CONFERRING BENEFIT – Even you don't like, Baba will impose on you

CONFERRING BENEFIT – Even you don't like, Baba will impose on you

When Baba, with His wonderful powers loved Purandhare, He could not endure the idea of this good fellow being ill-treated by all those whom he had to contact in occupying a rented house. So, the firstthing that struck Baba was that He should make this poor clerk own a bungalow of his own. The idea that a clerk on Rs. 35 monthly salary could purchase a plot of land and build a bungalow on it was so queerthat Purandhare could not think of it. Yet, very early in his contact with Baba, Baba told him definitely, `Bhav, you had better buy a plot of land and build a bungalow on it'. Purandhere naturally thought itwas beyond practical politics, and he could not act upon it. Baba was impatient. When Purandhare went to Him again and again without building the house.

Love endureth all things. Love does not blame. Love does not find fault. So he quietly endured without offering a word of explanation. Then Baba treated him in a different way. Having exhausted the threats and abuses, Baba inflicted on him, by His own mysterious means, a severe neuralgic headache, which Purandhare went on enduring, nights and days.

Once Bade Baba came and asked Baba to give Purandhare some palliative, Baba simply said, `That fellow would not listen to me'. Then Bade Baba said, `He is working heart and soul in your service.So kindly give him some treatment'. No treatment given to Purandhare would give him relief. It was not Baba's idea to give him relief till he finished his building. So all the time he stayed at Shirdi, he suffered intense pain. He was asked to go back his home and carry on his work. Purandhare went home fully convinced that this headache inflicted by Baba would only cease, as Baba said, after he built the house. How is he to get the money?

It occurred to him that the office lent to the establishment some sums for building purposes for building a tenement. So he applied and got from his office a sum of Rs. 500 and got ready some materials like bricks, etc., for building the bungalow. He was too unwell to look to the building. So his brother went up and looked after the building work. Quick building is jerry building and is bound to have serous defects. The Wada or bungalow that was put up in the course of a month by Purandhare's brother was built so hastily that in a short time, in a year or so, there were cracks on the walls. It must be remembered that the building was built on agricultural land without any settu or hard foundation. Evidently the hasty foundations laid for this Wada were insufficient to keep the walls together and in perpendicular position. So cracks developed. Anyhow it was built rapidly in a month, and Purandhare with his orthodox ideas wanted to do Vastupuja himself on the building before occupying it. So he went up and did Vastupuja and strangely enough, only after he went and occupies this bungalow, his neuralgic headache ceased.

Here is a strange instance of Baba's Love forcing a man to get a bungalow when he could hardly afford it. There were other defects besides this jerry building. The site was a lonely site in the midst of a waste. There were no neighboring houses to give one safety of company. Purandhare was simply afraid of that, with young wife and child at home, things were not safe, especially when he went away to his office. Baba told him however, `Don't you be afraid. I am there guarding your wife all the time'. This was found to be true, because, though Baba's form was not always seen, no danger befell this family living a solitary life in the midst of a waste

Now let us examine this method of exhibiting love. When we have a person, we want to confer benefits. Baba loved Purandhare and was conferring a bungalow on him. But in what way? By first violent abuse, threats and finally by inflicting prolonged pain, which was hard to endure. Anyone else other than Purandhare would have doubted whether the game was worth the candle, whether it was worthwhilegetting a bungalow after enduring all this trouble and taking the burden of loans, which he could only repay very slowly on account of his very low pay. Yet Purandhare, being a sincere enthusiastic lover,never questioned Baba's kindness or omniscience or guardianship of himself and family and never complained to anybody. When he was in the worst pangs of head ache, he simply wrote to Radhakrishna Ayi, "Tell mother Baba that I am unable to endure this pain and that he must kill me and take me to his feet or cure me"" But what could poor Ayi do? Baba was adamant and had his own way and did succeed in making a petty clerk own a bungalow and that too in double quick time. This is one good instance of Baba's forcing benefit on those whom he loved and loves. Baba's conferring of benefit could be foundin every direction.

This Purandhare had a lot of financial difficulties and official troubles. He knew so little of how to provide for every contingency. Baba anticipated everything and gave him mysterious warnings in dreams and visions, and enabled him to go through all ordeals without breaking under them. We will take one example. When he went back from Shirdi to his house in Bombay, his wife contracted cholera, and therewere so many motions so as to thoroughly exhaust her. The doctor who came and examined her found the pulse feeble and the breath very slow. So he gave up hope and went away. But Purandhare was not the man to give up hope and faith. He knew his God was the Shirdi Sai and with the fullest faith, he went about and found Baba suddenly standing in front of the Maruti temple near his house. Baba told him.`Don't be afraid; give her udhi and tirtham' and disappeared. Purandhare acted boldly on that advice. He had udhi with him, took up some tirtham and mixed up the two, administered that cold water to the patient. Some others got frightened and said that he should not do this, as it would aggravate the disease. But Purandhare's faith in Baba was unshakable and he did give this mixture. With what result?In an hour's time, the sick lady had drunk up all the water and after a little time her breath began to revive strongly. Her body heat began to revive also. Her facial expression improved very much. When the doctor came thereafter, he said that he noticed a very remarkable change for the better and that there was much hope of the patient's recovery. He asked what was the medicine given to her. Purandhare's reply was `Nothing but udhi and tirtham'.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

GURU KRUPA SAVES DEVOTEES

GURU KRUPA SAVES DEVOTEES

Nana's benefit in temporal matters from Baba was not merely for himself but also for the person connected with him. Baba who saved Nana from the pangs of hunger and thirst in hill and a forest would certainly not leave his disciple when his life was in danger.

See the Bhagavata verse below that, "He is no guru who does not save one's life". Such a juncture arrived one day when Nana and Lele Sastri were starting from Poona in a tonga. They had gone a few miles when suddenly the horse reared, and the carriage capsized. That was a perilous moment. Both the occupants of the carriage were corpulent elderly people who would in such an accident ordinarily suffer serious damage to life and limb, Sai Baba, however, who was watching over Nana wherever he went, at that very movement blew what is called `Bum-Bum', (the Conch sound-for at death people blow on the conch), keeping his hands in front of his mouth as though the hands were a conch. This is a signal of danger and distress. We shall give the account as it appears in the Gospel of Baba,

One day at Shirdi, Baba made the dolorous Sankha sound (indicative of coming death) and said "Hallo, Nana is about to die! will, I let him die?" At that time N. G. Chandorkar and Lele Sastri were near Poona. They were in a tonga the horse of which reared and overtured the tonga. N. G. Chandorkar and Sastri were in peril of their life. But they picked themselves up and found that they had suffered no injury. When they reached Shirdi, they found that Baba had made the above declaration and had saved their lives.

Gurur na sasyat Svajano na sasyat
Pita na sasyat Janani on saa syat
Daivam na sasyat Svapatir na sasyat
Na mochayet yas Samupeta mrityum

which means, "If a person does not save one's life, when it is threatened by Death, that person is not a Guru, a kinsman, a father, a mother, a god or a husband.

Thus Baba saved Nana's life, just as Baba's Guru saved Baba's life. There is a saying, i.e., that the string of a flower garland borrows its scent. Similarly Lele Sastri, who was not himself a staunch bhakta of Baba, derived his safety from his company with Nana Chandorkar.Baba on this occasion proved the truth of his statement. "If a devotee is about to fall, I stretch our my hands, and thus with four outstretched hands at a time, support him. I will not let him fall." This is Karavalambha.

