A Prayer Said A Prayer Aswered

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Hospitals may provide the facilities for treating a patient but in the ultimate analysis, it is God who really cures. There are innumerable instances of how Swami intervenes, when the doctor feels that the situation is hopeless. Here is just one example, an episode narrated by Ravi Mariwala, which proves the point. Ravi Mariwala is one of Swami's students; a graduate of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration. The Super Speciality Hospital in Puttaparthi came into existence just at the time he was graduating. Many boys, especially with MBA degrees, volunteered to serve in the hospital, and Ravi was one of them. Ravi Mariwala operates the Heart-Lung machine, the vital instrument in cardiac surgery. This is what he had to say:

"A patient being operated for a congenital defect was unable to recover heart function sufficiently, to come off the heart-lung machine and generate adequate systemic pressure. We tried everything but nothing seemed to work. Everyone was beginning to despair. We discussed the matter, rested the heart again, and added some more drugs. We only failed once more. We were absolutely helpless. It occurred to me that we had tried everything but prayer.

Prayer for a person not known to me? Would it work? I think that is why it did.

As I had been in the theatre for five hours already, I was briefly relieved by a colleague. I came into the corridor outside the theatre and stood silently for a minute, trying to recollect Sai's face in my mind's eye. I said a silent prayer for the patient's recovery.

Immediately thereafter, I returned to the theatre. The situation had changed completely. The blood pressure had improved, and the heart had recovered! Strangely, no one knew how or why; I did not say anything to anyone.

The incident passed. The patient's recovery was smooth. On the Sunday that followed, Swami came to me, created vibhuti, put it into my hands and lovingly said, "This is for the prayer that you said for that patient." He then proceeded to describe the incident to others. Here was Swami rewarding me for the miracle.

http://www.saibaba.ws/experiences/aprayeranswered.htm

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A pray can also be just being in the presence of Holiness or having the Darshan (epiphany) of a spiritual/religious person. Such presence is also God's Grace and can bring about incredible fortunes and transformation of hearts. So much to learn about the wonders of the universe.

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http://www.srisarada.org/mandir/darshan.html

What Is Darshan?
Darshan
Sanskrit, meaning seeing, to see and be seen by a deity or holy person, to make pilgrimage to behold a sacred place.

Also, to hold a perspective or point of view, a way of seeing, knowing, from various angles.
Diana L. Eck writes, "The central act of Hindu worship...is to stand in the presence of the deity and to behold the image with ones own eyes, to see and by seen by the deity....Since, in the Hindu understanding, the deity is present in the image, the visual apprehension of the image is charged with religious meaning. Beholding the image is an act of worship, and through the eyes one gains the blessing of the divine."


Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India by Diana L. Eck, published by Anima Books
However we may view a divine image at first, darshan means we will eventually see beyond appearance, to behold the divinity within. And always, we can be assured that God is seeing us. Yes, even in cyberspace. For although our vision may be limited by our unknowing, what can blind God's sight!

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A Prayer Requested

May I please ask people to pray for Doglas Slain (california, mill valley) - his wife died, he never got over the heartbreak, ended up with cancer but survived, lost his home, lost his fiancial security, now is about to loose his current home, sick, 66 years old, cannot find work, and alone.

This is a gifeted and wondeful man, kind gentle and sensitive. Pls pray for him to get his life back in order.

Thank you very much. w Love, Olga, CA.

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THE SECRET THINGS BELONG TO THE LORD
Deuteronomy 29:29

Life's losses leave us hurting and wonderiing. Cancer takes a young mother or father. Divorce strikes your happy home. Financial ruin devastates retirement plans. A chid goes to prison, is killed or commits suicide. Such times raise questions which are difficult, if not impossible to answer.
'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding' (Proverbs 3:5.....)

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If we could hear one another's prayers, God might be relieved of some of his burdens.

