CHAPTER 2.

Arrival at Shirdi



Sai Baba revealed himself on the banks of the Godavari river in Ahmednagar District as a child. There he served a saint with all his heart. That saint was permanently stationed at one spot.. After his death his samadhi built under the shade of a Neem Tree in Navaikar Wadi by Sai Baba. There in a cellar Sai Baba maintained silence for 12 years.  Once he came out of his dug-out  to bring water when he was first seen by the people around.  They crowded round the young man who had grown his hair for 12 years.

Sai Baba practised penance during his life in the celler under a Neem tree, whose leaves were turned sweet and they are so to this day!

There stands the Samadhi of Baba's Guru [to my foreign friends-samadhi is 
where the saints are buried]
around which Sai Baba has developed a park. He remained in cognito for a number of years thereafter and came out in the open at Aunrangabad in the house of one Chandbhai.  His mare was intraceable but Sai Baba found it out. He struck his tongs against the ground and produced fire and water.  Such were his impressive miracles...

This Chanbhai's nephew marriage was fixed with a bride from Shirdi and at the request of Chandbhai, Sai Baba joined this marriage party.  The party stopped near the temple of KHndoba at shirdi.  One Mhalsapati a goldsmith was in charge of the daily worship of this Khandoba. When he saw  Sai Baba  with his robe on he addressed him as Sai Baba and from then onwards this name stuck to him.

Once upon a time a thief stole diamonds ornaments and when arrested he said that he had kept them with Sai Baba.  This was an utter falsehood.  But Nanasaheb Joshi, First Class Magistrate of Dhulia went to Shirdi to make inquiries.  He asked Sai Baba  what his name was.  Baba said that people call him SAI BABA. After the marriage ceremony was over Baba stayed in Shirdi  till 1918 when he died.

There was only one exception. He used to visit a village about three miles from Shirdi where Chandrabhan Shet and Balalsaheb Dengle of Nimgoan stayed. But by his yogic powers he is said to have met his disciples in places far and near.

At Shirdi, Sai Baba used to wander about freely but at night he used to sleep in a dilapidated mosque. He started giving medical treatment to the ailing,but later on he gave them only holy ash.  He called his mosque residence Dwarkamai.  His devotees temporily repaired the mosque.  Sai Baba hung up a bell there and kept constant fire burning.  He sued to distribute ash from the fire among his devotees.  Initially nobody took notice of him but later many admirers and devotees gathered around him. He used to go in the village a begging.  Whatever food he collected he distributed among animals and people. as prasad.  At shirdi, there lived a patidar family headed by one Ganpatrao, he was religiously minded person but his wife was even more spiritually minded and had discovered that Sai Baba was no ordinary faqir.  Her name was Baijabhai. She never used to take food before feeding Sai Baba. She would find him out from wherever he was and sometimes she had to eat her noon lunch in the evening.  But she did not mind. Sai Baba fully blessed her a son whose name was Tatya Ganpat Kote Patil.

Sai Baba went into samadhi in 1918,but for 42 years before that he suffered from asthama. When he decided to put an end to his life he requested Mhalsapati Sonar to take care of him for 3 days and remained on the ground like a corpse.  Mhalsapati kept his vigil unfailingly by his side.  People thought he was dead but that was not so.  He came back to life, Hale and heasty.

Shirdi was  avery small place ,but when too many people came to see and salute him, it became a crowded place.  So one Hari Vinayak Sathe purchased the plot of land near the neem tree and erected a big house there.  Sai Baba's  Guru[means high post of a teacher]
Samadhi is also there.  Baba's padukas were installed there.  Later Solicitor Dikshit of Bombay built another house and these 2 houses accomodated visitors to Shirdi for a long time.  A third house was built by the Nagpur wealthy person, Buti and called it Murlidhar Mandir[mandir means temple] but instead of installing the image of Murlidhar  there, Sai Baba's Samadhi found habitation in that temple.

well the 3rd chapter will follow.......

kindly read all the chapters... if i hv not forwarded....  just check...
thank u

happy reading


bholo jay jay sai

MAY SAI BABA BLESS US ALL


STORY OF HIS LIFE AND TEACHINGS
WRITTEN BY S.V.TANAVDE[an humble devotee]

Rendered in English
by T.V. PARVATE.

well today, i am writing this post so that the people of other countries can read the treasures of India... [this is not advertising type]
i want u to read. thats it.. no harsh feelings for the other caste or their holy books. 

happy reading.


let me begin....





