Sai Picture gallery: Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks- 28th Nov/ Palitana Temple in Bhavnagar

My Favourite Thoughts and Inspirations.Read them ,May b u will find the answer to ur problem

Very fortunate is the one who has learned to admire, but not to envy................ Pin all your hopes in god, and then you will not be pinned down by man................. The wealth of a rich man can be stolen or burnt, but the happiness & wisdom of the wise remain................ Life may be struggling, but is very good............ When in doubt, just take a positive step......... Life is too short, but we all have to go long way....... Your work would not take care of your health, but your Prayer to Baba,who is your father, mother & friend, will answer it............ Never be anxious to win every argument. Listen to others also................. Smiling is more healing than crying alone. Never get angry, Baba knows, when & how to take care of you............... Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque. Make peace with your past & don't screw up the present. Never compare your life with others to make yourself miserable............... Never make any relationship a secret............... Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Have Shraddha & Saburi inBaba.............. Take a deep breath to calm the mind........... Be resourceful to acquire what you love in life....... Burn the candles to enlighten others. Don't save it for a specialoccasion. Today is special............ No one is in charge of your happiness but you. Be selective & choosey.............. Forgive & Forget to make others happy. Time heals all the wounds. Have patience. Good or bad is never permanent, welcome a change. God loves you because you are one of His creations. Come out & adopt positive attitude to witness miraculous ways of Baba........... Envy is a waste of time............ The best in you is knocking your door. Look in to feel His presence........... Never get into any arguments; feel fresh, get up, dress up & show upwith a smile................... Life isn't tied with a bow, but still is a gift showered by GodAlmighty................... If I keep the weaknesses of others in my mind, they soon become a part of me................... The ego is the poison of the soul...drink in the bliss and spit out the poison............... To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment.................. In the long run the most difficult thing is to search for an easy way out............... If I enjoy praise, it means I can be easily hurt by defamation.................. Try to conquer greed now because “while man becomes old, his greed becomes youthful........... The end of birth is death. The end of death is birth........ The stronger your attachment the greater the power of the Maya (the illusion : Her creation) over you..... "I put firm faith in the words of my Guru, considering them more valuable than all the shastras put together." ........... Don't poison your soul, mind, heart and body with negativity....bathe in Divine positive love............ Your Soul is always trying to be heard above the noise of your mind, when you quiet your mind your Soul takes command!.................... Pin all your hopes in god, then you will not be pinned down by man................. Remember that you are very special. NO ONE can play your role better than you.................. If someone defames you or insults you, shower him with flowers, smiles and good wishes............ When you get angry, you lose more than your temper When all your attachments are with the one God, then your achievements are many............... When people cannot stand you because they do not understand you, God will stand by you........... To give happiness to others is a great act of charity. A slip of the foot we many recover, but a slip of the tongue leaves a deep imprint............ Life is like a drama. If I understand the plot, there is great happiness........... To smile in the face of disaster is the result of a stable mind............ If God answers ur prayer,He is increasing ur faith. If He delays,He is increasing ur patience. If he doesn’t answer,He knows u can handle........... You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree............... Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present............... Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about............ If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it........... However good or bad a situation is, it will change Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."......... How many times should I forgive, I am tired of forgiving? – Forgive as many times as you would wish God to forgive you!................ Never do anything which you would not wish to do during the last hour of your life.............. Ego-based desire is the root cause of all suffering......... Contentment is the destroyer of all three - desires, anger and greed......... Knowledge leads to freedom, but pride of knowledge leads one to hell.......... A single act of selflessness can turn hell into heaven. The habit of giving rather than asking is the tool for an enduring relationship........... Silence is the best language.......... Only the joy that comes from right conduct is true happiness- Other pleasures are really sources of pain and causes of shame.......... A god-fearing person can never be religious, because if you fear God you cannot love him............. The most beautiful thing is to see a person's simling face.And even more beautiful is, knowing that u r the reason behind it..................................................................................With lots of good wishes and regards to all from Deepa H and family [ debu7366@yahoo.com ] ...............May Sai always give us peace of mind and May he always make us feel His presence where ever we go.... Saibhakt, Deepa H [You can always contact me at debu7366@yahoo.com ]......................................