-Qamar Rafiq, |Pakistan

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Why Do We Have a Prayer Room as Part of the Hindu Ritual?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... tml?cat=34 (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2020606/why_do_we_have_a_prayer_room_as_part.html?cat=34)

August 04, 2009 by Nitin Khanna

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Most Indian homes have a prayer room or altar. A lamp is lit and the Lord worshipped each day. Other spiritual practices like japa - repetition of the Lord's name, meditation, paaraayana - reading of the scriptures, prayers, and devotional singing etc are also done here. Special worship is done on auspicious occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, festivals and the like. Each member of the family - young or old - communes with and worships the Divine here.

The Lord is the entire creation. He is therefore the true owner of the house we live in too.The prayer room is the Master room of the house. We are the earthly occupants of His property. This notion rids us of false pride and possessiveness.

The ideal attitude to take is to regard the Lord as the true owner of our homes and us as caretakers of His home. But if that is rather difficult, we could at least think of Him as a very welcome guest. Just as we would house an important guest in the best comfort, so too we felicitate the Lord's presence in our homes by having a prayer room or altar, which is, at all times, kept clean and well-decorated.

Also the Lord is all pervading. To remind us that He resides in our homes with us, we have prayer rooms. Without the grace of the Lord, no task can be successfully or easily accomplished. We invoke His grace by communing with Him in the prayer room each day and on special occasions.

Each room in a house is dedicated to a specific function like the bedroom for resting, the drawing room to receive guests, the kitchen for cooking etc. The furniture, decor and the atmosphere of each room are made conducive to the purpose it serves. So too for the purpose of meditation, worship and prayer, we should have a conducive atmosphere - hence the need for a prayer room.

Sacred thoughts and sound vibrations pervade the place and influence the minds of those who spend time there. Spiritual thoughts and vibrations accumulated through regular meditation, worship and chanting done there pervade the prayer room. Even when we are tired or agitated, by just sitting in the prayer room for a while, we feel calm, rejuvenated and spiritually uplifted.

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THE AMOUNT YOU GIVE WILL DETERMINE THE AMOUNT YOU GET BACK
Luke 6:38

When we marry we inherit a big box filled with good things, containing romance, physical fulfillment, generousity, love, ideally,onthe other hand, we can dip into the box and come up empty. At that point we feel shock, disappointment, anger and despair concluding we have been fooled. We ask, 'why else should the box be empty?

You start by asking.'How much of it do I want in the box?' The deposit you deposit enough to generate that amount. You see, the box is only a container, it did not fail and you did not get a bad box. You are the owner of the box, not its victim. Accepting this truth free one to make life rich ands rewarding by becoming a giver, and not just a taker!

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[Attachment(s) from Ashok Gupta included below]

29th Oct 2009

Jai Sai Ram

This Thursday, was our last Thursday in Hyderabad this trip and may be because of that, there was large gathering of devotees for the group recitation of Sri Sai Amrit Vani. A couple came from Chennai for it. there were large number of devotees present for the recitation of Sri Sai Amrit Vani. Baba was also ready to receive them. There were almost all the Leelas of Baba and HE has not left anybody and blessed all . All the Document, photos, Statues, lockets placed before HIM were blessed in no time. Jal was also oozing as usual from HIS charans, After the recitation of Sri Sai Amrit Vani Mrs. Gupta Read the extracts from the Sai Satcharitra, prayed for all and distributed the Prasad, Udi and the Jal. This week also I attach few Photos taken on that day. This was our last session of the group recitation and from 5th Nov onwards it will be done in Delhi at Sidhartha Extension. Mrs Gupta presented the Asth Dhatu Pratima of Baba to M/s Renuka, which was kept in front of us for the recitation of Sri Sai Amrit Vani and Udi was oozing from it.

Earlier in the week a Moorti of Baba arrived from Jaipur. It was of Makrana marble.

As soon as it was opened, Udi Started oozing from the moorti. Photo attached.

