Shri Sainath Stavan manjari

The greatest sevak of Sai , Das Ganu writes in praise of Saibaba

Shri Sainath Stavan Manjari

A Humble tribute of praise to Shri Sainath

- Originally written By Das Ganu Maharaj

Translated by Zarine madam and edited by Indra Kher.

I bow down to Shri Ganesh
Oh, Mayureswara , you are the one on whom we depend,
Oh, Son of GAURI, the all-knowing,
Oh, You inconceivable one,
You with an immeasurable belly,
Protect me, oh, Shri Ganapathi

You are the first and foremost of all Ganas
and of all the deities;
Therefore, you are called “Ganesh”
You are acknowledged by all the “shastras” ( sacred books )
You of sacred countenance, oh, Balachandra

Oh, Sharada, Goddess of Speech!
You are the mistress of the realm of words;
Because of your existence,
All worldly transactions are carried on.

You are the deity revered by all authors;
You are eternally the pride of this nation;
Your infinite power prevails everywhere.
I bow to you, Jagadambe

You are the Supreme Spirit and beloved of the saints!
Incarnation in human form of Pandhariraya
You are the ocean of kindness and infinite compassion;
Oh Panduranga Narahari!

You, who control the world like a puppeteer with his strings,
You are omnipresent;
All the sciences and sacred books are still delving
To plumb the essence of your nature.
Those who are pedagogues,
To them, you are not revealed, oh Chakrapani,
All those foolish people
Only indulge in the jugglery of words.

Only the saints understand you
Others remain baffled.
To you, my obeisance,
Respectful and with my whole body
prostrate in veneration before you.

Oh, You, five - headed Shankara
Oh, You, wearer of garland of skulls,
Oh, You, blue - throated Digmbara
Oh, You, Brahmarupa pashupati !

One who receits your name all the time,
His worldly adversities are immediately dissolved
Such is, oh Dhurjati
The power of your name.

With obeisance at your feet,
I am writing this paean of praise;
Help me always to complete this mission,
Oh, you, Nilakantha - the blue - throated one!

Now, let me bow to the son of Atri ( Dattatreya )
To the family deity of Indira ( Vishnu )
To Tukaram and all other saints;
So, also, to all the devotees.

Hail, Hail to you, Sainath,
Redeemer of sinners and merciful one!
I lay my head down at your feet;
Now give me your protection.

You are the whole world, the abode of bliss;
You, yourself, are Vishnu, the paragaon among men;
One whose wife is Uma!
You are also that enemy of Cupid.

You are God in human form!
You are the sun in the sky of knowledge!
You are the ocean of kindness!
You are the anti-dote for worldly maladies!

You are the CHINTAMANI of the poor and the down-trodden!
You are the divine purifer (Ganges river) for your devotees!
You are the raft for those drowning in worldliness!
You are the refuge of the timid.

You are the very cause of this creation!
That which is pure Chaitanya !
You are that Oh, very treasure of compassion;
The universe is only one of your leelas.

You are not born!
Death also does not affect you!
This is the final conclusion
Which one arrives at, after thoughtful search.

Birth and death,
These concepts are born of ignorance !
From both you are free
Oh, Lord, of course!

If water appears as a spring,
Does it imply that its source is there ?
It existed already, full and flush,
Merely sprang up from within the earth.

Water that springs up in a hollow
Is, therefore, so described or named;
A "spring" becomes its proper name.
Without the water, it is only a hollow.

To spring up and to dry up and disappear,
This is not the nature of water;
Because the water of the spring
Has no importance for the hollow it fills.

It is only the hollow that is mistakenly proud
Of itself, rather than the water that filled it.
Therefore, when the water dries up
The hollow becomes impoverished.

The human body is really like the hollow water bed;
The spirit (pure energy) is like the pure clean water of the spring;
Although there are innumerable such hollows
The essence is the same in everyone.

Until now, who are without a beginning,
I say to you, merciful one,
To destroy the mountain of ignorance
Please become the thunderbolt of Indra!

Until now, such hollow (beings)
Have existed in large numbers, on this earth.
Many more exist even now,
And, in the future, as time goes by, many more will come.

Each such hollow (being)
Is given a separate and different name and appearnce;
That is how, in this world,
They are identified.

Therefore, to distinguish that spirit
In terms of “you and me” is not proper;
Because, as there is no duality
That itself is most surely, the Spirit

And, since the Spirit
Truly encompasses the whole world,
Then, the "you and me" the duality concept,
How can it possibly be entertained?

Water latent in the clouds
Is all the same;
But when it descends upon the earth,
It assumes different forms.

That which falls in the Godavari bed
Is known as the (sacred) River Godavari;
That which falls into a well
Does not have the same worthiness or prestige.

Saints are the river Godavari,
And, you are the water in it
We are the puddles, wells and lakes;
That is the difference between us.

For the fulfilments of our lives
We must surrender to you,
Always, with folded hands,
Because you are the embodiment of piety.

It is due to its water - bed
That the waters of Godavari have become holy;
Considered merely as water,
It’s the same everywhere.

The bed of Godavari
That is considered as truly sacred,
Owes all its sanctity
To the quality of the land through which it flows
The water latent in the clouds
Does not alter that part of the earth on which it falls;
Yet, that very part of the earth,
Is called Godavari (or pure) by the scholars
of the sacred books.
Where the water has fallen elsewhere,
It has acquired the qualities of the soil on those places;
Contaminated, bitter, salty it becomes
Though originally sweet.

