Month: October 2020

Once a General Manager of a Tata Company was travelling by the same flight as Sai. He was seated besides Sai and asked Him whether He is a Saint or a Maharaj, as He looks like one. Sai replied in the affirmative and clarified that He is a Dharam Guru and not the types who put up tents on footpath and preach. Sai told him that just like you have responsibility of your children, same way I have the responsibility of looking after my devotees! This tradition, this Holy Seat (Gaddi) is about 3 centuries old. Some devotees of our Darbar are followers since 10 to 15 generations. This responsibility is not like that of godmen who hold your hand by the day and vanish in the night!

Explaining to us the glory of a Guru, Sai once said that it is much superior to rituals like fasting or going to places of pilgrimage. It is also superior to the stone known as paras, as paras can convert only iron to gold, but a Guru can uplift anyone to His own level!

A Guru shows the way to lead an enriched and a happy life. He explains to us the meaning, the purpose of life, enhances our fortunes and helps us cross over the ocean of life smoothly. 

Sai also added that a true devotee must follow the sayings of his Guru. A doctor can only advice the right medicine, but it is the patient who has to take it! Once a Guru asked His devotee to eat a ladoo, the devotee said no, as he had diabetes. Over!
We must understand that a Guru has the power to even send back the agents of death, He is supreme, we must have full faith and follow Him unquestioningly. He can only show us the way, but we have to walk on it. Even while holding a bright lantern in our hand, we still fall in a dark pit as we do not follow what our Guru is saying. A Guru always shows the path of righteousness to His devotees!

When any devotee asks Sai for Naam, He asks is Naam some kind of a commodity that can be sold or bought?
Sai adds that nowadays so many of them have opened shops for selling Naam. They advertise in newspapers the place, date, day, time, etc where 25000 people will be given Naam. Many people fall prey, come and wait in queue for the same. Sai asks, is this the way to give Naam?
He says it is a very valuable mantra, the meaning and purpose of which is proper concentration of the mind. Naam is like a priceless gem, which we have to link to the mind for our spiritual progress!
Placing supreme importance to Naam, Sai reminds us that it cannot be compared to any ordinary jewels or ornaments. Just like we hide our jewellery in a locker, we must preserve Naam in our hearts and throughout the day, as much as possible, keep chanting the same. This alone shall help us cross the ocean of life safely and attain divinity to reach the abode of Lord!

In 1987, there was a gathering of Akhil Bhartiya Sindhi Sadhu Samaj in Indore, where a minister too had been invited. Sai saw that although there were so many Saints of high stature on the dias, the minister did not even remove his footwear before coming up. Sai quietly got up and alongwith His devotees simply left from there.
Once in Jaipur too, during a Sindhi Saints’ function, a politician had been invited, who after delivering his speech wanted to leave immediately. The senior Saints urged him to stay back for some time, listen to the words of the Saints in the form of blessings, but he refused and got up to leave. The senior Saints too got up to escort him and other Saints were left alone on the stage!
When Sai heard this, He queried as to why subject the greatness of the Saints to such situations? Our Shastras show that a Saint, a Guru is also a form of the Lord himself! The glory of a Saint is said to be superior to that of the Lord! This is because it is He who shows us the path towards Him and ensures our union with Him!