Leela:
Once Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati (1854-1914), known as Shri Tembe Swami, encamped at Rajamahendri (Andhra Country), on the banks of Godavari. He was a devout, orthodox Jnani and Yogi Bhakta of the Lord Dattatreya (an avatar of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, combined).
Mr. Pundalikrao,
a pleader from Nanded (Nizam State), went to see him with some friends. While
they were talking with him, the names of Shirdi and Sai Baba were casually
mentioned. Hearing Baba's name, the Swami bowed with joined hands, then gave a
coconut to Pundalikrao, and said to him, "Offer this to my brother Sai,
with my pranam (greeting with joined hands) and request Him not to forget me,
but ever love me". He also added that the Swamis do not generally bow to
others, but in this case an exception had to be made. Mr. Pundalikrao consented
to take the gift and his message to Baba.
A few weeks later, Pundalikrao and his friends began their journey to Shirdi
with the coconut. When they reached Manmad, they felt thirsty and went to a
rivulet to drink some water. As water should not be drunk on an empty stomach,
they took out some chivda (flattened rice mixed with spices). The chivda was
too spicy, and to make it milder, someone suggested they add coconut. They
broke open the coconut and mixed its scrapings with the chivda, making it tastier and more palatable.
Unfortunately, the coconut that was broken turned out to be the same that was entrusted to Pundalikrao. As they neared Shirdi, Pundalikrao remembered the trust he betrayed and felt deeply sorry. Fearful and trembling, he came to Shirdi and saw Baba.
Baba had was already aware of the gift sent by His brother, Tembe Swami and immediately asked Pundalikrao to give Him the object sent by His brother. Pundalikrao held fast to Baba's Feet, confessed his guilt and negligence and asked for His pardon. He offered another coconut as a substitute, but Baba refused to accept, it saying that the worth of that coconut was, by far, many times more than an ordinary one and that it could not be replaced by another.
Baba said with a smile, “Why should someone take possession of a coconut at all, it if could not be safeguarded properly? Feeling certain that you will give me my thing, my brother placed full trust in your words”. But should it result in this? Is this the level of your trustworthiness? My brother’s wish was not fulfilled. Is this the way you work?”
Baba continued, “The value of that coconut can never be equalled, even if you bring many others. But now, what had to happen, has happened. Why feel sad about it needlessly?”
“When Swami gave you that coconut, it was by my wish, and it was also by my wish that the coconut was broken. Then why unnecessarily regard yourself as the doer?
“You harbour an egoistic attitude and therefore regard yourself as an offender. Just adopt the attitude of a non-doer and all your troubles can be avoided.
“Why do people own their meritorious deeds alone, and not their sins? After all, the power of both is the same. So, act without ego.
“That coconut fell into the hollow of your palms only because I wished that you should come to meet me. This is the whole Truth.
“You are also my children. The coconut that fell into your mouth, has itself been offered to Me. Regard it as having reached me, most certainly!
Only when thus persuaded by Baba’s words, did Pundalikrao’s mind calm down, and slowly his sadness melted away.
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), p439
Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p439
Teachings from Leela:
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Three Categories of Karma (action):
In the Bhagvad Gita, chapter 4, verse 17, Shri Krishna divided karma into three categories:
· Karma: auspicious action recommended by the scriptures to regulate the senses and purify the mind. · Vikarma: inauspicious, forbidden action, prohibited by the scriptures, since it is detrimental and results in degradation of the jivatma (the individual self). · Akarma: action performed without attachment to the results and done merely for the pleasure of God. It neither has any karmic reaction, nor does it entangle the jivatma.
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1) One who is on the spiritual path should perform Akarma (action without attachment to its results and merely done for the pleasure of God), so as not to create new karmic entanglements
Like the many leelas in the Sai Satcharitra, this leela about the loss of the coconut is just an opportunity for Baba to teach us yet another of His priceless and powerful lessons for those on the spiritual path.
Baba said, “You harbour an egoistic attitude and therefore regard yourself as an offender. Just adopt the attitude of a non-doer and all your troubles can be avoided”. He was referring to akarma, the performing of actions, merely for the pleasure of God and not for selfish motive.
By doing actions as akarma, you are a non-doer of your actions. For such actions, you do not have to suffer their consequences, and you therefore do not contribute to your sanchita karma (the total accumulation of all your past karmas), making your path to moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth and death) that much easier.
