Lord Krishna enters Hastinapura as a messenger of the Pandavas. Knowing the purpose of His visit, the Kauravas are not ready to welcome Him. But Bhishma, Drona and others go to welcome Him. As Krishna passes through the streets, He points to each palace and asks as to whom it belongs. One is Bhishma’s, one is Drona’s, and so they tell Him . When He nears Vidura’s palace, He asks whose it is and Vidura says it belongs to Krishna’s. Best reply That indeed, is the best reply. For, does not everything in the world belong to the Lord? Everything comes from Him and it is our ignorance that makes us claim possession over everything. It is our pride that sees us as owners, when in fact it is the Lord who is the owner of everything. Vidura’s reply shows his humility and devotion and it is not surprising that the Lord chooses to stay with him. The Lord’s presence in his palace is the reward he gets for his humility, said C.V. Seshadri in a lecture. Vidura welcomes Krishna. He has appointed many cooks to cater to those who had accompanied the Lord. An overjoyed Vidura wonders if his house had once been the milky ocean. Is that why the Lord is so comfortable here? Or had this house once been Adisesha, the Lord’s serpent bed? Or had it been it once the leaf of a banyan tree on which the Lord Krishna reposed? One who has bhakti towards the Lord also is respectful to His devotees. Such bhaktas refer to their own houses as huts, even if they live in mansions. But if a learned scholar and devotee of the Lord lives in a hut, bhaktas refer to it as a palace. Such is the respect that is shown to great men. One has to be humble and remember that everything that we enjoy in this life has come from the Lord. We cannot claim anything as our own. Vidura knows this truth, which we tend to forget. So he refers to his palace as one that belongs to the Lord. His humility is rewarded by the Lord’s decision to spend the night in his palace, than in the palace of Duryodhana, whose heart is filled with pride.
By Padma Ramachandran Varalakshmi pooja, which falls tomorrow, is observed with rituals, music, and a delicious spread of eats,Varalakshmi pooja falls on Friday, August 12. Hindus believe that Goddess Lakshmi comes visiting on that day. The pooja is generally on the last Friday in the Tamil month of Aadi or Shravan. Many married women fast on that day and in many a home, it is a tradition that is handed down from mother-in-law to daughter-in law. Many married women in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka observe this ritual. Several eats are made, the chief among them being ‘kozhakattai’(also known as ‘modakam’), which has a rice flour coating, and a variety of fillings such as jaggery and coconut, jaggery and ground chana dal, powdered gingelly and gud, or steamed urad dal and coconut – a savoury filling. Athirasam, idli, vada and payasams are also made. The goddess is offered a variety of fruits and flowers. Decorating the courtyard Early in the morning, the courtyard of the house is decorated with kolam and a kalasam containing rice, betelnut and leaves, a couple of lemons, and coins (usually one preserves the same coins year after year).The kalasam is decorated with haldi-kumkum, a coconut and mango leaves. A ‘face’ in silver (representing the Goddess) is affixed to this. This symbol of Goddess Lakshmi is brought into the house along with a lamp, to the accompaniment of a song – ‘Lakshmi, rave ma intiki….shri rabdiputri varalakshmi, rave ma intiki, bhagyalakshmi, rave ma intiki’ – a Telugu invocation inviting the goddess inside the home. The kalasam is placed (on a banana leaf which has rice spread on it) in a makeshift ‘mantapam.’ The pooja involves the chanting of ‘Lakshmi ashtothram’ and shlokas in praise of Lord Ganesh. After the poojas are done, a yellow thread is tied on the woman’s hand by her husband or other women. The evening is joyous with music and women visiting the house for haldi-kumkum. Next day a small pooja called punar poojai is done to bring the rituals to a close. But you have to wait till Sunday morning to lift the Goddess with the kalasam and place her in a rice bin, to be kept safe for next year’s Varalakshmi pooja.
Om Sri Sai Ram Monday’s Parayan There lived a devotee by name Ram Gir Bua, Whom Baba used to address as Bapugir with affection. One day Bapu Gir wanted to go to his village. When he went to seek Baba’s permission, Baba gave him a piece of paper in which there was an arati written and packet of Udi (sacred ash) and asked him to first go to Jamnagar and hand over the arati and the udi to one Nana Saheb Chandorkar. Ram Gir Bua told Baba that he had just enough money to go upto Jalgaon, to which Baba assured him that arrangements will be made for him to go to Jamnagar on his getting down at Jalgaon. When Ramgir Bua got down at Jalgaon man on a horse cart came and asked who was Ramgir Bua from Shridi and also informed Bapugir that he has been sent by Nana Saheb. The man took Bapugir on the tonga to Jamnagar. On reaching the entry point of Jamnagar Bapugir got down to attend nature’s call and whene returned he found that neither the tonga not the cart man was there. Bapugir went to the local court and got Nana Saheb’s address and went to his house to deliver the Udi and the arati. At that time Nana Saheb’s daughter was in labour and she was in a serious condition. On receiving the udi and arati from Bapugir, Nana Sahib immediately called his wife and asked asked her to mix the udi with water and give it to their daughter Naina tai. After giving the udi mixed with water, all of them recited the arati. To everyone’s relief the delivery of the baby was smooth and thus Nainatai came out of the difficult situation. Bapugir thanked Nana Saheb for sending the tonga to the station, to which Nana sahib replied that he did not send any body or any tonga to the station. On hearing this both Bapugir and Nanasaheb recognized this as Baba’s leela. One devotee by name Bala Bua Sutar saw a picture of Baba at his friend’s place and prostrated before the picture. Thereafter after some years when he went in person to see Sai Baba, Baba told that the other devotees present that he has known Bala Bua for the last four years. Bala Bua remembered that it was fours ago when he had seen the picture at his friend’s place and had bowed before it. Through this episode Baba conveyed that seeing his picture is like seeing him in person. A devotee who had undergone surgery but not relieved of his malady was brought to the masjid and the parents of the devotee were very worried. Baba took pity on them and told them that he who ever sets his feet at the Dawrakamai will be cured. He said the masjid is Dwarkamai who gives happiness and health to all who come there. The Dwarkamai is very considerate and compassionate, Baba said. He asked the parents to apply Udi on the wound and it healed within some time. A great devotee of Baba, Sriman Pillay suffered from ulcer in one of his feet and he told Baba that he is prepared to take ten more births if he were freed of the terrible pain in this birth. To which Baba told him not to worry and told that he will be cured of his malady within ten days as crow will come and peck his ulcerated feet. While Baba was telling this one Abdulla who was cleaning the masjid unknowingly stamped the feet of Pillay, no sooner he did that seven guinea worms came out of the ulcer of Pillay and he started crying in pain. Soon he felt the pain gone from his feet and he became calm. Baba asked him to use the Udi on his wound and within ten days Sriman Pillay found himself cured. Baba had lovingly referred to Abdullah as the crow who would