Sairam friends,

Hundreds of Sai devotees assume that moving to some ashram or probably living in Shirdi is a wise idea to escape from the fast, cunning world. Is it true. I have tried to explore!

Live your life smartly. Don’t look for ashrams and do not trust anyone

So are you worried? Depressed? Fed up with life. Don’t like to be in your place or neighborhood or completely hate your current lifestyle? Fine. Now, answer this.

Are you imagining that the world has a place where you can escape from all these problems and lead a peaceful life? Maybe there are such places. Maybe there are ashrams. But it’s not for you. Sai doesn’t want his children to leave their responsibilities and run behind any false guruji. Sai doesn’t even want his own devotees to leave their life and serve him.

Who asked you to settle in Shirdi? Just go there, worship, and come back to your life

Some of you imagine Shirdi is a paradise and enquire if there’s an ashram where you can stay forever or a few months.  Is Shirdi on planet Mars? It’s right here in Maharastra. Just 250 Kms from big Mumbai. Please be practical. If your own hometown can’t give you peace of mind, Shirdi also cannot. Sai simply wants you to come there, stay there for a day or a week based on your comfort and move ahead with your life.

Shirdi is auspicious because Saibaba’s holy foot fell on its sand. That’s it but Shirdi too cannot change your life if you settle there. A few years back, When I was speaking to Vinny Chitluri, (Author), She told me “I have seen devotees coming all the way from Delhi, buying land, building cottages and trying to settle here. They will go back within few months time”.

Please for God’s sake, do not look for ashrams and imagine that you need to become saintly. Focus on your life. Build yourself as a brand. Break all obstacles and be yourself. Be happy even when the whole world wants to crush you down.

Welcome to my ashram. I will give you food, water, a place to stay and I will loot you for a lifetime. Haha..

That’s what I am going to do. I am going to loot your life if you are so ignorant. I will tell you an alternative. Let’s say you have a skill. Go and teach that to a few. I know photography and I can teach that to few who don’t have the means to have a living. You don’t have to do it but that’s a thousand times better than imagining that your life will be good if you settle in some ashram in India.

Why I am writing this today? Once in a while, some devotees who are going through a worse situations in their life write me asking if there are any places to stay in Shirdi or any Ashrams in the Himalayan foothills where they can stay forever.  I am not sure dear. I don’t know what to tell you. I am just worried about your innocence. No modern Guru’s are really like our ancient saints. So if they don’t expect wealth or anything else from you, they will at least make sure your life is looted away.

If you really wanted to serve humanity, why not go to the nearby Government school and see what you can do to the kids there. Just take your vehicle and travel 100 km. Walk a few miles. You can discover opportunities to do something good for someone. Even today, I read about a professor of IIT who had taught Raghuram Rajan has actually quit his job and is serving tribal people living in someplace for several years. Why should he do that?

Because life is to live. You must do something meaningful. 

Staying in an ashram or listening to some false guru certainly is not at all going to make your life meaningful.

Leave of all this service too. Just focus on your life. There’s so much to learn. So much to do. You can always do it. Sai will surely bless you to get ahead in life.

You can take me as an example too.

This is a site dedicated to Shirdi Saibaba and it does serve its purpose. There are thousands who have been benefited by StarSai but am I writing just about Sai? I am writing about my life, the people I come across, my dreams, my failures, and even the songs I listen to. Why should I have this content strategy? This is because I want people to love Sai simultaneously by living their life. When did Saibaba ask you to become saintly and why should you go to an ashram?

Simply don’t relate “Peace” with “Ashram” or a New place where you can get out of all complications in current life and settling there happily. If your karma is to suffer, you will eventually suffer in an ashram too. So better live your life in your own practical way and keep faith that your life will change for good.

A few years back, I wrote about the transformation Steve Jobs had after he came to India. But he went back, learned, sustained, planned, executed, and changed how people listened to Music, watched Movies, and communicate –

He quit his College, Came India on a Spiritual Journey, quit drugs, and founded one of the biggest companies – Apple

You too have to go back to your life if you are already hooked to some false gurus or you better remain in your place and focus on what you can contribute to the world.

