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 |
11
When a mere faith in Baba is capable of giving so much strength to the believer as is discernible all around us in his devotees, just imagine how profound his impact would have been when he moved about in flesh and blood on earth!! How fortunate the people would have been who lived, moved about and performed their daily chores around Baba. Even the imagination ceases to work, when the mind thinks of it.
12
The paths that I have traversed in life, I remember even today and the recollection of those provides me a pleasant feeling. The beauty of nature which has provided joy to my soul from my childhood; the divine memories of these still linger in my mind and shall remain the treasure of my life till death. I know not why Baba has filled my heart with so much love and affection (प्रेम और वात्सल्य) which knows no limits and even a glimpse of which provides solace to my ‘Aatma’. I wish I could share them with others liberally. But in that event, O’ my Sai, I might not have perhaps been able to have those feelings of love which you have bestowed on me and which have become the treasure of my life.
Related: Scribblings of A Shirdi Sai Devotee
13
Baba’s ways are strange. He chooses his own instruments for his work. He can make a dumb talk and an illiterate write volumes about himself and his leelas. How otherwise could an ill-educated, uncouth and imperfect a person like me even attempt to write about him, think of him and talk of Him – who is Existence Incarnate? And more so, how could his words propel a devotee towards his bhakti. Every situation in life we come across reveals his mercy and grace and is in itself a story of his omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. Only the heart and eyes of a devotee are needed to experience it and talk of his glory and grace.
14
I am only a wayfarer on the path of Sai bhakti. Before me too innumerable travellers have treaded this path and left their mark and moved away like a gust of wind, which when flows makes its presence felt and the next moment is lost in the flowing currents of wind. Ages have gone bye playing this game of hide and seek but this game has neither ever ended nor shall it ever end. And may be, some day even the existence of this great Existence may also get lost. The fallacy of all this is that this in itself is a universal truth which everyone knows but he closes his eyes to it in the hope that plenty of time is left for him. The wonder of wonders is that ages have passed since man is engaged in pursuit of questions; such as, from where have we come and to where shall we be going and where is the end of our journey? Sages and saints, philosophers and writers, scientists and thinkers are all engaged in this search. They do reach some conclusions but when they come across some other truths all their findings are undone and make their earlier search futile.
15
Baba! My physical eyes have seen you not till date, but my whole existence has experienced your presence. Sai! You are a gift of nature to the man of today who is completely lost in its affluence, pleasures of life, its flights of imagination to heights unimaginable and make all the three worlds subservient to his will. What the man of yester years considered to be the domain of the Invisible, called God, he wishes to rule it, little realizing how hollow his claims are!
16
In quest of water to quench my thirst, I had been roaming around door to door all my life, but when I looked within me, I found ‘Gangotri’ – the very source of the Ganges. Now whenever I feel thirsty, I quench my thirst with the nectar within me. The need to search for water outside has ceased to exist.
17
A number of devotees adopt ‘Sai’ as a prefix or suffix to their name. Let us think over: Wouldn’t it be better if we make Baba the ornament of our everyday conduct? May be if we do so, there shall be no need left for adding his name to ours. It has also been observed that some devotees do not hesitate to use this prefix or suffix to their name for their personal worldly gains and the additional responsibility which has devolved on them by adopting Baba’s sacred name to their own, they are unable to discharge.
18
In the olden times, so the scriptures say, the seekers would go to jungles or mountains in quest of the ultimate reality. Sitting in seclusion either in huts or in caves; they would carry out stern practices to realize the self. It is no longer necessary to do so. Sitting in the interiors of our dwellings, in this age of ‘Kaliyuga’, it has now become possible to find the truth and attain liberation. And our Master, Sai has made it further easier. He merely wants us to surrender to him heart and soul and to have ‘Shraddha’ and ‘Saburi’. The rest shall be His responsibility.
19
Truth eternal is Sai. Sai is beauty, Sai is Siva, Sai is Buddha, Sai is Purity Incarnate. Sai is not bound by any limitations and that very Sai is present (व्याप्त) in all the three universes and it is that alone we have to seek in the deep of our heart.
20
It is observed that out of all her children, the mother becomes more fond of a particular child. It is a natural phenomenon, may be for any reason. One particular child becomes the apple of the eyes of the mother. But our mother Sai is one such mother who though has innumerable children, but each one carries the feeling that Baba is his very own and his immeasurable ‘Kripa’ is raining on him.
Such is our Mother Sai! Even our imagination fails to assess the depth of its ‘Jholi’ filled with love and compassion. Every devotee feels that Baba is very close to him. Probably this is the reason for the devotee often losing the right track of bhakti. Baba’s love spoils him. Even then, Baba never ceases to bestow on him his benedictions. He, however, engages himself in slowly and quietly carrying out the transformation of this devotee. It is also a fact that, irrespective of the time taken, the devotee has to transform himself. Baba knows exactly when and what he has to bestow on his devotee. Our deliverance lies in the fact that we give up the habit of constantly asking from Baba and surrender to him completely.
© Author – Late Shri. Suresh Chandra Gupta – Explicit Rights To Publish To Shirdi Sai Baba Books.com (Member of SaiYugNetwork.com)