peck at Sriman Pilay’s feet. One person from Bandra was having vision of his dead father whenever he went to sleep and who used to scold him in his vision, was given Udi by Baba and was asked to keep the same under his pillow. This person was soon cured of visions that troubled him in sleep. Balaji Patil used to come to Shridi after every harvest and used to offer all the produce to Baba.. He would carry back whatever was returned to him and he used to feed his family with that. He used to sweep the street through which Baba walked. One day there was Bhagwat discourse in his house and he invited many people. It was found that there were three times more number of people than invited and Balaji Patil’s family was worried that the food prepared may not be enough to feed all the guests. Balaji’s mother asked his wifeo put some Udi in all the eatables before distribution and keep them covered. After all the guests were fed, Balajis’ family found , that there was food left. Balaji Patil’s knew that this was the miracle of Udi from Baba. Baba used to distribute Udi as Prasad to his devotees and he would apply some on the forehead of devotees. Whenever was in a pleasant mood he would sing “please bring sack full of Udi and praise the lord Ram for the same.” Balaram Mankar became dejected after his wife’s death and after handing over all his responsibilities his son, he came to Shridi, Baba advised him to go to Manchindergad and to do meditation there in order to get peace. While at Machindrgad, Baba appeared before Balaram Mankar and said that his body of three and half cubits was there in Shridi, he could be present anywhere. Through this Baba conveyed that devotees could have the comfort of Baba’s presence wherever they be. Once a sick tiger was brought to Shridi and taken to the masjid. Baba advised the owners to immediately release the tiger from chains. The tiger dragged itself to where Baba was sitting, moved its tail thrice and fell to the ground dead Is said whoever dies in the presence of a Mahatma attains salvation in his life. Once two friends from Goa came to Shridi and Baba asked one of them to give Rs.15/- as dakshina, the other friend who was watching wanted to give Rs 35/- but Baba refused. The devotee then told people present there that he had lost around Rs.35000/-. His cook who had stolen it returned it apologizing for his deed. The devotee said that all this was due to the grace of Baba. The devotee’s friend said he had got a job with Baba’s grace. He had started with a salary of Rs.15/- which gradually rose to Rs,700/-. He had vowed to offer Baba Rs.15/- as Dakshina once he got job, so now Baba had helped him remember and fulfill his vow by asking for Rs.15/- as dakshina. A couple in Aurangabad was childless and they came to Baba seeking his blessing for a child. Shama, Baba’s devotee insisted that Baba bless the couple with a child. Baba gave a coconut to the couple and blessed them, after some the couple had a child. When the infant was 5 months old the couple brought the child to Shirdi and thanked Baba for the blessings. Sai Baba would sleep at the masjid and the Chavdi on alternate days. After some time this ritual began to celebrated in a big way and was called the Chavdi Utsav. Many people joined the Chavdi procession where Baba was carried in a palanquin, from the masjid to Chavdi. At the chavdi , Baba would make his own bed and sleep., Devotees are requested to remember the Chavdi procession every day before going to bed. Om Sri Samarth Sadguru Sai Nath Maharaj Ki Jai. Baba, my prostrations to you at your feet. With your blessings I could complete the Parayan for Monday. Please bless my family and friends with long life, health, wealth and peace. Please bless me with your remembrance always. Om Satguru Sainathay Namah. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
Om Sri Sai Ram Tuesday’s Parayan B V Dev, Thasildar of Dahnu, was a great devotee of Baba. Once his mother had observed a fast and on the concluding day wanted to feed some people. B V Dev sent an invitation to Sri Sai Baba on his mother’s behalf, to which Baba replied that he would come for the feast with two of his disciples. On the day of the feast BV Dev and his family waited for Baba to come and while they were anxiously waiting a Sanyasi with two of his disciples arrived and sought permission of B V Dev to take part in the feast. Mr Dev warmly welcomed them into house and served them food. After the guests left partaking of the delicious food prepared by B V Dev’s family, B V Dev wrote a letter to Bapu Sahib Jog at Shirdi saying Baba did not keep his promise and never came for the feast with his disciples. Bapu Saheb Jog conveyed B V Dev’s message to Baba to which Baba replied that he did visit B V Dev’s home with two of his disciples but Dev did not recognize them. On hearing this from Bapu Sahib Jog realized it was Baba who had visited his house in the garb of a Sanyasi. B V Dev felt regretted not having recognized Baba. Once Hemandpant had a dream that Baba was coming to his house to partake in the feast. It was the day of Holi and there were guests for lunch at Hemandpant’s house. As the guests sat down for lunch, Hemandpant and his wife reserved a place for Baba in expectation of his visit. The guests were being served lunch when there was a knock on the door. At the door were Muhammed and Mouland and they were carrying a picture of Baba which they gave to Hemandpant. Hemandpant’s joy knew no bounds and he joyfully took the the picture and placed it where he and his wife had reserved a place for Baba. Hemandpant and his wife offered a plate with all the delicacies prepared for the feast to the picture of Baba. Thus Baba kept his promise of coming to Hemandpant’s house for Lunch made through a dream. Every day Sai Baba would visit about three or four few houses in Shirdi asking for food. He would collect all the food in a tin, would eat a little and give all of the rest to people in need of food. Whenever he felt like doing Anna daan he would go to the market and buy some rice and spices. He would then cook the rice and spices in a big vessel on a open hearth and would feed the poor with his own hands. Once Nana Saheb Chandorkar was reciting a verse from the Bhagwad Gita while he was washing Baba’s feet when Baba asked for the explanation of the shloka. Nana sahib was unable to properly explain the meaning of the Shloka so Baba explained the shloka. The devotees and Nana Sahib who heard Baba’s explanation were surprised to learn about Baba’s knowledge of Sanskrit . Once a millionaire devotee of Shri Sai Baba, Sriman Bapu Saheb Buti and Shama had a vision in which Baba appeared and asked them to build a temple. Soon Shri Buti with the blessings of Sai Baba started building a temple. While the construction was underway Sriman Buti wanted to install an idol of Murlidhar, to which Baba consented. Before the idol could be installed Baba left his mortal coil and his devotees built his Samadhi where the idol of Muralidhar was to be installed. One day in 1916 Baba was very agitated and he declared that it was the day for Simhalogan. It was a while before he calmed down. In 1918, Ramachandra Patil, a devotee of Baba became very ill, Baba went to him and assured him that his death warrant was taken away and he will soon become all right. Baba, however, was concerned about the health of Tatya Patil and feared that he would soon leave the world. Baba thereafter informed some of his devotees in strict confidence that he will pass away on the Vijaya Dasami day. The two devotees who knew this were Ramchandra Patil and Bala Shilpi. As prophesied by Baba, Patil