ARE YOU IN THE CORRECT PATH

Guidance by Shri C.B Satpathy ji

1. Why do you come to the temple of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba ?
   a) Is it because you love Baba so much that at least without His symbolic presence ,life seems meaningless to you ?
   b) Is it because you take some time out of your busy schedule and come to Baba's temple for generating a nobler state of mind by praying,singing aarti and doing pooja etc ?
   c) Is it because you have too many problems around you in the practical world surrounding you and cannot fight and therefore run to the temple for getting blessings of Baba ?
   d) Is it because you have problems and want to solve it through Baba's grace within the desired period in the desired method ?

2. Do you remember Baba having said that all seeds planted need not necessarily become trees.Are you prepared to believe that you may not get as much results as you wish by coming to the temple?

3. Whatever you offer to Baba ,are they out of your honest income?

4. Do you think it is proper to make presents to Baba out of your dishonest income?

5. Don’t you remember that Baba had refused to take gold and silver presents from a Queen who had come in a palanquin but,had accepted a single chapaati with an onion from an old lady offered out of love?

6. Are you coming to temple to satisfy your sentimental requirements at the cost of your family members and other dependents? Don't you remember Baba had forced Mahalsapati to go and stay with family because he was coming and staying at Dwarkamai .Are you doing your family duties perfectly?

7. Do you come to temple to socialize because you have known people there and to gossip about things.Don't you think it is a useless wastage of time to talk,discuss topics pertaining to issues other than that of Baba ,religion and spiritualism.

8. Don't you think that it is better to spend your time in meditating on Baba ,praying ,participating in aarti or by reading books like Sai Satcharitra etc.

9. Since no one is perfect ,don't you think it is improper to think of the imperfections of others or gossip bout them In the temple?Don't you remember that Baba had told one person that talking ill of other person is like a pig eating dirty food,just as some find fault in others.

10. Do you think that your devotional level is higher than that of others and therefore criticize about others way of worshipping. Don't you think that it is highly negetive approach.

11. Don't you agree with Sri Sai saying that we meet people and face problems because of Rinanubandha I.e debt of the past life.If we believe in this saying of Baba then isn't it required of us to accept our own problems and not always cry and fret about them . Do you think that anyone is so specially chosen by God that He will have no pain and problem but only happiness?

12. Do you have the amount of patience (Saburi) and faith (Shraddha) needed to come closer to Baba.Do you think that your Shraddha is constant or it changes with problems and situations? Do you change your mentors frquently?

13. Baba always advised people to develop qualities of kindness,impartiality ,sympathy , tolerance and sacrifice to others.How much sacrifice do you do for others at your cost?Do you think that whatever little sacrifice you think you do is enough?

14. Do you remember Baba having said that when two persons are fighting ,the the person that doesn't hurt the others or tolerates the negetives is dearer to me .Do you do so?

15. Do you think that unbridled sentimentality,which includes crying and wailing etc are required in spiritual path?Don't you know by such sentiments ,you, at times ,cause harm to others and contaminate good atmosphere.Is it not better to contain your emotionality within yourself,and not make a public display of it to establish your devotional fervour?

16. You want yourself to be sympathetically dealt by others and also to be understood.Don't you think that others ,also would be expecting the same from you.Do you do so?

17. Do you think that by being jealous about others improvements even in the devotional field,you gain anything?

18. Whatever work you do for Baba , are you doing it honestly and with intensity I.e purity of thought,or do you do it in a casual manner?

19. We want Sri Sai to take care of all your problem but do we equally try to even do a fraction of His work perfectly for His cause?

20. Do you think the blessings of God will come to you when you don't qualify for it,breaking the law of Karma I.e action and reaction syndrome?

21. Don't you think it is proper that you first work for His cause which qualifies for His blessings. Good resultd do follow ultimately in accordance with the 'Law of Karma'. If you really want to have the blessings of Baba and live peacefully along with your fellowmen,first improve your own qualities on the lines indicated in the preceding paragraphs.
    THINK ,THINK AND THINK

22. Everything happening in this universe is mystically systematical.Every action /word has a meaning ans a purpose behind it.Is it true?
    Law of Nature is highly precise and scientific.Nothing is meaningless and unsystematic in nature no matter how so ever small. Just remember that 'Man is God fooling himself'.Those human beings who strived and knew the laws of nature, to them there are no mysteries .They are saints,ypgis and Perfect Masters.

