Previously Posted
| Chapter No. | Part No. | Content of the Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| NA | NA | Introduction (Preface, Foreword, A Devotee Speaks and A Thought) |
| Chapter 1 | Part 1 | In Moments of Ecstasy |
| Chapter 1 | Part 2 | In Moments of Ecstasy |
| Chapter 1 | Part 3 | In Moments of Ecstasy |
| Chapter 1 | Part 4 | In Moments of Ecstasy |
| Chapter 2 | Part 1 | The Heart Overflows |
| Chapter 2 | Part 2 | The Heart Overflows |
| Chapter 2 | Part 3 | The Heart Overflows |
| Chapter 2 | Part 4 | The Heart Overflows |
| Chapter 2 | Part 5 | The Heart Overflows |
| Chapter 2 | Part 6 | The Heart Overflows |
| Chapter 3 | Part 1 | Listen O’ Fellow Travellers |
| Chapter 3 | Part 2 | Listen O’ Fellow Travellers |
| Chapter 3 | Part 3 | Listen O’ Fellow Travellers |
| Chapter 3 | Part 4 | Listen O’ Fellow Travellers |
| Chapter 3 | Part 5 | Listen O’ Fellow Travellers |
| Chapter 4 | Part 1 | On The Wings Of Thought |
| Chapter 4 | Part 2 | On The Wings Of Thought |
| Chapter 4 | Part 3 | On The Wings Of Thought |
| Chapter 4 | Part 4 | On The Wings Of Thought |
| Chapter 5 | Part 1 | Sai Bhakti |
(III)
Sai Bhakti as advocated in ‘Shri Sai Satcharitra’
(a) Who is Sai?
“You may ask where I am now and how I can meet you now. But I am within your heart and we can meet without any effort”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 44, Ovi 162)
“In what manner should he worship? Who am I? How can he know with certainty? Sai’s body is perishable, while Brahman is imperishable”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 3, Ovi 83)
“I see myself everywhere. There is no place without me. I fill all space in all the directions. There is nothing else but me”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 14, Ovi 48)
“The whole universe is my home. I am myself Vasudev and all pervading God. I am myself the Parabrahma”. – (Chap. 9, Ovi 47)
Sai pervades, perpetually, all that is visible and invisible, and is also the Supreme Spirit beyond that. Sai is He that is Unborn and Eternal. – Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias Hemadpant (Chap. 42, Ovi 115)
Sai had all the six great attributes which are the adornment of God – glory, wealth, munificence, knowledge, peace and detachment. – Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias Hemadpant (Chap. 41, Ovi 17)
Sai is Supreme Consciousness only. From the formless state, he took form. – Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias Hemadpant (Chap. 50, Ovi 15)
He is the compassionate mother of all, who comes running at your call, takes pity on you and picks you up in her arms, understanding the need of the children. – Nanasaheb Chandorkar (Chap. 13, Ovi 58)
“He who thinks of nothing but Allah Malik, the Supreme Being and the Pure Consciousness, he has peace, has no desires and looks upon all with an equal eye. How can he have a separate identity from the Supreme Being? – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 3, Ovi 101)
“Wherever you are, and whatever you may be doing, always bear it in mind that I shall continue to be informed of the minutest details of your deeds.
“In this manner, as I am described, I dwell in the minds of all. I am in the hearts of all, all pervading. I am the Lord of all.
“I fill the entire creation, within and without, to the point of overflowing. This universe is directed by God and I am the one who holds the reins.
“I am the Mother of all beings. I am the equilibrium of the three gunas. I promote the activities of the senses. I am the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer.
“One who concentrates on ME, for him nothing is difficult. But the moment he forgets ME, Maya will attack him.
“Whatever is perceived is my image only, whether it be a worm, an ant, a poor wretch or a king”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 3, Ovi 143-148)
“I need no conveyance – a carriage, or a horse, a plane or a train. I appear without an instant’s delay, when I am lovingly called”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 40, Ovi 32)
(b) Omni-presence
“Any one of you, wherever you are, whenever you come to me, with your hand outstretched, with devotion, I am there to respond to your faith, day and night.
“Though I am bodily present at this place and you may be beyond the seven seas, and doing anything there, I am aware of it immediately.
“You may go anywhere on the face of this earth, I am always with you. I reside in your heart and I am within you.
“You should always bow down to that ME who thus resides in your heart. I am also the same ME who resides in the hearts of all beings.
“Therefore, whomsoever you come across, at home, outside or anywhere in the course of life, I am within them and I am myself present in them.
“All living creatures – insects, ants, creatures of the water and the sky, dogs and pigs – I am always present within them. I am in all and everywhere.