became all right. In 1918 Baba had fever for three days from 28th September and he asked Shri Vajey to read the Ram Vijayi grantha for some days. One day the boy who would clean the area where Baba used to sit dropped the brick which Baba had been using for several years during his meditation. When the brick broke Baba remarked that something that was dear to him had parted and it was now impossible for him to live. Three days before Vijaya Dasami Baba stopped going out for alms and at the same Tatya became seriously ill. Seeing this both Patil and Shilpi feared that the death of Tatya was nearing. However on Vijaya Dasami day Tatya became all right and Baba left his mortal coil at 2.30pm on 15th October 1918. The mortal remains of Baba was interred in the temple which was built for Muralidhar, thus Baba became Muralidhar. Tatya completely recovered and all devotees realized that Baba had given up his life to keep Tatya Patil alive. A day after Baba’s passing away, it was a Wednesday, Baba appeared in the dream of Lakshman Mama Joshi and instructed him to do the puja and arati. Baba also appeared in the dream of Das Ganu and asked him to come to the masjid and decorate the place with flowers. Both Joshi and Das Ganu followed the instructions of Baba and did the pooja and arati as per the usual schedule. In 1886, 32 years before Baba’s Samadhi, on Marrishi poornima day, Baba called Mahasalpati and told him that he would leave this world for three days and that Mahasalpati should preserve his body for the next three days and after the third day, if he did not come back, he should be buried opposite the masjid. He requested that a Samadhi be constructed and two flags be hoisted there. As he was saying this Baba left his mortal coil and put his head on Mahasalpati’s lap. As advised by Baba, Mahasalpati looked after the Body for three days without sleep and food and on the third day Baba woke up from his unconscious state to life as if he was waking up from deep sleep. This proved that Sai Baba was an immortal soul. Om Sri Samarth Sadguru Sai Nath Maharaj Ki Jai. Dear Baba my prostration to you at your feet. With your blessings I could complete the Parayan for Tuesday. Please bless me and the people around me with good health and prosperity. Bless me with the Prasad of your daily remembrance. Om Satguru Sainathay Namah. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
Here is a small attempt to give the Sai Satcharita in a summarised form so that every one can read the same daily from Thrusday to Wednesday,the same is ably edited by Bhuvenewari, hope this will help in achieving the spiritual goal for all of us. OM SRI SAIRAM Thursday’s Parayan Param Guru Sainath ! I salute you a thousand times and bow before you. I depend on you completely and have full faith in you. I seek your blessings. Your grace protects my life. Parameswar, please keep me with you, and let not any evil spirit distract me from your guidance and please give me strength to be with you always. Let me understand all your teachings and let me acquire the good qualities of a good human being. Sainath I prostrate before you a thousand times. In the district of Kopergaon in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, there is a small village called Shirdi and in that village under a neem tree Sai baba appeared as sixteen year old boy. Baba lived there for many years and his kindness and miracles made Shirdi a holy place. No one knows the place of Sai Baba birth and no one knows about his parents. Baba never spoke to anyone about his past, his family or early years. He was affected by neither rain nor scorching heat nor the cold weather in winter. He would sit under a neem unaffected by the changes in the weather. He would often be seen in padmasan mudra doing the tapas. Once the people of Khandoba dug up a portion near the neem tree where they found a cave with four lamps burning. Baba informed the people that the cave was his Guru’s and asked the people around to protect it. Soon after this Sai Baba left Shirdi. He came back after three years with a marriage party and thereafter stayed in Shirdi till his samadhi. Once Chand Patil, a rich man, from the village called Dhoop was searching for his mare and then he saw a fakir wearing a turban and kafni sitting under a mango tree. The fakir told Chand Patil that his mare was near the nullah. To Chand Patil’s surprise and joy the mare was near the nullah. When he returned near the mango tree to thank the fakir, he saw the fakir strike the ground with his satka and out came a burning ember with the fakir let chillum and with a wet piece of cloth he held the hukkah pipe. The fakir offered Chand Patil the hukkah. Chand Patil realised that the fakir was not an ordinary human being. He requested the fakir to accompany his family to Shirdi for the wedding of his brother in law. When the marriage party reached the entrance to the village the priest of the khandoba temple welcomed the fakir by saying O SAI please come and from that day he was called SAI and in due course he became SAI BABA. In Shirdi, Baba stayed in a masjid made of mud. He wore a turban and kafani and his only possessions were a tin pot, a satka and chillum. Sai dressed like a Muslim, followed Hindu rituals and practices, like Hindu his ears were pierced and he resided in a in a masjid which he called Dwarakamai. He always kept a dhuni burning in the masjid like an ever burning agnihotra. He used to grind wheat in the two stone handmill. The devotees used to ring the bell before entering the masjid and would offer things in the dhuni to keep it burning. Brahmins used to visit the masjid and bow there heads before SAI BABA. Sai Baba would always chant Narayan Narayan and Allah Malik – Allah is the sole owner of this world. The Hindus celebrated Ramanvami festival at Shridi and the Muslims celebrated the sandal procession at the same time in Shirdi. Some times Baba would wear the bells on his ankle and dance as if in a trance all through the day and night and people would stand watching him mesmerised. Many people returned to good health on seeing SAI BABA and many had their desires fulfilled. Baba’s touch helped blind people regain their vision and the lame were able to start walking. His grace ensured that there was no dearth of food or clothing at the house of Baba’s devotees. Sai Baba used to say that whoever chanted his name or remembered him, he would always take care of their needs. He always blessed his devotees. Baba talked to everyone very affectionately and never discriminated between the rich and the poor. Even though he lived in Shirdi he knew about events happening in distant places. He used to remove evil thoughts from the minds of his devotees and would urge them to nourish good thoughts. He directed them to the spiritual path. Baba’s fame spread far and wide drawing devotees from different parts of the world. His presence gave immense solace to people who came to see him. At Dwarkamai Baba used to light earthen lamps with oil borrowed from the shop keepers at Shirdi. One day the shopkeepers refused to give Baba oil to light the lamps, saying that there was no oil in their stores. This behaviour of the shopkeepers did not upset Baba, instead he went about calmly pouring water in the lamps and to the utter bewilderment of the shopkeepers, Baba managed to light the lamps filled with water. The shopkeepers were ashamed of their behaviour towards Baba and they requested him to forgive them. Baba said that they were free to give or refuse but they should never lie. An old man called Gouli Bua was a devotee of Lord Vittal and when he saw Baba at Shirdi he knew in