Inner Voyage To Explore Sai-Characteristic Of Sai -Chapter 3.

Dear all,

Today I am uploading third chapter from the book "Inner Voyage To Explore Sai ".Devotees are requested to follow the link given at the end of this post if they miss on any part/chapter of the book .Jai Sai Ram

Chapter III
CHARACTERISTICS OF SAI

The mission of Rama Avatar is to re-establish dharmic way of life among the people. And our Sai is also considered as Rama Avatar, who showed the path of Shubhra Marga to His devotees for their dharmic way of life. Sai also observed Sri Rama Navami as His birthday. The sacrifices that came from Ayodhya Rama also came from Shirdi Rama and just like Rama, Sai was truthful, faithful and magnanimous in protecting those who took shelter under Him.

Baba conquered this sansar (wordly existence) which is very difficult and hard to cross. Peace or mental calm was His ornament and He was the repository of wisdom. He was the love of Vaishnavas, most liberal (like Karna) among liberals, the quintessence of essences. He had no love for perishable things and was engrossed in Self-realisation.

SOURCE OF COMFORT

Sadguru Sai was and is a source of comfort to who had implicit faith in Him. He was God on earth to His devotees. But Baba was a fakir who lived in a dilapidated mosque in Shirdi. He was unique and unless a devotee had accumulated a great deal of virtues or punya karma in past lives, it is not possible for him even to see Baba in this janma.

Baba sat always near the Dhuni in Dwarakamai, and always sat in meditation, sometimes with and other times without a bath. He was a sannyasi from boyhood. His firm conviction was that the universe was His home. He was the Lord Vasudeo – the supporter of the universe and imperishable Brahman.

Before baba came to live in the masjid, called Dwarakamai, He lived long in a place meant for fakirs where with ghungur (small hallow sounding bells) on His legs, Baba danced attractively on the rhythm of a hand drum and sang with tender love.

Though Baba seemed outwardly to enjoy sense objects, He had not the flavor in them. Though He ate, He had no taste and though He saw He never felt any interest in what He saw. Regarding passion, He was a perfect celibate as Hanuman. Saintly souls, like Sai, when they live their own life, gave comfort and solace to all. Baba respected the feelings of His devotees and allowed them to worship Him as liked by them. Baba always said that He was an obedient servant of God.
Sai is not finite or limited. He dwells in all things from insects to God Brahma. He pervades all.

He was well versed in the knowledge of Vedas and as well as in the science of self realisation. He was first Nirgun (formless) but on account of the devotion of his bhaktas, He was obliged to take a form. To give liberation and self-realisation to the bhaktas was the chief mission of Baba. Sai is Atmaram Himself. He is the abode of perfect Divine bliss. Sadguru Sai had indeed taken a human form to elevate mankind.

But Baba’s conduct was a far more eloquent exposition than His words, which were “I am not the body. This is my house. I am not here. My guru Mourshad has taken me away”. Baba was not the mere body. He was everywhere – both in spirit and in form. He could produce this material body in any place at any time.

Baba was regularly demolishing the idea of difference in every matter, which fettered the advance of His sadhaka devotees. He said “It is popular belief that we are different from each other and that our properties are separate. You are I, I am You, knock down the telis wall. Then we see each other clearly face to face (i.e, of being the same atman). Inquire into all scriptures and see if the atman is one or many.”

ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE

Being an avatara purusha, Sai Baba was not confined to an ivory tower. Instead, He was accessible to people. He lived the life of a human being on earth experiencing joys and sorrows of His devotees. This way, people were able to identify themselves with the Divine, who was presently in the human form unaffected in His Self and who maintained inner calm enjoying the Supreme Bliss.

Sai Baba was possessed of great virtues and capacity, hardly ever seen among human beings. Baba knew what was in the hearts (i.e., even the subconscious mind of innumerable persons whether present before Him or far away from Him) God, the Divine person, having limitless good without admixture of evil, cannot be fully grasped by men.

The life of Sai Baba is as wide and deep as Infinite ocean and all can dive deep into the same and take out precious gems (of knowledge and Bhakti). Of Baba’s powers, mercy and kindness, let us all bite only what we can bite, chew and digest.

