Dwaraka Mai And Baba

[Guest guest]

Dwaraka Mai And Baba

 

" Hech Aapuli Dwaraka Matha! Mashidiche ye aaki baisatha lekhru dehi

nirbhaysth " [This is our Dwaraka Matha | The children who come and sit in

this Masjid should have no fear.[Roughly translated] Baba said His

Dwarakamai was " mota kripalu " [Tremendously Compassionate] and the

bhakta could easily cross the ocean [beda paar] of life. It was Baba who

perceived the desires and longings of the devotees and granted their

wishes. It was from this Dwaraka Matha that Baba performed His leelas

for sixty yrs and beyond. Baba often told His devotees that He was here

thousands of years ago!

The old Masjid was dilapidated, the floor was uneven with pits and

ditches. The Dwaraka mai [the Sanctum Sanctorum was about 15 Ft by 17

Ft] This sanctified place with its contents can teach us many valuable

lessons. Baba's life itself is an example of the highest truth that all

religions teachings are the same. On the other hand Baba taught by

example. He gave no sermons; nor preached to His devotes, a word here or

a sentence there was sufficient to push the devotees to the next stage

of his spiritual development.

Let me try to decipher the meanings and symbols of 'The Dwarakamai and

Baba's sojourn in Shirdi'; The King of this Universe; the maker of this

cosmos lived in this dilapidated mosque. Where even the lizards ran away

and took refuge elsewhere. Thus implying that only a roof is necessary

to give protection from the elements. And one does not need a huge

palatial building to live in. As one enters the Sanctum Sanctorum, one

finds Baba sitting 'facing the South'. He is 'Dakshinamoorty'.The ever

smiling Guru' this 'South faced Guru symbolizes the 'fact that a man of

realization has transcended time'. That the Guru's grace as His inner

realization is being showered on the devotees who are caught in the net

of Yama, the lord of death .The Guru leads the disciple to immortality.

The south is the special domain of Yuma .Yuma means control. It can be

self control as well as a limitation over ones capacity.

Baba's asana [seat] was a sack. In the sack the weave is very evident

there is a horizontal weave which symbolizes mans life of hopes,

aspirations, goals and greed for a thousand materialistic things. The

vertical weave is the Sadgurus or Gods will. The intersections as it

were are milestones in ones life. When the devotee achieved or did not

achieve his goal, this represents the essence of life that we wish for

thousands of things, but the result depends on His wish. And we should

happily receive what He gives us.

In the North East corner Baba sat in the direction of Isaana. His left

hand resting on the [Kathada] Railing. His legs outstretched. Showering

His blessings on the devotees. There are eight directions or quarters in

this world. Each protected by a Deity [Dikpals] Baba sat in the N E

corner which is protected by Isaana on Vrishaba [Ox] This symbolizes

that each individual goes a certain direction 'or follows a certain path

that makes or mars his life. According to his vasanas, it is lord Isaana

who guides the world. He comes riding on the Vrishaba to exhaust the

accumulated vasanas of the jeevas. Thus Baba sitting in the N E guides

the individual in the right direction. Therefore any puja starts with

" Astha Dik Bandhan " [The 8 direction Bondage] is done. Then the mind of

the individual is arrested from taking any direction. He discovers his

own true nature.

The floor of the Dwarakamai was clean and nea,t it was washed daily and

a slurry of cow dung was applied. Baba had an akhand deep [an ever

burning lamp] which symbolizes an inner light. Baba got up very early in

the morning and was found sitting in front of Dhuni Maa [Agni ] AGNI

means leading [Nirukti Ref] i.e. leading towards evolution. Fire is

death to everything and water is death to fire. If there are sins that

are not burnt ; then water will destroy it as it destroys fire.

Baba went to Lendi Baugh twice a day; here Lendi Baugh represents a

garden with a multitude of shrubs of different varieties along with

weeds. Baba went in procession up to Lendi Baugh but entered the Baugh

alone. There like a gardner He tended to and nurtured the plants [His

devotees] The weeds symbolize the various destructive tendencies that

take hold of our lives and pull us in a different direction. When Baba

went to Lendi Baugh. He threw water in four directions. Baba would sit

facing west the domain of Varun [Rain] Varun means 'choicest things' and

also veiling [Maya] ref Ni #10[3rd St] Varun is on Makara [Crocodile]

which is the hand of time; So Dhuni Maa symbolizes one should burn the

internal Dhuni and offer greed and desires as oblation In Bhadrinayka

Upanishad #2 ch5 sloka 9-14 says 'God offered Faith as an oblation to

fire [Heaven] thence came the moon. "

The Nimbar is on the Eastern wall it represents Mecca and Muslims do

namaz facing it. Baba however sat with His back to it during mealtime.

Daily it was garlanded by the devotes thus one learns that all religions

lead to the same goal or as Baba put it succinctly ' Sub Ka Malik Ek'

Next to the Nimbar was the 'Jaath'or quern [Hand Mill]

In the Sai Satcharitra # 1 The wonderful Leela of Baba grinding the

wheat is given. Every day;' day in; and day out Baba undertook the chore

of grinding the sins; the mental; the physical afflictions and the

miseries of His devotees. The quern has 2 grinding stones the upper

stone symbolizes Bhakti [faith] and the lower stone is karma while the

handle is Gyana .One has grind all desires; sins; the traits of Raja;

Tama; Ahamkar to develop spritually. Through Bhakti [faith]

Nishwarth[selfless] karma and of course the grace of the Sadguru and

Gyana the goal can be achieved. Baba had but a few belongings that were

kept in the Dwarakaai. These were [1] The Matka or the Water Pot. It was

an earthen vessel, used for storing water. The mud-pot symbolizes the

human body that can break [die] at any time. Thus the transience or

temporary nature of the human life.

Baba had but a few belongings that were kept in the

Dwarakamai. These were [1]the Matka [Water pot] it was an earthen vessel

used for storing water. The mud-pot symbolizes 'body' which can

break[die] at any time thus the transient or temporary nature of the

human life. Water represents the 'Atama' [soul]. Which is the

life-giving element to the body. Water is oudorless, shapeless, and

colorless, so also is the soul. It is Nirlingi [genderless], Nirlaptha

[not affected by anything] and Nirvikari [formless]. Being so it will

take the identity of any living being just as the water takes the shape

of the containe.r The lesson here is that all souls or Atamas are one

and the same. That Baba is in all and was in all. [sai Satcharitra #9]

Mrs. Tarkhad feeds a dog then a mud smeared pig and Baba's hunger is

appeased.

 

(to be contd...)

Source Shri Sai Leela Magazine