Excerpts from letters by Shri Padmanabhendra Swami of Alandi written to Hon. Shri Hari Sitaram Dixit of Mumbai :-

‘After taking your leave on Thursday 29th Jan, I left Shirdi and reached Alandi. After celebrating the death anniversary of Guru Maharaj on 2nd Feb, I reached Mumbai on Tuesday. There I showed the swelling behind my ear to Dr. Underwood. He ruled out the need for an operation and injected some sort of a serum and said it would suffice. The effect of Sai’s radiance and speech is so great that the mind cannot comprehend.

I had only gone for Sai’s Darshan and was immensely satisfied by it. Though many people advised me to tell Sai about my ailment, my mind did not agree.  Whatever is destined in our Karma, we should bear it with fortitude, says the Shruti. But, ultimately I asked Madhavrao Deshpande to tell Sai. As soon as Sai heard this, he lovingly said, ”Allah Bhala Karega.”  No sooner did He utter these words, the pain in my forehead stopped.

Doctors from Nagpur and Alandi had advised surgery. But, the doctor in Mumbai gave a serum injection which subsided the swelling and the ailment disappeared. Remembering all the events I feel overwhelmed.

On my first visit to Shirdi, Sai asked for Dakshina. Upon this I said, ‘‘Maharaj, I am a Sanyasi.  From where will I get money ?“After taking Darshan, I left. Later on Baba said to Deshpande, ‘‘I asked the Swami if he could offer me something; but he will not give me anything. Since he has come to me, it is I who will have to give him.” When Baba uttered these words, I was freed of the pains of my ailment. What can one say to praise this divine soul ? He is Lord Narayan in the guise of a human.

Shri Sai Leela,  Year I, Ashvin Shaké 1845 /Vol. 8

Excerpts from a letter written by Hon. Krishnarao  Narayan  Parulkar to Hon. Shri Hari Sitaram Dixit  from Harda on  17 February 1915.

Hon. Shri Saddubhaiyya received a letter from you followed by Sai Samarth’s photo brought by Shri Balakramji and Shri Muktaramji. The photo was duly installed in Saddubhaiyya’s house as advised by them and a ‘Laghurudra Pooja’ was performed.  The festivities ended with Baba’s Prasad.

The very day of the Sthapana my wife and my cousin Narayandada Jijgaonwale both received divine revelations as follows :-

Narayandada saw that he was standing in front of Baba in Shirdi, when Baba said, ‘‘I am going to Harda. You come with me.” They both came to the banks of the Godavari (Shirdi side); but the waters were flowing above the usual level. On the banks were two open sacks of wheat. Sai said to Narayandada, ‘‘How shall we go now ?”  Suddenly there were about ten bulls loaded with baggage, and a Pucca road in the water. They walked along with the bulls from the post near my house to the one near Saddubhaiyya’s house and then disappeared.

In her revelation, my wife saw Madhavrao holding a Thali with a coconut, a blouse-piece and Kumkum in it and told her, Baba had sent it.

Shri Balakramji and Shri Muktaramji are here and there is great joy during the Pooja and Aarati twice a day. With your blessings Sai gave divine Darshan and Prasad to us. We are waiting for the day Sai Samarth will send you to Harda.

 Shri Sai Leela, Year I, Paush Shaké 1845 / vol. 11 Translated into English by

Jyoti Ranjan Raut

8/A Kakad Estate, 106 Sea Face Road, Worli, Mumbai - 400 018.

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IS BABA LIVING AND HELPING NOW ?

– Compiled by Jyoti Ranjan Raut

M. H. Gopal Rao (Sai Nivas, Cement Nagar, Po. Bardol, Dist. Bargarh, Orissa.) :-

GRACE OF BABA

            In 2004, I was working in the Cement Factory situated in Bargarh Dist. Orissa. After taking voluntary retirement, I built a house ‘SAI NIVAS’ near the factory on private land. After construction, I felt an acute shortage of funds to manage my household. My son’s wedding was fixed and I did not have the requisite amount to meet the expenses.

            I tried for a personal loan in 2-3 banks; but failed for obvious reasons. All of us prayed to Sai to save us from this crisis. It was our good fortune that once while we were discussing this, a lady acquaintance dropped in and understood our problem. She asked us to go with her to the nearby Gramiya Bank and introduced us to the Bank manager, requesting him to help us with a loan. After fulfilling the necessary formalities the loan was sanctioned and our problem was solved. My L..I.C. policy matured at the same time and helped me to some extent. This is truly a miracle of Baba.

