Among the teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi there are the cardinal principles of Sai Path called 'Shraddha' and 'Saburi'. Sai Baba looks for these two qualities in his devotees.
Baba reiterates the spiritual guidance of Shri Krishna to Arjun - "Whosoever offer to Me with love or devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that offering of pure love is readily accepted by Me".
Himself an epitome of compassion and love, Sai Baba taught compassion among his disciples. Baba often told His devotees, 'Never turn away anybody from your door, be it a human being or animal'.
He lived in the cusp of two centuries i.e., between 1838 and 1918.
Baba preached his principle of love and faith in humanity to all his disciples. He always felt anguished over the fact that all those who came to him were more for their own personal problems and not for attaining the ultimate goal of reaching God which he felt could be attained only by true servicing of humanity.
He never distinguished anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion. He always made it a point not to return empty handed those who had come to him in their hour of need and grief. He performed miracles to alleviate the suffering of poor people. On one occasion he restored the eyes of a blind elderly and in another occasion he lighted a lantern with water when there was no oil to burn it.
Baba left his body on his own will on 15th Oct. 1918.
The immense Energy that was manifest in the body of Sai was moving and is still moving in a mysterious way, creating and recreating itself everywhere, beyond the comprehension of time and space. He radiated a mysterious smile and a deep inward look, of a peace that passeth all understanding. He was always and ever aware of what transpired within the hearts and minds of everyone, whether they be, His devotees or not. He came to serve mankind, to free them from the clutches of fear.
His most concise message for one and all alike was "Why fear when I am here". To take refuge in Sai, is to enter into a journey to reach the Divine Oasis of Love and drink deep from the Fountain of Life, the source of all Spiritual Energy. Wherever the devotee is, Baba makes him recognize within himself his highest aspirations and goal and at one stroke, his conduct and the attitude to fellow beings is touched with the awareness of love, understanding, patience and faith. This is the promise that Sri Sai Baba holds out to all who come to Him. Sri Sai Baba was beyond the limitations of Time and Space and thus caste, creed, position dogmas and doctrines were fundamentally unimportant to him.
To the Hindus he was an orthodox Brahmin, with a sacred fire, enjoining the worship of many gods and the devout study of various Hindu scriptures. He lived in a mosque but always referred to it as "Dwarkamai!" (Lord Krishna's birth place is Dwaraka). To the Moslems he was a fakir living in a mosque observing the disciplines of Islam, uttering "Allah Malik" (God is the master) guiding Muslim seekers along the lines of their own religion. To the Parsis he was the sacred fire worshipper. His life was a living manifestation of the Sermon of the Christ and of the Eight-fold path of the Buddha.
Sai Baba's attraction and appeal lie in this fact that he was a perfect model of the harmony of all religions. Sai Baba lived to awaken and lead mankind to the verities of spiritual life. All his life's activities constituted the upliftment of mankind. By first conferring temporal benefits, he drew unto himself countless souls caught up in ignorance (darkness) and opened their eyes to the true meaning of life. The miracles which manifested through Sai Baba were just such as were needed to create faith in the people and to make his devotees ethically and spiritually better evolved. Baba did not purposefully perform miracles to show his powers. The very strength of his perfect realization, in its interaction with nature, caused "the miracle" to take place. Thus he drew people from their deluded pursuits after earthly objects of a transitory nature and induced and inspired them to strive for self-realization. He continued this glorious work until the last moment of his human embodiment in Shirdi.
Amazingly, there are a phenomenally large number of Instances in which Sai Baba has been literally physically appearing before his devotees, even decades after his passing out of the physical body. Sai Baba is constantly and simultaneously proving that he is alive in spirit and responds to our sincere prayers. He Is the One Spirit of all existence. All those who sincerely take to a life of inner development, Sai Baba lifts him to a
higher level. Baba assured his devotees by his saying "I am at Shirdi and everywhere. Whatever you do, wherever you may be, ever bear this in mind, that I am always aware of everything". Sai Baba does not belong to any single tradition but to all mankind on the path of goodness, love and understanding.
The divine role of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi in the present embodiment covered a period of about 64 years between 1854, when He made his first appearance in Shirdi, and 1918 when he left His body. However, his sixty years of stay at Shirdi on his second appearance between 1858 and 1918 manifested the depth and expansiveness of his unique role. India was in a cross - road of cultural and religious mix. The Mughal Empire was vanishing and the British Empire was establishing itself. Western culture and Christianity were slowly
entering into the mainstream of Indian life. Religious and cultural intolerance were raising their ugly heads in the Post Sepoy-Mutiny Scenario of India. It could not have been possible for any leader or statesman to bring about harrnony among the divergent religious, cultural groups in such a situation. It was only a God in human form who could dare and accomplish the task of bringing unity between the different religious and social groups.Shri Sai baba had large number of Hindu, Parsee and Muslim devotees. Christians and Sikhs also used to visit Him.
- He practiced and preached humanism and universal brotherhood.
- He established the superiority of love and compassion above egoism.