Same is the case with you, oh, Gururaya,
In whom there is no impurity of the six vices,
To that holy form
This title, “Saint” is befitting.

Therefore saints are Godavari
So full of grace;
Amongst all the beings
Your place is the highest!

From the beginning of creation
Godavari has been in existence;
It has been full of water
And it has never lacked it till today.

Look, the enemy of RAVAN
Came to the banks of the Godavari
But it’s water has flowd
And the water at present is not the same as old water.

The bed alone remains the same,
The water have flowed into the ocean,
The sancity is eternal
Of the river - bed, to this day.

Each year,
The old waters go and the new
Flow into the river bed;
It’s the law, as you know.

A century is like a year.
The sages of that century
Are like the flowing waters
While the great souls are like the waves on the water.

Of these saints who are like Godavari,
In the early centuries,
There was a great flood
of sanat - sanak - sananda

Followed by narada and tumber
Dhurva, Prahlad, powerful king Bali,
Shabari, Angad, Vayukumar,
Vidur, Gope - Gopika

Thus, many came the present time
In each of the centuries of the past;
The floods came repeatedly,
Which I am unable to recount.
In this present century,
The sacred Godavari
Has for certain flooded this land
In your form, Oh, Sainath!
Therefore at your divine feet
I make obeisance;
Maharaj, of my faults
Take no notice, I plead.

I am a poor, wretched, ignorant man,
The greatest of sinners;
Ridden with vices,
But do not cast me off!

The inherent defects of iron
Are ignored by "parisa"
The small streams of the village, Lendi and ohol
Are not rejected by the Godavari.

I am full of vices within.
By your merciful glance,
Do, do quickly destroy them.
This, only, is the plea of "Das"

If after coming in contact with the “parisa”!
The iron’s inherent defects
Do not change, Guruvara,
Then, it is to the discredit of the “parisa”!

Don’t let me be a sinner
Don’t belittle yourself,
Look, you are ‘parisa’, I am the iron;
My discharge is your concern too.
A child always commits mistakes,
But a mother does not scold;
Remembering this,
Grant me your grace.
Oh, Sadguru Sainath,
You are my "Kalpataru" !
You are the means for crossing this worldly ocean,
you alone are so - undoubtedly.
You are "Kamdhenu"!
You are "Chintamani"!
You are the sun in the sky of knowledga,
You are great mine of virtues!
Oh, you are the ladder to heaven!

Oh, pious, purest one,
Oh, embodiment of peace and bliss,
Oh, the Supreme Self,
Oh, the non-dual one, the ocean of knowledge;
Oh, incarnation of the Supreme wisdom, the best among men,
Oh, abode of forgiveness and peace,
Oh, refuge of devotees,
Bless me, bless me!
You are the Sadguru Machinder
You are the Mahatama Jalander,
You are Nivratinath, Dnyaneshwar,
Kabir, Sheikh Mohammed , Eknath, you are
You are Bodhla you are Savatamali,
You are truly Ramdas,
You are Tukaram, Sainath,
You are Sakha You are Manikprabu.

Your present manifestation,
And your manifold nature
are really difficult to understand!
The knowledge about your caste and creed
You do not reveal to anybody.

Some say you are a Muslim,
Some say you are Brahmin,
Thus like Krushana,
You too, are inscrutable!
Having observed Shree Krishna
Different people called him by various names.
Some call him ‘Yadu Buhsan’
Some call him a cowherd.
YASHODA called him a darling,
KANSA called him a great evil,
UDDHAV called him beloved,
ARJUN called him Omniscient.

Thus, oh GURUVARA, To you
According to each person’s conclusion
Based on his mental attitude,
Names are give, by them.

The masjid being your dwelling,
And your ears not being pierced,
Nothing your offering the ‘FATEHA’
To call you a Muslim is logical!

Similarly, considering the worship of fire,
As done by you, Lord of Mercy,
My own conclusion is
That you are a Hindu!

But these superficial differences
Would interest only pedagogues;
But for those devotees desirous of knowledge
They are of no consequences.

You are BRAHMA Itself!
Caste and creed have no relevance to you;
You are the Guru Supreme!
You are the creator of this world!

There was Hindu - Muslim rivalry;
Therfore to bring about unity and amity,
The masjid and the fire worship were embraced by you,
To show your “leela” to the devotees.

You are beyond caste and greed,
You are Brahman, the essance of Truth;
You are That, verily,
You are beyond human conception!

Giving free rein to surmises and conjectures,
Arguments have flourished about you.
There, my insignificant
Words, how will they prevail?

But when I behold you,
I cannot remain silent;
Because, for encomium, words
Are normally the only means.

Therefore, by means of words,
Whtaever description is possible,
That I will always proffer,
With your grace.

Saints, I reckon
Higher than gods;
For distinctions such as mine and thine
Find not a place in their proximity.

HIRANYAKASHAPU and RAVANA
Were killed because of their hatred of god;
Such a deed ha never been done by saints.

GOPICHAND, IN the heap of garbage,
Buried JALANDARA;
But that sage
Had no rancour for that act.

On the contrary, the king was delivered
from the material world
And was immortalised;
Such is the prowess of the saints,
It is indescribable!