his heart that Sai Baba was the incarnation of Vittal He knew that Baba was not an ordinary person. During his early days in Shirdi Baba created a beautiful garden in the courtyard of the masjid and everyday he would water the plants with water in earthen pots. Baba would fetch water from a well that was far away from the masjid and after watering the plants he would break the earthen pots at the foot of the neem tree. Baba was given a fresh earthen pot everyday by Tatya Patil. In due course of time a lovely garden developed near the masjid. Gangadhari, a sadhu, on seeing Baba water the plants in the garden predicted that the boy would one day be a precious jewel of Shirdi. Shri Anand Rao Maharaj, a devotee of Akalkot Maharaj said the boy was a gem and the people would realise this one day in the near future. Once Shri Krishnaji, a devotee of Akalkot maharaj wanted to do the puja of the padukas of the Swami in Akalkot. In his dream he sawBaba who asked him to Shirdi and perform the paduka pooja. As instructed Krihnaji did the prathishta of the padukas under the neem tree and he took Baba’s blessings before doing the prathishta of the padukas. Sri Upasini Baba wrote a prayer and the same was engraved near the padukas under the neem tree. During Baba’s stay in Shirdi he used to act like a doctor and used to treat the people for their ailments. People with no vision were given back their vision with the help of Baba’s medication of biba seed paste which was applied over the eyes and bandaged. When the bandage was removed the patient found his/her sight restored. Sometimes Baba would take the sufferings of his devotees upon himself and would suffer along with them. Mr Kharpade’s son once got bubonic plague and Mr Kharpade came to Baba seeking his help in curing his son. Baba told Mr Kharpade that he was aware that his son was ill and had already started the process of treating the boy. Baba showed Mr and Mrs Kharpade showed the Bubos of Plague on his body and said that he had taken the same on himself to cure the boy. Baba used to treat devotees who were ill even when they were far away from him. One day Baba thrust his hand into the dhuni severely burning his whole arm. When questioned why he had done that Baba said that in a far away place a blacksmith’s wife who was working the near fire suddenly got up without remembering that she was holding her little baby in her lap. The baby was falling into the fire when, as the mother later recounted, an invisible hand stopped her son from falling into the fire and was thus saved. People in Shirdi realised that Baba was omniscient and knew if his devotees were in trouble and would rush to help them no matter where they be. Bhagoji Shinde, who was afflicted by leprosy, used to apply ghee to Baba’s wound caused by the fire and gently massaged his hand after it started to heal. Bhagoji Shinde continued with this practice till the Samadhi of Sai Baba. Bhagoji Shinde’s devotion towards Baba and Baba’s affection for him showed that Baba treated all his devotees alike and never discriminated on grounds of caste, creed or physical affliction. Sai Baba’s devotee, Das Ganu Maharaj, once wished to go to Prayag for a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam. Baba asked Das Ganu Maharaj to have faith in him and that he would soon be able to visit Prayag. Baba said that as Das Ganu was prostrating at his feet when water began to flow from Baba’s feet. Das Ganu beheld the holy rivers of the Sangam sitting at Baba’s feet. For some time a bachelor called Rohilla used to stay at the masjid with Baba and he used to do the aajan every day shouting Allah O Akbar and used to read loudly verses from Koran. This disturbed the peace and tranquillity of the place and many devotees complained to Baba about this and asked him to stop Rohilla from shouting. Baba asked his devotees to be patient with Rohilla saying that the bachelor was being troubled by his wife (bad thoughts) causing him to wail out the Lord’s name loud. As assured by Baba Rohilla recovered and stopped screaming. A devotee of Baba, Sheerasagar worshipped Lord Vittal till his death but his son discontinued the puja thereafter and never offered Naivedya. Baba passed on a message to Sheerasagar’s son saying that his father was a great friend of his and scolded the son for ignoring the puja and Naivedya of Vittal Bhagwan. Sheerasagar’s son realised his mistake and in earnest started the puja of Lord Vittal observing all the practices his father had followed including the offering of naivedya everyday. Anna Saheb Dabolkar once came to Shirdi, offered his pranam to be Baba by prostrating at his feet. Anna Saheb witnessed several changes in his life thereafter. While he was at Shirdi Anna Saheb once saw Baba grinding wheat at the masjid. Some ladies who were also witness to this sat down with Baba and began to help him grind the wheat. And while they did this they began to sing beautiful songs in praise of the miracles Baba had shown. When all the wheat was ground they began to gather the flour to take home with them. Seeing this Baba got angry and directed the ladies to take the flour and spread it in four directions across of the village. This, devotees later realised, was done to prevent cholera epidemic from spreading into the village. Seeing this and the other miracles of Baba Anna Saheb Dhabolkar wanted to write a book on them and he sought Baba’s permission through Shama, the great devotee of Baba. Baba granted Anna Saheb permission by applying udi on his forehead. Baba told Anna that he was would be a tool for writing the book while he would write his own biography as a living example. “Once my devotees listen to my leelas and preaching they will take the spiritual path and even an atheist will learn to respect me and begin to have faith in me,” Baba told Anna Saheb. He also said that no one who believes in him will ever go hungry. Baba used to lovingly address Anna Saheb as Hemandpant. Both Gopal Rao and Damu Anna Kesar who were childless for a long time were blessed with children by Baba’s grace. And in order to express their gratitude, Gopal Rao and Anna Kesar decided to start celebration of the Ramanavami festival and flag hoisting in the Masjid. Damu Anna Kesar and Nana Saheb together donated two flags which were taken out in a procession around Shirdi and thereafter they placed at the masjid. During this time a Muslim gentleman decided to start the Sandal paste procession. At Shirdi Ram katha, the cradle festival celebrating the birth of Lord Rama, and Sandal procession were held in a spirit of harmony between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities. A weekly reading of the Nam Saptah was also held and on the concluding day the poor were fed a sumptuous meal. Om Sri Sathguru Sainath Mahara Ji Ki Jai. O Sri Sainath, I prostrate at your feet and seek your blessings. Today I have completed the first day’s reading of your Satcharita. Please bestow your blessings on me to complete the weekly reading of your Satcharita. Please bless me and those around me with peace, tranquillity, and devotion towards you. I pray for your Grace all through my life. Sat Guru Sainathaya Namah Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
