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Giving alone can change your life – Saibaba’s Love to Cook and Give Food

Sairam friends,

When Sai inspired me to create StarSai.com in december 2004, the caption for starsai was

“Giving alone can change your life”

I used to think people are devoted to God/Guru. They go to temple and do pooja but they don’t actually have helping tendency.So i wished to promote this message. Gradually i realized many sai devotees do have habit of giving food to poor etc .But the problem again is we must not stop with giving food to people sitting outside temple and donating for annadhan in temples.

We can go beyond this and can help our friends or relatives kids in their education. Even a good career guidance is a good habit. Anyway, gradually as starsai had other articles to help shirdi sai baba devotees, i realized, its high time i again write about Shirdi Sai baba’s love for cooking food by himself and feeding his devotees with affection.

shirdi saibaba cooking food

shirdi saibaba used to cook food in these pots

There’s a reason i would like to say saint “Shirdi Sai baba ” as

Sri Guru Shirdi Sai Baba.

Sri , i personally feel means prosperity , blessings of Goddess Mahalakshmi and Shirdi Sai baba has given food and fulfilled the hunger of thousands of his devotees even today after his samadhi in 1918. Food is considered as Mahalakshmi , Prosperity and obtained by grace of Goddess Annapurani.

Hence calling call affectionately as

“Sri Guru Shirdi Sai Baba ” suits the message to be conveyed .

Sai baba who lived approximately between 1835 to 1918 leading a saintly life in a village called shirdi , in maharasratra, india did not teach or preach anything directly to his devotees.

Most of Shirdi Sai baba’s ways are practical in nature and what ever Sai Baba wants his devotees to follow he practiced it himself.

Humanity of Sri Guru Shirdi Sai Baba:

Begging Alms and Cooking food himself for devotees :

I wonder if there can be a saint as pure and simple as Sai baba of shirdi. Well, in modern days there are people who has ashrams, call them self as guru , run a charity etc and arrange few people to make food for guests. But rare is a saint like Sai, who himself goes to the market, collects wooden logs, sticks to create fire , keeps the huge pot over the earthern stove and starts to cook himself.

Sai baba being a Saint who has command over nature at times even inserts his hand inside the food being cooked and mixes it.

shirdi sai baba goddess annapurani

shirdi sai baba cooking food happily like goddess Annapurani

Shirdi Sai Baba’s Assurances :

One of the greatest thing of being a Shirdi Sai baba devotee is that Sai has assured the 3 basic needs to his devotees .

1.Food

2. Clothing and

3.Shelter.

I have come across numerous incidents when shirdi sai baba devotees who are suffering financially surely get these 3 , atleast these 3 basic needs always and all life.

Even today Shirdi Sai baba temples across india and abroad offer Aannadhan to millions of Sai devotees.

Sai baba used to purchase items to cook for by himself :

Sai never troubles any of his devotees to buy the items required to cook food friends. Sai himself goes to the market and buys the required items happily. Then he comes to the sabha mandap outside dwarakamai where the huge pots are kept, lights fire using woods and cooks the food. At times saibaba used to leave the entire hand inside the burning food and stir it.   How beautiful it would have been for devotees to see their own Guru cooking food for them like a mother.

What motivated me to write this article ?

In december 2004, i realized the need to spread the message of “Giving ” and launched

StarSai.com

Gradually StarSai.com became a website where Sai devotees look for other things like Sai Baba bhajans, Shirdi Sai Baba photos , Aarti etc. I also had to write other articles which will make Saibaba devotees go in the path of light and lead a devoted life.

My prominent goal when i made StarSai.com was to promote the message of Giving but gradually i started writing other articles which helps sai devotees. I still hold the caption of StarSai.com as “Giving alone can change your life”

This not only means giving food but also giving education and also any kind of small favours you can do for people whom you trust.