1. Unknown  Precedents.



His Holiness, Shri Sai Baba is a widely  venerated saintly figure throughout India. Yet nothing is definitely know as to what family he sprang from, what his religion,caste and birth- place were.  His case appears to be of Immaculate Conception like that of Jesus Christ.Just as saint Namdeo, the Maharashtra saint is said to have been born in a mother of pearl, Kabir, the Northern India saint in a lotus flower, Sai Baba was discovered as an unclaimed child under the shade of a Neem tree.

Some say that he was first seen as a child of three years. some others say that he was five years old, some said, that he was seen first as sixteen years youth!

Whatever that may be, when he was seen he was a handsome, bright and knowledgeable figure.

At the age of 16 or 17 , he revealed himself at Shirdi in Ahmednagar District. Nobody knew from where he hailed. Some says that he came to Shirdi in marriage party of C hand Patil's newphew. Chand Patil was a Mussalman and the bride of the newphew belonged to Shirdi.

People of Shirdi found a young boy of sixteen under the shade of a Neem tree.  His dress consisted of a white robe , a belt and a white scarf round about his head.  He had a couple of alumunium pots with him. He was barefeeted.  No one took any notice of him because he seemed to be a lunatic as he drank waste water and concealed himself in shrubs in the Lendi garden.  But some discerning people were struck by his brilliant countenance and inquired who he was but he never gave any consistent replies.  Sometimes he only used to say that he had come there from a long distance.  In all the seasons of the year, whether hot , cold or rainy, he stayed and slept under the shade of the neem tree.  He used  to dig the earth, make a ditch and fold himself in it when he wanted to go to sleep. He had no other clothes except those he had on his person. The earth below and the sky above formed his bedding material.

Some people believe that he was an incarnation of Lord Shiva, others that of the Maratha Saint Ramdas and still others as that of the tenth sainth among the Nathapanthis.  But that he was a Divine Pessonage , was the belief of all who came in his contact.

Sai Baba is regarded as a Hindu by some and Muslim by others.  He always lived in a dilapidated mosque,but  behaved like an old hindu sage of antiquity.  There was a live fire constantly in the mosque and a frequent sound of the conch and the bell.  Worship, meditation and prayer in the Hindu style was a distinct feature of his behaviour and he also applied sandal paste to his forehead like a Hindu.  Those who have seen him ever that both his ears were pierced like those of every Hindu.

Some people regard him as an incarnation of Kabir. He was a disciple of a Hindu saint known as VYANKUSA or GOPALSWAMI. Some Hindu disciples of Gopalswami did not approve of their Guru's having taken a Muslim disciple and they pelted a brick-bat at him, but the brick-bat hit the saint Gopalswami like a boomrang and protected his Muslim disciple.  Sai Baba later took possession of the brick and preserved it with him for all the time.

Some people hold that Sai Baba was the babe of a Brahman couple, blessed by a Faqir. It was presented to the Faqir by its Brahman father and mother and then the Faqir took care of it thereafter and that child was SAI BABA.

At the age of eight , he came to public notice,but no definite information about his parentage.  Once a disciple insisted on getting  this information, but SAI BABA  only said that Brahma was his father and Maya was his mother.

Whatever, that may be, that he was a Divine Being was the faith of all his disciples among whom there were Hindus,Muslims,Christians,
Parsees.  He is know to have met his disciples in the form of their revered deity.  Among his disciples were well know physicians, surgeons, vakils, barristers, solicitors, Government Officials and merchants.  Any one whether an atheist, agnostic, or godless, became a believer in God after he had cone in contact with him.  He developed faith in Sai Baba and became his devotee.  Everyone believed that he was gifted with special powers of a Divine, miraculous character and this belief was based on personal experience.

well...
next chapter will be

part 2



Mint anit-blemish face mask


Mix together 2 tsp mint leaf paste, 1 grated tomato,1 sp chine clay[i wonder  this we, might get in the beauty stores] , juice of half lemon,1 tsp rose water and apply this mixture on the skin. Let it remain for 15 minutes. Wash off with ice cold water.



benifits:
Mint helps clear the skin. lightens blemishes and helps to improve blood circulations, since tomato is acidic, it helps to shrink open pores as does lemon juice. china clay gives an excellent porcelain effect to the skin.

