Shradha - Means devotional faith & Saburi - i.e. patience

[Guest guest]

……“The main problem is the conviction of the people about their faith and

surrender to Baba. The qualities, sacrifices and time needed for establishing

closer contact with a Sadguru cannot be done in the way we do in our ordinary

life with people around. In a social relationship people generally have a

limited approach pre-calculating mutual benefit. Any deviation or

non-fulfillment of anticipated reaction from the other side spoils and stops

such a relationship easily. Today even in a family set-up, relationships in a

large number of cases are built on such a considerations. These norms are

changeable from society to society and from time to time. But when these norms

are applied in relation to the spiritual world or in relation to a Sadguru, they

become a non-starter from the beginning.

 

Bhakti Marg at its highest point leads to ‘surrender’. Surrender means

giving-away our mind, body and soul to the deity or Sadguru. Having given, the

devotee is to realize that what ever happens to his body, mind and soul is done

by the Sadguru. Also, he has to use these three for the work of the Sadguru.

Since anything and everything happening to him is done by the Sadguru, he has

nothing to be happy about, nothing to be sorry about, nothing to complain

against and nothing to desire - not only materially or mentally but also

spiritually.

 

The state of actual surrender can be achieved by only a few among millions of

spiritual aspirants over a few lives and that too, with the help and kindness of

a Guru.

 

How many people, who say that they have surrendered to Baba fall in this

category? Baba was once sitting in Dwarakamayee Masjid relating about his

relationship with His Guru who had given Him severe tests. Baba was tied by His

legs and hung in a well for a few hours. When the Guru on return asked him as to

how he felt, Baba said that he felt fine. He had nothing to complain about and

was content with what the Guru had done. In this context Baba asked the devotees

sitting around Him as to how many of them can be His disciples in the way in

which He was a disciple of His Guru. None had the courage to come up to that

expectation.

 

Therefore simply to say, or show that one has surrendered is not good enough

because a man who has surrendered will have no desires and no complaints. He

would only follow the path laid down by Baba expressed in two words i.e. Shradha

(Faith) and Saburi (Patience).

 

 

Shradha - Means devotional faith

- faith that Baba is the almighty and Protector,

 

- that both the good and the bad happening to the devotee’s life are

controlled by Him,

- to happily acknowledge and patiently tolerate all vicissitudes of life with

equanimity,

 

- to realize that Baba is always with him, around him,

 

- to be able to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of the Master in

the manner prescribed by Him,

 

- to follow His dictates in letter and spirit, whatever be the consequences,

- to hold on to Baba exclusively and not to run to different deities / temples

for different purposes.

 

Saburi - i.e. patience means following actions as mentioned before without

complaint, either external or mental and live normally everyday with faith in

Baba.

 

How many people can really do this? If not, one should think on the word

‘surrender’ continuously before considering himself to be a great devotee.

It is wiser to think of what we can do for Baba’s work instead of thinking

what Baba can do for us.

 

To get perfect association with a Perfect Master, the person concerned must be a

perfect devotee. Baba used to say that a devotee will experience Him as per his

bhava means inner thought process. Imperfect minds will reflect an imperfect

image of the Sadguru and the person will get imperfect results. It is not easy

to achieve this state of mind and it is also not correct to use the word

surrender so easily without understanding its full implications. The better path

would be to develop the qualities prescribed by the Sadguru gradually living in

the world like an ordinary man enjoying and suffering happiness and unhappiness

with the Guru in the heart.â€â€¦â€¦.