Shri Saileela

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Year - 4 Issue No. 2

March-April, 2004

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D. M. Sukthankar

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CONTENTS

Ram & Shabari

Sai Baba & Bayjabai

Miraculous Effect of Ramanama

Ram Bhakta Hanuman

The Importance of Ramanama

Karunakara Rama &

Kulasekara Ramayana by Dr. R. Rukmani

Swami Samartha in Sai Charitra

Is Baba Living & Helping now ? : Jyoti Ranjan

Published by D. M. Sukthankar, on behalf ofShri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi at Sai

Niketan, 804-B, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Dadar,Mumbai - 400 014 and printed by him at

Mouj Printing Bureau, Khatav Wadi,Goregaonkar Lane, Girgaon, Mumbai.

The Editor does not accept responsibility forthe views expressed in the articles

published.

dical of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi

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Arrival of Rama – Shabari honours Rama –

Rama blesses Shabari – Shabari attains the holy Realm

Taking up the route through the forest to thePampa lake as shown by Kabandha, both thesons Rama and Lakshmana of Dasaratha (theforemost among men) proceeded towards thewest. Gazing on the numerous trees collected inthe form of a cluster on the mountain rocks andladen with flowers and fruits and dripping honey,the two princes, Sri Rama and Lakshmana,marched on their mission to see Sugriva.Staying for the night on a plateau, those twoscions of Raghu, the delights of Raghu’s race, fortheir part approached the western edge ofPampa. Having reached the western brink of thelotus pond, Pampa, the two princes then sightedthe lovely hermitage of Shabari on the aforesaidbrink (of Pampa).

Reaching that most delightful hermitagehemmed in with many trees, and looking all-round, the two princes met Shabari. Risingrespectfully with joined palms on seeing the twoprinces, Shabari (who had attained perfectionthrough Yoga or abstruction) for her partpresently clasped the feet of Sri Rama and theprudent Lakshmana and offered (to herhonoured guests) with due ceremony water tobathe their feet and rinse their mouth with andevery (other) form of hospitality, Sri Rama thenspoke (as follows) to the aforesaid asceticwoman, who was intent upon virtue :– “Have allimpediments (to the practice of your austerities)been thoroughly overcome by you ? Is yourasceticism (steadily) growing ? Has anger beenfully controlled by you as well as your diet, Olady with asceticism (alone) as your wealth ?Are (all) your religious vows completelyobserved and has satisfaction come to yourmind ? Has your attendance on your preceptorborne fruit, O lady of pleasing speech ?”

Stationed before Sri Rama wheninterrogated (as above) by the latter, theaforesaid ascetic woman, the aged Shabari, whohad not only attained perfection (through Yoga),but was esteemed by perfect souls, submitted(as follows) to Sri Rama :– “Today has thefruition of my austerities been attained by methrough your blessed sight. Today my birth (asa human being) has borne fruit and my eldershave been duly adored. My asceticism (too) hasbecome fruitful today and (the highest) heaventoo will definitely fall to my lot, now that you,the foremost of Gods, have been worshipped byme, O Rama, the flower of humanity. Hallowedby your gracious look, O gentle one, bestowinghonour on other, I shall by your grace ascend torealms knowing no decay, O subduer of foes !

When you reached Chitrakuta, the sageswhom I served (viz., the pupils of SageMatanga) ascended to heaven from this place inaerial cars of incomparable splendour.

