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 Hemadpant's papers. It was therefore, composed and
supplied by an able and worthy devotee of Sai Baba, Mr. B.V. Dev (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 chapter as index here; and so, we consider this chapter as the
Epilogue. Unfortunately, Hemadpant did not survive to revise the
manuscript of this chapter and make it ready for the press. When it was
sent to the press Mr. Dev found it to be incomplete and unintelligible in
certain places, but it had to be published as it was found. The main topics
dealt therein are briefly given below.
Greatness of Sadguru Sai
We prostrate ourselves before and take refuge in that Sai Samarth,
Who besets all animate and inanimate things in the universe - Who
pervades all creatures equally without any differentiation, to Whom all
devotees are alike and Who knows not honour and dishonor, like or
dislike. If we remember Him and surrender to Him, He fulfils all our
wishes and makes us attain the goal of life.
This ocean of mundane existence is very hard to cross. Waves of
attachments beat high against the bank of bad thoughts and break down
trees of fortitude. The breeze of egoism blows with force 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 incessantly, and innumerable fishes in the form
of censure, hate and jealousy play there. Though, this ocean is so fierce
and terrible, Sadguru Sai is its Agasti (Destroyer) and the devotees of
Sai have the least fear of it. Our Sadguru is the boat, which will safely
take us across this ocean.
Prayer
Now, we fall 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. Let it ward off the calamities of those, who study
it regularly with reverence.
Fala-shruti (Reward of Study)
Now, a few words about the reward you get, from this work. After
bathing in the sacred Godavari and after taking the darshan of the
Samadhi in the Samadhi Mandir at 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 interested in
spiritual life, and if you go through it with love and reverence, all your
sins will be destroyed. If you wish to get rid of the cycle of births and
deaths, read Sai stories and remember Him always; and get yourself
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 future misery. If you go on meditating on Sai's Form, it
will, in course of time, lead you into self- realization. It is very hard to
know or realize the nature of Self of Brahma; but if you approach through
the Sagun Brahma (Sai's Form) your progress will be easy. If the devotee
completely surrenders himself to Him, he will lose his individual ego
and be merged in Him and be one with him, as the river becomes one
with 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 Sansar.
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. 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 with reverence Sai will be
pleased, and by removing your ignorance and poverty, 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 own welfare at heart, should study it carefully and then, he will ever
remember Sai gratefully and joyfully birth after birth. This work should
be read at home specially on Guru Pournima (Ashadha full-moon day),
Gokul Ashtami, Ram Navami and Dasara (Baba's Punyatithi). If you
study this one book carefully, all your desires will be satisfied, and if
you always remember Sai's Feet in you heart, you will easily cross the
Bhava (worldly illusions) Sagar. By its study, the diseased and sick will
get health, the poor wealth, the mean and afflicted the prosperity, and
the mind will get rid of all futile ideas and get steadiness.
Dear devoted readers and listeners, we also 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 this with prayer to the Almighty for the following Prasad
of favour: May the readers and devotees have complete and wholehearted
surrender and devotion at 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
(AARATI)
Oh Sai Baba, we wave lights before you, the bestower of happiness
to the Jivas. Give us - Your servants and devotees rest under the dust of
your Feet, burning (destroying) desires. You remain absorbed in Your
Self, and show the Lord (God) to the aspirants. As one feels intently for
you, you give him experiences or realizations accordingly. Oh Kindhearted,
Your power is such! meditation on Your name removes our fear
of the Sansar. Your method of word is really unfathomable as You always
help the poor and the helpless. In this Kali age you - the all-pervasive
Datta, have Incarnated as Sagun Brahma. Ward off the fear of Sansar of
the devotees, who come to You every Thursday, so as to enable them to
see the Feet of the Lord. Oh God of Gods, I pray that, let my treasure be
the service of Your Feet. Feed Madhav (the composer of this aarati) with
happiness as the cloud feeds the Chatak bird with pure water, and thus
keep up Your Word. Amen!
Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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 Hemadpant's papers. It was therefore, composed and
supplied by an able and worthy devotee of Sai Baba, Mr. B.V. Dev (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 chapter as index here; and so, we consider this chapter as the
Epilogue. Unfortunately, Hemadpant did not survive to revise the
manuscript of this chapter and make it ready for the press. When it was
sent to the press Mr. Dev found it to be incomplete and unintelligible in
certain places, but it had to be published as it was found. The main topics
dealt therein are briefly given below.
Greatness of Sadguru Sai
We prostrate ourselves before and take refuge in that Sai Samarth,
Who besets all animate and inanimate things in the universe - Who
pervades all creatures equally without any differentiation, to Whom all
devotees are alike and Who knows not honour and dishonor, like or
dislike. If we remember Him and surrender to Him, He fulfils all our
wishes and makes us attain the goal of life.
This ocean of mundane existence is very hard to cross. Waves of
attachments beat high against the bank of bad thoughts and break down
trees of fortitude. The breeze of egoism blows with force 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 incessantly, and innumerable fishes in the form
of censure, hate and jealousy play there. Though, this ocean is so fierce
and terrible, Sadguru Sai is its Agasti (Destroyer) and the devotees of
Sai have the least fear of it. Our Sadguru is the boat, which will safely
take us across this ocean.
Prayer
Now, we fall 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. Let it ward off the calamities of those, who study
it regularly with reverence.
Fala-shruti (Reward of Study)
Now, a few words about the reward you get, from this work. After
bathing in the sacred Godavari and after taking the darshan of the
Samadhi in the Samadhi Mandir at 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 interested in
spiritual life, and if you go through it with love and reverence, all your
sins will be destroyed. If you wish to get rid of the cycle of births and
deaths, read Sai stories and remember Him always; and get yourself
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 future misery. If you go on meditating on Sai's Form, it
will, in course of time, lead you into self- realization. It is very hard to
know or realize the nature of Self of Brahma; but if you approach through
the Sagun Brahma (Sai's Form) your progress will be easy. If the devotee
completely surrenders himself to Him, he will lose his individual ego
and be merged in Him and be one with him, as the river becomes one
with 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 Sansar.
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. 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 with reverence Sai will be
pleased, and by removing your ignorance and poverty, 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 own welfare at heart, should study it carefully and then, he will ever
remember Sai gratefully and joyfully birth after birth. This work should
be read at home specially on Guru Pournima (Ashadha full-moon day),
Gokul Ashtami, Ram Navami and Dasara (Baba's Punyatithi). If you
study this one book carefully, all your desires will be satisfied, and if
you always remember Sai's Feet in you heart, you will easily cross the
Bhava (worldly illusions) Sagar. By its study, the diseased and sick will
get health, the poor wealth, the mean and afflicted the prosperity, and
the mind will get rid of all futile ideas and get steadiness.
Dear devoted readers and listeners, we also 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 this with prayer to the Almighty for the following Prasad
of favour: May the readers and devotees have complete and wholehearted
surrender and devotion at 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
(AARATI)
Oh Sai Baba, we wave lights before you, the bestower of happiness
to the Jivas. Give us - Your servants and devotees rest under the dust of
your Feet, burning (destroying) desires. You remain absorbed in Your
Self, and show the Lord (God) to the aspirants. As one feels intently for
you, you give him experiences or realizations accordingly. Oh Kindhearted,
Your power is such! meditation on Your name removes our fear
of the Sansar. Your method of word is really unfathomable as You always
help the poor and the helpless. In this Kali age you - the all-pervasive
Datta, have Incarnated as Sagun Brahma. Ward off the fear of Sansar of
the devotees, who come to You every Thursday, so as to enable them to
see the Feet of the Lord. Oh God of Gods, I pray that, let my treasure be
the service of Your Feet. Feed Madhav (the composer of this aarati) with
happiness as the cloud feeds the Chatak bird with pure water, and thus
keep up Your Word. Amen!
Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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