According to Vedanta, Brahman is the ultimate character and structure of the universe – in fact, the universe is Brahman, in disguise. Therefore, I am Brahman (aham Brahmasmi) you are Brahmans (Tattvamsi). All are Brahman (Sarvam Khalu Idam Brahman). Isha Upanishad says: “It is inside all and also outside of all Nirguna Brahman becomes Saguna Brahman” and our Sai is a Brahma Swaroopi.

Baba was not merely helping those who approached Him for their temporal needs but was also guiding such souls in the progress of their voyage through life to reach that final goal-destination of self-realisation and salvation. Baba was never unmindful of this aspect of one’s life. He was in constant thought about spiritual welfare of His devotees and at each stage attending to their progress towards this final goal.

DIFFERENT METHODS

His method of dealing with the devotee differed from person to person. Some, He protected as a mother cat to its kitten; some devotees clung to Him like a young monkey to its mother. By His mere thought, Baba was able to protect the devotees even though they were far away. Distance did not count for showering His compassion, kindness and solace on them. It is like the mother tortoise which attends to its young ones on the other shore by throwing its glance on them. His love was equally intense and powerful whether the devotee was in His presence or hundreds of miles away.

N.V.Gunaji, author of Sai Satcharita in English, writes: The peculiarity of Sai Baba’s darshan, as I found it, is that by His darshan our thoughts are changed, the force of previous actions is abated and gradually non-attachment or dispassion towards worldly objects grows up. It is by the merit of actions in many past births that such darshan is got and if only you see Sai Baba, really all the world becomes or assumes the form of Sai Baba.

Baba wanted everyone to stick to the traditions of one’s own religion. He was against the conversion of anyone from his religion to any other one. He said all the varied paths of devotion finally took them to one God.

Many approached Baba as their Guru-God for their worship. Even after His MahaSamadhi in 1918, He is shining more brightly in spiritual firmament in leading the devotees to Shubhra Marga by fulfilling all their needs and wishes towards mundane and spiritual advancement,After His Resurrection from His three-day Samadhi, in 1886, during which His ankita devotee, Mahlsapathy, conscientiously kept watch over Baba’s body, the Sage of Shirdi had revealed His mission was to lead lakhs of people to the holy feet of God (Tad Vishnu’s paramam padam).

He was taking charge of the souls of those who implicitly trusted Him and that He provided for all their temporal and spiritual needs and thus proved, He was a doctor of both mind and body and also guardian angel in protecting the devotees from mishaps and ever blessing them for their progress.

Whether a single devotee or thousands of them came before Him, each had a full share of Baba’s love and all the benefits that flowed from them. The love was equally intense and powerful. Baba’s beneficence did not wait for a formal prayer to manifest itself.

KABIR PANTH

When a commissioned questioned Baba about His age, caste and creed, Sai, the Divine avatar, replied that He was God and He belonged to Kabir Panth. Asked about caste and community, He said He was Parvadigar. Once when a devotee asked Baba “what should be one’s goal? He said “Raising above this, i.e., the present level and reaching God, allah Milnar.” To a question whether all people who went to Baba did benefit in spiritual field, Baba said, “look at the mango tree in flowers. If all the flowers become fruits, what a splendid harvest it would be. But do they? Most fall off by the wind, rain, etc.”

However, Baba lived among the Muslims as a Muslim and this accounted for His declaration that when He was young, His parents handed him over to a Muslim Fakir, with whom He lived for five years and after the demise of the guardian, He was left in the care of a Brahmin saint in Selu and this realized soul became His guru Venkusa. Venkusa is said to be an avatar of Lord Venkateswara.

After 12 years of gurukulavasa, this young disciple became a Brahmajnania and compassionate Sai Baba. He was an incarnation of love and kindness.As Adi Sankara perceived a great jnani in the form of an Harijan, Baba, finding a poor Harijan, ready to leave Shirdi, put His arm around the Harijan’s neck and made Him stay
in Shirdi itself.

Every morning Baba’s dhyana was on the basis of ‘Anul Huq’ and ‘my Allah hum’ which are equivalent of “Aham Brahmasmi”.

