Blessings
Guru in Hinduism means a personal spiritual teacher or guide. The syllable ‘Gu’ means darkness or ignorance and the syllable ‘Ru’ stands for repeller of darkness. So a Guru is the light of awareness that removes the darkness of ignorance and reveals the ultimate truth of the Supreme Self. Guru is also a guide who ensures that the disciple is sailing toward the right direction.
“Guru bin gyan na upje, guru bin mile na moksha
Guru bin likhe na satya ko, guru bin mite na dosh”
Meaning: “Without Guru, no one obtains spiritual knowledge or achieves salvation. Without Guru, no one can see truth or have his doubts removed.”
I am a humble devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba. Now let me share one of my experiences.
When I was staying temporarily in Koramangala area of Bangalore [now Bengaluru, India], I used to visit various temples nearby, like temples of Ganapati, Raghavendraswami, Hanuman, Yellammadevi, Nagdevta, etc. I wanted to visit a Sai Baba temple but could not find any at walkable distance. Then I thought that I will request my husband to take me to a Sai temple by car someday.
It was on 23rd November 2018, that I had this strange experience. After visiting the temples, as I was walking back home I realized that I had gone one lane ahead of my house. But I did not turn back. I kept on walking on as if in a trance. Then finally my steps stopped, I reached a building with a signboard “Sai Sparshan” where there were photos of both Shirdi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai Baba. I was really surprised to be there. I could hear devotional songs and Aarti songs about Sai Baba. Puja (prayers) and ‘Havan’ (fire rituals) were going on there outside the building. After attending the puja for some time, I came back home.
The next day morning I again went to the building. I was glad to see that it was a small temple of Sai Baba. There were idols of Ganapati, Sathya Sai Baba, and Shirdi Sai Baba. Inside the temple there was nobody—just God and me! So I prayed to my heart’s content and thanked God for bringing me there. Then an old man came and gave me ‘laddu’ as ‘prasadam’ [consecrated food] saying that yesterday (23rd November) was the birthday celebration of Shri Sathya Sai Baba who is believed to be the incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba!
Then I realized that I was guided by my Guru Sai Baba to reach there on that auspicious day. This strange experience changed my life. I trust in Sai Baba and strongly believe that Sai Baba is always there with me. Whenever I had to face obstacles, painful experiences, or trials in life, I believe that Baba will take care of me. When I write about Sai Baba, or when I sing Sai bhajans on stages or temples, I could see the affectionate smile on my Baba’s face! And when I am blessed with awards and recognitions, I can feel Baba’s blessing hand on my head! Sai Baba is like a father to a humble devotee like me. Definitely, Sai Baba is the Guru in my life who teaches and guides me and inspires me to achieve more and more!
OM SAI RAM!
~Dr. Nalini Janardhanan
