Chapter 13, Leela 2: Bala Ganpat Shimpi

Leela:

Another devotee of Baba by name Bala Ganapat Shimpi, suffered much from a malignant type of Malaria. he tried all sorts of medicines and decoctions, but in vain. The fever did not abate a jot and so he ran to Shirdi and fell on Baba's Feet. Baba gave him a strange recipe, in this case as follows:- "Give a black dog some morsels of rice mixed with curds in front of the Laxmi temple". Bala Shimpi did not know, how to execute this recipe; but no sooner he went home, then he found rice and curds. After mixing them together, he brought the mixture near the Laxmi temple, when he found the a black dog waving its tail. He placed the curds and rice before the dog. The dog ate it and, strange to say, Bala got rid of his Malaria.  

 

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), p73

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    When Baba gives a task to his devotee, he also provides all the support needed to get it done

Bala Ganapat, typical of his culture and generation, probably had never visited a kitchen in his life and did not know how to find the necessary ingredients to carry out Baba’s instruction. He was therefore anxious about fulfilling the task.

As it turned out, everything went very smoothly for him. He had no trouble finding the necessary rice and curds, and when he got to the temple, a dog that exactly fit Baba’s requirement was waiting there. In this leela, Baba showed us that we must have faith in him when he assigns us a task, as he also provides all the support we need to fulfill it.

You may find yourself assigned tasks to help you in your spiritual path.  Don’t worry if they appear to be difficult, as these tasks are often accompanied by the help you need to get them done.

2)    Remember to be kind and caring to others even when you are suffering yourself

When Bala Ganapat was suffering from malaria, he was so pre-occupied with his own suffering that he forgot about the suffering of others around him.  Instead of giving him medicine to cure the disease, Baba asked him to perform an act of kindness to another, even as he took away the disease.

In this leela Baba taught that, even when you are in the midst of your own suffering, there is no reason for you to stop performing acts of kindness and caring for others around you.

Putting into Practice

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

1)    When Baba gives a task to his devotee, he also provides all the support needed to get it done

When given a difficult task towards your spiritual development, do not be disheartened. Just go forward with it.  You will find that help appears out of the blue and the task turns out to not be as burdensome as you thought.

2)    Remember to be kind and caring to others even when you are suffering yourself

All of us face difficulties at various times in our lives. In these times, all we must remember to do is to perform small acts of kindness for those around us.  This will distract us from our suffering, and the happiness from performing these acts will help reduce our own pain. It will also add to our good karmas, as we suffer through the consequences of our past bad ones.

There is a famous saying: “To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.”

 

 

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.