Baba was soaked in Hinduism when He moved with Hindus, in Islam when dealing with Muslims. “Yeh Yathamam Prapadyante, tams tha vaiva Bhajamyaham.” This is true to Lord Krishna’s words. I adopt the manner in which I am approached and devote myself to the approaching person in his way.”

Baba’s teachings were mostly so subtle and secret that a few could discover, that what He taught was the highest lesson knowledge, on god and the Self. Baba was not a mere teacher but a guardian angel of His trusting devotees. Baba is still rendering His service for all those who are drawn to His Holy Feet.

AN INSPIRED TRAINER

Baba’s closest devotees used to say that Baba was not a mere teacher but a trainer – one who undertook the task of putting the pupil through all the entire course necessary for reaching his goal and therefore, corrected errors, stared off temptations, prevented faults by rendering every help, strengthened and developed a struggling devotee to his fullest stature. Baba was always supreme in God vision and did not succumb to the power of pelf.

To the younger generation, Baba had advised that one should attend to the duties that pertain to his or her lot, i.e., his or her age, position, caste and community etc. Baba, thus, addressed Bapu Rao, the younger son of NanaSahib Chandorkar “Harken to the words of your parents. Help your mother in her task. Speak the truth and truth alone”. Baba, however, did not confine to the enunciation of principles. The principles of truth, filial love and obedience are of such vital importance that Baba had on several occasions impressed on His devotees in other ways also.

A truant boy was ordered by a rich man but the boy had no regard for his rich father or his wishes and indulged in smoking. With the hope of getting the boy reformed, the rich father took him to Shirdi. As soon as the train started, the boy changed his compartment, to be free for smoking. On his arrival at Shirdi, the boy was not pleased with the restrictions in Baba’s ashram and decided to leave the place without informing his unsuspected father, but the argus eyed Baba was watching him within. When the boy was ready with his resolve, Baba issued out His order in a loud voice that cowed down the boy. Baba said, “No one should leave this place without permission from Me.” The boy fumbled that his plan had been discovered by the great wizard Sai and dared not disobey Him.

SEVERE BUT LENIENT

Baba though severe with Himself, wanted young ones to be treated leniently. He rebuked the mother of Daulat Shah (Nana Sahib Rasane of Ahmednagar and Pune) when the lady beat the boy. The boy who was massaging Baba’s legs, was naturally attracted by Baba’s distribution of sweets to other children and slightly relaxed in massaging, and his mother beat him for his negligence and said “You are thinking of sweets and neglecting the service to Baba”.
Baba told his mother, “The boy will serve me well. God will endow him with pure desires. Do not fear. Do not beat him”. This is how Baba corrected young men of their evil habits. Baba also gave spiritual help even to tiny individuals for their sadgati.

Baba is worshipped as Hridaya granthi Bhedakar that cuts the knot of ignorance of identification of Body – Self ideology not only in Himself but also in His devotees. It is the root of all mischief and no illumination of Self-Realisation is possible without uprooting this obnoxious weed. Baba uprooted it not merely by His words but also by His acts and most forcefully by His exits from and entrances into bodies.

He wanted His devotees to erase their notion that Baba’s body was the real Baba. One’s self or personality is not the body, however closely intertwined it maybe with the body. And there is no basis for taking the soul or self to be many or varying. Baba said “People think that they are different from each other. But in this, they are mistaken. I am in you and you are in Me. Go on revolving on this. You will realize it.”

BABA’S PAST LIVES

Baba’s own example in His previous lives was full of implicit love and obedience to His parents and He occasionally narrated the reminiscences.
Baba in this janma is clearly identified with God by the staunchest devotees. Sai Rama, Sai Krishna, Sai Datta, Sai Ishwar and Sai Narayan are to be seen as really one and the same. He is referred to as Apantaratma if identified with old jiva in the body just as Narada and Bhirgu were. But in moments of ecstasy, the devotee’s soul is merged in Sai Baba’s and then Sai becomes Para Brahman. Baba becomes part of the devotee now all the more easily as there is no body to bother about.

Baba taught His devotees self-conquest or conquest of desires. The self appears mostly through desires, their gratification or frustration also through all acts and attitudes which are also motivated by desires and interests. If one overrides his desires and interests, then his emancipation or purification is complete and he becomes a sattwa suddha – as a direct result of which the ever present divinity within and without immediately replaces his former desires.

JNANA YOGA

Apart from sattwa sama suddhi, i.e. inner purification, Baba developed the Jnana Yoga, vyavishithih of His bhaktas. Every word of Baba infused Jnana in the receptive minds of real devotees. Baba by His figurative and epigrammatic utterances removed the blinding screen of ignorance of the devotees. He also said “Gain or Loss, birth and death are in the hands of God”.

Baba frequently warned those of whom He had taken spiritual charge, not to give way to anger, hatred, envy, jealousy, which are the grossest forms, which exhibit desire and interest. It is the desire that gets the action done. Anger is the agent that gets the action performed. Once, the dross of passions and desires are got rid of, the individual can be in his own nature and realize the truth.

So many particles or parts of our body die every minute and new life with new forms takes their place. This is law of progress and evolution. This is an answer given by Baba to H.S.Dixit when he pleaded with Baba to restore the life of a boy bitten to death by a cobra.

“Equanimity towards birth and death prepares one for equanimity under all circumstances, Samatvam Yaga Uchyat. With that samatva one sees that none is born, none dies”. The soul always is and is the only one that is. That is that.

Many regard Sai as both God and Man is one just as Tennyson did in the case of Jesus Christ.

“Thou seemest human and divine
The highest holiest manhood thou
Our wills are ours, we know not how
Our wills are ours, to make them thine.”

As such many were disposed to submit and surrender or pray to Sai as God and they were prepared to regard Him as a highly developed personality acting as their guardian angel.

Baba’s advice to His devotees not to be dogmatic or intolerant and not to indulge in controversies is very important. Baba controlled the thoughts of persons and also the movements of inanimate objects like rain, fire and water, etc. The perception of divine personality in Baba is a matter of gradual advancement towards enlightenment.

OCCASIONAL FUN

Baba occasionally made fun of people just for a second or two enjoying the inability of the devotees to understand the real significance of this fun. For instance, Shyama was bitten by a serpent and he ran upto Dwarakamai and stood on the lower floor. Baba, instead of consoling him that the snake bite would not harm him, bluntly said, “don’t get up, Brahmin, get back, descend.” Shyama was afraid to near Baba. Then Baba asked him to “come up. That fakir is kind. You will be cured.” Then Shyama could not understand that the earlier order was for arresting the poison not to get up the Brahmin but to get back and get down.

Baba sometimes played practical jokes that really conveyed some practical lesson. In His humorous outpourings, His lovable nature always beamed out. But Baba’s cryptical words were seeming riddles to those who were present but they were intended for the benefit of the mankind.

One day, when many devotees where present at the Dwarakamai mantap, Baba in His anger struck the earth with His baton and thundered forth abusive words. The crowd was terror-stricken. Among the devotees, a staunch Sai devotee, Kaka Mahajani, was suffering from diarrhea and in his weakness, he tried to run away from the mantap with a water pot in his hand. Baba approached him and advised him to sit down. In the hurry-burry to leave the mantap, some of the devotees left a quantity of groundnut on the floor and Baba seeing them asked Kaka Mahajani to eat the groundnut and drink water. Mahajani was cured by this remedy and Baba’s anger was a beneficial shower to one of His devotees.

Baba was aware, with the exact knowledge of the exact time at which events were to happen and of His kindness even to dumb creatures.

DIFFERING VARIETY

Baba’s personality was of differing variety and was numerous to classify in any group. Each one had to observe himself and his own aim before arriving at any conclusions. And they are bound to vary.

Sai gave spiritual help to His devotees in many ways. But one common feature of the advice was that the impediment caused by ignorance and delusions should first be rooted out. He carried His devotee step by step to the wider ideas of His personality. Baba used to say that His body was but His house and the grace of His Guru had carried Him away from this perishable home (and taken Him to His own unperishable feet).

Sai Baba often read the heart or spoke from the hearts of those who approached Him. When Prof.Narke was introduced to Baba by Shama, Baba said: “What, you introducing him to Me! I have known him for thirty generations”. To know the personal life of one’s past birth is possible only for the divine avatar like our Sai. On another occasion, Prof.Narke understood that Baba was an antaryami, the indweller in all hearts.

