Day -79. “Om Shri Sai Santagataye Namaha.”

             Shirdi Sai Ashtotramala –Meaning, Meditation and Miracle

                       Day -79. “Om Shri Sai Santagataye Namaha.”

Meaning:

Humble salutation to Him, who is the ultimate shelter for good and virtuous people. (Shirdi Sai Trust).

Meditation:

The smile or laughter of a true saint, realised Soul, a person with a good heart or a child is unique and identifiable. The very smile or laughter brings happiness and peace to those who interact withthem even for a brief moment. Because, the smile or laughter of a Gnani comes out of his soul’s perception of the whole creation as God, Brahmam or Guru to which he has identified himself. He sees the Universal Self in everything including himself and is in a state of happiness feels no need to “possess” anything. Thus he is selfless in a limited material sense and the “Self” itself in the spiritual sense. All those who have the capacity to be “ selfless” in the material sense on a few occasions or on many occasions enjoy this freedom from the compulsion of possession. The freedom from the possessiveness enables them to have many qualities which call as virtuous- sacrifice, objective thinking, forgiveness, love, understanding. They smile or laugh beautifully, when they come across another person like them and recognising them or at another person who have not reached this state thus recognising them too! As they identified themselves with the Brahmam, God or Guru which has created everything in the universe, just out of itself, manifesting as space and energy, from the atom to the great groups of galaxies, they are able to attain the mental state in which everything is theirs spiritually and nothing is theirs in the material sense. The world sees them as good and virtuous on the path to realisation, to be one with Brahmam, God or Guru.

There was a house- holder devotee of Baba, by name Balram Mankar. When his wife passed away, he got dejected and entrusting his household to his son, left home and came to Shirdi and lived with Baba. Being pleased with his devotion Baba wanted to give a good turn to his life and He did it in this way. He gave him Rs12/- and asked him to go and live in Machhindragad ( District Satara). Mankar was first unwilling to go and stay away from Baba, but Baba convinced him that he was giving the best course for him, and asked him to practice meditation thrice a day in the God. On believing in Baba’s words Mankar went to the Gad. He was much pleased with the serenity, pure water, healthy air and the surroundings of the place, and began to practice assiduously the meditations, as recommended by Baba. After some days he got a revelation. Generally, Bhaktas get revelation in their Samadhi or trance states but in Mankar’s case, he got it when he came down too his ordinary consciousness from his trance. Baba appeared to him in person. Not only that Mankar saw Him, but he also asked Him why he was sent there. Baba replied,” In Shirdi many thoughts and ideas began to rise in your mind and I sent you here to bring your unsteady mind to rest. You thought that I was in Shirdi with a body, composed of five elements and three and a half cubits in length. Now you see and determine for yourself whether the person you see here now is the same you saw in Shirdi. It is for this reason that I sent you here”. Then after the period was over, Mankar left the Gad and proceeded to his native place Bandra. He wanted to travel by rail from Poona to Dadar, but when he went to the booking office to get a ticket he found it very much crowded. He could not get his ticket soon, when a villager with a Langoti (piece of cloth) on his waist and Kambal on his shoulder turned up and said,” Where are you going? “To Dadar” replied Mankar. Then, he said,” Please, take this Dadar ticket of mine, as I have some urgent work here, I have cancelled my Dadar trip”. Mankar was very glad to receive the ticket and was taking out money from his pocket when the rustic disappeared in the crowd. Mankar tried to find him out in the crowd but in vain. He waited for him till the train left the station but found no trace of him. This was the second revelation Mankar got in a strange form. Then Mankar after visiting his home, again returned to Shirdi and remained there of Baba’s Feet following His bidding and advice. In the end he was fortunate to leave this world in the presence of Baba. (Shri Sai Satcharita- Ch: 31).

He is the refuge when the devotee realizes the true nature of material possessions and attachments.  His doors are always open for them with infinite love and care.  He is Santagataye.