Chapter 15, Leela 2: Mr. Cholkar's Sugarless Tea

Leela:

Das Ganu was once performing his kirtan and singing the glory of Sai Baba in the Koupineshwar temple in Thane. Mr. Cholkar, a poor man serving in a probationary role in the Civil Courts in Thane, was in the audience. He heard Das Ganu's kirtan most attentively and was very moved. There and then, he mentally bowed to Baba, and made the following vow: "Baba, I am a poor man, unable to support my family. If, by your grace, I pass the departmental examination and get a permanent post, I shall go to Shirdi, fall at Your Feet and distribute sugar-candy in Your name".

 

As good luck would have it, Mr.Cholkar passed the examination and got the permanent post, and now it remained for him to fulfil his vow. Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support and could not afford to pay for the expenses of a Shirdi trip. As is well said, one can easily cross over Nahne Ghat in Thane District or even the Sahyadri Range, but it is most difficult for a poor man to cross Umbare Ghat, the threshold of his own home. As Mr. Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as possible, he resolved to economize, cut down on his expenses, and save money for the trip. He determined not to use sugar in his diet and began to take his tea without it. After saving money for the trip, he came to Shirdi, took Baba's darshan (had a personal audience with Him), fell at His Feet, offered a coconut and distributed it with a clean conscience along with sugar-candy as per his vow. He said to Baba that he was much pleased with His darshan and that his desires were fulfilled that day.

 

Mr. Cholkar was in the Masjid with his host Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and the guest got up to leave the Masjid, Baba spoke to Jog as follows, "Give him (your guest) cups of tea, fully saturated with sugar". Hearing these significant words, Mr. Cholkar was much moved, and with his eyes filled with tears, he fell at Baba's Feet again. Baba wanted, by His words, to create faith and devotion in Cholkar's mind. He let it be known that He knew full well Cholkar’s secret determination to abstain from sugar, and accepted that Cholkar had completed his vow.

 

Based on: 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), p83

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    If circumstances do not allow you to fulfill a spiritual commitment, compensate by practicing some austerity until it is fulfilled

When you vow to do something spiritually significant and it turns out to be difficult to fulfill due to circumstances beyond your control, you can compensate for this by practicing some austerity until conditions become more favourable.

Mr. Cholkar made a vow to visit Baba in Shirdi, if he passed the exams. He did pass the exams, but could not afford to fulfill his vow due to family responsibilities.

Most people in this situation would feel regret at not being able to fulfill the commitment, and would file the commitment away in their memory, only to be reminded of it years later, if at all. Instead, Mr. Cholkar took up an austerity, the giving up of sugar, as a constant reminder of his pending commitment. It was a symbolic way of saying that, until his vow was fulfilled, all sweetness in life was forbidden to him. He would enjoy sweets only after completing his vow.  It was also a clever way of dealing with an important commitment, as he was reminded of it several times a day, every day.

2)    Any sincere or earnest effort you put towards your practice is known to and acknowledged by your Sadguru

Through His brief parting instruction to Bapusaheb Jog, Baba clearly communicated to Mr. Cholkar that he knew of his mentally taken vow and his practice of the austerity of abstaining from sugar.  He also clearly indicated acceptance of Mr. Cholkar’s fulfillment of his vow.

 

Putting into Practice

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

1)    If circumstances do not allow you to fulfill a spiritual commitment, compensate by practicing some austerity until it is fulfilled

 

In your spiritual life, if you find yourself unable to fulfill important spiritual commitments that you yourself make, this leela offers a very helpful technique. By practicing some austerity, such as giving up your favorite food, you will have a constant reminder to motivate you to fulfill your commitment.

 

2)    Any sincere or earnest effort you put towards your practice is known to and acknowledged by your Sadguru

 

All of your sincere effort towards your spiritual journey is known and acknowledged by your Sadguru.  Your Sadguru is fully attentive and fully committed to your spiritual progress. Use this knowledge to keep you motivated to move forward in your journey.

 

  "Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now"

       Sri Sri Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri in "Autobiography of a Yogi" (note 1)

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Notes:

1. Source Spiritual Diary Published by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India

 

Chapter 5, Leela 1: Return with Chand Patil’s Marriage Party

Leela:

I shall describe first how Sai Baba returned to Shirdi after His disappearance.

