Chapter 34, Leela 2: Dr. Pillay

Leela:

One Dr. Pillay was an intimate Bhakta of Baba. He was much liked by Baba, Who always called him Bhau (brother). Baba talked with him off and on and consulted him in all matters and wanted him always at His side. This Pillay suffered once very badly from guinea-worms. He said to Kakasaheb Dixit, "The pain is most excruciating and unbearable. I prefer death to it. This pain, I know, is for repaying past Karma, but go to Baba and tell Him to stop the pain and transfer the working of my past Karma to ten future births of mine." Mr. Dixit went to Baba and told Him his request. Then Baba, being moved by his request, said to Dixit,"Tell him to be fearless. Why should he suffer for ten births? In ten days he can work out the sufferings and consequences of his past Karma. While I am here to give him temporal and spiritual welfare, why should he pray for death? Bring him here on somebody's back and let us work and finish his sufferings once for all". 

The doctor was brought in that condition and was seated on Baba's right side,where Fakir Baba always sat. Baba gave him His bolster and said,"Lie calmly here and be at ease. The true remedy is, that the result of past actions has to be suffered and got over. Our Karma is the cause of our happiness and sorrow; therefore put up with whatever comes to you. Allah (God) is the sole Dispenser and Protector, always think of Him. He will take care of you. Surrender to His feet with body, mind, wealth and speech, i.e. completely and then see what He does." Dr. Pillay said in return that Nanasaheb had put a bandage over the leg, but he found no relief. "Nana is a fool" replied Baba. "Take off that bandage or else you will die. Now a crow will come and peck you, and then you will recover." 

While this conversation was going on, one Abdul, who always cleaned the Masjid and trimmed the lamps, turned up. While he was attending to his work of training, his foot accidentally fell upon the stretched leg of Dr. Pillay. The leg was already swollen and when Abdul's foot fell upon it and pressed it, all the seven guinea-worms were squeezed out at once. The pain was unbearable and Dr. Pillay bawled out loudly. After some time, he calmed down and began to sing and cry alternately. Then Pillay enquired when the crow was coming and peeking. Baba said, "Did you not see the crow? He won't come again. Abdul was the crow. Now go and rest yourself in the Wada and you will be soon allright."

By application of the Udi and by taking it in the stomach with water, and without taking any other treatment or medicine, the disease was completely cured in ten days as predicted by Baba.   

 Shri Sai Satcharita, The wonderful life and teachings of Shri Sai Baba, Translated by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji (Mumbai: Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi, 20^th Edition 2002), p183

Teachings from Leela

1. Baba can reduce the effects of your Karma and help you manage your suffering 
   Unless we completely burn out all the influences of karma, be it good or bad, we won’t be able to merge with God.
   
   Even though Dr. Pillay knew he had to suffer due to his past karmas, he asked Baba for help, who gave him the strength to endure his unbearable suffering and pain by bringing him under his protection. Baba helped him burn his past karma in this birth even though Dr. Pillay wanted to take his karma forward in the next ten births. Baba gave him hope by ensuring him that his suffering is only going to last for 10 days and helped him tolerate and overcome the pain     
   
   
2. Divert your mind towards Baba to give you hope and strength 
   Baba said to Dr. Pillay, “Now a crow will come and peck you, and then you will recover.". This diverted his mind from thinking about his pain. He spent his time anticipating the arrival of the crow to come and peck him. Just then Abdul’s foot accidentally fell upon his leg and all the seven guinea-worms were squeezed out at once. Of course, he screamed loudly as the pain was unbearable for a few moments, but when the pain receded he enquired as to when the crow was coming. Baba, with his characteristic sense of humour, said "Did you not see the crow? He won't come again. Abdul was the crow. Now go and rest yourself in the Wada and you will be soon allright.". 
    

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1.    Baba can reduce the effects of your Karma and help you manage your suffering 

When one is going through difficulties or challenges in life, it helps to recall this leela and think about Baba’s guidance on how to cope. In everyone’s life there are ups and downs and in those down times, we all suffer the effects of our past karmas, but Baba can help reduce the effects of our past karmas. Meditate and pray to him on a regular basis and have faith in him. He will surely take care of us.