(1) Na me bhaktah pranascyati i.e., My devotee shall not perish (BG IX-31)

(2) Tan Uddharishye ham achitat Apatbhyo now riva arnavat i.e., I quickly save them as a boat saves in the ocean. (SB XI (17)44.

It is not merely the friend of a devotee that Baba saves. Baba's interest is in every one in whom a devotee is interested

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

BABA'S ANKITA SISHYA'S SADGATI

BABA'S ANKITA SISHYA'S SADGATI

As Mahlsapathy made no difference between Khandoba and Baba, and as all thoughts of men were known to Baba, Baba could not object to any of the ways adopted for worship at the Khandoba temple being applied to him. Baba's divine heart of love responded to the outpourings of Mahlsapathy's love; and so, Mahlsapathy became Baba's ANKITA SISHYA. Baba said (if not expressly at least by unmistakable utterance and conduct). `He is mine'. The Arati song says,

Jo Sanduchya ankita Jiva Jhala,
Tyacha Ase Bhara niranjanala.

This means, the devotee who is stamped as mine by a Sadhu, has no more burden or responsibility to bear, as all his burdens and responsibilities rest on the Saint (or the Guru God). Baba showed his assumption of responsibility in innumerable ways. Especially when he sent him in the evenings away from the Mosque, he would be saying `Go, I am with you' i.e., `I will protect you'. And he did.

Baba's cure of Mahlsapathy's wife's tumour at a distant place far off from Shirdi, and the cure of her children of their disease at other times are excellent instances of Baba's protection and love. When bhakta had no son, and yet refused to go and live with his family, it was Baba's repeated assurance that he would get a male child that induced him to and sleep at home and thus get a son. This son is named Martanda and is still living (at the time of writing this article by HH Pujyasri B V N Swamiji) and worshipping at his father's tomb. This is considered important, as dying without a son will take a man to Hell (Put Naraka).

Mahlsapathy's response to Baba's love was evidenced by Mahlsapathy's dedication of himself to Baba's service. Mahlsapathy not only shared his cloth bed with Baba every night at the Mosque and chavadi, butalso shared his night vigil. Mahlsapathy's help to rouse Baba when the vigil stopped and gave way to natural sleep was a special help to Baba, and through Baba to everybody. Mahlsapathy'' effort to keep the Baba body for three days in 1886 against the mischance of being buried on the compulsion of the officers was a signal service not only to Baba but to the entire Sai Bhaktas and the public at large. Baba's recognition of this attachment closely resembling Hanuman's attachment to Rama was expressed by Baba's calling him Bhagat i.e., Bhakta.

The end of such a soul when life passes away must necessarily be a good end (sadgati). Baba made this assurance doubly sure and granted him the merit of dying on an Ekadasi day (with God in his mind and on his lips) just as he did this for several bhaktas of his. Dying on an Ekadasi day is conducive to departure in a holy mood from this life (through the bright and smokeless path) B.Gita VIII-6 says,yam yam vapi Smaran Bhavam

Tyajati ante kalebaram
Tam tam eva eti kounteya
Sada tad bhava bhavitah

That is, `Whatever a person thinks of (being in constant touch with it) at the time of death he reaches.' When Mahlsapathy's death was approaching, he retained full consciousness and control of his mind.That was on 11th September 1922 Monday (in the month of Badrapada, Ekadasi) Somavara, sacred to Shiva and Khandoba). Having finished all his pooja, he said to his family, '`Today is my father's'Shraddhaday. Finish cooking soon. Today I close my earthly life and go to Heaven." So, Laxman, the Brahmin, came and finished the Sraddha at once and finished the gift of balis to crows, cows, etc, and guestswere fed. Then the family meals were finished. Mahlsapathy took betel and nuts after his meal. After chewing a bit, he put on a kupni. Having near him, Bala Gurav, Ramachandra Kothe, etc., he told themall to do Ramachandra japa. Japa went on. His son was there, and he gave him his stick. Mahlsapathy said to his son, "Spend time piously in uttama Bhakti Marga i.e., in holy devotion. All that I told youwill happen." Then Mahlsapathy uttered the word `Ram' and breathed his last. Thus he passed away in calm faith and cheerfulness on the 11th September 1922. This death was a fitting termination to a pure,lofty and dedicated life – a life of Love, faith and total surrender- a death that may be envied by many who may not be prepared to adopt the rigorous course that led up to it and ensured it. His remains are interred in a tomb at Shirdi, which is still worshipped by many.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

FAITH FETCHES FOREVER

FAITH FETCHES FOREVER

Nana Chandorkar and Haridas, a Kirtankar were both at Shirdi, and both had to be at Ahmednagar the next day, and so had to catch a train, the scheduled time of which required their immediate leaving of Shirdi. So they want to take leave of Baba. Baba quietly told them both, `You had better take your meal and then go for your train.' Nana, having implicit reliance on his Guru did so, though it took some time for him to take his meal. Haridas did not wish to risk the loss of money which he would get at the next day's engagement, and so, remembering the scheduled time and not Baba's words (on which he did not place much reliance), started off immediately without food and reached Kopergaon station and waited there for some hours, for the train was late by some hours. Baba knowing the lateness by his Antarjnana (or Ritambhara Prajna) gave the benefit of his knowledge to Nana who went up leisurely after meal, and found Haridas waiting at the station with hungry stomach, for the late train. Nana was in time to catch the train, and Haridas learnt a lesson, which he no doubt would preach to others but did not practice himself, namely, that one must put implicit faith in Great Souls like the Guru Sai Deva, and not throw aside their words and rely upon one's own wisdom.

This is the correct interpretation of the last line of the Niti
sloka: - Ushas Sasamsca Gargyastu Sakunamtu Brihaspatih, Manojayamtu
Mandavya, Vipravakyam Janardhanah, which means: -

(When one wishes to consult augury of success before starting on any action) Gargya praised starting at dawn, Brihaspati held omens e.g., flight of birds etc., to be the best guide. Mandavya held one's own optimism and powerful determination were the best guides. Janardhana (Sri Krishna) viewed the words of the Vipra or holy ones as the best (Baba was a Vipra in the best and every sense of the term).

Baba also taught Nana incidentally another lesson before he left Shirdi (saying), `Look at this Haridas, He comes with you. He leaves you behind and runs away for his own (fancied) advantage. You must always have friends who will not desert you in the middle like this'.

Another incident also may be quoted here. Nana was staying with Baba at Shirdi and wanted to start one morning to go to Kopergaon, where he had an appointment to meet the Collector. When he went to takeleave of Baba in proper time. Baba simply said, `Go tomorrow'. That meant, leave was denied. Others with less faith than Nana would have simply brushed aside Baba's advice and started off. But Nana had full faith in Baba, and consequently the advantage of staying one more day with Baba. Having been stopped for that day, he took leave of Baba the next day. Baba then said, `You now go and meet the Collector'. When Nana went to Kopergaon and enquired of the office staff there as to what happened on the previous day, they said that the Collector had sent a telegram that he was not coming that day but only on the following day. Baba did not receive a copy of the telegram, but by his own Antarjnana knew of the postponement of the appointment and gave Nana the benefit of it with the resulting further benefit of an extra day's stay with his Guru. Thus even in the most important official matters, Nana's faith made him follow Baba's words with great advantage to himself, temporally and spiritually.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

WHY BABA WEPT?

WHY BABA WEPT?

