Leela:
Sai Baba often said, “Let His man (devotee) be at any distance, a thousand koss (an ancient unit of distance in India; about 200 metres; 1000 koss = 200 km) away from Him, he will be drawn to Shirdi like a sparrow with a thread tied to its feet”. This leela describes the stories of one such sparrow.
Lala Lakhmichand first served in the Railways, then at a printing company in Mumbai and thereafter at a merchant business. He was first contacted by Baba in 1910.
One or two months before Christmas, Lakhmichand saw in his dream, an old man with a beard, standing, surrounded by his bhaktas (devotees). Some days later he went to the house of his friend, Mr. Bijur to hear a kirtan (is a call-and-response style chant to engage the audience where they either repeat the chant, or reply to the call of the singer) by Das Ganu. It was always the practice of Das Ganu to keep Baba's picture in front of the audience while performing a kirtan.
Lakhmichand was surprised to see that the features of the old man he saw in his dream matched exactly with those in the picture and thus he came to know that the old man he saw in his dream was Sai Baba himself. The sight of this picture, Das Ganu's kirtan and the life of the Saint Tukaram on which Das Ganu discoursed, made a deep impression on his mind and he pined to go to Shirdi.
It is always the experience of the bhaktas (devotees) that God helps them in their search for a Sadguru and other spiritual endeavours. That very night at 8 pm, a friend named Shankar Rao knocked at his door and asked whether he would accompany him to Shirdi. Lakhmichand was overjoyed and agreed at once.. He borrowed Rs.15 from his cousin and, after some preparations, left for Shirdi.
In the train, he and his friend sang bhajans (religious songs) and enquired about Sai Baba with some fellow passengers -- four Mahomedans, who were returning to their place near Shirdi. They all said that Sai Baba was a great Saint living in Shirdi for many years.
Then when they reached Kopergaon, Lakhmichand wanted to buy some good guavas (a tropical fruit) to offer to Baba, but was so enraptured with the sights, that he forgot to purchase them. When they were nearing Shirdi, he was reminded of the guavas. Just then he saw an old woman with a basket of guavas on her head, running after his tanga (horse carriage).
The tanga was stopped and he gladly purchased some select fruits. Then the woman said, "Take all the rest and offer them on my behalf to Baba". The facts that he had intended to purchase guavas but had forgotten to do so, the encounter with the old woman, and her devotion to Baba, all were a surprise to both the friends
Then they drove on and approached Shirdi and seeing the flags (A piece of cloth or similar material, typically oblong or square, attachable by one edge to a pole or rope and used as the symbol or emblem of a country or institution or as a decoration during public festivities) on the Masjid, they saluted them. With Puja materials in hand, they then went to the Masjid and worshipped Baba with due formality. Lakhmichand was much moved and was extremely happy to see Baba. He was enrapt with Baba's Feet as a bee with a sweet-smelling lotus.
Then Baba spoke as follows, "Cunning
fellow! He does bhajans on the way, and enquires from others. Why ask others? We
should see with our own eyes; why is it necessary to question others? Just decide
for yourself whether your dream is true or not. What was the necessity of the
darshan by taking a loan from a Marwari (the community to which Lakhmichand
and his cousin belonged)? Is the heart's desire now satisfied?"
Hearing these words Lakhmichand was wonderstruck with Baba's omniscience. He
was at a loss to know how Baba came to know of all the things that had happened
enroute, from his house to Shirdi.
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), p146
Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p235
Teachings from Leela:
1) Your Sadguru draws His devotees to Him, even from far away
Baba has unique ways of drawing His devotees to Him. This leela is one such example. Baba first appeared in Lakhmichand’s dream to draw him to Shirdi and bring him under His spiritual guidance.
Baba first appeared in Lakhmichand’s dream, then arranged for him to attend Das Ganuji’s kirtan at his friend’s home in Mumbai and to see Baba’s portrait there. Baba made Lakhmichand realise that the person he saw in his dream was Baba himself. When this realisation dawned upon Lakhmichand, a strong urge to visit Shirdi rose within him.
