How Sai Baba Blessed Me On My Birthday – Sai Devotee Arun

In today’s post i am sharing experience of Sai brother Arun ji.

Arun ji says: Greetings friends, i’d like to share a very nice memory that has left me deeply touched and full of bliss as soon as i recall it.

On my birthday 19th Jan’09, i had been to a Sai temple at Vartaknagar, Thane. This temple is known as Sai Prati Shirdi Mandir, as it is a replica of Sai temple it Shirdi. It’s a very old temple in Thane and i remember having come there many times as a child, or rather i should say Baba had brought me there. On my birthday i prayed and requested Baba to personally come and bless me, and i brought a copy of Sai arati book and read for the first time in my life Sai Natha MahimaStotram written by Upasni Maharaj. I dint know the tune or the meaning, i read it as a seva to Baba. This was in the morning.

In the evening, i along with a friend of mine were going to a restaurant for dinner, when we began talking about Baba, and he told me how his father offers shawl for Baba at a temple in Dadar.

Then later at night after dinner, my friends gifted me a book written by Paulo Coelho called ‘Like The Flowing River’ to their dismay they found me not too impressed and suspected i already owned that book. And they were right. They asked me and i honestly told them i had the book already. Nevertheless they told they’ll try to exchange the book for another one. But it was difficult for them to do so as they had purchased it from a mobile book van which keeps roaming from various places in and around Thane. They bought the book from the Van shop in the evening at a place which was 3-4 kms away from where we were dining.

Then i said its ok, i’ll keep it, or later we can try to exchange it. This was around 11pm, then we finished and it was about 12 when we came out of the restaurant and to the greatest of surprises my friends said, “Hey there’s the same van !”, the Van Shop was parked right outside the restaurant, just a few feet and literally at a stone’s throw !!!! They told i was lucky, i dint know how to react, they insisted they’d get the book exchanged, but the lights in the van were switched off and the door closed and it was midnight. Which shopkeeper would allow a deal at such an hour ?

Thinking this we walked further on till we saw the driver’s seat occupied by the owner who, was not asleep !!!! He was reading some book, and my friends requested him the exchange and he obliged. He got down and went to open the backdoor where the books were on display on shelves and cupboards.

When he went inside there was a table, i climbed with him in the van, to see what other books were there. Just then when he was to give me another book called ‘By The River Piedra i Sat Down and Wept’ which was also written by Paulo Coelho, as an exchange for the earlier book.

The owner kept down the book that he was reading at the driver’s seat and had carried alongwith him, as he placed it on the table, i figured it out to be a marathi book with Sai Baba’s picture on it and it’s title read “SHRI SAI SAAKSHAATKAR” which literally translates to Sai Himself Coming Present!!!!! I was left speechless and ecstatic !!!!

Can you imagine this ? I had requested His personal presence and blessings and i believe i got it this way !!!

Why else would a mobile van selling books traveling anywhere and everywhere would be right there outside the place where we were eating dinner, and why would the van owner still sit in the van instead of happily choosing to go to sleep at such a late hour. And most importantly, why would the owner read Sai Sakshaatkar at that hour, and even more importantly why would he keep it down just before my eyes, so that i could read the title and realize that BAba indeed blessed me.

Blessed are his ways , His love is surely with all those who remember him. I really thank Sai Baba for showing his love for such a mediocre person filled with vices, such as me.

© Devotees Experiences with Shirdi Sai Baba