Next time when u prepare chutney, or a dip
donot forget to make a little extra mint paste which can be kept aside to beautify your skin



Mint Dip;

grind 50gm mint leaves, 50 gm coriander, 1 tomato, 5 flakes fresh garlic,1tsp cumin seeds
powder,half tsp sugar, and a little black salt,10 green chillies and 2 tsp yoghurt
with few drops of water in a mixie. Use this as a spicy dip for kebabs, celery sticks,cucumber and radish sticks... this sound too interesting.. and yummy.... hmmm

benifits:
Keeps the body cool and is an ideal fat free dip during snack time..

DARK CIRCLES REMEDY NEXT TIME...

TIME - PLEASE..


HV A GREAT FUN FILLED. WEEKEND...


HAPPY READING 

WITH LOVE RENU

PART ONE



TIPS:


Banana smoothie
[for undernourished hair]

Blend 2 eggs,
2 smashed bananaas, 2 tsp each of amla 
reetha, fenugreek and shikakai podwers and  pinch of black pepper powder. Apply this mixture to the scalp and hair right up till the hair tips. Leave on for 45 minutes and shampoo.


benifits:
Nourishes and softens hair, making it more manageable.  The eggs provide protein to the hair and bananaa are excellent skin and hair softners. Fenugreek reduces dandruff and black pepper helps to improve blood circulation.


Banana Smoothie

Blend together 1 glass cold milk, 2 bananas,
1tsp powdered sugar, 1 pinch of cinnamom powder with some ice. Pour it into a glass,
sprinkle cinnamom powder overr and serve.


Benifits:
A good pick-me-up and a great nourishing drink

check out for the next tip  , in the next blog
part 2

There is something i wanted to tell u for a long time,but wasnt sure whether u like it or no.... or would tell me ,, you are so childishh types...



There was a small place called kalina,,, in the suburbs of mumbai. where there were not that many people living.in the year 1965 .Kaccha roads, the paths,or lanes covered with long grasses and hays... snakes hissing noises,
cattles in some areas..morning early cocks awakening call.[hee hee]. As years go by, the paths that were turned to roads,,, but still not the perfect types.

There was Chawl named Shera Niwas, it had 5 residents staying, there. one was a Christain family 
2. was a Manglorean family , 3.. was Protestant[kerala] family 
4,,  was a Hindu [south indian ] family...5.. one was a Mangloarean family staying there.
 There were 5 rooms.  each family had a room...

BUT the only good thing about that area , was they all had a garden,, long type.. in the whole area of chawls,,, this was,
the outstanding chawl type from all the other surroundings.

There was a huge fence covering the entire garden. so no one could enter from any direction... there was a small main gate types,, where a pet dog would be kept.. so no tresspassers..
The houses were made of bricks and mud tiles. In the nights the cats used to go from the roof,, and the noises,,cries of the cats or fighting on the roofs... this used to so much scary..

When raining the rain drops falls inside , and sometimes bucket a full of water wd be collected. not forgetting the rats travelling from one neighbour's house to another, well these were the description of the houses.

Well coming back to the garden, there were total 14 coconut trees, two huges mangoe trees,, each neighbour had papaya, banana plant, sugar cane,, a bunch[6to 7] sunflowers, roses, shoes flowers were the common one and the yellow flowers, i dont know the name,, but the nectar wd be sweet....
some leafy vegetables, not forgetting the curry leaves[kadippatta] trees and plants. these were the plants and trees all the neighbours had,,, i think i have not mentioned jackfruits trees total 5  trees, 1 neem huge tree, custard-apples . over all , all the important trees and medicinal plants, just every thing was there. so the other people staying outside this area,, was very jealouse of this chawl.

Well coming back to neighbours,,,, 
Room no 1: Mr & Mr. Rodrigues and their 3 children, plus that aunty used to take care of 7 more children .. all their relatives children, coz their parents abroad.. so no one to take care.
Room no 2: Mr & Mr. S.Mendon family with 2 children.
Room no3: Mr & MR. Jacob  family with 2 children
Room no 4: family with 2 children.[Dsouza family]
Room no 5... family always  changing...


These are the  neighbours who lived happily even if any obstacles came, or any sort of fight, they are there for each other. in good times and in bad times... there were lots of children, as i hv mentioned in the above para.

