Sai's first temple - part 2

Eventually, Baba presented Pradhan with a *Bas-relief image* of himself and instructed him: *"Take this and keep it in your home. Truly believe that this is me, and do not come to Shirdi hereafter."* Thinking Baba was merely joking, Pradhan returned to Shirdi once more. As soon as he stepped into Dwarakamai, Baba shouted, *"I am in your home. Do not come to Shirdi again. Go back to Bhivpuri. Erect a Mandir and install my Bas-relief image in it. Perform all the festivals there. Do not come back again, for that is your Shirdi. Now leave at once, and go home."* *The Divine Presence in Bhivpuri* Following these divine instructions, Pradhan stopped traveling to Shirdi and constructed the Sai Mandir next to his house. The temple is marked by miraculous occurrences. Once, at midnight, the family heard the temple doors open. They rushed to see who it was and were astonished to see Baba himself enter the temple and close the door behind him. At 3:00 AM, the doors opened again as Baba departed. During a later period of overwhelming personal crisis, Baba appeared to Pradhan in a vision (*Sakshatkar*), patting his back and reassuring him: *"Don’t be afraid, I am here to protect you."* Pradhan later built a *Tulsi Brindavan* at the exact spot where this vision occurred. To this day, the temple remains a deeply blessed site, standing as a testament to the bond between the saint and his devotee since 1916.

The History of the First Sai Baba Mandir

*The History of the First Sai Baba Mandir* Located in *Ukrool village* near Bhivpuri Road in the Raigad district, this temple holds the distinction of being the first Sai Baba Mandir in the world. Its origin dates back to 1916, established while Sai Baba was still physically present in Shirdi. The story begins with *Keshav Ramachandra Pradhan*. In 1916, a friend of Pradhan was preparing for a pilgrimage to Shirdi with his family and repeatedly urged Pradhan to join them. Initially, Pradhan refused. He eventually agreed, but only on the strict conditions that he would not bow before Baba nor drink his *Pada Teertha* (sacred water). Upon reaching Shirdi, they entered *Dwarakamai*. Pradhan, maintaining his distance, sat in a far corner away from the other devotees. As the crowd dispersed, Baba pointed toward him and said to the friend, *"Bring that irresponsible and contemptuous rascal here."* When Pradhan was brought before him, Baba addressed his skeptical behavior and his disdain for saints. Stunned by Baba’s omnipresence and insight, Pradhan’s contempt vanished instantly, and he became a devoted follower. *"I Am in Your Home"* As his prosperity grew through Baba’s grace, Pradhan began visiting Shirdi frequently. During these visits, he constantly pleaded with Baba to visit his home in Bhivpuri. Baba would simply reply, *"I will come."* To be continued...

About Shirdi Sai Aarti

Aarti is a religious ritual of worship, a part of Puja, in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. Aarti also refers to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when the light is being offered. Songs/Kirtans/Bhajans of 5 Shirdi Sai Aartis (Bhupali Aarti; Kakad Aarti; Madhyan Aarti; Dhoop Aarti; Shej Aarti) are contained in the book Shri Sadguru Sainath Sagunopasana. I). Bhupali Aarti has 3 songs. 1.Utha Utha Sakaljana 2.Ghanshyama Sundara 3.Om Jai Jagadish Hari II).Kakad Aarti has 13 songs 1.Jodoniya Kara Charani 2.Utha Panduranga 3.Utha Utha Shri Sainath Guru 4.Darshan Dya 5.Pancharati 6.Chinmayarupa 7.Pandharinatha 8.Utha Utha (Pada) 9.Shri Sainath Prabhatashtaka 10.Sai Raham Najar Karna 11.Raham Najar Karo 12.Jani Pada 13.Shri Sadguru Pada III). Madhyan Aarti has 10 songs. 1.Pancharati 2.Aarti Saibaba 3.Jay Dev Jay Dev 4.Shirdi Maze Pandharpur 5.Ghalin Lotangan 6.Pushpanjali 7.Namaskarashtaka 8.Aisa Yei Ba 9.Shri Sainath Mahimna Stotrama 10.Prarthana IV). Dhoop Aarti has 9 songs. 1.Aarti Saibaba 2.Shirdi Maze Pandharpur 3.Ghalin Lotangan 4.Namaskarashtaka 5.Aisa Yei Ba 6.Shri Sainath Mahimna Stotrama 7.Shri Guruprasad Yachana 8.Pushapanjali 9.Prarthana V). Shej Aarti has 7 songs. 1.Pachahi Tatavanchi Aarti 2.Aarti Dnyanrayachi 3.Aarti Tukaramachi 4.Jay Jay Sainath 5.Aata Swami Sukhe Nidra 6.Prasad Milnyakarita 7.Prasad Milalyanantar

