention
may be made of another incident that occurred on 28-2-1982. It was in the last
week of Feb' 82 that my wife having only meagre amount at her disposal, started
renovation of the house. Her financial estimate for the repairs failed.
Consequently worry and anxiety annoyed us. She is a member of Orgallu Chitfund.
The lottery draw for
Rs. 10.000/-(Ten thousand) was fixed on 2.8-2-1982 at 2. OO'p.m. On that day
before leaving for Chitfund office to witness the draw, I prayed Sai Baba whole
heartedly with a request to help me at this critical juncture. At 2. 00 p.m.
all the members of the Chit-fund, who optioned for lot, were looking very
eagerly for the result of the draw, for every body present was in need of
money. Just a few seconds before the draw I placed the small photo, which is in my
fore-finger ring on the number assigned to us and closed my eyes for a while.
The moment I opened my eyes I heard that the number of my wife was announced. I
was taken away by an air of surprise to see the disappointment of other members
and getting the result it my favour. Is it not Baba's presence here to help me
? This being the reason I selected "Sai Baba where not" as suitable
title for article. My joy knew no bounds and really it was inexplicable. Had
Baba not helped me I would have been put to much inconvenience as there was no
other alternative of meeting the financial requirements. From this it can be
safely concluded that Baba's eyes are every where Sai knows what we want and
the fulfillment of what we want depends upon the strength of devotion and time
factor. If every body gets all the things done favourably without making
concrete efforts, then there would not have arisen human problems. But the pity
is that day-to-day affairs do not move in the direction as desired by us, Some
time heavy and strong expectations may prove futile if these have no divine
sanction. Man proposes and God disposes. Let us all hope and pray that Baba's
eyes which are everywhere cannot escape the attention of true devotees, who are
increasing in number day by day. What is likely to happen may be different from
what actually happens. All depends upon the sincere efforts of human beings and
ever increasing faith in Sai.
Let us hope
that with Baba's blessings the gap between expectations and the attainment will
be narrowed considerably leading to optimistic life. Let Baba help all of us
and make tomorrow better than today and day after tomorrow still much more
better than tomorrow.
N. Machander
Oas
Shri Sai Baba's
Palkhi Procession to Shirdi
All Sai
devotees will be glad to now that as per the practice of every year, the
"Saisevak Mandal" Bombay, has arranged this year also a Palkhi
Procession to Shirdi from Bombay for the Ramanavami which falls on 21st April,
1983.
The Palkhi
Procession will start from the Bombay office of the Shirdi Sansthan at 'Sai
Niketan. Dr. Ambedkar Road, Dadar, Bombay-400014 on Tuesday the 12th April 1983
after the noon aarti at 12 noon. The route of the Palkhi Procession will be Via
Thane, Bhiwandi. Shahapur, Kasara, Igatpuri, Nasik, Sinner Wavi, and Shirdi so
as to reach Shirdi on Tuesday the 19th of April, 1983.
Those Sai
devotees who intend to take part in this Palkhi Procession may kindly pay Rs.
125/- in cash towards the expenses for the journey to the representative of the
Mandal before 8-4-83 between 2 and 5 p. m. at Sai Niketan, Dadar. It may
be noted that the above subscription is only for defraying expenses for the
journey from Bombay to Shirdi from 12-4-83 to 19-4-83. The expenditure
thereafter will have to be borne personally by every individual.
Eventhough
Samartha Sadguru Sai Baba had attracted me in 1971. it was Basheer Baba the
saint of Ram Sai Nagar (A P), who had given impetus to me during his first
visit to Calcutta Sai Samaj in October 1973. Since then the Sai-momentum is
never lost in me.
I pay my
obeisance to Sai Baba at Shirdi each year without a break since 1976 in
October-November by Saigrace. As
usual, I had booked my sleeper berth for Bombay in September last to
avoid Puja stampede at the booking office. Yet I could secure my berth only in
"Gitanjali" (an inconvenient train for Shirdi-trip) and not in the
"Bombay Mail" which would stop at Manmad unlike "Gitanjali".
On 23rd Oct.