23. If there is one God,then why are there so many religions on this earth?
    It is only God ,the Almighty or the Divine force that is responsible to create the human beings,sustain them and also to bring about their physical end which we term as death.All this is true for the living and non-living.All these beings carrying human souls are scattered all over this earth.They are born in different social,cultural and geographic situations.Each one has certain level of conciosness,and a series of experience. The experiences and levels of conciouisness may be similar but cannot be the same.God creates different religions for the evolution of different group of souls who are required to follow the path which one religion prescribes. In fact ,religions have been created differently through different Incarnations to evolve different groups of souls.Any person who is born in one religion should,therefore,stick to it because without experience of the path prescribed by that religion ,he cannot further evolve.So Geeta clearly tells us 'Swadharme nidhana shreyah,Parodharma Vayavaha' which means it is better to die for one's own religion ,than accept any other religion.

24. If all religions have came out of God,then why do people fight on religion?
    If human beings were that perfect,there was no need for God to incarnate and establish so many religions.Only because human beings naturally have tendency to differ and antagonise each other,therefore,religions try to show them different ways to get out of their self created problems and limitations.The main problem is that after the departure of the Incarnations, interpretation of His sayings or commands rae doneby some religious leaders,who are imperfect. Some of them ,even if possessing some spiritual power interpret the original sayings of thof the Incarnationin a limited way.History shows that at times ,such interpretations are totally contradictory to what the founder of any religion had said.Common people ,not knowing the difference between the real incarnations and these leaders,follow them blindly.This lead to fanaticism,rivalry and even wars.Whenever situation becomes bad and people suffer due to wrong interpretation of religion,God again incarnates and re-stabalizes Dharma,the rules of nature. This has been going on since long and will also continue in future.

25. Religions are different but is there anything common in them,I mean are there any common parameters?
    'Dharma ' is from a Sanskrit root (Dhaa) which means to hold and also to think.Religions therefore try to hold together not only different human beings or group of people but also the other aspects of nature like plants ,animals,birds and all living aspects .As ordained by nature they live together and are interdependent,therefore these must be held in a fine balance.The principles for holding them for the greatest goodof them for the longest period of time is known as Dharma.The concepts of Hindu universalism ,the Muslim brotherhood,the Christian service,the Buddhist tolerance are nothing but attempts to bring out and establish the common denominators of togetherness.Human beings are aware of these but lose their path from time to timewhen these Incarnations again come and reestablish these concepts of love, tolerance ,sacrifice,unity and simplicity. I would like to know whether Sai Baba is coming as Maitreya Buddha in future.If so ,how can I make sure He and coming Buddha .

26. All incarnations are the human forms of God ,playing different roles at different places and a different points of time.They do not are same?
    I love Sai Baba a lot and have a great faith in Him. ever reappear in the same body.Only highly evolved souls can know about an incarnation.Unless He reveals it Himself others cannot know. Believe that Baba is same as Buddha.Your thinking ,even if you do not know the inner truths of nature,is correct.

27. I just learned about Sai Baba today.Is He the reincarnation of Jesus on earth?
    Shri Shirdi Sai is an incarnation .His role on earth has been like that of Jesus,-kindness personified,the most merciful man to redeem humanity of its misery.

28. I would like to know what is the relationship between Baba and Jesus?And if I believe in Jesus,can All incarnations are manifestation of God.The Almighty works differently at different times and in different societies as per the prevailing conditions. I believe in Baba too?
    There is a lot common between Baba and Christ I.e love,self -sacrifice,living like ordinary people among their disciples etc Go Step by Step.Always pray to Him to give you the direction. Even I believe in Jesus as the kindest redeemer of millions of human beings.

29. I want to start a "Sai movement" in a foreign land but have no idea or contacts to do that.How should I go about it?
    First action to start a Sai movement is to make oneself mentally ,morally and financially strong.The immediate steps you can take at this stage are:-
    a) Get His Photograph,pictures for free distribution.
    b) Get books on Him and magazines for circulation.
    c) Call the devotees on a Sunday and do prayers .

30. I am in search of my spiritual destiny at the moment .I would like to preach for Sai Baba but I have no resources for that.Please advice?
    To have a desire to work for Shri Sai is a noble idea .But, first one must create a ground by his own hard work and patience.Such work can be done if one has pue emotions supported by intelligence,knowledge and material support.One has to create these assets for himself/herself before taking a plunge.The growth will be slow and one has to face this reality with forbearance.There is no shortcut to spiritualism.Pray to Baba to build you up for His cause.

31. What should be the role of patrons of Sai Temples towards the people who come to temples?
    The patrons should let the people come forward ,to see and worship Baba..They had special blessings of Baba when they got an opportunity for construction of a temple .Now it is important for them that they should not pose a hindrance to the devotees.They have already been blessed by Baba's grace now they should let others also benefit by His grace.Temple belongs to all.They should work with utmost humility with a service - oriented mind.

32. Please tell me one mantra to pray to Shri Sai Baba?
    Sai Mantra for you is "Aum Shri SaiNathay Namah".Be steadfast in your devotion to Baba.

