Sai And His Photo Are Not Different

The faith of most devotees is that Swami is present wherever His picture is. Similarly, He is present wherever His name is chanted. Thus, He blesses His devotees. When we pray keeping His photo in front of us, it is important to remember that He is personally receiving the prayer.

Meena Joshi of Mumbai is a devotee of Swami. She used to every day and offer her prayers. Once when she went to Parthi, place a garland of very fragrant jaji flowers[1] around His picture Swami granted an interview and informed others in the interview room about her daily prayers. He quipped, "She places the jaji flowers daily around me and their fragrance does not allow me to breathe properly." Then He told her that it is enough if the garland is placed once a week on Thursdays and thus, He could breathe normally the rest of the week! Meena understood that there is little difference between His picture and Him. Sri Mehta of Baroda had little faith in the divine. However, his wife and children are devotees of Swami. They routinely offered daily prayers to Swami. Though Sri Mehta did not participate in the prayers, he never objected. When Sri Mehta's son received a bank job, the son, his siblings and mother thought of visiting Parthi to seek Swami's blessings, but the issue was how the daily prayers can continue without a break. As they were debating the issue, Sri Mehta offered to place a 'deepam' [the lamp] daily at the altar and advised them to go. He also agreed to offer daily Nivedyam[2] and Arathi to Swami. The rest of the family left for Parthi. Sri Mehta was observing the promised routine daily. One day, however, he forgot to offer Nivedyam and Arathi due to exigencies of work pressuring him to leave home in a rush.

As he was having lunch at home, he remembered about missing the offering of Nivedyam to Swami, relented, and wrote a letter about it to his family at Parthi. That afternoon, at darshan, Baba remarked to Mrs. Mehta, "I went to your home for my usual meal but had to return hungry since there was nothing there to eat." Mrs. Mehta felt upset and wrote to her husband about the Incident and inquiring if daily prayers are going on properly.

The important message is that offering Nivedyam to Swami at the altar carrying His picture is not a mere ritual; it is really an offering to the very Human form of Sai.

[1]Jaji flowers (Jaji Malli/Virajaji) are a type of highly fragrant, white, star-shaped Indian jasmine (often called Pink Jasmine).

[2]Nivedyam - "dedicated," "offered to God," or "surrendered"