Serious Sadhana for Sai Devotees

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Serious Sadhana for Sai Devotees

By H. H. Narasimha Swamiji

" Do not be idle. Work. Utter God's name. Read Scriptures. "

" Life is lived in vain, if no Yoga, Yaga, Tapas and Jnana be achieved. "

" Will you sit idle (merely) eating your food? Have Saburi (patience and

courage). "

" Our end will get so bitter or wretched. Once or twice I will warn. The

end will be hard indeed if one does not heed the advice given. Even the

child in the womb we will cut to pieces and throw away if it falls

athwart. "

- SAI BABA

 

A religious journal or any other literature devoted to religion

generally presupposes that the readers are serious minded. In some cases

no doubt there may not be sufficient seriousness at the beginning. But

seriousness is developed as days pass on and the literature is therefore

rendered more useful and effective. As those without such seriousness

form the majority of the reading public and several of them wish to

become and might well be expected to become serious minded, we might

briefly advert to the process by which people are involuntarily or

voluntarily made serious.

 

As stated in the Gita Ch. VII, 16, four classes of persons develop

seriousness enough to run up to God that is to become really religious.

The first class is the arta, i.e., the sufferers. When one has a serious

loss of health, wealth, progeny, kinsmen, necessaries, comforts, etc.

life suddenly presents a doleful appearance and the sufferer not knowing

any other way to obtain relief runs to the Almighty for relief. This is

humorously referred to in the Canarese aphorism Sankata Bandare

Venkataramana which means when a man is in trouble he turns to God.

Another category of seekers after God or religion is jijnasu that is one

with a metaphysical turn of mind anxious to know the why of all things.

God being the ultimate cause of every thing naturally attracts such a

person. The third category consists of arta aartis that is those who are

very ambitious -wanting to get lots of wealth and other desired objects,

etc. and who do not find it easy to achieve their ambition except by

divine aid. The last category is the Jnani - the person with fullest

realization of divinity in the self-which is of course very rare (one

perhaps in a million may have such realization). Hence what makes a man

serious minded and religious is either, (1) present or impending

trouble, or (2) an excessive craving for the world's good or (3) a

highly metaphysical and introverted turn of mind. It is not our desire

that any body should be subjected to serious trouble or should entertain

inordinate hankering for the world's goods. As far a metaphysical and

introverted turn of mind, that comes to very few indeed naturally and

cannot be easily cultivated. Yet we might give some answer to the

question of a devotee with budding earnestness how to develop such

earnestness and seriousness.

 

.. The great panacea for all defects, shortcomings and ills is Satsang,

that is, association with holy ones, pure minded persons - of course in

the flesh, if available, or in easily approachable spirit form as in the

case of Sai Baba or failing these, through reading of holy and inspiring

literature, such as scriptures, saintly biography, etc. When a person is

very anxious to get serious, he has already started the development of

seriousness.

 

In any case a constant repetition of prayer - that is an attempt to form

a habit of prayer - whether for temporal or spiritual benefits is an

excellent means for developing seriousness as a strong and permanent

trait in one's character. More things are done in heaven and earth by

prayer than the scientist will readily allow.

 

Everything grows by exercise. One desiring to develop love in himself

towards God or any other being, must watch and observe how persons

filled with love behaves and then must do likewise. So also a person

desirous of becoming serious must in the beginning artificially put on

seriousness, observe what serious minded people that command his

approval and admiration do, and then he must go and do likewise. One of

the things that may be confidentially recommended to any Sai Bhakta who

wishes to attain more seriousness is to make a daily program himself to

maintain a diary and to note therein, his programmes, resolves, Sadhanas

attempted and the degree or number of successes or failures in respect

of each Sadhana. Let him pick up and peruse the diary both at the

starting and the close of the day to note the above facts. A daily

repetition of some slokas from Sainath Manana or the Ashtottara Namavali

or the reading of not less than five to ten pages of Sai literature such

as " Charters & Sayings " may all be prescribed or recommended.

 

The oral or written japa of Sai Ram will form an excellent coping stone

to all the above edifice of instruction.

 

It is to be hoped that some of those who read this article will take our

advice seriously, begin the habit of seriousness from this very moment

and make a resolve to adopt all or as many as possible of the measures

above, recommended for their development.

 

Important Achievement

On Arturo Toscanini's eightieth birthday, someone asked his son, Walter,

what his father ranked as his most important achievement.

 

The son replied, 'For him there can be no such thing. Whatever he

happens to be doing at the moment is the biggest in his life - whether

it is conducting a symphony or peeling an orange.'

(Source Shri Sai Padananda April 1994)