2.    Divert your mind towards Baba to give you hope and strength 
At certain times in life, when the challenges in front of you are too much to cope with, it is best to divert your mind by focusing it towards Baba and surrendering whole-heartedly to him. This will divert your mind and at the same time give you the hope and strength that is inherent in him.

I would encourage all of you to please share your interpretations, learnings and experiences on how you have put this leela into practice.

Om Sai Ram.

Chapter 28, Leela 2: Sanza

Leela:

At noon when Lakhamichand was sitting for meals he got some sanza (wheat-pudding) from a devotee as Prasad. He was pleased to have it. Next day also he expected it, but got nothing. So, he was anxious to get it again. Then on the third day at the noon Arati time, Bapusaheb Jog asked Baba, what naivedya he should bring. Baba told him to bring sanza. Then the Bhaktas brought two big potfuls of sanza. Lakshamichand was very hungry and there was some pain in his back. Then Baba said to him - "It is good that you are hungry, take sanza and some medicine for the pain in the back." He was again wonderstruck to see that Baba again read his mind and spoke out what was passing therein. How omniscient was He!  

Shri Sai Satcharita, The wonderful life and teachings of Shri Sai Baba, Translated by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji (Mumbai: Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi, 20^th Edition 2002), p148.

Teachings from Leela:

1)    Since bad thoughts create bad karma, it is important to purify your mind.

Our mind produces all kinds of thoughts. Mind is the origin of action since every action begins with a thought. Bad thought results in bad action which leads to bad karma. Even if there is no action from the thought, the thought creates bad karma.

Through this leela Baba demonstrated to us that he is aware of each thought in our mind. He did this to make people aware that they should cleanse their minds of bad thoughts.

Baba wanted us to understand how important it is to purify our mind. The reason why Baba displays his omniscience is not to show off his ability to read our minds but to make us aware that we need to be careful with our thoughts just as much as our outward behaviour. It is not enough to show outward behaviour of being nice, polite and friendly but inward have desires, anger, jealously, greed, hatred and negativity towards others.

This is also an important step to prepare your mind for more advanced teachings. In our ancient teachings, there is a story of a man who approached a learned sadhu to teach him Atma Vidya. The sadhu asked him to prepare a meal and that he would come in the afternoon. When the sadhu arrived, and gave him the bhiksha patra, the man saw that the patra was very dirty and asked the guru, “how could I put fresh clean food in this dirty vessel?”. The sadhu replied, “how could someone with and unclean mind accept Atma Vidya?”. 

Note: This teaching can also be found in the following leela(s):

                           https://at-the-feet-of-baba.blogspot.ca/2017/02/chapter-28-leela-3-evil-eye.html

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1)    Since bad thoughts create bad karma, it is important to purify your mind.

Start observing yourself for both bad thought and bad action. If you catch yourself with a bad thought just dismiss it or replace it with a good thought. If you catch yourself doing a wrong action, for example getting angry, stop immediately. You will find that with consistent practice, the time it takes for you to catch yourself with a bad thought or bad action will get shorter and shorter.

Note: This teaching can also be found in the following leela(s):

                           https://at-the-feet-of-baba.blogspot.ca/2017/02/chapter-28-leela-3-evil-eye.html

 I would encourage all of you to please share your interpretations, learnings and experiences on how you have put this leela into practice.

Om Sai Ram.

Chapter 5, Leela 4: Baba’s Dress and Daily Routine

Summary of Leela

Baba used to carry two unbaked pitchers filled with water to a barren land, and break them there. This course went on for 3 years; and with Sai Baba’s toil and labour, there grew a flower-garden which is now known as Lendi Baug.   

Shri Sai Satcharita, The wonderful life and teachings of Shri Sai Baba, Translated by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji (Mumbai: Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi, 20^th Edition 2002), p25.

Teachings from Leela

1. A small effort, done with dedication on a regular basis, can achieve great results over time.
   
   This leela had such a tremendous impact on me that it inspired me to start writing a book. When contemplating upon it the thought came to me that Baba had conveyed to his devotees a valuable lesson in such a simple way.
   
   Baba converted barren land and made it fertile by this simple act. Similarly, in everyday life, if we want to accomplish something or change our distressed situation we can add a simple positive activity into our day towards that goal. Over time, we be surprised at how this simple act performed with dedication can lead tremendous positive results. This applies to our spiritual development too.     
   