” Rivers do not drink their own water, nor do tree eat their own fruit, nor do rain clouds eat the grains reared by them. The wealth of the noble is used solely for the benefit of others? Even after accepting that giving is good and that one must learn to give, several questions need to be answered. The first question is when should one give? We all know the famous incident from the Mahabharata. Yudhisthir, asks a beggar seeking alms to come the next day. On this, Bhim rejoices, that Yudhisthir his brother, has conquered death! For he is sure that he will be around tomorrow to give. Yudhisthir gets the message. One does not know really whether one will be there tomorrow to give! The time to give therefore is now. The next question is how much to give. One recalls the famous incident from history. Rana Pratap was reeling after defeat from the Moghals. He had lost his army, he had lost his wealth, and most important he had lost hope, his will to fight. At that time in his darkest hour, his erstwhile minister Bhamasha came seeking him and placed his entire fortune at the disposal of Rana Pratap. With this, Rana Pratap raised an army and lived to fight another day. The answer to this question how much to give is “Give as much as you can! The next question is what to give. It is not only money that can be given. It could be a flower or even a smile. It is not how much one gives but how one gives that really matters. When you give a smile to a stranger that may be the only good thing received by him in days and weeks! “You can give anything but you must give with your heart! One also needs answer to this question whom to give. Many times we avoid giving by finding fault with the person who is seeking. However, being judgmental and rejecting a person on the presumption that he may not be the most deserving is not justified. Give without being judgmental! Next we have to answer How to give. Coming to the manner of giving, one has to ensure that the receiver does not feel humiliated, nor does the giver feel proud by giving. In giving follow the advice, Let not your left hand know what your right hand gives? Charity without publicity and fanfare is the highest form of charity. ‘Give quietly! While giving let not the recipient feel small or humiliated. After all what we give never really belonged to us. We come to this world with nothing and will go with nothing. The thing gifted was only with us for a temporary period. Why then take pride in giving away something which really did not belong to us? Give with grace and with a feeling of gratitude. * When you help someone in need, give it before he asks for it; for if you place him under the necessity of stretching out his hand, you take away from him his self-respect which is worth more than the value of your alms. What should one feel after giving? We all know the story of Eklavya. When Dronacharya asked him for his right thumb as “Guru Dakshina”, he unhesitatingly cut off the thumb and gave it to Dronacharya. There is a little known sequel to this story. Eklavya was asked whether he ever regretted the act of giving away his thumb. He replied, and the reply has to be believed to be true, as it was asked to him when he was dying. His reply was “Yes! I regretted this only once in my life. It was when Pandavas were coming in to kill Dronacharya who was broken hearted on the false news of death of his son Ashwathama and had stopped fighting. It was then that I regretted the loss of my thumb. If the thumb was there, no one could have dared hurt my Guru. The message to us is clear. Give and never regret giving! And the last question is How much should we provide for our heirs? Ask yourself ‘are we taking away from them the gift of work’? – A source of happiness! The answer is given by Warren Buffett: “Leave your kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing!” I would conclude by saying: let us learn the Art of Giving, and quoting Saint Kabir: “When the wealth in the house increases, when water fills a boat, Throw them out with both hands ”
From a CA topper to a sought-after harikatha artiste. Vishakha Hari tells Chitra Swaminathan that kathakalakshepam is a way of life for her Vishakha Hari is in her early thirties but walks in a madisar (nine-yard sari) with the élan of a veteran. She is an all-India rank-holder in chartered accountancy but revels being a raconteur. She grew up in Chennai but prefers the spiritual aura and serenity of Srirangam. She travels widely for her performances but leisure is spent studying scriptures and rehearsing upanyasam and sangeetham. In this e-driven world, Vishakha is an anachronism; drawing full houses with her musical discourses. And at a time when snazzy pictures and sound bytes are a must for success, Vishakha insists “what have I achieved, why are you clicking so many pictures? One small photograph and a short write-up focussing on harikatha should do.” So the brief photo shoot-cum-interview begins late in the morning at Nageshwara Rao Park, (after we convince her that the outdoors would be better) where walkers stop to greet her with a namaskaram. After a few shots are taken, she is ready to leave. “Enough?” she asks and we nod rather hesitantly. It’s time anyway for the park to be closed. We then gently suggest taking a few more pictures at the nearby Kapaleeswarar temple tank. Anxious about the packed day ahead and her late evening trip to Bangalore for a performance, Vishakha reluctantly agrees. And as she alights the steps to the temple tank, her face suddenly lights up and with child-like charm she remarks, “Oh, this is so serene and wonderful. I could read and sing here the whole day.” Evidently, she instantly connects to places with spiritual vibrations. Vishakha then turns to tell you she never visits beaches or parks. Anyway, there is not much scope for sightseeing in her hectic travel itineraries. Does she not think about life beyond the humdrum of performances and practice? “For me, kathakalakshepam is not just about performance. It stays with me even when I get off stage. There is no such thing as professional or personal life. They blend seamlessly. And I have chosen this way of life out of passion for the art form. So where is the need to think beyond it?” she philosophises with flair. Inspiration from home She was 22 when she took to this age-old art form after marrying into the family of celebrated harikatha exponent Krishna Premi. Vishakha’s husband Hariji also conducts discourses. A disciple of violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman, Vishakha’s early and elaborate training in classical music helps her convey eloquently the essence of the ancient texts. “Home is where inspiration comes from. I draw from my father-in-law’s experience, rich repertoire of stories and the numerous books penned by him. Observation, reading, research and rehearsal are essential to upanyasam,” says Vishakha, clad in a blue pattu sari with a bold peacock-shaped brooch pinned on the talapu (pallu). The simple accessories — mookuthi and jhumki — have the same old-world appeal as her art. Doesn’t she find draping the nine-yard every day cumbersome? “It is all in the mind. In Chennai or Cleveland, I am always clad in it. It was extremely cold when I visited the U.S. for a recital, but I stuck to my dress code,” smiles Vishakha. Though kathakalakshepam conjures up images of a serious religious discourse attended by a small gathering of elders, Vishakha’s harikatha performances have a huge following. Her distinctive and vibrant style of coherently weaving stories from the past, peppering them with contemporary metaphors and punctuating them suitably with classical compositions keep the audience, comprising the old and the young, engaged till the last word is uttered. Her reach is wider because she performs in English outside Chennai. She spoke on “Role of education in international development” at the House of Commons in the U.K. She has also released six DVDs that are quite a sell out. How does she react to criticism that there is more music than discourse in her upanyasam? “There are such evocative verses and compositions by great saints that lend themselves beautifully to the stories from epics and mythology and make it easy to convey the inherent message or philosophy,” she replies with schoolgirl-earnestness. Does she plan to introduce new elements into her performances to make them more appealing to the young? “That’s not warranted if youngsters have a basic awareness about our arts. They will eventually learn to appreciate their beauty. Parents need to introduce children to our heritage, art and culture. You know the phrase ‘catch them young’ has reference in mythology too. Prahlada talks about it in ‘Koumara achareth pragyaha’ when he reforms asura kids and talks about inculcating good achar in children for them to lead a wholesome life,” she says lovingly patting her son, Rajagopala.