Saints are the Sun,
Their grace is illuminating;
Saints are as pleasing as the moon,
Their benignness is as gentle as moonlight.

Saints, are the soothing musk,
Their blessing are like it’s fragrance,
Saints are the juicy sugarcane,
Their blessings are like its sweetness.

Saints, towards the good and the bad,
Are the same, definitely.
On the contrary, their love for the sinners
Is immeasurable.

In the waters of the Godavari,
Only the soiled clothes come to be cleaned;
The clean ones;in a trunk,
Remain far from the Godavari banks.

Even that which remained in the trunk,
came once,
To be cleaned throughly
On the Godavari banks.

The "DARSHAN" of your feet
Is like a bath in the Godavari;
Wash away my sins.
Oh, Samarth, and purify me!

We worldly people
Gather layers of impurities again and again;
Therefore, we are the right people
For the “DARSHAN” of saints.

In the abundant waters of the Godavari
Comes the wash, to be cleansed at the GHATS;
If, it is really left unattended,
Then, it is a discredit to the Godavari!

You are the cool, shady tree, with abundent foliage;
We are the travellers, really,
Suffering from the scorching sun-rays
Of the three-fold calamities of Life.

From the blazing heat, oh compassionate one,
Protect us, Oh GURURAYA.
The benign grace of your cool shade
Is extraordinary!

Sitting under a tree,
If one feels the heat of the sun,
Then, who will call that tree
The shade-giving tree?

Look, without your grace
Nothing can be right in the world;
SHESHSHAYEE befriended ARJUNA,
To uphold the right.

Due to the kindness of SUGRIV, BIBHISHANA
Came in contact with King RAM,
It is due to the saints,
That Shri Hari is thus glorified.

BRAHMAN, being formless,
VEDAS cannot describe it.
Be endowing it with forms,
The saints have reduced the importance of the formless!

VAIKUNTHAPATI, husband of RUKMINI,
was made a “mahar” by DAMAJI;
TO PICK UP CORPSES OF BUFFALOES
CHOKHAMELA made JAGAD-ATMA (God) slog.

Knowing the prowess of saints,
Jagjivan laboured by carrying water.
Saints have truly lorded,
Over God Himself, who is Eternal Truth
- Knowledge - Bliss.

There is no need to speak more.
You are our mother and our father,
Oh, Sadguru Sainath,
Dweller of Shirdi village.

Baba, Your "LEELAS"
No one can comprehend;
Then, my plebain speech
How can it do justice, tell me?

To save the sinners,
You came to Shirdi;
Pouring water into earthen lamps,
You made them burn.

The wooden plank of absurdly small measures
You turned into your bed, truly;
Thereby displaying to the devotees
Your amazing yogic powers!

The barrenness of many women
You have completely dispelled;
The disease of many
You have cured with the "Udi"!

TO ward off worldly difficulties
Is not impossible for you.
The weight of an ant,
Does the elephant consider as a burden?

So be it, GURURAYA,
Have mercy on the humble one.
I surrender at your feet,
Do not turn me away.

You are the king of kings,
You are richer than KUBER himself,
You are the Healer par excellence,
No one is superior to you!

For the worship of other deities.
The ritual is as prescribed.
But, for your worship,
There is nothing worthy of you!

Look, in the realm of the sun,
The festival of DEEPAVALI has come;
But to celebrate it,
what should be the means?

To quench the ocean’s
Thirst, adequate water cannot be found on earth;
To warm the fire
From where will the heat be found?

All articles needed for the worship
Are filled with your essence;
From the beginning, they are part of you,
Oh, SHREESAMARTHA GURURAYA!

All my talk is a philosophical statement,
For I have not experienced its truth.
I have spoken without experience,
A meaningless maze of words.

If ritualistic worship
Of You, is to be performed by me,
To do that, I Have no wherewithals,
My SAMARATHA GURURAYA!

Mostly with the help of my imagination only
Will I worship you.
That worship itself, oh, compassionate one,
Do accept from this slave.

Now with my tears
I bathe your feet;
The sandlewood of true devotion
I make into paste and apply.

The long tunic ("KAFNI") of these ornamental words.
I place on you, sincerely;
This garland of adoration,
I place round your neck.

The incense of vileness
I burn before You, truly;
Though it is of impure composition
Even then, there will be no foul-odour from it.

Elsewhere, than before the Sadguru,
If incense is burnt,
What happens to that incense
Is like this

When the incense is put on the fire,
The moment it actually touches it
The fragrance from the incense
Leaves it instantly.

Before you, it’s contrary;
The impurities burn away in the fire,
The good remains for ever
For the world to see.

Once the vileness of the mind is burnt away,
The mind will become purer;
Once the Ganga’s impurity is gone,
Then it is holy, naturally

The light of temptations
I kindle, most truly,
From which, may the lusture of asceticism
Be granted to me, oh GURUVARA!

The throne of pure faith
I offer you as a seat;
On receiving it
Accept the offering ("naivedya") of devotion.

You partake the offerings of devotion,
Give me the essence;
Because I am your child
I have a claim on your milk.

My mind is my monetary offering ("DAKSHINA")
That I offer to you;
Therefore, the credit or discredit of any action
Will no longer be mine.

