EGOTISM AND LACK OF FAITH OF DAS GANU

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EGOTISM AND LACK OF FAITH OF DAS GANU

 

But whatever Baba did, Das Ganu stuck mostly to his old set of ideas,

which formed the foundation for his spiritual progress. He could not

get rid of the idea that the great thing for him to do was to get

Pandharpur, the Buooloka Vaikuntam as it is called, in Asvin and

Kartik months and see the holy image of Vittal there and worship it.

That Vittal was God. It alone was God. And if he was to get vision of

God it must be by that form appearing before him in a vision.

 

Das Ganu was told by Baba to go through Bhagavata reading in 7 days

(this is called Saptaha) and he then told Baba that he would go on

with Saptaha and Baba must see to it that he (Das Ganu) got

sakshatkar as the result. If there is intense (Bhav) concentration,

then sakshatkar can be had ` was what Baba gave as answer. Ganu went

through Saptaha. But there was no sakshatkara for the obvious reason

that Ganu's mind could not attain the needed intensity of

concentration.

 

When he was in this mentality, N. G. Chandorkar his former master

(for this was in 1912 or so when Ganu had retired from service) was

asking him to stay on for Aswin at Shirdi and do his kathas there. At

once Das Ganu thought that Baba was compelling him through N G

Chandorkar to keep off from Vittal at Pandharpur. His thought then

was "How is he (Baba) God, who keeps me away from God (Vittal) at

Pandharpur. Baba noting his thought told Nana Chandorkar to send him

away to Pandharpur, and he went and returned later on to Shirdi. Then

he came to Baba and said, `When will you give me Sakshatkar?' Baba

said, `Your see Me. This is Sakshatkar. I am God'. Then Das Ganu

said, `"I expected you would say so, but I am not satisfied with it".

Das Ganu considered that Vittal of Pandharpur alone was God, and not

the Sai form that he saw at Shirdi.

 

He concluded that it was not in his destiny to have Sakshatkara of

Vittal. But to understand Baba's answer, we might refer to a parallel

passage in St. John's Gospel, Chapter XIV verses 8 to 14. There,

Phillip, the follower of Jesus said, `Lord, show us the Father. And

it sufficeth us' – Jesus says to him, Have I been so long a time with

you, and yet hast thou not known me? The Father that dwelleth in Me.

He doeth the works (i.e, Miracles or chamatkars). Believe me that I

am in the Father and He is in Me, or else believe me for the very

works' sake. If Ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. I am

in my Father and you in Me and I in you'.

 

This peculiar lack of faith of Das Ganu was not noticed by himself

till after Baba left his body. In 1919, that is, a year after Baba

shed his mortal coil, Das Ganu was at his usual place, Nanded, where

there was a saint, with wonderful spirituality, on a rock. When

others went to see that saint, he received them. But whenever Das

Ganu tried to see him, he evaded him. But on one occasion in 1919,

when his wife died, he sent some food to that saint and saw him

later, Das Ganu wanted to know why the saint was evading him. Then

the saint answered, "You call yourself a Kirtankar. Why then have you

`Ahamkar' (Egotism)?" Das Ganu pleaded that every one had ahamkar,

and that it was impossible to avoid it. Then the saint said, "Shall I

tell you what sort of Ahamkar you have" Is not Sai Baba your Guru?

And shall I say what you have done with him?" Das Ganu said, "Yes".

The Saint asked, "Did not Baba produce water from his feet, and what

did you do with it? You sprinkled it on your head, but would not put

it into your mouth, because you are a Brahmin and the Ganga was not

coming from (the feet of the mosque dwelling) Baba. Is it not

Ahamkara of yours? Das Ganu felt the force of the saint's

observations. Das Ganu's inability to think of Baba as pure Vittal or

God is an instance where a person gets very great benefit from Baba

but something or other hinders his deriving the fullest benefit as

prejudices die hard and old habits cannot be easily erased.

 

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

(Vasuki Mahal Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust, Coimbatore-641025, India)