"If you spread your palms with devotion before me, I am immediately with you
day and night. Though I am here bodily, still I know, what you do beyond the
seven seas. Go wherever you will, over the wide world, I am with you. My
abode (home) is in your heart and I am within you. Worship Me always, Who is
seated in your heart, as well as in the hearts of all beings. Blessed and
fortunate indeed is he, who knows Me thus." --SAIBABA
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SHRI SAI SATHCHARITHA
"Sada Nimbarvrikshasya mooladhiwasat,
Sudhasravinam tiktamapi-apriyam tam,
Tarum Kalpavrikshadhikam sadhayantam
Namameeshwaram Sadgurum Sai Natham"
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Chapter 51
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Epilogue
We have done with Chapter 51 and now we come to the last
Chapter (No. 52 in the original). In this Hemadpant gave his concluding remarks
and promised to give an index, giving the contents of all the Chapters in verse
as is given in Marathi sacred books, but unfortunately that index was not found
in Hemabdpant's papers. It was therefore, composed and supplied by an able and
worthy devotee of Sai Baba, Mr. B.V. Deo (Retired Mamlatdar) of Thana. As we
give in English books an index in the beginning and contents of each Chapter at
its top, we need not consider the last index Chapter here; and so we consider
this Chapter as the Epilogue. Unfortunately Hemadpant did not survive to revise
the manuscript of this Chapter and made it ready for the press. When it was sent
to the press Mr. Deo found it to be incomplete and unintelligible in certain
places; but it had to be published as it was found. The chief topics dealt
therein are briefly given below.
Greatness of Sad-guru Sai
We prostrate ourselves before and take refuge in that
Sai Samarth Who besets all animate and inanimate things in the universe-from a
post to God Brahma, pots, houses, mansions and even sky, Who pervades all
creatures equally without any differentiation, to Whom all devotees are alike;
and Who knows not honour and dishonour, like or dislike. If we remember Him and
surrender to Him, He fulfills all our desires and makes us attain the goal of
life.
This ocean of mundane existence is very hard to cross. Waves of infatuation
beat high there against the bank of bad thoughts and break down trees of
fortitude. The breeze of egoism blows forcibly and makes the ocean rough and
agitated. Crocodiles in the form of anger and hatred move there fearlessly.
Eddies in the form of the idea "I and Mine" and other doubts whirl there
inecessantly and innumerable fishes in the form of censure, hate and jealousy
play there, Though this ocean is so fierce and terrible, Sad-guru Sai is its
Agasti (Destroyer) and the devotees of Sai have not the least to fear of it. Our
Sadguru is the boat, which will safety take us across this ocean.
Prayer
Now are fall flat before Sai Baba and holding His Feet
make the following prayer for the public:- Let not our mind wander and desire
anything except Thee. Let this work (Satcharita) be in every house and let it be
studied daily. Ward off the calamities of those who study it regularly.
Fala-Shruti (Reward of Study)
Now a few words about the reward you get, from a study
of this work. After bathing in the sacred Godavari and after taking the darshan
of the Samadhi in the Samadhi-mandir in Shirdi, you should read or hear the
Satcharita. If you do this all your threefold afflictions will vanish. Casually
thinking about the stories of Sai, you will get unconsciously interested in
spiritual life and if you then go on through the work with love, all your sins
will be destroyed. If you wish to get rid of the cycle of births and deaths,
read Sai's stories and remember Him always; and get yourself attached (devoted)
to His Feet. If you dive into the sea of Sai's stories, and then give them out
to others, you will get an ever-new flavour of them and save the hearers from
perdition. If you go on meditating on Sai's Form, it will in course of time
disappear and lead you into self-realization. It is very hard to know or realize
the nature of Self or Brahma, but if you approach through the Sugun Brahma
(Sai's Form) your progress will be easy. If the devotee completely surrenders
himself to Him, he will lose his individuality and be merged in Him and be one
with Him, as the river in the sea. If you thus become merged with Him in any of
the three states, viz., waking, dream and sleep, you get rid of the bond of
samsara. If anybody after bathing reads this with love and faith,and completes
it within a week, his calamities will disappear; or if he hears or reads it
daily and regularly all his dangers will be warded off. By its study, a man
wishing for wealth will get it and a pure trader, success in his life. He will
get the reward according to his faith and devotion. Without these, there will be
no experience of any kind. If you read this respectfully, Sai will be pleased,
and removing you ignorance and poverty, He will give you knowledge, wealth and
prosperity. With concentrated mind, if you read a Chapter daily, it will give
you unbounded happiness. One who has his welfare at heart, should study it
carefully and then he will ever remember Sai gratefully and joyfully in birth
after birth. This work should be read at home specially on Guru-Pournima
(Ashadha full-moon day), Gokul-Ashtami, Rama-Navami and Dasara (Baba's
anniversary day). If you study this one book carefully, all your desires will be
satisfied and if you always remember Sai's Feet in your heart, you will easily
cross the Bhava (Samsar) sagar. By its study, the diseased and sick will get
health, the poor wealth, the mean and afflicted prosperity, and the mind will
get rid of all ideas and get steadiness.
Dear good and devoted readers and listeners, we also make our bow to you all,
and make you a special request. Never forget Him whose stories you have read day
by day or month by month. The more fervently you read or listen to these
stories, the more encouragement Sai gives us to serve you and be of use to you.
Both the author and the readers must co-operate in this work, help each other
and be happy.
Prasad-Yachana
We close the with prayer to the Almighty for the
following Prasad of favour:- May the readers and devotees get complete and
whole-hearted devotion to Sai's Feet. May His Form be ever fixed in their eyes
and may they see Sai (the Lord) in all beings. amen!
Bow to Shri Sai -- Peace be to all