In 1915, Santaram had a set of calamities in his family. his wife gave birth to children who died in infancy. then his wife went alone with Shama to pray to Baba for long-lived children. Then as usual, she took a coconut with her. She gave the coconut to Baba and Baba threw that coconut back into her padar. Baba's eyes were brimming with tears as he gave away the coconut.

He made Santaram sit at his feet and massage his legs. During that time, Baba passed his hands over Santaram's back in a token of his blessing and Santaram felt happy , and expressed his thanks for beingsaved from the murderous mad man. Baba said, Allah Malik Hai meaning, '`That is all the order of Allah'' Then Santaram embraced Baba and Baba embraced him, showing the intimate love Santaram bore to Baba and Baba bore to him.

The reason for tears in Baba's eye when giving the coconut to Santaram's wife was not understood at that time. But in 1919, after Baba passed away, a son was born as promised by Baba at the time when the coconut was gifted. This child was called Kalu Ram. Kalu Ram lived just for eight years, and his mother lived for only 2 years after his birth. So, both the deaths were obviously seen by Baba at the time of his gift.

Baba's powers, included Traikalika Bhuddhih, Srimad Bhagavata refers to this traikalika Jnana. Baba's Jnana may even be termed Rithambhara prajna. This distinction between past, present and future exists only to us, who are all very limited in our power of seeing and knowing. To us the present includes very little of the future but to Satpurushas like Baba it includes the whole of the future.

This boy Kaku Ram was a wonderful genius. At the age of 3, he was always in the habit of repeating Ram Hari Ram. It was then that his mother expired. This was said to be the effect of Mula Nakshatram in which the boy was born. This boy stunned the imagination of all their acquaintances. Hegde, a neighbour, said, "The boy's knowledge of Krishna Lilas seems to be so good that the boy himself should have certainly been one of he playmates of Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga".

The boy himself occasionally said, "Krishna used to tease me, I caught hold of Hari's legs and pinched them. I looked up and then Hari upset the curd pot over my face. Then the lady of the house turned up." Hegde used to read Hari Vijaya and on some days the boy would mention the story that would be read in Hari Vijaya later on in the day.

One day, the boy was seated motionless in a corner. His eyeballs were upturned. He had a cloth over his head as a cowl, and when Santaram asked him why he was covering his head, he laughed and said, "That is our usual course of sadhana". Everything was suggestive of a high proficiency of Yoga about him. From a journal, he cut out the pranava Om and stuck it on the wall next to him.

As regards the picture in His Master's Voice, Kalu Ram asked his father, "What is this?" The father said, "It is the advertisement of a gramaphone". Kalu said, "No, it is a special message of Krishna." The father asked, "What is that message?" Kalu replied with a counter question. He asked, "What is the dog in the picture hearing?" Santaram said, "It is the music from the gramaphone record." Kalu said, "No, the dog is hearing his master's voice. Look at the dog – he is intensely concentrated and intensely listening. We must be equally firm and concentrated and sit. See how I sit. You also should sit like that and listen. Then you will hear Baba's voice." Santaram asked, "How do you know Baba's voice? You were born after he passed away." The boy replied, " I know it, but I will not tell you."

Kalu then took to written japa of Ram, Hari Ram, in addition to oral japa. he did a huge mass of Ram, Hari Ram japa. In 1926, Gadgi Baba came to see the boy, because of his precocity. Kalu then had dropsyand low fever. He was only given Baba's udhi. The disease continued for a while. On Kartik Suddha Ekadasi, a day so piously celebrated by thousands of pilgrims at Pandharpur and other Vishnu sthalas, Kalu Ram approached his end. He called Santaram to his bedside and asked for Jnaneswari the family heirloom. it was produced at once. He opened it himself and picked up chapter XIII. Kshetra Kshetragnavibhaga. At that time Santaram was feeling heavy with the sadness of the approaching end – the bitterness of parting with Kalu Ram. But Kalu Ram cheered him up and said, "What is there to cry for? Read this. Read aloud for me. I am going today". Santaram's heart was sinking under a load of grief and he could not read. The boy kept the book in front of him and breathed his last. In this way it was a fitting departure on a Karthik Ekadasi day for such a life. But yet how sad was such an early death!

No wonder that Baba wept in 1918, when he gave the coconut, and clearly perceived that such an early death was to crown such a life.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimah Swamiji

I Don’t Believe in Defeat - 3

I Don’t Believe in Defeat - 3


Now take another look at that obstacle that has been? bothering you. You will find that it isn’t so formidable as you thought. Say to yourself, "The rough is only mental. I think victory—get victory." Remember that formula. Write it on a piece of paper, put it in your wallet, stick it up on your mirror where you shave each morning, put it over the kitchen sink, put it on your dressing table and on your desk—keep looking at it until its truth drives into the depths of your consciousness, until it permeates your whole mental attitude, until it becomes a positive obsession—"I can do all things through Christ which strengthened! me." What may seem to be a difficult proposition is, as I have pointed out, hard or easy in proportion to how we think about it. It may be said that three men vitally affected the thought processes of Americans—Emerson, Thoreau, and William James. Analyze the American mind even to this late date and it is evident that the teachings of these three philosophers combined to create that particular genius of the American who is not defeated by obstacles and who accomplishes "impossibles" with amazing efficiency.



A fundamental doctrine of Emerson is that the human personality can be touched with Divine power and thus greatness can be released from it. William James pointed out that the greatest factor in any undertaking is one’s belief about it. Thoreau told us that the secret of achievement is to hold a picture of a successful outcome in mind.



Still another wise American was Thomas Jefferson, who, like Franklin, set for his guidance a series of rules. Franklin had thirteen daily rules; Jefferson only ten.



One of Jefferson’s rules was this, and I think it is priceless, "Always take hold of things by the smooth handle." That K, go at a job or at your difficulty by the use of a method that will encounter the least resistance. Resistance causes friction in mechanics, therefore it is necessary in mechanics to overcome or reduce friction.



The negative attitude ls a friction approach. That is why negativism develops such great resistance. The positive approach is the "smooth handle" technique. It is in harmony with the flow of the universe. It not only encounters less resistance but actually stimulates assistance forces. It is remarkable how from early life until the end of your earthly existence the application of this philosophy will enable you to attain successful results in areas where otherwise you would be defeated.



For example, a woman sent her fifteen-year-old son to us. She said she wanted him "straightened out." It annoyed her no end that her boy could never get over 70 in any of his studies. "This boy has a great mind potentially," she declared proudly. "How do you know he has a great mind?" I asked. "Because he is my son," she said. "I graduated from college magna cum laude."



The boy came in very glumly, so I asked, "What’s the matter, son?"



"I don’t know. My mother sent me to see you." "Well," I commented, "you don’t seem to be burning with enthusiasm. Your mother says you get only 70’s."



"Yes," he said, "that’s all I get, and," he added, "that isn’t the worst of it. I’ve even received less than that."



"Do you think you have a good mind, son?" I asked.



"My mother says I have. I don’t know—I think I’m awful dumb. Dr. Peale," he said earnestly, "I study the stuff. At home I read it over once and then close the book and try to remember it. I repeat this process about three times, and then I think that if three times doesn’t get it into my head, how am I ever going to get it into my head? And then I go to school thinking maybe I have it, and the teacher calls on me to say something, and I stand up and can’t remember a thing. Then," he said, "examinations come along and I sit there and just get hot and cold all over and I
can’t think of the answers. I don’t know why," he continued. "I know that my mother was a great scholar. I guess I just haven’t got it in me."



