SHRADDHA and SABURI

If one were to distill the teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba into its purest essence then two words emerge – one is Shraddha or loosely translated as Faith and the other is Saburi again loosely translated as patience which in turn could be extended to include perseverance. I use the word “loosely” because shraddha here is simply not cut-and-dry Faith, its scope is larger, encompassing unstinted, single-pointed devotion, and Trust that borders on fearlessness where no matter what the situation you are in, you know with a frightening certainty that you will be pulled through to safety.

You can talk to any devotee of sai and this is what you will hear – This is the shraddha that Shirdi Sai talks about.

Saburi which is derived from  the word sabr which means patience again needs to be understood and interpreted in the larger context of  “patient-perseverance”. It may sound like an oxymoron but is not for Patience without Perseverance is like the  gardener who sprayed a few seeds and expected to get flowers without tending to the land or watering the seedlings. The ability to bear with whatever difficulties one is going through with patience and at the same time persevere is no easy task – this strength comes from shraddha – unshakeable faith that confers forbearance – Shraddha and Saburi are therefore like the pearl and its shadow – the one inseparable from the other, allowing us to focus on the present and continue to do what we must do…