Soon, Lakhmichand had a desperate longing to see Baba. Baba made arrangements via his friend Shankar Rao to come see Him that very night. Lakhmichand followed his heart’s longing and immediately decided to go to Shirdi. As shown here, it is Baba who is the wirepuller of His devotees and has unique ways to bring them not just to Shirdi, but under His guardianship, to mentor them in their spiritual growth.
2) During your first encounters, your Sadguru often provides you evidence that will increase your shraddha in Him
Baba started working on increasing Lakhmichand’s shraddha (faith based upon knowledge and trust) in Him, even before he had set his foot on Shirdi. Both Lakhmichand and his friend experienced a surprising, miraculous event, which helped them recognize the divinity of Baba.
Upon approaching Shirdi, Lakhmichand remembered that he had intended to purchase guavas in Kopergaon to offer to Baba and had forgotten to do so. Just then, an old woman appeared with guava basket. Lakhmichand was further surprised to see a demonstration of the old woman’s devotion to Baba, when she gave him the remaining guavas to offer to Baba on her behalf.
Baba worked to further increase Lakhmichand’s shraddha (faith based upon knowledge and trust) in Him, by narrating all that took place on the way from Mumbai to Shirdi. Lakhmichand was wonderstruck at Baba’s omniscience.
Baba teased Lakhmichand playfully, while conveying teachings about his inquiry to strangers about His reputation, and about him borrowing from a Marwari (a community known for moneylending, that both Lakhmichand and his cousin belonged to).
3) Darshan of a Sadguru can occur during meditation, at your own home in front of a picture, so you need not borrow and go into debt, to visit the site of His worship
What is Darshana
Darshana is two-sided, visual connection between a devotee and a Saint or God, whereby the devotee sees the divinity and vice versa. Although it requires nothing more than the act of seeing, darshana is considered a powerful form of worship and a process of spiritual fulfillment.
Darshana may occur in the home, for example, in front of an altar with a picture of a deity. It may also occur in a site of worship or a visualized setting during meditation. For more information please visit my previous blog, Chapter 28, Leela 5: Megha
Importance and benefits of Darshana
The importance of Guru darshana is that it allows devotees to receive His divine grace and blessings, which in turn helps them in their spiritual progress. It also helps purify the devotees’ minds, which the devotees would not be able to do so on their own.
Did Lakhmichand benefit from Baba’s Darshana
Yes, Lakhmichand did benefit from having Baba’s darshana (see teaching number two above for more details). Via this leela, Baba is trying to teach us that if a devotee cannot afford to come to Shirdi in person to have His darshan, they could do so just by offering their devotion to His picture. Seeing His photo is equivalent to seeing Him in person. A leela in Chapter 33 of the Sai Satcharitra illustrates this point very well.
A Saint of Bombay named Balabuva Sutar, came to Shirdi for the first time in 1917. When be bowed before Baba, the latter said, "I have known this man since four years". Balabuva wondered how that could be as that was his first trip to Shirdi. He then remembered that he had prostrated four years ago before Baba's portrait at Bombay and was convinced about the significance of Baba's words. He said to himself, "How omniscient and all-pervading are the Saints and how kind are they to their Bhaktas! I merely bowed to His photo, this fact was noticed by Baba and in due time He made me realize that seeing His photo is equivalent to seeing Him in person!"
Why not Borrow in order to visit a Saint
If a person has debts at time of death, he remains indebted to them in his next life. In chapter 47 of the Sai Satcharitra, Baba narrates the history of a frog and a snake, a greedy money-lender and his debtor. The leela emphasizes that, in order to clear away the sins of enmity, murder and debt, one is reborn to work out one's karma.
Baba said in His own words:
"Debt, enmity and murder are such that
the doer can never escape them".
Indira Kher version, Page 306, verse 25.
Via this leela, Baba is trying to teach us that it is unnecessary for a devotee to borrow money, even if it is for a pious reason such as having a Sadguru’s darshan. As we have seen above, seeing Baba’s photo is equivalent to seeing Him in person.
Putting into Practice
Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.
