"Baba’s love encompassed the whole universe with an equality of vision. However he had deep emotional and spiritual ties with some of his devotees. Although Baba rarely left Shirdi in his physical form but he did visit the homes of the Dengle family in Neemgaon and the Saand family in Rahata. He went to some of his devotees place in the form of bas-relief images. The descendents of these devotees have preserved these images and venerated them till today. They were blessed not only in this life, but also for many past lives, that they had the good fortune of welcoming Baba into their homes. This book describes the homes of many of his devotees in and around Shirdi. Their homes and lives are described vividly so that we too can have a virtual tour of them and can partake a little of the ambrosia and fragrance of Baba’s love. Baba also had deep ties with devotees who resided in Shirdi. They eagerly waited for him to pass by their homes as he wandered through the villages so that the dust from his feet would sanctify their homes and their mundane lives. This book transports one to the bygone days and describes the various leelas of Baba from which valuable lessons can be derived.
Life is like an educational institution where the nuances of living in peace and tolerance are self-taught. The events in our lives are pre-destined and without exception each individual has to face the highs and lows of life. This is a continuous process in which none are to be blamed, in particular God. In reality it is our Karma that pushes up or pulls us down. ”The will of God will never take you where the grace of god will not protect you.” Sunanda Ananth, the author, found herself posed with questions quite often by her friends and other Sai devotees – Why is it that we suffer despite being pious? What wrong have we done? Why does not God come to our rescue, and so on and so forth? Pondering over these questions, her quest for the answers began. At this juncture, a spiritually-acclaimed person came into her life to guide her in her quest. Popularly known as Udi Baba alias the Late Sri Manickam, he mentored Sunanda towards deep spirituality and contributed significantly to her progress in this path. Sunanda had always been a motivational speaker and during her interactive sessions she came to understand that for many devotees, devotion was superfluous and need-based. Through her personal interaction she strives to make Sai devotees realise that unwavering faith and unconditional surrender are the foundations to spirituality. We only need to cleanse our minds to realise the presence of Sai within us. Taking her inspiration and guidance from the sacred text Shri Sai Satcharita and other related and trusted writings on the life and leelas of Sai Baba, the author seeks to empower Sai devotees with the contents of this book. This book has been conceived with a new approach where a review after each chapter attempts to answer some of the queries likely to arise to the reader.
"“The Eternal Sai Phenomenon” attempts to unravel the nature of Sai phenomenon primarily in the context of the timeless Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. Sai path has been analysed from the standpoint of various yogas, like Karma yoga, Gnana yoga, hyana yoga and Bhakti yoga. Anecdotes from Shirdi Sai Baba’s life have been narrated to bring home the unique confluence of universal truths of world religions in the teachings and conduct. Shri Nanda has brought in the eternal nature of the unique phenomenon of Sai linking it to the earlier prophets and Sadgurus. The appearance of Shirdi Sai, the events in His lifetime and after His Mahasamadhi in 1918 have been recorded in the chronological time period with due acknowledgement to the sources. The historical recording starts from 1854 and comes up to year 2009. Arrangement of selected events year-wise is expected to familiarise the readers to the unfolding of Sai phenonomenon in an orderly historical perspective. This book could serve as a reference document for Sai devotees, researchers and students of spiritual themes, who wish to explore further the nature of Sai Phenomenon and Sai Consciousness.
“A rich family saga about art and memory's power to inform the present, make peace with the past, and maybe even alter the future.” — Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Our Missing Hearts “[Asha] Thanki reinvents generational memory, conjuring inheritance as a tapestry of love, trauma, and choices that echo through blood. A profoundly tender and complex debut that I didn't want to put down." — Sequoia Nagamatsu, bestselling author of How High We Go in the Dark A heartrending family saga following three generations of women connected by a fantastic tapestry through which they inherit the experiences of those that lived before them, sweeping readers from Partition-era India to modern day Brooklyn. Ayukta is finally sitting down with her wife Nadya to respond to a question she’s long avoided: Should they have a child? The decision is complicated by a secret her family has kept for centuries, one that Ayukta will be the first to share with someone outside their bloodline: the women in her family inherit a mysterious tapestry, through which each generation can experience the memories of those who came before her. Ayukta invites Nadya into this lineage, carrying her through its past. She relives her grandmother Amla’s life: Once a happy child in Karachi, Amla migrates to Gujarat during Partition, witnessing violence and loss that forever shape her approach to marriage and motherhood. Amla’s daughter, Arni, bears this weight in her own blood in 1974, when gender equity and urban class distinctions divide the community as a bold student movement takes hold. As Ayukta unspools these generations of women—whole decades of love, loss, heartbreak, and revival—she reveals the tapestry’s second gift: the ability for each of these women to dramatically reshape their own worlds. Like all power, both fantastic and societal, this inheritance is more treacherous than it seems. What would it mean, to impart an impossible burden? To withhold these incredible gifts? Sweeping, deeply felt and intergenerational, A Thousand Times Before is a debut as poetic as it is propulsive, as healing as it is heartbreaking, as it examines what it means to carry our past with us and to pass it on. Rooted in a tender love story, and spun with a tremendous amount of care, this book is a rare, remarkable feat from an incredible new literary talent.
