ACCEPTING GIFT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION OF MERITS

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ACCEPTING GIFT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION OF MERITS:

 

Mahlsapathy's contact with Baba was on close terms. By reason of the

death of his only son (in the 1880's perhaps) and his having only

three daughters, he was disgusted with life. His land yielded

nothing, and the goldsmith's profession yielded also practically

nothing. So, he was ready for the orders of his own Ishta Devata,

Khandoba. Khandoba came upon him, that is, possessed his body, and

gave him Drishtanta, that is, visions. In the first vision, he was

told that he was to take Khandoba (i.e., movable images) from

Khandoba temple to his own house, and worship him there with

concentration. In another vision, Khandoba appeared as an old Brahmin

and said to him, "What? Can you not get your bread without your

profession of goldsmith?" Then Mahlsapathy answered the vision, "Yes,

I shall give up" Then the vision said, "Touch my feet, and hold my

feet." This meant evidently, "Hereafter, regard your subsistence as

being dependent purely upon your holding to my feet and not upon your

doing goldsmith's work". From that time forwards, he gave up

goldsmith's work in perfect trust (Nishta and Sraddha) and lived by

begging, that is, he became really a sanyasi "Monk" or Bhikshaikari,

through living with a family of a wife and three daughters. Being

disgusted with life, he did not care to sleep at home for that would

develop his family cares and burdens, i.e., Samsara, still further.

 

He enjoyed Baba'' Company day and night and was greatly benefited

thereby. At the Mosque and at the chavadi, Baba slept on alternate

nights and to both places Mahlsapathy went and had his bed along with

Baba". Mahlsapathy's main work was to be with Baba and he never

failed to be with and sleep with Baba. But on one occasion, early in

life, about 1896, Baba himself said, "Arre Bhagat, listen to my

fakiri words, which are always true. You are coming and sleeping here

and not with your wife. But you have got only daughters (the only son

he had must have died before 1896). Daughters are like tamarind fruit

but a son is like a mango fruit. You go and take bed in your house,

and you will then get a son." In spite of Baba's pressure, he

declined to go home as he did not want his family (samsara) to

increase. But his friend Kasiram Simpi compelled him and took him

home and left him there. Thereafter he took his bed in his house. He

started it on the Janmashtami of 1896, and on the next Janmashtami

(1897) a son was born to him. Baba's words are ever true and never

false. But, having got a son, he resumed his old vow of not

developing samsara and ever afterwards slept only with Baba, in the

Mosque, and at his chavadi. Mahlsapathy would spread his own cloth

and on that Baba (when not lying on the plank) would lie on one half,

and he would lie on the other.

 

Baba also gave him very hard duties which others could not possibly

undertake. Baba would tell Mahlsapathy, "You had better sit up. Do

not go to sleep. Place your hand on my heart. I will be going on with

remembrance of Allah, Nama Samran, that is, a half conscious trance,

and during that Nama smaran, the heart beat would clearly show you

that I am still having Nama Smaran. If that suddenly goes away and

natural sleep supervenes, wake me up." The heart beat during natural

sleep would be evidently different from the heart beat of the

contemplative trance. Thus neither Baba nor Mahlsapathy would sleep

at night. Both would keep awake. Baba for directly communing with

God, and by that means doing service to numerous devotees in various

places, and Mahlsapathy for sharing the merit (punya) by keeping the

vigil with Baba and benefiting himself morally and spiritually by his

pious service. His tapas was the same practically as the tapas of

Baba, that is, vigil for holy purposes. He also had great control

over all his senses (Indriyas), not merely over the sex urge but also

over hunger and other urges and cravings, though he was not able to

overcome sleep always.

 

At times for a fortnight he would go without food, purely by the

power of his will, and sometimes his family also would suffer as

shortage of food was the consequences of Mahlsapathy's having no

profession and no earning and his rejection of offers of money and

goods. This is a very important point to note about Mahlsapathy. His

attitude towards acceptance of alms is one which very orthodox Hindus

would understand. He regarded all acceptances of alms from others as

direct interference with his own perfection of power. Pratigraham

manyamanah Tapas tejo Yesconudam i.e., accepting gifts as destructive

of austerities, power and fame". His `Apoorva' i.e., stored up merit

was heightened by fasting, vigils and other "punya karma", such as

reading of sacred literature, etc., and if he accepted gifts (dana)

from others, he believed (as many other orthodox Hindus believe) that

his merit or Apoorva would be lost, diminished, or transferred at

least to some extent to the donor whose gift he accepted. Therefore

he was strongly opposed to accepting any gifts (except Biksha food)

even though he and his family might be starving. His family also

completely accepted that axiom and they also would generally reject

offers of help in money, materials, etc., Baba himself several times

tried to press him to accept money. When Baba was getting large

income, (1880-1918) he was daily showering Rs. 30 on one, Rs. 15 on

another, Rs. 10 on a third, and so on. Baba told Mahlsapathy several

times: "Take this Rs. 3. Go on taking it". Mahlsapathy invariably

refused. Baba even added, "Go on receiving Rs. 3. I will make you

well-to-do, and other people will come to you and depend on you and

look to your favour; make your life comfortable." Mahlsapathy

invariably replied "I do not want all that. I want to worship your

feet." He counted his avoidance of gifts and contentment with his lot

as far above his attaining or retaining material wealth. Mahlsapathy

would not sleep on cots. He would not care to have comforts of any

sort, even though these were available or offered to him.

 

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

(Shri Vasuki Mahal Shirdi Saibaba Trust, Coimbatore, India)