   
2. Prepare the soil before planting the garden.
   
   The word barren means not being able to produce or being incapable of producing fruit. This means that even if you sow any amount of seeds on a barren land you will not be able to see results.
   
   In this leela Baba is trying to teach us to first care for the soil before planting seeds which will bear fruit. By adding the clay from the broken pots to the land, he was preparing the soil. Only after he had prepared the soil over three years, could he add seeds that would grow into a garden. In the same way a mind full of negative attributes is not ready for spiritual thoughts. It needs to be first prepared so that the spiritual knowledge planted within it could thrive and grow. 

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1.    A small effort, done with dedication on a regular basis, can achieve great results over time.

Albert Einstein said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.  Start with a small change in your life.

Start as small as you can, and do that small thing every day.

The reasons we resist change is because change means more work to an already overburdened life, and because we fear failure. 

Here is a small example on how we can start small and achieve great results: 
According to Livestrong website, Losing 1 pound of body weight weekly is not only safe, but it helps you keep lost weight off for the long term, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To achieve a weekly weight loss of 1 pound, reducing your current calorie intake by 500 daily is often effective. For example, if you normally eat 2,000 calories daily, consume 1,500 calories a day to shed 1 pound per week.

You can start small and reduce your calorie intake by 250 daily and achieve the same results over 2 weeks instead of one.

Another way to do this is to reduce your calorie intake by 125 calories and expend the other 125 calories per day by boosting physical activity. 

2.    Prepare the soil before planting the garden.

Simply observe your thoughts in daily life and during meditation: It is extremely important to know that you can do much of the witnessing practice in daily life right in the middle of your other activities. You will surely want to do this at meditation time as well, but tremendous progress can be made without having to set aside a single minute of extra time for this practice. You can do this while you are doing selfless service to others.

How to witness? Imagine you are a ticket taker at a theater and there is a long line of people coming into the theater. What do you do as a ticket taker? Wouldn’t you turn to the next person in line, and maybe say “Next!” as you greet, accept and acknowledge that person as well? The previous person will just move on automatically. This is exactly what we must do with individual thoughts standing in line to come forward into our minds.

To quiet thoughts by trying to stop them would be like trying to stop the line of theater-goers from coming in the door. The line will back up; people might get pretty upset and start to cause trouble. Instead of blocking thoughts, take the attitude of inviting them to come: “Next…. Next…. Next…”. Then let them go by. 

Witnessing the flow of mind brings a peaceful state of mind, which allows the deeper aspects of meditation and Samadhi to unfold.

I found these useful articles (see links below) which explains very beautifully how we may prepare the soil of our soul to grow the garden of spirituality.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/09/observe-accept-your-thoughts-but-you-dont-have-to-follow-them/

http://www.swamij.com/inviting.htm


Perform a small activity of charity on a weekly basis: Another practice, described in the Shrimad Bhagwat Gita as one of the paths to mukti, is Karma Yoga.

A small activity of charity, but with no expectation a reward (or even acknowledgement) in any form, is said to prepare one for deeper bhakti and jnana. Over time you will begin to see calmness and peace increase within you.  You will find yourself drawn to more spiritual endeavours.

I would encourage all of you to please share your interpretations, learnings and experiences on how you have put this leela into practice.

Om Sai Ram.

My Bulava

In 2005, when I was planning a trip to India a friend insisted that I include Shirdi in my plans. At that time, I did not know anything about Shirdi Sai Baba except that he was a saint. I was very reluctant to go as I was only there for a short visit and wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible.  I also felt I had to go as I had been firmly directed to do so, and didn’t want to end up with a lifetime of regret if something bad happened. Reluctantly, and not without a little anger, I agreed to go just this once.  Little did I know this was my “bulava” (calling).

When I got to Mumbai I found out that my brother had already arranged a private car and driver.  My sister and nephew joined us (including my husband and two sons), and the drive provided some of the best one-on-one time I had with my sister in years. When we were about to reach Shirdi, all of a sudden tears started rolling down my eyes and I said to myself “Baba I am coming”.  Never before in my entire life had I experienced this kind of emotion before visiting any temple. One amazing thing is that it was Baba’s Maha Samadhi divas when we first landed in Shirdi and I am starting this blog post on the same day, 11 years later.

