FAQ on Shirdi Sai -4

All my life I have tried to make everyone happy and all I have got in return is sorrow. Why does it happen like this?

By doing good to others you are destroying your own "paap" and getting closer to Baba. Don't expect returns from human beings as you will get hurt. Expect it from Baba because in the right moment His blessings will descend. Pray to Baba always to keep you on right path and to make you more patient. Please be true to your nature. I lost my husband to Leukemia about an year ago. My daughter and I prayed day and night to Sai to heal him and give Him some more time. My husband was a good human being, a devoted father and husband, and a very religious man. He even endured, first heart disease and then leukemia with great patience and courage.

Why was he made to suffer?

 Why are prayers were not answered? How can we replace emptiness created by his death with peace. Before Baba left His body ,devotees were requesting Him to continue. Baba told the truth that even He will have to leave the body one day. Anyone born with a body will go one day. The method of departure is preordained because of past lives' actions called "prarabdha". The ultimate answer can only be given By God. 'Karma prarabdha' what scriptures say, is the reason for all sufferings. Further, a certain quantum of duty is given to a person within a certain period of time on this earth. Once that is over he has to go. When the body becomes useless, by whatsoever manner to do any job for the soul, the soul departs and enters another body fit to do such work. This law of nature works on good, the bad, the religious, the nonbeliever and everyone. I know the loss cannot be mitigated. But continue to pray to Baba to give peace to the soul.

Is Sai Baba of Puttaparti, reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi?

That makes me confused, In the history of mankind there never has been incarnation of an incarnation. Read books on spiritual science. You will get the answer yourself.

My faith in God increases when I am in trouble. Is it selfish behavior or is it normal?

Human Beings will always have problems in one aspect of life or the other, whether they are big or small, whether they are evil or pure. All such sufferings are correlated to earlier lives. It is better to remember God more in happier times than in sorrow, as Saint Kabir said.

Our faith gets shaken up with the blow of wind how do we stop this and do not let it happen to us?

For those who want to come closer to Baba the only way is, to keep unshakeable faith in Him under all circumstances. But, some people come to Sadguru with a desire of worldly gains or exhibit their devotion with such expectations in their heart. Sometimes, when their desires are not fulfilled or when they have to suffer consequences of their own past actions they tend to loose their faith. In the time of any Avatar or Sadguru every wish of everyman was never fulfilled. Sadguru never fulfills those desires, which would become barrier in bringing them closer to God. There is His hand behind unfulfillment of such desires. Therefore, one who can see Baba both in pleasure and pain, is the true devotee. The pleasure seekers are bound to deviate from the path.

I have been going through a very trying time. Many times I feel that my faith is being tested, as Baba doesn't answer my prayers. I have prayed for help and guidance, but I feel that Baba doesn't even hear me! I know that I am supposed to learn something from all this, but it is very slow and painful lesson .How come I get no help from Baba?

All actions played by Baba behind the scene for his devotee may not be known to the person at that time. Knowing behind the scene for his devotees may not be known to the person at that time. Knowing the past karma of the devotee, the Sadguru quietly works on him on him .One has to have faith and patience to reap the benefits of His blessings in the due course, and also at the time ordained by Him. That is why Baba qualified the word "Shraddha" (faith) with "Saburi" (patience).One without the other cannot stand. If you read "Shri Sai Satcharitra" you will get your answers as Baba did answer these queries of devotees in His own way.

I have faith in Baba ,but why isn't my child improving?

Law of nature is the creation of God; It will control anyone, your child or anybody's child for that matter. Past lives actions affect the conditions of this life. This is the "Law of Justice" of God. But on the other hand "Law of Mercy" of God works through the Sadguru, that is Shri Sai. Continue to pray. Help children of other people who are in distress. Baba will surely help you.

The faith in Baba should never diminish. Will I be successful in achieving the same?

Read, think, speak, hear, write, meditate on Him. Put up your entire faculties on Him. Try and Try.

I have been believing in Shri Sai Baba for a long time and pray to Him everyday. I have his picture and idol in the temple, in my house. Recently, an intruder (a thief) came to my house and stole some money and things. My faith was a bit shaken because rightly or wrongly I thought Baba will protect my house from such untoward events. Should I dismiss such events like this as Baba's wish?

