I am formless and I am everywhere. I am not this body you call Sai

Jai SaiNath

Was reading the following incident, which shows how Sai Baba of Shirdi follows his devotees, so closely for their deeper spiritual insight. There are many many more such incidents where Sai Baba, like Zen Masters, frequently pointed out devotees their short comings, so the short comings may come in devotees awareness, and could be done away with.

"On one occasion, when Nana came up, Baba told him to prepare 8 pooran polis (cakes) for naivedya and then take his food. When Nana placed before Baba eight pooran polis, Baba did not touch them, but flies sat on them. Then Baba asked Nana to take away the prasad (i.e. remnant of food which Guru had first tasted). Nana insisted that Baba should eat some. Baba said that he had eaten. ‘When?’ asked Nana. Nana said, ‘All the eight polis are there’. Baba said he had eaten it at some time. Then Nana got vexed and went away to the chavadi. When Baba sent for him, the same conversation was repeated. Finally Baba told Nana, ‘I say you have been living with me for 18 years now. Is this all your appraisal of me? Does Baba mean to you only the 3 1/2 cubits height of this body? Am I not in the fly and the ant that settled upon the polis?’"

Nanasaheb Chandorkar was one devotee who was well educated and had a high position in Shirdi. In the first visit to Shirdi, Nanasaheb did not much felt inclined to visit Shirdi again and meet Sai Baba again. Sai Baba told that he had Rinanubandh with Nana since many lives, and called him again and again. In a couple of visits Nanasaheb could feel the immense love and care that Sai Baba has for him and all his devotees. Nanasaheb not only felt close and loved by Sai Baba, he became the instrument for sending so many devotees to Shirdi, by his talks about Sai Baba.

The above incident occurred after 18 years of Nanasaheb's first visit to Shirdi as Sai Baba had suggested during the talk.

Sai Baba frequently used to say

"My light is of God; my religion is Kabiri – Perfect Mastery – and my wealth lies in the blessings I alone can give."

"I am the Supreme Soul – the entire creation. I am everything and I am in everyone.

"I am formless and I am everywhere. I am not this body you call Sai.

"I am the Supreme Soul – the entire creation. I am everything and I am in everyone.

"I am in saints, criminals, animals, and everything else ... Nothing happens without my wish.

Sai Baba, did not just stopped with such utterances. He knows if the devotee has imbibed it or not. In the above case Sai Baba knew that Nana had not imbibed from the depths what Sai Baba often told. So he asked Nana to prepare 8 puranpolis ( Sweet bread cakes much popular in western part of India).

Any devotee feeling the love and grace of Sai Baba would be more than happy to serve Sai Baba in any possible way. And Sai Baba wanted to impart that serving each being on earth is serving Him. So Nanasaheb immediately the wish of Saibaba was satisfied, and 8 sweet cakes were placed before Him. Sai Baba wanted to point out a different wish of his, which would benefit his devotee immensely, so he did not even touch the sweet cakes offered as Prasad. This naturally brought some dejection in Nana. How he might have felt with the thought, that Saibaba did not accepted his offering (Prasad), even after asking for it.

Saibaba then called for him and repeated the same, He had to give some emotional pain to His devotee, to point to him the higher truth. Sai Baba than pointed him out that he took the food in the forms of ants and flies.

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Pictures with this post can be used as good wallpapers for mobile phones.

We are often very enthusiastic about serving Sai Baba, serving his pictures, serving His idols, serving Him in temples, which Sai Baba loves and we get reciprocated with immense love from Him. However we should also remember what Sai Baba explained to Nanasaheb, about serving Guru in physical form, while explaining a verse from Bhagwat Gita. Saibaba said, " The service to the Guru is not mere physical service such as massaging. The devotee should not have an idea that he is giving any service, that he is free to render the service or deny it. He should feel that his body and actions belongs to Guru and it exists only to do him services."

But we should always keep in mind that serving the beings in need and trouble, serving the hungry, serving each living being that we find in trouble, is the service that Sai Baba likes from us, in the same vein if we bring troubles to other beings, we should know that we are troubling our beloved Sai Baba.

Saibaba, " " He who carps and cavils at others pierces Me in the heart and injures Me, but He that suffers and endures pleases me most. "