Chapter
XXXIX & L
Baba's
Knowledge of Sanskrit
His
Interpretation of a Verse from Gita - Construction of the
Samadhi Mandir.
This
chapter (39) deals with Baba's interpretation of a verse
from the Bhagawad-Gita. As some people believed that Baba
knew not Sanskrit, and the interpretation was Nanasaheb
Chandorkar's, Hemadpant wrote another chapter (50)
refuting that objection. As the chapter No.50 deals with
the same subject-matter, it is incorporated in this
chapter.
Preliminary
Blessed
is Shirdi and blessed is Dwarkamayi where Shri Sai lived
and moved until He took Mahasamadhi. Blessed are the
people of Shirdi whom He obliged and for whom He came such
long distance. Shirdi was a small village first, but it
attained great importance, on account of His contact and
became a Tirtha, holy place of pilgrimage. Equally blessed
are the womenfolk of Shirdi, blessed is their whole and
undivided faith in Him. They sang the glories of Baba
while bathing, grinding, pounding corn and doing other
house-hold work. Blessed is their love, for they sang
sweet songs which calm and pacify the minds of the singers
and listeners.
Baba's
Interpretation
Nobody
believed that Baba knew Sanskrit. One day He surprised all
by giving a good interpretation of a verse from the Gita
to Nanasaheb Chandorkar. A brief account about this matter
was written by Mr.B.V.Deo, Retired Mamlatdar and published
in Marathi in 'Shri Sai Leela' magazine, Vol IV. Sphuta
Vishaya, page 563. Short accounts of the same are also
published in 'Sai Baba's Charters and Sayings' page 61 and
in 'The Wondrous Saint Sai Baba', page 36 - both by
Brother B.V.Narsimhaswami. Mr.B.V.Deo has also given an
English version of this in his statement dated 27-9-1936
and published on page 66 of "Devotees' Experiences,
Part III" published by the said Swami. As Mr.Deo has
got first hand information about this Subject from
Nanasaheb himself we give below his version.
Nanasaheb
Chandorkar was a good student of Vedanta. He had read Gita
with commentaries and prided himself on his knowledge of
all that. He fancied that Baba knew nothing of all this or
of Sanskrit. So, Baba one day pricked the bubble. These
were the days before crowds flocked to Baba, when Baba had
solitary talks at the Mosque with such devotees. Nana was
sitting near Baba and massaging His Legs and muttering
something.
Baba -
Nana, what are you mumbling yourself?
Nana -
Iam reciting a shloka (verse) from Sanskrit.
Baba -
What shloka?
Nana -
From Bhagawad-Gita
Baba -
Utter it loudly.
Nana then
recited B.G.IV-34 which is as follows :-
'Tadviddhi
Pranipatena Pariprashnena Sevaya,
Upadekshyanti
Te Jnanam Jnaninastattwadarshinah'
Baba -
Nana, do you understand it?
Nana -
Yes.
Baba - If
you do, then tell me.
Nana - It
means this - "Making Sashtanga Namaskar, i.e.,
prostration, questioning the guru, serving him, learn what
this Jnana is. Then, those Jnanis that have attained the
real knowledge of the Sad-Vastu (Brahma) will give you
upadesha (instruction) of Jnana."
Baba -
Nana, I do not want this sort of collected purport of the
whole stanza. Give me each word, its grammatical force and
meaning.
Then Nana
explained it word by word.
Baba -
Nana, is it enough to make prostration merely ?
Nana - I
do not know any other meaning for the word 'pranipata'
than 'making prostration'.
Baba -
What is 'pariprashna'?
Nana -
Asking questions.
baba -
What does 'Prashna' mean?
Nana -
The same (questioning).
Baba - If
'pariprashna' means the same as prashna (question), why
did Vyasa add the prefix 'pari'? Was Vyasa off his head?
Nana - I
do not know of any other meaning for the word 'pariprashna'.
Baba - 'Seva',
what sort of 'seva' is meant?
Nana -
Just what we are doing always
Baba - Is
it enough to render such service?
Nana - I
do not know what more is signified by the word 'seva'.
Baba - In
the next line "upadekshyanti te jnanam", can you
so read it as to read any other word in lieu of Jnanam?
