Leela:
Once it so happened that a sadhak (student) of Yoga came to Shirdi with Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He had studied all the works on Yoga, including the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali, but had no practical experience. He could not concentrate his mind and attain samadhi (note 1), even for a short time. He thought, that if Sai Baba would be pleased with him, He might show him the way to attain samadhi.
With this object in mind, he came to Shirdi, and when he went to the Masjid, he saw Sai Baba eating bread with onion. On seeing this, a thought arose in his mind,`How can this man, eating stale bread with raw onion, solve my difficulties and help me?'. Sai Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb, "Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else". Hearing this remark, the yogi was wonder-struck and fell at Baba's Feet with complete surrender. With pure and open mind, he explained his difficulties and got their solutions from Baba. Thus being satisfied and happy, he left Shirdi with Baba's Udi and blessings.
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, 20th Edition 2002), p120
Teachings from Shirdi Sai Baba Leela:
1) You must not prejudge the value of something based solely on outward appearances.
We must not form an opinion on someone or something based on what is seen at the surface, because after taking a deeper look, the person or thing may be very different than what was expected. This is exactly what Baba wanted to teach the sadhak.
The sadhak formed preconceived notions about Baba without adequate evidence, proof or certainty. Baba started eating onions upon seeing the sadhak approach Him, to highlight his preconceived notion that a person eating onions is not capable of teaching yoga.
When we go through life judging others at first sight, without taking the time to understand them, we may often miss out on opportunities that would help us, including opportunities to progress in our spiritual path.
Baba took pity on the sadhak, and in order to remove the sadhak’s preconceptions, He performed a miracle by reading his mind. Baba said mockingly to Nana that only he who has the power to digest onions should eat it and none else. This made the sadhak realise how omniscient was Baba, so he fell at His feet. With Baba’s help, he could attain samadhi, a spiritual experience that opens us to the highest state of consciousness and inner bliss.
2) It needs tremendous strength and courage to overcome obstacles on the path of spirituality
When Baba said, "he who has the power to digest onion should eat it and none else", He meant that only he who has the strength and courage to walk on the path to spirituality must do so.
In chapter 2, of Shri Sai Satcharita, Baba implied the difficulties in the spiritual path of an aspirant, “The way is difficult. There are tigers and wolves in the jungles on the way.” Indicating the amount of strength and courage one has to have to walk on the path of spirituality.
As described in The Spiritual Bee website (note 2)
It is a known fact that whenever a sadhak (spiritual aspirant) begins to walk on the road towards God-realization, he/she is often beset with tremendous challenges. These challenges strike at the sadhak from 2 opposite directions.
· Outside Challenges - The first set of difficulties come from outside – from the materialistic world, in which all sadhaks by default, today have to live.
· Inside Challenges - Then in order to meditate successfully, the sadhak has to further exert and curb his/her mind’s natural tendency to flit like a butterfly from one thought to another. The constant jumble of thoughts has to be controlled and all thoughts have to be made to flow with devotion and faith in one direction only – and that is towards God.
It is in view of these immense external and internal challenges that lie on the road to God-realization, that the Rishis have cautioned that traversing the spiritual path is as difficult as walking on a razor’s edge. At every step, tremendous difficulties abound. At any moment, the sadhak faces the risk of getting overwhelmed by them and falling off the path.
And it is for this same reason that the Mundaka Upanishad has further emphasized that – the path of spirituality is not for the weak, but for the brave and the strong willed; because only such people are equipped to overcome all odds and reach the door of their Atman and realize its oneness with Brahman (God) – the infinite Consciousness.
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) You must not prejudge the value of something based solely on outward appearances.
Do not form an opinion on someone or something based purely on what you see at the surface. If you do, you are setting yourself up to potentially miss out on amazing opportunities, including those which teach you something necessary to your spiritual development.
To catch yourself from being judgemental, be conscious of your behavior, and ask yourself the following questions when you first interact with someone:
· Have I already made up my mind about this individual?
· What have I based my decision on?
· Could I have misjudged this person?
Cultivating this kind of awareness requires lot of practice and commitment, as we are all so used to simply reacting to things without thinking and analysing the situation.
If you know ahead of time that a potential situation is coming up where you will be meeting new people, prepare yourself by remembering this leela and by resolving to ask the above questions.
2) It needs tremendous strength and courage to overcome obstacles on the path of spirituality
The path of spirituality is a long one. It is said that it might take countless lifetimes to reach the end. The path demands that, as you advance within it, you change yourself, over and over. You must be humble to admit your flaws, have the strength to confront them, and the determination to change.
Everyone must tread this path at some point in their development. If you lack in sufficient strength and courage at times, your Sadguru will lend it to you, if you follow His guidance. If you are fortunate to have Baba as your Sadguru, you are truly blessed, as He will take you through this difficult path to the very end.
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://www.enlightenedbeings.com/samadhi.html
2) http://www.spiritualbee.com/posts/path-of-spirituality-like-walking-on-a-razors-edge/
