Leela:
Once a devotee named Panth, a disciple of another Sadguru, had the good fortune of visiting Shirdi. He had no intention to go to Shirdi, but man proposes one way and God disposes the other. He was travelling by train where he met many friends and relations bound for Shirdi. They all asked him to accompany them and he could not say no. While Panth got off at Virar, they all proceeded to Mumbai.
At Virar, he took the permission of his Sadguru for the Shirdi trip, and after arranging for the expenses, left with the party for Shirdi. They arrived in the morning and went to the Masjid at about 11am. Seeing the concourse of the devotees assembled for Baba's worship, they were all pleased, but Panth suddenly had a fit and fell senseless. They were all frightened, and tried their best to bring him to his senses. With Baba's grace and with pitchers of water which they poured over his head, he regained his consciousness and sat upright as if he had just woken up from sleep.
The omniscient Baba, knowing that Panth was a disciple of another Guru, assured him protection and affirmed his faith in his own Guru, by addressing him as follows, "Come what may, never leave your own Guru. Always be steadfast in devotion, and recognize the Oneness of all gurus."
Panth at once knew the significance of this remark and was reminded of his own Sadguru. This kindness of Baba he never forgot in his life.
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), p136
Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p233
Teachings from Leela:
1) Shraddha means to be firm and unwavering in your devotion to your own Sadguru
Baba asked for only 2 things from his devotees, (1) shraddha (steadfast, one-pointed devotion and trust), and (2) saburi (patience). This leela focuses on one aspect of shraddha, that of constancy and endurance.
Let’s begin by understanding the importance of a Sadguru in our spiritual life.
In order to do so we need to first, understand the difference between a guru (teacher) and a Sadguru. We can have many teachers, but only one Sadguru. We learn a lot of stuff related to this world from various teachers, but Sadguru is described as the dispeller of ignorance. Sad means true, while gu means "darkness of ignorance" and ru means "that which dispels". Thus, the Sadguru is the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and shows us the path to Moksha.
A true, self realised Guru is one who, has reached Moksha. Such a one is uniquely qualified to lead the seeker on his or her journey toward liberation. The blind cannot lead the blind. It is with the help of such a Sadguru, one makes spiritual progress. It is difficult to cross this ocean of worldly life without such a guide.
In our tradition, both gurus (teachers) and Sadgurus are treated with great respect. Our parents, being our first gurus are also well respected in this regard and we will always be indebted to them for all they have done for us.
There is a famous couplet regarding importance of a Guru, commonly attributed to Saint Kabir:
|
Guru Gobind dou khade, |
Guru and God both are both here |
Saint Kabir asks, if both my Guru and God are standing in front of me, who should I pay my respects to first? His response is that it is first the Guru, as without Him, I would have never known God.
How can you find your Sadguru?
There is a common saying, "when the disciple is ready, the sadguru appears". In fact, the Sadguru always existed and waited for the disciple, but the disciple could not see the Sadguru, due to lack of his own abilities.
What is your duty towards your Sadguru?
You owe it to your Sadguru to work dilligently towards your own Moksha (liberation). Via this leela, Baba is trying to teach us that, in order to fulfill your duty towards your own Sadguru, you must have Shraddha, which is to have firm and unwavering devotion towards your Sadguru. Do not keep changing Sadgurus, but hold on to your Sadguru until you reach your goal of moksha, the freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Visiting Another Saint
In your spiritual journey, it is okay to visit another Sadguru to take His or Her blessings, but do not abandon your own Sadguru for another. All saints are divine souls and if you get an opportunity to visit a saint consider it a blessing. As Baba said, recognise the Oneness of all gurus, and see your Sadguru in the Sadguru you are visiting.
Since my Vedanta Guru, Rita Nayar, introduced me to Updesh Saar, by Swami Ramana Maharshi, I too would like to visit the Arunachalam mountain, His holy place in Tiruvannamalai, to pay my respects to Him, while still maintaining deep shraddha for Shirdi Sai Baba.
The Steadfastness of Shraddha
Unless we have strong, valid reasons, we must not change our Sadguru. Baba being omniscient, realised that Panth was a devotee of another Sadguru. He did not try to convince Panth to change his guru. On the contrary, He assured Panth of His protection and affirmed his faith in his own Sadguru. He further advised him, that come what may, one never leave the place of one’s sadguru. Love your Guru whole-heartedly, maintaining complete shraddha. The Sadguru is the True Guru who helps his disciple forward on the spiritual path leading to liberation. Always be committed to your Sadguru, while recognizing the Oneness of all true gurus.
For more on Shraddha, please see my previous blog, At the feet of Baba: Chapter 12, Leela 2: Bhausaheb Dhumal
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) Shraddha means to be firm and unwavering in your devotion to your own Sadguru
Once you find your Sadguru, someone who has himself already achieved the spiritual goal of moksha that you desire, and is willing to guide you to your goal, you have found great fortune, and must remain committed to Him always.
Our fickle minds might need the occasional reminder on what we seek as our spiritual goal, and who is truly capable of helping us get there.
It is useful to regularly contemplate on the suffering of this world, and on what it would mean to achieve our spiritual goal. Spend a few minutes once a week, protected from all interruptions, for this contemplation, and you will see that you will value your Sadguru more than ever.
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.
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