This negative thought pattern combined with the inferiority feeling stimulated by his mother’s attitude was of course was defeating him. He froze up in his mind. His mother had never told him to go to school and study for the wonder and glory of learning knowledge. She was not wise enough to encourage him to compete with himself rather than with others. And she was constantly insisting that he duplicate her success in scholarship. Little wonder that under this pressure he froze mentally.



I gave him some suggestions that proved helpful. "Before you read your lessons, pause a moment and pray in this manner, ‘Lord, I know I have a good mind and that I can get my work.’ Then get yourself relaxed and read the book without strain. Imagine you are reading a story. Do not read it twice unless you wish. Simply believe that you got it on the first reading. Visualize the material as soaking in and germinating. Then next morning, as you go to school, say to yourself, I have a wonderful mother. She is very pretty and sweet, but she must have been an old bookworm to get those high marks. And who wants to be an old bookworm anyway? I don’t want to become magna cum nothing. I only want to get through school creditably."



"In class, when the teacher calls on you, quickly pray before answering. Then believe the Lord will at that moment help your mind to deliver. When an examination is given, affirm in prayer that God is releasing your mind and that the right answers are given you."



The boy followed these ideas, and what marks do you think he got the following semester? Ninety! I am sure that this boy, having discovered the amazing workability of the "I don’t believe in defeat philosophy," will employ the smazing power of positive thinking in all the affairs of his life.



I could use so many illustrations of the manner in rich men’s lives have been revamped by these procedures that this book would grow to unwieldy size. Moreover, these are incidents and experiences out of everyday life that are in no way theoretical, but are entirely practical. My mail is literally filled with testimonials sent by people who, having heard or read accounts I have told of victorious life experiences, have felt moved to relate similar occurrences in their own lives.



Such a letter came from a gentleman who tells about his father as follows. I know several people who have used the plan in this letter with amazing results. "My father was a traveling salesman. One time he sold furniture, another time hardware, sometimes it was leather goods. He changed his line every year. "I would hear him telling Mother that this was his last trip in stationery or in bed lamps or whatever it was he was selling at the moment. Next year everything would be
different; we would be on Easy Street. He had a chance to go with a firm that had a product that sold itself. It was always the same. My father never had a product that sold. He was always tense, always afraid of himself, always whistling in the dark. "Then one day a fellow salesman gave Father a copy of a little three-sentence prayer. He was told to repeat it just before calling on a customer. Father tried it, and the results were almost miraculous. He sold 85 per cent of all calls made during the first week, and every week there- after the results were wonderful. Some weeks the percentage ran as high as 95, and Father had sixteen weeks in which he sold every customer called on."



"Father gave this prayer to several other salesmen, and in each case it brought astounding results. " The prayer my father used is as follows:



"I believe I am always divinely guided."



"I believe I will always take the right turn of the road."



"‘ I believe God will always make a way where there is no way.’"



The head of a small firm who had a great many difficulties in establishing his business told me that he was immeasurably helped by a technique which he invented. He had trouble, he said, with the tendency to "blow up" a small difficulty into a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. He knew that he was approaching his problems in a defeatist attitude, and had common sense enough to realize that these obstacles were not so difficult as he made them appear to be. As he told the story, I wondered if he did not have that curious psychological difficulty known as the will to fail.



He employed a device which reconditioned his mental attitude and after a time had a noticeable effect on his business. He simply placed a large wire basket on his office desk. The following words were printed on a card and wired to this basket, "With God all things are possible." Whenever a problem came up which the old mechanism of defeat began to develop into a big difficulty, he threw the paper pertaining to it into the basket marked "With God all things are possible" and let it rest there for a day or two. "It is queer how each matter when I took it out of
that basket again didn’t seem difficult at all," he reported.



In this act he dramatized the mental attitude of putting the problem in God’s hands. As a result he received power to handle the problem normally and therefore successfully.



As you finish this chapter please say the following line aloud:



"I don’t believe in defeat." Continue to affirm that until the idea dominates your subconscious attitudes.




(From Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale)

I Don’t Believe in Defeat - 2

I Don’t Believe in Defeat - 2


Practically speaking, there are only a few human stories and they have all been enacted previously. This is a fact that you must never forget—there are people who have overcome every conceivable difficult situation, even the one in which you now find yourself and which to you seems utterly hopeless. So did it seem to some others, but they found an out, a way up, a path over, a pass through. One of the most inspiring illustrations of this fact is the story of Amos Parrish who twice every year brings together hundreds of leading department-store executives
and style experts in two huge clinics held in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. At these clinics Mr. Parrish gives advice to the merchants and their associates on business trends, on merchandise, on selling methods, and other matters important to the conduct of their business. Having attended a number of the clinics, however, I am convinced that the greatest values Mr. Parrish transmits to his customers are courage and positive thinking, a deep belief in themselves, and the confidence that they can overcome all difficulties. He seems a living example of the philosophy which he teaches. As a boy he was sickly. Moreover, he stuttered. He was sensitive and a victim of an inferiority complex. It was thought that he would not live because of his weakened physical condition, but one day Amos Parrish had a spiritual experience. Faith dawned in his mind, and from then on he knew that with the help of God and the utilization of his own powers he could achieve.



He developed a unique idea of service to businessmen, and so highly do they rate it that they are willing to pay large fees to attend a two-day session twice a year under the business wisdom and inspiration of Amos Parrish. To me it is a moving experience to sit with that big crowd in a hotel ballroom and listen to "A. P.," as he is affectionately called, talk positive thinking to those important businessmen and women.



Sometimes he has the greatest difficulty with his stuttering, but he is never discouraged. He refers to it frankly and with a sense of humor. One day, for example, he was trying to say the word Cadillac. He tried several times and was unable to get it out, and finally did so with a powerful effort. Then he commented, "I can’t even say C-C-C-Cadillac, let alone buy one." The audience roared with laughter, but I noted that they looked up at him with affection written on their faces. Everyone leaves a meeting at which he speaks with the conviction that they, too, can turn their obstacles into assets.



Again I repeat, there is no difficulty you cannot overcome. A wise and philosophical Negro man once said to me, when asked how he overcame his difficulties, "How do I get through a trouble? Well, first I try to go around it, and if I can’t go around it, I try to get under it, and if I can’t get under it, I try to go over it, and if I can’t get over it, I just plow right through it." Then he added, "God and I plow right through it."



Take seriously that formula of a businessman given earlier in this chapter. Stop reading for a moment and repeat it over to yourself five times, and each time you say it conclude with this affirmation, "I believe that." Here is the formula again, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Php 4:13) Say that five times every day and it will release indomitable power in your mind.



Your subconscious, which always resents any change, may say to you, "You don’t believe any such thing." But remember that your subconscious mind in a sense is one of the greatest liars in existence. It concurs in and sends back to you your own errors about your abilities. You have created the negative attitude in your subconscious and it gives this error back to you. So just turn on your subconscious and say to it, "Now look here, I do believe that. I insist upon believing it." If you talk to your sub-conscious mind with that positiveness, in due course it will be convinced. One reason is because you are now feeding it positive thoughts. In other words, you are at last telling the truth to your subconscious. After a while your subconscious mind will begin to send back the truth to you, the truth being that with the help of Jesus Christ there isn’t any obstacle you cannot overcome.