33. How to win Sai's love?
    Though I do everyday pooja ,Sai Sacharitra parayana and His namsmarana still I am not feeling His presence as I used to do in the past.I want His assurance like He used to give me before,there is nothing but silence.Please help. Baba's assurances cover this ,"If you take one step towards Me,I will take ten steps towards you".Baba 's love never stops or changes with situations.He is constantly there with you.Your faith is being tested.Very soon He will assure you in a certain way provided you are honest and steadfast in your prayer.Don't worry over temprory

34. I feel that smoking is not all that bad.Am I correct?
    Baba was in the Beyond state whom no material aspect including smoking affected.If he offered Chillum to any one ,he saw to it that it did not adversely affect the person.Rather ,some people got cured of disease as it is mentioned in Shri Satcharitra.Through group Chillum habits, he tried to breakdown the barriers of high,low castes and religions.An ordinary person knowing the hazards of smoking cannot afford to continue because this habit is for his pleasure and does not have a greater social significance.Pray to Baba to get you out.

35. What should be our prayer towards Baba?
    We should pray to Baba that first of all ,He should free us from the bad actions I.e paap,and the debts generated through many of our past lives.Before we ask for Baba's grace we should say that "O Baba make us worthy of your grace".It is necessary to become worthy of His grace before receiving it, no matter how much one has to suffer for it.

36. Please teach me how to do prayers to Shirdi Sai Baba?
    Begin by concentrating on His photograph from feet to head and vice versa as Baba has told in Shri Sai Satcharitra.Either pray through your normal language,or Aarti of Baba or through any Mantra you know.What is necessary is a feeling of love towards Him.Silent and concentrated prayer is the best.

37. I very much want to get closer to Baba ,both through prayers and meditation.Although ,things go smoothly at most of the times, Living amidst the worldly situations termed as Maya ,one cannot avoid this situation unless one decides to leave the worldly activities. I am often afflicted by attacks of Maya ,and this repeatedly disheartens me because I feel that all the progress that I have made upto that point is lost.What is the way to be more steadfast inone's principles?
    Totally and become a yogi or Sanyasi.Simultaneously ,if one holds on to Baba always in some form say,taking His name,speaking about Him to others, reading about Him ,thinking about Him etc,the mind gets His support to sustain or develop the inner power to resist the attacks of Maya.More strong the attraction towards Baba develops less strong will be the attraction towards the illusory worldly aspects.

38. What is the best method of praying?Is it the mental prayer conducted silently before Lord Sai or praying aloud to the Lord?
    Mental Prayer with concentration is better,in case mind has developed that capacity or otherwise, pray aloud individually or in congregations.

39. What does Shri Sai Baba require of His devotees,does He expect them to sing His Aartis etc or are the Those who remember Him with equanimity both in happiness and sorrow ,thinking Him to be the only refuge in their life will be closer to Him.Keeping devotees like us who keep remembering Him in both happiness and sorrow,are also dear to Him?
    Him in conciousness always by singing Aarti or remembering Him in happiness and sorrow or even while doing any kind of service ,these are all interlinked spontaneosly.

40. While praying I go into a tunnel ,some forces try to stop me while others help me to continue going further. Is it coming from within you,your imagination or having read anywhere about it?
    If it is coming from within you ,such a tunnel means one is going in the correct path.Analyse your At the end of this tunnel I see bright light.What is the significance of this? mind to find the origin of this thought.Many questions will get answered if we analyse and understand our own thought. disturbances.

41. I want to perform pooja two or three times a day for Baba ,which I was doing till some months back when I was not working?
    Do not worry if you cannot do formal pooja .If a small pooja before going out and before sleep is done it is fine.You can even do mental pooja.

42. I want Baba to be in each and every activity of mine?
    Though at the back of mind He is always there but still I 'm not satisfied,I want to do much more.I am working married woman through concentration.Constant and loving rememberance of Baba through whatever support system is the best path.Read Sai Satcharitra regularly. and remain at work most of the times.

43. How do I manage my time for Baba's worship?
    It is said that all prayers reach Baba and Sadgurus.Many times in my life Baba listened to my prayers instantly and has been helping me in various forms.Though I firmly believe that all my prayers and feelings reach Baba and Guru,sometimes I feel like having a feedback whether God and my Guru received my prayers.

44. How do I know their response?
    All prayers even the unspoken ones,the moment they are thought reach Baba instantly.Continue to remember Him and pray to Him.Be patient and pray Him continuously.You will get what you call 'feedback' in some manner some day.Thousands of devotees of Baba experience Baba's grace.

45. May I know the meaning of 'OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI'?
    'Hail Sai,Oh Sai ,Let you be there always!'