FROM LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

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FROM " LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA " BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

 

………..“Now let us turn to the qualifications of sishyas and begin with

Baba’s summary. Baba stated that his own Guru asked him for a dakshina of 2

pice and that he gave them to him, who was thereby satisfied. He added in

explanation that the two pice demanded by the Guru who had no attachment to

coins, or earthly objects were Nishta and Saburi. Baba wanted two things to be

given to him. About the impatient Mrs. Khaparde, who was staying with her

husband, who was impatient of the prolonged stay at Shirdi that entailed loss of

business and income Baba told Kaka Dixit to give her Rs.200, meaning only Nishta

and Saburi. Taking up Nishta first, one can see that no progress at all will be

made by any sishya, who has no faith either in the particular Guru or in

Sastras, Vedas or Mantras. Atheists, scoffers, flippant persons, women hunters,

combative persons, passionate natures, hypocrites, cruel hearted and wicked

people in general, or those reveling

in sin, are, as a rule incapable of pure and strong faith and so are unfit

either to be Gurus or sishyas. And in the sishya, pride and stiffnecked ness,

Susrusha Vimukha lack of reverence, Bhakti Sraddha Hina will be fatal to all

progress. No Guru in the first place would care to accept a sishya who lacks in

the proper attitude and spirit and the above defects betray lack of faith,

Nishta. In the Guru Gita, the warning is given that no instruction or upadesha

should be given to one lacking in faith, for,

 

Naranaamcha phalapraptou Bhaktir evahi Karanam.

 

That is, to make the teaching effective, the sishya’s faith in the Guru is a

sine qua non. Unless a man has the necessary humility, he cannot approach a

Guru. Gurus have to test a newcomer to make sure that he has or will soon have

sufficient humility and receptivity. If one has not sufficient faith in his

Guru, he will not accept what the Guru says in the first place.â€......