The purpose of this blog

Often I see devotees read or listen to the Sai Satcharitra parayan, but they do not contemplate upon the messages Baba is trying to convey to us via his leelas. If you contemplate then you will realise that each and every leela of Baba is trying to convey some important message to us. One such leela in the Sai Satcharitra inspired me to begin this task of compiling together all his teachings by systematically going through each leela. This Sai Satcharitra is an ocean filled with pearls of wisdom. The question is how deep can we all dive to find these hidden treasures. 

The purpose of this blog is to contemplate upon the teachings from each leela of Shirdi Sai Baba in the Sai Satcharitra, together with suggestions on how to use these teachings to enrich our spiritual lives.

This blog is an interpretation based on the following books: 

Shri Sai Satcharita by Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias 'Hemadpant'
Adapted from the original Marathi in English by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji, B.A., L.L.B. .

The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, Translated by Indira Kher (a verse-by-verse translation of the Dabholkar’s complete Pothi into English)

Baba did not give any discourses or talk about philosophy, but he blessed his devotees with a tremendous store of knowledge, conveying it as leelas in very simple and rustic ways so that the village folk in Shirdi could benefit from them.

In our tradition, the process of learning is described to be in stages:

·         Sravanam: listening to the teachings

·         Mananam: reflecting upon the teachings and clearing one’s doubts

·         Nididhyasanam: contemplating on the teachings and making them one’s own

I do not expect to grasp and understand all of Baba’s messages.  This is where you, the reader, comes in. I would like to encourage you all to please read this blog on a regular basis and share your own thoughts, understanding and experiences with all your fellow travelers.

Via this blog, let us all come together and make an effort at the feet of Baba to, reflect upon and contemplate upon, what Baba is trying to teach us. My belief is that upon successful contemplation we will all be successful in obtaining this knowledge and incorporating it into our lives. 

NOTE: All the interpretations in this blog will be based on the Sai Satcharita, from either Gunaji or Indira Kher’s versions. The interpretations will be based only on Baba’s words or actions described in the leelas. No attempt will be made to explain Baba’s thinking when he was performing the actions or speaking the words. 

Om Sai Ram.