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Nay, I was reassured (in the following words)by those eminent and highly blessed seers ofVedic Mantras, who knew what is right :– ‘SriRama will visit this highly sacrosanct hermitageof yours. Alongwith Lakshmana (son of Sumitra)he should be hospitably received by you as aguest. Having seen him (before casting off yourbody) you will ascend to realms that know nodecay.’ I was reassured by those highly blessedsouls in these words on that occasion, O jewelamong men ! Produce of the forest of everydescription growing on the brink of Pampa has,therefore, been gathered by me for you, O tigeramong men, the flower of humanity !” Spokento as aforesaid by Shabari, the said Sri Rama (ascion of Raghu), whose mind was set on virtue,lovingly spoke as follows to Shabari, who hadbeen eternally admitted into the portals ofdivine wisdom :– “If you deem fit, I wish toperceive with my own eyes the glory of yourhigh-souled preceptors, heard of (by me) in its truecharacter from the demon (Kabandha).” Hearing thesewords issued from the lips of Sri Rama, Shabari for herpart showed both the brothers round that vast forest,saying :– “Behold the forest dark as a rainy cloud andthronged with beasts and birds and widely known bythe name of Matangavana only, O joy of the House ofRaghu !”

She said, “Here the aforesaid preceptors of mine,who had purified the soul by meditating on God,sacrificed their body consecrated by repeating the holytext (of Gayatri) while uttering the Mantra which arerecited at the time of pouring oblations into the sacredfire, O prince endowed with great splendour ! This isthe altar known by the name of Pratyaksthali, where theaforesaid Risis highly adored by me, offered worshipwith flowers to the deities with their hands shaking dueto exhaustion (caused by old age coupled with austerityof life).

See how the altar retains its matchless effulgenceeven to this day, illumining all the quarters by itssplendour through the power of their asceticism, Oflower of Raghu’s race ! Behold (all) the seven oceans(encircling the earth) drawn in a collective form (to thisspot) by the (very) thought of those sages when theyhad grown feeble due to exhaustion occasioned byfasting and were (consequently) unable to undertake ajourney (to the seven oceans). The barks of treesspread by them on the trees in this region after theyhad finished their ablutions have not dried up till today,O delight of the Raghus ! The garlands which wereactually made by them with flowers interspersed withblue water-lilies while going through rites undertaken topropitiate the Gods have not really faded till now. Thewhole of this forest has been seen and what was worthhearing (about it) has been heard by you. I, thereforewish that duly permitted by you, I, may cast off thisbody. I long to approach those ascetics of purified mindto whom this hermitage belongs and whose servant Iwas.”

Hearing the most pious submission (of Shabari),Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) for his part together withLakshmana experienced incomparable exultation andsaid, “Wonderful !” Sri Rama then replied to the saidShabari of austere vows, “I have been (duly) honouredby you, O blessed lady ! (Now) depart happily at will.”Casting herself into the fire when spoken to asaforesaid and granted leave by Sri Rama, Shabari, whowore matted locks on her head and was clad in thebark of trees and black deerskin (before the leapt intothe fire), rose to (the highest) heaven alone, looking asshe did like a blazing fire : so the tradition goes.Adorned with celestial jewels and celestial garlandsdaubed with a heavenly sandal-paste and clad inheavenly raiment, she wore a pleasing aspect in that(ethereal) form, illumining that region like a streak oflightning flashing from a cloud. Through deepconcentration of mind Shabari attained that holy realmwhere those eminent Risis, whose mind was set onvirtue, enjoyed life.

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Bayjabai’s Austere Devotion & Sai Baba’s life-long Remembrance

In the beginning, Sai Baba was well-knownamongst the people as the mad fakir. The OneWho filled His stomach by begging for food, howcould He have any grandeur ?

But the Fakir was generous by nature. Neverexpecting anything in return and loving,outwardly He looked wavering but was inwardlysteadfast. His behaviour was impossible tounderstand.

In such an ordinary (mean) village, therewere some fortunate people who were kind bynature and who regarded Him as a Saint.

Tatya Kote’s mother, whose name wasBayjabai, would put some bhakris in a basketand carry it on her head and go into the woodsin the afternoon.

She would walk for miles, searching in thewoods for the mad fakir, trampling upon thethick foliage and bow down to His feet onfinding Him.

How can one describe the strength of herdevotion ! Dry or curried vegetables and bhakrishe fed Baba with her hands, in the woods, inthe noon or late afternoon.