Now most humbly and devotedly
I do abeisance to you;
Please accept it,
Oh divine Sainath!
EIGHTFOLD PRAYER

Possessing peaceful mind, and wisdom supreme,
Sainath, the compassionate,
You are ocean of kindness, truth incarnate,
And destroyer of the darkness of ignorance!
The sage, beyond caste and greed you are,
Beyond comprehension, compassion incarnate;
Protect me, protect me,
Oh, Sainath of Shirdi!
You are the sun of Divine knowledge
The bestower of choicest blessings;
Oh, fabled HAMSA of the minds of the devotees,
Protector you are of those who surrender to you.

You are BRAHMADEV, creator of the world;
You, the sustainer of the world, VISHNU;
The destroyer of the three worlds,
You are that very RUDRA!

There is no place on this earth,
where you are not.
Omniscient, oh you Sainath,
You dwell in all our hearts.

Forgive us all our sins
I implore you!
And those weaves of doubts and delusions,
Repel instantly.

You are cow, I the calf
You are moon, I the stone melted by its light;
At your feet, which are like the Ganges,
Respectfully the slave (DAS) bows down!

Place on my head
Your hand and bless me, oh Lord!
Wars off my sorrow and worry
For this GANU is your servant.

With this eight-fold prayer
I prostrate myself before;
My sins (demerits), suffering and poverty
Ward off immediately.

You are the cow and I the calf;
You are the mother and I the child;
Do not harbour
Any harsh feelings towards me.

You are the sandlewood from Malagiri;
I’m a thorny shrub.
You are the life giving waters of Godavari,
I, the greatest sinners.

If after having your “DARSHAN”
The impurities of my wicked mind remains
Unchanged, GURURAYA,
Who will then call you sandlewood?

The proximity of must (“KAASTURI”)
makes even the dust more valuable;
The fragrance of flowers is transmitted
To the thread which ties the garlands.

This is the way of the great.
Whosoever they come in touch with,
To him they impart
A part of their greatness.

Sacred ashes, join cloth and the bull,
SHIVA made symbolic parts of himself;
Therefore, these objects
Are praised in all quarters.

For the amusement of the cowherds,
At Vrindavan, on the banks of the Yamuna,
The lord of the World played “DAHI-KALA”
That too has earned recognition from wise men.

Similarly, I am a sinner,
But, I am under your protection;
Will you not redeem me, Oh, GURURAYA,
From my sinful state?

Worldly or spiritual,
In whatever objects I seek satisfaction,
I have no doubt, O GURURAYA,
That you will grant me these.

With your grace,
Control my mind;
If the oceans are sweetened
There is no fear of their being salty.

To make the oceans sweet
Truly you have the powers.
Therefore, this supplication of Dasganu,
Please concede.

Whatever my shortcomings,
They are all your!
You are the foremost among the spiritual masters,
So do not stint while giving.

Now, why should I speak more?
You are my only refuge.
The child held in the mother’s arms,
Is naturally without fear.

So be it. This hymn of praise,
Whosoever read with love,
Their desires
Fulfil, O Lord.

Your blessing for this hymn
I entrest.
May the difficulties of he who recites this sincerely,
Be warded off within a Year.

After performing all ablutions,
Should this hymn, be recited regularly,
With a pure and sincere feeling
In your heart.

If this be not possible
Then on every “Ekadasi”
This hymn should be read
To realize the beneficial effect.

One who recites this, with faith
Will ultimately progress spiritually by the Grace of GURU,
Who will satiate the material desires readily,
And thereby deliver him from their bondage.

With repeated recitations of this hymn,
Dull wits will be sharpened.
And, if perchance, someone’s life is short,
Then, by recitation; he will live upto a hundred years!

Where wealth is wanting,
KUBER, the Lord of wealth himself will come to stay,
Oh reading this hymn.
This is the Truth, and so it shall be.

To the childless, children will be born
On reciting this hymn.
And the ailment of one who recites this hymn
Will be dispelled in all directions.

Fear and worry will disappear,
Prestige will increase.
He will realise the imperishable BRAHMAN
With the regular recitation of this hymn.

Regarding this hymn, Oh wise ones,
Have faith in your hearts
Above the efficacy of this hymn;
And give no place
To doubts and misconceptions.

Go on pilgrimage to Shirdi,
Concentrate on the lotus feet of Baba,
Who is the succour of the poor and the meek,
The wish-fulfilling tree for the devotees!

It was because of the inspiration received from Him
That this hymn has been composed.
How else could an insignificant ignorant one, like me,
Have written it?

In Shake 1840
In the bright half of th BHADRAPAD month,
On GANESH-CHATURTHI day,
Monday, in the second ‘PRAHAR’,

This humble tribute of praise to Shri Sainath,
Was completed at Maheshwaram
By the sacred bank of the Narmada
Near Shri Ahilya Devi’s SAMADHI.

At Maheshwara, the famous TIRTHA,
The hymn was completed.
Shri Sai nath made me utter every word
By becoming part of my mind.

The disciple Damodar
Became the scribe truly,
I Das, Ganu, Am only an obedient servent
Of all the saints and sages.

Peace be with you! May this humble tribute
of praise to Shri Sainath
Help you cross the worldly ocean.
This is the prayer, with faith and respect
Of Das Ganu, to Shri Panduranga.

Let this be offered to Shri Hari-Hara!
Bless us, O Lord!
PUNDALIK VARDA (fulfiller of wishes) HARI-VITHAL!
I recall sitakanta! Hail Hail Rama
Parvati-pate Har-Har Mahadev!
Hail to Shri Sadguru Sainath Maharaj!
Shri Sadguru Sainath, I offer this to you
Bless us, O Lord!

