Thursday Message From Shri Sai Satcharitra.

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Thursday Message:The Vedas

and the Puranas cannot sufficiently praise (describe) Brahma or Sad-guru; then

how can we, who are ignorant, describe our Sad-guru Shri Sai Baba? We think

that it is better for us to keep quiet in this matter. In reality the

observance of the vow of silence is the best way of praising the Sad-guru; but

the good qualities of Sai Baba make us forget our vow of silence and inspire us

to open our mouth. Good dishes taste flat if there be no company of friends and

relations to partake of the dishes with us, but when they join us, the dishes

acquire additional flavour. The same is the case with the Sai Leelamrit - the

nectar in the form of Sai's leelas. This nectar we cannot partake alone.

Friends and brothers have to join us - the more the better.

It is Sai Baba Himself that inspires these stories and gets them written as

He desires. Our duty is to surrender completely to Him and meditate on Him.

Practising penance is better than pilgrimage, vow, sacrifice, and charity.

Worshipping Hari (Lord) is better than penance, and meditation on the Sad-guru

is the best of all. We have, therefore, to chant Sai's name by mouth, think

over His sayings in our mind, meditate on His form, feel real love for Him in

our heart and do all our actions for His sake. There is no better means than

this for snapping the bondage of samsar. If we can do our duty on our part as

stated above, Sai is bound to help and liberate us. Now we revert to the

stories of this chapter.

Hari Kanoba

A gentleman

of Bombay named

Hari Kanoba heard from his friends and relations many Leelas of Baba. He did

not believe in them as he was a doutbing Thomas. He wanted to test Baba

himself. So he came to Shirdi with some Bombay

friends. He wore a lace-bordered turban on his head and a new pair of sandals

on his feet. Seeing Baba from a distance he thought of going to Him and

prostrating himself before Him. He did not know what to do with his new

sandals. Still going to some corner outside in the open courtyard, he placed

them there and went in the Masjid and took Baba's darshan. He made a reverential

bow to Baba, took udi and prasad from Baba and returned. When he reached the

corner he found that his sandals had disappeared. He searched for them in vain

and returned to his lodging very much dejected.

He bathed, offered worship and naivedya and sat for meals, but all the while

he was thinking about nothing but his sandals. After finishing his meals, he

came out to wash his hands when he saw a Maratha boy coming towards him. He had

in his hand a stick, on the top of which was suspended a pair of new sandals.

He said to the men who had come out to wash their hands that Baba sent him with

this stick in hand and asked him to go on the streets crying - "Hari Ka

Beta. Jari Ka Pheta" and told him that "If anybody claims these

sandals, first assure yourself that his name is Hari and that he is the son of

Ka, i.e., Kanoba, and that he wears a lace-bordered turban and then give them

to him." Hearing this, Hari Kanoba was pleasantly surprised. He went ahead

to the boy and claimed the sandals as his own. He said to the boy that his name

was Hari and that he was the son of Ka (Kanoba) and showed him his

lace-bordered turban. The boy was satisfied and returned the sandals to him.

Hari Kanoba wondered in his mind saying that his lace-bordered turban was

visible to all and Baba might have seen it, but how could he know his name Hari

and that he was the son of Kanoba, as this was his first trip to Shirdi. He

came there with the sole object of testing Baba and with no other motive. He

came to know by this incident that Baba was a great Satpurush. He got what he

wanted and returned home well-pleased.

Somadeva Swami

Now hear the

story of another man who came to try Baba. Bhaiji, brother of Kakasaheb Dixit

was staying at Nagpur.

When he had gone to the Himalayas in 1906

A.D., he made an acquaintance with one Somadeva Swami of Haradwar at Uttarkashi

down the Gangotri valley. Both took down each other's names in their diaries.

Five years afterwards Somadeva Swami came to Nagpur and was Bhaiji's guest. There he was

pleased to hear the Leelas of Baba and a strong desire arose in his mind to go

to Shirdi and see Him. He got a letter of introduction from Bhaiji and left for

Shirdi. After passing Manmad and Kopergaon, he took a tanga and drove to

Shirdi. As he came near Shirdi he saw two high flags floating over the Masjid

in Shirdi. Generally we find different ways of behaviour, different modes of

living and different outward paraphernalia with different saints. But these

outward signs should never be our standards to judge the worth of the saints.