By dedicating your actions to God while harbouring no selfish motives, you become a Karma Yogi, following a key spiritual practice that helps purify your mind and propels you in your spiritual journey.
What of akarma when the action yields bad results
Imagine the situation where someone is driving a car very carefully, following all the rules of the road, but a pedestrian walk out in front of the car. The driver has not enough time to stop and the pedestrian is killed.
Even though the situation resulted in someone’s death, a court of law will not find the driver to be legally responsible for the death, as he had no intention to kill, and was acting as he was supposed to. It is the intention of the mind that is of primary importance and not the outcome of the action.
Similarly, a karma yogi performing an akarma is absolved of all negative consequences even if the result of the act turns out badly.
Do the actions of Pundalikrao qualify as akarma?
Pundalikrao agreed to deliver the coconut given to him by Tembe Swami for Baba. He travelled from Nanded to Shirdi, a distance of about 380 km, to do so. This was a selfless act and he had no selfish motive. He did it simply to please the swami and Baba. Since his mind was not entangled in any expectation from the swami or Baba, his action is akarma.
Baba, being omniscient, knew all about the fate of coconut given by Tembe Swami, and perhaps even arranged for it to be put in Pundalikrao’s charge to be delivered to Himself.
When Pundalikrao arrived, Baba immediately asked him for the gift sent by Tembe Swami, so as to begin to instruct him on akarma. When Pundalikrao confessed to having destroyed the gift and asked for Baba's pardon, Baba instructed him to not to feel a sense of responsibility for the negative result of an akarma.
Why should you not take responsibility for the outcomes of akarma
Baba pointed out that if you feel the need to take responsibility for an action that you set out to do without attachment to its result, and for the pleasure of God, this shows that you clearly feel that you were the doer of the action. This is due to a sense of ego that you must conquer. In order to properly do akarma, you must completely separate yourself from any sense of doership.
In order to exhaust your karmas, to get freedom from the bondage of results of your karmas, practice performing karmas without a sense of doership, free from expectations and with the desire to offer it as a service to God. When the notion of doership dies, when there is no ego, there is nothing left to attach the results of your karmas to.
My Vedanta teacher, Rita Nayar, used to say that when the cause is removed the effect automatically is destroyed as there is nothing for the effect to attach to. This will destroy your karmic bondage which is the main cause of entangling you in this endless cycle of birth and death.
In the Bhagvad Gita, chapter 5, verse10, Krishna says:
Those who dedicate their actions to God,
abandoning all attachment,
remain untouched by sin, just as a lotus leaf is untouched by water.
More on Taking Responsibility of the Outcomes of akarma
Let us understand the meaning of why Baba said the following:
“Why do people own their meritorious deeds alone,
and not their sins? After all, the power of both is the same.
So, act without ego”.
Baba is (probably humorously) pointing out that our egos hang on to the doership of an akarma if the outcome of the action is positive, but conveniently want to give up doership if the outcome is negative. Our egos are sneaky that way!
The practice of karma yoga and akarma is useful to diminish the ego. Perform the action but stay untouched by its results. By detaching yourself from the fruits of your actions, over time, you also learn to diminish your ego while experiencing the pleasure of offering your action to God. As such experiences accumulate, your ego is permanently weakened, and your love of God strengthened.
Is This a Loophole for Bad Action?
Is it okay then to perform bad actions that will result in bad outcomes, and then claim to refuse the sense of doership?
No, it is never okay to perform bad deeds. Bad karmas are called vikarma (see ADVAITA VEDANTA CONCEPTS above). We are responsible for all our bad deeds, and will receive the fruit of such deeds, so we must make all attempts to avoid them.
In addition to accumulating the results (which usually involve suffering), bad karmas also lead to the creation and strengthening of bad vasanas (tendencies, likes and dislikes, imprinted in the mind), which also means that you lose ground in your spiritual path.
2) When someone trusts you with a task, complete it with great care, and validate their trust in you
Via this leela, Baba is teaching us that, if someone puts their trust in us to complete a task, we must make sure that we complete it successfully. By not fulfilling the task given by Tembe Swami, Pundalikrao broke his trust. Baba wants us to be truthful to our words and to successfully fulfill our commitments.
