This new rendering of the Sri Sai Satcharitra is humbly offered at the feet of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, our beloved sadguru and our everything. It is through his grace that this work was inspired and completed. With-out his grace, nothing is possible. He is watching over the entire universe and each and every one of us. To understand the mystery of Sai is our blessing and our way. Through listening to and meditating on his life and his leelas our false understanding is removed and we recognize that we are one with him and all that is. There is no greater bliss than to experi-ence his love and living presence among us.

This modern rendering of the Satcharitra was begun over eight years ago in Penukonda, Andhra Pradesh, India at the Shiva Sai Mandir Ashram of Sri Kaleshwar, my guru and Shirdi Baba’s disciple. It sprung out of a desire for others to know about the wonder that is Sai and for them to experience his living presence in their lives. Hemadpant wrote the original edition of Baba’s life stories in Marathi, the language that Baba spoke. To him, we owe a great debt. Although not a writer, he was inspired in this undertaking by Baba himself. This is how the saints have their stories told, by those they choose as instruments and through which they write their stories. Hemadpant describes himself as ignorant and incapable of such a lofty task and, if it were not for Baba writing through him, it would have been impossible to accomplish such a task. This is also my feeling. Everything has to be laid at Baba’s feet. The joy of being used by the divine force that is Baba is incomparable. To feel the force of his love and supreme wisdom guiding not only this task but all of life is true freedom and divine bliss...

Listen to the full forward read by the author Monika Penukonda below: