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Chapter
XVI & XVII
These
two Chapters relate the story of a rich gentleman, who
wanted Brahma-Jnana, quickly from Sai Baba.
Preliminary
The
last Chapter described how Mr. Cholkar's vow of small
offering was completed and accepted. In that story, Sai
Baba showed that He would accept with appreciation any
small thing offered with love and devotion, but if the
same thing was offered with pride and haughtiness, He
would reject it. Being Himself full of Sat-Chit-Anand
(Existence, Knowledge and Bliss) He did not care much for
more outward formalities but if an offering was made in
meek and humble spirit, the same was welcome and He
accepted it with pleasure and avidity. In fact there is no
person more liberal and benevolent than a Sadguru, like
Sai Baba. He cannot be compared to the Chintamani jewel
(the Philosopher's stone which satisfies desires), the
Kalpataru (the Celestial Tree which fulfills our desires)
or the the Kamadhenu (the Celestial Cow which yields what
we desire), for they give us only what we desire; but the
Sadguru gives us the most precious thing that is
inconceivable and inscrutable (The reality). Now let us
hear, how Sai Baba disposed of a rich man, who came to Him
and implored Him to give him Brahma-Jnana.
These was
a rich gentleman (unfortunately his name and whereabouts
are not mentioned) who was very prosperous in his life. He
had amassed a large quantity of wealth, houses, field and
lands, and had many servants and dependents. When Baba's
fame reached his ears, he said to a friend of his, that he
was not in want of anything, and so he would go to Shirdi
and ask Baba to give him Brahma-Jnana which, if he got,
would certainly make him more happy. His friend dissuaded
him, saying, "it is not easy to know Brahman, and
especially so for an avaricious man like you, who is
always engrossed in wealth, wife and children. Who will,
in your quest of Brahma-Jnana, satisfy you that won't give
away even a pice in charity?"
Not
minding his friend's advice, the fellow engaged a
return-journey tanga and came to Shirdi. He went to the
Masjid, saw Sai Baba, fell at His Feet and said,
"Baba, hearing that You show the Brahman to all who
come over here without any delay, I have come here all the
way from my distant place. I am much fatigued by the
journey and if I get the Brahman from You, my troubles
will be well-paid and rewarded." Baba then replied,
"Oh, My dear friend, do not be anxious, I shall
immediately show you the Brahman; all My dealings are in
cash and never on credit. So many people come to Me, and
ask for wealth, health, power, honour, position, cure of
diseases and other temporal matters. Rare is the person,
who comes here to Me and asks for Brahma-Jnana. There is
no dearth of persons asking for wordly things, but as
persons interested in spiritual matters are very rare, I
think it a lucky and auspicious moment, when persons like
you come and press Me for Brahma-Jnana. So I show to you
with pleasure, the Brahman with all its accompaniments and
complications."
Saying
this, Baba started to show him the Brahman. He made him
sit there and engaged him in some other talk or affair and
thus made him forget his question for the time being. Then
He called a boy and told him to go to one Nandu Marwari,
and get from him a hand-loan of Rs. five. The boy left and
returned immediately, saying that Nandu was absent and his
house ws locked. Then Baba asked him to go to Bala grocer
and get from him, the said loan. This time also, the boy
was unsuccessful. This experiment was repeated again twice
or thrice, with the same result.
Sai Baba
was, as we know, the living and moving Brahman Incarnate.
Then, some one may ask - "Why did He want the paltry
sum of five rupees, and why did He try hard to get it on
loan? Really He did not want that sum at all. He must have
been fully knowing, that Nandu and Bala were absent, and
he seems to have adopted this procedure as a test for the
seeker of Brahman. That gentleman had a roll or bundle of
currency notes in his pocket, and if he was really
earnest, he would not have sat quiet and be a mere
onlooker, when Baba was frantically trying to get a paltry
sum of Rs. five. He knew that Baba would keep His word and
repay the debt, and that the sum wanted was insignificant.
Still he could not make up his mind and advance the sum.
Such a man wanted from Baba the greatest thing in the
world, viz., the Brahma-Jnana! Any other man, who really
loved Baba, would have at once given Rs. five, instead of
being a mere onlooker. It was otherwise with this man. He
advanced no money nor did he sit silent, but began to be
impatient, as he was in a haste to return and implored
Baba saying- "Oh Baba, please show me the Brahman
soon." Baba replied - "Oh my dear friend, did
you not understand all the procedure that I went through,
sitting in this place, for enabling you to see the
Brahman? It is, in short this. For seeing Brahman one has
to give five things, i.e. surrender five things viz. (1)
Five Pranas (vital forces), (2) Five senses (five of
action and five of perception), (3) mind, (4) intellect
and (5) ego. This path of Brahma-Jnana of self-realization
is 'as hard as to tread on the edge of a razor'.
Sai Baba
then gave rather a long discourse on the subject, the
purport of which is given below
Qualifications
for Brahma-Jnana or Self-Realization
All
persons do not see or realize the Brahman in their
life-time. Certain qualifications are absolutely
necessary. (1) Mumuksha or intense desire to get free. He,
who thinks that he is bound and that he should get free
from bondage and works earnestly and resolutely to that
end;and who does not care for any other thinks, is
qualified for the spiritual life. (2) Virakti or a feeling
of disgust with the things of this world and the next.
Unless a man feels disgusted with the things, emoluments
and honors, which his action would bring in this world and
the next, he has no right to enter into the spiritual
realm. (3) Antarmukhata (introversion). Our senses have
been created by God with a tendency to move outward and
so, man always looks outside himself and not inside. He
who wants self-realization and immortal life, must turn
his gaze inwards, and look to his inner Self. (4)
Catharsis from (Purging away of) sins. Unless a man has
turned away from wickedness, and stopped from doing wrong,
and has entirely composed himself and unless his mind is
at rest, he cannot gain self-realization, even by means of
knowledge. (5) Right Conduct. Unless, a man leads a life
of truth, penance and insight, a life of celibacy, he
cannot get God-realization. (6) Preferring Shreyas, (the
Good) to Preyas (the Pleasant). There are two sorts of
things viz., the Good and the Pleasant; the former deals
with spiritual affairs, and the latter with mundane
matters. Both these approach man for acceptance. He has to
think and choose one of them. The wise man prefers the
Good to the Pleasant; but the unwise, through greed and
attachment, chooses the Pleasant. (7) Control of the mind
and the senses. The body is the chariot and the Self is
its master; intellect is the charioteer and the mind is
the reins; the senses are the horses and sense-objects
their paths. He who has no understanding and whose mind is
unrestrained, his senses unmanageable like the vicious
horses of a charioteer, does not reach his destination
(get realization), but goes through the round of births
and deaths; but he who has understanding and whose mind is
restrained, his senses being under control, like the good
horse of a charioteer, reaches that place, i.e., the state
of self-realization, when he is not born again. The man,
who has understanding as his charioteer (guide) and is
able to rein his mind, reaches the end of the journey,
which is the supreme abode of the all-pervading, Vishnu
(lord). (8) Purification of the mind. Unless a man
discharges satisfactorily and disinterestedly the duties
of his station in life, his mind will not be purified and,
unless his mind is purified, he cannot get
self-realization. It is only in the purified mind that
Viveka (discrimination between the Unreal and the Real),
and Vairagya (Non-attachment to the unreal) crop up and
lead on the self-realization. Unless egoism is dropped,
avarice got rid of, and the mind made desireless (pure),
self-realization is not possible. The idea that 'I am the
body' is a great delusion, and attachment to this idea is
the cause of bondage. Leave off this idea and attachment
therefore, if you want to get to the Self-realization. (9)
The necessity of a Guru. The knowledge of the self is so
subtle and mystic, that no one could, by his own
individual effort ever hope to attain it. So the help of
another person-Teacher, who has himself got
self-realization is absolutely necessary. What others
cannot give with great labour and pains, can be easily
gained with the help of such a Teacher; for he has walked
on the path himself and can easily take the disciple, step
by step on the ladder of spiritual progress. (10) and
lastly the Lord's Grace is the most essential thing. When
the Lord is pleased with any body, He gives him Viveka and
Vairagya; and takes him safe beyond the ocean of mundane
existence, "The Self cannot be gained by the study of
Vedas, nor by intellect, nor by much learning. He, whom
the Self chooses, by him It is gained. To him the Self
reveals Its nature", says the Katha Upanishad.
After the
dissertation was over, Baba turned to the gentleman and
said - "Well sir, there is in your pocket the Brahma
(or Mammon) in the form of fifty-times five(Rs.250/-)
rupees; please take that out." The gentleman took out
from his pocket the bundle of currency notes, and to his
great surprise found, on counting them, that there were 25
notes of 10 rupees each, Seeing this ominiscience of Baba,
he was moved and fell at Baba's Feet and craved for His
blessings. Then Baba said to him, "Roll up your
bundle of Brahma viz. Currency notes. Unless you get rid
completely of your avarice or greed, your will not get the
real Brahma. How can be, whose mind is engrossed in
wealth, progeny and prosperity, expect to know the Brahma,
without removing away his attachment for the same? The
illusion of attachment or the love for money is a deep
eddy (whirlpool) of pain full of crocodiles in the form of
conceit and jealousy. He, who is desireless, can alone
cross this whirlpool. Greed and Brahma are as poles
asunder, they are eternally opposed to each other. Where
there is greed, there is no room for thought or meditation
of the Brahma. Then how can a greedy man get dispassion
and salvation? For a greedy man there is no peace, neither
contentment, nor certainty (steadiness). If there be even
a little trace of greed in mind, all the Sadhanas
(spiritual endeavors) are of no avail. Even the knowledge
of a well-read man, who is not free from the desire of the
fruit or reward of his actions, and who has got no disgust
for the same, is useless and can't help him in getting
self-realization. The teachings of a Guru are of no use to
a man, who is full of egoism, and who always thinks about
the sense-objects. Purification of mind is absolutely
necessary; without it, all our spiritual endeavors are
nothing, but useless show and pomp. It is, therefore,
better for one to take only what he can digest and
assimilate. My treasury is full, and I can give anyone,
what he wants, but I have to see whether he is qualified
to receive what I give. If you listen to Me carefully, you
will be certainly benefited. Sitting in this Masjid, I
never speak any untruth."
When a
guest is invited to a house, all the members of the
household and other friends and relations that happen to
be present, are entertained, along with the guest. So all
those that were present in the Masjid at this time, could
partake of the spiritual feast, that was served by Baba
for the rich gentleman. After getting Baba's blessings,
one and all, including the gentleman left the place quite
happy and contented.
Special
Characteristic of Baba
There
are many Saints, who leaving their houses, stay in forest,
caves or hermitages and remaining in solitude, try to get
liberation or salvation for themselves. They do not care
for other people, and are always self-absorbed. Sai Baba
was not of such a type. He had no home, no wife, no
progency, nor any relations, near or distant. Still, He
lived in the world (society). He begged His bread from
four or five houses, always lived at the foot of the (Neem)
tree, carried on wordly dealings, and taught all the
people how to act. and behave in this world. Rare are the
Sadhus and Saints who, after attaining God-vision, strive
for the welfare of the people. Sai Baba was the foremost
of these and, therefore, says Hemadpant.
"Blessed
is the country, blessed is the family, and blessed are the
chaste parents where This extraordinary, transcendent,
precious and pure jewel (Sai Baba) was born."
Bow
to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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