There is an interesting story of how I got this picture of the holy Feet of Baba. In 2004 I went to the Chennai Mylapore temple of Shirdi Sri Sai Baba. I had visited that temple a couple of times earlier.
After worshipping the main deity, I was just strolling around the temple. Then I was casually reading the inscription in a pillar that listed the popular eleven promises of Baba. I knew it already but I was just passing time casually reading it.
Suddenly I heard a voice behind me: "You want this?" I turned around to face a six and a half feet tall, well-built man standing near me. I was too startled by the encounter of this rather strange visitor to answer him. But without expecting a reply he thrust a 4"x3" card into my right palm. Lowering my eyes I saw the card in my hand which had those eleven promises printed on its face. I felt I didn't need it. But when I raised my eyes, he had already disappeared in the crowd of devotees.
I wondered why Baba gave it to me through somebody or perhaps He Himself came to do the job. After all I believed in Him and I didn't require any promise of that sort. In fact throughout the previous year I was doing an extensive research in the doctrine of Saranagati (Surrender). I was spending much of my spare time in exploring the works of Sri Ramanuja and His disciples who lived in Srirangam for about five centuries. I was yet to get a satisfactory explanation and so my quest continued through 2004.
Therefore, the gift I expected from Baba at that time was to expound the theory and practice of the doctrine of Saranagati. And then I flipped the card that was thrust into my palm a few minutes before. I was thrilled to see the picture of the pair of holy Feet of Baba.
When I came back to Trichy from Chennai I felt I was accepted by Baba. And perhaps the reason was my quest to learn the doctrine of Saranagati. But later I understood that it is more important for one to accept Baba as one's Guru rather than Baba's accepting one as His disciple.
In any case, my spiritual progress went at a break-neck speed since then. In 2008 Baba gave me a permanent darsan of His all-pervading Form of Peace.
All interested devotees of Baba are warmly invited to participate in SHIRDI SAI SARANAGATI PRAYER SERVICE conducted by me every Thursday morning. You can pray from your home comfortably. For details you may visit my blog:
http://AwarenessChanting.blogspot.com
After worshipping the main deity, I was just strolling around the temple. Then I was casually reading the inscription in a pillar that listed the popular eleven promises of Baba. I knew it already but I was just passing time casually reading it.
Suddenly I heard a voice behind me: "You want this?" I turned around to face a six and a half feet tall, well-built man standing near me. I was too startled by the encounter of this rather strange visitor to answer him. But without expecting a reply he thrust a 4"x3" card into my right palm. Lowering my eyes I saw the card in my hand which had those eleven promises printed on its face. I felt I didn't need it. But when I raised my eyes, he had already disappeared in the crowd of devotees.
I wondered why Baba gave it to me through somebody or perhaps He Himself came to do the job. After all I believed in Him and I didn't require any promise of that sort. In fact throughout the previous year I was doing an extensive research in the doctrine of Saranagati (Surrender). I was spending much of my spare time in exploring the works of Sri Ramanuja and His disciples who lived in Srirangam for about five centuries. I was yet to get a satisfactory explanation and so my quest continued through 2004.
Therefore, the gift I expected from Baba at that time was to expound the theory and practice of the doctrine of Saranagati. And then I flipped the card that was thrust into my palm a few minutes before. I was thrilled to see the picture of the pair of holy Feet of Baba.
When I came back to Trichy from Chennai I felt I was accepted by Baba. And perhaps the reason was my quest to learn the doctrine of Saranagati. But later I understood that it is more important for one to accept Baba as one's Guru rather than Baba's accepting one as His disciple.
In any case, my spiritual progress went at a break-neck speed since then. In 2008 Baba gave me a permanent darsan of His all-pervading Form of Peace.
All interested devotees of Baba are warmly invited to participate in SHIRDI SAI SARANAGATI PRAYER SERVICE conducted by me every Thursday morning. You can pray from your home comfortably. For details you may visit my blog:
http://AwarenessChanting.blogspot.com
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