Sainath Stavan Manjari ends
Shirdi Sai baba blessings to you and your family .

Gurubar Vrat Katha for SAI BABA

Its my Immese pleasure to Share the Gurubar Vrat Katha for SAI BABA. This is a greater blessing than any pooja in this world. Sai himself has said reading his life, his leelas and living with faith and patience will take devotees very close to him.

The credit for below pooja goes to the person who created it by saibabas blessings and the person who contributed it .

Story behind the sai vrat pooja :

Kokilaben and her husband Maheshbhai used to live in a big city and they had lots of love for each other. But Maheshbhai’s nature was very annoying and he had no sense of talking. Neighbors were also very much frustrated by his this kind of nature. Kokilaben had lots of faith in GOD and she was very religious.She was tolerating all her problems silently having lots of faith in GOD that GOD will make everything all right one day. But because of Maheshbhai’s nature, their business went down gradually and there was not enough income. He started staying at home all day and his nature become worst. It was an afternoon. One old saint came to Kokilaben’s door. There was enormous light on his face. And he asked for rice and dal (lentils). Kokilaben gave him rice and dal and she folded her both hands and said “namste” (greetings).Saint replied “SAI will always keep you happy.” Kokilaben said “There is no happiness in my life” and she told all her problems to the saint.

After listening to all her problems, Saint told her about

“SAI NAV (NINE) GURUWAR (THURSDAY) VRAT”.

Saint told as follows about the Vrat.

· This Vrath can be started from any Thursday by uttering SAI BABA’s name.

· This Vrath has to be continued for 9 Thursdays.

· Any male, female or child can do this Vrat.

· On these Nine Thursday, individual who is doing vrat can eat fruit/milk/sweets etc. all day long or can have one meal a day. ONE MUST NOT DO THIS VRAT WITHOUT EATING ANYTHING.

· If possible, go to SAI BABA’s temple to have SAIBABA’s darshan on these Nine Thursday.

· At home, do pooja / prayer of SAI BABA as follows.

· In the morning or in the evening, do the pooja as mentioned below.

· Put Yellow Cloth in front of you and place SAI BABA’s Photo or Statue on this cloth.

· Light lamp (diya) in front of BABA’s picture.

· Wash or wipe BABA’s picture with clean water and cloth.

· Put “tikka (Bindi on the forehead)” with “kumkum” (red powder) on BABA’s face.

· Offer Yellow Flower to BABA.

· Offer Fruit or Sweets to BABA as Naivadhya (Prasad)

· Read this SAI story and Read / Sing SAIBABA’s Aarti after finishing Pooja and reading story.

· Tell BABA why you are doing this Vrat and ask him to fulfill your wish.

· Give Prasad to all your friends and family members and you also eat it some.

· If, because of any reason, you cannot do vrat on any Thursday, skip that Thursday and continue from the next Thursday.

· If female is doing this Vrat, skip the Thursday during Menstrual Cycle period.

· On the 9th Thursday, Celebrate SAI VRAT. In this celebration process, feed 5 poor people and distribute this SAI VRAT book among people. One can give 5, 11 or 21 etc.

You will get the rewards in no time, when you do this Vrath. May sai bless you with all his grace to do this vrat properly and answer your prayers :

In this Kali Age (Kaliyug), this vrat is very effective. This vrat will give desired fruit to doer but doer must have full faith and patience. Whoever will distribute this SAI VRAT book among people and make good name of SAI and this Vrat, their all wishes will be fulfilled.

After listening about this SAI VRAT from Saint, Kokilaben also decided to do this vrat. She started Vrat from the Thursday. And she finished 8 Guruwars with full faith. On the 9th Guruwar, she fed poor people and distributed SAI VRAT books among friends and relatives.

As soon as she finished the Vrat, all the quarrels vanished from her house. Prosperity, happiness and peace spread in her home. Maheshbhai’s nature was changed completely. Their business started doing well. And in no time, they got all the happiness and prosperity.

Both husband and wife started living happily. One day Kokilaben’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law came from Surat. Her sister-in-law was talking with Kokilaben. The former said that her kids were not studying and getting failed in exams. Kokilaben told her about SAI VRAT. She said “SAI devotion will make education better. Have faith in SAI BABA. HE helps everyone.” Kokilaben’s sister-in-law asked the detail of the vrat.

Kokilaben told about the SAI VRAT in detail. And explained her everything about the vrat. Her sister-in-law went to Surat and she sent a letter after few days. She wrote that her children have started doing SAI VRAT and now they are studying very well. She also did Vrat and distributed SAI VRAT book in her office. One of her friend, who had very hard time in getting married, got married to a very nice man after started doing SAI VRAT. Her neighbor has also started doing SAI VRAT and she got her stolen jewelry box back. It was a great miracle.

The following doubts which i wanna clarify here

1. What kind of food i can have ? How many times. etc etc.

Answer is first of all sai is a saint who never wants his devotees to be fully empty stomach. Some how this pooja became famous and many go to extent of not eating anything. Please have any vegetarian food as many times as you want....your wish. the matter to consider is dont eat FULL. Make sure you have a feeling of sai in you n u are doing a vrat. Thats it.

