Saipanth is not a new Religion or a Cult.
It is something which has always existed as part of the contents of the Satcharita. We are just extracting and understanding the meaning within the writings of the Satcharita and living by it. There are three founding principles of Saipanth. They are Gnana (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion) and Karma (Deeds). This path leads us to Moksha and Eventually “Shunya”, as mentioned in Shri.Sai Satcharitra.
Saipanth is a path which was preached and propagated in a very allegorical or cryptic manner by Shri.Sainath Maharaj of Shirdi. Here we are just understanding His path and His real teachings and then following the same in living by it.
Gnana - Gnana can be of anything or of any subject. But here the Gnana that we acquire is what is helpful for our spiritual progression. We are looking at what is relevant and important for us. To understand the Gnana that we should try to attain, we go to the six fundamental questions which have been in existence since time immemorial, which are:
- Who am I?
- Where have I come from?
- Why am I here?
- What am I supposed to do?
- Whom do I belong to?
- Where am I going to go from here?
Finding an answer to these six fundamental questions is Gnana for us. That gives us a complete Spiritual understanding. This understanding in turn helps us to understand our Guru, acquire the knowledge about His ways, His path, His teachings and how He established such a large following of devotees and an order which is completely unwritten.
Bhakti - Bhakti is devotion and without it we cannot progress on our Spiritual Path. Devotion is a combination of Emotion and Intellect. An emotion emanating out of a blend of intellect, understanding and love becomes devotion. That is how we are devoted to our Guru. Again, Bhakti is not a ritual. When we say Bhakti, it is about Understanding Guru rather than misinterpreting it as a ritual.
Karma - Karma in its literal sense means Deeds. Karma for Saipanthis is to understand the path of our Guru, what he propagated, what His preaching’s are and to live by them by serving His cause. Yoga Sadhana which is based on the Knowledge Gained and Understood is Karma.
Gnana is to gain the relevant knowledge. Bhakti is understanding the knowledge gained. Karma is to live by Knowledge Gained and Understood. Gain the knowledge, understand the knowledge gained, and then progress in the path of Yoga Sadhana based on Knowledge Gained and Understood. By following these three aspects we attain Moksha and Eventually Shunya.
Saipanth is also about universal acceptance. A Saipanthi has no considerations of caste, colour, race, creed, religion, etc. It’s not that we just respect all religions, but we accept all religions. We do not judge or debate on any other path, religion or person/s. We just follow our own path.
In terms of philosophy, we are Advaitis/Non-Duality and believers of Shunya/Nothingness. Baba has declared that Advaita and Shunya are the Supreme and that is the school of thought which He has prescribed for His devotees and disciples.
Sairam
