Chapter 5, Leela 6: Wresting Bout with Mohdin Tamboli and Change in Life

Leela:

There was a wrestler in Shirdi, by name Mohdin Tamboli. Baba and he did not agree on some items, and both had a fight. In this Baba was defeated. Thenceforth, Baba changed His dress and mode of living. He donned Kafni, wore a Langot (waist band) and covered His head with a piece of cloth. He took a piece of sack-cloth for His seat, sack-cloth for His bed and was content with wearing torn and worn out rags. He always said that ""Poverty is better than Kingship, far better than Lordship. The Lord is always brother (befriender) of the poor."" Gangagir was also very fond of wrestling. While he was once wrestling, a similar feeling of dispassion came over him, and at the proper time he heard the voice of an adept, saying that he should wear out his body, playing with God. So he too gave up Samsara and turned towards God-realization. He established a math on the banks of the river near Puntambe, and lived there with disciples.

 

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), p27.

 

Teachings from Leela:

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

In this leela, no attempt is made to guess as to what were Baba’s thoughts and intentions when he got into a physical fight with Mohdin;   

1.    Accept defeat gracefully

Baba could have used his supernatural powers to win, but he acted only physically and accepted his defeat. Baba is teaching us via this leela that we must accept defeat without any bitterness, grudge or ill-will. Upon losing, Baba gave up wrestling permanently and donned on Kafni (funeral cloth) as his dress going forward, signifying detachment from his physical body.

2.    Giving up egoism will end the cycle of action-reaction responses  

The ego is that part of your mind, which has the self-pride, that cannot accept losing to others. Having lost, its normal reaction is to want further opportunities to challenge and win. By choosing to completely put the incident behind him, without any anger or bitterness, Baba showed us how to put an end to this cycle of action and reaction. 

 

Putting into Practice

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

1)    Accept defeat gracefully

Life is a series of moments of success and failure. It takes courage to admit failure, embrace the lessons, and choose to move on.  Failure itself is not the issue. It’s how you feel about it that turns the experience into bitterness. You need a tremendous amount of courage to accept failure. Admitting failure is the most logical choice, but it’s not the most familiar option. Instead of taking responsibility for the situation, you may start looking to the outside world to place blame.

When you fail, it hurts. When you let it in and accept it, the hurt heals faster and, in the long run, is less painful to you. If you reject how you really feel, these emotions will pop up at unexpected times, bringing on feelings of bitterness, anger and sadness.

We are not all born equal and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Be satisfied that you have put in your 100% effort, but if you still fail, then accept it gracefully. Remember that, for the purposes of your spiritual journey, your effort and action matters, but not the consequences.

2)    Giving up egoism will end the cycle of action-reaction responses 

 

When two persons with significant egos get into a conflict, it results in a continuous cycle of action and reaction which traps them both, and obstructs their path towards spiritual development. Baba showed us by his conduct that you have the power to put an end to this cycle simply by controlling your ego.

Sometimes it is appropriate to admit defeat and move on. It is the wise choice and not a sign of weakness. On the other hand, there are some conflicts that you must not abandon. These are situations where you are fighting for dharma (righteous cause) and there is nothing personal to gain.

Another approach that might help you to break the cycle is to forgive. Understand that forgiveness is up to you. Forgiveness and reconciliation differ greatly because reconciliation requires both parties to work together, whereas forgiveness only requires yourself. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean letting her off the hook, it simply means that you accept what happened and you are willing to move on.

 

Mantra:

Om, Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ

Sarve santu nirāmayāḥ

Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu

Mā kashchit duḥkha bhāgbhavet

Oṁ Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ

Meaning:

May all be prosperous and happy

May all be free from illness

May all see what is spiritually uplifting

May no one suffer

Om peace, peace, peace

 

This above mantra is from the Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/seekingshanti/2015/09/hinduprayerforeveryone_globalgoals/

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.