Chapter 19, Leela 2a: Variety in Upadesh -- Slanderer Condemned

Leela:

Sai Baba required no special place or time for giving instructions. Whenever the occasion demanded, He gave them freely. Once it so happened that a Bhakta began publicly reviling (criticizing in an abusive or angrily insulting manner) another behind his back. Leaving aside merits, he dwelt on the faults of his brother, speaking so sarcastically that listeners were disgusted. We often see that people tend to criticize others unnecessarily, breeding hatred and ill-will.

 

Sai Baba had his own method of correcting this type of behaviour. He knew by his omniscience what the slanderer had done, and when He met him at noon near the Lendi, Baba pointed out a pig who was eating filth near the fence.  He said to him, "Behold how, with what relish it is gorging dung. Your conduct is similar. You go on reviling your own brothers to your heart's content. After performing many deeds of merit, you are born a man, and if you act like this, will Shirdi help you in any way?" Needless to say, the Bhakta took the lesson to his heart and went 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, 20^th Edition 2002), p102

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    Do not bad-mouth others as this not only brings hatred and ill-will, but also strays you away from the spiritual path

Bad-mouthing someone is abusing and criticizing someone behind their back. One who bad-mouths out of jealousy may do so hoping to influence others to think poorly of him or her. Someone who bad-mouths must understand that the injury he or she causes cannot be undone, as the damage is irrevocable.

According to Wikipedia, in Hindu tradition, the Arishadvarga are the six passions, the negative characteristics which manifest as the most dangerous obstacles to your spiritual path towards liberation. Let us examine each of these passions in detail:

1.    Kama (pleasure-seeking): 

Kama is the desire for sensory pleasures. An over-attachment to the seeking of sensory pleasures distracts us from working along our spiritual path.

2.    Krodha (anger):

Anger is when people, faced with a situation which is not acceptable to their ego, are so frustrated that they push back against the world, using words or actions to try to violently change the situation to their ego’s liking.

From Bhagvad Gita (Chapter 2, verse 63):

Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of the memory. When the memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined (note 1).

3.    lobh (greed):

Greed is the selfish desire for material objects. It is a desire which is never going to be satisfied. The more you get, the more you want. Chasing after material possessions in this way does not leave much room in your life to pursue your spiritual development.

4.    moha (attachment to people):

Moha is the emotional over-attachment to people around you. This is not to be confused with love, which is not an obstacle to your spiritual development, but a divine emotion.

 

When you love someone, for you it is all about them. You care deeply for them, are kind to them, wish the best for them, and help them when they need it. If you lose them, you accept the loss, and continue to love them.

 

Moha is when it is all about you. Under the guise of love, you treat someone as if you possess them. You wish them to be a certain way, and to always be available for your needs. You dread the thought of losing them, and are devastated if you lose them.

 

5.    mada (pride):

Pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements and material possessions leads to an inflated ego and self-delusion. Each subject of our pride is ours only temporarily, and we leave them behind when we die.

An inflated ego proves to be an obstacle when trying to progress spiritually.  Making progress on the spiritual path requires perfect humility, as all of us on this path are but novices, having much to learn to reach our ultimate goal, often from sources of knowledge we might otherwise overlook when burdened with a large ego.

6.    matsarya (jealousy):

Jealousy is a state of intolerance born when we see someone else possessing qualities or material riches that we do not have. It is the desire for something that someone else possesses, and resenting that person for having it. It evokes strongly negative thoughts and actions from us, which are clearly opposite of what we need for our spiritual progress.

As we can see, pleasure-seeking, anger, greed, over-attachment to people, pride and jealousy are all passions which are barriers to our spiritual progress. They generate a desire to fulfill our passions, and we pay for them with our own degradation.

If we look at the underlying reasons for someone bad-mouthing another, we will always find one or more of these negative passions. Bad-mouthing someone is usually the result of selfish desires, such as jealousy, anger, pride or greed.

In the Bhagvad Gita (chapter 16, verse 12):

Every selfish desire carries a seed of anxiety within it, as we have seen. Shri Krishna says that such desires harm us in another manner. We develop attachment towards the desire, we are bound. It is as if a paasha, a lasso, a rope is tied around us on one end, and the desire on the other. Just like a cowboy puts a lasso around a horse and makes it obey his instructions, each desire makes us into a slave, makes us dance to its tune.
 
