Flower-108 – “Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.”

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Ashtotra Sada Namavali

Flower-108 – “Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.”

Ashtotram is (praise) offering our prayers to the Divine, through "OM", and the attributes of the Divine.

There are 108 attributes of Sai Baba in Ashtotra Sada Namavali. Each one is an everlasting flower of divine fragrance.

Flower-108 – “Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.”

Meaning: “Humble salutation to the greatest of all Teachers-Lord Sainath of Shirdi” (Shirdi Sai Trust).

Reflections:

Be it Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Economics, Psychology, Geology, or Information Technology, we all are part of an era that witnesses explosion and expansion in knowledge, pushing the frontiers of knowledge very fast. With the physical world shrinking due to the tremendous increase in speeds of communication and transport the knowledge explosion and expansion is spectacular particularly in late twentieth and the twenty-first century so far.

What is the destination of all these expansion in knowledge? What is the ultimate objective of the human race as whole? Is it thirst by itself or is it a thirst for better and comfortable life for all humans? If it is for the betterment of humans, why there is so much spending on weapons, why there are so many wars, why there is so much unrest, and why the number of poor is increasing in the world?

A careful reflection on these questions leads us to the understanding of the Self in every human being. All the efforts for expansion of the frontiers of knowledge are directed to understanding and master over the Nature, which governs our existence. We want to delay or stop the process of ageing and death, we want to break the barriers of space and time and so on. Every one of us ideally would want to be Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent like Brahmam God or Guru. This thirst comes with our Self, and is within us. The Self wants to realise its potential of being Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. The Self-realisation is the greatest knowledge any human can think of as it is the ultimate objective of all scientific research to win Space and Time.

Our Rishis and Sages understood long ago that it is impossible to achieve the status of Self Realisation by following the knowledge acquiring process through the five senses as they have physical limitations. The realisation and empowerment has to come from one’s own Self and realise itself. The Guru who has realised this and achieved Self Realisation and sets himself as an example, is the Greatest Teacher who shows the way to become Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. Seeing Him, the devotee who totally identifies himself with Him, marches on to Self-Realisation which is the ultimate result of any research in any field. The Brahmam, God or Guru is the greatest teacher.

“Though, Sai Baba acted outwardly like an ordinary man, His action showed extraordinary wisdom and skill. Whatever He did, was done for the good of His devotees. He never prescribed any Asan, regulation of breathing or any rites to His Bhaktas, nor did He blow any Mantra in to their ears. He told them to leave off all cleverness, and always remember “Sai” “Sai”. If you did that, He said, all your shackles would be removed and you would be free. Sitting through five fires, sacrifices, chantings, eight-fold Yoga are possible for the Brahmins only, they are of no use to the other classes. The function of the mind is to think, it cannot remain without thinking for a minute. If you give it a sense object, it will think about it. If you give it Guru, it will think about Guru. You have heard most attentively the grandeur of Sai. This is the natural remembrance of Sai. Hearing the stories of saints is not difficult, as the other Sadhanas mentioned above. They (Stories) remove all fear of this Sansar (worldly existence) and take you on the spiritual path.

So listen to these stories, meditate on them and assimilate them. You may attend to your worldly duties, but give your mind to Sai and His stories, and He is sure to bless you. This is the easiest path, but why do not all take to it? The reason is that without God’s grace we do not get the desire to listen to the stories of saints. With God’s grace everything is smooth and easy. Hearing the stories of saints is, in a way, keeping their company. The importance of the company of the Saints is very great. It removes our body consciousness and egoism, destroys completely the chain of our birth and death, cuts as under all the knots of the mind and takes us to God, who is pure consciousness. It certainly increases our non-attachment to sense-objects and makes us quite indifferent to pleasures and pains, and leads us onward on the spiritual path. If you have no other Sadhana, such as uttering God’s name, worship or devotion etc., but if you take refuge in them (Saints) whole-heartedly, they will carry you off safely across the ocean of worldly existence. It is for this reason that the saint manifest themselves in this world. Even sacred rivers such as the Ganges, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri etc., which wash away the sins of the world, desire that saints should come to them, for a bath and purify them. Such is the Grandeur of the Saint. It is on account of the store of merit in past births that we have attained the feet of Sai Baba” (Sai Satcharita Ch.: 10).

“He the graceful and handsome Sai, standing on the edge of Masjid and distributing Udi to each and every Bhakta, with a view to his welfare, He Who thinks of the world as an illusion and Who is ever engrossed in Supreme Bliss – before Him, we humbly prostrate ourselves. He is Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya.

Om Tat Sat.

 

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Dear Rekhachennai,

Thanks for joining me in offering the Flower-108- Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha to Baba this week also.

Baba, thanks for your blessings and inspiration week after week through your devotee and my dear sister Rekhachennai.

May she , her DH and every one in her family have your blessings in abundance.

Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.

 

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Dear Sister Bhuvisrini,

Thanks for joining me in offering the Flower-108- Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha to Baba this week also.

Baba, thanks for the wonderful blessings and inspiration you have given through dear Sister Bhuvisrini. It is amazing how some of your devotees felt closer to you during all 108 weeks, an experience in itself!

Sister Bhuvisrini, it is all Baba's blessings. You and I are His devotees and children and are simply inspired by Him.

Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.

May Baba bless you and your DH with a lovely child soon.

 

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Dear Usha Sister,

Thanks for joining me in offering the Flower-108- Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha to Baba this week also.

Baba, thanks for the wonderful blessings and inspiration you have given through dear Sister Usha. It is amazing how some of your devotees felt closer to you during all 108 weeks, an experience in itself!

It is so exciting to hear that you plan to have a booklet for yourself. I am sure the process of assimilation is going to take you to your own level of realization.

Sister Usha, it is all Baba's blessings. You and I are His devotees and children and are simply inspired by Him.

May Baba bless you, your DH and every one in your family in abundance.

Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.

 

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En Anbu Magal Meenu,

Thanks for joining me in offering the Flower-108- Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha to Baba this week also.

Baba, thank you for your blessings for daughter Meenu who has offered you the 108 Flowers of Namavali, understanding YOU through them. Also, thanks for your inspiration through my DD Meenu.

Baba, bless my daughter with a lovely child soon. May she and her DH have your blessings in abundance.

Om Shri Sai Samartha Sadguru Sai Nathaaya Namaha.