All that glitters is not Gold – Every Sai devotee is not good.

Sairam friends,

Have you listened to the announcement while you walk on the way to Shirdi Saibaba Samadhi Mandir in Marati, Hindi and English repeatedly broadcasted.

” Many kinds of devotees come here. So take care of your purse and belongings”

It’s something you must remember not only during your Shirdi Saibaba darshan in his Samadhi Mandir but keep this in mind where ever you go and what ever you do.

Right from my early days of Sai seva in 2004, i have been clear about one thing.

“Do not trust or believe in Someone or give importance to someone just because they say that they love Shirdi Sai baba”

There are so many innocent Sai devotees who have been cheated just in the name of Sai. I have myself been into few problems in 2007 when i went to Shirdi and based on those experience, i keep telling people do not trust someone just because he/She is a Sai devotee.

Even recently, i requested one of my friend not to speak to everyone in Saibaba temple just because they serve Sai but in the end, i got hurt. I might be wrong. My concern is good Sai devotees must never get wrong friends or relationship. It was painful for me but we can only show good path to people. After few years they might realize what we said it due to our care on them. I cannot individually help every Sai devotee as i did for my friend. So i decided to write it today.

I myself don’t like it when people just see me as someone who serves Sai and respects me for that alone. I have both good and bad qualities in me. I might be too possessive , i might get angry  etc. Even yesterday, my mother said reduce your anger and frustration on us, just because you didn’t got what you desired.

I might not be good at all for you after few days. Years later, when you regret for going in a wrong path, might finally realize, I am better than others whom you trusted.

So it all depends on what i am as a person and not at all my love for Sai.

Sai always tries to make his devotees a better human being but who cares about Sai’s humble guidance. We only want our desires to get fulfilled from saibaba.

Everyone who loves Sai, who does pooja, sings Aarti, who arranges Sai Bhajan might be devoted to Sai. Agreed. That doesn’t mean we have to respect them and give them importance. We must learn to see people internally. It takes years of knowing someone during ups and downs in life to determine if they are really Good.

There are Sai devotees who write me saying, i have been cheated or harmed by this family and its surprising they all are Sai devotees. So what? Sai devotion is not reserved to Good people alone. Sai accepts everyone in his kingdom.

A good example from Saibaba’s life time

Nanawali and Sathe: Their Love on Sai and hatred on each other:

Nanawali was too harsh and a very strong man. He loves baba like crazy. Once he asked Saibaba to get up from his asan (seat) and he sat in that place. He realized Saibaba is not frustrated a bit and asked Sai to sit back in his asan. Nanawali tested Sai himself if Sai is proud of himself. His position in Shirdi as a great aulia – A fakir who can change lives of people by mere darshan.

At present there are over 800 lodges and even Five Star Hotels in Shirdi but 110 years back, Sathe was the first to build a Wada in Shirdi. Many devotees were benefited  by his Seva.

Nanawali hates Sathe to core. Once when Sathe was walking towards Dwarakamai, Nana ran behind him and scratched his head with a piece of Glass. Sathe started bleeding and was about to take a stone and hit Nanawali. Baba watched all this from distance and shouted ” Saheb, do not do this” ( Baba calls Sathe as Saheb and gently made him realize not to get down to the level of Nana and adjust it)

The reason i write this incident is that, even during Saibaba’s life time, Sai remained calm when a devotee is harmed by other devotee because he made us understand we have to face pains and difficulties based on our previous births or this births sins.  Just because we are Sai devotees and though Sai is watching us, we can’t escape from painful incidents and happenings. Sai likes is when we learn to bear the pain given by others and stay calm.

Sai says

” I am hurt, when you hurt my men and women who harmed you but when you remain calm, i am pleased the most”

Probably, Sai never wants us to go for a fight with someone who harmed us. The story also shows, we cannot judge who’s devotion on Saibaba is greater. Nana or Sathe’s? . Both loved Sai equally. Sai accepts their devotion equally. The problem is both had different mind set and it didn’t worked out.

The man who build Sathe wada which helped thousands of devotees stay in Shirdi during early times was asked by Sai himself to move to pune and stay with his family after 1916.

When such is the situation for Sathe, imagine ours?

My humble request to Sai devotees:

Everyone who comes to temple, who attends Sai bhajans or who even Serve Baba is not so special just because they worship Saibaba.  Even people who are named Sai may not be as good as you might imagine. I am named Venkatraman after Lord Venkateswara. Am i behaving merciful and kind to all like the Lord himself. I am human and i have my negative qualities. Similarly people who are named Sai might be good or might not be too.  I write this because, its my responsibility to help sai devotees see the truth behind a person before they trusts anyone.

