TRAIN WINGS TO FLY

TRAIN WINGS TO FLY

 

"We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." – Sri Sai Satcharita, Ch. 29.

 

Eagles lay eggs on a cliff or high peak in nest of grass and thorns. When the eggs hatch, the weight of the eaglets exerts pressure and the thorns start pricking the newborns. Then the female pushes the eaglets out of the nest. As the eaglets nearly fall, the male picks them and places them back in the nest.

Meanwhile, the female removes the upper layer of grass, so that the eaglets rest directly on the thorns that prick them. The eaglets are yet to test their wings. Now the male pushes the eaglets out of the nest.

This process continues till such time that the eaglets are able to foresee the danger in falling and start using their wings.

Slowly they realise their ability to use their wings and start flying.

FAITH FULL FAITH

FAITH FULL FAITH

 

Baba said, "There will never be any dearth or scarcity, regarding food and clothes, in any devotees' homes. It is my special characteristic, that I always look to, and provide, for the welfare of those devotees, who worship Me whole-heartedly with their minds ever fixed on Me." – Sri Sai Satcharita, Ch. 6.

 

We should completely depend on the will of Krishna. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that he will take up the responsibility to maintain a surrendered devotee. "Whatever the devoteelacks," Krishna says, vahamy aham — "I personally carry it."

 

Srivas Pandit was not doing any business or going out to earn money. Day and night, twenty-four hours, he was engaged in sravana-kirtana and bhajana with all his family members.

 

Once, to test Srivas, Mahaprabhu asked him, "Srivas, you are a householder. You have a big family to maintain. Why don't you go earn some money? Otherwise, how will you maintain your big family?" 

 

Srivas did not say anything. He only clapped three times. Mahaprabhu asked, "What does that mean?" Srivas said, "I have complete faith in your words — yoga ksemam vahamy aham. [Bg. 9.22] You have taken up the responsibility to maintain a surrendered soul, and whatever such a person lacks you personally carry. I and all my family members are engaged day and night in your service. We have no other business. Hari-seva is our only business." Srivas had firm faith that Krishna will maintain, that supplies would definitely come. If you become fully dependent on Krishna, engaged day and night, twenty-four hours, in Krishna's service, then the supplies will definitely come.

 

Then he explained the meaning of his clapping three times. "If supplies will not come on one day, we will fast. We will think that it is Krishna's will and we will fast for the day. If supplies do not come on the second and third day, still we will fast. And if on the fourth day no supplies come, then all of our family will go and drown ourselves in the Ganges and be finished. If Krishna becomes a liar, then how is he Bhagavan? And why will people do his bhajana?" 

 

Hearing this, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became very happy. Mahaprabhu said, "Srivas! The supplies will definitely come! Why should you think of anything else?" Such a devotee is Srivas Pandit. He is niskama, completely desireless. ·

— Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, Lecture in Bali, Indonesia, 6 October 1995.

 

BELIEVE IN TOTO

BELIEVE IN TOTO

"As men believe in Me, so do I accept them" – Sri Sai Satcharita, Ch.9.

The night fell heavy in the heights of the mountains and the man could not see anything. All was black. Zero visibility, and the moon and the stars were covered by the clouds. As he was climbing only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell in to the air, falling at great speed. He could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by gravity.

He kept falling, and in the moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes of his life. He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard. His body was hanging in the air.

 

Only the rope was holding him and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice other to scream: "Help me God."

 

All of a sudden a deep voice coming from the sky answered, "What do you want me to do?"

 

"Save me God."

 

"Do you really think I can save you?"

 

"Of course I believe You can."

 

"Then cut the rope tied to your waist."

 

There was a moment of silence and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength. The rescue team tells that the next day a climber was found dead and frozen, his body hanging from a rope. His hands holding tight to it. Only one foot away from the ground.

 

And We? How attached we are to our rope will we let go??? Don't ever doubt about the words of God. We should never say that He has forgotten us or abandoned us.

 

BABA LISTENS AND ANSWERS…….

BABA LISTENS AND ANSWERS…….

BABA TURNED SHRI VIRENDRA p. PANDYA FROM A SCEPTIC INTO AN ASCETIC.....

Shri Virendra P. Pandya of Vaitarna, near Kalyan, was a university graduate and did not believe in God. Everyone in his family was educated and except for his parents, none of the family members believed in God.

In May, 1952, he accompanied his cousin brother to Shirdi on a casual visit. Sometime after he left Shirdi, his family was in great distress. He was at that time staying with his cousin at Vaitarna. His parents and other family members were living in Bihar. There was no possibility of their coming to solve the problem.

Shri Pandya suddenly remembered having brought a photo of Sri Sai Baba from Shirdi, which was lying in his trunk. He took it out, cleaned it and kept it on his table. He lit an agarbatti before the photo and prayed to Sri Sai Baba to help him solve the problem.

