Sai in the form of Satcharita.

By: Shantha 

Shirdi Sai Satcharita is the most blessed gift straight from Sai. 

Sai Himself gave permission to 'Hemadpant' to write His Life.

When Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias 'Hemadpant' requested Mr. Madhavrao Deshpande alias Shama, to speak to Sai for permission to write Sai Satcharita, Sai was moved and blessed Hemadpant by giving him HIS Udi (sacred ashes) and placing HIS boon-bestowing hand on Hemadpant’s 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."

All those who truly want to be with Sai Baba will certainly agree that Sai Satcharitha connects us to Sai.  Everything is ordained by Sai.  Some read Sai Satcharitha for curiosity, some read to challenge beliefs, some read to gain knowledge.  How we get to know Sai is His ordain.  Sai knows that HIS Bhaktas will benefit by reading HIS Satcharita.  Even those who scoff at Sai initially, turn out to be the truest and devoted Bhaktas of Sai.  Sai’s method to bring each one close to HIM is unique.

While reading Sai Satcharita, let us seek Sai to guide us to understand what we read, hear what HE says.  There are many instructions Sai gives us in Sai Satcharita, let us read those instructions over and over, store them in our heart.

Abiding by what Sai says is also a Guru Dakshina.  In Sai Satcharita one can come across Sai asking for dakshina in various denominations. Let us see what they mean.

It is not enough if we offer just coins to Sai:

Ø  One Rupee: Our oneness with SAI, complete surrender to SAI.

Ø  Two Rupees: These two coins are “Faith” and “Patience”.

Ø  Three Rupees: Sai is the Harmony of three Gunas. One should see Sai as Trimurthi (Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar).  We should get rid of and become free from the three main Desires, viz. (1) for progeny, (2) for wealth, (3) for fame.

Ø  Four Rupees: Sai stresses on number 4 in a lot of instances in HIS Satcharita.  These are the four objects of Life; Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.  Sai always refers to him as the Fourth, i.e., Moksha (Liberation) and Moksha can only be had with the help of our Guru (SAI).

Another illustration of Four: There are four paths to reach God. (Karma, Jnana, Yoga and Bhakti).  Fourth path i.e., Bhakti is thorny and full of pits and ditches, and thus difficult to traverse, but if we, relying on our Sadguru, avoid the pits and thorns and walk straight, Guru will take us to the destination (God). So says, Sai Baba.

Ø  Five Rupees: When Sai asks for Five Rupees, it is to teach us Non Attachment. For getting Brahma Jnaana one has to give five things, i.e. surrender five things viz. (1) Five Pranas (vital forces), (2) Five senses (five of action and five of perception), (3) mind, (4) intellect and (5) ego. This path of Brahma-Jnana or self-realization is 'as hard as to tread on the edge of a razor'.

Ø  Six rupees: Sai wants us to give up six inner enemies (desire, anger, greed, lust, pride and jealousy), and surrender them to SAI. 

Ø  Seven Rupees: Sadguru is better than 7 objects of worship. Sai will take us across 7 seas if we say “SAI, SAI” always with Love. Sai knows what we do even beyond 7 seas. Sai will cross 7 seas to save us. Sai will draw us to HIM even across 7 seas. Sai encourages reading HIS Satcharita in 7 days, Sai loves Nama-Saptah (singing the glory of God s name continuously day and night for 7 days). 

Ø  Eight Rupees: We should offer to Sai eight lotuses in the form of our eight Sattwik emotions (equilibrium, gentleness, purity, harmony, peace, kindness, clarity, love).

Ø  Nine Rupees: Even after collecting dakshina for years, SAI had only nine coins left.  Nine denotes the nine types of Bhakti and nine characteristics for us to cultivate.

Ø  Eleven Rupees: Sai has given eleven assurances to us.  We should always hold fast to Sai’s holy feet to be worthy of those 11 promises.

Ø  Fifteen Rupees: Sai asked Narke for Rs.15/- and when he said he did not have it, Sai told him to give dakshina from his reading Yoga-Vashistha.  Sai wants us to derive lessons from the book and lodge them in our heart where Sai resides.

Ø  Complete Surrender: To quote an instance, Mr.Ganpatrao Bodas, the famous actor, says in his Marathi autobiography, that on Baba pressing him often and often for Dakshina, he emptied his money-bag before Sai. The result of this was, as Mr. Bodas says, that in later life he never lacked money, as it came to him abundantly. (It is implicit obedience to and prompt compliance with Sai’s order is the real Dakshina that pleases Him most).

Now let us decide what Dakshina we want to give Sai.  When we embark upon Sai path, there is a natural growth of Sai’s divine grace and peace upon us. 

Reading Sai Satcharitha should be our continuous and constant effort.  Each time we read, a newer meaning strikes us, a newer message is heard.  Let us dive deeper and deeper into the ocean of Sai Satcharitha and find what Sai has in store for us. Let us Love Sai, Think Sai, Praise Sai, Obey Sai, be with Sai. Say Sai, Sai, Sai, Sai, Sai, Om Sai.