Leela:
Baba’s fondness for Vithal (Lord Vishnu) worship was illustrated in Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar’s story. Bhagwantrao’s father was a devotee of Vithoba, and used to make Varis (annual trips) to Pandharpur (a holy site). He also had an image of Vithoba at home, which he worshipped. After his death, the son stopped all Varis, worship, as well as the shraddha ceremony (honouring of one’s dead ancestors).
When Bhagwantrao came to Shirdi, Baba announced, " I dragged him here because his father was my friend. He has stopped offering naivaidya (offering of food to God) and so has starved Vithal and me. I brought him here to correct him and set him back on the path of worship”.
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), p20
Teachings from Leela:
1) If you stray from your Spiritual Path, Baba will return you back to it
Via this leela, Baba is assuring us that, even if we stray from our spiritual path temporarily, He will make sure that we are returned to it.
One danger to devotees on the Bhakti Path who passively join in on daily prayers led by another, such as an older family member, is to abandon the prayers when the person who led the prayers is no longer around.
Before Bhagwantrao’s father passed away, he used to perform his daily prayer’s and offer naivaidya to Baba and Vithal. Since he was not very well established in bhakti, he abandoned the path soon after his father passed away.
Another danger for devotees, especially those who are in their beginning stages or not well established in it, is that since bhakti is based on emotion towards God, this loving emotion could very easily change to another negative emotion, in certain circumstances, causing him to leave the Path.
For instance, if a devotee has a serious calamity in their lives and they pray to God to protect them from it, but things do not turn out as they pleaded for in their prayers, the devotee may get angry with God and stop worship.
My father used to say:
You need Jnana (knowledge) in addition to your Bhakti. Jnana will help you to hold on to your Bhakti in times of distress. Otherwise it could slip easily from your hands.
With atma jnana (Knowledge of the Self) comes an understanding of the transient nature of things in this world, and viveka (discrimination) between what is real and unreal, permanent and temporary. With the help of this knowledge, we can focus on what is real and permanent and ignore the influence of unreal and temporary happenings in our lives. This knowledge will help us understand the nature of suffering and death, help us hold on to Bhakti, and give us the strength to deal with suffering and loss in our lives.
Via this leela, Baba also wants those of us on the Bhakti Path to realise the importance of daily prayer. In the Bhakti tradition, idol worship plays an important role for devotees who are beginners on the Path. It helps the worshipper concentrate his mind and feel close proximity with God. Devotees express their love and devotion via daily prayers and rituals. The idol of God is treated as a living incarnation of God, so just as food is offered to a living person, the idol is offered food daily during worship.
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) If you stray from your Spiritual Path, Baba will return you back to it
Here are a couple of things you can do to avoid straying from your Spiritual Path:
·
If you follow the Path
of Bhakti exclusively, it will benefit you to spend some time acquiring atma
jnana to understand your true nature. This will also help you understand
the true nature of suffering and death, which will add to your strength to cope
in times of difficulty.
· To establish yourself deeper in the path of Bhakti, you must familiarize yourself with the 9 stages of Bhakti. You must also identify the stage you are currently in and strive to move forward to the next stage.
Here are the 9 forms of Bhakti, in order of progression, where each form is more subtle and advanced than the previous (Also see note 1):
1) Sravana: hearing of God's lilas and stories
2) Kirtana: singing of His glories
3) Smarana: remembrance of His Name and presence
4) Padasevana: service of His feet
5) Archana: worship of God
6) Vandana: prostration to the Lord
7) Dasya: cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God
8) Sakhya: cultivation of the friend-Bhava
9) Atmanivedana: complete surrender of the self
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://at-the-feet-of-baba.blogspot.ca/2016/11/chapter-9-leela-6-tarkhad-family-father.html
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