Your Offering to Sai Baba By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

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Your Offering to Sai Baba

By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

You would think that you can give back

nothing to Baba, who is a Supreme Giver, only Baba can give to his devotees.

But this is not wholly correct. The action of giving cannot be unilateral. Even

God receives first, then gifts. In the day to day practical life, there is no

giving without taking. It is therefore that the word " give and take

policy " has come into vogue.

 

If Baba asked for nothing, why could he

have asked for Dakshina'? Why he would move from door

to door in hot sun in Shirdi to beg for alms. It is true that Baba was never

yearning for Dakshina or alms. He was simply

searching the hearts of the devotees in this process. He was teaching us to

part with or sacrifice a bit of our earning for a higher way of life.

 

Baba used to cater to the prayers or

demands of his devotees. He would tender his hand of help through some strange

miracles to salvage his devotees in distress or difficulties. This was also not

without expectations from them. He responded to devotees' wishes so that the

devotees should turn to his way of teachings and do what he liked them to do.

But all of us forget this truth and go on asking for new farther from Baba

every time, without taking note of Baba's demand from us. When Baba fulfils our

wishes we are thrilled, we are choked with emotions of gratitude and we shed

tears of joy.

 

We call Baba as the Kalpa

tree. We say that He is our Guru, God. We proclaim that we are his devotees.

But really speaking, we do not deserve to be his devotees or disciples. We are

only searching for a link to spread a hand of begging before him again and

again without remembering his real message and teachings to us. We forget what

Baba wants us to do, nay we purposefully ignore it! We place a new demand at

his feet. We are angry, if he does not fulfill.

 

The message of

Baba's life: -

All know that Baba meets devotees' demands. It is for this that people from all

religions, sects, leads, castes throng round his samadhi.

They come to fulfill their vows. They want to exchange the grace with

offerings. They are blind to Baba's Upadesha. He does

not want us to place demand after demand to him. He wants us to realize his

message. He wants us to spread this message among others. He wants us to act

and practice his teachings. He recognizes the bhakti

manifest in practicing his tenets and teachings.

 

Shraddha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience):

- We are familiar with these phrases without

brooding over their meaning and aerial application to life. The unflinching

allegiance to God and self sacrifice is denoted by Shraddha.

It is not easy to practice this. Because we have to change the centre of

gravity of our life, we must replace selfish thinking by God orientation,

offering everything to his wishes. Saburi teaches us to be fixed in

difficulties and onslaught of fate. We shake, waver each moment. How can we be

devotees without practicing these tenets; Baba wants us to translate this into

action in day to day life.

 

Baba's Karma, Bhakti and Dhyana: Baba wants us to leave our narrow thoughts,

selfish nature and obstinate ways and to take up a new life of service and

sacrifice. He wants us to come out of the circle of selfishness and

" I " attachment to personal benefits and live a life of benevolence

and selfless service. This is Baba's Karma yoga. He wants us to offer each of

our karma as a flower to God as offering. This is his Bhakthi

yoga. That God is present everywhere is his Dhyana

yoga. We have to offer all our thoughts, desires, passions and acts to God are

the expression of this Dhyana yoga.

 

Baba's ultimate demand: Baba wants us to practice Nama

and Dhyana. He wants us to take his name, forgetting

all else (i.e. body consciousness). He wants us to meditate on his form. This

should be perpetual, unending. We have to merge our mind, intellect, body and

ego in his consciousness. This is his ultimate demand. Do not look at these

words with levity. Know the gravity of the meaning and actual practice. When

Baba begged from door to door in Shirdi for a loaf of bread, he did not

actually want food from us. He wanted the offering of our whole existence.

(Source Sri Sai padananda Jan 2003)