An effective method for making your subconscious positive in character is to eliminate certain expressions of thought and speech which we may call the "little negatives." These so-called "little negatives" clutter up the average person’s conversation, and while each one is seemingly unimportant in itself, the total effect of these attitudes is to condition the mind negatively. When this thought of "little negatives" first occurred to me, I began to analyze my own conversational
habits and was shocked by what I found. I discovered that I was making such statements as, "I’m afraid I’ll be late," or "I wonder if I’ll have a flat tire," or "I don’t think I can do that," or "I’ll never get through this job. There’s so much to do." If something turned out badly, I might say, "Oh, that’s just what I expected." Or, again, I might observe a few clouds in the sky and would gloomily state, "I knew it was going to rain."



These are "little negatives" to be sure, and a big thought is of course more powerful than a little one, but it must never be forgotten that "mighty oaks from little acoms grow," and if a mass of "little negatives" clutter up your conversation, they are bound to seep into your mind. It is surprising how they accumulate in force, and presently, before you know it, they will grow into "big negatives." So I determined to go to work on the "little negatives" and root them out of my conversation. I found that the best way to eliminate them was deliberately to say a positive word about everything. When you keep asserting that things are going to work out well, that you can do the job, that you will not have a flat tire, that you will get there on time, by talking up good results you invoke the law of positive effects and good results occur. Things do turn out well.



On a roadside billboard I saw an advertisement of a certain brand of motor oil. The slogan read, "A clean engine always delivers power." So will a mind free of negatives produce positives, that is to say, a clean mind will deliver power. Therefore flush out your thoughts, give yourself a clean mental engine, remembering that a clean mind, even as a clean engine, always delivers power.



So to overcome your obstacles and live the "I don’t believe in defeat" philosophy, cultivate a positive-idea pattern deeply in your consciousness. What we do with obstacles is directly determined by our mental attitude. Most of our obstacles, as a matter of fact, are mental in character.



"Ah," you may object, "mine are not mental, mine are real."



Perhaps so, but your attitude toward them is mental. The only possible way you can have an attitude is by the mental process, and what you think about your obstacles largely determines what you do about them. Form the mental attitude that you cannot remove an obstacle and you will not remove it, not if you think you can’t. But get the idea firmly fixed that the obstacle is not so great as you previously considered it to be. Hold the idea that it is removable, and however faintly you entertain this positive thought, from the very moment you begin to think in this manner, the process is inaugurated which will lead to its ultimate removal.



It you have been long defeated by a difficulty, it is probably because you have told yourself for weeks, months, and even for years that there is nothing you can do about it. You have so emphasized your inability to yourself that your mind gradually accepted the conclusion upon which you have insisted, and when your mind is convinced, you are convinced, for as you think so are you.



But, on the contrary, when you employ this new and creative concept, "I can do all things through Christ," then you develop a new mental slant. Emphasize and reemphasize that positive attitude and you will finally convince your own consciousness that you can do something about difficulties. When at last your mind becomes convinced, astonishing results will begin to happen. Of a sudden you discover that you have the power you would never acknowledge.



I played golf with a man who was not only an excellent golfer but a philosopher as well. As we went around the golf course the game itself drew out of him certain gems of wisdom for one of which I shall ever be grateful.



I hit a ball into the rough, into some high grass. When we came up to my ball I said in some dismay, "Now just look at that. I certainly am in the rough. I have a bad lie. It is going to be tough getting out of here."



My friend grinned and said, "Didn’t I read something about positive thinking in your books?"



Sheepishly I acknowledged that such was the case.



"I wouldn’t think negatively about that lie of yours," he said. "Do you think you could get a good hit if this ball were lying out on the fairway on the short grass?" I said I thought so.



"Well," he continued, "why do you think you could do better out there than here?"


"Because," I replied, "the grass is cut short on the fairway and the ball can get away better."



Then he did a curious thing. "Let’s get down on our hands and knees," he suggested, "and examine the situation. Let’s see just how this ball does lie."



So we got down on our hands and knees, and he said, "Observe that the relative height of the ball here is about the same as it would be on the fairway, the only difference being that you have about five or six inches of grass above the ball." Then he did an even more whimsical thing. "Notice the quality and character of this grass," he said. He pulled off a blade and handed it to me. "Chew it," he said. I chewed, and he asked, "Isn’t that tender?"



"Why, yes," I replied. "It certainly does seem to be tender grass."



"Well," he continued, "an easy swing of your number-five iron will cut through that grass almost like a knife." And then he gave me this sentence which I am going to remember as long as I live, and I hope you will also.



"The rough is only mental. In other words," he continued, "it is rough because you think it is. In your mind you have decided that here is an obstacle which will cause you difficulty. The power to overcome this obstacle is in your mind. If you visualize yourself lifting that ball out of the rough, believing you can do it, your mind will transfer flexibility, rhythm, and power to your muscles and you will handle that club in such a manner that the ball will rise right out of there in a beautiful shot. All you need to do is to keep your eye on that ball and tell yourself that you are going to lift it out of that grass with a lovely stroke. Let the stiffness and tension go out of you. Hit it with exhilaration and power. Remember, the rough is only mental."



To this day I remember the thrill, the sense of power and delight I had in the clean shot that dropped the ball to the edge of the green.



That is a very great fact to remember in connection with difficult problems—"the rough is only mental."



Your obstacles are present all right. They are not fanciful, but they are not actually so difficult as they seem. Your mental attitude is the most important factor. Believe that Almighty God has put in you the power to lift yourself out of the rough by keeping your eye firmly fixed on the source of your power. Affirm to yourself that through this power you can do anything you have to do. Believe that this power is taking the tension out of you, that this power is flowing through you.

Believe this, and a sense of victory will come.

(From: Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale)

I Don’t Believe in Defeat - 1

I Don’t Believe in Defeat - 1


IF you ARE thinking thoughts of defeat, I urge you to rid yourself of such thoughts, for as you think defeat you tend to get it. Adopt the "I don’t believe in defeat" attitude.



I want to tell you about some people who have put this philosophy into effect with excellent results and shall explain the techniques and formulas which they used so successfully. If you read these incidents carefully and thoughtfully and believe as they did and think positively and put these techniques into operation, you, too, can overcome defeats which at the present moment may seem inevitable.



I hope you are not like an "obstacle man" of whom I was told. He was called an obstacle man because, regardless of whatever suggestion was advanced, his mind instantly went to all possible obstacles in connection with it, but he met his match and learned a lesson which helped to change his negative attitude. It came about in the following manner.



The directors of his firm had a project under consideration which involved considerable expense and some definite hazards as well as success possibilities. In the discussions regarding this venture the obstacle man would invariably say, and always with a scholarly air (invariably this type acts wise, probably a cover-up for inner doubt feelings), "Now just a moment. Let’s consider the obstacles involved." Another man, who said very little but who was respected by his associates for his ability and achievements and for a certain indomitable quality which characterized him, presently spoke up and asked, "Why do you constantly emphasize the obstacles in this proposition instead of the possibilities?"



"Because," replied the obstacle man, "to be intelligent one must always be realistic, and it is a fact that there are certain definite obstacles in connection with this project. What attitude would you take toward these obstacles, may I ask?" The other man unhesitatingly replied, "What attitude would I take toward these obstacles? Why, I would just remove them, that’s all, and then I would forget them." "But," said the obstacle man, "that is easier said than done. You say you would remove them and then you would forget them. May I ask if you have any technique for
removing obstacles and for forgetting them that the rest of us have never discovered?"



A slow smile came over the face of the other man as he said, "Son, I have spent my entire life removing obstacles and I never yet saw one that could not be removed provided you had enough faith and guts and were willing to work. Since you want to know how it’s done, I will show you."



