Another very nice article - Sai Ram to all

[Moosa Patel]

Mere pyare sai pariwaar,
Ek maa ki taraf se aap sabhi ka manaspurvak dhanyawaad.
Neelu ji, Moosaji, aapne, inn kaahaniyonse jeevan ka arth bataakar use safal banaaneka raastaa bhi dikhaneki koshish ki hai.
Bahut hi badiya aur margdarshak kahaaniya hai.
Likhate rehana. padkar bahut achha lagata hai.
Saibaba  aap sabhi ka kalyaan kare.
om shree saibabaya namaha.

Maa Kay Dhanyawaad say badkar koi cheej nahin. Aap ka ashirwad paa kar meri Eid Dhanya huyee. Mano meray malik SHREE SAI BABA nay khud ashirwad diya ho. I was out of office and town for EID by grace of SHREE SAI BABA.

Meri Maa bhi SAI bhakt hai, Umar ki vajah say ab thak gayee hai, lekin SHREE SAI BABA usay badi achi tarah say sambhaltay hai.

Mata ka ashirwad jivan may ouncha sthal praapt kar deyta hai. Mata PARVATIJI ki chinta aur pareshani dekh kar bhagwan SHIV SHANKARJI nay SHREE GANESHJI kov ashirwad diya, ki har kaam shuru karnay kay pahelay SHREE GANESHJI ka naam liya jaayega. Is say saaf pata chalta hai ki ma ki chinta, betay ko kitna mahan banati hai.

SAI bhakt ka aapko pranam

Allah Malik    
 

 
 

[neelu789]

Here are two very nice and meaningful articles i read today

1)
Once, an young daughter had gone to her village home for the first time from her city-dwelling. At night before retiring to bed, her mother opened a pot in which there was good cow's milk and poured a little buttermilk. The girl asked her mother: "Mother, that was butter milk; and why have you mixed it with milk? The milk may get spoiled!"

"Child!", answered the mother, "that is the way to prepare the milk in order that we might get butter out of it."

 "But where is butter in it, mother?"

 "It is in every drop of the milk, dear; but you can't see it now. I will show you in the morning."

In the morning the daughter saw that what was liquid the night before had become solid overnight. Mother put a churning rod into it and started churning the curd vigorously.

Butter began to float on the surface of the curd. Then she gathered it all up and presented it to the astonishment of the daughter. The mother explained: "The addition of the buttermilk curdles the milk. Milk is transformed into curd. Then you have to churn it. By this process the butter which was all-pervasively hidden in the milk is obtained. At first you were not able to see it; it was hidden. From where has it come now? Only from the milk. Therefore, you understand now that it was there all the time. It awaited the process of churning to reveal itself to your great joy." The daughter, too, followed the same process and got the butter, for herself.

Similarly, a worldly man approaches a Mahatma and asks him: "O Sadhu, why have you renounced the world, and poured this new element of 'Vairagya' and 'Tyaga' into your life? Why don't you let the life take its natural course?"

The Sadhu replies: "Brother, I do so in order to realise God?", "Where is God?", "He is all-pervading." The worldly man does not see and is not convinced. The Sadhu then explains how the inner personality, which is fickle and outflowing should be made solid and firm. Then the churning rod of one-pointed concentration and meditation should be taken hold of, and this solid 'Antahkarana' should be very well churned. Then God is realised. He is all-pervading, in every atom of creation. But He is not visible to the naked eye nor is He realisable by a man except through this process called 'Sadhana'.

Just as a mother was necessary for her daughter to learn that butter exists in milk and that churning will bring it out, even so a Guru is necessary for a man to know that God is, that He is all-pervading, and that He is attained through Sadhana. If the aspirant follows the Guru's instructions, he too, can realise God.
(Story from the Tales of Guru Sivananda)







2)
A teacher once told each of her students to bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes to school. For every person they refuse to forgive in their life's experience, they chose a potato, wrote on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of their bags were quite heavy. They were then told to carry this bag with them everywhere for one week, putting it beside their bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to their desk at work.
 