Understanding Giving Food :

Annadhanam – The greatest Dharma of Giving Food is today misused than anything else. There are few temples, charity organisations and even NGO’s collecting funds in the name of Giving Food to poor and we never know if the money really is served as Food to some one hungry.

I never argue that ever pie must go for giving food but the when it becomes a way to get money easily , it gets ruined completely.

Our goal is to spread the message of Giving in day to day life :

You have to donate food directly which is the best thing to do, if not try to see the credibility of anyone or any organisation . Obviously donating to temple is auspicious but lets also remember , when you make or get food on your own and give to few who are hungry its truly a blessing.

If you live abroad or even in india, We dont get chance to Give Food to poor easily , i mean to the one who really needs and respects Food. In some times especially the shirdi saibaba temple in my home town , only on thursdays , many people give food to poor who sit outside temple. They get numerous packets and who knows if all the food is consumed or not.

Best way to follow Giving habit :

Even offering food to relatives and friends who visit your house is a habit one has to follow. Its a part of our culture. Apart from this…

please don’t stop with donating money to charity or temples or even directly giving food to few in temple etc. Follow the giving Concept internally and apply it in day to day life.

Example , When one of your friend is hospitalized ,ask him/her if they want you to bring food , My sister never prays saibaba too much like me but if one of her friend is pregnant and has pain , she takes food to her house with care .

Even inviting friends to have food in home is a blessing . The difference is we give food to people who can have food even if we don’t offer. But this too is a good deed. What you learn from this is you are inspiring your children and family members with a message of ” Humanity and friendship ” – Being good to each other.

When you keep practicing “Giving Food ” in little ways like helping some one to choose a proper education, career etc, we actually follow shirdi saibaba’s teaching.

In the end of the show, I am a person who can’t bear hunger. At times when ever its getting late to have food and finally when i have food, i thank saibaba so much. Once when my mother went to relatives place, i had to take a bus and walk 2 kms to get food parcel ,take another bus and walk back home to have Food. Finally when i reach home i used to be so hungry and used to think ” How much my mother is doing for me”

So StarSai is to inspire everyone to respect anyone who cooks for you, be it your mother, wife, friend , husband or room mate.

The moment you are hungry , if someone gives you food , Trust me they are Sai himself. Lord Shiva and Annapurani lives in the one who gives Food when you are hungry.

With lots more to write in the days and years to come

C.Venkatraman

30 :06:2010

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venkatraman

20 Comments

  • Dear Sri C.Venkatraman things which u have written in this website are absolutely true because I personally experience all this things quiet often. Baba is everywhere and we just need to close our eyes to see him..

    Tamaghna Paul

  • Dear Venkatraman Ji,
    I read your article.I would like to give thanks for your soul sprit to “Give”.In fact baba is not only every where but baba is the only in the universe he is Karta,bharta & harta.What ever activities are going on that every thing is He Only.
    So if we start the practice of giving any thing (Respect,love,food,shelter,donation,education,even the body parts to needy or …..)with whole heartedly by keeping in mind that baba is doing this and baba is taking … than I am sure our inner soul will feel a different satisfaction.It is my feeling.
    In fact I am nothing, am a smallest particle of baba’s Gholy, and a burden on baba.If could do some thing so that he feel good My janam will be safal.

  • One thing I will surely still say I aone in my family believe in Sai but somehow I forgot him for very long time and now I am back to him. Whenever I pray to him I feel so much reliefe thazt I start wondering that how was I living without his grace and remebering him. I love Shirdi baba and have full faith on him and like everybody says he is working behind on scenes in my life and I am waiting in great hope that my family will also have good days sometime close in future.