If this is our plight, what to talk of highly materialistic individuals. They have not one but hundreds of such ropes to bind them. If one desire is fulfilled, they have several others waiting in line. If a desire does not get fulfilled, it generates anger and agitation, causing them to inflict harm and pain upon themselves and upon others. They fall into a vicious cycle of desire, anger and greed which, given that they subscribe only to a materialistic viewpoint, is almost impossible to get out of (note 2).

We all must work towards reducing and eradicating these negative passions within us, so that we do not react with these tendencies towards others.

Being omniscient, Baba knew what was going on amongst his devotees. He did not lose any opportunity to instruct his devotees when they did something wrong. As soon as he noticed that one of his devotees was bad-mouthing someone, he pulled him aside and pointed out that his conduct was like that of a pig relishing dung. By comparing this conduct to that of a pig eating dung, Baba emphasised the disgust he felt for the bad-mouther’s actions, and conveyed how this conduct deeply offended Him. This should be sufficient indication for devotees to stay away from bad-mouthing others.

Via this leela, Baba wants us to beware of these negative passions, stating that even Shirdi will not be able to help us if we continue with these negative passions. Let us work hard to remove them from our lives.

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

2)    Do not bad-mouth others as this not only brings hatred and ill-will, but also strays you away from the spiritual path

Remember this leela, when you catch yourself bad-mouthing others. Baba is omniscient and knows all that is going on in your mind, so focus on positive thoughts and activities in life.

“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself.” ―Marcus Aurelius

There are three situations you need to prepare yourself for:

a)    When you bad-mouth others

We are not perfect beings and we all make mistakes. We have come to this world to learn, and this is why we are put into testing situations, so that we may absorb the learnings and move on to the next one.

As soon as you catch yourself bad-mouthing others,

STOP IMMEDIATELY. Remember this leela and ask Baba for forgiveness. The sooner you catch yourself the better. You will realise over time, with Shraddha and Saburi, the time it takes to catch yourself in this act will get shorter and shorter to the point where you will be able to remove this tendency altogether from your life.

As described in the minimalist website (note 3):

An old proverb tells the story of a person who repeated a rumor about a neighbor. Soon, the whole community had heard the rumor. Later, the person who spread the gossip learned that the rumor was untrue. He was very sorry and went to an elder in the community who had a reputation for great wisdom to seek advice. The elder told him, “Go to your home and take a feather pillow outside. Rip it open and scatter the feathers, then return to me tomorrow.” The man did as the elder had instructed.

The following day, he visited the elder. The elder said, “Go collect the feathers you scattered yesterday and bring them back to me.” The man went home and searched for the feathers, but the wind had carried them all away. Returning to the elder, he admitted, “I could find none of the feathers I scattered yesterday.” “You see,” said the elder, “it‘s easy to scatter the feathers but impossible to get them back.” So it is with gossip; it doesn’t take much to spread hurtful words, but once you do, you can never completely undo the damage.

b)    When you are in the presence of someone bad-mouthing others

If you think that by passively listening to someone’s bad-mouthing, it ends after you hear it and not spread it, you are sadly mistaken. Simply listening to someone bad-mouthing, without objecting, is an act of approval. In this situation, you must immediately stop the person and refuse to hear any further. Say to that person that it is between the two of them, so to please deal with it themselves, and not make others a part of it. Say that you are willing to hear good things about others, but not negative things behind their back. Then change the topic and move on to other things. If they refuse to stop, you must walk out of the situation. 

Another way to deal with this situation is to challenge them directly by asking why they are bad-mouthing this person to you. This will be their first alert that you’re not happy to be an audience for their hateful speech.

c)    When you are the victim of bad-mouthing

When you learn that someone has bad-mouthed you, you must realize that they are voicing opinions about you for which you have no basis to understand their true motivations.

Any damage to your reputation has already been done, and it is impossible for you to stop this person from slandering you in the future. You must further realize that this action by them really has no relevance to you beyond what you choose to give it.

If you decide to confront them be prepared to hear outright denial. Do not fall into the trap of doing the same to them. The wisest response for you is to ignore it. Consider it as a test of your own ahamkara (ego), and use this provocation to go even deeper into your own spiritual practice.

