Austerity

Austerity

In Shri Sai Satcharitra, Chapter XIV it is said that Baba always used to get wild and scolded those who brought costly & rich articles.

He had told Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar that His property consisted of1 Koupin (codpiece), 1 stray piece of cloth, 1 Kafni & a Tumbler, and that all the people troubled Him by bringing all these unnecessary, useless and costly articles."

Baba also never allowed Mahalsapati to accept any money or gifts

that devotees who came to see Baba showered on him. Baba kept him poor in Kind, but rich in his Spiritual Heart. Baba gifted him the supreme Bliss, much more valuable than any physical and transitory richness.

But, Baba always preferred Simplicity and was very much against the display of one's Wealth or power. He never gathered any sort of wealth except for the Love of his devotees.

 And today, devotees in love and gratitude for Baba, offer Gold / Silver and other Precious items to Baba. So much so that, everything has now been covered in Gold, be it Baba's Throne, his Chariot or the Walls & Pillars of his Samadhi's sanctum sanctorum. In a way, Baba has now been immersed in all the things for which he stood against.

I am also reminded of what Sri Sathya Sai Baba used to say, " When Pradarshan is there , there is no Darshan." and " When you hear the sound of a coin, I will not be there'" . That is why in Parthi you will not find till date a single Hundi.


As Devotees where are we failing?, Think and the answer will be very visible.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Chinna Katha -11

The Three Best Things.


A king used to ask three questions of all people who came to him. The first question was: 1. who is the best of persons? The second was: 2. what is the best time and the third, 3. what is the best of all actions? The king was very anxious to know the answers to these questions. One day, he went to the forest and was moving about the hills and plains. He saw an 'âs'ram' and wanted to take some rest there. By the time the king reached the âs'ram, a sadhu was watering some plants. The sadhu saw that the king was rather tired, stopped watering the plants, ran up to the king and gave him some fruits and cool water. At that time, an individual wounded all over the body was brought to the âs'ram by another sadhu. As soon as the sadhu saw this, he went to the individual, cleaned all his wounds and gave him some herbs which could cure the wounds. He was also telling him sweet words which could console the person. The king wanted to express his gratitude and take leave of him. The sadhu blessed the king but the king was still troubled by his three questions and wanted to see if the sadhu could enlighten him on that matter. The sadhu stated that the answers to the three questions were contained in the actions which the king had witnessed in the âs'ram. The sadhu said that when the king came to the âs'ram he was watering the plants and that was his duty. At that time, on seeing the king the sadhu had given up his duty and come to the king and gave him water and fruit. This was in accordance with correct traditions, as the king was his guest. While relieving the king of his thirst and suffering, another injured individual had come to the âs'ram and therefore the sadhu had given up the duty of serving the king and went to the other individual and began serving him. Whoever comes seeking service from you is the best individual at that time. Whatever satisfaction you can give him by serving him will be the best work you can do. The present, when you can do something, is the most sacred of all times.


Sai in chinna Katha

Chinna Katha -5

There was once a boy, who picked up a precious gem, bright and round, and used it for playing marbles on the road, with his comrades. A merchant dealing in precious stones chanced to pass along that road, and his discerning eye fell on the gem. He approached the boy, took him aside and offered to pay him fifty rupees in exchange. If the boy could know the value of fifty rupees he would have known the value of the gem! He went to his mother and told her that a stranger had tempted him with fifty rupees in return for the marble he played with. She was surprised that it was so costly and she said, "Do not go at the compound with it; play in the garden with your friend". When the value was revealed, limits were set.

The merchant had no sleep that night, he was planning to secure the gem from those simple folk, so that he could sell it at a huge profit to some millionaire or mahârâja. He discovered the house of the boy and moved up and down that road hoping to see the boy. When he saw the boy play with it, as it was as cheap as a marble, his heart was wrung in agony. The boy threw it on the floor; his mother emerged just at the moment from the inner apartments and it struck her foot and fell under the bush. He spoke to the boy asking for the gem in exchange for a hundred rupees, and again for five hundred rupees! The son ran into the house in tears, complaining about the stranger who would not let him alone. The mother came out into the garden and begged the merchant to go away.