Baba used to say, “Deserve before you desire to know Brahman”. “I am not a Guru that bites the ear (one who whispers the upadesa mantra into the ear of the devotee at the initiation). My Guru had given no such upadesa and the traditions of Guru Parampara followed totally a different method.

Baba’s way was similar to Dakshinamoorthy method. The Guru’s silence is His speech. The teacher simply glowed with His light, Bliss, the radiation of which enveloped, swallowed up the self of the disciples (in which self means buddhi, ahamkaram and chitta-mind intellect and ego were all included) without any effort of learning or repeating sounds and grasping the meaning or force at one stroke. The being of the disciple was absorbed into the being of the Guru and became that or part of that, knowledge, power and superior nature blossomed out and hid the petty, powerless and wretched nature of the devotee. The power of the guru was sufficient to clothe the personality of the devotee with a panoply of spiritual armour.

SWAMIJI EXPLAINS

Sai was physically present at Shirdi to take up other bodies. Elaborating the purpose of Sai Avatar, Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji says: Sai Baba’s advent is for the purpose of reiterating the eternal imperishable truths of the scriptures in an easy, understandable practicable way to the common people to suit the (yuga Dharma) context of modern life and conditions: for example, inspite of the different castes, creeds and religions, the reality of the situation whether one likes it or not, is that we are all one people today without superiority or inferiority complexes necessitating that all of us behave like brothers of one universal family (Vasudeva Kutumbakam). As stated by Lord Krishna in the Gita, though this ancient truth was declared to Vivaswam in the days of the old, the Lord had to restate the truth to Arjuna, as this truth had decayed due to the lapse of time.

The tenets of any religion to survive in the modern conditions of science, technology and to intellectual awakening must have a demonstrably transforming and transcending effect on the practitioners. A religion can survive only on the strength of its inherent truth, otherwise it will go the way of so many religions and doctrines that re no more current. Sai religion is a religion of the people, for the people and by the people for the greatest good of the greatest number. “Bahu Jana Suka”. Here are no elaborate or difficult rituals or ceremonies. All that Baba demands are easy, simple and can be compiled with by the simple people of the lowest I.Q., bhakti, Shraddha, constant remembrance and sharanagati.

SADGURU SAI

Sai naama is the supreme mantra for attaining Peace and Bliss. It is the Taraka mantra to cross the ocean of samsara.Constant chanting of Sri Sai naama with the mind ever clinging to His Feet is the way of Bhakti Marga for Sat-Chit-Ananda and Self realisation.

Still thy mind, see the vision, seek His grace
His grace speeds up the spiritual pace
Utter his name, ‘Sai, Sai, Sai’, always
This is one of the nine bhakti ways.
Revet His image in my heart
And thus focus on Him, thy thought
Renounce the Dehamabuddhi
This will help increase thy Atma sakthi
Eternal Love and Bliss, Baba will shower
And Ananda of divine Affinity will finally flower.
Divinity underlies all souls
But Baba kindles it to suit each one’s role
Engage thyself in guru’s devotion
To the extent of Self abnegation
Rely on Truth of Sai’s words
And never fail them in thy deeds
Total dedication with love to the Lord
A sign of immense faith in Guru-God
Overcome desires, overhaul thy outlook
By ever gazing at Sai’s look.
Sai reveals sakshatkara of Ishta Devata
And you know Megha worshipped Him as Shiva
Abhimana and ahamkara should go
To get tagged to the divine bow
In His vision enjoy the immortal joy
By ever chanting “Om Sai, Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai”.

In 1918, Baba left His mortal coil and entered sukshma sarira and is now a everliving God protecting the devotees. ‘Allah Malik’ (God is Master) was constantly on Baba’s lips and He encouraged everyone close to Him to think of God constantly and sing His glory.

Coming up in Next post :

• Philosophy of Sai Leelas.

Already Posted:

• Inner Voyage To Explore Sai-Introduction.
• Inner Voyage To Explore Sai-Foreword and Introduction By Writer Sai Ananda.
• Inner Voyage To Explore Sai-Search Your Heart For Sai-Chapter 1.
• Inner Voyage To Explore Sai -A Realised Liberated Soul-Chapter 2.
  

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