  • 0m sai ram mai sapariwar baba ke darsan ke lie ana chahata hu march mai baba ka koi bishesh utsaw manaya jata ho to kripya oh date batane ka kast kare

  • hi venkat,
    it is nice website.. keep it up… have daily use to read any one of option & folloow the pooja..

    i dont know when sai baba will listen to my pooja. but i keep reading one week course of sai sacchritra & read sai kavath with sai bhajans & chalisa.

    right now also doing that course of sai sachritra.. to be more powerfull to face the problems of my life.

    regards
    Aarti sharma
    janakpuri
    delhi india

  • sai is really great. He is always watching us and giving darshan daily. WHY FEAR WHEN BABA IS NEAR.

  • hello friend listin it’s true,when i.ll pray baba he ll slove my problems wit in a seconds

  • If u serve baba with great & cleaned devotion definately baba will help by changing ur future because true devotion always helps as we everybody knows that ” LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES ” !! SAIRAM !!

  • Sai Ram!!!
    I am sure Baba has given me this opportunity to write this to sattite my guilt.
    I would like to share an incident here.
    It was one thursday when i cooked some food and was taking it to nearby Sai Mandir to offer. There is a park on the way to Mandir. While I was going thru that Park with the packets of food in both my hands , a small dog came near me asking for food waging his tail. I got scared that he might bite me or if his mother comes she will bite me , got scared. ( one such incident happened only few days back when in the same park my neighbour was attacked by 4-5 dogs n she got badly injured) . I saw few people sitting on near by bench who themselves came to help me get out of park without getting harmed by the dogs. I reached Mandir, offered prasad, distributed and was content n happy. But today when I was reading the above article… suddenly that lil dog’s face flashed in front of me n i feel ashamed that all he wanted was food n instead of holding so much of it my hands i did not offer him anything. I know how it feels when one is hungry…. n i am ashamed of my act n m using this medium to appologise Baba n that soul in that Dog. Babaji I pray please always enlighten me with what is right n wrong n help me do good in present n future. Love u alot.
    And many thanks to Venkat ji for all your superb efforts.
    I am bearing the fruits of my BAD Karmas n going through some tough time in life but my BABA loves me alot n has guided me to read Star sai.
    thanks to Baba
    Thanks to Venkat ji
    Thanks to all.
    Sai Baba ki gandi si beti.

  • Venkat !! Thanks for such a good service.

    Sai Baba is always there in my heart & Soul .

    All things are changed drastically whenever I think there is some surprise in life !!!

    Sai Ram Sai Sham 🙂

    Ramakanth

  • my sai is love and compassion. ever forgiving and undrestanding. always caring even when we are forgetting him. he is our true mother and father. sai ma give me strength to be at your feet always with complete surrender. hail sai ma

  • hello venkat

    suddenly oneday while surfing i went thru ur site its really wonderful n now i am a frequent visitor of ur site
    i also belive that baba is always with us n he has blessed me with the biggest happiness of my life .

  • Venkat !!

    im keeping sai baba 9 fast n have full faith on him thanx to guid me about sai baba

    aum sai shree sai jai jai sai

    Thanks for such a good job

  • venkat !!

    i m a child of baba ho always think and meditate on his name wthout him i feel i am dead , my breath is tune which is controlled by baba .ilove baba and he loves me too so i am here in this world happily ..after i became child of baba i got the meaning of this life why we are here. my message to all is our destiny is done by god our baba is with us to make us reach the destiny passing all the obstrucles and pains without hurting badly that is our mother sai who bears pain of us to make us feel better.. iam very much inspired of your website and in question and answer book i find all the time answer for my question and i feel so secured.

    thanks for your info and keep continuing your work all the best !

  • Om Sri Sai Baba Namaha.

    Very recently only I started praying to Sri Shiridi Sai Baba. Indeed one of my cousins, Mr. Biju (Haripad), Kerala talked much much about Sri Sai Baba . I started reading Sai Satcharitham. I got so many incidence to feel that HE is with me. I (and my family) have a serious problem, which I strongly believe that only Sri Sai Baba can solve. Hence I request all Sai Devotees to pray for me and my family, please. I am planning to go to Shiridi to seek his blessings during this February (2015).

    Kindly pray for me.

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