Two or three days passed; but the solution did not occur and he became worried and restless. He stood before the photo of Sri Sai Baba and said, "O Baba ! You know that I have no strong belief in You. If You are really God as Your devotees call You, You know my family problem and how worried I am thinking over my matter. I pray to give me a proper solution by evening or else. I will keep Your photo back in the trunk once and for all."

 

By evening he felt calm as a solution to his problem occured to him. He immediately wrote a letter to his mother at Dharaiajoba (in Bihar) informing her of the solution and the way in which he got it. On the third day of his posting the letter, he got a letter from his mother informing him of the same solution which had occured on the same day and time. This incident brought him very close to believing in Sri Sai Baba.

He thought of devoting his whole life to Sri Sai Baba for ever, doing nothing but Bhakti. But, his mother refused permission and advised him to follow Karmayoga. He once again stood before Baba's photo and wrote on a piece of paper. "O Baba ! You definitely know my dilemma. By Tuesday 5.8.1952 evening I must get an answer from You in writing as to which way of life I should follow." He then placed the paper under the photo and prayed to Baba.

By dusk on 5.8.1952 he waited impatiently for an answer. He then accidently came across the Gujarati book called 'Sri Sai Baba Upasana' published by Shri Bhavnagar Sai Baba Bhakta Mandali. The book had been sent to him by his mother two months ago; but he had not read it so far. Now, when he saw the book, he opened it at random and came upon the chapter 'Bhav Sudha'. After reading a few lines he became interested and soon finished reading the entire book. At the end of it he had got answers to his questions and that too in writing. In that book, Baba had advised a devotee to follow Karmayoga way of life. This incident brought him even more closer to the devotion of Sri Sai Baba.

Shri V. P. Pandya and his cousin were contractors doing work in connection with the Mumbai Water Supply Scheme and lived in Vaitarna, a place which was virtually a jungle.

One Wednesday (6.8.1952) he stood before Baba's photo and prayed, "Tomorrow is Thursday, i.e. Baba's day. Some sadhu, sanyasi or fakir should come to my door to have bhiksha between 12.30 p.m. and 1.00 p.m. the time I take my afternoon meal. He should bless my entire body by moving his right hand from head to foot."

After 12.15 p.m. on Thursday he went to take his lunch as no one had come to his door till then. Just as he was about to take his first morsel of food, he heard the voice of a fakir asking for alms. His cook, who never gave anything to any beggar gave a one anna coin to the fakir of his own accord. The fakir turned to leave. He then called the fakir back and gave him prasad, which he had kept before Baba's photo. The fakir went away. By then Shri Pandya too finished his meals. He thought of serving food to the fakir; but he had gone. He thought if the fakir somehow returned again, he would serve him food. He inquired with his cook, whether there was any extra food. The cook replied in the negative and said that the food was sufficient only for him.

To his utter astonishment, Shri Pandya saw the same fakir coming towards his door once again. He immediately offered prasad to the fakir and gave him Rs. 2/- requesting him to have food with the amount as he was unable to serve him food in his house. The fakir accepted the amount without saying anything and simply laughed meaningfully at him. And then, to his great joy, the fakir blessed him from head to toe with the peacock feathers he held in his right hand, just as he had wished. He fell at the feet of the fakir with inexplicable joy and again offered pranams. The fakir raised him up and said that He would meet again on the following Thursday, 14.8.1952.

When he told the fakir that it would not be possible as he was leaving for Shirdi in a couple of days, the fakir said, "Even then I will meet you" and went away.

Shri Pandya reached Shirdi on 13.8.1952. On Thursday, 14.8.1952, during noon Aarati at the Samadhi Mandir, while gazing at Sri Sai Baba's photo, it suddenly occured to him, what the fakir had said had turned out to be true. He was in front of Baba, performing Aarati and so Sri Sai Baba too was in front of him. Thus the fakir met him on Thursday, 14.8.1952.

Sri Sai Baba thus brought a faithless into His fold of staunch devotees even after His Mahasamadhi.

 

Source: DEVOTEES EXPERIENCES AFTER BABA'S MAHASAMADHI ON 15th OCTOBER, 1918 from book entitled 'AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI' written by Shri Ramalingam Swami, inspired by Sri Sivanesan Swamiji of Shirdi

Purpose of our prayer

A GREAT RESTART

"Doubts and difficulties surround us just to move us and confirm our faith. We are tested as it were." – Sri Sai Sacharitra, Ch. XXIX.

 

Thomas Edison lost two million dollars' worth of equipment and the record of many years' work, when his laboratories were gutted by fire, in 1914.

 

Edison's son, Charles, found his father standing near the fire, his white hair blown with the winter wind. His heart ached for his aged father.

 

Edison saw Charles, "Where's your mother?" he shouted. Bring her here, she will never see anything like this again as long as she lives."

 

The next morning, walking among the ashes of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old Edison said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burnt up. Thank God we can start anew!"

 

There spoke a man with the friendly attitude towards life and its happenings.