BABA'S HELP FOR SADGATI - 1

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HELP FOR SADGATI - 1

‘Sadgati’ is an often used but also often abused and ill-understood expression.

The word ‘Gati’ means going or the way, and includes also the ‘goal’ to which

one goes. ‘Sad’ means ‘the good, the true, the real’. Therefore Sadgati means,

the way to the real or the true or the ultimate goal, or such a goal itself.

There is, however, an indefiniteness about the meaning of the term, as there is

also an indefiniteness about people'’ ideas of what the goal is, what the path

to it is. People differ very widely in marking out or fixing up their goal of

life and in the ways they choose to reach the goal. As going beyond life is

seldom to reach a permanent and fixed goal, people refer to many an

intermediate goal being reached as ‘Sadgati’. With strict accuracy, the term

‘Satgati’ ought to be confined to the attainment of God, who is the highest

goal or of Brahman – the Impersonal Absolute. But rarely one in ten thousand

persons going to Baba was fit to reach the

‘Avangmanasagochara Brahman’ as described in the Upanishads. Reaching Personal

god is practically the outermost limit which people can aim at. However many an

important step taken at the close of a life in this world is popularly termed

‘Sadgati’ and especially any death under holy influence amongst holy

surroundings is popularly termed ‘Sadgati’. Reaching of ‘Svarga’ would surely

be termed ‘Sadgati’ by most people in spite of the fact that term of

environment of ‘svarga’ though immensely large as compared with the ordinary

human life here, has its own end and then ‘Kshine punya martya lokam viscanti’.

That is, ‘The soul on account of its punya or merit being exhausted comes back

to this world of men’. Even a rebirth under circumstances that favour the

reaching of the goal would usually be termed ‘Sadgati’. Let us therefore

consider the sense in which Baba granted Sadgati to his devotees.

The advanced advaitin and those who follow him are aspiring to lose their

personality or self in the Absolute Brahman, ‘without any characteristic’ i.e.,

Nirguna Brahman, and this results in the total avoidance of rebirth. Those

votaries of the impersonal Brahman are extremely rare to find even in Hindu

society. It is Hinduism in one branch that declares that the end of all life

should be merger in the Absolute Brahman, involving the total annihilation of

self or personality. About whether any such votaries of the Absolute ever

reached or approached Sai Baba, we have no record or hint whatsoever. The

highest among the votaries that went to Baba were votaries of the ‘Saguna

Brahman’. Those firmly adhere to the belief that personality is the last word

in philosophy and religion, and that annihilation of personality is neither

desirable nor possible. Even amongst the followers of Sankara the greatest

exponent and advocate of merger of oneself in the Absolute Brahman,

ninety nine percent are actually engaged in Saguna worship, as Sankara also was,

and their steps to reach perfection are on the path leading to Personal God.

(The particular form of their Personal God may be that which their ancestors

have been endeavouring to reach). In this land of ‘Bharata Varsha’ vast masses,

certainly the majority of people, do not think at all of the one impersonal

Supreme Being but resort in their religious moods to some very limited,

peculiar, or particular aspect or parts of the Supreme, such as Kali, Ganapati,

Khandoba, Masoba, Hanuman, etc., and their highest ambition in life is to obtain

their grace and finally to rest at the feet of their Ishta Devata. ‘Sadgati’ to

such people would mean only reaching their Ishta Devata, i.e., Kali, Ganapati,

etc.,

As the future in general, and the post-mortem stages of each departed soul in

particular, are not known to people, they would say that any person who dies in

particularly holy circumstances attains ‘Sadgati’ or even ‘Mukti’. Baba has

helped people of all descriptions and religions, and is still guiding many to

reach the goal of their choice. Amongst the medley of such Sadgatis, it is

safest to recount first what may be termed sadgati by the most cultured and

religious amongst the Hindus first and then later to give a passing reference

to other form of Sadgati.

Baba was dealing almost always with Hindus, especially in matters spiritual, and

we shall therefore take up first what appears to be the most correct denotation

of the term ‘Sadgati’ among Hindus.

According to Hindu ideas the greatest evil attached to jiva or soul is it’s

being soaked in samsara, i.e., deeply attached to the things of the world and

on account of such attachment, and the ignorance, or delusion based upon it,

it’s being necessarily tested from one birth to another, practically endlessly.

Continuance in ignorance and consequent attachment (Maya) to the things of the

world lead to never ending performance of karma and this results in an

inevitable cycle of births and deaths (Samsara). This idea comes in serious

moments to all Hindus, at least to a good number of them, and their quest and

prayer is that they should be liberated from their attachment to and ignorance

of, the world and drawn to the feet of God (Allah Malik) whence there will be

no more return to the cycle of births and deaths. For the purpose of achieving

this goal, religious books prescribed various sadhanas, but practically all

agree that the sadhana most fitted and appropriate is

the reaching of God with the help of a Guru preferably a Samartha Sadguru (if

one is obtainable), i.e., one who is himself God realised and possessed of

divine nature and powers. As we cannot have any direct knowledge of the

postmortem state of souls that have attained Sadgati, we have necessarily to

place faith in the words of great saints like ‘Sai Baba’. and in the utterances

of Rishis and other great ones found in the Vedas and Sastras. The Gita is the

quintessence of Hinduism and declares that persons can and will reach God if

they follow the injunction given in the Gita and the Vedas. An apparently

fundamental rule is declared by Sri Krishna in the Gita, Chapter VIII, verses 5

and 6, thus, -

Yamyam vapi smaran bhavam

Tyajati Ante kalevaram

Tamtamevaiti Kounteya

Sada Tad bhava bhavaritah.

Tasmat Sarveshu Kaleshu

Mam Anusmara Udyacha

Mayyarpitha Manobuddhir

Mamovashyasy asamicyam

This means, (1) ‘Whatever form a person is intensely thinking at death, he

reaches or attains that form in the next birth, because he was always thinking

of that form’, (2), ‘Therefore, at all times, concentrate your mind upon Me and

then fight. If your mind, reason etc., is surrendered to me, you will surely

come to me’.

Sri Krishna has also said:

Abrahma Bhuvanalokah punaravartino Arjuna

Mamupetyatu Kounteya punarjanmana vidyate

This means ‘All worlds beginning with Brahma Loka (and their denizens) return

again and again to the earth i.e., are reborn, but if one reaches Me, there is

no rebirth for him.’ In the case of Sai Baba’s votaries who have passed away

after contacting Sai Baba, treating him as Krishna or God, we shall single out

those that reached him (Sai Deva) or God and escaped rebirth basing our view on

the statement of Baba and of the Sastras.

to be continued

(by HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji in ‘Baba’s Help’ Published by AISS, Chennai)

 

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