            Soon after the wedding my son and daughter-in-law got good jobs in Pune. They visited Shirdi to take Baba’s Darshan and blessings and are now leading a decent life by the grace of Baba.

            There was no Pucca road near my house Sai Nivas and so all the inhabitants of the area were facing problems daily for many years.  All of us tried to solve the problem too. Suddenly one day the Sarpanch came to our place and announced that a road would be constructed within a month and he kept his promise. Today we have a Pucca road. Thanks to the grace of Baba.

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R. Ramakrishna Rao {Block 39 A (BSP), Ruabanda Sector, Bhilai - 490 006, Chhatisgarh.}

INDELIBLE MARKS OF A SAI DEVOTEE

            a) A true Sai devotee never bothers about name, fame, money or power. He thinks Sai will take care of him and fulfil his needs. He is neither weak nor meek. He trusts Sai with his destiny. He may not be a highly literate or influential person; but his persona makes him different from others.

            I used to visit various schools of my organisation for surprise checking of cash. Since I went without prior notice, I went as a lay man and sat in the staff room waiting for the principal. The neatly dressed peon of the school saluted me (though a stranger to him) and then cleaned the photos, furniture and all the articles on the staff tables including the phone. He changed the drinking water, replaced old flowers with new ones reared and nurtured by him in the school premises and then lit incense sticks before the image of his beloved Sai. He kept a glass tumbler filled with water and a plastic photo of Sai, which got magnified in the glass tumbler. He kept a rose in a glass tumbler and also one at the feet of Sai. The whole room was filled with the fragrance and created a serene atmosphere. Besides, he did not forget to place some issues of Shri Sai Leela and the daily newspaper before me. He held the lowest rank in the school hierarchy. On subsequent visits to that particular school, I purposely went early to observe him.  I never saw him talking loudly or shouting at anybody. Upon enquiry, I gathered that the entire school staff including the principal respected him. Even the children called him ‘Uncle’.

            b) Every month I visit a particular hair dressing saloon. There are many others in the area; but this hair dresser is different. In his shop, smoking is not allowed.  “Those who object are free to go elsewhere,” he says. He also request his customers to remove their shoes before entering the shop, since he thinks of it as his temple of Sai. Devotional songs of Sai are played in a low tone.

            I once asked him, whether he was not bothered about all his strict rules affecting his business. He said, when his daily ration is being sent by Sai, why should he worry ? Whatever is in store for him will definitely come, and whatever was not in his destiny wouldn’t.

            On another visit he told me an old proverb, ‘‘Maro so jave nahin, jave so maro nahin’’ which meant ‘‘Whatever is mine will not go away, what goes away was never mine.’’ People who live on this simple precept will never face any tension or distress.

            These are ordinary people, who are Sai devotees first and last. They feel, they are mere tools in Sai’s hands. I have never seen them morose, murmuring, shouting or speaking loudly before others. They are not conspicuous, we have to spot them and identify them. Are these not sufficient indelible marks of a Sai devotee ?                                                                                

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N. S. Anantha Ramu (No. 135, Sri Sai Darshan, II Main AG’s Colony, Ananda Nagar, Bangalore - 560 024.) :-

            I have had the good fortune to translate the Sai Satcharita into Kannada and eleven editions have so far been printed by the Sai Sansthan Trust.  Baba has blessed me completely in various ways and I shall narrate two such instances of Baba’s manifestation. A few others shall follow...

            a)  In 1980, when I visited Shirdi I took a photograph of Baba’s Padukas with Shraddha and Saburi, which was instantly blessed by Baba. In the accompanying photo one can see Baba has emerged in the middle of the Padukas clearly.   This is certainly a miracle and what more proof is needed to say Baba is living and helping now ? 

            b) The second one is even more interesting and awesome. My wife had purchased some Rangoli and put it in a plastic basin on 31st August 2001. This was kept in the veranda beneath the photo of Baba, as it was heavy and she could not lift it. So it lay there all night. Suddenly around 4.30 in the morning, I got up and put on the light in the veranda. I saw some hand-impression on the Rangoli.  I told my wife that Baba had imprinted his ‘Abhaya-hasta‘ and again tried to sleep; but in vain.

            I got up and after washing my face and feet lit the lamp in the Pooja room reciting Suprabhata. I also lit some incense sticks and waved them before Baba. Suddenly I noticed Baba had written ‘Om’ on the Hasta.

            Is it not a wonder and proof of Baba’s still living and helping from the Mahasamadhi ?

            Thus I am indeed completely blessed by Baba.

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