I have already circulated the letters of the devotees for the prayers for 29th Oct 2009, Mrs. Veena Gupta ( Veena Maa as the devotees call her) prayed for all the devotees during the Pooja and the recitation of Sri Sai Amrit Vani . Please address your requests for prayers only on email id veena_gupta_2000@yahoo.com and don’t bother all the 7500+ honorable members with so many letters. We will club the letters in 3 parts and circulate all the non-confidential letters to the members. Please don’t forget to mention that you will be reciting/reading or listening Sri Sai Amrit Vani with us on that Thursday (Any time, if 11AM to 12 is not possible). Letters without the (1) Names (2) place (3) Date of Thursday (4) Assurance that they will be reciting Sri Sai Amrit Vani are not included in the list of devotees. Correspondence with them individually is also not possible.

On every Thursday, twice at 11 AM (Indian Standard Time) and 11 AM (Eastern Standard Time), Sai Bhakti Radio(http://www.saibhaktiradio.com) is broadcasting Sai Amrit Vani.

Due to Swine Flu scare participation in recitation of Sri Sai Amrit Vani is restricted. It is requested that, please avoid coming for recitation of Sai Amrit Vani if any member in the family is having cough and cold or fever. Devotees may recite the Sai Amrit Vani at their respective homes at 11 AM to be with us.

Next Group recitation of Sri Sai Amrit vani will be held on 5th Nov at Sidhartha Extension, New Delhi. Devotees interested in attending the recitation are also requested, not to bring any Pratima/Moorti or Statue of Baba from their mandir, i.e which is already being worshipped, They should also NOT bring any bhog . They may contact us on Delhi Tel Nos. 9868966605, 9312494767, 26346942 on any day from 11 AM to 8 PM. But no calls on Thursdays.

Sri Sai Amrit Vani is in Hindi only, yet its Scripts are available in Tamil , Devnagri (Hindi), English, Spanish, Telugu and Gujrati Alphabets in the file section of the yahoogroup. Links of Audio MP3 files are also given in the link section of the home page of `mysaibaba20' yahoogroup. To go to home page of yahoogroup key in or click

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysaibaba20 . Audio Mp3 file has also been made available in the publication section of http://saimemorial.com , the site of Sai Memorial Temple of Baba of Lodhi Road , New Delhi .

You can also download audio/scripts/photos and other material/information related to Sai Baba on a new site developed by M/s. Renuka of Hyderabad.

http://www.saisharan.info/amritvani.html

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Jesus showed Himself to the disciples at the sea...
John (21:1)

The disciples, experienced fishermen, fished all night and caught nothing. We all know all what that feels like? Next morning, Jesus appeared on the shore and said. [quote]Cast the night on the right side of the boat...[
/quote] John (21:6) When they did they caught so many fish their net broke.
1) Usually you find Him at end of your struggle
2)He never takes His eyes off you
3) He invites you to come and share.
Only after he had fed them and shared fellowship with them, did they recognise Him.
The answers one seek and the strength one needs can be found only by feeding on God's Word and sharing with Him in prayer.

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http://sathyasaibaba.wordpress.com/2008 ... t-to-pray/ (http://sathyasaibaba.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/sathya-sai-baba-how-to-pray-how-not-to-pray/)

Sathya Sai Baba – How To Pray – How Not To Pray
Posted on August 18, 2008 by sathyasaibaba

Sathya Sai Baba

Great indeed is the efficacy of prayer. It opens the gate of one’s inner temple to let Ahura Mazda in. ~Zarathustra

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s answers to Dr. Hislop’s question on prayer are revealing:

“When you ask God, you rise to His level. You must ask God. To ask God is perfectly all right. It is your duty to ask God. Words must be said and, the thoughts must correspond to the words. It is true enough that the Divinity knows all. But He requires that true words be said. The mother may know that, to maintain life, the child requires food. But milk is given only when the child asks for it.”

