Shree Sai Mahima
Speaking about the glories of the Shree Sai Sachcharit, my Sadguru Shree Aniruddhasinh (Aniruddha Bapu) says, 'The Sai Sachcharit' is not merely an account of the principles and the mission of Sainath; this work recounts the life of several bhaktas and how they attained the grace of Sainath. This work is a depiction of history. This work contains as much the life and mission of Sai bhaktas as that of Sainath and so it is for us, a means to learn to attain the grace of the Parameshwar. In the very first verse of the Sai Mahima (the glories and eminence of Sai) Bapu says;
"Sainath is my Lord, Sainath is my faith;Sainath, my Master; O my Sadguru Sainath!"
When the upasana began in 1995, it was Bapu who did the upasana Himself. Later Suchitdada began to do it. The 'Sai Mahima' was part of the upasana and they were joined by all the shraddhavaan present who regularly recited it along with them. Bapu says, Sainath is His guru who directs and guides. The 'Anhik' too includes the 'Achintyadaani Stotra' that addresses the following prayer to Sainath:
"O Sairam! I surrender to You, O ocean of grace, I surrender to You;
O Digambar! You have but compassion for the distressed; O guru who directs and guides, I surrender unto You".
Besides, 'Om Krupasindhu Shree Sainathaya Namah' and 'Om Abhayadata Shree Swamisamarthaya Namah' are the foremost and principal jap of Bapu's (Aniruddhasinh) mission and so have been part of the Thursday upasana right from the beginning. It is Sainath alone who can and who does steer to the right path, the jeeva gone astray in these times of the Kaliyug. Driven to despair, tormented by the blows dealt by life, man turns to the wrong path. Leave alone becoming worthy of the love and grace of the Parmeshvar, he finds himself in a maze; he does not know the exit and has walked too far inside! He is trapped. In these circumstances too, one step, just one step on the path of bhakti can bail him out, it can lift him out of the abyss of misery. In the Sai Mahima, Bapu goes on to tell us,
Pain, illness, worry, disease
Agony, sorrow or misery be
All wiped out clean, we are rid,
When immersed in Your name, the self dissolves.
The Shree Saisachcharit explains to us, this path of bhakti; it actually teaches us how to offer the bhakti and while doing so, enhances and strengthens our bhakti. It anchors us firmer on this path.
Bapu talks about the Saisachcharit in His discourses in Hindi. The Panchasheel examination too that Bapu instituted is based on the Shreesaisachcharit and all of this He does for our sake, so that our journey on the path of bhakti be smooth and simple, so that the reflection and contemplation of the work that our study (for the exam) entails, lead us to imbibe the norms and values of the Saibhaktas in our everyday life.
I can say for sure that this forum based on the Shree Saisachcharit will go a long way in helping every shraddhavaan to understand the teachings of Sainath and to imbibe them in life. The forum will place before us, a theme, a verse, a story (incident) or a place connected with the Shree Sai Sachcharita. Every subscriber / member of the forum may express his views about these in English, Hindi and Marathi as well. The discussion will definitely unravel for us, many different aspects of this work, making it further simple to understand it and in fact enter deep into it. After all Sainath has given His word to His bhaktas, has He not?
The one who sings my glories, the praises of my principles, my mission; be it imperfect, be it deficient; I support, I stand before him and behind. In fact I am all around him, always.
Now, as I launch this forum – 'Sai, The Guiding Spirit', I say that the 'Shree Sai Mahima' written by my Sadguru Aniruddha Bapu (Aniruddhasinh), will prove great guidance and assurance to all shraddhavaan and Sai bhaktas.
Shree Sai Mahima
Sainath is my Lord
Sainath is my faith
Sainath, my Master
O my Sadguru Sainath!....1
Bhakti singular, pure from the heart
From You I ask, You alone can grant
Neither worship nor seva I know of
I am blinded, my senses numb.....2
Calm be my mind, collected in peace
May Your name dwell in it always
In surrender I offer myself at Your Feet
Grant me, forever be it....3
The blind may even see
The dumb may render the vedas
The lame too scale steep heights
What with Your grace, what cannot be? ....4
You are an ocean of grace solemn, great
And I, a dull beast, so inadequate
I shirk, I shun in bhakti the effort
Lift me, lead me, will You please?....5
In trouble I call, You nudge me to
In happiness I am charmed, You allow me not to.
Why do you play this game, why do You?
O Gururaayaa?....6
O Sainath! O Sairam!
The eternal one who is fulfilment!
O Saibaba! O Sai, my god!
Do Salvage me O please!....7
You are my Mother
Yet I so lowly, fallen
So it is, but it has happened
How at all? just how O God?....8
As is the love, the sentiment in the heart
So it perceives, the event, the moment
Your vessel safe, that is it
To keep afloat in the stormy seas....9
The burdens of life I lug along
I am tired, they weigh me down
So in Your love, I sing Your glories,
To be assured, to be at rest....10
May pitch darkness engulf me
May the deluge soar mountain high
Your grace, Your love I feel
Right there, right then I know You are....11
Pain, illness, worry, disease
Agony, sorrow or misery be
All wiped out clean, we are rid
When immersed in Your name, the self dissolves...12
The Kaliyug sees sham, so common, so usual
Heartfelt worship loses to deceitful ritual
The name of Sai ultimate, emerges
Causes what ought to be, the truth manifests....13
Any place You rush, any time at all
For the bhakta's sake, You are support, You come
This trust in my heart I hold on firm,
O Sai, as I chant Your name....14
He is Saibaba, Sairam He is
He is Saikrishna, the sole desire He is
Complete and perfect His name alone is
Sainath, O Sainath!....15
May I wish it, may I not
May Your Will be done as it ought
This alone be my prayer, please grant
This may I speak willing and forthright....16
Dharma, artha, kaam, moksha
The purushartha You watch over, for sure
Guard and protect them in me, O Master
Through all my births, every time....17
As we sow, so we will reap
The vile will always fetch us grief
But from the deed that to vile leads
We turn away, Your name is the light....18
I come to You, cleanse me O Sai,
My buddhi, and body, my word and mind
At Your door, the eight siddhis I find
No want now, I remain fulfilled....19
Sadguru Shreesainath Maharaj ki Jay!!
Published at Mumbai, Maharashtra - India