He then reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Under the isinglass window was a card on which were written some words. He shoved the wallet across the table and said, "There, son, read that. That is my formula, and don’t give me the song and dance that it won’t work either. I know better from experience."



The obstacle man picked up the wallet and with a strange look on his face read the words to himself. "Read them out loud," urged the owner of the wallet. This is what he read in a slow, dubious voice, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Php 4:13)



The owner of the wallet put it back in his pocket and said, "I have lived a long time and have faced a lot of difficulties in my time, but there is power in those words—actual power—and with them you can remove any obstacle."



He said this with confidence and everybody knew he meant it. This positiveness, together with the facts of his experience which were known to all, for he was a remarkable man who had overcome many odds, and because of the further fact that he was not in any sense "holier than thou," made his words convincing to the men around the table. At any rate, there was no more negative talk. The project was put into operation and, despite difficulties and risks, turned out successfully. The technique used by this man is based on the primary fact about an obstacle which is—don’t be afraid of it. Practice believing that God is with you and that in combination with Him you have the power to handle it.



So the first thing to do about an obstacle is simply to stand up to it and not complain about it or whine under it but torthrightly attack it. Don’t go crawling through life on your hands and knees half-defeated. Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.



A friend in England sent me a book by Winston Churchill entitled Maxims and Reflections. In this book Churchill tells of the British General Tudor, who commanded a division of the British Fifth Army which faced the great German assault in March 1918. The odds were heavily against him, but General Tudor knew how to meet an apparently immovable and undefeatable obstacle. His method was simple. He merely stood and let the obstacle break on him and he, in turn, broke the obstacle. Here is what Churchill said about General Tudor. This is a very great sentence and
it is filled with power: "The impression I had of Tudor was of an iron peg, hammered into the frozen ground, immovable."



General Tudor knew how to stand up to an obstacle. Just stand up to it, that’s all, and don’t give way under it, and it will finally break. You will break it. Something has to break, and it won’t be you, it will be the obstacle.



You can do this when you have faith, faith in God and faith in yourself. Faith is the chief quality you need. It is enough. In fact, it is more than enough.



Use that formula which the businessman suggested and you will develop this brand of powerful faith in God and in yourself. You will leam to know yourself, your own ability, your power to do things. To the degree to which your attitude shifts from negative to positive the mastery touch will come to you. Then, with assurance, you can say to yourself under any and all circumstances and mean it, "I don’t believe in defeat."



Take the story of Gonzales, who won the national tennis championship a few years ago in a grueling battle. He had been practically unknown, and because of wet weather he had not been able to perfect his game prior to the tournament. The sports writer of a metropolitan newspaper in analyzing Gonzales said that there were certain defects in his techniques, and gave it as his opinion that probably greater champions had played on the courts, however, he credited Gonzales with a marvelous serve and a skillful volley. But the factor that won the championship, said the writer, was his staying power and the further fact that "he was never defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes of the game."



That is one of the most subtle lines I have ever read in any sports story—"He was never defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes of the game."



It means, does it not, that when the game seemed to go against him he did not let discouragement creep in nor negative thoughts dominate and thus lose the power needed to win. This mental and spiritual quality made that man a champion. He was able to face obstacles, to stand up to them and overcome them.



Faith supplies staying power. It contains dynamic to keep one going when the going is hard. Anybody can keep going when the going is good, but some extra ingredient is needed to enable you to keep fighting when it seems that everything is against you. It is a great secret, that of never being "defeated by the discouraging vicissitudes of the game," You may counter, "But you don’t know my circumstances. I am in a different situation than anybody else and I am as far down as a human being can get."



In that case you are fortunate, for if you are as far down as you can get there is no further down you can go. There is only one direction you can take from this position, and that is up. So your situation is quite encouraging. However, I caution you not to take the attitude that you are in a situation in which nobody has ever been before. There is no such situation,


(From: Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale)

BABA's LOVING CARE TO HIS BHAKTAS

BABA's LOVING CARE TO HIS BHAKTAS

Baba's watch over the pilgrimages of Mahlsapathy and his other movements show Baba's great and mysterious power and His wonderful love and guardianship of the bhaktas. These are well illustrated inmany instances of which a few more may be mentioned. On one occasion when Mahlsapathy and party reached Jejuri, 150 miles from Shirdi, plague was raging there, and Mahlsapathy sat down dejected leaning against his palki (kavadi), not knowing what to do. Suddenly he saw Baba behind him; and Baba vanished. Then he got emboldened and told his companions: `Baba is with us and we need not worry'. Accordingly the pilgrimage was satisfactorily over, and there was no loss of life. When he returned to Shirdi, Baba told him, `I found you leaning against the palki at Jejuri.' Mahlsapathy was convinced that his eyes did not deceive him at Jejuri and that Baba was everywhere guarding his bhaktas.

On another occasion when Mahlsapathy and his group had gone for an annual Jejuri pilgrimage, they were returning followed by another group i.e., Malam Bhagat Pilki. Then they met thieves who were armed with axes and who wore masks or were covering their faces with thick blankets. As they approached the Palki to rob it, Mahlsapathy courageously took a handful of Bhandar, i.e., coloured rice and sandal and threw it at them as prasad. Then they quietly retreated to an adjoining wood. Then Mahlsapathy and his friends went on followed by Malam Bhagat Palki, and they noted that there was no image in their own palki. All the party looked into it (i.e., Mahlsapathy's palki) to see whether all their images were there. They found none. Then some one said, `Are we to carry an empty palki to Shirdi?' That day was a Sunday, which is Khandoba's day. At the very outset, Mahlsapathy said, `No pilgrimage on Sunday'. But the others disagreed, and now Mahlsapathy told the others, `There is the evil of doing pilgrimage on Sunday'. Suddenly Mahlsapathy got in to a trance and Khandoba talking through him said, `Arre, what day is this? Is it not my day? Why are you carrying palki? Today I am busy hunting out on a hill. After hunting is over, I will come to Shirdi. You had better go now'. The he woke up from trance, and the palki went on and came to Khandoba's temple at Shirdi. People at Shirdi, for instance, Shakaram Kandulkar and others came to the palki to take a darsan. Shankaram looked into the palki and found all the images there. `What is the talk of all images missing?' he asked the people. He showed them, and said `Here are all the images'.

Mahlsapathy's case is an excellent instance of Baba's method of unifying religion and creeds successfully. Mahlsapathy was only an ordinary, conservative, orthodox worshipper of Khandoba. Sai Baba, he considered a Muslim and even objected to his entry into Khandoba's temple when Sai Baba came to Shirdi with Chan Bhai Patel's party. This same man became Baba's ardent devotee and worshipped him. In fact not only was he the first in point of time amongst the worshippers, but he was also the foremost in excellence. Mahlsapathy felt that Baba was God. Whatever may be the difference in name and form, Scanker, Scani, Ganapati, and Khandoba are all one, and Baba with divine powers was the same. Mahlsapathy also went to Pandharpur to worship Vittal (a form of Mahavishnu) and had no sectarian i.e., (Siva Vishnu) prejudices. He and his group honoured all saints, Hindu and Muslim, and they applied Tukaram's famous saying `Jo Sant, Toch Dev! Jo Dev, Toch Sant', meaning `God is the same as the Saint and the Saint is the same as God' to fakirs as well as Hindu saints. He was the first to do puja to Baba and even applied sandal to him. Baba's objection to his being worshipped in that fashion melted away under the keen sense of Mahlsapathy's love and devotion.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

EXPIATION OF SINS

EXPIATION OF SINS

Baba pointing out to slanderer a pig, that was eating filth near the fence and said, "Behold, how, with what relish it is gulping filth. Your conduct is similar. You go on revilling your own brethren to your heart's content. After performing many deeds of merit you are born as a human being and if you act like this, how can Shirdi help you in any way?" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter XVIII & XIX.

