Sainath
Maharajki Jai....
Sai
Baba, one of the foremost saints of modern India, lived
in the small village of Shirdi in the state of Maharashtra
for sixty years. Due to his presence there even after his
Samadhi, today the small village has transformed itself
as a great spiritual center to people from all religions.
Shri
Sai Baba, inspite of his great spiritual stature, never
publicized himself through discoursing, touring and preaching...
unlike today's many 'so-called' saints. Rather, he discouraged
unnecessary publicity. But still, his spiritual perfection
is still drawing innumerable devotees to him from all over
the world.
Even
after his Samadhi in 1918, Sai Baba still continues to be
a dynamic spiritual force, which invokes countless devotees
for their spiritual and material progress.
Sai Baba did never reveal his original name, time and place
of birth, especially his religion and caste, and even the
names of his parents. Through this, he has emerged as a
solution to all the religious and communal differences that
are destroying the world today. He preaches that God is
Almighty and he has given all the souls on earth equal opportunity
to reach him, whichever is the religion they belong to.
'Sai Baba' is the name given to him by his first devotee,
Mahalsapathi - 'Sai' means 'Saint' and 'Baba' means 'Father'.
The name is just an expression of love, reverence and devotion.
Sai
Baba never discriminated between the rich and the poor.
He was equally indifferent to honour or dishonour shown
to him by the people. He used to utter the name of 'Allah'
frequently.
All
religious scriptures spell that any spiritual quest does
not fulfill without a proper guide or Sadguru. Shri Sai
Baba has led many seekers as a Sadguru towards spiritual
progress. These seekers are either drawn to him by himself
or by other saints and deities.
All
religions preach that God is Almighty and He is omnipresent.
The omnipresence of God is clearly manifested in the various
experiences that Sai Baba has given to his devotees... anywhere,
anytime. He once said, "He who thinks that I am only
at Shirdi has never known me. I am omnipresent... anywhere,
everywhere, all the time and in all creation. I am at Shirdi
and everywhere. I am formless and everywhere! I am everything
and beyond. All the Universe is in Me. Wherever you see,
whatever you see, I am there." He not only preached
this, but he demonstrated the truth through his deeds (Leelas).
The
spiritual perfection of a Sadguru consists in realizing
his essential identity with the One Spirit of all Existence
(God Almighty). Sai Baba, the Perfect Master, has demonstrated
that he is in all gods of all religions - the various gods
in Hindu religion, the Allah and the Christ.
The
omnipresence of Shri Sai Baba demonstrated that he knows
everything that has happened, happening and will happen
in the lives of all creatures in the world. In addition
to this, he also demonstrated that omnipresence of God is
also manifested in the non-living things. This provides
an effective check on the evil propensities of devotees.
But still, he always said, "I am the slave of God";
"Allah Malik".
Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi once said that contact with the
Sadguru continues even after his physical death. The tomb
of Sai Baba (Samadhi) today is speaking to and leading his
devotees towards spiritual perfection.
Sai
Baba promises that he will lead his devotees both materially
and spiritually if they simply remember his omnipresence
always... in everything they do and in everybody. Study
of life histories of Saints - Mainly Life history of SaiBaba;
Previous Incarnations of Lord Dattatreya; Life histories
of other saints, Prescribed religious and spiritual scriptures,
remembering his holy deeds (leelas), coupled with meditation
and prayer helps the devotees to do so.
All
the mystics of the world and all saints have declared that
the immediate presence of a realized sage is one of the
most potent forces in the spiritual advancement of Sadhak
or the seeker. Contact with them induces in us inner peace
and purity, restores our sense of values, wipes out illusory
allurements of the senses and turns us towards spirit with
renewed vigour. Besides, when approached in a proper manner,
they can enable us to realize that all the saints are one
in essence.
So
let us all follow the great saint of today, the greatest
of the great, Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi and make ourselves
better and better human beings. Through his guidance, let
us all try to make this world a better place to live in
for ourselves and fellow human beings by shedding off the
ill-lead religious and communal differences. Lets all follow
him to shape ourselves as the most lovable children of God.
Sainath
Maharajki Jai....