One of the verses of Vairagya chatakam says that the sun rises and sets regularly and by the rising and setting of the sun, the days are rolling by. This happening so regularly and so fast that we are not aware that the time is rolling by, meaning we are becoming older and older and our lives shorter and shorter. We are not aware of this because we are so busy doing what we do. New Year’s day means yet another year has come, yet another year has gone. And Yama is a little nearer. Our names may not appear in today’s obituary column but we are all in the queue only. To avoid this tragedy, Bharthruhari gives an upadesam (advice) – do not postpone good things for a later time. We have a notion that scriptural study is to be undertaken at the time of retirement, after completing all other jobs. Bharthruhari says our faculties will not function at that time – the eyes will not see and the ears will not hear. When the sense organs are functioning well, when the fag end of life has not yet come, an alert person, a thinking person, a mature person should think of leading a healthy , prosperous and fruitful life. When the house is on fire, it is foolish to begin digging a well. So also at the fag end of life, it is foolish to begin doing good things. We must start right away. If we want a suitable day to begin, the New Year’s day is very auspicious. What should we do to make our lives fruitful? The scriptures emphasise three things – yagna, danam, and tapas. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna emphasises these three to a great extent. Yagna – Yagna means worship. We all know worship in the form of daily puja, going to temples, doing abhisheka , etc. Lord Krishna talks about a higher, refined form of worship – converting life itself into worship. ‘Let the very living, the life be an offering to the Lord’. Swami Chinmayananda used to make a wonderful statement – ‘The life that we have is a wonderful gift from the Lord and what we do with this life is our gift, our offering to the Lord’. If we are going to look upon our life as a gift of the Lord, what type of life it should it be? It should be the best. And when it is offered, it must be offered with a cheerful and smiling face. There must be cheerfulness. Thus two conditions must be fulfilled – the gift should be the best and it must be offered with cheerfulness and happiness. Our life should be the best. What does this mean? It does not mean earning money, success, name, and fame. It means the most sincere life. We should be able to do what we love to do we should learn to love what we have to do. If this is possible, our heart will be in what we do and so will our sincerity. This will be the best gift to the Lord. Predominantly there must be cheerfulness. We may wonder whether this is possible in today’s troubled times. By being cynical or cheerful, the situation is not going to change. So why not be cheerful? When the cup is half-full, we can either say it is half-full or half-empty. So why not say it is half-full? Why can’t we have a positive approach? Enjoying what we love to do and learning to love and enjoy what we have to do is the best yagna to the Lord. Danam – We all know what danam means. Danam is charity or gift which we all do. However there is one gift that is very, very important. That is the gift of love. This is the most important gift because it is one thing everybody is craving for. Rich, or poor, success or failure, love is craved for by all people at all times under all circumstances. It is the best gift because even if other gifts are not made, it does not matter. On the other hand, without love, all other gifts remain incomplete. Love makes all other gifts valid and meaningful. It makes the giver a saintly person. Love is both the cause and the consequence of spiritual growth. We may claim ‘I love my family and children’. Love is only an inner feeling, attitude, etc. Love is invisible. Love belongs to the mind. So when we talk of love, we mean expressed love or activated love. Feelings can never become a gift. What do we mean by expression of love? The best expression of love is giving our time and attention for the other person, to share his life and more than his life, his feelings. Of course, if we have to give our time to everyone, we will not have the time and it will be impractical. So the best place to practice the gift of expressed love is one’s own family, by giving time and our fullest attention to every member of the family and going through the feelings of the other person. We share the happiness and unhappiness without judging whether it is justified or not. We need not give a remedy or talk or reply except to say a few words that will lead to healthy sharing. At least once a day we should make ourselves avaibale to our family members. This is the best expression of love and also the cause of our inner growth. If we are not able to grow in this, all our danam is only mechanical danam. Even our scriptural study will not be meaningful. Giving our time to others is one of the indices of spiritual growth. Today many people who have family problems have only this complaint. – family members do not provide time for one another. Many people are shattered even though they are well provided for. All that is required is to say a few words and ask the other person ‘How are you? ‘How was your day?’ This requires only a few minutes. Then the atmosphere in the family becomes so wonderful that all other lapses are not even noticed. Today when many families are nuclear families, the gift of giving the quality time and going through the feelings of the other person is the best Danam. Tapas – Tapas is a discipline or austerity. There are a variety of disciplines we have to follow, e.g. fasting on ekadasi. The most important tapas is vak tapas – austerity or discipline at the verbal level. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna defines vak tapas. Our words should have four qualities to make it an austerity – avoiding verbal violence, satyam, priyam, and hitam. We must avoid verbal violence which is the most powerful and worst form of violence. The words should be truthful. There should be no chasm between our mind and words. When we say something, it is because we mean it. Priyam means kindness. Our words must be soft, polite, and gentle. Hitam means beneficial. Before uttering any words we should think two things – whether it is beneficial to us (which we will do anyway) and whether it is beneficial to the other person. Vak tapas requires that we must be very alert. Before coming out, the words must go through a ‘metal detector’ inside us that acts like a quality control meter filtering the words and giving the stamp of quality. Thus by following the three disciplines of yagna, danam, and tapas, we can make our life fruitful.