Nana -
Yes.
Baba -
What word?
Nana -
Ajnanam.
Baba -
Taking that word (instead of Jnana) is any meaning made
out of the verse?
Nana -
No, Shankara Bhashya gives no such construction.
Baba -
Never mind if it does not. Is there any objection to using
the word "Ajnana" if it gives a better sense?
Nana - I
do not understand how to construe by placing "Ajnana"
in it.
Baba -
Why does Krishna refer Arjuna to Jnanis or Tattwadarshis
to do his prostration, interrogation and service? Was not
Krishna a Tattwadarshi, in fact Jnana himself.
Nana -
Yes He was. But I do not make out why he referred Arjuna
to Jnanis?
Baba -
Have you not understood this?
Nana was
humiliated. His pride was knocked on the head. Then Baba
began to explain -
(1) It is
not enough merely to prostrate before the Jnanis. We must
make Sarvaswa Sharangati (complete surrender) to the
Sad-guru.
(2) Mere
questioning is not enough. The question must not be made
with any improper motive or attitude or to trap the Guru
and catch at mistakes in the answer, or out of idle
curiosity. It must be serious and with a view to achieve
moksha or spiritual progress.
(3) Seva
is not rendering service, retaining still the feeling that
one is free to offer or refuse service. One must feel that
he is not the master of the body, that the body is Guru's
and exists merely to render service to him.
If this
is done, the Sad-guru will show you what the Janna
referred to in the previous stanza is.
Nana did
not understand what is meant by saying that a guru teaches
ajnana.
Baba -
How is Jnana Upadesh, i.e., imparting of realization to be
effected? Destroying ignorance is Jnana. (cf.
Verse-Ovi-1396 of Jnaneshwari commenting on Gita 18-66
says - "removal of ignorance is like this, Oh Arjuna,
If dream and sleep disappear, you are yourself. It is like
that." Also Ovi 83 on Gita V-16 says - "Is there
anything different or independent in Jnana besides the
destruction of ignornace?")* Expelling darkness means
light. Destroying duality (dwaita) means non-duality (adwaita).
Whenever we speak of destroying Dwaita, we speak of
Adwaita. Whenever we talk of destroying darkness, we talk
of light. If we have to realise the Adwaita state, the
feeling of Dwaita in ourselves has to be removed. That is
the realization of the Adwaita state. Who can speak of
Adwaita while remaining in Dwaita? If one did, unless one
gets into that state, how can one know it and realise it?
Again,
the Shishya (disciple) like the Sad-guru is really
embodiment of Jnana. The difference between the two lies
in the attitude, high realization, marvellous super-human
Sattva (beingness) and unrivalled capacity and Aishwarya
Yoga (divine powers). The Sad-guru is Nirguna, Sat-Chit-Ananda.
He has indeed taken human form to elevate mankind and
raise the world. But his real Nirguna nature is not
destroyed thereby, even a bit. His beingness (or reality),
divine power and widsom remain undiminished. The disciple
also is in fact of the same swarupa. But, it is overlaid
by the effect of the samaskaras of innumerable births in
the shape of ignorance, which hides from his view that he
is Shuddha Chaitanya (see B.G. Ch. V-15). As stated
therein, he gets the impressions - "Iam Jiva, a
creature, humble and poor." The Guru has to root out
these offshoots of ignorance and has to give upadesh or
instruction. To the disciple, held spell-bound for endless
generations by the ideas of his being a creature, humble
and poor, the Guru imparts in hundreds of births the
teaching - "You are God, you are mighty and
opulent." Then, he realizes a bit that he is God
really. The perpetual delusion under which the disciple is
labouring, that he is the body, that he is a creature (jiva)
or ego, that God (Paramatma) and the world are different
from him, is an error inherited from innumerable past
births. From actions based on it, he has derived his joy,
sorrows and mixtures of both. To remove this delusion,
this error, this root ignorance, he must start the
inquiry. How did the ignorance arise? Where is it? And to
show him this is called the Guru's upadesh. The following
are the instances of Ajnana :-
1 - I am
a Jiva (creature)
2 - Body
is the soul (I am the body).
3 - God,
world and Jiva are different.