The elder children used to make the younger children climb the mango trees.. Then any of the parents come out of the room, they start shouting, then everybody used to run, leaving the poor little girl in the tree hanging all by her self.. then all the mangoes,, they used to gather,, 7 to 8 raw big mangoes.. now is the interesting part... 
cut the mangoes in thin slices, [the mixture contained - salt, vineger, and chilli powder and a big bowl... ] then mix the mangoes,,, hmmm i can just imagine,,, ]
then everybody used to share and eat,,, even sometimes the parents used to join,, leaving the men[father's] 
this mango tree, was of room no 5... they were lot kanjus type,,,
[not giving types] for my foreign friends coz they wouldnt understand the word kanjus.

One more interesting one.. was there was a mulberry tree ,not that much big,,, but was quiet sufficient for the entire Shera niwas people... the young, small children were carried and put on the roof, then a big bowl wd be given to them..then the plucking wd start... they used to pick up the darker purple types. that wd be much sweeter in taste, compared to the orange ones and the green which are too tangy types. at least 2 bowls wd be full. then the distribution wd  be done.. four families.

Even the tender coconut of each neighbour  wd be shared, it was chance by chance... its was real fun... there is nobody greedy . just sharing equally. 

These used to be done only on sundays... coz holiday time or sat,,, in the afternoon.. 
Every sat and sun,, there used to housie game... [i guess u all know the game] the ticket with the numbers.... and if u win all the numbers then u get the money.. at that time ,, it used to be 3 paise, 5  of 25 paise,. this game the entire shera niwas crowd wd play..  

Sometimes,, all the boys,including the fathers,, and the girls wd play cricket.. there were team wise... the garden was full of trees and plants,, but the passage,,[long] there they used to play cricket...

For christmas , it used to be busy.. all the 4 rooms there wd be lights, and stars, except for one room.. [hindu house]  but diwali time only this house there wd be lights and it wd look center of attraction.  in that area majority christian familys living.. 

Hindu families very few,, say 4 to 5 families,, ..not an issue.
there were so much of unity among everybody , no fights,,,
everything was peaceful for years ,,,, as years went by,,, shera niwas chawl was getting older,, the mud tiles breaking, the rain pouring inside so much... the waters filling the garden, there used to be water snakes,, the grasses were long inside the garden.. sometimes u cant come to know , on what  soft green u r standing on, leeches,,, earthworms,,  and crabs and those tiny guppi fishes,,, [the younger children used to catch the crabs,, and break the main arm,, and then tie it, or play as racing of the crabs,,, most of the naughty stuff... and the fish tanks wd be dumped with those fishes...[then in the evening one could hear the parents beating the child or shouting... ]

The landlord of this shera niwas chawl sold this land to another landlords,, whose eyes were always fixed on this land for ages, and without the residents notice it was sold. after all the struggles and fight for the land,, finally all these neighbours decided .. but the worst part was the coconut trees getting cut.. its very painful too see,, all the trees one by one getting cut... Then came the building on this area, but still fours of the coconut trees , they left.. coz that wasnt blocking th blg structure,,, but 1 hv to be cut... thats will be really sad, and i hope they dont do it...
Rest, each of this neighbours are given road side facing flats, but all in the same row.. like 304, then 4th flr 404,, just above.. but still the unity is still there, the love and caring is still there, nobody could break the relationship of these 4 families...

These are the neighbours still living together . Their children hv grown up,got married and settled,3  still to get married.  Except one person we will be missing throughtout our life time.. Mr. Jacob, who passed away 20th August, 2008. it was a sad and struggling death, and he was paralysed one side for 6 years.


For the past 40 years we hv been living together, as neighbours, for me they r more than my relatives... my neighbours comes first then the rest.....this is where i stayed for last 29 years....

thanks u very much for reading my home sweet home,,, story,,,

if i hv made u irritated, and boring stuff,,, then sorry.

for the rest... enjoy reading
love u all..

with love 
renu

                      A GIFT


"Love" does not need rich gifts.

Even the smallest gift can express one's love for the person.  Mothers
are closest to the children, when they are small.  She comforts them, cares for them and even small babies respond to the mother with a smile.  Mothers also want the children to return their love. They do not demand it.  Mothers wont stop loving their children, if they do not give them expensive presents, but even they would appreciate a token of their love.

* MOTHERS were created by God, so that they could take care of us.

* The children should be made to realise that just as their parents make an effort to provide them with comforts, the children owes something to their parents. The children , too should make an effort to please their parents and make them proud by performing well in schools etc.

* Even the smallest gestures on the part of a child will work wonders because their parents hearts are already filled with love and affection for them.


ending this small lesson...

make ur child read this blog.. and c the difference...in him or her.