Baba's Stories as Beacon- Light

Light houses are constructed at various places in the sea, to enable
the boatmen to avoid rocks and dangers, and make them sail safely. Sai
Baba's stories serve a similar purpose in the ocean of worldly existence.
They surpass nectar in sweetness, and make our worldly path smooth
and easy to traverse. Blessed are the stories of the saints. When they
enter our hearts through the ears, the body - consciousness or egoism
and the sense of duality vanish; and when they are stored in the heart,
doubts fly out to all sides, pride of the body will fall, and wisdom will be
stored in abundance. The description of Baba's pure fame, and the hearing
of the same, with love, will destroy the sins of the devotee and,
therefore, this is the simple Sadhana for attaining salvation. The Sadhana
for Krita Age was Shamadama (tranquillity of mind and body), for Treta
Age, sacrifice, for Dwapara, worship, and for Kali (present) Age, it is
singing of the name and glory of the Lord. This last Sadhana is open to
all the people of the four varnas (Brahmins, etc.). The other Sadhanas,
viz. Yoga, Yagya (sacrifice), Dhyana (meditation) and Dharana (concentration)
are very difficult to practice, but singing and hearing the stories
and the glory of the Lord (Sai Baba) is very easy. We have only to turn
our attention towards them. The listening and singing of the stories will
remove the attachment to the senses and their objects, and will make the
devotees dispassionate, and will ultimately lead them to self-realization.
With this end in view, Sai Baba made me or helped me to write His
stories, Sat-Charitamrita. The devotees may now easily read and hear
these stories of Sai Baba and while doing so, meditate on Him, His form
and thus attain devotion to Guru and God (Sai Baba), get detachment
and self-realization. In the preparation and writing of this work, Sat-
Charitamrita, it is Sai Baba's grace which has accomplished everything,
making use of me as a mere instrument.

Different Works Assigned to Devotees

The Lord entrusts different works to different devotees. Some are
given the work of building temples and maths, or ghats (flight of steps)
on rivers; some are made to sing the glories of God; some are sent on
pilgrimages; but to me was allotted the work of writing the Sat Charita.
Being a jack of all trades but master of none, I was quite unqualified for
this job. Then why should I undertake such a difficult job? Who can
describe the true life of Sai Baba? Sai Baba's grace alone can enable one
to accomplish this difficult work. So, when I took up the pen in my
hand, Sai Baba took away my egoism and wrote Himself His stories.
The credit of relating these stories, therefore, goes to Him and not to
me. Though Brahmin by birth, I lacked the two eyes. (i.e. the sight or
vision) of Shruti and Smriti and therefore was not at all capable of writing
the Sat-Charita, but the grace of the Lord makes a dumb man talk,
enables a lame man to cross a mountain. He alone knows the knack of
getting things done as He likes. Neither the flute, nor the harmonium
knows how the sounds are produced. This is the concern of the Player.
The oozing of Chandrakant jewel and the surging of the sea are not due
to the jewel and the sea but to the rise of the moon.