“Do not keep at a distance from me. There is no difference between you and ME. Whosoever regards ME in this way, he is indeed fortunate”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 15, Ovi 67-73)
“I do not reside in one place. I am present in the waters, on the land, in the woods, amongst the people and away from the people, in your own country and in foreign lands, in the skies and in the light of the sun.
“I have taken this human form to remove the misconcept of those who consider me to be present only in this body of three-and-a-half arms length.
“Those who sing my praise continuously, day and night, they are themselves replicas of my inner self without any differentiation.
“If sweetness can be separated from jaggery, if the ocean can be separated from the waves, if the eyes can see without light, then only can my simple devotee be separated from me”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 19, Ovi 212-215)
“Sit wherever you are and ask me. Why do you wander from place to place? I will satisfy your curiosity. Have this much faith.
“I fill the space. There is not a place where I am not. I appear anywhere where there is devotees’ deep devotion”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 20, Ovi 79-80)
To some he gave darshan in his usual dress and form, to some he appeared in dreams or when awake, be it day or night. He would satisfy the wishes of his devotees. – (Chap. 20, Ovi 100)
“When they are so merged in me and forget all about their actions and omissions, and where there is reverence for service to be rendered to me, I dwell there always. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 44, Ovi 150)
(c) Self-realisation
“The soul is eternal, ancient, permanent, devoid of changes due to birth and death. It is denoted by the letters AUM. It has no beginning. It is infinite and everlasting.
“He who regards the body as the soul; and that he is separate and the world is separate from him – for him, self-realization becomes difficult and he cannot attain Brahman.
“Destroy speech and all other senses. Make the mind steadfast. Then subvert that mind. Penetrate deep into the intellect.
“That intellect which exists like a light, concentrate your mind on it, because all the activities of the sense organs, including the mind, are under the control of the intellect.
“For the existence of the pot, the first essential is clay. The intellect stands in the same relation to the sense organs. Their permanent state is so, because of the power of the intellect.
“The intellect is all pervading. Thus it engulfs all the senses and the mind. Therefore the intellect should be fixed in the Supreme Self and the soul should be surrendered to that Supreme Self”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 16, Ovi 93-98)
(d) Dhyana
“True knowledge of the Aatman is to be desired the most and Dhyana is essential for this. During Dhyana one merges with the Aatman which leads to quietening of desire.
“Detach your mind from the object of the senses and concentrate on that All-pervading Power. Your meditation will be successful and you will achieve the goal.
“Meditate always on my formless nature which is Knowledge Incarnate, Consciousness and Bliss.
“If you cannot visualise that, then follow the physical image of mine. Bring my image from head to foot, in front of your mind’s eye, day and night.
“When you will thus concentrate on me, the functions of your mind will unite and the distinction between the meditator, the act of meditation and the object meditated upon will vanish.
“Once this trinity disappears, the person doing the dhyana will reach that Supreme Energy – this is the goal of dhyana. You will then be one with Brahman”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 19, Ovi 105-110)
“When with deep and intent contemplation, the difference between the meditator and the object of meditation disappears, the mind becomes like a lamp which is steadily burning. Peace prevails and that is itself Samadhi.
“Being absolutely desireless believe that He is present in all beings. When the state of oneness is reached, there is no fear and one is able to concentrate on Him as He comes in your meditation. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 19, Ovi 129-130)
Sai darshan is an exceptional experience. The whole nature changes with it. The memories of past deeds disappear and slowly a dislike develops for worldly pleasures.
The sins accumulated from many past lives were destroyed by the benevolent glance. Hope awakened of unending joy being received at Sai’s feet.– Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias Hemadpant (Chap. 2, Ovi 145-146)
The six Shastras and their six philosophies have avoided describing Him. The Puranas and the kirtans have also become weary. Praying with the heart, body and mind is the only means to understand Him.– Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias Hemadpant (Chap. 4, Ovi 20)
“Just as the worm by constantly thinking of the bee itself becomes the bee, in the same way, when a disciple constantly contemplates upon his Guru he becomes similar to his Guru.
“By using the word ‘similar’, still a distinction remains. Even that is not tolerated by the Guru, even for a moment, because Guru’s existence is not possible without the disciple; and the disciple is not separate from the Guru”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 3, Ovi 106-107)
“The ‘You and I’ will disappear. The minds of the listeners will be absorbed in God. The mind will be a store of divine energy and full of single-minded and complete faith. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap. 3, Ovi 19)
© Author – Late Shri. Suresh Chandra Gupta – Explicit Rights To Publish To Shirdi Sai Baba Books.com (Member of SaiYugNetwork.com)