This austere devotion of hers was also notforgotten by Baba during His lifetime. Keepingthe past in mind He blessed her son with goodfortune. Both the husband and wife had greatfaith in the Fakir indeed. The Fakir only wastheir God; God lives in the faith of the devotee,doesn’t He ?

The Fakir would be in meditation. ThenBayjabai would lay out the leaf (which served asa plate), serve the food from the basket, andmake efforts to feed Him.

“Fakiri is true kingship. Fakiri alone will lastforever. Look how evanescent is wealth.” Babasaid this always !

Later on Baba abandoned the woods. Hebegan to stay in the village and accepted food inthe Masjid. Thus He put an end to the mother’stroubles.

Miraculous Effect of RamanamaDue to the majesty of Ramanama stone-rocks started floating on the waters; on the

strength of Ramanama the monkey army succeeded in subduing the mighty Ravana;depending on Ramanama, Hanuman lifted the mountain and Sita could protect andmaintain her famine chastity even after living for several months in the palace of Ravanaonly due to the majesty of Ramanama. Bharata could hold his life for the long fourteenyears because from his throat no sound other than Ramanama came out. This is whyTulasidasa has rightly asserted and prescribed to mutter Ramanama in order to wash awaythe fifth of Kaliyuga.

It is my conviction that the pronunciation of Ramanama is of uncommon import. Ifsomebody really feels that the God is ever present in his heart in that case I feel thatmuttering Ramanama is not necessary for Him. But I am not sure if there is any suchperson on the earth. On the contrary my experiences indicate that there is something veryspecial, very uncommon in muttering Ramanama audibly. Why is it so or how is it so – it isquite unnecessary to know.

ourtesy - Kalyan

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Hanuman holds a unique position amongthe deities worshipped by the Hindu devoteesand the most important character in theRamayana. Scholars meditate on him and attaingreat scholarship. Hanuman is a Chiranjivi whowill continue to the end of this Kalpa andafterwards become the next Brahma, the creatoramong the Trinities.

Hanuman is a Brahmachari (a celebate) allthrough his life. He is worshipped as an IstaDevata by all those who aspire for a life ofperfect purity, continence and self-control.According to Swami Chidananda “Personalities ofHanuman and Divine Sita give unto us thesecret key to success in this life of purity.Ceaseless service and total dedication sum upthis spiritual secret.”

He is one of the foremost of the devotees ofRama “born to save Dharma”. He has utilized allthe three paths, viz. Jnana, Bhakti and Yoga –These three ‘cultures of Sadhana’ theinstrumental trio (Karanatrayam) as his own tothe fullest possibility and shone brightly. He is aKarma Yogi too. We hence call Jnana-Bhakti-Karma as ‘Hanuman Yoga’.

Even at first sight, Rama and Lakshmanaattracted him as though by a spiritualgravitation, as it were. He finds an aura ofradiation around them. He asks :

“Are You the prime cause of this world andthe Lord of all the spheres, manifested in humanform to bridge the ocean of mundane existenceand to relieve the burden of the Earth.” Kambanputs it in a pictorial manner :

“How even tigers and pards, he thoughtwithin himself, look on them with tenderness,even as they would on their own cubs !Peacocks and other birds fly in groups andshade the delicate bodies of these strangersfrom the hot rays of the sun with their greatwings; clouds cool them with their little raindrops, marching over them as they walk on. Theburning stones on their way became soft andcool as honey-dripping flowers to their feet atevery step. Even trees and plants worship them,bending down their heads when they came near.Are they Dharma’s self ? Are those beings Godsindeed who wipe off the sorrows of living kindand give them salvation, burning away theinevitable fruits of their deeds ? My very bonesmelt, the flood-gates of love are opened withinmy heart, and I see no limit or end to theaffection that surges me towards them”. (KambaRamayana by V. V. Aiyar, page 179)

Rama and Lakshmana then disclosed theiridentity to him and they in turn requested himto give details about him.

