Leela:
One day at noon, the fire in the dhuni (sacred fire) began to burn brightly and its flames were seen to be reaching the rafters above. The people who were sitting in the Masjid did not know what to do. They dared not to ask Baba to pour water or do anything to quench the flames.
But Baba soon came to realize what was happening. He took up His satka (short stick) and dashed it against a pillar, saying, "Get down, be calm." At each stroke of the satka, the flames began to lower and reduce in intensity, and in a few minutes the dhuni became calm and normal.
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), p66
Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p91
Teachings from Leela:
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Definition of Real (Truth)
In Advaita Vedanta, reality is defined as something unchangeable, that which remains the same at all times, past, present and future. Truth is unconditional. It always was, is and will always be true at all times.
For example: The statement, “this chair exists”, may be true at this moment, but it wasn’t true at any time in the past before the chair came into existence, and will not be true in the future after it is damaged or destroyed. The statement “this chair exists” is only true with a condition that it only exists for a certain period of time. Therefore, the chair cannot be said to be real.
Anything that changes cannot be real or true. The human body, using this definition, is not real as it changes with time and is subject to birth and death. The same can be said for the human mind. Only that which has always existed, is existing and will always exist in the future, is real and true.
Only Brahman, also known as sat-chit-ananda (the One Universal Consciousness), passes this test of reality and truth.
Discrimination between Real (Truth) and Unreal (Untruth)
In Advaita Vedanta, Brahman (the One Universal Consciousness) is the one and only reality and everything else is mere appearance, projection or illusion.
The Metaphor of the Snake and the Rope
One of the most common examples used in Advaita Vedanta to illustrate this is mistaking a snake for a rope in semi-darkness. The snake is unreal, an illusion, but the rope is real. In the same way the world appears to us, who are ignorant, as real but it is in fact unreal. It is an illusion behind which is Brahman (for details, please see my previous blog, Chapter 39, Leela 1: Baba's Interpretation).
That which is non-existent in the beginning and in the end, is necessarily so even in the present (i.e., in the middle).
For example, when one misunderstands a piece of rope to be the serpent, the serpent was not in the rope before the point of delusion nor will the serpent remain after the individual’s right cognition of the rope. That which was not in the beginning and which rolls away at the right knowledge is considered by us as an illusion of the mind. Mandukya Upanishad, with Gaudapada’s Karika, Translation and commentary by Swami Chinmayanandaji, Page 122, verse 6:
The jivatman (the individual self), has no separate existence of its own. It is only a projection or reflection of the One Reality, Brahman. It is our individual consciousness, the activities of our mind, and our senses which give us the illusion that our individual self is real. A jivatman is deluded by this projection due to its ignorance and experiences duality (the existence of two separate entities, God, and the individual self). While we have this delusion, we are bound by the cycle of births and deaths and the laws of karma.
We can only be freed from this cycle when we attain moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth and death). When we fully withdraw our mind and senses through meditation and detachment, we can see the Supreme Self hidden behind our individual self, which leads us to moksha.
The Metaphor of the Waker, Dreamer and Deep Sleeper
We are pure consciousness. We are neither the waker, nor the dreamer, nor the deep sleeper. Our true or real nature is none of those three. Our dreams appear to be real when we are dreaming, but when we wake up, we realize that the dream world was wholly created in our mind. Similarly, when we will reach moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth and death), we will realise that we have finally woken up to reality and that our waking world was just as unreal as our dream world.
A Parable of King Janaka and Sage Ashtavakra
One day King Janaka woke up from his dream, completely dejected as in his dream he lost his kingdom in a battle and was exiled from his kingdom. He started walking out of the kingdom, tired and hungry he begged for food. He finally was able to get some gruel, but as soon as he was about to eat it, a bird knocked down his food into the dirt and he started crying.
At this point he woke up and asked a very philosophical question, “Was that true or is this true”. He was asking whether his dream was true or his current, waking state true. Nothing would satisfy the king until he could get an answer to his question.
When Sage Ashtavakra heard this, he came to king Janaka’s rescue. Ashtavakra asked Janaka, “In your dream did you experience the waking world”?
Janaka replied in the negative.
Then he asked Janaka, “In this waking world do you experience your dream world”?
Janaka again refused.
“So, if neither of the states, waking or dreaming, is consistently true, then neither of them is true. Neither this is true nor that is true, only you are true”.
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Arishadvarga (Six Enemies of the Mind)
In Hindu tradition, the arishadvargas are the six enemies of the mind. They are kama (desire or lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), ahamkar (ego, pride, hubris), moha (emotional attachment), matsarya (jealousy, envy). Everyone who has not reached moksha struggles with them. For details, please visit my previous blog, Chapter 19, Leela 2a: Variety in Upadesh -- Slanderer Condemned
The strength of their hold within us is a good indication of the degree of our spiritual progress. Each time they interfere in our lives they inevitably cause things to go wrong which, in turn, brings us suffering. Each such experience of suffering is a lesson to us that molds our spiritual self. As we go through our countless lives, these lessons accumulate, and move us closer and closer to moksha.
