SAIRAM Ritesh ji
Happy Mahara Sankranti to you and all your family members.
We pray Lord SaiBaba daily but special prayers are offered on
Thursaday.
Fasting todtally depends upon person to person.
On thursday it is usually Sai baba who is worshipped.
In fact, Baba never recommended fasting on empty stomach.
So, just avoid salt & spices on this day.
You can have fruits, milk, and some nuts once or twice on the
fasting day.
It depends on your mental ability.
The pooja vidhi can be at your will since Sai baba doesn't demand
anything like this.
U just can chant sai namam for 108 times and also read Sai
Ashtotharam and also Sai charita.
There is a story that a devotee asked Baba how to fast.
Baba once told the following,
"At noon on Thursdays, eat half of what you normally eat.
Then pack a lunch and deliver it to a poor person.
" Devotee told him that in there did not seem to be any poor people
around the city - to which He replied,
"Yes, there is a homeless lady in your city.
Give the lunch to her.
" And as said by Baba he finds a poor lady nearby ouside on the road
asking for food.
But according to Lord SaiBaba he does not want people to fast,
he wants more concentration & devotion than fasting.
Fasting by Gokhale’s Wife
Gokhale’s wife came to Shirdi with some devotees known to Dada Kelkar. She stayed in his house. She desired to undertake fasting for three days and be with Baba. But Baba told her, "Mother, there is no need to undertake fasting. Go to Dada Bhat’s house, prepare puranpolis (sweet stuffed chapatis) and feed his children and you also eat." On that day Bhat’s wife was indisposed. Hence, Baba’s advice appeared to be timely. Accordingly to his advice she prepared puranpolis, served the others and ate some. Fasting is only a method of regulating the digestive system and nothing more. To think that one gets some divine benefit from that is only a misconception. Apart from not getting any benefit, fasting makes a person weak with the result that one cannot attend to one’s normal duties. Those who worship Baba can take food and then worship him. Sai bless you always.
jai sai ram!
subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.