Remember this leela, and focus on your own spiritual journey towards moksha. As Baba mentioned above, it is a rare opportunity that you are born human, after having performed many deeds of merit. He advised us to stay away from negative desires and their resulting negative actions,  as even Shirdi will not be able to help us if we do.

 

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.

Notes:

1.     http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/2/verse/63

2.     https://gitajourney.com/category/krodha/

3.     https://www.becomingminimalist.com/there-are-better-things-to-talk-about-than-others/

 

 

 

Chapter 4, Leela 2: Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar’s Story

Leela:

Baba’s fondness for Vithal (Lord Vishnu) worship was illustrated in Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar’s story. Bhagwantrao’s father was a devotee of Vithoba, and used to make Varis (annual trips) to Pandharpur (a holy site). He also had an image of Vithoba at home, which he worshipped. After his death, the son stopped all Varis, worship, as well as the shraddha ceremony (honouring of one’s dead ancestors).

 

When Bhagwantrao came to Shirdi, Baba announced, " I dragged him here because his father was my friend. He has stopped offering naivaidya (offering of food to God) and so has starved Vithal and me. I brought him here to correct him and set him back on the path of worship”.

 

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, 20^th Edition 2002), p20

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    If you stray from your Spiritual Path, Baba will return you back to it

Via this leela, Baba is assuring us that, even if we stray from our spiritual path temporarily, He will make sure that we are returned to it.

One danger to devotees on the Bhakti Path who passively join in on daily prayers led by another, such as an older family member, is to abandon the prayers when the person who led the prayers is no longer around. 

Before Bhagwantrao’s father passed away, he used to perform his daily prayer’s and offer naivaidya to Baba and Vithal. Since he was not very well established in bhakti, he abandoned the path soon after his father passed away.

Another danger for devotees, especially those who are in their beginning stages or not well established in it, is that since bhakti is based on emotion towards God, this loving emotion could very easily change to another negative emotion, in certain circumstances, causing him to leave the Path.

For instance, if a devotee has a serious calamity in their lives and they pray to God to protect them from it, but things do not turn out as they pleaded for in their prayers, the devotee may get angry with God and stop worship.

My father used to say:

You need Jnana (knowledge) in addition to your Bhakti. Jnana will help you to hold on to your Bhakti in times of distress.  Otherwise it could slip easily from your hands.

With atma jnana (Knowledge of the Self) comes an understanding of the transient nature of things in this world, and viveka (discrimination) between what is real and unreal, permanent and temporary. With the help of this knowledge, we can focus on what is real and permanent and ignore the influence of unreal and temporary happenings in our lives. This knowledge will help us understand the nature of suffering and death, help us hold on to Bhakti, and give us the strength to deal with suffering and loss in our lives.

Via this leela, Baba also wants those of us on the Bhakti Path to realise the importance of daily prayer. In the Bhakti tradition, idol worship plays an important role for devotees who are beginners on the Path. It helps the worshipper concentrate his mind and feel close proximity with God. Devotees express their love and devotion via daily prayers and rituals. The idol of God is treated as a living incarnation of God, so just as food is offered to a living person, the idol is offered food daily during worship.

 

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1)    If you stray from your Spiritual Path, Baba will return you back to it

Here are a couple of things you can do to avoid straying from your Spiritual Path:

·         If you follow the Path of Bhakti exclusively, it will benefit you to spend some time acquiring atma jnana to understand your true nature.  This will also help you understand the true nature of suffering and death, which will add to your strength to cope in times of difficulty.   

·         To establish yourself deeper in the path of Bhakti, you must familiarize yourself with the 9 stages of Bhakti. You must also identify the stage you are currently in and strive to move forward to the next stage.

Here are the 9 forms of Bhakti, in order of progression, where each form is more subtle and advanced than the previous (Also see note 1):

1)    Sravana: hearing of God's lilas and stories

2)    Kirtana: singing of His glories

3)    Smarana: remembrance of His Name and presence

4)    Padasevana: service of His feet

5)    Archana: worship of God

6)    Vandana: prostration to the Lord

7)    Dasya: cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God

8)    Sakhya: cultivation of the friend-Bhava

9)    Atmanivedana: complete surrender of the self

 

 

 

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.