The merchant grasped the chance; he told the mother that he was ready to give a thousand rupees on the spot, if the marble was placed in his hand! On hearing this, she forbade the child to play with it outside the house; he could play only within the rooms. The merchant could not be shooed off like that; he appeared the next day in front of the house; he held out ten thousand rupees as his offer for the marble. The mother refused to part with it but kept it now in an iron safe, under lock and key! When the merchant came the next day with fifty thousand rupees she took it to a bank and deposited it in their safety vaults.

You are also playing marbles with the name of God unaware of its value. Once you realize its worth, you will keep it in your heart of hearts as the most precious treasure. Know that the name is the key to success in your search for consolation, confidence, courage, illumination and liberation.
Sai in Chinna Katha.

Dakshinamurthy

SILENCE IS THE TRUE SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION

Once a devotee came to visit Bagawan Sai Baba and said that the great Sages of the past had travelled extensively preaching the Truth and thus had served the world at large. Similarly, if Bhagavan were to travel thus it would be beneficial to many. Smilingly, Bhagawan replied, that His being settled in one place is also beneficial and narrated the following story.

“Brahma, the Lord of Creation, once lost interest in the work of creation and thought of taking to a life of tapas (penance). So, out of his mind he created Sanaka, Sanatkumaru, Sanandana and Sanatsujata, with the intention to hand over to them his job in the course of time. They grew up and mastered all of the branches of study. Brahma then decided to hand over to them his job and to retire. Sage Narada came to know of his father’s intention. Since Narada knew that his brothers were full of dispassion and fit to be initiated into the path of Self-knowledge, he decided to warn them beforehand of Brahma’s intention. On hearing this, the four brothers, who had no intention to follow the path of action, left home in search of a Guru without informing their father. They all proceeded to Vaikunta, the abode of Vishnu. There they saw Lakshmi sitting on Vishnu’s couch massaging His feet. On seeing this, they thought, “How can this family man bound by the intimate glance of his consort render us any help in learning adhyatma-vidya (Knowledge of the Self). Look at the splendour of this palace and this city! This is enough. Let us seek the help of Lord Siva”.

Lord Siva, who was in Kailas with His family, knew beforehand about their coming and understood their plight. He was sure that they would be disappointed on seeing him with a family, so taking pity on them, He decided to impart spiritual knowledge to them. The kind-hearted Lord, left Mount Kailas and taking the youthful form of Dakshinamurti, seated Himself with Chinmudra (lotus position), under a Banyan tree on the Northern side of Lake Manasarovar, just on the way by which these disappointed devotees were returning to their respective homes.
When they came and sat before Him, He went into samadhi (Absorption in the self). He was in Perfect Repose. Silence prevailed. They saw Him. The effect was immediate. They fell into samadhi and their doubts were cleared.

Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa. It is suited only for the most advanced. Others are unable to draw full inspiration from it. Therefore they require words to explain the Truth. But Truth is beyond words. It does not admit or explain. It merely indicates the truth through self-discovery.”


-story told to devotees by Shri Sathya Sai Baba

Master the mind and be the Mastermind.

The mind must become the servant of the intellect, not the slave of the senses. It must discriminate and detach itself from the body. Like the ripe tamarind fruit, which becomes loose inside the shell, it must be unattached to this shell or casement which is the body. Strike a green tamarind fruit with a stone and you cause harm to the pulp inside. But do this to a ripe fruit and what happens? It is the dry rind that falls off, nothing affects the pulp or the seed. The ripe aspirant does not feel the blow of fate or fortune. It is the unripe man, who is wounded by every blow. So too, your ignorance must fall off through your own efforts. It will not come to you as a gift or miracle. Truth, Bliss and Peace that is won by your own struggle with untruth and injustice will be the lasting treasure for you. - SAI

Give up the attachment to the Body

For those of us who are upset and greiving about Swami's Body's current situation, I have a few questions.