4 - I am
not God.
5 - Not
knowing, that body is not the soul.
6 - Not
knowing that God, world and Jiva are one.
Unless
these errors are exposed to his view, the disciple cannot
learn what is God, jiva, world, body; how they are
inter-related and whether they are different from each
other, or are one and the same. To teach him these and
destroy his ignorance is this instruction in Jnana or
Ajnana. Why should Jnana be imparted to the jiva, (who is)
a Jnanamurti? Upadesh is merely to show him his error and
destroy his ignorance.
Baba
added :- (1) Pranipata implies surrender. (2) Surrender
must be of body, mind and wealth; Re: (3) Why should
Krishna refer Arjuna to other Jnanis? "Sadbhakta
takes every thing to be Vasudev (B.G.VII-19 i.e., any Guru
will be Krishna to the devotee) and Guru takes disciple to
be Vasudev and Krishna treats both as his Prana and Atma
(B.G.7-18, commentary of Jnanadev on this). As Shri
Krishna knows that there are such Bhaktas and Gurus, He
refers Arjuna to them so that their greatness may increase
and be known.
Construction
of the Samadhi-Mandir
Baba
never talked, nor ever made any fuss about the things
which He wanted to accomplish, but He so skillfully
arranged the circumstances and surroundings that the
people were surprised at the slow but sure results
attained. The construction of the Samadhi-mandir is an
instance in point. Shriman Bapusaheb Booty, the famous
multi-millionaire of Nagpur lived in Shirdi whith his
family. Once an idea arose in his mind that he should have
a building of his own there. Sometimes after this, while
he was sleeping in Dixit's Wada, he got a vision. Bava
appeared in his dream and ordered him to build a Wada of
his own with temple. Shama who was sleeping there, got
also a similar vision. When Bapusaheb was awakened, he saw
Shama crying and asked him why. The latter replied that in
his vision Baba came close to him and ordered distinctly -
"Build the Wada with the temple. I shall fulfill the
desires of all. Hearing the sweet and loving words of
Baba, I was overpowered with emotion, my throat was
choked, my eyes were overflowing with tears, and I began
to cry." Bapusaheb was surprised to see that both
their visions tallied. Being a rich and capable man, he
decided to build a Wada there and drew up a plan with
Madhavarao (Shama). Kakasaheb Dixit also approved of it.
And when it was placed before Baba, He also sanctioned it
immediately. Then the construction-work was duly started
and under the supervision of Shama, the ground floor, the
cellar and the well were completed. Baba also on his way
to and from Lendi suggested certain improvements. Further
work was entrusted to Bapusaheb Jog and when it was going
on, an idea struck Bapusaheb Booty's mind that there
should be an open room or platform and in the centre the
image of Murlidhar (Lord Krishna with the flute) be
installed. He asked Shama to refer this matter to Baba and
get His consent. The latter asked Baba about this when He
was just passing by the Wada. Hearing Shama, Baba gave His
consent saying, "after the temple is complete I will
come there to stay" and staring at the Wada He added
- "after the Wada is complete, we shall use it
ourselves, we shall live, move and play there, embrace
each other, and be very happy." Then Shama asked Baba
whether this was the auspicious time to begin the
foundation-work of the central room of the Shrine. The
latter answered in the affirmative. Shama got a coconut
broke it and started the work. In due time the work was
completed and an order was also given for making a good
image of Murlidhar. But before it was ready, a new thing
turned up. Baba became seriously ill and was about to pass
away. Bapusaheb became very sad and dejected, thinking
that if Baba passed away, his Wada would not be
consecrated by the holy touch of Baba's Feet, and all his
money (about a lakh of rupees) would be wasted away. But
the words "Place or keep Me in the Wada" which
came out of Baba's mouth just before His passing away,
consoled not only Bapusaheb, but one and all. In due time
Baba's holy body was placed and preserved in the central
shrine meant or designed for Murlidhar and Baba Himself
became Murlidhar and the Wada thus became the
Samadhi-mandir of Sai Baba. His wonderful life is
unfathomable.
Blessed
and fortunate is Bapusaheb Booty in whose Wada lies the
holy and the pure body of Baba.
Bow
to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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