We are not perfect individuals yet. We have come into this world to learn and grow spiritually. That the whole reason we’re born again and again is to work through these enemies of the mind and remove them. It is important for us to be engaged in this world and use this opportunity to learn from them and bring in the required transformation to diminish them and move beyond them.
As this struggle with the arishadvargas is a natural process for all jivatmas, your Sadguru will not interfere. However, if you are in danger of having your mind overpowered and fully consumed by them, just as Dwarkamai (A dilapidated masjid in Shirdi where Sai Baba lived) was in danger of being consumed by the rising flames, He will intervene to stop the calamity from happening.
His Leela
The rising flames in the dhuni are a metaphor for these enemies which arise in our minds. Via this leela, Baba wants us to beware of these enemies. When we get overpowered by them, our minds become filled with emotional turmoil and we lose our equanimity (calmness and composure), and are at risk of acting rashly and falling off the spiritual path.
We become blind to our spiritual aspirations and forget to turn to our Sadguru for help to remove these enemies from our mind. Without this help, we waste a precious opportunity to purge the mind, which is very essential for our spiritual growth.
Being omniscient, Baba knew the flames in the dhuni were rising but pretended not to notice. As long as these enemies do not overpower us, our Sadguru ignores them and leaves it up to us to deal with them. His devotees were afraid to call His attention to the flames, just as we are hesitant to turn to our Sadguru for help, due to shame and embarrassment when we become conscious of being caught up in such thoughts.
Baba, being omniscient, knew that if nothing was done, a calamity was bound to happen, so He took control of the situation. Once these enemies within us reach an extreme where they become a serious danger, our Sadguru intervenes and helps reduce their intensity. Baba brought down the flames using an unorthodox approach, by striking His satka to the ground and requesting the flames to calm down. He wants us to understand the importance of removing them as they are obstacles in our spiritual growth.
2) Contemplate upon the transient nature of our reality and focus on the Real not the Unreal
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Please see the explanation on the Real and the Unreal |
Symbolism behind Baba’s Dhuni and Udi
In His early days, when He first came to Shirdi, Baba treated the sick with medicinal cures that He custom-made for them and was very successful in curing them. This caused more and more patients from far and wide to seek Him out for his cures. Later, when the number of patients became too large to treat individually, Baba gave out only the udi (ash from the dhuni, the sacred fire), both for external use and to use orally. The udi was just as successful at curing the sick.
Baba wanted to continue His legacy of treating His devotees. To fulfill His legacy, He started the dhuni (sacred fire) which produced the udi which could be distributed widely to cure His devotees. It is a valuable gift for all His devotees, past, present and future, out of the deep-rooted compassion He had for each and every one of them. In His wisdom, he picked a mode of manifestation and distribution of His remedies which could easily be sustained after His nirvana. This would be difficult for any product other than udi.
For over one hundred years after Baba's Mahasamadhi, His dhuni (Sacred Fire) has been burning in Dwarkamai and continues to do so even today. There are regular reports of present-day udi, created from the dhuni now burning in Shirdi, curing the sick. removing pain and creating abundance. It is a legacy that His devotees continue to benefit from after his nirvana.
His Leela
The udi from the dhuni is a metaphor for the transient nature of our reality. Udi, being ash, is a reminder that nothing and no one exists permanently. It reminds us of the perishable nature of the body which will one day be turned to ashes. Via this leela, Baba wants us to realise that everything impermanent will turn to ash one day.
Udi is also a reminder that, in order to remember God constantly, our ego must first be destroyed or burned into ashes. It symbolizes the burning of our false identification with our bodies, liberation from the limitations of mortal life, and freedom from the cycle of birth and death, so that we can achieve moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth and death) and realize our true nature.
Advaita Vedanta scriptures provide profound discussions on what is permanent and real. They conclude that only Brahman is permanent and real. Brahman is described as sat (existence), chit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss). Brahman is our true nature, and this is what our Sadguru is asking us to contemplate.
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) When your mind is overpowered by any of the six internal enemies (anger, lust, greed, attachment, etc.), your Sadguru will come to your rescue
How to proactively deal with arishadvargas (internal enemies)
Focus on reducing your ahamkar (ego, pride, hubris) and moha (emotional attachment), and at the same time increasing your empathy towards others to proactively deal these arishadvargas.
In my previous blog, Chapter 24, Leela 2: Anna Chinchanikar vs. Mavsibai I have discussed krodha (anger) in more detail. It is the most common internal enemy that we all have to deal with on an ongoing basis. Anger is almost always triggered due to:
a. ahamkara: as when your ego is threatened or attacked.
b. moha: as when people or worldly objects to which you have strong emotional attachment are threatened or attacked.
Some of the most basic advice in our tradition offers is that, to make spiritual progress, you must free yourself of your ahamkara and moha.
The best way to start doing this is to practice karma Yoga (performing actions with absolutely no expectation of anything in return). It is the path of dedicated service to the community or society, while renouncing the results of our actions, or making them a spiritual offering to God or your Sadguru.
