Shraddha & Saburi Meaning

“Shraddha” and “Saburi” are two coins that Shirdi Sai Baba has always asked for, from all of His devotees. “Shraddha” means firm faith and “Saburi” means patience or perseverance.

A story mentioned in Chapters 18 and 19 of Sai Satcharitra provides a clear explanation of Shraddha and Saburi by Shirdi Sai Baba.

Once an old woman named Radhabai resolved in her mind that she would fast herself unto death unless Baba accepted her as her Guru and provided her an Upadesh (instruction or mantra). Baba found out about it and addressed her by explaining the two paisa (coins) of Shraddha and Saburi:

“I had a Guru. He was a great Saint and most merciful. I served him long, very long; still he would not blow any Mantra into My ears. I had a keen desire, never to leave him but to stay with and serve him; and at all costs receive some instructions from him. But he had his own way. He first got my head shaved and asked Me two paisa as Dakshina [offering to a Guru]. I gave this at once. If you say that since My Guru was perfect, why should he ask for money and how should he be called desireless? I replied plainly that he never cared for coins. What had he to do with them? His two paisa were (1) Firm Faith and (2) Patience or perseverance. I gave these two paisa or things to him, and he was pleased.”

Baba’s explanation of Shraddha and Saburi

Shraddha or firm faith

Baba further explained what firm faith meant:

“I resorted to My Guru for 12 years…. When I looked at him, he seemed as if he was in deep meditation, and then we both were filled with Bliss. Night and day, I gazed at him with no thought of hunger and thirst. Without him, I felt restless. I had no other object to meditate, nor any other thing than My Guru to attend. He was My sole refuge. My mind was always fixed on him. This is one paisa Dakshina.”

Saburi or patience

Baba explained what patience meant:

“Saburi (Patience or perseverance) is the other paisa. I waited patiently and very long on My Guru and served him. This Saburi will ferry you across the sea of this mundane existence. Saburi is manliness in man, it removes all sins and afflictions, gets rid of calamities in various ways, and casts aside all fear, and ultimately gives you success. Saburi is a mine of virtues [a place where valuable things are found], consort of good thought. Nishtha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience) are like twin sisters that love each other very intimately."

Here, Baba suggests that by cultivating patience, we can develop many other virtues. Patience can help us to stay calm in difficult situations, think clearly before reacting, maintain faith and hope, and be kind and compassionate towards others. It is not just about passively waiting, but also about having the inner strength to persevere through challenges.

Mohanji’s explanation of Shraddha and Saburi

In a blog, Mohanji explains Shraddha and Saburi as two walking sticks for any seeker. Mohanji says the path may sound simple but it is difficult in practice – since even a speck of ego or doership is unacceptable. Total surrender to the guru or master is a must.

Mohanji further explains that people often have a hard time acknowledging a guru’s stature when they meet him in the flesh. People arrive with some kind of mental image of what an enlightened master should look like and how he should behave. When the guru’s personality doesn’t match up to that image, they are shocked – “Oh, I didn’t expect the guru to behave that way” or “What, he smokes a chillum?”. This kind of commonplace behavior would confuse people, creating conflicts in their minds.

What is not known is that a guru, a liberated being, never feels pushed to talk or act in a certain way, or maintain a certain appearance. A true guru is free in the real sense of the word, unbound by a thing, person, situation or habit.

If we do not demolish preconceived notions or concepts of the mind, we will be unable to catch the truth; it will slip past. Instead if we drop the mental picture and reach for the consciousness that Baba is operating in, that will be a genuine enduring connection where we will be able to actually feel and experience the oneness. Look upon Baba as omnipresent, powerful, ever available and surrender to him without expectation, without barriers, never asking for anything. Everything will be delivered.

As explained by both Baba and Mohanji, this firm faith in the Guru with utmost patience believing that the Guru will ferry us across the sea of this existence, is the only offering that a devotee needs to make to their Guru.

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The upcoming temple at the Mohanji Center of Benevolence in Virginia will be consecrated during a powerful Prana Prathista ceremony on April 21, 2024. This temple space will serve as a place of rejuvenation and connection to Baba for all who walk on these grounds.

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