The hassle of lugging this around with them made it clear what a weight they were carrying spiritually, and how they had to pay attention to it all the time to not forget and keep leaving it in embarrassing places. Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty smelly slime. This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy  negativity!

Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, but it clearly is for ourselves!

Om Sai Ram
 

[Moosa Patel]

Thanks Moosa Ji,
Very Touching Lines and absolute Truth!


But our Lord SHREE SAI BABA is aware when we will crumble down, so he keeps that thing away from us.
 Allah Malik

saibji thanks for appreciation, I am sure such valuable appreciations keeps neeluji and me posting articles.

Neeluji your post on residents of Haven and Hell is a nice example, for people who hide themselves at time of need. Rules of Happiness is need of the current situation. I would like to post another short story which tells that some situations make us forget our anger and makes us happy to remember the loss, which caused us to do a good thing.

THE BRICK
 
About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and - WHUMP! - it smashed Into the Jag's shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please. . . I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" Pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE -a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. . . Some bricks are softer than others. Feel for the bricks of life coming at to you. For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has positive answers.

Let SHREE SAI BABA keep us soft and humble in all situations

Allah Malik

[neelu789]

Beautiful beautiful beautiful story Moosa ji!!!!  So true.. Everyone's in their own rush, going about doing their own jobs, that seldom do we look around us.. The lines "Please, mister, please. . . I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" Pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.", almost had me in tears.. Beautiful article.. Thank you, please keep posting more of such stories

[neelu789]

Another good one -

There once was a farmer who didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field.

One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift.

Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see."

A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see."

Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man." The farmer said, "We'll see."

Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy." The farmer said, "We'll see."

Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man." The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."

Moral : There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. When our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts given by our Baba..

Om Sai Ram

[neelu789]

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
Om Sai Ram

[Moosa Patel]

Neeluji thank you for keeping my morale high, the lines which made you feel cry, did make me feel cry too.  Two short stories which you posted are really nice. Even our SHREE SAI BABA had given example of butter milk from milk to understand Lord. We have to undergo a process to feel and enjoy lord in self.

The sack of potatoes carried by students makes them feel disgusting, but this situation was due to their own actions.  Those potatoes sacks made them feel that, forgiving others would have not put them in this situation. The moral of this story is magnificent that Too Often We Think Of Forgiveness As A Gift To The Other Person, But It Clearly Is For Ourselves!

While going through some articles I found one interesting article which shows that sometimes while helping others without understanding their situation may put them in real trouble. Going through below story will make my point more clear.

BUTTERFLY

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

I asked for Strength.........
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.........
And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors.........
And God gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!
Trust in God. Always !

We should not forget that Shree Das Ganuji was engulfed in problems beyond his capacity to solve them, which made him surrender to our lord SHREE SAI BABA. How famous he became thereafter. 

Allah Malik

[sainetras]

Pyare bachhe moosa ji, Neelu ji,
Phir ek baar aap dono ko dilo-jaan se, khushi aur kaamiyaabi ki shubh-kaamnaaye dete huve, yahi asha karati hu ki, aap iss kadi ko barkaraar rakhte huve yuhi hameshya likhte rehana.
Mere saibaba aapki har mano kaamana puri karenge.
Jab aap kisiko sahi raah ki pehachan karaate ho toh aap ki raah ke rukaavate apne aap khulane lagate hai.   Sai deva ki sikh yahiii hai KAR BHALA TOH HO BHALA.
Bachho. Maa ke prati aapka aadar dekh kar ji khush huva.
Aapne toh hame devi ka samman diya ye aapka baddpann hai.
Pata nahi hum iss kaabil hai bhi ya nahi.
SHUKRIYA MERE LADALO.
Baba bless all and guide us.
om shree saibabaya namaha.

