Shraddha and Saburi

The two-word magic and the theme of every success story
Having complete ‘Faith’ in the work is the first step to glory
The second is possessing ‘Perseverance’ to achieve the target
Our Sai said, the mine of virtues of life which none should forget  
 
Rich or poor, all are equal in the eyes of the Almighty
He first assesses our complete knowledge and ability
He then gives instructions without unsettling our mind
Our Sai said, to everyone of us God is always very kind
 
The preaching and sermons of a teacher are clear and loud
He pours down knowledge profusely like a monsoon cloud
One has to assimilate it all and serve others without reserve
Our Sai said, only then human values everyone can preserve
 
To a student the teacher needn’t impart hymns or magic
For a worthy student to acquire all the legacy of his logic
Be it in his physical presence or at times during his absence
Our Sai said, He always transfers his love and its essence
 
A teacher always imparts impartial spiritual instruction
He opens our intellect to show the art of discrimination
To develop dispassion to all materialistic possession
Our Sai said, follow the instruction through confession 
 
For every student his teacher is a love incarnate
Into his heart the teacher’s vision will penetrate
The ‘Faith’ that he has in his teacher should be immense
Our Sai said, the goal is achieved through ‘Perseverance’
 
Meditation is the source to the knowledge of the self
Its pursuit will prevent from all thoughts that engulf
Mind then focuses on a point where the faith concentrates
Our Sai said, with blissful spiritual energy the mind resonates
 
Committed inspiration generated through conviction
With steadfast love to your work as the only option
Constant endeavor and patience displayed through actions
Our Sai said, to reach your goals form the basic definitions
 
Never turn away anybody from your door
Human or animal none of them you ignore
To everyone you be an epitome of compassion
Our Sai said, see God in all to attain salvation  
 
Knowledge of the six Shastras is not necessary
Or any form of Yogic practices is compulsory
Faith and Perseverance in him you should reiterate
Our Sai said, He will then appear as God incarnate 
 
Truly guided inspiration is necessary from the inner zone
Without a ‘Master’ all efforts to gain wisdom are begone
One has to invert the materialistic sense organs demands
Our Sai said, it is possible only through his apt commands  

Sai Prayer

When we wake up, ‘Sai’ should be the first one
In our thoughts before the day’s work we begin
To solve all our problems then it makes us sane
Our Sai one with us, it relieves us from all pain
 
When we stand up, ‘Sai’ we think of Your name
It prevents us from falling in this big life game
Strengthens and prepares us to put every step forward
Our Sai one with us, it pushes back within us the coward
 
When we are talking, ‘Sai’ your wisdom we put to use
It helps us to be coherent, unwanted ideas will cease
All that we speak to realize our dreams will come true
Our Sai one with us, in all dealings we will be through
 
When we walk, ‘Sai’, in our mind you are like our shadow
Your presence with us converts our path into a meadow
No pitfalls or no hurdles, all along the journey is very smooth
Our Sai one with us, we can locate our destination of truth
 
When we work, ’Sai’ we put to use all your knowledge
Then successfully all our assignments we can manage
Without stress and worry, it aids us build a great career
Our Sai one with us, it keeps the atmosphere in a cheer 
 
When we eat, ‘Sai’ each of the grain is your boon
Be it at night, in the morning or in the afternoon
With each morsel, it is double the energy that we gain
Our Sai one with us, and always healthy we will remain 
 
When we think, ‘Sai’, at the back, your advice does blink
Cautioning us of the inevitable that may cause us to sink
Overcoming all the barriers it drives us in the right direction
Our Sai one with us, it’s an automatic process of correction
 
When we breathe, ‘Sai’ it’s air and your thought we inhale
It purifies our complete body our sins are what we exhale
This soul is a home for this body only as long as you order
Our Sai one with us, your cure lets it to be a happy boarder
 
When we sleep, ‘Sai’, you escort us into our dreams
Happy, sweet, soothing and gentle are all the themes
You thus divert us to overhaul and cleanse our bodies in full
Our Sai one with us, and we wake up again with a clean soul
 