KOJAGARI PUJA Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped today, the Sharat poornima day, the full moon day of autumn. Mother Lakshmi visits the houses of those who are awake late in the night and blesses them. She comes asking,”Ko Jagrati – who is awake?”and that is why the puja is known as “Kojagari puja”. This puja is widely performed in Bengal and in all branch centres of Ramakrishna Math. In the life of Chandramani devi, mother of Sri Ramakrishna we have an incident relating to this puja. That happened before the birth of Sri Sri Thakur. Once, Ramkumar, the eldest son of Chandramani, went to perform this Kojagari puja in a neighbouring village Bhursuo as a priest in a house. It was very late night and as he didn’t return, Chandramani came out of the house and was waiting for his return. Then a small girl with many ornaments came from the direction of the village. Chandramani asked her,’ Did you see my son, he has gone to that village for doing today’s puja? The child replied,” Yes mother, I am coming from that very house where your son has done the puja and he is also coming.” Then Chandramani invited the girl to her house,” In this dead of night, where are you going alone with these precious ornaments? Stay in my house night and leave in the morning?” The girl replied,” No, no, this time I will not be able to stay. I have to go different places. I shall come next time.” Saying so she went towards the house of Lahas. Chandramani seeing from the distance that the girl was not going in the regular path, chased her to guide her the right path but the girl soon disappeared. Then Chandramani realised it was “Mother Lakshmi Herself who had come in the form of young girl.” Returning home she narrated the incident to her husband Kshudiram and later her son Ramkumar and they also had confirmed it was Mother Lakshmi Herself. “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is filled with His oft repeated teaching that one should should be free from greed and lust. He Himself practised the sadhana of taking earth in one hand and a coin on the other and threw them both in the Ganga water so as to mentally imbibe the idea that both the things are of the same. When his chosen disciple tested Him by placing a coin beneath his bed, He sprang up as if stung by a scorpion. Then why this worship of Goddess of wealth? Goddess Lakshmi is the mother of all wealth. Scriptures allow men to have 4 types of wealth, viz. the wealth of dharma, the wealth of sensory pleasures, the wealth of pleasures of flesh and the spiritual wealth. But unfortunately, we identify Goddess Mother with 2nd and 3rd wealth (artha and kama) only and pray Her for those 2 types of wealth. Sometimes men resort to unrighteous means to have those 2 types of wealth though the scriptures permit only through dharmic means. But many do not know that Goddess Lakshmi is also the Mother of the wealth of spiritual knowledge. In fact the vehicle of Mother Lakshmi denotes the same. Owl is the carrier vehicle of Mother. Owl is seen as an ugly bird, known as partially blind and considered as inauspicious. But why the Mother who is beauty personified selected that bird as Her vehicle? Is it to indicate that man if he chooses only those two types of wealth, it will drain away all his physical and mental energies and he will look ugly, fit for nothing either of this world or the other? Is it to teach the man that those pleasures that are enjoyed in darkness will lead man to darkness only and he will be blind to the light of knowledge? Is it to warn him that if he is confining himself only to those dark room pleasures then inauspicious future moments are awaiting him? We shall have to think for a while as to the answers. In case if we choose to pray Mother to bestow Her spiritual wealth, then how to view the owl? In such cases, does Mother wishes to say that Her vehicle Owl is the symbolic message of Gita sloka no.69 of 2nd chapter, wherein Lord Krishna says the quality of a man of steady wisdom. The sloka says that for a man of steady wisdom, that which is darkness of night for men of ignorance, for a man of steady wisdom it will be daylight and that hectic day time wherein men exert for wealth for senses will be night for a man of knowledge? Choice is ours to pray the Mother either for the secular wealth or for the spiritual.