[neelu789]

Sainetras ji,

Aapke aashirwaad hum par aisa hi sada rehne dee jiye. Blessings always help in achieveing everything. Baba ka, parents ka, aur aap sab ka blessings ho toh bas, everything will be great. Sincere thank you for blessings!!:) Dua karte hai ki aap hamesha aise hi aashirwaad dete rahiye

Om Sai Ram

[Moosa Patel]

Neeluji it’s a million dollar moral that There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. When our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts given by our Baba..

Your story reminds me of an example from SHREE SAI SATCHARITRA where in SHREE SAI BABA sent Shri Das Ganu to Vile parle for his answer and then the concluding paras is as follows:

The Day following, she kept the new Sari in her box at home and came with the old and torn rags, but she looked as merry as she did the previous day. On seeing this, Das Ganu's pity was transferred into admiration. He thought that the girl being poor had to wear a torn rag, but now she had a new Sari which she kept in reserve and putting on the old rag, strutted herself, showing no trace of sorrow or dejection.

 Thus he realized that all our feelings of pain and pleasure depend upon the attitude of our mind. On thinking deeply over this incident, he realized that a man ought to enjoy whatever God has bestowed on him in the firm conviction that He besets everything, from behind and before, and on all sides and that whatever is bestowed on him by God must be for his good. In this particular case, the impoverished condition of the poor girl, her torn rag and the new Sari, the donor, the dance and the acceptance were all parts of the Lord and pervaded by Him.

Hence, Das Ganu got a practical demonstration of the lesson of the Upanishad - the lesson of contentment with one's own lot in the belief that whatever happens, is ordained by God, and is ultimately good for us.

Allah Malik

[Moosa Patel]

Ma Sainetras ji, Shukriya, you read our posting, that makes us feel great, please bestow your blessings on SAI PARIVAR.

When parents watch their children's activity, it becomes easy to achieve success. We all know that our Lord SHREE SAI BABA always watch our activities, and guides us, so we achieve success.

Allah Malik

[Moosa Patel]

Here is another good story I read and would like to share the same with you all

The Little Grass Hut
by Author Unknown

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for GOD to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood and long grass to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. "GOD, how could you do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.

It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because GOD is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain, and suffering.

Remember that, the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of GOD.

Allah Malik

[neelu789]

Beautiful story moosa ji, so very true. Everything that comes our way is sent by Baba for our good, infact, He keeps our best interests in mind and silently does eevrything for us. When we feel something is wrong and all is lost, we must realise that its a blessing in disguise which we will know of, later. beautiful story..


Here's an article i read today..

Keep Your Fork
 
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
 
Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly.
 
"What's that?" came the pastor's reply.
 
"This is very important," the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
 
The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
 
"That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked.
 
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.
 
The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from there on out, I have always done so. I have also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. 'In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?". Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork ... the best is yet to come."
 
The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
 
At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.
 
During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.  He was right.
 
So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
 
And keep your fork.

[saib]

Thanks Moosa Ji and Neelu for sharing such a wonderful stories with great lessons!

Death does not mean end. Best is Yet to come! Excellent positive state of Mind!

om sri sai ram!

The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from there on out, I have always done so. I have also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. 'In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?". Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork ... the best is yet to come."
 

[Moosa Patel]

Thanks Saibji for appreciating postings of Neeluji and mine. Neeluji I too will never forget about that Fork. I will always wait for the best to be received from my LORD SHREE SAI BABA.

Let SHREE SAI BABA keep us at his feet always.     

Here I would like to post one story I read which does tells us how love can make life beautiful. Let us remember how our LORD SHREE SAI BABA loves good and bad equally.

Wealth, Success, and Love

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"We do not go into a house together," they replied. "Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now which one of us you want in your home."

She first thought, "Since that is the case, let me invite in Wealth. Let him come and fill my home with wealth!" Then she thought Success, might be better. Then she thought, "Wouldn't it be better to invite Love as then my home would be filled with Love!"

So she chose Love to be her guest.

The woman asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be my guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"