My friend who was looking for an Ashram in India

I have this wonderful friend bought up in the U.S. I am not mentioning her name because she will get hurt as I am writing about her. Once she suddenly messaged me asking if there are any ashrams I know somewhere in the Himalayas? Did I ask her why? It said, “My parents might get hurt about this decision as I am the only daughter but I don’t want to marry and I wish to settle in an ashram in India”.

I was really irritated and exchanged a few emails to make her understand reality.

I told her “Look. You are going to complete your studies in medicine”. ( In the U.S, they don’t have the problem of waiting for P.G after MBBS. They directly go for M.D. How lucky they are?. So many girls worry and write me saying they are waiting for P.G seat after MBBS in India)

I told this girl, “You can serve humanity as a physician too. You can come to India once in a while for a medical mission or simply provide affordable healthcare to anyone who needs it in the U.S itself.”

I made her understand serving as a good Doctor will make her life more meaningful than settling in some ashram.

Further, I told her “She may not think about getting married now as she can decide that sometime later when she meets someone really good”.

Anyway..She would have simply asked me casually but why did she have such thoughts is my problem? People living in western countries imagine India to be the land of meditation and ashrams. You might find one but please don’t ask me about it. I prefer you involve in any good deed. You can mediate where ever you are. Write to me, I will teach you meditation. I will give a name for it too because only then you will follow my way of meditating.

Hey! Simply sit. Close your eyes and chant Gods or saints name you love. 

Enough.

Please don’t complicate life. Please live your life smartly.

Live it.

Its only one life dear. Live it.

Explore opportunities. FAIL and Fail fast.

Life is beautiful and Sai is going to take care of you. You just remember him.

Did you see my life? How many times I fail. In career…in my relationships and in my other aspirations?

I still believe there’s something special Sai has in store for me.

Whenever someone is too depressed due to relationship issues, my friends in the temple used to say this to them “Venkata paaru. Evlo adi vaaginaalum…Unnum stronga irukaan”.

“You see Venkat. How many times he’s hurt and he’s still strong internally”.

Ha ha..

You gotta be strong. Sai hai na?

Have you listened to this song by Cher.

Oh, God..Don’t tell me I am not supposed to write songs here. If you are going through break up, this is the song for you.

How much I love this song you know? What kind of classic cinematography? The tint. The shots…I have literally drawn every single shot in a notebook some years back because I love making music videos. And what a singer is she? I play this song so loud and sing along when I am driving. So much it does to my heart. It really drives me crazy.

Read the last stanza… A song in which a woman expresses how painful she feels when her man left her. She realizes she’s strong and can live without him. You too can. Be it a man or a woman. Be strong internally.

Do you believe in life after love 
I can feel something inside me say 
I really don’t think you’re strong enough now.
Do you believe in life after love 
I can feel something inside me say 
I really don’t think you’re strong enough now.

What am I supposed to do 
Sit around and wait for you 
And I can’t do that 
There’s no turning back 
I need time to move on 
I need love to feel strong 
‘Cause I’ve had time to think it through 
And maybe I’m too good for you Ohh Oh 

[CHORUS]

But I know that I’ll get through this 
‘Cause I know that I am strong 
I don’t need you anymore 
Oh I don’t need you anymore I don’t need you anymore 
No I don’t need you anymore 

Why you people are not understanding me? Sai wants you to live. He wants you to work hard and try multiple things. Go on and explore. Take minimum risk but don’t be idle. Be yourself and be right there. Sai is always with you.

I also don’t know how to answer my parents in a few issues. It’s painful to see them. I love them so much. They sometimes get angry with me and tell me “Go to your Shirdi and settle there”. I don’t know if they really mean it because even when I am there for 2 days, they ask why I did not have breakfast?

I see Sai in my parents and all of you who read this.

Sai is not in Shirdi alone. He’s in you too.

Your home is your ashram

Your family is your meditation.

Focus on your life and live it to the fullest.

Love,

Venkat