By questioning Pundalikrao on whether “this is the way he worked”, Baba is conveying to us that how we keep our commitments reflects on our trustworthiness. Over the full length of our spiritual journey, our Sadguru (A Sadguru is a title given specifically only to an enlightened saint) will entrust us with many tasks that are necessary for the success of our spiritual endeavour. We must get into a habit of being trustworthy in our commitments.
3) Express your love and gratitude towards others
Saints express their love and gratitude, not just to their devotees, but to everyone, including their fellow saints. They live their lives as an example for the rest of us. They teach us how to love. Their love for others flows as naturally as the light flowing from the sun.
Love is the most powerful divine emotion that anyone can experience and should express. Via this leela, Baba is teaching us the importance of this emotion and that we must express this emotion towards each other.
Let us understand this emotion in detail because, even though people often talk about love, most of us do so without being fully aware of its true essence. There are many misconceptions about love that hold us back in expressing loving feelings towards others.
Some Misconceptions about Love
· Love is an emotional attachment to people so we must avoid it
· Love will keep us entangled in this Maya world, so we must not love anyone or express our love
· Love is possessiveness
What is Love?
Love is a positive feeling you direct towards others, whereas attachment is an emotional need that you have for someone. Attachment is a self-obsession (excessive concern with one's own desires, needs, or interests). The outcome of love is inner purification of the mind. This is the real purpose of love. Love is an emotion in action, it is best described below:
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like
wrapping a present and not giving it.
William Arthur Ward
How does your Sadguru reciprocate the love expressed by His devotees
In chapter 9 of the Sai Satcharitra, there are a couple of Leelas which demonstrate how Baba reciprocates the loving devotion of His devotees.
When Mrs. Tarkhad, came to know that Mr. Purandare of Bandra (a suburb of Mumbai), is set out for Shirdi with his wife and children. She requested Mrs. Purandare to offer three things on her behalf to Baba: bharit (roasted brinjal (eggplant), mixed with curds and spice), and kacharya (deep-fried slices of brinjal. Let us see how Baba expressed His appreciation of His devotee’s expression of love below:
After reaching Shirdi, Mrs. Purandare went with her dish of bharit to the Masjid when Baba was just about to start his meals. Baba found the bharit very tasty. He distributed it to all and said that He wanted kacharyas next. A word was sent to Radha Krishna-Mai, that Baba wanted kacharyas. She was in a fix, as it was not the season for brinjals. How to get brinjals was the question? When an enquiry was made as to who brought the bharit, it was discovered that Mrs. Purandare was also entrusted with the duty of serving kacharyas. Everybody then came to know the significance of Baba's enquiry regarding kacharyas and was wonderstruck at Baba's all-pervasive knowledge. Does Baba have a longing for any of these things? No, but to express His appreciation of His devotee’s expression of love, He expresses His gratitude towards them in this way.
On another occasion, In December 1915, a devotee, Govind, wanted to go to Shirdi. Before he left, he came to see Mr. Tarkhad. She wanted to send an offering with him to Baba.
She searched the whole house but found nothing, except a peda which had already been offered as naivedya (the offering you make to God), hoping that Baba would accept and eat it. Govind went to Shirdi and saw Baba at the Masjid but forgot to take the peda with him. Baba simply waited.
When Govind again went to see Baba in the afternoon, he went empty-handed, without the peda. Baba could wait no longer and asked him outright, "What did you bring for me?"
"Nothing" was the reply. Baba asked him again. The same reply came forth again.
Then Baba asked him the leading question, "Did not the mother (Mrs. Tarkhad) give some sweetmeat to you for Me at the time of your starting?"
The boy then remembered the whole thing. He felt abashed asked Baba's pardon, ran to his lodging, brought the peda and gave it to Baba. As soon as Baba got it in His hand. He put it into His mouth and gulped it down. Thus, the devotion of Mrs. Tarkhad was recognized and accepted.
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) One who is on the spiritual path should perform Akarma (action without attachment to its results and merely done for the pleasure of God), so as not to create new karmic entanglements
In your everyday life, practice living with self-awareness by getting into the habit of monitoring the state of your mind from moment to moment, especially the intention with which you are currently performing each karma.
Ask yourself, “Am I doing this action for my own selfish motives or just to please God. Remind yourself constantly that ‘I am placing this karma at Baba’s feet as an offering’.