1. Who is Swami?

This is a question for which even Gods do not have an answer , then how can we with impunity construe that Swami is the body and that He is suffering. Though we might not be able to fathom Swami's true nature we can with certanity say that He is not the body. Sai himself has told many times that if we restrict Him to the 5 odd feet of body in Parthi , then we are tying him up.

How many of us have innumerable experiences of Swami in the astral form? Is that in any way lesser than the physical interviews one might receive? How mmany of us are able to spend years with him in the physical frame? As for me My darshan of Swami was 45 years back as a eight year old, but I have absolute faith that my relationship with swami dates back to much earler births. If at all anything has been learnt by me in these 45 physical years with Swami is the truth that He is not the Body and neither are we.

Take any chapter in any vahini, and the underlying message is the same," Give up attachment to the ephemeral and stick to the eternal" .

Brothers and Sisters ,Let us do the same. Our Guru and God has taught us the essence of Veda and the vedantha, let us not act like the rest, wailing and weeping and displaying our waekness. Let us be silent and a recipient of Grace . There are innumerable statements by Devotees, which are very laughable as their attachment to the Body and misconception of the atmatatwa shows. When swami himself has told us innumerable times , When my Anugraha is there, what can the Navagrahas do? We in our anxiety are giving credence to Astrolagers predictions concerning Swami's Longeivity.

I would like to recall here Swami's own discourse On His physical health.

"Many of you are anxious thinking that Swami is not keeping good health


over the last few days. In fact, My health is very good. Real health is not

related to the body. As you equate Swami with this physical frame, it

appears as though Swami is not well. Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati (as is the

feeling, so is the result). Do not identify Me with this physical body. I am

not Dehaswarupa (body), I am Dehi (the indweller). There is no difference

between you and Me. I have all powers in Me. But you are deluded seeing

My physical form. Whatever I am doing is only to satisfy the doctors and

other devotees. As a matter of fact, there is no trace of ill-health in Me. I

am always healthy. Not only today, till 96 years I will be like this. I

can do whatever I want. But those who go by the physical form think that

Swami is ageing. Youth and old age are related to the body and not to

Me. I am always the same. I can do anything. However, this body is

yours. This has come for your sake. You can change it the way you like. If

you think that Swami is strong and healthy, yes so He is. There is no

weakness in Me. My angas (limbs) may appear to be weak. But I am not

Angaswarupa, I am Atmaswarupa. Wherever you may go, worship God as

Atmaswarupa. Do not identify Him with an Akara (form). Give up body

consciousness and develop Atmic awareness. Only when you lead a

spiritual life, will you be able to visualize the Atmaswarupa. If you identify

Me with the body, I cannot walk even two steps. Do not think about the

Akara. Have faith that I am the Atmaswarupa. Then I will always remain

healthy. "

Date: 05 Oct 2003, Occasion: Vijayadashami, Place: Prasanthi Nilayam

(Sathya Sai Speaks - Vol 36. Chapter 14. Give Up Dehabhimana, Develop

Atmabhiman)



Jai Sairam.

Be silent, Be Strong. Only Strong faith is required. The rest will be Done by HIm.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Silence

I insist on silence. Talk less, talk low when you must talk. Do not thrust your sorrows, your needs, your problems into the ears of those who have come here with their own bundle of such things. They are not interested in adding to their troubles. I am here to listen to you, to console you. Do not by loudness of voice disturb those who are meditating or reading or writing the Name of God.

Spend a few mins every morning and evening in the silence of your own shrine or home; spend them with the highest of all the powers that you know of. Be in His elevating and inspiring company; worship Him mentally; offer unto Him all the work you do; u will come out of the silence nobler and more heroic than when you went in.


The old man had seen people carrying transistor radios, people miss a very valuable thing if they do not listen in, even while they are moving about or resting in the parks or beach! They are afraid of being alone; they avoid silence as something detestable! But, you can discover your own truth, only when you are alone with yourself and there is silence all around you.


Be silent yourself, that will induce silence in others. Do not fall into the habit of shouting, talking long and loud. Reduce contacts to the minimum. Carry with you an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be.