Notes:

1)     https://at-the-feet-of-baba.blogspot.ca/2016/11/chapter-9-leela-6-tarkhad-family-father.html

 

Chapter 23, Leela 1: Yoga and Onion

Leela:

Once it so happened that a sadhak (student) of Yoga came to Shirdi with Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He had studied all the works on Yoga, including the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali, but had no practical experience. He could not concentrate his mind and attain samadhi (note 1), even for a short time. He thought, that if Sai Baba would be pleased with him, He might show him the way to attain samadhi.

 

With this object in mind, he came to Shirdi, and when he went to the Masjid, he saw Sai Baba eating bread with onion. On seeing this, a thought arose in his mind,`How can this man, eating stale bread with raw onion, solve my difficulties and help me?'. Sai Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb, "Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else". Hearing this remark, the yogi was wonder-struck and fell at Baba's Feet with complete surrender. With pure and open mind, he explained his difficulties and got their solutions from Baba. Thus being satisfied and happy, he left Shirdi with Baba's Udi and blessings.

 

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, 20^th Edition 2002), p120

Teachings from Shirdi Sai Baba Leela:

1)    You must not prejudge the value of something based solely on outward appearances.

We must not form an opinion on someone or something based on what is seen at the surface, because after taking a deeper look, the person or thing may be very different than what was expected. This is exactly what Baba wanted to teach the sadhak.

The sadhak formed preconceived notions about Baba without adequate evidence, proof or certainty. Baba started eating onions upon seeing the sadhak approach Him, to highlight his preconceived notion that a person eating onions is not capable of teaching yoga.

When we go through life judging others at first sight, without taking the time to understand them, we may often miss out on opportunities that would help us, including opportunities to progress in our spiritual path.

Baba took pity on the sadhak, and in order to remove the sadhak’s preconceptions, He performed a miracle by reading his mind.  Baba said mockingly to Nana that only he who has the power to digest onions should eat it and none else. This made the sadhak realise how omniscient was Baba, so he fell at His feet. With Baba’s help, he could attain samadhi, a spiritual experience that opens us to the highest state of consciousness and inner bliss. 

2)    It needs tremendous strength and courage to overcome obstacles on the path of spirituality

When Baba said, "he who has the power to digest onion should eat it and none else", He meant that only he who has the strength and courage to walk on the path to spirituality must do so.

In chapter 2, of Shri Sai Satcharita, Baba implied the difficulties in the spiritual path of an aspirant, “The way is difficult. There are tigers and wolves in the jungles on the way.” Indicating the amount of strength and courage one has to have to walk on the path of spirituality.

 

As described in The Spiritual Bee website (note 2)

It is a known fact that whenever a sadhak (spiritual aspirant) begins to walk on the road towards God-realization, he/she is often beset with tremendous challenges. These challenges strike at the sadhak from 2 opposite directions.

 

·         Outside Challenges - The first set of difficulties come from outside – from the materialistic world, in which all sadhaks by default, today have to live.

 

·         Inside Challenges - Then in order to meditate successfully, the sadhak has to further exert and curb his/her mind’s natural tendency to flit like a butterfly from one thought to another. The constant jumble of thoughts has to be controlled and all thoughts have to be made to flow with devotion and faith in one direction only – and that is towards God.

 

It is in view of these immense external and internal challenges that lie on the road to God-realization, that the Rishis have cautioned that traversing the spiritual path is as difficult as walking on a razor’s edge. At every step, tremendous difficulties abound. At any moment, the sadhak faces the risk of getting overwhelmed by them and falling off the path.

 

And it is for this same reason that the Mundaka Upanishad has further emphasized that – the path of spirituality is not for the weak, but for the brave and the strong willed; because only such people are equipped to overcome all odds and reach the door of their Atman and realize its oneness with Brahman (God) – the infinite Consciousness.

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1)    You must not prejudge the value of something based solely on outward appearances.

Do not form an opinion on someone or something based purely on what you see at the surface.  If you do, you are setting yourself up to potentially miss out on amazing opportunities, including those which teach you something necessary to your spiritual development.

To catch yourself from being judgemental, be conscious of your behavior, and ask yourself the following questions when you first interact with someone:

·         Have I already made up my mind about this individual?

·         What have I based my decision on?

·         Could I have misjudged this person?

Cultivating this kind of awareness requires lot of practice and commitment, as we are all so used to simply reacting to things without thinking and analysing the situation.

If you know ahead of time that a potential situation is coming up where you will be meeting new people, prepare yourself by remembering this leela and by resolving to ask the above questions.  