2. How to do udyapan.

People who do this pooja for 9 weeks are asked to distribute such books to 9 devotees and also give annadhan. Fine do it if you can. If not its ok. You can send  soft copy of sai vrat book . dont worry if you cant get books or dont be in hunger. Do the pooja as you feel comfortable but only devotedly pray sai and show your devotion on saibaba with simplicity. That will do.

Saibaba devotees living abroad and those who are not able to give food , can give some sweets to your friends or childrens near by. If possible send money to your relatives in india or request them provide food to poor people sitting outside temple or generally distribute sweets to devotees in any temple.Its better to make childrens happy by giving them any toys, books sweets etc. The point is you are inlving yourself in a good deed.

· All wishes will be fulfilled by doing this vrat.

Dear shirdi sai baba , as you have blessed these people, please bless all of us too. 

Sri Sai Satcharitra weekly Parayan

 1. When Hemadpant(writer of Sri Sai Satcharitra) heard miracles of Sai Baba the delight he got, burst forth into poetic work. Hemandpant thought, that the description of these grand miracles of Sai Baba would be interesting, and instructive to His devotees; and would remove their sins, and so he began to write the sacred life and teachings of Sai Baba.

2. Hemadpant thought that he was not a fit person to undertake the work. He said, "I do not know the life of my intimate friend nor do I know my own mind, then how can I write the life of a saint or describe the nature of Incarnations, which even the Vedas were unable to do? One must be a saint himself, before he could know other saints, then how can I describe their glory? To write the life of a saint is the most difficult. He knew, that this was the most venturous undertaking, which might expose him to ridicule. He, therefore, invoked Sai Baba’s grace.

3. Many books and magazine were being written on Sai Baba during that time.Then the question of objection came in, that while so many works regarding Sai Baba were extant, why should this (Satcharita) be written? And where is its necessity? The answer came plain and simple. The life of Sai Baba is as wide and deep as the infinite ocean; and all can dive deep into the same and take out precious gems (of knowledge and Bhakti), and distribute them to the aspiring public. The stories, parables, and teachings of Sai Baba are very wonderful. They will give peace and happiness to the people, who are afflicted with sorrows and heavily loaded with miseries of this worldly existence, and also bestow knowledge and wisdom, both in the worldly and in spiritual domains. If these teachings of Sai Baba, which are as interesting and instructive as the Vedic lore, are listened to and meditated upon, the devotees will get, what they long for, viz., union with Brahman, mastery in eight-fold Yoga, Bliss of meditation etc.

4. So Hemandpant thought that he should call these stories together that would be his best Upasana. This collection would be most delightful to those simple souls, whose eyes were not blessed with Sai Baba’s darshana. So, he set about collecting Sai Baba’s teachings and expressions - the outcome of His boundless and natural self-realization. It was Sai Baba, who inspired him in this matter; in fact, Hemandpant surrendered his ego at Baba’s feet, and thought that his path was clear; and that Baba would make him quite happy here, and in the next world.

5. Hemandpant could not ask Sai Baba to give him permission for this work; so he requested Mr. Madhavrao Deshpande alias Shama, Baba’s most intimate devotee, to speak to Him.. He pleaded for Hemandpant’s cause and said to Sai Baba, "This Annasaheb wishes to write Your biography, don’t say that You are a poor begging Fakir, and there is no necessity to write it, but if You agree and help him, he will write or rather, Your feet (grace) will accomplish the work. Without Your consent and blessing, nothing can be done successfully." When Sai Baba heard this request, He was moved and blessed Hemandpant by giving him His Udi (sacred ashes) and placing His boon-bestowing hand on his head said :- "Let him make a collection of stories and experiences, keep notes and memos; I will help him. He is only an outward instrument. I should write Myself My autobiography and satisfy the wishes of My devotees. He should get rid of his ego, place (or surrender) it at My feet. He who acts like this in life, him I help the most. What of My life-stories? I serve him in his house in all possible ways. When his ego is completely annihilated and there is left no trace of it, I Myself shall enter into him and shall Myself write My own life. Hearing my stories and teachings will create faith in devotees’ hearts and they will easily get self - realization and Bliss; let there be no insistence on establishing one’s own view, no attempt to refute other’s opinions, no discussions of pros and cons of any subject."

6. Sai Baba gave His complete assent to the writing of the Sat-Charita to Hemandpant and said, "I fully agree with you regarding the writing of Sat Charita. You do your duty, don’t be afraid in the least, steady your mind and have faith in My words. If My Leelas are written, the Avidya (nescience) will vanish and if they are attentively, and devoutly listened to, the consciousness of the worldly existence will abate, and strong waves of devotion, and love will rise up and if one dives deep into My Leelas, he would get precious jewels of knowledge."

7. Hearing this, author was much pleased, and he at once became fearless and confident, and thought that work was bound to be a success. Then turning to Shama (Madhavrao Deshpande) Sai Baba said. "If a man utters My name with love, I shall fulfill all his wishes, increase his devotion. And if he sings earnestly My life and My deeds, him I shall beset in front and back and on all sides. Those devotees, who are attached to Me, heart and soul, will naturally feel happiness, when they hear these stories. Believe Me that if anybody sings My Leelas, I will give him infinite joy and everlasting contentment. It is My special characteristic to free any person, who surrenders completely to Me, and who does worship Me faithfully, and who remembers Me, and meditates on Me constantly. How can they be conscious of worldly objects and sensations, who utter My name, who worship Me, who think of My stories and My life and who thus always remember Me? I shall draw out My devotees from the jaws of Death. If My stories are listened to, all the diseases will be got rid of. So, hear My stories with respect; and think and meditate on them, assimilate them. This is the way of happiness and contentment. The pride and egoism of My devotees will vanish, the mind of the hearers will be set at rest; and if it has wholehearted and complete faith, it will be one with Supreme Consciousness. The simple remembrance of My name as ‘Sai, Sai’ will do away with sins of speech and hearing".