'82, I boarded my train, and alighted on the next day at Bhusaval at 1.30 P. M.
with a resolve to travel to Manmad by bus. When I contacted the ticket
collector to get an endorsement on my ticket for the break in the journey, he
obliged me. But after I left the building, he seemed to have had a second
thought and hailed me back and advised me not to break the journey. He
continued and said that "Giianjali" would just crawl at Manmad and I
could easily avail it and alight from it at the station since I had had with me
only a brief case. I took it as Sai-guidance. But only at Nasik Jn., I could
alight from it when it was crawling and not at Manmad. I later boarded a bus
bound for Shirdi at the Nasik Central bus stand and arrived at Shirdi the same
night at 10. 15 P. M. just in good Sai-time to witness "Sesh Aarati".
Again, Sai had blessed this child to witness it despite the obstacle.
After offering
my salutation to Sai Baba, I rushed to "'Shanti Niwas" booking
counter only to secure a locker and not a. room. I slept peacefully and at
day-break I began my Sai-hunt for my Sai-uncles Adya Prasad Tripathiji (Betul)
and P. J. Reddyji (Hyderabad). It was with the kind understanding assistance of
Shindesaheb I could locate Tripathiji without effort and Tripathiji in turn
helped me to locate Reddyji. We thus became a trinity there.
I have been
nursing a desire for long to count the Sai-Hundi collections. It was fulfilled
on 25-10-1982 at 8-30 A. M. through our able administrator Kakare Sahib. Tripathiji
was hovering around the place when Kakresahib invited him too to share the
Sai-fortune. It took us as many as two hours to count the huge treasure of Sai.
I counted them thinking of Sai as our Sai was rubbing coins chanting His devotees' names for their welfare.
Again my first
child was ushered into this world on 14-8-1982 and we considered her arrival as
Sai-Prasad and christened her Sai Deepa the name chosen by our Sai after
casting the lot to Him before aarati was taken. I was always given accommodation
at "Shanti-Niwas" unsolicited and this time I was offered unsolicited
Sai-Prasad for my accommodation on 25-10-82. the day it was thrown open to the
multitudes of Sai-devotees It is again a Saigrace, not a coincidence.
While we three
were moving about, we stumbled over the ailing Ram Baba and had. the Sailuck to
get his blessing by a pat for each. Each year when we pay our visit to Shirdi,
we behold better amenities. This year we felt happy when we could view the
goings-on at Samadhi Shrine of Sai on the closed-circuit Television. It speaks
volumes of Kakresahib's, Pathaksahib's. Shindesahib's and the Staff's devotion
to their work and Sai-service to the Sai-devotees.
On 7th morning, I boarded the bus at Shirdi at 8. 45 A.M bound for Manmad. But we were told that the bus would reach its destination within two hours only which meant that I would have to miss the Varanasi Express at Manmad. As Sai had helped me through the Ticket Collector at Bhusaval Jn, I was helped by Him exactly in a similar fashion this time also. When I alighted the bus at Manmad, the Varanasi Express was already parked there. I ran to catch it; but it had already started to chug along. I cast away my brief case and a bag into the compartment and dived into it with full force. If I were to miss, I would not be able to resume duty on 29th October. Such obstacles continued to shadow me and Sai also took care of me always.
On my return
journey to Howrah by Calcutta Mail, .a few kilometers away from Howrah at
Tikiapara Stn. On 29-10-82 morning, the Mail screeched to a resounding halt.
Later we learnt that it would not leave the spot for a long time as a local
train had derailed at Howrah Station itself. Fortunately for us. another local
train was approaching our station and we waved our hands to the driver and he,
out of sympathy, halted it for us. It was not a scheduled stop, for it was
coming from Uluberia Station.
My Sai-Brothers
can now realize that I was dogged with obstacles at every turn and Sai Baba saw
to it that His child rejoined his family members safely and resumed duty in
good time. j^
T. R. Anand
Sarangabad -
743319 (West Bengal)
Blessings of Shri Sai are highly powerful
To devotees sincere and always faithful.
Attained Mahasamadhi on 15th October 1918 wilfully
And still fulfills the devotees' needs
just and rightful.
Supernatural events play around the
devotees unmindful
To those who surrender to Him heart and soul wishful.