Every second, we should pray to you with love
Riddle of life and death, only then we can resolve
Sense of your thought results in immense confidence
Our Sai one with us, it prevents us from being tense 

Benediction

May everybody who is wicked be turned good
A wicked mind is always in a destructive mood
Wickedness is refusal to accept our inner existent evil
Our Sai, we beseech you to drive out this dirty devil
 
May everybody who is good attain eternal peace
Their obligations invite problems without release
It results in mental worries and immense stress
Our Sai, we beseech you to avert such distress  
 
May everybody who is peaceful be freed from all bondage
En route self-realization one has to reduce his luggage
Relinquishing physical possessions and passion for treasure
Our Sai, we beseech you to bestow blissful spiritual pleasure 
 
May everybody who is freed from all bondage redeem others
Once free from bondages, our eyes identify all those in bothers
Realizing them as one with us, soul starts to gather spiritual treasure
Our Sai, we beseech you to strengthen us to relieve sufferer’s pressure
 
May everybody who redeem others bothers, be always happy
One who redeems others, acquires the power of divine therapy
The treatment begins by identifying the infection and not those infected
Our Sai, we beseech you to empower us to happily keep them protected
 
May everybody be free from disease and overcome difficulties
Through faith and perseverance in God we perform all duties
May everybody have good fortune and realize their ambitions
Our Sai, we beseech you to elevate the state of our cognition   

Devotees of our Sai 

By giving ‘Sai’ a name he became immortal
His faith and perseverance to Sai’s path was total
He was Mhalsapati, Sai addressed him as Bhagat
Blessed was his devotion, none like him we can get 
 
Mhalsapati first person to realize Sai and his real worth
He initiated ‘Sai Pooja’, now a practice all over the earth
With Sai’s body on his lap he set an example of a true disciple
He awaited his soul for three days with respect to Sai’s appeal
 
Solely spiritual, his life was very simple
The time he spent with Sai was ample
Privileged to live with Sai till his end
Mhalsapathi you remain a legend  
 
Sai always called you ‘Shama’, a loving name
Through devotion it attained you eternal fame
Sai said for 72 generations they had been together
He used to guide all those to Sai who were in a bother
 
To break the myth about the disease thought of as alarming
Sai used to ask Bhagoji to give a body massage every morning
Sai cured his leprosy considered, a disease deadly and contagious
Bhagoji had the rare privilege to render regular umbrella service
 
Even god has a mother, though not by giving birth
A lady who used to feed Sai daily until his last breath
Lakshmi Bai was given Nine Coins just before Sai’s demise
A symbol of nine forms of devotion as interpreted by the wise
 
Blessed are the five homes and each of its family
From whose doorstep the Lord sought alms daily
Vaman Gondkar, Vaman Sakharam, and Bayaja Bai
Appa Kote and Nandaram in history your names stay 
 
Be it a dacoit or a cop to bring Your incarnation to fame
Like for The Ramayan You chose sage Valmiki’s name
You assigned the task to a cop-poet-saint Das Ganu this time
His narration of the saga of Sai was like music from a chime 
 
Be it Bhakta Leelamrit or Sant-Kathamrit
To hear your compositions was a great treat
He received intellectual and divine support from Sai
In composing Isha Upanishad and Sai Stavanmanjari.
 