Now Hanuman recognised his Lord and falling tothe ground clasped Rama’s feet and prayed thathe may be excused for not recognising his soul’smaster who is no other than the Lord Himself.He says : “Although my Lord I have many faults,let not the servant be cast into oblivion by themaster.

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The Jiva (ego), O Lord, is deluded by YourMay and can be redeemed only by Your Grace.On top of it, I swear by the Hero of Raghu’s line,I know neither adoration nor any other means(of pleasing You). A servant depends on themaster and a child its mother and both remainfree from anxiety; for a master needs must takecare of his servant.” So saying he clutched atRama’s feet, overwhelmed with love. The Lord ofRaghus soothed him and said : “You are twicedear to Me as Lakshmana. Everyone says that Ilook upon all with the same eye; but a devoteeeis particularly dear to Me because he toodepends on none but Me.” (Ramacharitamanasa,Gorakhpur Edn.)

This statement of Sri Rama, is interpreted byscholars, as to imply that Rama and Lakshmanawere one in each other. Rama was Lakshmanaand Lakshmana was Rama. Hanuman,therefore, was dear to Rama than Himself.Lakshmana served only Rama, whereasHanuman served them both and hence ‘twicedear’. Hanuman would not allow the noblebrothers to climb the mountain as he thoughtthe hard mountain may hurt their delicate feetand, therefore, he carried them on hisshoulders. This episode shows the nature ofAnanya Bhakti. Such a Bhakta is the trueBhakta – a devotee servant – who took the Lordalone his master.

The Importance of Ramanama– Dr. M. Narasimhachary

The name ‘Rama’ is quite unique. Its potency andsanctity are matters of personal experience. Great sagesof our land enjoyed its sweetness and sang eloquentlyabout it. Valmiki, the Adikavi of Sanskrit literature, whowrote the Ramayana, according to ancient accounts, wasa highway robber to start with. The seven great sagesheaded by Narada were once waylaid by him and theytook pity on him, saw his future emanation as a greatsaint-poet and gave him the name ‘Rama’ in the reversefashion, i.e., ‘Ma-na’. Valmiki (whose earlier name wasRatnakara) chanted the Mantra that way, and became agreat saint. Later on, he was destined to compose theimmortal Epic, the Ramayana, at the behest of Brahma

the Creator God. Now let us have a peep into the efficacy and potency of this wonderful name‘Rama’ which keeps even now, large concourses of people spellbound when it is just chanted. Letus also at the outset keep in mind the fact that the name ‘Rama’ refers to the son of Dasaratha butnot either to Parashurama or to Balarama.

The name ‘Rama’ is sweet and is composed of sweet-sounding letters, ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’. The semi-vowel ‘Ra’ and the labial ‘ma’ make a sweet combination. Whenever Valmiki uses the name ‘Rama’,he uses the epithets ‘abhirama’ (beautiful) and/or ‘Madhura’ (sweet). How can his experience beotherwise ? In fact one of the verses of the Rama-raksa Stotra reads as follows :

(I bow down to Valmiki the cuckoo-bird, which, perched on the branch of the tree of poesy,sings sweetly the sweet-lettered name ‘Rama’.)

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Valmiki refers to the sweetness of the Rama-nama at several places in the Ramayana, thus –

(Visvamitra uttered the sweet word ‘Rama’.)

(The sages uttered the sweet name Ramarepeatedly.)

Now let us come to the definition of the term‘Rama’. It is derived from the verbal root ‘Ramu’(Ist conjugation, Atmanepadi verb), meaning,one who delights oneself (...Ramate iti Ramah).In other words, Rama is one who is alwayscheerful and blissful. Only the Supreme Beingcan be blissful and cheerful. (Cf. the Upanisad“Raso vai sah” )

The second derivation is “one who makesothers also happy” (Ramayati iti Ramah). Thisagain is in conformity with the sruti-text quotedabove, which says (He indeed makes allhappy).