One step closer to Brahma Gyaan

One step closer to Brahma gyan:::: A 'devotee' goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to the Temple . 'I've gone for 30 years now, he wrote, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 mantras. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the Gurus are wasting theirs by giving services at all. This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to the Temple for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today! When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment! ------------------------------ So easy to beat yourself up over mistakes you've made. So many amongst us live in the past rather than loving the present and building a brilliant future. Some people stay stuck for years over something they did or a failure they've experienced. Sad. A life is a terrible thing to waste. But let me ask you a question: "is there really such a thing as a mistake?" First of all, no one tries to fail or mess things up. Every one of us wakes up in the morning, walks out into the world and does the best we can do based on what we know and the skills we have. But even more importantly, every so-called "mistake' is actually a rich source of learning. An opportunity to build more awareness and understanding and gain precious experience. Experience that will help us do, feel and be even better. So, just maybe, there are no mistakes. Just maybe what we could call failures are actually growth lessons in wolf's clothing. And just maybe the person who experiences the most wins. ---------------------- A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to Leave the examination room and said, 'Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.' Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.' 'You don't know? You, a Christian man, Do not know what is on the other side?' The doctor was holding the handle of the door; On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, 'Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, But I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough.' ------------------------------- A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised. That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble. Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship, friendship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully ---------------------- The tragedy of life is not death,but what we let die inside us while we live.When u were born,the world rejoiced while u cried,-live ur life in such a way that when you die,-the world cries while u rejoice.. -------------------------------- Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny â€“ shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. There's no such thing as an unimportant day. Each of us is called to greatness. Each of us has an exquisite power within us. But for this power to grow, we need to use it. The more you exercise it each day, the stronger it gets. The more this power gets tapped, the more confident you grow. The best among us are not more gifted than the rest. They just take small steps each day as they march towards their biggest life. And the days slip into weeks, the weeks into months and before they know it, they arrive at a place called Extraordinary. ----------------------------- If you can not respect , love , care about ,stand by or be honest with your own parents ,-who gave birth to you and were the very first people who fell in love with you -- then whether you accept this or not but you do not love anyone else in this world either with all your heart and soul ....and time will show that none of your children will stand by you either- when you will need them the most.. ----------------------------------- If you sit with a person who is smoking, even without ur knowledge- You will end up inhaling second hand smoke.In the same way, if you be in the company of saints who constantly preach about the importance of doing good karma-, automatically even without ur knowledge- u will end up doing a lot of positive and humble deeds. If you be in the company of a person who keeps saying bad words and abusing others then then obviously whether u like it or not -- u will end up being the same kind of person sooner or later. And if u constantly listen to Gods name, his praises, his bhajans-even without you being aware of it - the words that will come out of your mouth will be nothing but the nectar of love and bliss. So be in the company of God and even without your knowledge-You will find him seated in your heart - talking to you and finding solutions to ur problems and worries.You just need to take one step towards Him and He will take 100 steps towards you.. By Deepa H inspired by Sai -------------------------------------------- Always tell someone that you love them because you never know what day Will be their last, or your own. Always seek to resolve your problems or disagreements with loved ones Because if either of you should pass on before, the one who is left alive will have the rest of their life to ponder those unresolved feelings but will never find closure. And closure usually brings Peace... ......................................................................................With lots of good wishes and regards to all from Deepa H and family [ debu7366@yahoo.com ] ...............May Sai always give us peace of mind and May he always make us feel His presence where ever we go.... Saibhakt, Deepa H [You can always contact me at debu7366@yahoo.com ]

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Shri Shirdi Sai Speaks- 28th Nov/ Palitana Temple in Bhavnagar

Om Sai Ram

It has been almost 2 yrs now since I last went to India and I was lucky to go to Haridwar, Mansha Devi Temple ,Rishikesh, Devprayag, Shirdi, Trimbakeshwar and Shri Swami Samarth Temple. Its unbelievable that in abt two weeks , I was able to complete my whole trip to India.. Hopefully, this time when I go to India- I am able to visit this amazing temple in Bhavnagar known as the Palitana Temple. And after seeing the below pictures, I am sure that you too, will wish for the same...

Deepa H

Palitana is the greatest and biggest pilgrimage center and sacred place of Jains. The Shwetambar Jain community believes that the hill of Palitana (Siddhachal) is eternal. Rshabhadev (Adinath), the first Jain Tirthankara, came here several times and preached. Billions of monks and nuns have attained Nirvana (Salvation) from this hill from times immemorial.

It is also believed that hundred millions monks leaded by Dravida andVarikhilla attained here Nirvana on the auspicious day of Kartika Purnima (Full moon day in the month of Kartika according to Indian lunar calendar) and fifty millions leaded by Nami and Vinami on Chaitri Purnima (Full moon day in the month of Chaitra according to Indian lunar calendar).