The less you talk, the more will become your mental power. With the increase in your mental capacity, there will be increase in your power of discrimination too. Consequently, you will give up "individual discrimination". Because of this, you will begin to consider the good of the world at large rather than your own individual welfare. You must cultivate such broad feelings from this young age itself.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

#SriSathyaSai

The significance of Gurusthan in Shirdi

Sri Sai Baba had thus stayed under the Neem tree for some time. Later Nanasaheb Dengle prayed to him to stay in the Masjid. Baba acceded to his request and started living in the Masjid from then on.
Once when Baba was living under the Neem tree, a remarkable thing happened. Some devotees were sitting in front of him with their hands joined in respect. Sri Sai Baba said, "There is a samadhi here. Harm will accrue to those who dig it out. Let no one dig here ever." One amongst those who was seated there said, "Baba, this is the burial ground of Muslims. There will be many samadhis here. What is so surprising about it? "Another said, "This is not the burial ground of the Muslims. That is a little far off." Another said, "No, even this place is a part of the burial ground. In the past there may have been some samadhis here too. Recently when this place was dug one grave was found here." In this manner, the people these started arguing with each other. Sri Sai Baba stopped them from arguing with each other and said, "Let us leave arguments and discussions to those interested in the study of logic and philosophy. Nothing accrues from argument. Arguments have no place in the pure path of devotion. Fire and water mixed and as a result this earth was created. A part of the almighty became the life. All the living beings in the world come from the earth. That earth again becomes earth on joining the earth. It could be here or there; the soil of every place must have had the body of some man or animal, which must have formed it after their death. In this way one may say that this vast earth itself is a burial ground. Remember this truth."
In the past, Kabir the great mahatma left his body on the banks of the holy Ganga. At that time the Hindus and Moslems had great differences of opinion about his burial. Each claimed that great mahatma as their own and began to fight for the honour of burying him in accordance with their own faiths. Kabir thought of an idea to solve this impasse. He made his body change into basil leaves, Jasmine flowers and the leaves of the millet. The wit of the mahatmas devoted to the almighty is such that they can satisfy everyone.
The Hindus took away the basil leaves that they consider sacred, for burial as a representation of Kabir's body in a procession. The Moslems took the millet and jasmine away in a procession for burial. This has been elaborated in the books "Bhakti Mala" and 'Bhakta Vijayam' written by Mahipati. It may be the will of the almighty that the last rites, which were not done properly or completely in that incarnation, should be done properly in this incarnation.
What a great mahatma was Kabir who had the same reverence for Sri Rama Chandra, Allah-I-llahi and Parvardhigar.
The Hindus who had taken the basil leaves as representative of Kabir's body, took them in a procession and in accordance with the Hindu sastras mixed them in the water of the holy Ganga. We see even today this practice being continued. It is not the custom to build a samadhi for one whose body has been immersed in the Ganga. This is why we do not see a samadhi for Kabir on the banks of the Ganga.
The Jasmine flowers and millet leaves taken by the Moslems were taken all over the country and samadhi's were built for Kabir in those places keeping the leaves and flowers in them.
In the days of Kabir the whole country was covered by Moslem states both big and small. The Nawabs were governing the country from Hastinapur. That Hastinapur is the present day Delhi. At that time, a Moslem of these parts had gone to Delhi on some work. On his return, he went to Varanasi on some other work. At the time he reached Kasi the dispute about the last rites of Kabir was raging between Hindus and Moslems. He too joined with the Muslims and took one millet leaf as a prasad of Kabir. He brought it here and built a samadhi for Kabir. Do not doubt what I say, "The one who looked upon Hindus and Muslims with an equal eye - the incomparable Kabirdas is my Guru. I know very well what happened at that time. That is why I have decided to live near this samadhi. It is beyond my capacity to describe the extents of the divine power of this samadhi. Who so ever cleans this place on Thursdays and Fridays and applies fragrant incense will be blessed by the almighty," said Baba!
(Source: "Sri Sai Gurucharithra" by Santkavi Sri Dasganu Maharaj. Translated from the Original version written in Telugu by Sri SVL with an Introductory Preface by Sri Sainathuni Sarathbabuji)