1) Your Sadguru draws His devotees to Him, even from far away
Your Sadguru is constantly working to help propel you forward in your spiritual path and will draw you towards Him, even if you are thousands of miles away, to transform you in your spiritual journey. In my case, I was pulled from Canada to Shirdi, a distance of over 12,000 km, back in 2005.
Once you have a Sadguru in your life consider yourself blessed and serve Him. Have complete shraddha (faith based upon knowledge and trust) in Him as He will help you in your spiritual journey towards moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth and death).
2) During your first encounters, your Sadguru often provides you evidence that will increase your shraddha in Him
I would like to share my own experiences about this. The first time, my husband and I went to Shirdi was in 2005. At that time, I did not know anything about Baba, but my friend insisted that I include Shirdi in my plans as we were visiting India. All I knew about Shirdi Sai Baba was that he was a saint. I was very reluctant to go as I was only there for a short visit and wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible.
When we were about to reach Shirdi, all of a sudden, tears started rolling down my eyes and I said to myself, “Baba I am coming”. Never before in my entire life had I experienced this kind of emotion before visiting any temple. Another amazing thing is that, when we first landed in Shirdi, it was the anniversary of Baba’s Mahasamadhi. I started this blog on the same day 11 years later.
I had another notable experience in the Samadhi Mandir. One of my other friends had asked me to offer a red shawl to Baba and bring it back after offering. I agreed and when we approached the altar for darshan and gave the shawl to the priest for offering, the priest offered it, and when returning it to us, another devotee snatched it from his hand. I just stood there dumbfounded and at that moment, I instantly said in my mind, “Baba, look the shawl is gone, I need to take it back to my friend”. As soon as that thought came to mind, the priest asked that gentleman to return the shawl to me. He did so and apologized for snatching it.
Soon after returning from the trip, my husband and I noticed that the level of anxiety and worry in our minds had reduced. We were experiencing peace of mind that we had not ever experienced. At that point we got involved in seva (service to your Sadguru) and found ourselves moving down the bhakti path with Baba.
Two years later, in 2007, Baba arranged us to meet a guru who, over 5 years, taught us Vedanta, moving us down the Jnana path. Our beloved guru Rita Nayar, who passed away at a very young age of 60 years due to ALS, was a remarkable and inspiring individual. She patiently and loving taught us Gita and Vedanta at her home.
It feels more and more as though we are now living in a different dimension and have gained tremendous inner peace and courage to face anything in life. In the past any little thing would upset and bother us, but now even if faced with exceedingly difficult circumstances, we find ourselves able to cope. We have firm faith in Baba that he will take care of us and will give us the required strength to bear any challenges that may come our way.
We feel so blessed that this trip to Shirdi propelled our journey on a spiritual path. I cannot thank my friend, enough for introducing me to Baba. I am often amazed how since our first visit to Shirdi in 2005, Baba is guiding us every step of the way on the path of spirituality.
Whenever you meet a new devotee of Baba, ask them how they came to know Baba, and what experiences they had in their early days of knowing Him. You are likely to hear many inspiring stories.
A Humble Request
You, the readers, may also have had experiences during your first encounters with Baba. Please share them in the comments box below, and I will select some of them for inclusion in this blog, so that we can share these stories with all readers.
If you are having trouble posting the comments, especially if you are using iOS devices, then I suggest please send me an email at: Laxmiohm@gmail.com and I will include them in the blog.
3) Darshan of a Sadguru can occur during meditation, at your own home in front of a picture, so you need not borrow and go into debt, to visit the site of His worship
There is a note of caution here about going into debt. There are times and circumstances when it becomes necessary to get into debt, but never get into debt for your Sadguru’s darshan or to convey your devotion to your Sadguru. He is pleased by mere darshan of His picture, and sincere devotion and love from your heart is all that He longs for.
Be diligent about paying off all your debts and obligations in your lifetime.
On the other hand, if you are owed debt from others, don’t be particularly worried about collecting it; consider it as though by lending them money in the first place you paid off a debt you owed from a previous birth, and leave it to the Law of Karma to balance things out.
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.