8. The Lord entrusts different works to different devotees. Some are given the work of building temples and maths, or ghats (flight of steps) on rivers; some are made to sing the glories of God; some are sent on pilgrimages; but to me(Hemadpant) was allotted the work of writing the Sai SatCharita. Being a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, Hemandpant was quite unqualified for this job. Then why should he undertake such a difficult job? Who can describe the true life of Sai Baba? Sai Baba’s grace alone can enable one to accomplish this difficult work. So, when he took up the pen in his hand, Sai Baba took away his egoism and wrote Himself His stories. The credit of relating these stories, therefore, goes to Him (Sai Baba)and not to me says Hemandpant . Hemandpants says “though Brahmin by birth, I lacked the two eyes. (i.e. the sight or vision) of Shruti and Smriti and therefore was not at all capable of writing the Sai Sat-Charita, but the grace of the Lord makes a dumb man talk, enables a lame man to cross a mountain. He alone knows the knack of getting things done, as He likes.

9. Light houses are constructed at various places in the sea, to enable the boatmen to avoid rocks and dangers, and make them sail safely. Sai Baba’s stories serve a similar purpose in the ocean of worldly existence. They surpass nectar in sweetness, and make our worldly path smooth and easy to traverse. Blessed are the stories of the saints. When they enter our hearts through the ears, the body - consciousness or egoism and the sense of duality vanish; and when they are stored in the heart, doubts fly out to all sides, pride of the body will fall, and wisdom will be stored in abundance. The description of Baba’s pure fame, and the hearing of the same, with love, will destroy the sins of the devotee and, therefore, this is the simple Sadhana for attaining salvation. The Sadhana for Krita Age was Shamadama (tranquillity of mind and body), for Treta Age, sacrifice, for Dwapara, worship, and for Kali (present) Age, it is singing of the name and glory of the Lord. This last Sadhana is open to all the people of the four varnas (Brahmins, etc.). The other Sadhanas, viz. Yoga, Yagya (sacrifice), Dhyana (meditation) and Dharana (concentration) are very difficult to practice, but singing and hearing the stories and the glory of the Lord (Sai Baba) is very easy. We have only to turn our attention towards them. The listening and singing of the stories will remove the attachment to the senses and their objects, and will make the devotees dispassionate, and will ultimately lead them to self-realization. With this end in view, Sai Baba made Hemandpant or helped Hamandpant to write His stories, Sri Sat-Charitamrita. The devotees may now easily read and hear these stories of Sai Baba and while doing so, meditate on Him, His form and thus attain devotion to Guru and God (Sai Baba), get detachment and self-realization. In the preparation and writing of this work, Sat-Charitamrita, it is Sai Baba’s grace which has accomplished everything, making use of (Me)Hemandpant as a mere instrument.

Reasons for Reading Sai Satcharitra :

Devotee’s can do Sai Satcharitra parayan(reading )/Saptah Parayan(weekly reading ) for any of the following reason .If the complete book is read in one weeks time it is said to fulfill the desire of the reader .These can be:

1. Getting some wish or desire being fulfilled by Sai Maharaj

2. Treatment of ailment, health issue, progeny or related problem.

3. Seeking grace of Baba in removing the Problem or worries which are surrounding the bhakta.

4. For good education/knowledge/focus in studies /Sai Baba’s grace in studies - by student, for securing good result.

5. For employment, interview and job.

6. Financial, material, emotional, family and relationship related issues.

7. Out of love and devotion to Sadguru Sainath

8. For grace of Guru in attaining salvation, success in path of self –realization, spiritual upliftment.

9. To overcome pride, egoism, control over worldly objects and sensations.

10.For betterment in life, peace and happiness.

The above list is not exhaustive but only indicative. Parayan can fulfill any wish the devotee desires.….

But the fruit of Sai Satcharitra Parayan and its success purely depends on Baba’s Grace .He is capable of seeing the worth of devotee, his motive, his devotion ,His faith and His past ,present –future. Just mere reading of the holy book with intention of getting desired result may not be blessed by Baba .Not only this, sometime even after reading the result is not achieved ,in this case devotees should not be disheartened .Baba is the ultimate doer and what He shall bless shall be the best for the devotee. To be precise, when the devotees start the Parayan /weekly Parayan they should completely surrender the result at the Holy feet of Baba and Baba shall bless each according to His Prarabdh or worthiness.

Parayan Procedure:

Dear devotees there is no hard and fast rule in following these procedure .All Baba want is love and he did not believe in outward rituals .If the devotees have firm faith in Baba ,parayan shall have its result.

1. Devotees who wish to do weekly Parayan(Saptah) (complete the full book Sri Sai Satcharitra in 7 days) should start reading the book from Thursday .

