Leela:
In the past, the chirping of a lizard or its falling on your person were considered inauspicious or unlucky.
Once a devotee was sitting in the Masjid, along with Baba, when a lizard on the back wall chirped. Out of curiosity, the devotee asked Baba whether this chirping of the lizard signified anything. Was it a good sign or inauspicious?
Baba said that the lizard was overjoyed as her sister from Aurangabad was coming to see her.
The devotee sat silently, not understanding the meaning of Baba's words.
Moments later, a gentleman from Aurangabad came on horseback to take Baba’s darshan. As the gentleman left, he decided to get some feed from the market for his horse. He headed out, removed the horse’s feedbag and dashed it on the ground to clean it. When he did so, a lizard popped out of the feedbag, and in the presence of all, climbed up the Masjid’s wall.
Baba turned to the devotee who had asked him about the first lizard and said, “Now watch her carefully. This is the lizard’s sister. See what a marvel this is”.
The newly arrived lizard headed straight for her sister on the back wall, who was chirping incessantly. Both sisters met each other, kissed and embraced each other, whirled round and round, and danced in a celebration of love!
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), p85
Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p125
Teachings from Leela:
1) For those on the spiritual path, luck and predictions of the future have no meaning
Baba denied the old belief that lizard chirping predicted bad luck, instead explaining the chirping in terms of the lizard’s own emotions and motivations.
When you are on the spiritual path, all events that befall you, whether favourable or unfavourable, must be seen in terms of your spiritual progress. Your main focus must be on your spiritual progress and how to overcome obstacles for non-stop continuation of your spiritual practice.
You must distance yourself from the ideas of luck and fortune-telling. Even if the time you encountered your next obstacle on your path could be predicted, it will be of no value to you. What will only matter is that you overcome that obstacle and move beyond it.
Via this leela, Baba wants us to realise that, just like we experience the world, so too the other living beings have ties, feel emotions, and experience joy and suffering themselves. The lizards having been separated from each other, when united again, they both rejoiced and celebrated.
Baba wants us to learn that, just as we feel, pain and pleasure, so do other living beings. He wants us to treat living beings with compassion and not harm them in any way. Baba loved all living beings. He used to feed other living beings before He fed himself.
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) For those on the spiritual path, luck and predictions of the future have no meaning
As you begin to see the world around you in terms of your spiritual development, not in terms of your material belongings, your attachments and your suffering, you will find that predictions of the future, be they omens or predictions, will cease to interest you.
When you are well-established in your spiritual path, your ultimate spiritual goal is clear in your mind, and your Sadguru is at your side, then your ultimate success is assured. What would other predictions mean in front of this immense fact?
When an omen or prediction that you would have accepted without question in the past is brought to your notice, it is a good time to apply this teaching. Take the opportunity to contemplate upon your spiritual goal and your Sadguru. Review and reaffirm your commitments towards your spiritual practice in your mind. This will strengthen your resolve to face coming obstacles, and at the same time, ignore meaningless predictions about the future.
2) Show compassion towards all living beings, as they too have their own lives, full of emotion and purpose, joy and suffering.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be
judged
by the way its animals are treated.” – Gandhi
Most of you, especially those who have pets, can understand compassion towards animals. You know that even though they might not be able to speak, they still communicate their feelings to you. Dog and cat owners can attest to this.
You wouldn’t want to cause pain and suffering to your pet. Now consider extending that empathy, compassion and kindness to all other living beings.
Any conscious being with a nervous system to sense pain and a mind to experience suffering has essentially the same equipment as you do, when it comes to suffering and misery. You have experienced this suffering first-hand – why inflict it on someone else?
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Listen
to the stories with reverence; Reflect upon them deeply. Shirdi Sai Baba Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, Chapter 3, verse 18 |
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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