what is the difference between a Sewak and a Bhakta?

A Thrilling Sai Leela By S. Mani The Shrine of All Saints Pilgrimages will not help thee!

Thou wilt fail to find the Truth as long as thou will not look beyond the books into the Heart within. Verily, in the Hear is the shrine of all Prophets and Saints Baba’s miracles are a living legend and bring bliss to any devotee at any time and I am one among millions of Sai-devotees who have experienced that he is close behind our thoughts and is taking care of us in every moment of our lives.

I stay in a first floor flat in Virar, Mumbai and my neighbors who stay in the ground floor (Yogesh Patel, his wife and a son Jash) are Gujarathis and ardent Sai-devotes.

One evening recently the boy master Jash came to our flat and asked me surprising questions, “Uncle, are you a Sai Bhakta? Why are you worshipping Sai Baba?” asked the six year old Jash.

I replied to him “I am doing pooja just like your going to school.

I am a Sai sewak and do not call myself a Sai Bhakta.” He queried ‘Uncle,

what is the difference between a Sewak and a Bhakta.” I told him

“Sai sewak is a humble servant, who offers service to needy persons, read Sai-literature, perform pooja every day and spread his gospel.

A Sai-bhakta is an apostle of Sai Baba who can see Him ‘eye to eye’, talk to Him and convey His messages to trusted devotees and protect them from all sorts of hurdles.”

He listened to me keenly. His next query put me off guard. “Uncle, do you wish to speak with Baba?” I told him

“I wish to speak to Sai Baba. But Baba is not free to talk with ordinary mortals like me.” He said: “Uncle, you have to fast,

meditate and offer flowers regularly for two years and then you can also talk to Sai Baba. In a huff, he ran away to play. These words of a six year old boy made me think deeply.

As if an answer, I came across a quotation of Sri Ramakrishna within the next few seconds. “Some times God acts as the magnet and the devotee as the needle;

God attracts the devotee to Himself; again sometimes the devote acts as the magnet and God as the needle.

Such is the attractions of the devotee that God comes to him unable to resist his love.” I felt what Jash told me was not his own.

It is a transparent command of Baba through him to me to attain a higher spiritual plane.

The whole night I was thinking about this, and the difficulties to obtain flowers as we live in the first floor of the apartment.

The next morning, 22nd July 1997, it was Thursday. The door bell rang and on opening it I saw Mrs.Yogesh Patel with a basket of flowers.

She mumbled that they have plenty of flowers in their garden and I am free to collect everyday.

My joy knew no bounds. I could not control my emotions and stretched out both my hands and accepted the basket with flowers from Mrs. Patel and saw Sai Baba in her.

I remembered the Vedic verse “Bhagawan Manushya Roopena” and offered my tearful tributes to Baba and Jash’s Mother too.

(Source Sai Padananda July 1998)

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