Shree Jalaram Bapa Shree Jalaram Bapa was born in Samvant 1856 (A.D. 1800). His mother’s name was Rajbai and father’s name was Pradhan Thakkar. Pradhan Thakkar and Valji Thakkar were two brothers actively and honestly engaged in business earning their livelihood. It is said that Rajbai, wife of Pradhan Thakkar was religous lady who was very inclined to serve sadhus’ and sants’. A mother of three sons and three daughter’s, she was content in her family life and used to find free time to do her religous duties to sadhus’ and sants’. She was once a host to Sant Raghuveerdasji who was very impressed with her selfless services and had blessed her – his blessings were that her second son would be instrumental in enhancing the services that she was doing – he would be famous all over in advocating pious life, duty full of devotion and act of good deeds. This second son was none other than our Shree Jalaram Bapa. There was a remarkable incident in early life of this saint person : when he was a child, a saint came to the house and requested to see Jalram; when they came face to face with each other – Jalaram at once greeted the saint with respectful “Namaskar” and it appeared that Jalaram had recollected his previous life, he realised who he was, he was reminded of his goal in life – it is argued that this visiting saint was probably a heavenly messenger – from that day onwards the young Jalaram never stopped chanting “Sita Ram” and he began to live life in a different way. At a young age of 14 Jalaram’s marraige was arranged with Virbai, a daughter of Thakkar Pragji Somaija. Jalaram was not in favour of marraige, but his duties towards his parents forced him to accept this arranged marraige. He got married when he was 16 years of age. Jalaram’s love towards sadhus’ and sants’ grew day by day and he would go to any extent to entertain sadhus and sants. This was not acceptable to his father. Jalaram’s deep involvement with sadhus’ and sants’ led to his seperation from his father’s business. He had decided to go his way. He worked for his uncle for some time. Uncle Valjibhai was very fond of Jalaram, but even that love and fondness would not deter Jalaram’s desire to serve sadhus’ and sants’. If at all anything it made more determined to devote himself fully to the service of sadhus’ and sants’ and the needy. He was fully aware that such devotion would mean complete withdrawal from marital life, a life free from family ties and circles. His inclination was to go on that path faster and with approval of his parents and uncle Valjibhai, he set out on a holy pilgrimage of holy places. He was fortunate that Virbaima was keen to follow her husband Jalaram. To her, Jalaram’s work was her work, Jalaram’s wishes were her wishes and all that Jalaram decided to do she was but prepared to do that. She was following Jalaram in every respect. At the age of 18 he accepted Bhojalram as his Guru and with Gurus’ blessings, he started “Sadavrat” a feeding centre, a place where all sadhus’ and sants’ and the needy can go and expect to be fed 24 hours a day. Both Jalaram Bapa and Virbaima started working for this holy place. Jalaram’s strong belief was that “This was the Lord’s order – This was Lord’s work – I am not doing anything for anybody – Lord has asked me to do this work – since it is Lord’s work HE looks after it and ensures that it functions”. Actually that did happen – indeed the place functioned well. Nobody ever returned from that place without being fed. One can question whether this can possibly be done by a single person – Yes. We argue and debate and yet probably would not come to a sensible answer – but then to do what Jalaram did one has to be a person of Jalaram’s determination, his patience, his love towards others. He was 20 years when his saintliness acquired a great fame. There are stories of how he was put to tests for his qualities of patience, endurence, love towards others, his steadfastness of thinking – he did not change under any pressure – he came out of all those tests successfully. His fame spread and he was regarded and accepted as a saint. People started worshipping him. They came to him for guidance in difficulties, for blessings in real distress and discomfort. It is said that once he was called out to see an ailing child struct with serious disease. Parents of this child believed that the cure was solely due to Jalaram Bapa’s blessings – Jala was since called Allah. In another instance a person who was threatened to be imprisoned went to Jalaram for his blessings. This man was not only saved from such imprisonment but he decided to lead a normal honest life then onwards. Jalaram was then onwards addressed as Bapa – Father of all. There are numerous such instances that can be quoted from his books but fact is that his feeding place was open and is still open today in Virpur where people go and are fed. People go to Jalaram Bapa’s places for prayers to him and seek his blessings for their personal griefs, shortcomings and failures and many acquire relief and satisfaction. Human beings during their span of life always aspire to be rich and acquire wealth – they pray for complete family life – it is such saint as Jalaram Bapa who remain away from such desire and wants. In their lives they always give – even when they are gone they still give to those who ask from them with purity of heart and sincerity of purpose. In 1934 during terrible famine Jalaram Bapa worked very hard to feed those who were suffering. In 1935 Virbaima died and 1937 Jalaram Bapa died while in prayers. Such is the story of the life of this Great Saint of Virpur. Soon his fame spread as an incarnation of the divine. Whoever come to Virpur, whether Hindu or Muslim was fed by Bapa. Once three Arabs in the service of Thakore of Rajkot demanded an increase in wages by four rupees in a month. Being refused, the Arabs resigned and set out to Junagadh. On their way, they hunted few birds and kept them in their shoulder bag. When they reached Virpur, Bapa asked them to have their meals and then go. When they protested that they were Muslims, Bapa said that in the court of God there was no distinction in caste and creed and they were welcome. The three Arabs had their meals in the temple but they were embarrassed that they were carrying dead birds in their bag. The Bapa touched the bag and said that the birds were feeling suffocated. The Arabs opened the bag and found that the birds were alive. They flew away to a nearby tree. The Arabs were amazed and understood that they were in the presence of divine person. They fell at his feet and asked whether they would get a job in Junagadh. Bapa said “What was the need to have a job in Junagadh? The Arabs serve only one master.” Just at that time, a camel man sent by Thakore of Rajkot arrived there. He took back the Arabs with him saying that Thakore has sanctioned an increment of seven rupees in their wages. There are many stories about the greatness of the saint of Virpur. Remembering the stories, we can fill the heart with devotion and gratitude. Soon his fame spread as an incarnation of the divine. Whoever come to Virpur, whether Hindu or Muslim was fed by Bapa. Once three Arabs in the service of Thakore of Rajkot demanded an increase in wages by four rupees in a month. Being refused, the Arabs resigned and set out to Junagadh. On their way, they hunted few birds and kept them in their shoulder bag. When they reached Virpur, Bapa asked them to have their meals and then go. When they protested that they were Muslims, Bapa said that in the court of God there was no distinction in caste and creed and they were welcome. The three Arabs had their meals in the temple but they were embarrassed that they were carrying dead birds in their bag. The Bapa touched the bag and said that the birds were feeling suffocated. The Arabs opened the bag and found that the birds were alive. They flew away to a nearby tree. The Arabs were amazed and understood that they were in the presence of divine person. They fell at his feet and asked whether they would get a job in Junagadh. Bapa said “What was the need to have a job in Junagadh? The Arabs serve only one master.” Just at that time, a camel man sent by Thakore of Rajkot arrived there. He took back the Arabs with him saying that Thakore has sanctioned an increment of seven rupees in their wages. There are many stories about the greatness of the saint of Virpur. Remembering the stories, we can fill the heart with devotion and gratitude.
