Shirdi Sai Ashtotramala – Meaning,
Meditation and Miracle
Day - 17: “Om
Shri Sai Jeevadhaaraaya Namaha.”
Meaning:
Humble
salutation to the one who sustains and supports all living beings.
Meditation:
“I am the way, truth and the life. Unless
through me no one reaches God” Jesus said once.
This is also the concept of seeking a guru to find the truth, the Brahmam.
This is also the concept of seeking a guru to find the truth, the Brahmam.
The
manifestation of Brahmam is universe which contains life. What is the nature of
the reflections of the sun in the millions of dew drops? There is one image of
total sun in every one of them. Is the image false? No. It is a true image. It
is brilliant. Is it not having heat? Yes, it is heating the drop. Is it real
matter? No it is not a matter.Can’t it exist independently? No, it can’t. It is
there because of Sun. Will it be there when the sun is not there? No, it will vanish.
Gnani’s say,
Brahmam is like the Sun. Self in everybody is like the image of the sun in the
dew drop. Self is the reflection of Brahmam. Self has the qualities of Brahmam.
When sun is there the reflection is there. Brahmam is the cause of life.
Brahmam is the basis of life.
Govindrao Raghunath Dhabolkar,( affectionately called Hemad Pant by Baba), started writing Sai Satcharita after getting permission from Baba during Baba’s life time and finished his great work after Baba’s Maha Samadhi.
Govindrao Raghunath Dhabolkar,( affectionately called Hemad Pant by Baba), started writing Sai Satcharita after getting permission from Baba during Baba’s life time and finished his great work after Baba’s Maha Samadhi.
It should
have been difficult to write a book in those days. Even paper and pen should
have been precious things to get. He wrote the Shri Sai Satcharita in Marathi
and was translated into English by N.V.Gunaji.
What inspired Hemad Pant to take up this task 100 years back?
What inspired Hemad Pant to take up this task 100 years back?
Hemad Pant narrates an incident:
It was sometime after 1910 that I went, one fine morning, to the Masjid in Shirdi to have darshan of Sai Baba. I was wonder- struck to see the following phenomenon. After washing His mouth and face, Sai Baba began to make preparations for grinding wheat and started grinding the wheat. This news of Baba grinding wheat spread into the village. At once men and women ran to the Masjid and flocked there to see Baba’s act. Four bold women, from the crowd forced their way up and pushing Baba aside, forcibly took the peg or handle into their hands, and singing Baba’s Leelas started grinding. At first, Baba was enraged, but on seeing the women’s love and devotion, He was much pleased and began to smile. While singing they finished the grinding and after putting the hand-mill aside, they divided the flour into four portions and began to remove them by taking one portion per head. Baba, who was calm and quiet up till now, got wild and started abusing them saying “Have I borrowed any wheat from you, so that you can safely take the flour? Now, do this! Take the flour and throw it on the village borders!” On hearing this, the women felt abashed and whispering among themselves, went to the outskirts of the village and spread the flour, as directed by Baba.
I asked the Shirdi people,”What was this that Baba did? They replied that, as cholera epidemic was spreading in the village this was Baba’s remedy for the same; it was not wheat, that was ground, but cholera itself was to pieces and pushed out of the village. From this time onward, the cholera epidemic subsided and the people of the village were happy.
What earthly connection was there between wheat flour and cholera? What was the casual relation between the two, and how to reconcile them? The incident seems to be inexplicable. I should write something on this and sing to my heart’s content Baba’s sweet Leelas, thinking inthis way about this Leela, my heart filled with joy and I was thus, inspired to write Baba’s life- The Sai Satcharita.”
It was sometime after 1910 that I went, one fine morning, to the Masjid in Shirdi to have darshan of Sai Baba. I was wonder- struck to see the following phenomenon. After washing His mouth and face, Sai Baba began to make preparations for grinding wheat and started grinding the wheat. This news of Baba grinding wheat spread into the village. At once men and women ran to the Masjid and flocked there to see Baba’s act. Four bold women, from the crowd forced their way up and pushing Baba aside, forcibly took the peg or handle into their hands, and singing Baba’s Leelas started grinding. At first, Baba was enraged, but on seeing the women’s love and devotion, He was much pleased and began to smile. While singing they finished the grinding and after putting the hand-mill aside, they divided the flour into four portions and began to remove them by taking one portion per head. Baba, who was calm and quiet up till now, got wild and started abusing them saying “Have I borrowed any wheat from you, so that you can safely take the flour? Now, do this! Take the flour and throw it on the village borders!” On hearing this, the women felt abashed and whispering among themselves, went to the outskirts of the village and spread the flour, as directed by Baba.
I asked the Shirdi people,”What was this that Baba did? They replied that, as cholera epidemic was spreading in the village this was Baba’s remedy for the same; it was not wheat, that was ground, but cholera itself was to pieces and pushed out of the village. From this time onward, the cholera epidemic subsided and the people of the village were happy.
What earthly connection was there between wheat flour and cholera? What was the casual relation between the two, and how to reconcile them? The incident seems to be inexplicable. I should write something on this and sing to my heart’s content Baba’s sweet Leelas, thinking inthis way about this Leela, my heart filled with joy and I was thus, inspired to write Baba’s life- The Sai Satcharita.”
Kabir Das said to his Guru, Nipatniranjan,” I am weeping because I feel
the agony of being crushed in this wheel of worldly existence like the corn in
the hand mill”.
Nipatniranjan replied, “ Do not be afraid; hold fast to the handle of
knowledge of this mill, as I do, and do not wander far away from the same but
turn inward to the centre and you are sure to be saved”.
In the small village called Shirdi, Baba showed what He does for the
universe. He is the protector. We are there,like the Sun’s image in the dew
drops because of Him. He is the basis of all life in this universe. He is Jeevadhaaraaya.
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