Guruvaar Prarthna
Our Beloved Sadguru Sainath, please accept our humble prayers on this Holy Day of Guruvaar. Baba, the origin of our troubles are due to setting our own limit according to our desires without considering what is in Your Store House. Your treasure house is full, yet we don't know what is our share and when You will deliver on our hands. We humbly ask you to give enough patience to our wandering minds until we receive Your rewards. On this holy day we start our prayers by reading Your divine guidance in Shri Sai Samartha Satcharitra.
Pure knowledge will not shine lustrously unless the impure oil in the form of passion is exhausted; and the black soot in the form of ignorance and the wick in the form of ego12 is not destroyed.
Whatever work a man has to perform, whether avoidable or unavoidable, and within the ambit of intelligence, should be certainly considered as duty.
If one does not have any other work, one should enjoy wealth and peace, or recite Ramnam1 and be desireless and without worry.
The body, the sense organs, the mind and the intellect are all the hinderances of the Atma(soul). But by means of these, the soul is able to fully experience this world or existence. The soul itself is unborn and unattached.
Only outwardly the soul seems to enjoy, because by nature it is incapable of enjoyment. It is proved by the science of logic and by means of inferences etc.
Having understood this essence of life, entrust the intellect to perform all the duties befitting the karma. Let the righteousness of the intellect be left to it. One should act without seeking the fruits of action.
The performance of one's religious duties; being always engrossed in the meditation of the Inner Self – these are the aims of human birth, whereby inner satisfaction is obtained.
There is no other means as effective as human life to fulfil the four principle objects of life (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha – living by the right conduct, acquiring wealth, having spouse and progeny and attaining salvation ) That man who practices these and becomes an expert will reach God.
Therefore, till the body is not decaying, try to acquire the knowledge of the soul. Do not waste even a moment of human life.
Just as the salt water from the ocean, when it falls down from the clouds15, turns sweet as nectar, similarly is the happiness of being at the feet of the Guru.
Similarly, the happy state attainable by human life cannot be realised without the Guru. When the Guru gives the necessary help then only will the creatures be delivered.
Sacred mantras, the tirath, the deity, the brahmin, the fortune-teller, and the druggist – thus the seventh in this line is the Guru – all these need faith.
Success is achieved in proportion to the faith in all these. Depending upon the intentness of the mind, success varies.
For those who are bound to this world, the Saints create the desire for 'moksha' in their hearts; and for the persons who are seekers of 'moksha' they are liberated. The Saints manifest themselves from the non-perceivable self only for the good of others.
Whatever is not achieved, through lectures or by reading 'puranas', is easily understood from the behaviour of a virtuous person (Guru). His attitudes and example are his silent preachings.
It is rare to find a person who practises forgiveness, peace, non attachment, kindness, and obliges others, who is in control of his senses and who is devoid of ego.
That which is not achieved through reading books is achieved easily by observing the person who practises all the virtues prescribed by the Shastras. The sun alone can achieve that which the infinite stars cannot do.
Similar are the noble Saints, their numerous, simple17 actions free those who are tied to the world and are a source of extreme pleasure.
One out of these is the great Saint Sai, full of divine attributes and perfections. But he lived like a fakir and was always engrossed in Self-Realisation.
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 70 - 88)