Swami stresses that when there is real need, God should be asked to provide. But there are several doubting Thomases among us, who ask, “You mean prayers work? He can only give us what, according to Him, we need or what we deserve. Is it not? Will the Lord like to give us all that we ask for, in our prayers to Him? Under such circumstances what is the use of prayer?” Of course, all these doubts can be resolved.

So what then is “Prayer” all about? Prayer is the subtlest and most sublime thread that links the human soul with the Divine Spirit. It establishes a relationship between the individual and the Infinite Supreme. It is the winged arrow of human feeling that coalesces with the Divine Love of God.

All religions expound the glory of prayer. Every saint took recourse to prayer in his spiritual growth. There is no great man upon earth who did not offer prayers at the recognition of the Divine Hand guiding him. To many, however, prayer becomes merely a repetition of hymns or words. Heart-felt sincerity is lacking. Most often, if we are honest enough to admit it, we pray to impress others. Real prayer does not depend upon how many beautiful words you have selected to repeat or whether you have a good accent or not. Prayer depends upon the purity of your feeling and the intensity of your yearning.

Therefore prayer requires the possession of a feeling that is free from egocentricities, a feeling that is not corrupted or tarnished by greed, anger, hatred, pride and other gross sentiments. It is true that every religion has definite prayers that are revealed by the great sages and saints, encompassing in them lofty ideas and thoughts. However, if you repeat them mechanically without entering into the beauty and grandeur of the meaning and the feeling that are encompassed by those words, you are merely depleting the energy of your speech.

Swami has been saying this all along. For the acquisition of the Grace of the Lord and the resulting Awareness of the Reality, the quality of peace is the prime need. Every aspirant is aware how Draupadi received the Grace of the Lord, through her righteousness and her piety. Though her husbands were mighty heroes and famous monarchs, she sought refuge in Lord Krishna, feeling that all others are of no use. Prahlada sought refuge under different circumstances. He surrendered all at birth to the Lord; he knew that the Lord was ever by his side and that he was ever by the side of his Lord; so he had no need to call out to him for protection. Prahlada was unaware of anything except the Lord; he could not distinguish between one function of the Lord and another. So how could he pray for protection? For all such God-intoxicated and dedicated souls, prayer is unnecessary. But for a majority of people prayer is necessary to keep us on the right path, the path that leads straight to God.

The Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) has said, “Be constant in prayer, and give charity and worship with the worshipful. And seek help with patience and prayer, though it is indeed hard except for the humble.”

Swami even guides us to the extent of laying down the track that we are to follow. He says, regular prayers twice a day will give the devotee strength and courage. He adds, the Grace of God can confer mental peace and so good sleep and rest for the mind.

“Feel that you are a hundred per cent dependent on God; He will look after you and save you from harm and injury. When you go to bed, offer thankful homage to Him for guiding and guarding you throughout the day. Activity must be dedicated to God, the highest good. Then it will provide health of body and mind.”

Swami in one of His conversations with Dr John Hislop, has said, “Whenever and wherever you put yourself in touch with God, that is the state of meditation.” Swami goes on to say that prayer must be united with practice. “You should not pray for one thing and practice another. The words you utter, the deeds you do, the prayers you utter, must all be along the same path.”

One-pointedness is all-important. Prayer first needs honesty, the acceptance of what one really is, of sincerely acknowledging that one is in need of Divine help. There has been enough documented evidence of the power of prayer. Recently doctors across the United States, in several hospitals recommended prayer as a part of the treatment of the ill. The doctors too sit and pray along with the patients. And it has been proved that the rate of recovery of those praying patients who have undergone even major surgeries, to be much faster than those who did not pray. — J. Prasad

Filed under: God, Gurus, India, Pray, Prayer, Praying, Religion, Sai Baba Updates, Spirituality, sathya sai baba, sathya sai baba news | Tagged: Faith, Krishna, Love, Swami, Ahura Mazda, Zarathustra, Prahlada, Prophet Mohammed, Doubting Thomases

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A prayer answered

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/35124

Bhajan singer Shri V. Kumar's mother is resurructed from death
V.Kumar was a renowned bhajan singer at the Prashanthi mandir. He had done his studies at Pashanthi Nilayam itself. He later left for U.S.A on an assignment.

