Functioning of Delhi Sri Sai Samaj

In one of our last posts, we had seen how Delhi Sri Sai Samaj was formed. Now we shall see how it started functioning.

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The activities of Shri Sai Samaj Delhi kept on increasing. After 1962, weekly pujas of Baba started being held at the houses of different devotees, who would also offer food to all the participants. Monthly pujas were held at the house of Shri A.K. Gawaskar in Bharti Nagar, New Delhi, who had a big hall in his house to accommodate more people. The three special pujas on Ram Navmi, Gurupoornima and Vijay Dashmi were held in Shamianas on the lawns of Gavaskar's house. All our pujas were held in an extremely peaceful atmosphere and singing and chanting were done in low voices. These became popular with all people participating in them as they experienced peace and comfort in these pujas. Parties of Qwaliwalas and good singers were invited to perform in the special pujas.

In all our pujas, high Government officials and known dignitaries of Delhi started participating. The participants in monthly and special pujas were required to leave their names and addresses on sheets of paper provided for the purpose. Going through these sheets now, it is seen that well-known persons of the country have participated in these pujas. To name a few, Justic J.R. Madholkar of the Supreme Court; Shri Nath Pai, MP., Shri O. Pulla Reddy, Defence Secretary, Shri B. Gopala Reddy, Information Minister, are some such persons whose signatures are available in the sheets in my possession.

Nobody was, however, given a seat on a higher pedestal in our pujas. Everybody took his seat as he came.

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Meeting of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta with Other Saintly Personalities

With last post sharing Shri. Suresh Chandra Gupta's meeting with Shri Paramhamsa Omkara Swamy, here in today's post we shall read up how he met few other saintly personalities and how much grace and blessings of Lord Sai Baba were gathered by him through them.

Other Sages and Saints - Contact with Sri Sivanesan Swamy of Shirdi

While recalling Baba's kripa on me, through Shri Parmahamsa Omkara Swamy, I would also like to mention a few more names of sages and saints. I was told by a young saint Krishnaji, who had stayed in Meher Baba's Ashram for seven years and to whom Mehr Baba had given his Kafni, that I must visit Swami Sivananda at Rishikesh and Swami Ram Das at Kanhangad in Kerala before it was too late to do so.

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Meeting of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta with Paramhamsa Omkara Swamy

Last post of Fragrance of Bhakti in sense of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta was rather interesting to read. Personally i love such debates. Deducting controversies in the matter, if one goes on talking about Lord Sai Baba and His devotion, outcome is very much different from the reality of our thinking. Let's now see what Shri Gupta ji writes further about his meeting with Paramhamsa Omkara Swamy

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During the description of my first visit to Shirdi, I have already stated that when I visited the Samadhi Mandir at 5.30 pm on 2nd December I960, a saint was seen standing near Baba's Samadhi in contemplation. He was a slightly built person with a small beard. Suddenly the vibrant sound of 'Om’ oozed out of his being and engulfed the whole atmosphere. I felt drawn to this simple looking Fakir with only one cloth wrapped around his body. To me he appeared different from the large number of Fakirs asking for alms on the streets of Shirdi. The Pujaris asked him to climb up on the Samadhi to pay his respects to Baba. In the evening, I expressed a desire to my newly acquired friend - Shri Rao, that I would love to meet this Saint.

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Fragrance of Bhakti in sense of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta

Last post we had seen Meeting of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta with Sri Satya Sai Baba, we shall be seeing fragrance of bhakti as per Shri. Gupta ji.

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I had by now fully dedicated myself to Baba and it seemed that I had surrendered to Him heart and soul. At all hours of the day and night, I had a strange feeling of ecstasy engulfing my soul. Incessant tears of love and joy flowed from my eyes. Even the mention of the word 'Sai' was enough to fill my eyes with tears. I started thinking that Baba's bhakti was extremely easy and blissful. I lived every moment of my life with Baba. As mentioned earlier, my body emitted electricity currents, whenever anybody touched it. Every night, in my dream, I would be taken to one temple or the other, be in the presence of some God or the other of our pantheon, and made to visit hills, forests and rivers. On seeing these sites, I would often cry in ecstasy. Where these sites exist, I do not know even today. Even now when I recall these dreams, I feel thrilled. In my dreams, I have been to two Mother temples. In the first case, Mother emerged out of the idol wearing a white Saree and lifting a handful of rose flowers lying in front of the statue, handed over, the flowers to me. In the second case, Mother threw the 'Palloo' of her Saree to cover my head while I was standing with other devotees on; the lower platform of a peculiar shaped temple. Surely, these; were Baba's blessings, in the form of Mother, on a child.

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Meeting of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta with Sri Satya Sai Baba

Continuing with life story of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta, we shall now move ahead and read his Meeting of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta with Sri Satya Sai Baba.

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It was in June 1961, that I got a ring from one Shri N.G.K.Murthy, an Executive Engineer in CPWD and a devotee of Baba, asking me if I knew that Shri Satya Sai Baba was in the town. I told him that I had no knowledge of it, but if he was in Delhi, I shall soon find out. After making a number of phone calls to various persons, I came to know that Shri Satya Sai Baba had come to Delhi along with Shri B.Ramakrishna Rao, the then Governor of U.P, on his way back from Badrinath and was staying with Shri Venugopal, then Chairman, Railway Board in Canning Lane, New Delhi rang up my friends Shri C.S. Rao, Shri A.K. Gavaskar and Shri J.M. Gupta and all of us reached Canning Lane in at about 11.30 a.m. We found Shri Satya Sai Baba sitting on a chair in the main hall of the house singing bhajans before a gathering of some 30 / 35 persons, squatting on the floor In our presence, he sang two bhajans in a melodious voice one of which was as under:

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The Rashtrapati Attends "Ramnavmi Celebrations 1961"

We had read interesting post of Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta's first visit to Shirdi. Now we shall see how President attended Ramnavami celebration pooja on receiving invitation from Delhi Sri Sai Samaj.

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After the formation of the Delhi Sri Sai Samaj, we were assiduously endeavouring to increase its membership either by enrolling the old devotees of Baba as members or initiating new devotees. Most devotees were South Indians. At this stage in Jan/Feb, 1961, we decided to celebrate the ensuing Ramnavmi Utsav of Baba on 25th March with a lot of gusto on the lawns opposite 210, North Avenue. In association with Dr. Ganga Dhar Siva, a M.P. from Andhra, we invited the Rashtrapati, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, along with other leaders to attend this function. We also decided to collect, for the first time, some money for the function. With all our efforts, we were then able to raise Rs.110/- only.

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Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta's First Visit to Shirdi

Till now we have read how Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta was faired by Lord Sai Baba and His grace. While editing and reading earlier posts i had goose bumps all over my body. Now comes to the most interesting part, Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta's First Visit to Shirdi! Let's see how it was and how he was blessed again.

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Baba was calling me to Shirdi and my keenness to do so was increasing day after day. At last I reached Shirdi on 2nd Dec 1960, which happened to be Dattatreya Jayanti, as I came to know on reaching Shirdi. Till then I did not know anything about Lord Dattatreya, whose incarnation Baba is said to be. On my way from Manmad to Shirdi, I came to know in the bus that Shirdi Sansthan had been taken over by the Government only a couple of days before. As the bus from Manmad crossed Godavari River, the sight of the river and little ahead of the peak of Baba's Samadhi Mandir filled me with abounding pleasure. The dream of my life was about to be realised.

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