Shradha - Means devotional faith & Saburi - i.e. Patience means following actions

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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.