Why Sai Baba Doesn’t Answer My Prayer – An Ice Breaker

“Why doesn’t Sai Baba answer my prayer?” This is the dilemma that every devotee of Sai Baba must have faced at least once. In today’s post, we will be trying to dilute this question in our series of Sai Prashnavali. 

“Sai Prashnavali” – Ask Questions to Sai Baba and get answers as the solution is very popular among devotees of Sai Baba. At Sai Yug Network, we always thrive on sharing what will enhance your personality as a devotee and help you reach the next level in spirituality. We are starting with a series of Sai Baba Prashnavali, to cater to such small yet significant doubts and be helpful.

This is a natural phenomenon for a normal human being. When one comes to Sai Baba’s fold, he or she starts feeling by default that now the life ahead will be smooth. Looks like they got an easy peasy way to come out of the hardships of life. Our Sai Baba has a peculiarity of instantly fulfilling the worldly wishes of His devotees so that their focus shifts to the spiritual goal. However, a normal human carrying a tormented soul in it doesn’t stop and think about what has to be done to help the soul. Instead, he or she is tangled in the mere race of existence which even animals are into. Getting birth as a human means this is the chance of liberation and sets free the soul and stops it from traveling further that is breaking the cycle of “Samsara”.

The Sai Prashnavali can be considered from two viewpoints – Worldly and Spiritual. The devotee calls out to Baba when they are in a critical situation or want something to happen their own way. The smaller picture is seen by them and so they demand whatever they think is good for them. In this materialistic world, nothing is worse than running after the means of existence and considering it to be a success. Being a devotee of Baba, we cannot see materialistic gains as a success by comparing with others. Baba is there for us to give us all the materials that we need, so should be the desire and deserve to ask from Him for non-materialistic success. 

Kakasaheb Dixit, a well-known solicitor of Mumbai had accumulated a lot of name, fame, and money. When he goes to Baba, he asks to cure the lameness of his mind rather than his leg. This is an apt example to portray what success should mean to a devotee of Baba. Further, he left everything and lived in Shirdi most of the time. He handed over the professional empire that he had built on his own to his friends and partners and ultimately landed in debt. He also brought a trunk full of currency notes and coins to offer to Baba. Baba distributed all the money to others keeping nothing with Him. Still, there was no change of temperament or sadness on Kakasaheb’s face. He was the same. He remained the same. He didn’t think that he brought all his hard-earned wealth to offer to Baba out of love for Him and Baba gave it to all. It was meant for Baba only, such thoughts never occurred to him. Such are the true gems of Baba. 

Now coming to the Prashnavali again, when we are devoted to Baba, we feel Baba is now going to fulfill all our wishes and so let’s go on asking Him. Baba will do so to make your faith stronger. Once you are a pakka (literal meaning strong, here – staunch devotee) then Baba starts churning out our bad karmas. He makes sure the pot (us) is empty to fill in His grace. This is because when we are already overflowing with worldly tangles we cannot concentrate and experience His grace. So sometimes when we ask Him for something, He Who can see the higher-level view, will only decide what to give and what not. Isn’t it a good deal? We are getting the best of the materialistic world and also getting His grace to progress spiritually to the goal. So is there any need to ask Him for anything? Let us try to bring into action complete surrender. Though it’s easy to mention but difficult to bring into practice if we try smaller things we will be able to do it in situations that aren’t in our control. However, the difficult and complicated situation is, let us try to gather the peace and sit in one place asking for His grace and will. How easy it would become to get out of the worldly clutches and hold on to His Feet. This way we can live in Sai Consciousness all the time. 

As per our practice, we will end this post with a shloka from Bhagwad Gita. 

Bhagwad Gita – Chapter 12, Verse 6 & 7

Sholka/Song:

ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्न्यस्य मत्पर: |

अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते || 6||

तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात् |

भवामि नचिरात्पार्थ मय्यावेशितचेतसाम् || 7||

Transliteration:

ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-paraḥ

ananyenaiva yogena māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate

teṣhām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛityu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt

bhavāmi na chirāt pārtha mayy āveśhita-chetasām

Translation word by word as it is:

ye—who; tu—but; sarvāṇi—all/everything; karmāṇi—actions; mayi—to Me; sannyasya—dedicating; mat-paraḥ—considering Me as the absolute goal; ananyena—solely/exclusively; eva—certainly/assuredly; yogena—with devotion; mām—Me; dhyāyantaḥ—meditating/contemplating; upāsate—worship; teṣhām—of those; aham—I; samuddhartā—the deliverer/the giver; mṛityu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt—from the ocean of birth and death; bhavāmi—(I) become; na—not; chirāt—after a long time; pārtha—Arjun, mayi—with Me; āveśhita chetasām—of those whose consciousness is in constant union.

Interpretation:

But those who dedicate/surrender all their actions to Me, considering Me as the absolute goal, worshiping Me and contemplating on Me with solely dedicated devotion, O Arjuna, I quickly deliver them from the ocean of birth and death, for their consciousness is in constant union with Me.

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