When you work with such intention there will be no room for selfishness and your motive will always be that of offering the karma to God, for His pleasure. The doership and ownership of your actions will vanish, and your ego will diminish, freeing you from the karmic bondage.
If someone praises you for any good deed you do, do not take ownership, but respond by saying, “I am not doing it. It is Baba who is getting it done, through me”.
As you get proficient in this monitoring, you must also use this ability to deflect vikarma (bad thoughts and actions) even as they begin to appear. With practice, your reaction time to stop such vikarma will get better and better. Keep in mind that you are accountable for all your vikarma and must suffer its consequences.
We must practice this on a daily basis, staying in the moment. When we start living with awareness, it will give us the ability to distinguish between karma, vikarma and akarma and the wisdom to avoid vikarma. It will also help us get rid of karmic entanglement, which will help us leave the endless cycle of birth and death.
2) When someone trusts you with a task, complete it with great care, and validate their trust in you
Successfully completing a task requires one or more of the following traits: discipline, perseverance, dedication, and sacrifice.
Cultivate these traits, so that whenever you undertake any task, you will be able to bring it to successful completion.
If you are bad at tasks
In the beginning, start small, by only taking on small tasks that you can fulfill. Then track your tasks, via a task list, to make sure they are successfully completed. Once you are ready, take on bigger and bigger tasks.
Dealing with Obstacles
Sometimes, there may be many obstacles that prevent you from completing the tasks undertaken by you. In that case, first determine what the obstacle is, and then figure out a way to overcome that obstacle.
If for any reason, you are unsuccessful in completing your task, ask yourself, “what went wrong? Is it due to lack of any of these four qualities mentioned above?”. Then work to strengthen the missing trait and succeed the next time around.
Remember this leela, that Baba wants us to complete the task undertaken, so you must do so as it helps us become more trustworthy in our commitments, which in the end, benefits ourselves in our spiritual practice.
3) Express your love and gratitude towards others
Start by doing something little and thoughtful for others. Whenever you express your love and gratitude towards others, mentally offer it to your Sadguru too. Small acts of kindness go a long way.
What should one do to express love for their Sadguru?
Let us take an example of a young child who wants to give a gift to her mother on Mother’s Day. The child looks around the house, picks something up, and runs to her mother to give the gift. The mother is happy just by the demonstration of the child’s act of giving, even though everything in the house belongs to the mother.
Similarly, what can a devotee give to a great spiritual Sadguru like Baba, who has the power to get whatever He wants? The answer is love.
In chapter 11 of the Sai Satcharitra, Baba said, “He, the slave of His devotees, always stood by them, and responded to them, whenever they called upon Him, and that He always longed for their love”.
I would like to share my experience of how I express my love for Baba, by sending Him some besan ladoo (sweetmeat made with chickpea flour) and how Baba reciprocates His love expressed by His devotees:
Whenever possible, I like to send besan ladoo from Canada, when my friends or relatives, who are bound for Shirdi. Baba too acknowledges that love by accepting those ladoos. When I sent these ladoos the first time, my friend brought back some ladoos as prasad (any offering to God, once offered, transforms to prasad) from Baba. Since my friend stayed there for a long period of time, the prasad spoiled in the hot weather.
The next time, I sent the besan ladoos with her, I asked her to distribute all of them in Shirdi and not bring any of them back. To my surprise, when she came back from Shirdi, she said that the Punditji after offering the ladoos to Baba, did not return any ladoos to her as prasad, which is normally the case, and said to her, “we will distribute these amongst ourselves”.
My happiness knew no bounds! Baba reciprocates His love by acknowledging my offering and my resolve not to bring anything back, even though my friend did not tell the Pundit to do so.
Secondly, start hearing and learning more and more about your Sadguru or the God, whom you are closest to. The more you know of them, the love for them will grow in your heart and you will want to spend more and more time with Sadguru or God.
Similarly, the more you know about a person, the more you start liking them, and the love for them blossoms in your heart. It is like a journey from ignorance to knowledge, which will lead an aspirant starting as a bud, to blooming into a beautiful flower. Every little step in this direction does not go to waste.
Also, learn from the lives of saints in the past, who are the epitome (a perfect example) of their loving devotion to their God. Learn from the examples of perfect devotees, such as Hanuman, Meera Bai, Kabir, Tulsi Das, Tukaram and Sri Ramakrishna, on how they expressed their love to their God.
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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