Singing Sai’s messages made the poet saint immortal
To make Sai a household name his devotion was total
His faith and perseverance in Sai was so immense and sweet
His quest of a holy dip in ‘Prayag’ was fulfilled from Sai’s feet 
 
The perception of the Lord before him turned him ecstatic
He started to sing God’s glory thorough an instant lyric
He is an evidence of those who realized God and blessed is this land
Oh! Great Sai bard, we decorate you in our thoughts with a garland
 
A legend in whom Sai resided to write his own “Granth”
He was Dabholkar sweetly named as “Hemand panth”
He was an intellect and also an egoistic person in mind
Clearing all doubts indirectly this man Sai could mends  
 
His wish to compile the biography of Sai as a book
Leaving his ego at Baba’s feet he sincerely undertook
Necessity of a ‘Master’, first he was made to understand
Then he completed what is now an ‘epic’ in every stand
 
He built his career through hard work and commitment
Grew to be a magistrate, to show that he was intelligent
In 1916, with ‘Our Sai’, he decided he would stay
With faith and perseverance, he always used to pray 

About Sai Samadhi

On 28th September 1918, Baba suffered a mild attack of fever which lasted for a few days, but afterwards Baba stopped taking food and thereby grew very weak.  Butty felt dejected, wondering whether Baba would live to even see the completed Wada. The whole construction seemed pointless to him if Baba was not going to remain there in his body. 
 
However, Baba was to move into the Wada in a way that had not been foreseen by others. Baba's health rapidly deteriorated and on Tuesday; the 15th of October 1918, Baba said that He did not feel well there (in the Masjid) and that He should be taken to the Dagadi (stone) Wada of Butty, where He would be alright. Saying these last words, He leaned on Bayaji's body  at around 2:15 PM our Sai decided to shift his location into the Samadhi and continue to fulfill the requirements of his devotees from the Samadhi. It was the day of Vijayadashmi but the auspicious thithi of Ekadashi had arrived when Baba’s Soul was liberated from his body.
 
After a few hours, the question as to what to do with Baba’s mortal remains arose. Some Muslims requested that the body of Sai Baba be kept in Samadhi, outside the mosque in the open space. Khushal Chand and Amir Shakkar also supported this. But the village officer, Mr. Ramachander Patil took a firm decision that Baba’s Samadhi should be in Butty Wada only. Discussion regarding this went on till Wednesday.
 
Finally, paying due respect to Baba's last words,  everyone decided to place Baba's body in the Wada. Then in the evening around 04:00 pm, it was decided to bathe Baba's body which was kept on a handcart the whole night. When they tried to remove Baba's Kafni, the hands bent as usual. In ordinary cases the limbs cannot be bent as they stiffen.
 
Baba’s body was laid on a big table before Dwarakamai, and potfuls of water were poured on the body with devotion.  After that they spread a white cloth on the body and placed flowers, sandalwood and akshatas (rice) over the cloth. A grave, six feet in length was dug in Butty Wada’s central portion. The body was taken into Butty Wada in a procession to the sounds of various musical instruments.
 
First, the broken brick of Baba was further broken into smaller pieces and placed in the grave and on that soft beds were spread. Dixit, Butty, Shama and Mhalsapati gently lifted the body. A few of them got into the grave and from below held the body and it was slowly lowered and was rested. The head side went down first. The entire body was lowered and rested on the soft beds. Rose water and perfumes were sprayed on the body. Thirty-six hours after he had left his body, Baba was finally interred.
 
Certain personal articles were buried with him: the broken brick, now mended with gold and silver wire, one of his satkas, a chillum, needle and cotton thread (Baba would mend his clothes until they were a mass of repairs, a cause of affectionate amusement among devotees), some spices to preserve the body, and an old cloth bag containing a green kafni and a cap, which Baba never allowed anyone to touch.
 
The burial was completed on Thursday early in the morning. At 05:00 pm in the evening, after the Samadhi, Bapu Saheb Jog and Laxman Mama gave Sandhya aarti in Butty temple for the first time.
 
Nanavalli, who was like ‘Baba’s life’, watched the Samadhi from a distance. He stopped taking food from that day and died on the 13th day.
 
Das Ganu, after reaching Shirdi on Thursday morning, performed sankeertan for two days near the Samadhi of Baba and he fed a large number of people.
 
Baba Saheb Bhate and Upasini Baba of Sakori Ashram performed the last rites of Baba. Where Butty wanted to install the idol of Sri Krishna, Baba’s Samadhi came up.