2)    It needs tremendous strength and courage to overcome obstacles on the path of spirituality

The path of spirituality is a long one.  It is said that it might take countless lifetimes to reach the end. The path demands that, as you advance within it, you change yourself, over and over. You must be humble to admit your flaws, have the strength to confront them, and the determination to change.

Everyone must tread this path at some point in their development. If you lack in sufficient strength and courage at times, your Sadguru will lend it to you, if you follow His guidance. If you are fortunate to have Baba as your Sadguru, you are truly blessed, as He will take you through this difficult path to the very end.

 

 

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.

Notes:

1)     https://www.enlightenedbeings.com/samadhi.html

2)        http://www.spiritualbee.com/posts/path-of-spirituality-like-walking-on-a-razors-edge/

 

 

Chapter 24, Leela 3: Baba's Characteristics - His Dependency on Bhaktas

Leela:

Baba allowed His devotees to serve Him in their own way, and did not like any other persons interfering in this. On one occasion, Mavashibai was kneading Baba's abdomen. The other bhaktas (devotees) present, witnessing the aggression and force with which she massaged Baba, felt nervous and anxious. They said, "Oh mother, be more considerate and gentle. You might damage Baba's arteries and nerves". At this, Baba immediately got up from His seat, enraged. He dashed His satka (short staff) on the ground. None dared to stand before Him. He then took hold of one end of the satka with both hands and pressed it in the hollow of his abdomen. He placed the other end on a post and began to press His abdomen against it. The satka, which was about two or three feet in length, seemed all to go into the abdomen and the people feared that His internal organs would rupture in a short time. The post was fixed and immovable. Baba pushed closer and closer to it and clasped the post firmly. A rupture was expected at any moment and devotees were all dismayed. They did not know what to do and stood dumb with wonder and fear.

 

Baba suffered this ordeal for the sake of His bhaktas. The devotees wanted only to give a hint to the Mavashibai to be moderate in her service and not cause any trouble or pain to Baba. This they did with good intentions but Baba did not brook even this. They were surprised to see that their well-intentioned effort had resulted in this catastrophe and they could do nothing but to wait and see. Fortunately, Baba's rage soon cooled down. He left the satka and resumed His seat.

 

From this time on, the devotees learned the lesson that they must never meddle with how a bhakta chooses to serve and interact with Baba. He is quite capable of gauging the worth of the service rendered to Him.

 

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, 20^th Edition 2002), p129

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    When a devotee interacts with his God, you must not interfere no matter how odd it appears to you.   

The devotees present thought that Mavashibai was causing pain to Baba, and asked her to be gentle in applying pressure as it could rupture Baba’s internal organs.

Baba’s immediate displeasure to this interference of other devotees was profound and memorable. Via His displeasure, He conveyed to them that they must never interfere between Him and his devotees.

The intensity of His displeasure is also of note.  With it, He conveyed the deep importance of this instruction.

This immediate and impactful incident served as a life-long lesson to the devotees present, and to all of us even today, that we must never interfere between Him and his devotees.

Baba alone knows and appreciates the true intension behind the behavior and actions of his devotees, we are in no position to judge this on His behalf.

You must not interfere with others when they are serving or praying to God, even if you think the other person is doing something wrong. It is for God to judge. Concern yourself only with your own interaction with God.

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1)    When a devotee interacts with his God, you must not interfere no matter how odd it appears to you.   

if you find yourself tempted to interfere with other devotees as they perform their prayers and services to God, use this leela as a reminder on why you must not do so.

Another way to control yourself from interfering is by gaining more control over your faculty of speech.  You can do this by practicing mouna vrat (silence). Set aside some time every day, or over a week, to practice a voluntary vow of silence. You will find this helps you to apply more discretion and gain better control over your urge to interfere.

 

 

 

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.