Please read Shri Sai Satcharitra. It will give you answers. If one loses faith by entry of intruder in his house, then one should lose faith in himself when bad thoughts enter his mind leading to bad activities. Bad thoughts are like a thief who steals away our good quality and virtues. The true devotee will see the Sadguru in both good and bad. Please try strengthening your faith and have patience if you want to progress.

I would like to ask why Baba did not believe in fasting or starving oneself without food.

No mother would like her child to fast for her. So it was Baba, who took care of His children without giving them the trouble of rigorous religious practices. Fasting of the body is of no use if the mind is not fasting. What if mind is thinking about worldly or negative thoughts while undergoing fast? It has no meaning. On the other hand, if fasting of body alone could give spiritual or religious benefit, then so many people dying out of hunger in continents like Africa and Asia, would have realized God. The concept of fasting in Hinduism is to prepare the body in the first stage to be disciplined and tough, and then gradually to go to subtler levels. In case of Bhakti Marg, only self-surrender to the Guru is necessary, He takes care of everything else.

Who is God?

This is a question the entire humanity on this earth has keep trying to understand since the time immemorial. Yet nobody can exactly say who is God. Even the greatest spiritual leaders in world, the Vedas and the other religious scriptures have admitted their limitation. Seers try to understand God from his manifested aspects - both living(Sakara) and nonliving (Nirakara).After realizing the manifested aspects like stars, planets, living, non-living beings get into the non-manifested (Nirakara) aspects of God to certain extent .It is said that God has manifested only one-fourth of His energy and the three -fourth of God's energy is not manifested. How then to understand the three-fourth non manifested God is the question when the entire humanity has not been able to understand even the one-fourth manifestation?

How to understand God?

Every soul in the process of evolution, life after life, tries to understand God slowly. Infact, this understanding of God, more and more, is the real purpose of evolution of souls. If man is better equipped with the cerebral capacity than a monkey, it is for understanding God at the first stage and then realizing God at the ultimate stage that has been given the capacity or nature has given these capacities to Him. Man is a superior animal only because it has better physical and mental machinery but because he has the capacity to imagine, accept seek and realize God. All religions, scriptures have prescribed the methods on how one should try to understand God. These are called different paths. All the realized souls and saints have also spoken same .Baba used to tell His devotees at Shirdi that there are many paths to reach God .One of the path goes through Shirdi ,meaning thereby to follow Him. Any devotee following the path shown by Shri Sai Nath Maharaj will certainly understand and realize God.

Why do we attribute the human form to God?

Because it is impossible to comprehend the form of God, only through concepts and imagination. Therefore, through symbolic and manifested form we can have the personal experience of His form. God has been incarnating in human form to make His identity easier to us.

How does one take out time for the "Guru Path" under the constraint of time in ordinary life?

Living an ordinary life has been difficult in every age, not in the present time only. Leading an ordinary life means going along the social and family life. It is easy for those who have left home and taken to ascetic way of life, but it is a greater problem to follow this path while living in physical world looking after the family and social commitments. We are searching for 'Guru Path' to find solution to this problem only. This becomes easy and there is not much difficulty in it. Only will power and divine inspiration is required. In the first stage nobody can take 'Guru Path' completely. It requires a reading of books on this subject, reading the life stories of Gurus, keeping purity in one's conduct etc.; gradually the thoughts of Sadguru will grow in his inner self. Under this condition he will find a Guru somewhere .More correctly he will draw the attention of the Guru who has the divine capacity to see through merits and demerits of everyone and the thought process of all his devotees. It is said that the disciple cannot find a Guru, but the Perfect Master finds out his disciple certainly. As Baba said, "I draw my devotees from thousands of miles". In life full of difficulties it is a true endeavor to develop the qualities of compassion, forgiveness and service. Selfless service is the goal of Guru. It may be concluded that initially one should begin with obeying the Guru for smaller duties given to Him, and gradually one should move ahead for bigger jobs. While undergoing life's struggle whatever qualities one develops those remain permanently with Him and become a part of His soul. These qualities are carried to the next life. In the next life also he will be getting the help of Guru to evolve further.

-          Answers by Shri C.B Satpathy ji