 

There lived in the Aurangabad District (Nizam State), in a village called Dhoopkheda, a well-to-do Mohammedan gentleman by the name Chand Patil. While he was on a trip to Aurangabad, he lost his mare. He searched diligently for two long months but could not find the mare. Disappointed, he returned from Aurangabad with the saddle on his back. After walking 10 miles, he came upon a mango tree under which sat a gem among men. He had a cap on His head, wore kafni (beggar’s robe) and had a satka (baton) under His arm and was preparing to smoke a chillum (clay pipe). On seeing Chand Patil, He asked him to have a smoke and to rest a while. The Fakir asked him about the saddle. Chand Patil replied that he had lost his mare. The Fakir asked him to search at the nearby creek. He went, and wonder of wonders, he found the mare. It occurred to him that this Fakir was not an ordinary man, but an Avalia (a great saint). When he returned to the Fakir with the mare, the chillum was ready, but two things were wanting, (1) fire to light the pipe, and (2) water to wet the chhapi (piece of cloth through which smoke is drawn). The Fakir thrust a prong forcibly into the ground and pulled out a live ember, which He put in the pipe. He then dashed the Satka on the ground and water began to ooze. He wet the chhapi with that water, wrung it out and wrapped it around the pipe. The Fakir took a puff from the chillum and offered it to Chand Patil. On seeing all this, Chand Patil was wonderstruck. He invited the Fakir to his home and to accept his hospitality. The next day, the Fakir went to Chand Patil’s house and stayed there for some time. Chand Patil was the headman of Dhoopkheda. His wife’s brother’s son was to be married and the bride was from Shirdi. Chand Patil led the marriage procession to Shirdi and the Fakir accompanied him. The marriage went off without a hitch, and the party returned to Dhoopkheda, except for the Fakir, who remained there forever.

 

 

Based on: 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), p23

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    A Sadguru is a vital guide for a spiritual seeker in order to attain his goal

A Sadguru is a guru (teacher) who has himself reached the spiritual goal of Enlightenment, and therefore is uniquely qualified to lead others to that goal.

Chand Patil’s distress on losing his horse is a metaphor of a person’s distress from being separated from some worldly object he is attached to. A Sadguru takes pity at the plight of the distressed individual and unites him with the object of his desire. After the individual is satisfied, the Sadguru then asks him to stop wandering and rest a little, a metaphor for pausing to contemplate upon one’s life, to understand the importance of leading a spiritual life.  The Sadguru offers to share a chillum (clay pipe) with him. The clay pipe represents the seeker’s mortal body which will be discarded, and the burning ember his atman, the subtle body which survives from life to life.  The offer to share the chillum is the offer of spiritual guidance.

 

Putting into Practice

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

1)    A Sadguru is a vital guide for a spiritual seeker in order to attain his goal

If you don’t have a Sadguru, be on the lookout for one.  It is said in our tradition that, when the time is right, a Sadguru will appear in your life.  Be wary of pretenders, gurus who are not Enlightened themselves.

If you are fortunate enough to have a Sadguru, use the metaphor of this leela as a basis to understand your relationship with your Sadguru. Make full use of this valuable opportunity to advance in your spiritual path by earnestly following His instructions. 

 

 

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 1.4.14

http://www.indiadivine.org/content/topic/1324839-scriptural-reference/

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 9, Leela 5: Baba Fed Sumptuously

Leela:

Once, Mrs. Tarkhad was staying in a certain house in Shirdi. At noon, meals were ready and dishes were being served when a hungry dog turned up there and began to cry. Mrs. Tarkhad got up at once and threw a piece of bread, which the dog gulped with great relish. In the afternoon, when she went to the Masjid and sat at some distance, Sai Baba said to her, "Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up to my throat, My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well." She could not at first understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied -- "Baba, how could I feed You? I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment." Then Baba replied -- "Eating that lovely bread I am heartily contended and I am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals and to which you gave the piece of bread is one with Me, so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows etc.) are one with Me. I am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction, and serve Me, as you did today." Drinking these nectar-like words, she was moved, her eyes were filled with tears, her throat was choked and her joy knew no bounds.

 

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), p56

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    Always look after the basic needs of others before your own

In this leela, Baba wanted to teach us compassion for other beings. Mrs. Tarkhad felt compassion for the hungry dog and fed it a part of the bread from her own plate. There is no point in worshipping God while ignoring the basic needs of the other beings around you.