I had another weird experience in Samadhi Mandir.  One of my friends had asked me to offer a red shawl to Baba and bring it back after offering. I agreed and when we approached the altar for darshan and gave the shawl to the priest for offering, the priest offered it, and when returning it to us another devotee just took it from his hand. I just stood there dumbfounded and at that moment, I instantly said in my mind, “Baba, look the shawl is gone, I need to take it back to my friend”. As soon as that thought came to mind, the priest asked that gentleman to return the shawl to me.  He did so and apologized for it.

Soon after returning from the trip, my husband and I noticed that the level of anxiety and worry in our minds had reduced.  We were experiencing peace of mind that we hadn’t ever experienced.  At that point we got involved in seva and found ourselves moving down the bhakti path with Baba.

Two years later, in 2007, Baba arranged us to meet a guru who over 5 years, taught us Vedanta, moving us down the Jnana path.  Our beloved guru Rita Nayar, who recently passed away at a very young age of 60 years due to ALS, was a remarkable and inspiring individual. She patiently and loving taught us Gita and Vedanta at her home.

It feels more and more as though we are now living in a different dimension and have gained tremendous inner peace and courage to face anything in life. In the past any little thing would upset and bother us, but now even if faced with very difficult circumstances, we find ourselves able to cope.  We have firm faith in Baba that he will take care of us that whatever challenges we are faced with shall pass. They eventually always do.

We feel so blessed that this trip to Shirdi propelled our journey on a spiritual path. I cannot thank my friend, Shammi Chopra, enough for introducing me to Baba. I am often amazed how since our first visit to Shirdi in 2005, Baba is guiding us every step of the way on the path of spirituality.

Om Sai Ram.

Who is this blog for?

This blog is intended for devotees who would like to go one step further, not just reading or listening to the Sai Satcharitra, but by attempting to systematically understand Baba’s teachings and by putting them into everyday practice.  

The purpose of this blog

Often I see devotees read or listen to the Sai Satcharitra parayan, but they do not contemplate upon the messages Baba is trying to convey to us via his leelas. If you contemplate then you will realise that each and every leela of Baba is trying to convey some important message to us. One such leela in the Sai Satcharitra inspired me to begin this task of compiling together all his teachings by systematically going through each leela. This Sai Satcharitra is an ocean filled with pearls of wisdom. The question is how deep can we all dive to find these hidden treasures. 

The purpose of this blog is to contemplate upon the teachings from each leela of Shirdi Sai Baba in the Sai Satcharitra, together with suggestions on how to use these teachings to enrich our spiritual lives.

This blog is an interpretation based on the following books: 

Shri Sai Satcharita by Govind Raghunath Dabholkar alias 'Hemadpant'
Adapted from the original Marathi in English by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji, B.A., L.L.B. .

The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, Translated by Indira Kher (a verse-by-verse translation of the Dabholkar’s complete Pothi into English)

Baba did not give any discourses or talk about philosophy, but he blessed his devotees with a tremendous store of knowledge, conveying it as leelas in very simple and rustic ways so that the village folk in Shirdi could benefit from them.

In our tradition, the process of learning is described to be in stages:

·         Sravanam: listening to the teachings

·         Mananam: reflecting upon the teachings and clearing one’s doubts

·         Nididhyasanam: contemplating on the teachings and making them one’s own

I do not expect to grasp and understand all of Baba’s messages.  This is where you, the reader, comes in. I would like to encourage you all to please read this blog on a regular basis and share your own thoughts, understanding and experiences with all your fellow travelers.

Via this blog, let us all come together and make an effort at the feet of Baba to, reflect upon and contemplate upon, what Baba is trying to teach us. My belief is that upon successful contemplation we will all be successful in obtaining this knowledge and incorporating it into our lives. 

NOTE: All the interpretations in this blog will be based on the Sai Satcharita, from either Gunaji or Indira Kher’s versions. The interpretations will be based only on Baba’s words or actions described in the leelas. No attempt will be made to explain Baba’s thinking when he was performing the actions or speaking the words. 

Om Sai Ram.

Glossary

 

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Anjan

It is an Ayurvedic medicine used in the treatment of eye disorders with infection.