 

Chapter 3, Leela 3: Rohilla's story

Leela:

The story of Rohilla illustrates Sai Baba’s all-embracing love. Rohilla, tall and well-built, strong as a bull, came to Shirdi, wearing a long Kafni (robe). He used to recite day and night in a loud and harsh voice, the Kalma (verses from Holy Koran), and shout ""ALLAH HO AKBAR"" (God is Great). Most people of Shirdi worked in their fields all day, and when they returned to their homes at night, they were welcomed by Rohilla’s harsh cries and shouts. They could get no sleep. They suffered this nuisance in silence for some days, and when they could stand it no longer, they approached Baba and requested Him to speak with Rohilla and stop the nuisance. Baba did not attend to their complaint. On the contrary, He took the villagers to task and asked them to mind their own business. He said to them that Rohilla had a very bad wife, who tried to trouble both Rohilla and Himself, but upon hearing Rohilla’s prayers, she dared not enter and they were at peace and happy. In fact, Rohilla had no wife, and by his wife Baba actually meant durbuddhi (bad thoughts). As Baba liked prayers and cries to God better than anything else, He took Rohilla’s side and asked the villagers to wait and suffer the nuisance, which would abate in due course.

 

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, 20^th Edition 2002), p14

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    Remembering God frequently throughout the day improves the quality of your thoughts and helps to purify your mind.

Through this leela, Baba taught the usefulness of remembering your chosen deity often. When you remember your deity, thoughts about Him or Her appear in your mind, reducing the space for negative thoughts. When you reduce negative thoughts, the overall quality of your thoughts improves and this helps to purify your mind.

2)    When you appeal to your Sadguru to intervene in a problem in your life, his response may not be what you expect, but will be what is best for you.

The villagers did the right thing by approaching Baba for help when things went out of control. They expected an outcome from Baba in their favour, but, on the face of it, it seemed that Baba ignored the villagers call for help, but in fact he did what was best for them. He even knew that this problem was temporary and would be resolved on its own, in a short time. Baba pointed out the importance of repeating God’s name day and night.

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1)    Remembering God frequently throughout the day improves the quality of your thoughts and helps to purify your mind.

We have control over improving the quality of our thoughts but not over the quantity of our thoughts. The quality of thoughts can be improved with conscious effort, such as remembering, singing or hearing our deity’s name.

People, on average, have 7 to 42 thoughts per minute. Often, one thought leads to another of the same theme or subject matter. One negative thought can lead to several other negative thoughts. Similarly, a consciously injected positive thought can lead to several other positive thoughts.

We can take advantage of this feature of our minds by building habits to think of positive thoughts as we perform specific activities or arrive at certain places throughout our day. When we discipline our minds in this way, it will help us become freer from the bondage of worldly pleasures and closer to a state of permanent joy.

We can further improve the quality of our thoughts by following these simple processes described in Yoga Vasistha:

a.    By being intellectually alert: We must become conscious of the flow of thoughts in us. Recognize the good and bad tendencies without justification or condemnation. We must not pretend not to see, nor should we try to hide what we do see, but rather we should accept whatever is there in us. This choiceless awareness of our thoughts hastens the process of cleansing.

b.    By analysis: A doctor examines a patient, diagnoses the disease, understands the factors that aggravates the symptoms and then suggests the cure. Similarly, we must analyze the good and bad thoughts that come to us and think about what sustains them, what aggravates them and what stops them. When we see that, by brooding over thoughts, we are encouraging them, we should avoid brooding. We should also avoid the company of bad people, reading those books or seeing those programs, etc., which bring out the worst in us. These should be scrupulously avoided, just as a recovering alcoholic would avoid thinking about drinks and liquor bars.

Reference: Yoga Vasistha Sara Sangrahah, Translated by Swami Tejomayananda (Mumbai: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 2010), p31.

 

2)    When you appeal to your Sadguru to intervene in a problem in your life, his response may not be what you expect, but will be what is best for you.

Even though it might appear that Baba is not responding to your prayers or you are not getting the desired results from him, he is working on your spiritual progress internally. You must not give up or lose faith in Baba.  Do not be disheartened, accept things as they are, as God’s plan is in the best interest for all concerned.

Look for deeper meanings behind the situation surrounding you. You might be able to see what Baba expects you to learn from it.  

 

 

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.

Chapter 23, Leela 3: Cholera Epidemic

Leela:

Once, Cholera was raging virulently in Shirdi. Its residents were much frightened and they stopped all communication with the outside world. The panchayat (village council) decided upon two ordinances as a remedy to check the Epidemic. They were (1) No fire wood should be allowed to come into the village, and (2) No goat should be killed. Anybody disobeying these ordinances would be heavily fined.