This way Baba became Muralidhar. 

Immortal words of our Sai

Our Sai’s devotees always draw their strength and faith from his following quotes.

1. Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi soil, their sufferings will come to an end.
    
2. The wretched and miserable will rise to joy and happiness as soon as they climb the steps of my Samadhi.
    
3. I shall be ever active and vigorous even after leaving this earthly body.
    
4. My tomb shall bless and speak to the needs of my devotees. 
      
5. I shall be active and vigorous even from my tomb.
    
6. My mortal remains will speak from my tomb.
    
7. I am ever living to help and guide all who come to me, who surrender to me and who seek refuge in me.
    
8. If you look to me, I look to you.
    
9. If you cast your burden on me, I shall surely bear it.
    
10. If you seek my advice and help, it shall be given to you at once.
     
11. There shall be no want in the house of my devotee.

Om Sri Sainathaynamah  

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would prostrate before ‘Our Sai’ for giving me the strength and fortitude to complete this project. When my to-do list piled up higher and higher and there was no end in sight, He was the one who was in me through all the stressful times. The composition was possible through His blissful presence in my soul.

The first person to appreciate this project and boost my confidence has been my sister-in-law Dr. Anuradha Veluri. She was the only person who has been constantly enquiring about the progress of this anthology since the day I shared with her about my oath to compose it. I don’t want to thank her as it would be a very small way to express my gratitude to her and her family. I prostrate before her to seek her blessings and I send my love and blessings to her two ‘gems’ - Tej and Abhi who have been a source of encouragement for what we are today.
 
I thank Ms. Manasi Sapre for her beautiful birthday gift of a pen with which I have composed the anthology. 

When I was waiting outside the Passport Office in a helpless state with our future at stake, it was our Sai (It was at this moment I thought about writing an anthology on Sai) who has brought the Regional Passport Officer (RPO) out of his office wherein I could get the opportunity to speak to him about my problem. He immediately took up the matter and rendered timely help. I wish to thank the RPO, Hyderabad, India for his timely help. 

I thank Mrs. Vedavathy, Mrs. Sujatha and seek their blessings for their constant encouragement.
 
I thank Prof. Subrahmanyam, Dr. Kameswari, Mr.Gopala Krishna, Mrs. Janaki, Mr. CH. Sastry, Mrs. Subbalakshmi, Mr.C. Srirama Murthy, Mrs.Vasundhara, Mr. M. Satyanarayana, Mrs.Bharathi and all their children in whose association I could retain my value system in life to undertake such a project. May Sai give them all the health, wealth and prosperity throughout their life.   
 
And during the composition of such a project I cannot keep this person out of this page - Mr. Satish who stood by me during my times of trouble and took care of all my commitments. May Sai give him all the health, wealth and prosperity throughout his life.  
 
Acknowledgements to my friend Prof. Anil K. Prasad 

Fragrance of knowledge
Perfume in a bud
Hidden inside a pocket
What would one expect?
Fragrance spread
From the person instead
Everyone will approve
Is the conclusion true?
No, they are misled
To be truly read
One has to understand
The perfume is grand
It is only carried
You are the perfume bud
Giving fragrance to this head

It was difficult times for us and loneliness was taking us over. It’s very difficult to get a trustworthy friend these days in this materialistic world. At that time a friend entered into our lives, though it is late in our lives, we thought God has given us a nice friend Prof. Anil K Prasad. He was the main source of encouragement and without his constant suggestions and scholarship it would have been impossible to complete this project. I shall attribute the ownership of lot of thoughts in this compilation to this friend of ours.
 
The unseen force behind this Anthology - Madhavi

Her influence is unseen
Its action is visible
Her faith is so strong
The outcome is visible
Her love is mine
I am still visible
In duty
In work
Only due to her courage and sweetness
...
Vocabulary not discovered as yet
...
All requirements for life's completeness

I thank all my well-wishers and all those people who either directly or indirectly helped me to compose this anthology.