Shri Sai Ekam (Shri Sai is the One)

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This monumental work on. Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi is the result of many years of hard labour. Shri Sai Baba declared that the study of devotees' experiences contained in Shri Sal Satcharitra would impart knowledge and dispassion to the readers. Shri Sai Ekam (Shri Sai is the One) continues this tradition of Shri Sai Satcharitra and expands on its coverage. It is a unique book on Baba with a comprehensive account of His divine incarnation. It tries to put some light on every aspect of Baba's life in an interesting manner. It is a guidebook and a moral tutor for all the spiritual seekers. It is a mammoth task to describe the glory of Shri Sai Baba. The stories and incidents described here have been taken from a very large number of sources, many of them not commonly known. They cover His divine physical life, leelas, miracles, teachings, and pictures. Shri Sai Ekam is meant for the spiritual upliftment of all. It is also a sincere attempt to clear many of the myths, misconceptions, and confusions created about Baba. The book has taken a firm stand on the false stories and misinformation being circulated regarding Baba's birth and religion. The book is an eye-opener for all those who are blinded by the darkness of Kali age. It is a spiritual nectar for every human soul. Shri Sai Ekam is a parayan (holy book) for the daily devout reading of a few pages till its completion. The devotee who attaches himself heart and soul to Shri Sai Baba will get salvation and get rid of the cycles of birth and death. For, as we know, Baba is constantly present among us and blesses us from His Samadhi.

Dr. Harjeet Yadav was born and brought up in Gurugram, Haryana, India, in a spiritually-inclined family. He is a qualified dental surgeon and a spiritual researcher. He is a devotee of Shri Sai Baba, completely soaked in the gentle rain of Baba's love. He is involved in many humanitarian and social causes. Dr. Harjeet believes that he is especially blessed as Shri Sai Baba has allowed him to dedicate this book in His lotus feet on the auspicious occasion of His centenary Mahasamadhi Divas, which will be celebrated by His devotees with fervour all over the world.

Dr. Harjeet continues to investigate and research on Shirdi Sai Baba and is working on two more books on Him. The author is also researching on Shri Neem Karoli Baba.

I had the pleasure of going through the manuscript of this book Shri Sai Ekom: Sai is the One authored by Shri Harjeet Yadav. It is a voluminous book of more than six hundred pages and contains 66 chapters, all dealing with Shirdi Sai Baba and related matters. The author has studied the vast literature available on Sai Baba. He has also taken information from the e-books, websites and blogs available on the internet. Many of the anecdotes mentioned here can be found in Shri Sai Satcharitra, but are written in a different style under different headings in the chapters. Section 6, captioned "Kalyan Khanda: Solace of Sai" forms a prominent part of this book. There is a section at the end which speaks about the reward for reading the book. This is called "Fala Shruti" in Hindi.

Having collected facts and themes from relevant sources, the author has made value addition in terms of their simplification and categorization. He has also tried to justify and explain the original content. The simple language and direct style of writing can be understood easily by the readers. The author presents the book not in a complex and highly intellectual style but in a poignant manner which appeals to the sentiments of the readers. He has cited some Sanskrit terminologies and shlokas belonging to the religious shastras to fortify his narration.

Given the size of the book, the number of incidents and other features, it is clear that he has been working on the book since long, maybe for a few years. This also reveals his devotional consistency to Sai Baba. Shri Sainath Maharaj was basically a humanist and humanitarian in his approach towards all persons and issues. He believed more in God being here and now than God being in the skies. His humanitarian efforts are as important as His precepts.

This is the first publication of the author on Shirdi Sai Baba and definitely praiseworthy. He has truly tried his utmost to create a good book, putting in a lot of hard work with patience. This indicates his inner and emotional connect with Shri Sai Baba.

Shri Yadav met me recently and I had a discussion with him about his book. He is keen to write more books on Baba in the future. It is proper to encourage this book, which is worth reading and studying to imbibe the teachings of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba. Mr. Ghai of Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, has done yeoman service in publishing the largest number of books on Sai Baba in the world. Since he is the publisher, I believe that the book is in safe hands.

Shri Sai Baba declared that the study of devotees' experiences contained in His biography would impart knowledge and dispassion to the readers. To many people, experiences are of a special and personal nature, dealing with delicate matters and, therefore, their disclosure is not easy. In some cases, Baba has objected to people disclosing their experiences, especially to outsiders who may have little regard for them. A few grains of rice are generally taken out of a boiling pot to see if the whole is boiled. Similarly, the reported instances given in Shri Sai Ekam (Shri Sai is the One) will serve to show the excellent help Baba has rendered in innumerable unreported cases.

The District Magistrate in whose court advocate S. B. Dhumal appeared 'in a criminal appeal, asked him, ''What does Baba teach?" This was in the year 1911 when no books on Baba had been written. The world had no conception at all of Baba's work, teachings, or wisdom. Dhumal's answer was, "His teachings would be suited to the individual approaching Him and the District Magistrate must himself go to Baba to understand His teachings." In 1926, Shri Sai Satcharita - the first book dedicated to Baba's life and teachings, was published and after that many books have been authored by several ardent devotees of Baba. It is a mammoth task to describe the glory of Shri Sai Baba. Once Das Ganu Maharaj said, "Can an insect such as I cross the vast mountain of Sai charitra?" Shri Sai Ekam is an effort to compile a devotional book on Baba, covering His divine physical life, leelas, miracles, teachings, and pictures. It is a guidebook for all Sai devotees. The concept of this sacred book is to present Baba's divinity in a systematic, beautiful, and majestic way. It also contains a large collection of distinctly categorized and labelled pictures to make it more engaging.

Shri Sai Ekam is meant for the spiritual upliftment of all. It is a sincere attempt to clear all the myths, misconceptions, and confusions "created" about Baba. The book has taken a firm stand on the false stories and misinterpreted information being circulated by some treacherous sources regarding Baba's birth and religion.

In the year 2012, while collecting various sayings and utterances of Samarth Satguru Shri Sainath Maharaj, I had the idea of making a beautiful book on Baba for myself Later it occurred to me, ''Why not make it for all Sai devotees?" I started the compilation of Shri Sai Ekam with the firm aim to benefit the Sai devotees across the world. It is a humble contribution towards the Sai movement on the great, auspicious occasion of centenary celebrations of Baba's Mahasamadhi.

Contents and Sample Pages