There might be millions of Good people out there who are not Sai devotees but good at heart and there might be people who call themselves as Sai devotees but eventually they might harm you. It’s your karma to bear it.

Learn to See people by heart and by years of knowing them personally and do not respect or have contacts, trust on anyone just because they are sai devotees.

There are parents who give their daughter in marriage to a family which hangs numerous huge Shirdi Sai baba photos in their wall. Finally when the girl is not happy with her married life, they only blame Sai.

Contrastingly, There are families which doesn’t even allow to have a Sai photo or statue in their house but keeps their daughter in law happily.

There are men and women who write me ” i want to spread Sai devotion” . ahhhhh. Enough. It’s already Done. We are not in 1970’s or even 1990’s. Now every other person i come across in India are Sai devotees. Honestly, Sai doesn’t want us to spread his fame. He rules the 7 worlds . Who are we in front of Sai.

What we actually need to spread is message of being True to Sai.

When it comes to my own negatives, i know at times, when someone hurts me, am ready to hurt them back. I immediately feel pity on the one i hurt as am too soft hearted  but i Sai expects me to control my anger before hand.

I hurt others.

I get angry

Does this make me a Sai devotee? There are no good devotees or bad devotees. There are no small or big sai devotees.  Sai considers them equal. So judge a person by his nature and not his connection with Sai.

Is this what you expect from a Man who calls himself as serving baba for years? Honestly, i am neither good nor bad. I am caught by Maya of this world. How can i be trusted just because i serve Sai?

Same applies for every other Sai devotee. Learn to know people in your ups and downs in life. Learn why they are with you and when they will run out of your life harming you within a fraction of second.

I am ready to call myself unreliable and someone you must not trust in this article because i want innocent devotees to learn what i mean when i say

All that glitters is not Gold – Every Sai devotee is not good. It depends

Love Sai. Love your parents, sister, brother, your close relatives, friends in school or college, office any where else for what they are and not because they are sai devotees.

I have seen Sai devotees helping each other and also hurting and cheating each other. So what difference does it make.

Even last week, i met a Sai guru who said, “A 14 year old girl was raped and murdered near railway station in Shirdi. So people were asking, how can it happen in Shirdi?”  My answer is Sai lives every where. If women are hurt else where, Shirdi too is not exception.

One of my close friend came from Malaysia. She had plans to stay in Shirdi for ten days. On the third day while walking towards samadhi Mandhir to have darshan, a guy misbehaved with her. This idiot didn’t slap him but cried all the way to Samadhi Mandhir. This guy has kept watching her crying to saibaba near his samadhi.  Next day, the same guy has followed her. Does one goes to Shirdi to give Police complaint? Is it not for peace of mind?

Even when Sai lived, don’t you think people would have harmed each other. Read the story of Veerabhadrapa and Chapasapa – Chapter 47 in Sai Satcharitra. It speaks about hatred among devotees and how they face results of their karma.

When i do pooja, i see Sai in his Statues and Photos. Other wise, I see Sai in good people. In my mother, my father, my sister and some of my friends. There are wonderful Sai devotees who never hurt others. There are sweet sai devotees who has love flowing in their eyes like sai himself.  Sai speaks to me in dreams and also through these people.

But i never respect or trust anyone just because they are Sai devotees.

This article came out of years of experience. If you remember this for life time, you might avoid being hurt. Some people loose money, some have painful relationship and some even loose their reputation due to our innocence. So learn to see people for what they are.  Beyond their Sai bhakti.

Majority of Shirdi Sai baba devotees are wonderful and Good at heart:

Note: There are wonderful Sai devotees who are good .Majority of my friends love Sai. I can keep writing 1000 articles on how many good devotees i have come across devotees from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. From Gujarat to Bengal. From America to Australia. I have so many sai friends from Andhra and Mumbai. People who Love Sai with pure heart have been my friends.

Having said that, i also have to warn these devotees not to trust one just because they worship Saibaba. Am i not right?I am blessed to know so many wonderful people who love Saibaba. This article is specifically written to make sure such innocent devotees are not harmed by very few wrong people.

With love on every single Sai devotee with good heart and pure thoughts and deeds…

Aum Sai Ram

Venkat – 7/4/2013

Little Servant of Shirdi Sai Baba