On the occasion of the 116th Varsi Mahotsav of Shahanshah Satguru Swami Sai Satramdas Saheb , celebrated with great enthusiasm on 25th January, our revered Sant of Raharki Saheb, Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb, explained to us in His divine satsang the true purpose of observing this sacred day.
He said that we commemorate the Varsi of Shahanshah Satguru Swami Sai Satramdas Saheb so that we may learn from His exalted life and bring those teachings into our own lives through sincere practice. Saijan explained that although all living beings are born in the same way, each one lives life differently.
As we live our lives, so are our actions and deeds; and according to those actions, we receive and give. The ways of giving also differ, one gives according to what one has become.
Just as a garden has many kinds of flowers, each with its own distinct fragrance, when we walk through a garden, a particular aroma reaches us and we recognize which flower it comes from. In the same way, a human being’s actions and deeds become their identity.
It depends on us whether we become a fragrant flower or one with an unpleasant odor.
When our actions are noble, our inner radiance too becomes noble, because as we are, so we give. Saijan emphasized that first and foremost, human beings must work upon themselves and make themselves better. Only when we become good can we give goodness to others. Only when we become a flower can we spread fragrance.
Shahanshah Satguru Swami Sai Satramdas Saheb, through penance, discipline, meditation, truthfulness, purity, noble conduct, and care for all, elevated Himself to divine consciousness. The fragrance of His sacred being spread in all directions and continues to spread even today. Drawn by His divine aroma, many came close to Him and themselves became fragrant.
Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb explained that human beings too must first turn their attention inward. By cultivating virtues, goodness, and by chanting the pious name of the Satguru Sai through meditation and simran, we must make ourselves fragrant. Only when these virtues awaken within us, when goodness is born within, can we truly give something good and become something meaningful.
No matter how much knowledge we possess, life is shaped by our actions. As our deeds are, so is our path; and as our path is, so is our fragrance.
Hazir Swaroop narrated an example: There was once a learned priest who regularly came to the king’s court and taught the royal children. Occasionally, satsangs were also held in the court. One day, the priest was asked which is superior, knowledge or action. Smiling, the priest said he would answer after a few days.
Thereafter, every day while leaving after teaching, he would pick up a few gold coins from the royal treasury. The guards were shocked, how could a man who preached wisdom commit such a wrong act? They informed the king. The king ordered that the next time this happened, the priest should be caught red-handed and brought before him.
When the priest was caught, the king asked why he had done this. The priest replied that he did so to correctly answer the question asked in the court. He explained that although he picked up the gold coins, he placed them elsewhere within the palace itself and never took them home.
When the gold was recovered, the priest said: “No matter how much knowledge I impart, when my actions did not align with it, people doubted me and considered me wrong. Hence, knowledge without right action is useless.” Thus, actions and deeds are a person’s true identity.
Ravan was highly knowledgeable, yet by abducting Mata Sita, he lost all respect.
Knowledge without action is like an artificial flower, beautiful but without fragrance. Only when knowledge is lived through action does true fragrance arise.
Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb explained that we celebrate the birth and Varsi of the Shahanshah satguru sai satramdas Saheb because through His deeds He always stood tall and rose from being human to becoming truly great. Shahanshah Satguru Swami Sai Satramdas Saheb was so exalted that even His glance could correct a person’s wrong thinking.
He never preached to others; instead, He corrected Himself and walked the righteous path. Once, when asked to offer dakshina after a pilgrimage on the banks of the Ganga, He said that He wished to renounce falsehood.
Truth permeated His every thought, every action, and every gesture. Such was the power of His truthfulness that when a man wished to sanctify a sacred protection thread while Saijan was resting, he expressed his faith by saying that Shahanshah Satguru was the very embodiment of Truth. Even the touch of any part of His divine being would be enough to fill the thread with blessings, for truth radiated from every pore of His sacred form.
His fragrance spreads far and wide, and even today, anyone who remembers Him from any distance finds their suffering eased by His divine aroma.
That is why we come to the doors of such great saints, not merely to receive, but to transform ourselves through naam, jaap, meditation, and simran.
Through meditation we receive the virtues of our Satguru, through simran, spiritual strength is born. Hence, discipline, meditation, and Chanting are advised both morning and evening. Sai Ji explained that in the morning, a person is fresh and pure, and can focus deeply during meditation.
A human being can work effectively for about seven hours a day; beyond that, rest becomes necessary. Many wrong decisions are taken between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, especially between 2:30 and 3:30, when mental and physical fatigue peaks. That is why important decisions and meetings are held in the morning, when the mind is fresh. After some rest, one regains energy, and in the evening can again sit in meditation with clarity. Just as we clean our homes in the morning, open doors and windows, and allow sunlight to spread light within, when we come to the doors of our Satguru and receive His grace, and practice His teachings, we make ourselves fragrant.
We celebrate the sacred days of Shahanshah Satguru Swami Sai Satram das Saheb with devotion, but how long do we keep ourselves fragrant by living His teachings, that is what truly matters. To remain fragrant always, it is essential to follow discipline, meditation, and simran regularly, preserving the divine fragrance within and not allowing ourselves to wither. It is not knowledge alone, but noble actions and righteous deeds that make us true human beings.
Sacho Satram