The third derivation is, “He in whom all thesages delight” (Ramante yoginah asmin).

Valmiki himself gives the etymology of thisword in the following verse –

(Rama, who is the foremost among thosewho delight others, spoke to Lakshmana in thefollowing manner.)

Saint Tyagaraja, who was a greatRamabhakta, explains the secret power of thisname in one of his immortal songs thus –

“shivamantramunaku ma-jivamu; Madhava-mantramunaku Ra-jivamu”

(‘Ma’ is the very life of the Panchaksari Mantra,dear to the heart of Lord Shiva. ‘Ra’ is the verylife of the Astaksari Mantra, dear to LordMadhava (i.e., Vishnu).

In other words, if we remove the letter ‘Ma’from the Panchaksari, it becomes lifeless : itthen reads thus – Na Shivaya (meaning, there isno welfare). If we take away the letter ‘Ra’ fromthe Astaksari, it also becomes lifeless, readingthus – Om Namo Na-Yanayo (meaning, there isno way to go !). Seeing the potency of thesetwo Bijaksaras (seed-letters), the great sageVasishtha joined them thus ‘Ra’+‘Ma’, and gaveit as the name to the first son of Dasaratha. So,according to Saint Tyagaraja, Rama containswithin himself, the powers of both Lord Vishnuand Lord Shiva.

Kalidasa, the Prince of Indian poets, explainsin the Raghuvamsa (X. 67) that the name Ramawas given by Vasishtha to the first boy ofDasaratha, being attracted by his wonderfulcharm and the name became the first andforemost auspicious symbol for the welfare ofthe entire universe !

Now we come thus to another dimension ofthe import of the word ‘Rama’. It not onlymeans one who is himself cheerful, and makesothers also cheerful (by his wonderful sweetname) but also one who is extremelyhandsome.

Again, we have to go to Valmiki, for firsthand accounts of Rama’s personal charm. Hesays in the Sundarakanda, thus –

(Rama the lotus-eyed one, charms all theliving beings by his handsome form.) SageSatananda, the chief priest of King Janaka, wasstruck with wonder and admiration when he sawRama for the first time :

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Whenever the word Rama is used by Valmiki,he invariably adds the epithet‘kamalapattraksah’ or ‘rajivalochanah’, or asynonym of it.

See some of the phrases used by Valmiki inrelation to Rama :

“Ramo lokabhiramo’yam” (Ayodhya, 2.44)(This one, Rama, is bewitching the world by hispersonal charisma).

(Rama with a beautiful face like the Moon, isextremely handsome to look at. He steals theeyes and hearts of the onlookers through hiswonderful form and qualities like magnanimity.)

(He who does not see Rama, and he, whomRama does not see, become ridiculed in theeyes of the people. Even his own self tauntshim.)

In the famous verse wherein Lord Shivainforms Parvati that repeating the name thrice isequal to repeating it a thousand times, we havea clue to this calculation. This is the verse inquestion :

According to the numerology called‘katapayadi’, each letter of the Sanskrit alphabethas a specific numerical value. ‘Ra’ has thevalue of 2 and ‘Ma’, the value of 5. So, sayingonce ‘Rama’ means saying it 2 x 5 = 10 times.So when we say the name thrice, it becomes 10x 10 x 10 = 1000 fold in potency. Such is themystery about the name ‘Rama’.

That is why, the sage Valmiki says towardsthe end of the Epic –

(When Rama ruled over the kingdom, peoplespoke about the exploits of Rama, saying,Rama, Rama, Rama.)

Incidentally it may be noted that in thisverse, Valmiki used the word ‘Rama’ five times,making its power one hundred-thousand-fold :

The Hanumannataka, a beautiful drama inSanskrit, opens with an invocation to the nameRama itself.

