Guruvaar Prarthna
Our Beloved Sadguru Sainath, please accept our humble prayers on this Holy Day of Guruvaar. Baba, while a pretty little daughter walking with her father, she firmly holding father's hand in her one hand and walking worry free throughout the journey. The little child's strong trust on her father makes her life easy on the dangerous road and she starts playing on her other hand. Baba You are our Divine Father and Your children's hands are raised with full hope to catch Your hand to walk safe in this troubled life. Babas please hold our raised hands before it starts paining and cease down. On this holy day we start our prayers by reading Your divine guidance in Shri Sai Samartha Satcharitra.
In case of such short-lived human life, the time which is spent in reading the scriptures and listening to the stories of God is fruitful, while the time spent otherwise is a waste.
It should be a firm conviction that this is the best thing to do in life. But nobody believes in it till one experiences this oneself.
But to experience this, one has to make a deep study. Then the soul which seeks permanent happiness will enjoy that wealth.
Even by the grace of God, if a man reigns over vast lands whose boundaries are the seven seas4 and also has a good wife, son, wealth and prosperity, he is still dis-satisfied at heart.
One should keep permanent peace and happiness as one's goal of life and think about it. Serve all beings as God – this is the most beneficial faith in life.
The human body is made of skin, flesh, blood and bones. It is an obstacle in the way of Parmartha5. Therefore, leave the attachment to it.
Always consider it as your servant. Do not pamper it. Do not always succumb to its wishes, by which you will be, as it were, paving your way to hell.
Food and clothing should be only for its maintenance. You should care for it knowing it to be temporary, for the sake of the development of the soul and to escape the cycle of life and death.
Birth and death are nothing but calamities. Every moment is set towards destruction. What momentary pleasure is this which brings in its wake unhappiness throughout life.
Just as one sees the zig-zagging lightening, which is there for a moment and then disappears; the waves of the ocean which are also momentary; similar is the body). Therefore, think.
The body, the house, the children and wife – all these will perish. But one never realises it even when one bids farewell to one's own parents, while carrying their biers on the shoulder.
They are dead and the one in good health will die after them. One gets caught in the cycle of birth and death. But one does not think even for a moment by what means it can be controlled.
Life passes quickly in looking after the progress of the family. But time never forgets its duty and readily keeps count of the tenure of life.
When the last moment has come, then it does not wait even for a split second. Just as the fisherman casts his net and the fish gets caught, so life ends as it tosses about writhing at the touch of death.
By means of a store of good deeds from the past births and by accumulating good fortune, a person gets human birth. Therefore, every moment should be used well.
Even by making Herculean efforts, like Bhagirath6 trying to hold the Ganges in his hair, it is not possible to obtain human birth. Because of destiny, unexpectedly, we are able to get it. It should not be wasted carelessly.
He is a fool who thinks that he will do good deeds in the next birth. There is no certainty that it will be so once this life escapes.
There are many sinners who have this body. Their genes reach the organ of creation to take a new form according to their deeds.
There are many who are even more wretched and vile. They take birth in the movable class8; then become absolutely immovable, according to their actions and their thoughts.
The way in which one has acquired knowledge, or has performed his deeds, he will get the body accordingly. Thus it is stated in the Shrutis.
"A person is born according to his knowledge " (wisdom). The benevolent mother Shruti says so. Therefore, according to his store of knowledge, a soul is born.
God's 'leelas' are beyond the intellect. It is impossible to know them totally. But that human being should be considered fortunate, who is able to know even a fraction of God's ways.
Human life is acquired by utmost good luck; and to be born a Brahmin is more fortunate. By God's grace to be near the feet of Sai is a rarer opportunity. To gain all these is rare.
Although there exists different forms of life, human life is superior to all. From where have we come? And who has created us? Such questions can be answered only by a discerning human mind.
The other species do not have the knowledge. They are born and they die. They do not understand the past, the present and the future and nor the existence of God.
God was, therefore, overjoyed after the creation of man, thinking that man, by means of sense discretion and nonattachment, would worship Him.
Evanescent man doing 'sadhana' (Spiritual Practices) will become eternal God. There is no other better means than the human body, to reach God through 'sadhana'.
I bow down to Sree Ganesh
I bow down to Sree Saraswati
I bow down to the Guru
I bow down to the Family Deity
I bow down to Sree Sita-Ramachandra
I bow down to Sree Sadguru Sainath.
Sarveshaam Svaastir Bhavatu
Sarveshaam Shaantir Bhavatu
Sarveshaam Poornam Bhavatu
Sarveshaam Mangalam Bhavatu
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanteeh
-(from Shri Sai Samartha Satchrita, Chapter 8, Ovi 27 - 52)