2.After taking bath ,cleaning temple (home temple), lighting Diya ,Incense stick ,applying Baba’s sacred Udi should start the reading of Sri Sai Satcharitra.(called as Saptah Parayan)with complete devotion and faith in Baba.(If the devotees do not have a puja room, say for example devotees living in hostels, they can sit in a neat place, where there is no disturbance, and start their parayan). Similarly if one is not keeping good health or by any reason cannot take bath or light Diya ,taking Baba’s name they can still read the book .Hence there is no fast rule to follow .

3. Sai Satcharitra has total 51 chapters which can be divided into 7 chapters as per to 7 days and can be read by devotees as per to their convenience i.e. they can read all 7 chapter at one go or they can divide these 7 chapter into 3 chapter in the morning and 4 chapter in the evening. This purely depends on devotees how they wish to read these chapters in a day.

4. The chapters are divided in the following manner for ease of reading and completing in time.

Day 1 Ch 1-6

Day 2 Ch 7-13

Day 3 Ch 14-22

Day 4 Ch 23-28

Day 5 Ch 29-35

Day 6 Ch 36-42

Day 7 Ch 43-51

5. Every day some Prasad or navadiya should be offered to Baba like any fruit, dry fruit, sugar candy, raisins etc as per to convenience of the devotee .There is no hard and fast rule again.

6. By Wednesday evening Sai Satcharitra will complete.

7. After the completion of Sai Satcharitra Prashad (offering ) or Dakshina should be offered to Baba either in home temple or in Sai temple near to their home where they can go . If they cannot go than they can prepare anything at home or get readymade sweat dish and offer to Baba seeking his blessing for the parayan .Here again I would like to mention that it is not necessary if you cannot go or offer than, simple Pranam at Lotus feet of Baba shall also do, being in your own place. What ever the devotees eat can be offered as food, it can be veg or non veg food. .

The last chapter (epilogue) in Sai Satcharitra which gives complete detail about result of Sai Satcharitra Parayan .Devotee shall read this chapter in their Sai Satcharitra Book when they complete the book on the last day .

8. Greatness of Sad-guru Sai and reward of reading Sai Satcharitra

We prostrate ourselves before and take refuge in that Sai Samarth Who besets all animate and inanimate things in the universe-from a post to God Brahma, pots, houses, mansions and even sky, Who pervades all creatures equally without any differentiation, to Whom all devotees are alike; and Who knows not honor and dishonors, like or dislike.

If we remember Him and surrender to Him, He fulfills all our desires and makes us attain the goal of life.

Fala-Shruti (Reward of Study of Sai Satcharitra )

Now a few words about the reward you get, from a study of this work. After bathing in the sacred Godavari and after taking the darshan of the Samadhi in the Samadhi-mandir in Shirdi, you should read or hear the Satcharita. If you do this all your threefold afflictions will vanish.

Casually thinking about the stories of Sai, you will get unconsciously interested in spiritual life and if you then go on through the work with love, all your sins will be destroyed. If you wish to get rid of the cycle of births and deaths, read Sai's stories and remember Him always; and get yourself attached (devoted) to His Feet.

If you dive into the sea of Sai's stories, and then give them out to others, you will get an ever-new flavor of them and save the hearers from perdition. If you go on meditating on Sai's Form, it will in course of time disappear and lead you into self-realization. It is very hard to know or realize the nature of Self or Brahma, but if you approach through the Sugun Brahma (Sai's Form) your progress will be easy.

If the devotee completely surrenders himself to Him, he will lose his individuality and be merged in Him and be one with Him, as the river in the sea. If you thus become merged with Him in any of the three states, viz., waking, dream and sleep, you get rid of the bond of samsara.

If anybody after bathing reads this with love and faith, and completes it within a week, his calamities will disappear; or if he hears or reads it daily and regularly all his dangers will be warded off. By its study, a man wishing for wealth will get it and a pure trader, success in his life. He will get the reward according to his faith and devotion. Without these, there will be no experience of any kind.

If you read this respectfully, Sai will be pleased, and removing you ignorance and poverty, He will give you knowledge, wealth and prosperity. With concentrated mind, if you read a Chapter daily, it will give you unbounded happiness. One, who has his welfare at heart, should study it carefully and then he will ever remember Sai gratefully and joyfully in birth after birth.

This work should be read at home especially on Guru-Pournima (Ashadha full-moon day), Gokul-Ashtami, Rama-Navami and Dasara (Baba's anniversary day). If you study this one book carefully, all your desires will be satisfied and if you always remember Sai's Feet in your heart, you will easily cross the Bhava (Samsar) sagar. By its study, the diseased and sick will get health, the poor wealth, the mean and afflicted prosperity, and the mind will get rid of all ideas and get steadiness.

Dear good and devoted readers and listeners, we also make our bow to you all, and make you a special request. Never forget Him whose stories you have read day by day or month by month. The more fervently you read or listen to these stories, the more encouragement Sai gives us to serve you and be of use to you. Both the author and the readers must co-operate in this work, help each other and be happy.

9. Prasad-Yachana (Offering of Prasad)

We close the with prayer to the Almighty for the following Prasad of favour:- May the readers and devotees get complete and whole-hearted devotion to Sai's Feet. May His Form be ever fixed in their eyes and may they see Sai (the Lord) in all beings. Amen!

10. When the parayan is complete family members can join together and do Baba’s Aarti and than Prasad offered to Sainath can be distributed to the family members ."

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all

Sai baba Original photos