Supreme Knowledge

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The guru gave to the disciple a manthra and asked him to recite it

continually without any selfish desire. The guru told him that after he has

done this wholeheartedly for a year he could come and receive the Brahma-Jnaana

(knowledge of the Self). The disciple came back after a year duly carrying out

with devotion the instructions of the preceptor.Filled with the hope that the

preceptor would impart the Supreme Knowledge, the disciple had asacred bath and

was on his way to the preceptor. Unaware of the presence of the disciple, a maid

was sweeping the aashram (hermitage) premises and the dust from the ground fell

on the young man. Immediately, he lost his temper, as he felt that his purity

after a sacred bath had been sullied by the dust that fell on him. He was angry

with the maid for allowing the dust in fall on him. He looked at her with anger.

The maid was filled with fear. The disciple went in and offered his

salutations to the guru and said' "Guruji! I have beenwaiting for a year to

secure your grace. The time is now ripe for realising it. I am eager to receive

the Supreme Knowledge from you." The preceptor said' "You are not yet competent

to receive that knowledge. You have the qualities of a snake. You got angry

with a girl who unwittingly caused some dust to fall on you. How can

Brahma-Jnaana be imparted to one who has not even this amount of forbearance?

Go back and practise the saadhana for one more year. At the end of the

second year, when the disciple was about to come to the aashram, the preceptor

instructed the maid to see that as she swept, all the dust fall on the

disciple. The maid told the guru that on the previous occasion the disciple had

been angry with her, and this time if she repeated the offence, he might beat

her. The guru told her to do as directed by him. Inaccordance with the

directive of the guru, she let the dust fall on the disciple in full

measure.Enraged at her conduct, the disciple went to beat her but refrained

from doing so.He then went into the aashram and paid his respects to guru. The

guru told him' "You have notyet acquired the competence to receive the

knowledge. You are exhibiting the qualities of a dog. Come back after

ridding yourself of these animal qualities." At the end of the third year, the

disciple was coming to the aashram after a sacred bath. Carrying out the

instructions of the guru, the maid of the aashram poured some dirty water on

the disciple. The latter calmly offered his pranaams (obeisance) to the maid

and said' "Mother! My salutations to you. You have helped to strengthen my

forbearance so that I can be worthy of the preceptor's grace." Without getting

angry with her, he told her that he would be always grateful to her for what

she had done to him.When he went in, the guru welcomed him and said: "Son!

To-day you have become eligible toreceive the Supreme Spiritual Knowledge."

The lesson of this story is that every spiritual seeker has to get rid of

attachment to the body. But, that is not enough. The egoistic feeling should be

totally eliminated. The sense of possessiveness should be expelled. Only then

can one realise Divinity.

 

Extract from "Sathya Sai Speaks." Vol. 28. "Hanumaan: the ideal for

mankind," Chapter 26.

 

Namaste - Reet