Devotees throng at His shrine at Shirdi
in housefull
To offer prayers and flowers in person in
utmost cheerful
They forget all their grief at His holy feet unmindful
And they go back to their homes with His
permission blissful
A dynamic grace pervades the shrine
still to one and all
And Baba's magnificent idol looks alive
sitting in the hall
Bizarre methods Baba adopted at times to
protect even the sinful
By his supernatural commands and to turn
them devout and truthful
The saint of Shirdi will be ever living
to the devotees faithful
I looking after their needs day and night
even and kindful
Blessings of Shri Sai are highly powerful
To devotees sincere and always faithful
P. J. Reddy
My pen dances
with joy to narrate briefly the highlights of the 9th annual gathering of the
contributors to Shri Sat Leela, which was held at Shirdi on 30th and 31st
January 1983. This gathering was unique in many respects, in as much as there
were several new features to make it attractive and eventful, with
effervescent, effective, educative and eloquent speeches, most of them
centering round the two Taraka Mantras -Shraddha and Saburi and our dictum - Allah Malik Hai.
The very venue
itself set in ideal and attractive hall of the Shanti Nivas, proclaimed the
uniqueness of the things that were in store. Perhaps this being the 9th one,
the significance of No. 9 revealed itself fully by His Grace, for Baba was fond
of the number 9. He emphasised on the 9 (Navavidha) Bhaktis. He gave Sow.
Laksbmibai 9 rupees and His intimate dasas were also 9 viz. - Sarva Sree Shama,
Oasganu, Mhalsapati, Tatya, Nana, Sathe, Butti, Dixit and Dabholkar, who had
surrendered themselves at His holy feet. The number 9 is magical and wonderful
indeed as there are Nava Grahas; the 9 wonders of the world; the Nava Pashanas
etc., and so it is no wonder that the 9th gathering had many unexpected and
blissful things in store for the Sai Bandhus.
English, which
was more or less a taboo in the previous gatherings forced its way out in the
welcome speech itself by Shri Kakresaheb, who used the words "9th Annual
Gathering', while the entire speech was in Marathi. I mused and waited for more
pleasant surprises
Since Mr. V.
Sunder, delegate from Calcutta wanted to leave early, he was allowed to read
his article in English about his recent visit to Shirdi (Another score for me).
Shri Kesava Rao, President and Shri Viswanathan, Secretary of the All India Sai
Samai, Madras, special invitees to the gathering (this is their first visit to
the gathering) were introduced to the Sammelan by Executive Editor Dr. S. D.
Parchure in English and both of them addressed the delegates in English, about
the propagation of Sai cult by H. H. Narasimha Swamijee and Saipadananda Radha
Krishna Swamiji and the activities of the Samaj. (Yet another surprise).
Prof. Gunderao
Patwari, by his eloquent and electrified speech in Hindi, pleaded on my behalf
for a session in English. Mr. Anil K. Rasal of Bombay made a fervent appeal in
English; so also Mr. N. Machandar Das of Warangal and Mrs. Sarojini of Calcutta
and Dr. B. G. Das of Kanpur, followed suit, and Messrs. Vijay Hazare, Bipin
Swadia and several delegates spoke in Marathi. Then I too had my chance, with
the result English was given a rightful share in the proceedings, and my heart
throbbed in ecstacy.
I had, a month
back, sent in my suggestions to have (1) a few hours to be allotted for the
English knowing delegates and (2) to allot a few pages for children in both
magazines, so that the young ones can imbibe the teachings from the treasures
of our hoary past. My second suggestion too, without my airing it, had, by His
Grace, come to fruition through the eversmiling Shri Bipin Swadia, His daughter
gave an exquisite dance recital centering round Sai Mahima, which was well
received & acclaimed.
Yes! The
"Saburj” on my part had paid rich dividends without asking for it. Some
say : "Knock - The Door Shall Open; Ask - Thou Shall Be Given". We
need neither "Knock'' nor "ask". Baba says: "Think Of Me
Always. Look To Me. I Shall Be Your Slave". The English and Hindi knowing
delegates were all revelling themselves in the Sai Grace unexpectedly showered
on them.
Another
striking feature was the adorning of the main dais by the five
"Chinthamanis" who were cut and shaped to lustre by Baba
Himself- Dr. Kapadi. the presiding deity of the 9th gathering and Shri Rasane,
Sow Sarojini Mulye, Shri Gajanan Chitambar and Shri Dabholkar, the Presidents
of the previous gatherings, who have had the unique opportunity to be fondled
and blessed by Sadguru Sai in their childhood. We the delegates had 'the good
fortune to see at one time these noble souls and receive their bountiful
blessings.
The fame of Sai
was spread by Das Ganu by his keertans in the North and by H. H, Narasimha
Swamiji and Saipadananda Radhakrishna Swamiji by their unceasing preaching’s in
the South of Bharat. While leaving Shirdi on 1st February, Shri Vijay Hazare
showed me a letter received from a Sai Bandhu in Switzerland. Already Sai
Bandhus from U. K. are making periodical visits to Shirdi. So my prediction in
my report about the 8th gathering is going to come true. Do not be surprised if
a gathering of Sai Bandbus is held either in London or in Switzerland in the
near future.
Be ready to
start at any moment as my dream is coming true by His grace !
R. S
Ramakrishnao
Madras 600004
RAMANAVANI FESTIVAL AT SHIRDI
The
Ramanavami Festival will be celebrated as usual at Shirdi from Wednesday the
20th April 1983 to Friday the 22nd April 1983. All Sai devotees are cordially
requested to attend the festival.
Court Receiver
At the request of the organisers of the 20th All India Sai Devotees'
convention, Shri G. R. Inamdar and
Shri Shriniwasan, from Bombay, requested the Court Receiver,
Shirdi Sansthan to allow them to
take Shri Sai Baba's Padukas to Nellore and keep them there for darshan of the
devotees. Accordingly Shri Inamdar and
Shri Shrinivasan went to Shirdi and
brought the Padukas to Bombay on 5th January 1983. After worshipping the Padukas at the residence
of Shri Inamdar at Prabbadevi on 5th
January, 1983, they were taken to Nellore by Shri Shriniwasan,
Dr. Parchure and Shri Sadanand
Chendvankar. After reaching Nellore on the evening of 6th January
1983 the Padukas were kept for
darshan in the convention from 7-1-83 to 9-1-83 where thousands of devotees of Shri Sai Baba took their darshan with full devotion on all the three days of the convention.
After the
convention was over, the Padukas were taken to Madras on 10-1-83 by the morning
train by Dr. Parchure, Shri Chendvankar, Shri. T. Keshavrao & Shri
Vishwanathan. At 12 noon on the same day the Padukas were worshipped and kept
in the spacious hall of the Alt India Sai Samaj, Mylapore, Madras for darshan.
As it was already announced that the Padukas would be brought from Nellore
after the convention was over, lot of people attended the All India Sai Samaj
on that day.
On 11-1-83 at 8 p. m. the Padukas were
kept in a Palanquin, well-decorated
with flowers, alongwith a big
portrait of Shri Sai Baba
and were taken in procession in
Mylapore area and nearby localities accompanied by bhajan parties and music. On
the route of the procession, the devotees from almost every house offered
garlands to the Padukas and took darshan.
The procession returned to the All India Sai Samaj hall at about 11 P.
M.
On 12-1-83 at 6
p. m. Or. Parchure and Shri Sadanand Chendvankar, the Executive Editors of Shri
Sai Leela magazine, were introduced to the audience at the public meeting held
at the All India Sai Samaj hall by Shri. T. Keshavrao, President of the Samaj,
and were requested to address the meeting.
In his speech
Dr. Parchure said, "Devotion (bhakti) is a great achievement of a devotee.
In one Sanskrit Shloka it is stated that a devotee of God (Wasudeo) is not
afraid of birth death old age and ailments and this is quite true. When-we
surrender ourselves fully to our God, Shri Sai Baba, we feel fully protected
according to the assurance given to his devotees by Shri Baba and therefore we
become fearless." In the end Dr. Parchure thanked the authorities of A. I.
S. S. and the audience.- Shri Cbendvankar also similarly thanked all for their
hospitality.
After their speeches were over Shri
Vishwanathan, the Secretary of the All India Sai Samaj, thanked the audience
and felicitated both the speakers by offering garlands to them.