- He taught simplicity of livelihood and excellence of human virtue reflected in day to day conduct
Today, the world is looking ahead for a magical solution to its problems of cultural, racial, national and religious differentiation. All intellectual exercises to bring about peace in -the world and happiness to mankind has failed for these efforts are not based on humanism, universalism and love as taught by Shri Sai. The body of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi cannot be seen but the magnetic pull of His Divine Soul is felt by all those who merely think of Him and particularly, those who visit His tomb at Shirdi. Baba had promised that whosoever would put his feet on the soil of Shirdi; his miseries would end or marginalize.
All devotees of Baba find His promise come true, even eighty years after He left the mortal body. In today’s world the children of God, torn asunder by religious, social and sectarian strife, should run to the father to experience that love which can only unite them. Human beings may conquer all the planets and stars before they learn the magic formula to conquer the hearts of their fellow beings. The formula has been given by the Master. It is for us to follow to make the world a better place to live.
*Shirdi Sai Baba Sayings *
· Why fear when I am here?
· I am formless and everywhere
· I am in everything and beyond. I fill all space.
· All that you see taken together is Myself.
· If one devotes their entire time to me and rests in me, need fear nothing for body and soul.
· If one sees me and me alone and listens to my Leelas and is devoted to me alone, they will reach God.
· I get angry with none. Will a mother get angry with her children? Will the ocean send back the waters to the several rivers?
· I will take you to the end.
· If you make me the sole object of your thoughts and aims, you will gain the supreme goal.
· Trust in the Guru fully. That is the only sadhana.
· Stay by me and keep quiet. I will do the rest.
· What is our duty? To behave properly. That is enough.
· My eye is ever on those who love me.
· Whatever you do, wherever you may be, always bear this in mind: I am always aware of everything you do.
· I will not allow my devotees to come to harm.
· If a devotee is about to fall, I stretch out my hands to support him or her.
· I think of my people day and night. I say their names over and over.
· My treasury is open but no one brings carts to take from it. I say, "Dig!" but no one bothers.
· My people do not come to me of their own accord; it is I who seek and bring them to me.
· All that is seen is my form: ant, fly, prince, and pauper
· However distant my people may be, I draw them to me just as we pull a bird to us with a string tied to its foot.
· Those who think that Baba is only in Shirdi have totally failed to know me.
· I look on all with an equal eye.
· The wise are cheerful and content with their lot in life.
· Spend money in charity; be generous and munificent but not extravagant.
· Get on with your worldly activities cheerfully, but do not forget God.
· Whatever creature comes to you, human or otherwise, treat it with consideration.
· See the divine in the human being.
· Do not bark at people and don't be aggressive, but put up with others' complaints.
· There is a wall of separation between oneself and others and between you and me. Destroy this wall!
· Give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothes to the naked. Then God will be pleased.
· Saburi (patience) ferries you across to the distant goal.
· The four sadhanas and the six Sastras are not necessary. Just has complete trust in your guru: it is enough.
· Meditate on me either with form or without form, that is pure bliss.
· God is not so far away. He is not in the heavens above, nor in hell below. He is always near you.
· If anyone gets angry with another, they wound me to the quick.
· I stay by the side of whoever repeats my name.
· If formless meditation is difficult, then think of my form just as you see it here. With such meditation, the difference between subject and object is lost and the mind dissolves in unity.
· If anyone offends you do not return tit for tat.
· Whoever makes me the sole object of their love, merges in me like a river in the ocean.
· Look to me and I will look to you.
· Be contented and cheerful with what comes.
· Distinguish right from wrong and be honest, upright and virtuous.
· Do not be idle: work, utter God's name and read the scriptures.
· If you avoid rivalry and dispute, God will protect you.
· People abuse their own friends and family, but it is only after performing many meritorious acts that one gets a human birth. Why then come to Shirdi and slander people?
· No one wants to take from me what I give abundantly.
· Do not fight with anyone, nor retaliate, nor slander anyone.
· I give my devotees whatever they ask, until they ask for what I want to give.
· You should not stay for even one second at a place where people are speaking disrespectfully of a saint.
· If you do not want to part with what you have, do not lie and claim that you have nothing, but decline politely saying that circumstances or your own desires prevent you.
· Satsang that is associating with the good is good. Dussaya, or associating with evil-minded people, is evil and must be avoided.
· What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get.
· Recognize the existence of the Moral Law as governing results. Then unswervingly follow this Law.
· All gods are one. There is no difference between a Hindu and a Muslim. Mosque and temple are the same.
· Fulfill any promises you have made.
· Mukti is impossible for those addicted to lust.
· Gain and loss, birth and death are in the hands of God.
· When you see with your inner eye, then you realize that you are God and not different from Him.
· The giver gives, but really he is sowing the seed for later: the gift of a rich harvest.
· Wealth is really a means to work out dharma. If one uses it merely for personal enjoyment, it is vainly spent.
· God will show His love. He is kind to all.
· Whenever you undertake to do something, do it thoroughly or not at
all.
· One's sin will not cease till one falls at the feet of Sadhus.
· Be ashamed of your hatred. Give up hatred and be quiet.
· The Moral Law is inexorable, so follow it, observe it, and you will reach your goal: God is the perfection of the Moral Law.
· Have faith and patience. Then I will be always with you wherever
you are.
SAI BABA KI AARTI
