Guru Purnima

The full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August) is observed as the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, a day dedicated to the memory of the great sage Vyasa. 

It is said that Guru Vyasa edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the epic Mahabharata, and the Srimad Bhagavatam and even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the 'Guru of Gurus.'

Hindus attach great importance to spiritual Gurus. Gurus are equated with God and always regarded as a link between the individual and the supreme. This day is dedicated to the Gurus and people irrespective of caste or creed offer their prayers to their gurus thanking them for the knowledge they have provided to the learner.

Gurur Brahmma Gurur Vishnu
Gurur Deva Maheshwara
Gurur Saakshaat ParaBrahma
Tasmayi Shree Guruve namaha

Guru is the creator, Guru is the preserver 
Guru is the destroyer
Guru is the Lord himself, the highest consciousness
Salutations to the Guru

The Power of Udi

Udi or Vibhuti is the ash from the sacred fire which Sai Baba had lit. The Udi is supposed to have great power and has been able to cure diseases of the mind and the body.

I was in Higher Secondary when I had suddenly developed an intense pain somewhere in the neck,  behind the ears. The pain would suddenly rise to the extent that I would scream, take my pillows and hold them tight, want to pull the iron rods off the window and cry. Some pain killers would help but again the pain would come unannounced somewhere in the middle of a classroom or while in sleep. On one occasion my tuition teacher's wife had to apply some hot compression for some relief much to my embarrassment.

I saw a doctor, he said the cause was excess accumulation of wax, prescribed some pain killers again and ear drops. This only ensured temporary relief...

This went on for some days when one day my father had gone to meet one of his seniors and probably mentioned that he had to rush home to take his daughter to the doctor. It was then that he handed him a packet of 'Udi' and asked it to be applied to the affected area.

The same day, one of my father's friends mentioned another doctor whom we immediately went to see. He dismissed the wax theory and said this was a nerve dislocation. He knew the exact spot where the trouble was and demonstrated how it brought relief on applying some pressure there.

It would take days of message by my father, morn and night, and some homeopathic medicines to get rid of that pain. Needless to mention that I would also apply Udi sans doubt or disbelief.

Till today I attribute the discovery of that doctor to the 'Udi' and have been applying it ever since as a daily ritual.  I don't question nor do I look for results as to when it worked and when it didn't and why.  I know the power of 'Udi' has benefited my overall well being, body and mind!

Friends visiting Shirdi do not escape my request to get a packet of 'Udi'...