SAI BABA PRASADALAY’.

One among all the beautiful creations of Our SaiBaba is the ‘SAI BABA PRASADALAY’.

🍉Sai always emphasizes on feeding the hungry.

🍉It has been stated in Sai Satcharita, that Baba required very little food for Himself and what little He wanted, was obtained by begging from a few houses.

🍉Whenever Sai made up His mind to distribute food to all, Sai made all preparations from beginning to end, on His own.  In the open courtyard of the Masjid, Sai used to cook food in two Handis (cooking vessels). (now kept in the Museum).

🍓In the earlier days, Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust started Shri Sai Prasadalay in a building opposite to the Temple Complex

🍓Later, on 27th November 2007, Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust built and inaugurated one of Asia's biggest Prasadalay, (Dining Hall).   It is 700 meters from Shri Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir.  It has a seating capacity of 5,500, making it possible to feed more than 100,000 devotees daily.

🌽Sai's Prasadalay is spread across 4 roof-tops with 73 solar dishes, making it the largest solar-powered kitchen in India. 

🌽Fourteen domes made of clear tiles have been constructed to give ample natural light to the hall, so that power cuts do not disturb the activities in the Prasadalay during daytime.

🍑Everyday morning between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. breakfast is distributed which consists of 5 Puris and cereal vegetable (like beans, moong, masoor, grams, peas, burfi, etc.) It is reasonably charged at Rs.4.

🍑Shri Sai Baba Sansthan provides very hygienic Prasad Bhojan (food) in the ground floor of Sai Prasadalay at subsidized rates of Rs.10 for adults and Rs.5/- for Children.

🍑Special Sai Prasad Bhojan at Rs.40/- for Adults and Rs.20/- for Children is being served in the two big halls constructed on the first floor for those devotees who would like to have Prasad Bhojan leisurely. The devotees can have unlimited prasad bhojan here.

🍑Apart from Sai Prasadalay, the food prepared here is being made available at other places in Shirdi,  like Sai Bhakta-niwas, Sai Ashram Phase 1 and Phase 2 and Sainath Hospital.

🍑Monthly pass is also issued by Sai Baba Sansthan, to the devotees to avail the bhojan.

🍅The Prasadalay serves simple Maharashtra food comprising dal, rice, chapatti, two vegetables and barfi (sweet).

🍅The Prasadalaya is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The food is first offered to Sai Baba and then served to the devotees.

🍅Shri Sai Baba Sansthan provides to and fro bus service to the devotees from Temple Complex and the Sansthan Residential buildings to Shri Sai Prasadalay from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=CFU9hI8kZbI

73 Solar panels of 16 sq ft each are installed which provide steam for all the cooking in the Sai Prasadalaya.

LPG Gas project is instructed with the capacity of 20 tone Thermal Fluid Heating System, which is used for making the Prasad ladoo’s, due to which 30% gas is saved.

For the arrangement of pure drinking water to devotees R.O. Plant having capacity of 2500 liter/hour is implemented.

For dishwashing two imported dishwashing machines are used.

For cutting of vegetables two imported machines are used.

To wash the rice, vegetables, legume’s three imported machines are used.

For grinding flour online mill unit is sated up.

For cooking rice steam cooker is used.