The feeling of hunger is universal amongst all beings, and each of us must be able to have empathy based on this need. We share many other needs with other beings, such as thirst, need for shelter, protection from danger and care during sickness.  There are many other needs that we can understand by analogy, even though we cannot directly relate to them, such as the need for a plant to have sunlight.

Contemplating upon this leela, we can both broaden and deepen our compassion and love for other beings.  In fact, Baba instructs us here to put others’ needs before our own: “First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself”.

2)    Love all beings as deeply as you love God

Here Baba is instructing us to expand to all beings, the love we have for Him, by informing us that he can appear to us as any of these creatures. 

We believe that, as humans, we are superior to all animals, and have the right to freely exploit them for our own benefit. We do not hesitate to kill them for food, sport or entertainment, destroy their habitats, or exploit them in any number of ways. 

It is not enough to have some greater regard for these creatures (both human and other) with whom you share this world; you must look to them with the same deep love that you have developed for God.

 

Putting into Practice

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

1)    Always look after the basic needs of others before your own

My Dad used to say, “Where there is daya (compassion), there is dharma (righteousness), and where there is dharma, there is God”.

In this leela, Baba has already provided practical instruction on how to apply the teaching to your own day-to-day life.  Use your understanding of your own basic needs as a guide on how to relate to the needs of others.  Contemplate on this, from the point of view of other creatures in need, to deepen your compassion. Look for opportunities to put this into practice.

Following this teaching does not mean that you must subject yourself to manipulation by others, or over-extend yourself beyond your capacity.  Develop wisdom to tell when the need is genuine, and is a basic need for survival, not a frivolous want.  Understand the limitations of your resources and capabilities.

2)    Love all beings as deeply as you love God

If you follow the jnana (knowledge) path of spiritual development, you will come to learn that the consciousness you experience is only One, and all other creatures who also experience consciousness are experiencing the exact same consciousness you are. There is no difference between you and them. Knowing this intellectually is not enough; you must bring it into your daily practice.  The example Baba provides in this leela is a great starting point:  contemplate upon the idea that every person or creature that you come across in your daily life is truly one with God.  Go through a mental exercise, where you try to expand the love you have developed for your Sadguru to another person or animal.  Do this repeatedly, deepening your love for this person or creature each time.

Of course, the teaching is invaluable to those on the bhakti (devotional) path too.

Seeing God in all beings, allows us to expand our love and respect to all beings, but we must be practical about it. Our immature understanding of seeing God in all beings can sometimes get us into trouble. This point is well explained in the following story about Sri Ramakrishna, who had a unique way of imparting spiritual instruction:

 

In a forest there lived a holy man who had many disciples.  One day he taught them to see Narayana (God) in all beings and hence have a reverential attitude towards everyone.  The disciples once went inside a forest to gather wood for a sacrificial fire.  Suddenly, they heard a warning “get out of the way, a mad elephant is coming”.  All the disciples except one ran away and took shelter in a safe place.  But, one disciple reasoned that since the Guru had taught them to see Narayana i.e. God, in every being, the elephant is also God in another form and if so why should he run away from it.  He stood still, bowed before the elephant and started chanting some stotras.  The Mahout of the elephant shouted, “Run Away !, Run Away!”, but the disciple didn’t move.

 

The animal lifted him up with his trunk and threw him forcefully on the ground aside and went away.  Hurt and bruised the disciple lay unconscious on the ground.  Coming to know what had happened, his teacher and brother disciples came to the spot where he was lying and carried him to the hermitage.  After some first-aid, he soon regained consciousness.

 

Then, the teacher asked him, “You saw the animal coming and also heard the warning, then why didn’t you run away?”.  The disciple replied, “Sir, you taught us to see God in every being, hence I thought that the animal is also God in another form and hence I didn’t run away.”  Then the teacher corrected him saying, “Yes my child, it is true that the elephant was God in another form, but the Mahout who was driving the elephant was also God and he instructed you to run away.  Since all are manifestations of God, why you didn’t trust the Mahout’s words?  You should have heeded the words of Mahout God.”

 

God dwells in all beings, but we can be intimate only with the good people and must keep away from the evil minded. (note 1).

 

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.

Notes:

1)     https://rgyan.com/blogs/who-god-actually-is