Thursday Message From Shri Sai Satcharitra.

[Guest guest]

Thursday Message:

We

have described in the last three chapters Baba's Passing away. His

physical or finite form has no doubt disappeared from our view; but the

infinite or spiritual form (Spirit of Baba) ever lives. The Leelas

which occurred during His lifetime have been dwelt upon at great length

up till now.

 

Ever since His passing away, fresh Leelas

have taken place and are even now happening. This clearly shows that

Baba is ever-living and helping His devotees as before. The people who

got the contact of Baba when He was living, were indeed very fortunate,

but if any of them did not get a dispassion for the things and

enjoyments of the world and had not their minds turned to the Lord, it

was sheerly their ill-luck. What was then wanted and is now wanted is

the whole-hearted devotion to Baba.

 

All our senses, organs, and mind should

co-operate in worshipping and serving Baba. It is no use in engaging

some organs in the worship and deflecting others. If a thing like

worhsip or meditation is to be done, it ought to be done with all our

mind and soul.

The love that a chaste woman bears to her husband is sometimes compared to that which a disciple bears to his master (Guru).

 

Yet the former falls far short of the

latter, which is incomparable. No one, whether he be father, mother,

brother or any other relation, comes to our aid in attaining the goal

of life (self-realization). We have to chalk out and traverse the path

of self-realization ourselves. We have to discriminate between the

Unreal and the Real, renounce the things and enjoyments of this world

and the next, control our senses and mind, and aspire for liberation

only.

 

Instead of depending upon others, we should

have full faith in ourselves. When we begin to practice discrimination,

we come to know, that the world is transient and unreal and our passion

for worldly things becomes less and less, and ultimately we get

dispassion or non-attachment for them. Then we know that the Brahma

which is no other than our Guru is the sole reality and as It

transcends and besets the seeming universe, we begin to worship It in

all creatures.

 

This is the unitive Bhajan or worship. When

we thus worship the Brahma or Guru whole-heartedly, we become one with

Him and attain self-realization. In short, always chanting the name of

the Guru, and meditating on Him enables us to see Him in all beings,

and confers eternal bliss on us. The following story will illustrate

this.

 

Kakasaheb's Doubt and Anandrao's Vision

 

It

is well-known, that Sai Baba had enjoined Kakasaheb Dixit to read daily

two works of Shri Ekanath: (1) Bhagawat and (2) Bhawartha Ramayan.

Kakasaheb read these daily while Baba was living and he followed the

practice even after Baba's passing away. Once in Kaka Mahajani's house

in Choupati, Bombay , Kakasaheb was reading Ekanathi Bhagawat in the

morning. Madhavarao Deshpande alias Shama and Kaka Mahajani were then

present and listened attentively to the portion read, viz., the 2nd

Chapter, 11th skandha of the book.

 

Therein the nine Nathas or Siddhas of the

Rishabha family, viz., Kavi, Hari, Antariksha, Prabuddha, Pippalayan,

Avirhotra, Drumil, Chamas and Karabhajan expounded the principles of

the Bhagawat Dharma to King Janak. The latter asked all the nine Nathas

most important questions and each of them answered them satisfactorily.

The first, i.e., Kavi explained what is Bhagawat Dharma; Hari, the

characteristics of a Bhakta (devotee); Antariksha, what is Maya;

Prabuddha, how to cross Maya; Pippalayan, what is Para-Brahma;

Avirhotra, what is Karma; Drumil, the incarnations of God and their

deeds; Chamas, how a non-devotee fares after death; Karabhajan, the

different modes of worship of God in different ages.

 

The substance of all the exposition was that

in this Kali age, the only means of liberation was the remembrance of

Hari's (Lord's) or Guru's feet. After the reading was over, Kakasaheb

said in a despondent tone to Madhavarao and others - "How wonderful is

the discourse of the nine Nathas on Bhakti or devotion. But at the same

time how difficult it is to put it into practice! The Nathas were

perfect, but is it possible for fools like us to attain the devotion as

delineated by them? we won't get it even after several births, then how

are we to get salvation?

 

It seems that there is no hope for us."

Madhavarao did not like this pessimistic attitude of Kakasaheb. He said

- "It is a pity that one who by his good luck got such a jewel (Guru)

as Baba, should cry out so disparagingly; If he has unwavering faith in

Baba, why should he feel restless? The Bhakti of the Nathas may be

strong and wonderful, but is not ours' loving and affectionate? And has

not Baba told us authoritatively that remembering and chanting Hari's

and Guru's name confers salvation? Then where is the cause for fear and

anxiety?