The readymade material of flour, spices, turmeric, coriander powder etc are not used. They are made through pulverizing or grinding machines using raw materials.

The cold storage facility is available for vegetables & dry foods.

(Information collected from the web).

Sai's Blessings and love

Thank you so much mySaiGuruDeva
25 July 2020 (Saturday) ..... NagaPanchami..... 

Today after morning house chores, i told Sai we will read something holy and purifying for me about the auspiciousness of this day.

Wikipedia article was interesting.

i Came across an article where a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva called NagChandeshwar which is located within the Mahakaleswar temple in Ujjain.  i bookmarked one image.  On closely looking at the image i saw mySai's Samadhi Mandir photo in the image 😊 

Always mySai's message to me is very clear.....He is All. He is The Universe.

Love You truly mySai.
Please accept me forever, please forgive me..... and kindly grant me eternal shelter at Your Holy Feet.

Sai Devotee - Savitri Bai Tendulkar

Shirdi Sai's Devotees

Savitri Bai Tendulkar and Raghunath Tendulkar were

ardent devotees of Shri Sai Baba. Savitri Bai lived with her husband Raghunath Tendular and four children in Bandra Mumbai. She and her family were devoted to Baba. Every Thursday she made a pilgrimage to Shirdi carrying prasad and garland made of Bakul flowers. In the compound of her Bandra home there was a Bakul tree. The tree gave an abundance of flowers for three months and then the flowers started waning off. Early in the morning the tree would shed myriads of flowers. Savitri Bai would gather these flowers and offer them to Baba. It was a ritual that she liked to do daily. She had a small photograph of Baba and she performed pooja to it. First she made a bed of flowers and then placed the photograph on it. Meticulously she mad garlands of various sizes and placed them on the photograph. The rest of the flowers she offered doing Naam Jap. Thus mounds of flowers were in front of Baba’s photograph.

Smt.Savitri Bai Tendulkar

On one of her visits to Shirdi, Baba was sitting with a large group of people, when He pointed to her and said, “I was not in Shirdi for the last three months. I was in mayee’s home. She smothered me with Bakul flowers. I am intoxicated by their smell” .

Savitri Bai and her family belonged to the Warkari Sampradaya. Though her family was of a religious bent, Savitri Bai was very progressive for her times. She wrote the famous “Sri Sainatha Bhajana Mala” in the form of “Padas  and Abhangs”. This Book was co-authored by her husband Raghunath Tendulkar. These were about her experiences of Baba’s Leelas and Divinity. Another intimate Sai Mahabhakta Shri.Hari Sitaram Dixit has written the Preface to this famous Bhajanamala which is a shower of Nectar to the every thirsty Sai devotees (Chapter 2, Shri Sai Satcharitra).

Raghunath Tendulkar was a man of of sharp intellect, solemn nature and great learning. While Savitri Bai Tendulkar was a prolific write and wrote several articles for the Shri Sai Leela Magazine.

Raghunath Tendulkar

Savitri Bai Tendulkar and Raghunath Tendular’s eldest son was Babu Tendulkar alias Madhav Rao Tendulkar. He was born in the year 1898.

Babu was very hyperactive when he was young. Therefore Savitri Bai brought him to Shirdi and left him with Baba. When Bapu first came to Shirdi, he was eight years old. When Baba went for Bhiksha, Bapu used to accompany Him. Bapu would then run ahead and collect the Bhiksha. Finally when Baba would return after His Bhiksha rounds, Bapu was the first to receive Baba’s Bhiksha Prasad. Fortunate was this child, as he was looked after by Baba daily.

Babu Tendulkar

On one of her visits she saw that the boy was running a high temperature. He was lying in a corner near Dhuni Maa groaning and moaning. At once she asked Baba why this was so. Baba calmly replied, “Don’t worry Mayee, he will be allright. Just give him a little Udi mixed in water”. She did as she was told by Baba and to her surprise the boy recovered after sometime.