V.Kumar’s mother was suffering from chronic illness. One day just before bhajans, a man came running from V.Kumar’s household and informed him of his mother’s demise. V.kumar said-- “Sir, I am scheduled to sing a bhajan today in a few moments.. Please keep the body and I shall come as soon as the Bhajans are over.� The bhajans started and Baba sat on his chair. As soon as V.Kumar started his bhajan - “Sai teri seva mein yeh jeevan mera� , Baba got up and left. Already burdened by his mother’s demise , Ravi could not understand Baba’s gesture and broke down . He however continued singing in the broken voice.

Meanwhile Baba went to V. Kumar’s house. Their V.Kumar’s mother’s hands and feet were tied and placed in the center of the household. Baba asked the hands and legs of the dead body to be freed. He asked for tulsi leaves, which were delivered to Him. Baba held them in His hand and put them into the mouth of V. Kumar’s mother and thundered-- “Get up.�. As soon as Baba said so, the body stirred and V. Kumar’s mother opened her eyes and got up.

The whole household started weeping in joy. V. Kumar’s father caught hold of Baba’s feet and cried out like a child. V. Kumar’s mother has died 5 times and each time Baba came and resurrected her --in many different ways--Baba once even appeared from a photograph, gave life and went back into the photograph.

V. Kumar’s mother is still alive , waiting for the final merger in Bhagwan BABA.

www.saibaba.ws (http://www.saibaba.ws)

(Sharing with Sai Love) a true story) Ram.Chugani

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Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
St. Luke ch18 v.11

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He who forgives others, God forgives him.

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Dr. A.V. Lakshminarasimhan, Former Registrar of the Sri Sathya Sai University and also a Former very Senior Faculty Member in the Department of Bio-Sciences of the Sathya Sai University at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus .This is one of the miracles mentioned by him :

"Way back in 1948 when Bhagawan was 22 years of age in this beautiful physical frame, a certain wealthy man visited Prasanthi Nilayam along with his twin sons who were born blind. This wealthy man had toured the world over and had consulted great eye-specialists but all of them had said unanimously that it was impossible to provide eyesight to the blind twins. Hence the wealthy man had come to see the young Bhagawan.

Bhagawan did not see them for seven long days. When the devotees, who had brought this family to Prasanthi Nilayam, prayed to Bhagawan for an interview, He called the wealthy man and his family along with the devotees. Bhagawan gave them all a profound discourse on the law of Karma and human dharma.

At the end, when the devotees prayed and almost persuaded Bhagawan to grant sight to the twins, He said, 'Look, what these twins have done in their past life' and asked the devotees to look towards the corner of the interview room. What they saw was like a movie. These twins appeared as two cruel dacoits. They appeared to be tying two other
persons to a tree in the forest and plucking out their eyes and robbing them of their wealth. The devotee was perplexed and disturbed seeing this incident taking place before his eyes..

Bhagawan asked the devotees.'Tell me, shall I grant sight to these boys? If you are in My place what will you do?' The devotee had no answer. He fell at Bhagawan's Lotus feet and cried, 'Baba, pardon me for my audacity. You are God, being ever present in the past, present and future. You are our destiny. Please save us all.'

Bhagawan with all His Love lifted the devotee and said that the twins had repented for their evil deeds and prayed to God for forgiveness. Their lifestyle had changed. They served the poor with the robbed money and as a result of which they have been born in the house of the wealthy man. They cannot, however, escape from the evil act of blinding two innocent persons and hence had to be born blind. Bhagawan assured that now that they had come to His divine presence, their future would be good and that He would take care of them and would bless them."

Om Sai Ram

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People travel to wonder at the height
of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses
of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular
motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.
St Augustine (154-430)