 

Kakasaheb was not satisfied with

Madhavarao's explanation. He continued to be anxious and restless, the

whole day, thinking and brooding over how to get the powerful Bhakti of

the Nathas. Next morning, the following miracle took place.

One gentleman, named Anandrao Pakhade came

there in search of Madhavarao. The reading of the Bhagawat was then

going on. Mr.Pakhade sat near Madhavarao and was whispering something

to him. He was mentioning in low tone his dream-vision. As there was

some interruption in the reading by this whispering, Kakasaheb stopped

the reading, and asked Madhavarao what the matter was.

 

The latter said - "Yesterday you expressed

your doubt, now here is the explanation of it; hear Mr.Pakhade's vision

which Baba gave him, explaining the characteristic of 'saving' devotion

and showing that the devotion in the form of bow to, or worship of,

Guru's feet is sufficient." All were anxious to hear the vision

specially Kakasaheb. At their suggestion Mr.Pakhade began to relate the

vision as follows.

I was standing in a deep sea in waist-deep water.

 

There I saw Sai Baba all of a sudden. He was

sitting on a beautiful throne studded with diamonds, with His Feet in

water. I was most pleased and satisfied with the Form of Baba. The

vision was so realistic that I never thought that it was a dream.

Curiously enough Madhavarao was also standing there. He said to me

feelingly - 'Anandrao, fall at Baba's Feet.' I rejoined - "I also wish

to do so, but His Feet are in water, how can I place my head on them? I

am helpless." Hearing this he said to Baba - "Oh Deva, take out Your

Feet which are under water." Then Baba immediately took out His feet. I

caught them without delay and bowed to them.

 

On seeing this Baba blessed me saying - Go

now, you will attain your welfare, there is no cause for fear and

anxiety. He also added - "Give a silk-bordered dhotar to my Shama, you

will profit, thereby."

In compliance with Baba's order, Mr.Pakhade

brought the dhotar and requested Kakasaheb to hand it over to

Madhavarao; but the latter refused to accept it, saying that unless

Baba gave a hint or suggestion for acceptance, he would not accept it.

Then after some discussion Kakasaheb decided to cast lots.

 

It was the invariable practice of Kakasaheb

to cast lots in all dubious matters and to abide by the decision as

shown by the picked up chit or lot. In this particular case two chits,

on one of which was written 'To accept' and on another 'To reject',

were placed at the feet of Baba's picture and an infant was asked to

pick one of them. The 'To accept' chit was picked up and the dhotar was

handed over to, and accepted by, Madhavarao. In this way both Anandrao

and Madhavarao were satisfied and Kakasaheb's difficulty was solved.

 

This story exhorts us to give respect to the

words of other saints, but at the same time asks us to have full faith

in our Mother, i.e., the Guru, and abide by His instructions: for he

knows our welfare better than any other person. Carve out on your

heart, the following words of Baba - "There are innumerable saints in

this world, but 'Our father' (Guru) is the Father (Real Guru).

 

Others might say many good things, but we

should never forget our Guru's words. In short, love your Guru

whole-heartedly, surrender to Him completely and prostrate yourselves

before Him reverentially and then you will see that there is no sea of

the mundane existence before you to cross, there is no darkness before

the sun."

 

Wooden plank Baba's Bed-Stead, and not Bhagat's

 

In His earlier days, Baba slept on a wooden

plank, 4 arms in length and only a span in breadth with panatis

(earthen lamps) burning at the four corners. Later on He broke the

plank into pieces and threw it away (Vide Chapter X). Once Baba was

describing the greatness or importance of this plank to Kakasaheb.

 

Hearing this the latter said to Baba - "If

You still love the wooden plank, I will again suspend or hang up one in

the Masjid again for You to sleep at ease." Baba replied - "I won't

like to sleep up, leaving Mhalasapati down on the ground." Then

Kakasaheb said - "I will provide another plank for Mhalasapati." Baba -

"How can he sleep on the plank? It is not easy to sleep up on the

plank. He who has many good qualities in him can do so.

 

He who can sleep 'with his eyes wide open'

can effect that. When I go to sleep I ask often Mhalasapati to sit by

My side, place his hand on My heart and watch the 'chanting of the

Lord's name' there, and if he finds Me sleepy, wake Me up. He can't do

even this. He himself gets drowsy and begins to nod his head.

 

When I feel his hand heavy as a stone on My

heart and cry out - 'Oh Bhagat', he moves and opens his eyes. How can

he, who can't sit and sleep well on the ground and whose asana

(posture) is not steady and who is a slave to sleep, sleep high up on a

plank? On many other occasions Baba said, out of love for His devotees

- "What (whether good or bad) is ours, is with us, and what is

another's is with him."

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all

 

 

 

 

 

 

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