Do not worry about the expiation of other's sins. Atone for your own sins in the first instance.

Observing the weakness of a person, neither hate him nor seek to do him harm. Far from being able to cure him of his weakness, you will on the other hand harbour hatred, anger, malice and vindictivenesswithin your heart, if you do not follow this advice. Whereas the person whom you hate possessed only one form of weakness, you will fall a victim to four kinds of weakness. The weaknesses of present inhim and you may possibly differ only in name.

Instead of exposing the sins of others cover them up as a friend. The needle makes a hole, but the thread covers up the hole with its body. Similarly, instead of making holes, offer your body for covering upthe holes of others. Be like a thread and not like the needle.

Protection from sin and success in action are ensured through work done under God's tutelage.

The mind is our only enemy, attempt should be made to conquer it.

A just and righteous foe should be regarded as better than an unjust and unrighteous friend.

It is altogether unjustifiable to deprive others of their freedom in the attempt to preserve one's own independence.

If you would have others sit quietly before you and listen to you, you must likewise be prepared to give a patient hearing to others.

If you want to see others tolerant and indulgent towards you, you must practise tolerance yourself in the first instance.

If you consider you have a right to act against the wishes of another, you must concede the same right to him.

You must not question the motive of another should he ever say something uncongenial to you.

To have a watchful eye on one's own sins and expose them to the world is a sovereign remedy for ridding oneself of sins.

Do not be deluded by the idea that sins are a result of your past deeds (Prarabdha). No, they have their origin in your attachment for the world, and you will have to reap their consequences.

Fear of misfortune of loss of worldly possessions, or of death haunts you only so long as you have not been able to develop faith in God. Grief and infatuation also persist only till then. Those who have unflinching faith in God, who dispels all fear, transcend infatuation and fear for all time to come.

They alone who seek honour are afraid of dishonour. The moment one renounces the desire for honour the mind feels disburdened and free from all fear.

Extinction of vital functions is not death; true death consists in entertaining sinful desires.

Do not abuse another, do not indulge in idle talks, do not backbite another, do not tell lies. Observe taciturnity in speech, and carefully weigh every word before you utter it.

Tolerate the limitations and weaknesses of others; there are many limitations in you, which are tolerated by others.

Taking another to be a sinner does not pride yourself on being a virtuous person. Who knows when things may take such a turn in life that you may be compelled to commit sins as he is committing?

If you cannot examine your heart at every step, you must do so at least twice a day, viz., both morning and evening. You will then know to what a great extent during the day you sin against God and Hiscreatures.

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss.

DEPEND ON ENDLESS CONCERN OF THE GURU

DEPEND ON ENDLESS CONCERN OF THE GURU

Alike from danger of thirst and hunger, Baba had saved Nana Saheb Chandorkar. What was it that saved Nana?

The Sanskrit stanza says: -

Vane Rane Satru Jalaughamadhye
Maharnave, Parvata Mastakevaa
Supram Pramattam Vishama sthitamvaa
Rakshanti punyani purakritani

This means, whether it is in the forests or in the battle field or amidst foes or in the ocean, or on hill tops, the merit acquired in former times or janmas saves a person even though he may be sleeping, disordered in mind or unbalanced. This is an abstract statement, which is very true.

But abstractions do not save any one. It is the concrete person called Sai that actually saved Nana both on hill top and in the thick forests and not abstract poorva punya. After all, it is poorva punya (former merit) that had taken shape as Sai's body, which had undertaken the responsibilities of a Gurudeva and which therefore saved Nana. So it is alike poorva punya and also Guru-Deva that saved Nana.

While on this subject we may point out the conclusions into which people fall when dealing with questions where the abstract and the concrete or the particular and the universal or the part and the whole blend as they invariably and necessarily do. I may say that I stir the milk with my right hand, emphasizing `right' or I may say with equal truth that I stir the milk with a spoon in my right hand. Both are the same and not conflicting, and similarly a particular person protecting a devotee is not inconsistent with his poorva punyaprotecting him. Forgetting this obvious truth, recently at the Thotapalli hills (Visakhapatnam district) there was a confused distinction without difference. A lady, who was proceeding at dusk from Sri Omkar Swami's chambers to her own room, trod on a snake, and cried out `Om Sai'. The snake did not strike her, but bent its head and away quietly. Some said, `This is Sai's protection'. Others said, `This is the poorva punyam protection'. The obvious truth is that the poorva punyam of the lady taking the shape of her contact with Sai, saver her. Similarly in the above two cases of Chandorkar's troubles in forest and hill, it is his poorva punyam that saved him, in accordance with the above stanza. The poorva punyam in Chandorkar's case was continuous punyam, a punyam which tended to perpetuate itself because it consisted of a surrender to a most loving and beloved Guru, janma after janma, who took it on himself to protect his disciple right through in every detail, and that too life after life.

We shall see how the loving Guru's supervision and watch helped Nana Chandorkar in his latest birth (which is the one janma known to us) in matter after matter essential for his temporal and spiritual safety. Baba having implanted in Chandorkar a sufficiently strong faith in and reliance on Guru was constantly watering this plant with fresh instances of his loving watch and care. Even in apparently trivial matters such as catching trains and meeting official supervisors, Baba (as was usual with him) showed his concern for the disciple and helped him as also so many devotees. It is this enduring and endless concern of the Guru that grips the disciple, and makes him understand God.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

BABA'S HELP IN RELIGIOUS EFFORTS

BABA'S HELP IN RELIGIOUS EFFORTS

Baba's help to Mahlsapathy in his religious efforts and in securing a good end may be noted, because dying on an Ekadasi day is conducive to or indicative of Sadgati. Mahlsapathy passed away, in circumstances to be described more fully later, on an Ekadasi day in 1922 after a life of religious striving. In the case of Mahlsapathy, his firm faith was in Khandoba, and Baba treated Khandoba, Vittoba, and Allah as the same. c.f. BG IV 11 & VIII 21 – All worship is God's worship. God reaches us in the form we choose.

Khandoba's grace to Mahlsapathy was manifested several times, and whenever there was a difficulty for Mahlsapathy, Khandoba gave him visions. In one of those visions, Khandoba asked him to go and seeVittal at Pandharpur, and in case of such a poor man like Mahlsapathy, who had to beg his bread for himself and family, a pilgrimage to Pandharpur was no joke. But by Khandoba's grace, he got some pecuniary help for the journey, and a well-to-do family as his companions. With them he reached Pandhari.

At Pandharpur, the crowds were always unmanageably large, and it was not easy for one to cut his way through the mass to Vittal. Then there were the professional priests demanding coins to take a man toVittal image. But Mahlsapathy had no coins, and so special interference on his behalf by Khandoba was necessary. As he was moving with the crowd nearer and nearer to Vittoba, suddenly people began to note that Mahlsapathy's face was exactly like Khandoba's and said that Khandoba had actually come to take darsan of Vittoba and cleared a way for him. The Pandas also must have been similarly impressed. That made Vittal darsan easy for Mahlsapathy.