Palitana is a city in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located 50 km southwest of Bhavnagar city .

The Palitana temples are considered the most sacred pilgrimage place (tirtha) by the Jain community, and is the world's largest Temple Complex. There are more than 3000 temples located on the Shatrunjaya hills, exquisitely carved in marble. The main temple on top of the hill, is dedicated to 1st tirthankar lord Adinath (Rishabdeva).

On the top the Shatrunjai Hill is a cluster of Jain temples, built by generations of Jains over a period of 900 years, from the 11th century onwards. The temples are managed by the Anandji Kalyanji Trust of the Kasturbai Lalbhai group.

From the foot of the hill to the top there are 3,800 and odd stone steps cut to facilitate climbing.The steps were hewn out of the rock in the 13th century CE during the time of Jain minister Vastupal.

The temples are exquisitely carved in marble, veritable prayers in stone. To an observer, these appear to be ivory miniatures when seen from a distance. Created by master craftsmen, the most important temple is that of the first teerthankara, Shri Adishwar. It has ornate architectural motifs, though in its overall plan it is simpler than the Choumukh.

Other notable temples are those of Kumarpal, Vimalshah and Sampriti Raja. Kumarpal Solanki, a great Jain patron, probably built the earliest temple. The temple has a fabulous collection of jewels, and these can be seen with special permission.

The temples date from 11th to the 20th century

On one special day (Fagun Sud 13), which usually falls in February/March of every year (According to Hindu Calender, it is 13th Day of Sud Cycle in the month of Falgun) there is a huge crowd of thousands of people visiting its place as it is said that on this particular day, millions of Jain followers attained salvation from this Hill. Also the pilgrim on that day is almost 3 times as compared to any other day which is also called as "6 Gaon" which is approximately 15-18 Kilometers of walk and climbing of Hilly terrain.

Every devout Jain aspires to climb to the top of the mountain at least once in his lifetime, because of its sanctity. The journey is arduous. The walk up the stone stairway hewn into the mountain face takes about an hour and a half. For those unable or unaccustomed to the strain, sling-chairs are available at a bargain.The code for the climbers is stringent, in keeping with the rigours of the Jain faith. Food must neither be eaten nor carried on the way.They can, however, drink water and water posts are provided all along the route

Moti Shah Toonk (Temple) at the top of Siddhachal hills

The descent must begin before it is evening, for no soul can remain atop the sacred mountain during the night. Such is the mystique of Palitana, the summit of Shatrunjaya. While atop one can also visit a Muslim shrine of Angar Pir. The childless women seek the Pir's blessings to be blessed with children. They offer miniature cradles to the Pir and the shrine is strewn with such cradles.

Facts about Palitana :

Shetrunjay Temples: Steps: 3364

Height: 2000 ft; 7.5 miles

Pratima (Idols): 27007 Jinmandir: 3507

A recently concluded count reveals that there are a total of more than 27,000 idols of jain god on this mountain alone

No one is allowed to sleep overnight including the priest, because the temple city has been built as an abode for the Gods

There are 900 temples big and small on the two summits. The sculptures that adorn the marble temples present a feast to the eyes. You need not be a Jain to admire the spectacle. Generations of Jain all over the country have contributed their mite to make Shatrunjay Hill what it is today.

Samavasharana temple in Palitana valley

It is said all the Jain Tirthankars, excepting Neminath, had attained nirvan on Shatrunjay Hill. This fact adds to the veneration the devout have for the place. The place is therefore called Siddhakshetra where one attains moksh.The mountain is associated with Rishabhdev, the first Tirthankar who is also known as Adinath.

Carving in lime in Neminath Temple, Shatrunjay Hills, Palitana

The main temple at the top contains his idol in padmasan. He belonged to the Ikshvaku Dynasty of Ayodhya. So Rama was his ancestor. Adinath visited the Shatrunjay Hill 93 times.

Every shrine has idols of Tirthankars adorned with jeweled eyes.

Jain sacred symbol Hrimkara with 24 Tirthankaras

Jain sacred symbol Omkara with Pancha Parameshthi

Tirthankar Sumatinath, Mulanayaka, Sancha Sumatinath Temple, Talheti, Palitana.

Sri Adinath Rshabh Deva, Mulanayak, Agam mandir, Palitana Talheti

May Lord Rishabhadeva in Palitana make our lives as blissful as this temple. My humble pranams to all the sacred Gods and Goddesses at this holy abode of the first Tirthankar who is also known as Adinath.