 

Baba knew that all this was mere superstition. While the ordinances were in force, a fire wood vendor came with his cart. The villager’s stopped the cart at the village boundary and would not allow it in. Baba came to know of this. He came to the spot and asked the vendor to take the cart to the Masjid. None dared to raise their voice against this action. Baba kept His Dhuni (sacred fire) ever burning all day and night, and for this, He always stocked fire wood. Baba's home, i.e. the Masjid, was free and open to all. It had no lock and key. Some of the poorer villagers took some fire wood for their cooking. Other, more deceitful, villagers also did the same.

 

Baba did not grumble about this. He saw that the whole universe was pervaded by the Almighty, and so He never bore enmity or ill-will to anybody. Though perfectly detached. He behaved like an ordinary house-holder to set an example to the people.

 

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, 20^th Edition 2002), p122

Also see: Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, Translated by Indira Kher (Bird Publisher, 2009), p195, verses 72-88

 

Teachings from Leela:

1.    Protect and hold on to your dharma, even if it means you have to stand up and challenge authority

The village gram panchayat (village council) put these ordinances in place out of fear and ignorance. Baba defied the ordinance by allowing the fire wood to be brought into the village and to be unloaded at Dwarkamai. 

Before we proceed to understand the teachings of this leela, let us understand a few concepts of Dharma and Dharan.

Dharma is about being true to your conscience. Inside everyone the Lord resides in the form of conscience. When people wholeheartedly follow this, they are being Dharmic. Living from your heart is righteousness and lying to yourself is Adharma. The saints, who have conquered their lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and envy are being true to their conscience and they are Dharmic (note 1). Tulsidas, author of Ramcharitmanas, has defined the root of dharma as compassion (note 2).

The sanskrit word Dharan (Sanskrit धारण) literally means bearing or holding. Dharan also refers to protecting, maintaining or preserving (note 3).

Thus dharma, is the noble path of righteousness, and dharan is to hold on to that path.

If in doubt, how could one be sure that they have followed dharma and made the right choice?

When you use your selfish motives, and declare it to be your dharma, you will experience doubts, fear and negativity, but if you truly follow dharma, without swartha (selfless motives), then your heart will tell you that you have made the right choice. You will not face any moral dilemma and you will be able to stand behind your conviction of truth without any doubts or fear.

Via this leela, Baba is trying to teach us to stand up to those who try to rationalize their wrong actions based on Ignorance or authority. Follow your dharma, even if it means you have to challenge authorities.

The ordinance was not going to be of any use to anyone. It would only cause great pain and hardship to the poor due to lack of fire wood for cooking, Baba followed his dharma and defied the ordinance.

 

Putting into Practice

Here are some suggestions on how we could use this leela in our daily lives.

1.    Protect and hold on to your dharma, even if it means you have to stand up and challenge authority

Life is a battlefield in which a fierce battle rages inside each individual between the good and the evil. When such battle is going on, we have to stay vigilant and challenge any of our tendencies to do wrong based on either ignorance or selfishness. Be prepared to identify and fight this battle for dharma.

As described in The Hindu website (note 4)

Your Dharma is not an instruction which is imposed upon you by an institution or religious authority. It is what you are born with. It arises because you are an aspect of Brahman and in some respects Brahman Himself. It is a part of your previous Samskaras. You cannot just wish it away. You practice it because you want to be in harmony with yourself and the world in which you live, not because society or an institution has imposed the code upon you. You are one of the musical notes in the symphony of life, and you cannot sound discordant and disrupt the melody. If you are born with a particular sense of duty and your family or society tries to manipulate you with their own sense of values you have the right and freedom to choose your own, as long as your actions or decisions do not disrupt the social and moral order. This is where Hinduism gives freedom to each individual to live according to their discretion (buddhi). It is where it helps you to break free from conformity, conditioning and the authority of institutions and traditions.

 

For example, your dharma, is to follow the instructions of your employer, but if he asks you to do something illegal or unethical, then you must either politely refuse or walk away from the job. 

 

In our culture, we are taught to respect our elders and not contradict them in any way.  When our elders do something clearly wrong and hurtful to a younger member of the family, it is your dharma to challenge them, but you should do so politely and respectfully. 

 

 

 

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.

Notes:

1.     https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/9907/what-is-dharma

2.     https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-dharma-1770048

3.     https://www.pitarau.com/meaning-of-dharan

4.        http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduwaycorrect.asp