Started in 1958, Sanathana Sarathi is a monthly magazine devoted to Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (Love) - the four cardinal principles of Bhagawan Baba's philosophy. It is published from Prasanthi Nilayam (the Abode of Highest Peace) and acts as a mouthpiece of Baba's Ashram as it speaks of the important events that take place in His sacred Abode, besides carrying Divine Messages conveyed through Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The word meaning of Sanathana Sarathi is the 'Eternal Charioteer'. It signifies the presence of the Lord in every being as the atma guiding their lives like a charioteer. It implies that he who places his life, the body being likened to a chariot, in an attitude of surrender in the hands of the Lord, will be taken care of by the Lord even as a charioteer would take the occupant of his chariot safely to its destination. The magazine is an instrument to disseminate spiritual knowledge for the moral, physical and mental uplift of humanity without any discrimination as the subject matter discussed therein is always of common interest and of universal appeal. The fifteen Vahinis - streams of sacredness - known as the Vahini Series comprising annotation and interpretation of the Upanishads and other scriptures, Itihasas like the Ramayana, the Bhagavatha and the Mahabharata, and authentic explanations on Dhyana, Dharma, Prema, etc., have been serially published in this magazine as and when they emanated from the Divine pen of Bhagawan Baba. This magazine is published in almost all Indian languages, English and Telugu from Prasanthi Nilayam and others from respective regions. Every year Sanathana Sarathi comes out with a special issue in November commemorating the Divine Birthday. The English and Telugu magazines are posted on the 10th and 23rd respectively, of every month, from Prasanthi Nilayam. This magazine has wide, ever increasing circulation in India as well as abroad, as the study of it brings the reader closer to the philosophy of the Avatar in simple understandable language THUS SPAKE SAI... Discoursing during the launch of Sanathana Sarathi... From this day, our Sanathana Sarathi will lead to victory the cohorts of truth - the Vedas, the Sastras and similar scriptures of all faiths, against the forces of the ego such as injustice, falsehood, immorality and cruelty. This is the reason why it has emerged. This Sarathi will fight in order to establish world prosperity. It is bound to sound the paean of triumph when universal Ananda is achieved.
"Tharon Ann" is a memoir of one woman's life, from orphan, to actress, to mother, to seeker, as the book's byline summarizes. It is written in several voices as her life progresses; the first, her childhood, a voice reminiscent of Faulkner, Williams, and other southern writers; the second, that of an actress who takes us with her into the world of movies, theatre, and television; the third, of a wife and mother who as a single parent, along with her small boys, puts us into the "Old Chevy with a suitcase tied to the top" trekking cross-country to a new life; and finally, the fourth about the richest part of her life, which allows us access into a fantastic journey of the spirit, with openness, humor, and charm. The book is more than a memoir in the traditional sense. It is a road map, a guide on determination, on achievement against all odds on that thing called hope.
A stirring tale of two doctors whose paths cross in St. Francis Multi Speciality Hospital leading to professional rivalry coupled with an unexplained, intense physical attraction. Can the charming, exuberant, amber-eyed Doctor Anurag Bhattacharya melt the high defense walls of isolation built by Doctor Shristi Tiwari around herself? The novel is a contemporary love story where the female protagonist fights her strife, is confused and then eventually learns to love herself. She frees herself from self-imposed bondage. As the pages of the novel turn, the reader will understand how and why Shristi falls deeply in love with Anurag. The book also deals with the role in Shristi’s life of her head of department and admirer, Doctor Parag, and the analytical skills and childhood friendship bond shared with her best friend, Doctor Pamela.
