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Shri Sai Baba of
Shirdi, the Supreme Perfect Master of the Age, standing as our model
practiced and preached these things ;
He
taught us that by expansion of our love
to other fellow beings and even the other
species one can consolidate society.
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He
taught that rigorous and technical methods need not be used for
spiritual upliftment. All that is needed is to bring
about a qualitative change in one’s way of thinking and way of
working in daily life.
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He
brought about a cohesive theme amidst the opposing themes of
inter-cultural, inter-religious and inter-sectarian groups. This He
achieved by allowing each group to have
its own mode of living, religious practices and cultural modes.
He succeeded in bringing out a way of life at Shirdi, which reflected
a confluence of varied cultures and religions.
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He
practiced and preached humanism a
universal brotherhood-Prophet like. He
established the superiority of love and
compassion above egoism - Christ like. He
taught simplicity of livelihood and
excellence of human virtue reflected in
day to day conduct - Buddha like.
What we
learn from Shri Shirdi Sai from the examples of his life style is that
He went to no temples; followed no rituals; followed no specific
religion or cult but only loved His people and therefore, sacrificed
Himself. Love, therefore, leads to
sacrifice. The Self expands from its
state of Isoteric or micro individualism to a more universal and macro
State.
The world is
looking ahead for a magical solution to its problems of cultural, racial,
national and religious differentiation. All intellectual exercises to
bring about peace in the world and happiness to mankind has failed for
these efforts are not based on humanism, universalism and love as taught
by Shri Sai. The ever multiplying number of S ai temples and devotees
of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba in India and other countries establishes the
ever-increasing relevance of His preaching today. Jesus as a human
embodiment is gone but the Spirit of Jesus remains. The body of Shri Sai
Baba cannot be seen but the magnetic pull of His Divine Soul is felt by
all those who merely think of Him and particularly those who visit His
tomb at Shirdi. Baba had promised that whosoever would put his foot on
soil of Shirdi, his miseries would end or marginalize. All devotees of
Baba find His promise come true, even eighty years after He left the
mortal body. Baba used to call His devotees as children, and like the true
father, kept busy day-in and day-out for their temporal as well as
spiritual upliftment. In today’s world
the children of God, torn asunder by religious, social and sectarian
strife, should run to Father to experience that love which can only unite
them.Human beings may conquer all the planets and stars before they learn
the magic formula to conquer the hearts of their fellow beings by the
Master. It is for us to follow, to make the world a better place to live.
Today the
world is in a transitional phase. The next
war is looming large towards the end of this decade. Old order is bound to
change giving place to new. The human society
needs a new meaning to life and a new system. Incarnations like Rama and
Krishna had brought about such transitions through wars. War is the
culmination of a divine drama where the heroes of truthfulness are
ultimately victorious. This macro role of the spiritual powers is going to
be enacted in a more perceptible manner in the days to come. All of us
understand the meaning of a war. Let us then pray to Him to have mercy. Let
us pray to Him to bring about a better order where human beings and other
species can live happily together. |