Similar instances of help for himself and party were manifested at his pilgrimage to Jejuri. Once when they were going on their horses, the police intercepted them on the way and examined their passes.Finding one having no pass, they stopped him and put him into the police station; and the procession could not start from the village. That man had to go and get a pass from a Kulkarni. that Kulkarni showed his talent for taking work gratis from all persons. A Niti sloka says rightly:- Makshiko Maruto veseya yachako mushakas tatha gramanirganakas chaiva saptaiate para badhakah, i.e., gnats, winds, courtesans, beggars, rats, village headmen and karnams (i.e., kulkarnis) these seven are pestering parasites. He delayed the issue of a pass and said, `You go on splitting fuel for me. i.e., to do work gratis. Then the man took up the axe and after a few strokes, the handle was broken. Then the Kulkarni gave him a second handle. The second handle also broke. Then a third handle was given, and that also shared the same fate. Then the Kulkarni said, `God does not allow you to work', and gave them the pass.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

INDICATING MAHLSAPATHY'S END

DIVINE GRACE – INDICATING MAHLSAPATHY'S END

Baba's company, Seva, example and help kept Mahlsapathy very high up in his spiritual level. He bore great love to Baba. When Baba passed away in 1918, he, on account of his attachment, declined all food and fasted for 13 days. Probably to prevent a shock, Baba had given him hints of his (Baba's) impending final departure.

It was Mahlsapathy's custom to spend all his time with Baba except when he went for his meal etc., Later Baba would send some one or other to fetch him from his house. Then he would light up chilm (i.e., smoking pipe), do odd jobs for Baba, and prepare Baba's bed, which was a very peculiar arrangement. Baba always kept his on an old brick (which is believed to be the brick given to him by Venkusa witha torn cloth). Madhav Fasle, a servant of Baba used to hand over the brick to Mahlsapathy every night and along with it, a tattered cloth (believed to be Venkusa's gift) to be placed over it and other clothsto be spread on the ground as bed for Baba. Mahlsapathy would first place the brick and then the tattered cloth, and then spread other cloths.

Ten or twelve days before 1918 Dassara, Madhav False, in handing over the brick, allowed it to slip down on the ground, and it broke into two. Then the broken pieces were placed as pillows for Baba. Baba asked `Who broke the brick?" Mahlsapathy mentioned that Madhav False broke the brick. Baba got very angry with Madhav and placed his hands on his own head and felt extremely sad. Baba said, `Sopat Tutali' i.e., the companion is broken. Next day, Kaka (H S Dixit) came and said there was no need to deplore the breaking, as he would join the pieces with silver joints. Baba said, "Even if you join them withgold, what is the use? This is brick is my Sobatya (companion) (evidently from his Selu days) and its breakage betokens evil."

From that time onwards Baba was dis-spirited. At least Mahlsapathy thought so. Baba, even before this, had given Mahlsapathy a hint. He told him once when he (Mahlsapathy) was preparing to light a lamp andfill up Baba's pipe, "Arre Bhagat, in a few days from this, I will be going somewhere. After that, you come at night for 2 or 4 years." This was not understood by Mahlsapathy. But Baba's spirit passed beyond our ken into AVYAKTA on 15th October 1918, and Mahlsapathy was able to do his nightly usual puja to Baba only for 2 or 4 years, for he passed away on 11-9-1922.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

DIVINE GRACE – FOOD TO HUNGRY

DIVINE GRACE – FOOD TO HUNGRY

Nana was convinced that Baba had superhuman power, superhuman love, and made superhuman provision of needs for those who were attached to him and whom he loved. So, he found that Baba was really a Deva (God), and that Baba was pre-eminently fitted to take charge now of Nana's life, of his comfort, and of all his concerns, temporal and spiritual. Thus convinced, Nana was perfectly prepared to take the plunge, of Prapatti to the Gurudeva, to surrender himself unhesitatingly to the directions of Baba, being perfectly assured that no harm would result thereby, and on the other hand much good –nay every good – would result therefrom.

Having provided for the thirst of Nana in one place, Baba marvellously provided for his hunger in another place. In Padmalaya forest, there is a Ganapati temple. It is ten miles away from the nearest Railway Station and the access to it is through ten miles of forest. Nana had made arrangements for all this, but trains have got a queer way of being late, and in this case, his train being many hours late, all the arrangements were upset and there was no convenience and no assistance forthcoming. Nana's arrival at the railway station was evening time, very near dusk. But he would not be thwarted. He determined to push along with his companions to the temple, come that way. In the absence of any convenience, Nana had to dare and dared the risk and trouble of walking ten miles to reach the Ganapati temple. So he trudged on. But when he was about half way or more than half way, it was already 9.00 p.m. and the Pujari of the temple would usually lock it up by 9 or 10 p.m. and retire to his cottage at some distance for his night's rest. So, Nana doubted whether he would get into temple at all. Further, having walkedwearily six or seven miles, he felt the pangs of hunger.

Naturally he remembered Baba. He prayed, `Baba, I am not asking for much. I am not over-greedy, I will be quite satisfied if, at the close of this journey, I can get one cup of tea to quench my hunger'. Then he and his companions trudged on. It was nearly 11 p.m. when they reached the temple. Instead of the temple being closed (as it would usually be) the Pujari was on the watch, and on seeing persons at a great distance (that is, Nana's party) coming, shouted, `Is Nana coming?' It would be highly impertinent on the part of any priest to call a Deputy Collector by his pet name, as though he was his chum. But here there was no feeling of resentment, but one of gratification on the part of Nana and his friends when they heard the voice `Is Nana coming?' They approached and said, `Yes, How do you know that Nana is coming?' Then the priest said, `I had an ethereal message from Sri Sai Baba in which he said, `My Nana is coming weary, thirsty, and hungry. Keep for him one cup of tea'. The priest said, `Here is tea ready for you all'. He then gave Nana his cup. This again proved that Baba's eye of supervision was not merely on hills and but also in forests to look after the safety, comfort and health of his beloved devotees.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

Always consider your welfare

Baba said, "Always consider your interest and welfare" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter X.

Whatever you do, do it as a service to God and for His sake. Feel that you are enjoying the highest favour of the all-merciful Lord. Rely completely on His grace; and, whatever be the result of your action, accept it most cheerfully as a dispensation of the all-blissful Lord.

Life is ebbing fast; every moment we are approaching death and very soon the sands of life will run out. Knowing this, keep yourself ever harnessed for the coming journey, disposing of all your worldly affairs. By harnessing oneself for the journey meant absolute renunciation of the attractions of the world and developing an intense longing to meet the Lord.

Live in this world as an actor in a drama; never be remiss in playing your part, nor should you ever claim anything as your own. Remissness in playing your part will constitute an act of disloyalty to your master, and to claim anything as your own will be dishonesty. Know this world to be a stage, but play the part allotted to you as earnestly as if the world were real.

Everyone has his good points as well as weak, and everyone is liable to error. If you start picking holes in another's work as soon as you see it, you will develop a very bad habit in course of time and you will begin to find fault even with the actions of the noblest type. The result will be that you will grow miserable yourself, and will make others miserable. Instead of this if you cultivate the habit of observing only the good points of others your outlook will become Sattvika. The cheerfulness of your mind will increase. Your will get peace. From this habit of observing only the good points of others and see happy you feel.

Do not seek other's errors; forget them if you happen to observe them, appreciate from the bottom of your heart their good motive, industry and devotion to work, and try to discover the good points in their work. You will become virtuous and good.

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss.

SHRI HANUMAN CHALISA mp3

http://www.ziddu.com/download/15608250/sl07HANUMANCHALISA.mp3.html