Arati

Aarti is a Hindu religious ritual of worship by singing devotional songs sung in praise of the deity.

Atma Vidya

“atma” means self and “vidya” means knowledge. So atma vidya means Knowledge of the self; the highest form of spiritual-divine wisdom in Hinduism

Bhaktas

Religious devotees

Bhiksha Patra

“Bhiksha” means food obtained by a monk by begging for alms and “Patra” means a bowl used to carry the alms collected. So Bhiksha patra is a bowl used to beg for food.

Bhakti

Devotion and love towards God.

Buddhi

Buddhi means intellect. It is discriminating intelligence. Buddhi gives us the power to discriminate and decide what is good for us and what is not. It is the force behind our wisdom and our reactions to the outside world.

Chavadi

Chavadi means village meeting place, office, or court. Sai Baba is intimately connected with Chavadi, as he used to sleep here on alternate nights, during the last decade of his life.

Darbar

The court of a native ruler;the hall or place of audience.

Dharma

In Hinduism, dharma signifies the right way of living that are in conformity to religious law, custom, duty, or to one's own character; the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things.

Dhuni

Shirdi Sai Baba lit up a fire by his yogic powers which has been maintained ever since and is still burning. It is called Dhuni and the holy ashes emerging from it are called "udi".

Hakim

A physician using traditional remedies to cure diseases.

Kafni

Baba's regular worn attire (Kafni) was made of a coarse cloth. Baba used to wear white kafni. Baba lead a life of fakiri (poverty). His needs were few. Baba's attire states that philosophy and His kafni reflected this. His kafni was usually torn and tattered.

Karma

Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains the universal principle of cause and effect. Good intent and good action contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad action contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Karma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth. Karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.

Leela

Means a “play” or “episode”

Marg

Path or different ways to reach God. For example Bhakti marg is the path of devotion, Jnana marg is the path of knowledge.

Masjid

A mosque; a Muslim place of worship.

Moksha       

Liberation from the cycle of birth and death. This is the ultimate goal of Hinduism. It is achieved by overcoming ignorance and knowing your true self.

Mukti

One who is liberated and has achieved moksha.

Murti            

Typically refers to an statue or idol of God

Naivedya

a Sanskrit word meaning 'offering to God' in the stricter sense of the words. It could be any offering, tangible or intangible. A resolution, a promise or even a willingness to do, perform or restrict from certain things can also be connoted as offering to God.

Naivedyam

Naivedyam is usually food offering to a Hindu deity as part of a ritual worship. The food is placed before a deity and prayers are offered. Then the food is consumed as a holy offering.

Nandi

In Hinduism, Nandi, is the name for the bull which serves as the mount of the lord Shiva and as the gatekeeper of Shiva and Parvati.

Omnipotent:

All powerful. Capable of, literally, anything.

Omnipresent:

Existing everywhere. Present everywhere. This is a synonym for ubiquitous.

Omniscient:

All knowing. Containing the entirety of all knowledge of everything.

Prarthana-Samajist

a person who believes in Prarthana-Samaj, a movement for religious and social reform in India in the 1860s. Its early goals were opposition to the caste system, the introduction of widow remarriage, the encouragement of female education, and the abolition of child marriage.

Prasad

'Prasada' literally means a gracious gift. A devotional offering made first to a deity or saint, typically consisting of food that is later shared among devotees. The prasada is then considered to have the deity's blessing residing within it and should not be refused.

Puja

a Hindu act of a prayer ritual performed to worship a god or saint.

Saburi (patience)

'Saburi'; is patience and perseverance. 

Shraddha (faith)

'Shraddha' in a Sanskrit word, which has no equivalent in English, at best it can be understood as faith with love and reverence in your chosen deity.

Shrine

a place where devotion is paid to a deity. Shrines often contain idols, relics or other such objects for worship.

Tanga

is a horse drawn carriage used for transportation in India.

Udi

Shirdi Sai Baba lit up a fire by his yogic powers which has been maintained ever since and is still burning. It is called Dhuni and the holy ashes emerging from it is called "udi". Baba himself served the patients and gave them medicines, but when people flocked in large numbers and Baba could not personally attend to each one of them individually, he only gave them 'Udi' from the same dhuni, to cure several ailments of his devotees.

Wada

a general term used for any residence complex