Once Babu who had the benefit of Western Medical Education from a Medical College was so filled with doubts and misgivings that he did not appear for the examination. He had studied hard, burning the midnight oil and had casually asked an astrologer whether he would pass the examination. Turning over the pages of Panchang, the astrologer examined the planetary positions, counting on his fingers, the stars, the zodiac signs, etc., looking quite grave and concerned, he said; “you have studied hard, but this year the planetary positions are not favourable. But next year your planetary position would be good and you would undoubtedly pass the examination the coming year”. Later on, after some days, Savitri Bai and Babu went to Shirdi to have darshan of Baba. She bowed her head at Sai’s feet. After enquiring about His well being, he narranted to Sai Baba what the astrologer had predicted about Babu’s medical examination. Baba told her to set aside the Horoscope and asked Babu to appear for the examination. Encouraged by Sai’s words, Babu appeared for the written examination. Since he had not performed well in the written examination, he did not appear for oral examination. But the Examiner sent words through another student that Babu has cleared the written examination and that he should appear for the oral examination. Babu was extremely happy on hearing this news from his friend. So, he appeared for the oral examination and got through in the MBBS Examination in flying colours (Chapter 29, Shri Sai Satcharitra).

Madhav Rao grew up to be a fine doctor. His Clinic was called Sainath Clinic. It was then situated at Worli, Mumbai.

The small photograph that Baba gave Savitri Bai Tendulkar is still with her descendants. It has a lot of sentimental value, so much so that the family will not even  wipe it, as they do not want to wipe off Baba’s touch!

 

Baba's Photograph in Tendulkar's Home

(Source : Shri Sai Satcharitra Chapter 2, Chapter 29 and Baba’s Rinanubandh by Vinny Chitluri, Photo Courtesy: Shri.Nagaraj Anvekar, Bangalore)

mySai's Eyes

The Loving Eyes of mySai.

Sai, Your Eyes are so deep and compassionate that my whole world is reflected in Them.

Sai, Your Eyes holds the lustre of sunrise.

Sai, Your eyes are captivating because of the unspoken words of assurance They hold within Them.

Sai, in the depth Your Eyes, i am able to visualise everything……my hopes, my dreams, my desires, my ambitions, my goals, my thoughts, my secrets and even my whole life, of which i want YOU to be a part forever.

Sai, Your smiling eyes bring solace to my soul.

Sai, Your assuring hopeful Eyes, puts together the broken pieces of my existence and gives me a reason to survive.

i long to gaze into mySai's Eyes forever.
💖Sai's Eyes looks into me so full of affection.
💖Sai's Eyes tells me - be brave. His Eyes are so benevolent.
💖Sai's Eyes looks at me with compassion.
💖Sai's Eyes makes me feel His Divine Mercy.
💖Sai's Eyes makes me emotional.
💖Sai's Eyes shows me His fatherly support.
💖Sai's Eyes so full of Grace, fills me with glee.
💖Sai's Eyes always heals my heavy heart. 
💖Sai's Eyes that are illuminating and immaculate. His Eyes wipes away my illusions.
💖Sai's Eyes makes me joyous.
💖Sai's Eyes that are all-knowing.
💖Sai's Eyes shows His special love for me.
💖Sai's Eyes makes me mesmerized.
💖Sai's Eyes nourishes my soul.
💖Sai's Eyes shows His oneness with me.
💖Sai's Eyes oozes out His Peace on me.
💖Sai's Eyes tells me to be quiet for He cares and will do the rest.
💖Sai's Eyes rejuvenates my energy and radiates hope.
💖Sai's Eyes soothes my agony.
💖Sai's Eyes shows His togetherness with me.
💖Sai's Eyes uplifts me with utmost mercy.
💖Sai's Eyes are ever vigilant. Sai's Eyes speaks volumes.
💖Sai's Eyes shows His wholehearted concern and love for me.
💖Sai's Eyes are eXtremely intriguing.
💖Sai's Eyes says He forever yearns my welfare.

💖Sai's Eyes are ever zealous. His Eyes makes my joy reach its zenith.

at Your Holy Feet i seek refuge mySai.