(The name Rama is the abode of all welfare;it can destroy the sins of the Kaliyuga. It is theholy of the holiest; it is the food that one cantake with him on his onward march to liberation.It is the sole resting place for the words of allgreat poets. It is the very life of the virtuous. Itis the seed for the tree of Dharma. May suchname bring in all good to you !)

Now, let this also be my humble prayer. Maywe repeat the sweet and wonderful name Ramaand derive all happiness here and in thehereafter !

Courtesy - The Kalyan Kalpataru

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Karunakara Rama Whoprotected the Lake at

Madurantaka

Ramanavami day is most sacred to thedevotees of Sai Baba, as once when devoteespestered Him to tell His birthday He casuallysaid “Let Ramanavami be celebrated as My birthday. Baba showed Himself as Rama to several ofHis devotees which proves the fact that Baba isSri Rama.

Once a Doctor who was a Rama Upasakasaid that he would not bow to anybody elseother than Lord Rama. The Mamlatdar whocame along with the doctor went inside themosque to have Baba’s darshan, while thedoctor was at a distance from the aratiproceedings. Suddenly he changed his mind andfell at the feet of Sai Nath. The mamlatdar wasastonished and enquired the doctor why hesuddenly changed his mind. The doctor repliedthat Sai Baba appeared to him as Sri Rama sohe ran and bowed to Him. He said that Sai is‘Yoga Sampoorna Avatar’.

Baba advised His devotees to donamasmaran. Baba approved any namajapaincluding ‘Sai’ namajapa. He instructed Mrs. G.S. Khaparde to repeat the name of Rama.“Always say Raja Ram, Raja Ram. If you do soyour life will be fruitful. You will attain peace andinfinite good.”

Once a Madrasi Bhajan Mela (Party of theRamadasi Panth) came to Shirdi, on the way tothe holy city of Banares, to have darshan of SaiNath.

The mela did very good bhajan but at thesame time all members of the mela except thehead of the mela, a lady were avaricious andwanted to get money from Baba. The chief ladyof the mela had a great regard and love towardsBaba. Hence Baba decided to give darshan toher as her Ishta Daivam Lord Rama. As thenoon arati was going on, in the place of SaiBaba she saw her Beloved Deity Lord Rama. Shewas immensely happy and tears flowed from hereyes. While all the others in the crowd saw onlySai Nath there, the lady alone has sakshatkar ofLord Rama because of her true devotion.

From the above illustrations it is proved thatSai Nath and Sai Rama are one and the sameEternal Supreme. Anybody can pray to thisEternal Brahman in any form or name, He isever with us to bless us by fulfilling our wishes.

As mentioned above Lord Rama gavedarshan to Mr. Colonel Lional Place, the collectorof Changlepet. Madurantakam, is a small townabout 70 k.m. from Madras city. It is one of thefamous Abhimanasthalas of Lord Vishnu. Thereis a temple here, the Presiding Deity is namedas Karunakara Perumal (one full of mercy). He isalso called Eari Katha Perumal (one whoprotected the lake of Madurantakam). There is aseparate, shrine for Goddess Sita Devi namedas Janakavalli Thayar (Mother Janakavalli). It isa common saying that one who lays his foot onthe land of Madurantakam is sure to reachHeaven. This Kshetra is also called ‘VakularanyaKshetram’ as it was once full of Vakula trees.About 950 years before Sri Ramanuja, renownedas Ethiraja, the exponent of the doctrine ofVisishta Dwaita got his initiation, VaishnavaDiksha or Pancha Samskara Diksha from hisGuru Peria Nambi, in this temple under theVakula tree, the Sthala Vruksha.

An incident which occured in 1795 atMadurantakam gives ample proof that LordRama or Sai Rama’s presence is everywhere andHis ever watchful eyes are on those who pray toHim and He protects His devotees at criticalsituations and imminent danger.

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