This will teach you humility and increase your empathy towards others. As a result, you have a diminished ego, your attachments to worldly objects decrease, and your attachment to God increases. This practice can be started with a modest time commitment but must be practiced consistently over time.
In order to proactively build up empathy, 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. Seeing God in all beings, allows us to expand our love and empathy to all beings.
What to do when arishadvargas (internal enemies) start to appear in your mind
While your Sadguru will help you if your arishadvargas become too destructive, you must learn to deal with them before they go that far.
· Become conscious of the circumstances that trigger these internal enemies and try to prepare your mind ahead of time to anticipate and avoid them.
· The best way to deal with them is to first acknowledge them. It is difficult to change something we don't know exists.
· When you notice that one of the enemies is just beginning to appear in your mind, STOP IMMEDIATELY. Remember this leela and ask Baba for forgiveness.
· If its too late to divert it and it has already formed in your mind, then offer it to your Sadguru. Doing this repeatedly will weaken its hold on you.
How will you know that you are making progress in diminishing your arishadvargas (internal enemies)
You will notice over time, with shraddha (faith based upon knowledge and trust) and saburi (patience), that the time it takes to catch yourself in the act will get shorter and shorter to the point where you will be able to remove these arishadvargas altogether from your life.
Cultivating this kind of awareness requires consistent practice and commitment, as we are all so used to simply reacting to things without thinking and analysing the situation.
Finally, to sum it up:
· It takes incredible power of self will, and shraddha (faith based upon knowledge and trust) in your Sadguru, to overcome these enemies.
· Do not delay in dealing with them anymore. RIGHT NOW, is a good time to start working on eliminating them.
· If you think that you cannot, with your own efforts, eliminate them, do not shy away from calling your Sadguru for help and He will surely help.
· Your Sadguru has amazing capabilities to help you in times of trouble, so seek His help and He will do everything possible to help. Please see my previous blog for details: Chapter 11, Leela4: Baba's Control over the Elements - Water
Meditate on the fire of Baba’s Dhuni, it will burn up your ahamkara and moha.
2) Contemplate upon the transient nature of our reality and focus on the Real not the Unreal
In order to contemplate on transient nature of our reality, look closely at the world around you and you will not find any permanence in it. Everything in this world is transient, and will inevitably change, decay, die and turn to ash over time. Your ahamkar (ego), people, places and things are all temporary. It is your emotional attachment to them that is the cause of all your pain and suffering
Does it mean that, to avoid suffering, you must not love anyone?
Emotional detachment does not mean that you must renounce love and compassion for the people around you.
If your love has expectations about what you get in return, or if you feel a possessiveness for your loved one, it is easy to see how this type of love could cause you suffering.
Instead, if your love is unconditional, with no expectations from the loved one, and no feeling of possessiveness over the loved one, then it will make you open your heart more to love others and wish for their happiness and well-being without any expectation of reciprocation. For further details, please visit my previous blog, Chapter 31, Leela4 Megha.
If we do not work to remove these emotional attachments and entanglements, we will have to experience the necessity of removing them the hard way, after experiencing endless pain that comes from attachment to people and objects. After all that suffering we will finally realize the need to turn inwards within ourselves and introspect, and begin to appreciate the real.
By working on removing these emotional attachments now, we can save ourselves a great deal of suffering. By this leela, Baba is trying to teach us this important message.
Here is a story of a king and his four wives, that brings home the message of why we must focus on the real and not the unreal:
Once upon a time there was a rich king who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the third wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another man. He also loved his second wife. She was his confidante and was always kind, considerate, and patient with him. Whenever the king faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The king’s first wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!
One day, the king fell ill and knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, ‘I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I’ll be all alone.’
Thus, he asked the fourth wife, ‘I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?’
‘No way!’ replied the fourth wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.
The sad king then asked the third wife, ‘I have loved you all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?’
‘No!’ she replied. ‘Life is too good! When you die, I’ll remarry!’
His heart turned cold. He then asked the second wife, ‘I have always turned to you for help, and you’ve always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?’
‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help this time!’ replied the second wife. ‘At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.’ Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning. The king was devastated.
Then a voice called out: ‘I’ll go with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.’
The king looked up and saw his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, he said, ‘I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!’
In truth, we all have the four wives in our lives:
· Our fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.
· Our third wife is our possessions, status, and wealth. When we die, these will go to others.
· Our second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we’re alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
· Our first wife is our spiritual achievements, neglected in our pursuit of material wealth and pleasure. It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go.
What we all must learn from the above story is to focus on the real, which is our spiritual goals, instead of focusing on the unreal, the material pursuits of this world. Do it NOW before it is too late!
Meditation Method to Develop Viveka (the ability to discriminate between the real and the unreal)
One direct meditative method, called self-inquiry, is to look within ourselves, such as that prescribed by Swami Ramana Maharishi. With this method it becomes clear to us what is real and what is unreal.
Contemplate on what is permanent and meditate by asking the following questions.
a. Who am I?
b. Where is this “I” in my body and mind?
c. Who is it within me that asks the question “Who am I?”
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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.