But with Somadeva Swami it was different. As soon as he saw the flags flying,

he thought - "Why should a saint take a liking for the flags, does this

denote sainthood? It implies the saint's hankering after fame." Thinking

thus he wished to cancel his Shirdi trip and said to his fellow travellers that

he would go back. They said to him - "Then why did you come so long? If

your mind gets restless by the sight of the flags, how much more agitated would

you be on seeing in Shirdi the Ratha (car), the palanquin, the horse and all

other paraphernalia?" The Swami got more confounded and said - "Not a

few such Sadhus, with horses, palanquins and tom-toms have I seen and it is

better for me to return than see such Sadhus." Saying this he started to

return. The fellow-travellers pressed him not to do so, but to proceed. They

asked him to stop his crooked way of

thinking and told him that the Sadhu, i.e., Baba did not care a bit for the

flags and other paraphernalia, nor for fame. It was the people, His devotees

that kept up all this paraphernalia out of love and devotion to Him. Finally he

was persuaded to continue his journey, go to Shirdi and see Baba. When he went

and saw Baba from the courtyard, he was melted inside, his eyes were full of tears,

his throat was choked and all his evil and crooked thoughts vanished. He

remembered his Guru's saying that - 'that is our abode and place of rest where

the mind is most pleased and charmed.' He wished to roll himself in the dust of

Baba's Feet and when he approached Baba, the latter got wild and cried aloud -

"Let all our humbug (paraphernalia) be with us, you go back to your home,

beware if you come back to this Masjid. Why take the darshan of one who flies a

flag over his Masjid? Is this a sign of sainthood? Remain here not a

moment." The Swami was taken aback by surprise. He realized that Baba read

his heart and spoke it out. How omniscient He was! He knew that he was least

intelligent and that Baba was noble and pure. He saw Baba embracing somebody, touching

someone with his hand, comforting others, staring kindly at some, laughing at

others, giving udi prasad to some and thus pleasing and satisfying all. Why

should he alone be dealt with so harshly? Thinking seriously he came to realize

that Baba's conduct responded exactly to his inner thought and that he should

take a lesson from this and improve; and that Baba's wrath was a blessing in

disguise. It is needless to say that later on, his faith in Baba was confirmed

and he became a staunch devotee of Baba.

Nanasaheb Chandorkar

Hemadpant

concludes this chapter with a story of Nanasaheb Chandorkar. When Nanasaheb was

once sitting in the Masjid with Mhalasapati and others, a Mahomedan gentlemen

from Bijapur came with his family to see Baba. Seeing gosha (veiled) ladies

with him, Nanasaheb wanted to go away, but Baba prevented him from doing so.

The ladies came and took the darshan of Baba. When one of the ladies removed

her veil in saluting Baba's feet and then resumed it again, Nanasaheb, who saw

her face, was so much smitten with her rare beauty that he wished to see her

face again. Knowing Nana's restlessness of mind, Baba spoke to him after the

lady had left the place as follows - "Nana, why are you getting agitated

in vain? Let the senses do their allotted work, or duty, we should not meddle

with their work. God has created this beautiful world and it is our duty to

appreciate its beauty. The mind will get steady and calm slowly and gradually.

When the front door was open, why go by the back one? When the heart is pure,

there is no difficulty, whatsoever. Why should one be afraid of any one if

there be no evil thought in us? The eyes may do their work, why should you feel

shy and tottering?"

Shama was there and he could not follow the meaning of what Baba said. So he

asked Nana about this on their way home. Nana told him about his restlessness

at the sight of the beautiful lady, how Baba knew it and advised him about it.

Nana explained Baba's meaning as follows - "That our mind is fickle by

nature, it should not be allowed to get wild. The senses may get restless, the

body, however, should be held in check and not allowed to be impatient. Senses

run after objects, but we should not follow them and crave for their objects.

By slow and gradual practice retlessness can be conquered. We should not be

swayed by the senses, but they cannot be completely controlled. We should curb

them rightly and properly according to the need of the occasion. Beauty is the

subject of sight; we should fearlessly look at the beauty of objects. There is

no room for shyness or fear. Only we should never entertain evil thoughts.

Making the mind desireless, observe God's works of beauty. In this way the

senses will be easily and naturally controlled and even in enjoying objects you

will be reminded of God. If the outer senses are not held in check and if the

mind be allowed to run after objects and be attached to them, our cycle of

births and deaths will not come to an end. Objects of sense are things harmful.

With Viveka (discrimination) as our charioteer, we will control the mind and

will not allow the senses to go astray. With such a charioteer we reach the

Vishnu-pada, the final abode, our real Home from which there is no

return."

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all

 

 

 

 

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