Chapter 44, Leela 1: Breaking of the Brick

Leela:

Some days before Baba's nirvan, there occurred an ominous sign foreboding the event. There was, in the Masjid, an old brick on which Baba rested His hand and sat. At night, He leaned against it for His yogasan (meditative posture). This went on for many years.

 

One day, during Baba's absence, a boy who was sweeping the floor, lifted it up, and unfortunately it slipped from his hand and fell, breaking into two pieces. When Baba came to know about this, He bemoaned its loss, crying, "It is not the brick but My karma^* which has broken. It was My life-long companion. With it, I always meditated on the Self. it was as dear to Me as My life. it has left Me today."  

 

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), p227

Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p376

 

NOTE: * Many English translations translate this to “fate”, but In the Original Marathi Pothi of the Sai Satcharitra, by G.R. Dhalbokar, the phrase Baba used to declare the broken brick is Karmachi Phutle, which directly translates to “karma broke”, page 607, chapter 44, verse 49, 2008 edition.

 

वीट ती किंचित उचलली ।। फुटावयाची वेळ आली । वीट पोराचे हातूनि निसटली । धाडकिनी ती खाली पडली । दुखंड झाली तात्काळ ।। ऐकतां हें बाबांनीं म्हटलें । वीट नाहीं कीं कर्मचि फुटलें । ऐसें वदूनि अति हळहळले । नेत्रीं आले दुःखाश्रु ।।

Teachings from Leela:

1)    As a jiva on your long journey over countless births, gaining a human birth is a rare opportunity to work towards gaining moksha, and you must not squander it

In this leela, Baba is using the brick as a metaphor for the human body and mind, and his lifetime of meditation practice using the brick as support, his lesson to us.

Baba is teaching us that this human body is temporary and could leave us at any time, but with the help of this same body, we can do spiritual practice and make spiritual advancement.

Just as Baba used his brick as a support during his meditation, so must we use our human body and mind to strive for moksha, by meditating upon the Self, performing karma yoga, studying jnana, or immersing ourselves in bhakti.

 

2)    Take full responsibility for everything that happens in your life as it is due to your own past karmas

BACKGROUND   The Law of Karma   The Law of Karma is the universal law which governs the results of all our karma, ensuring that we receive the result of each karma we do, whether good or bad. The word karma is generally used for both the actions and the fruits of actions. (For details, please see my previous blog, Chapter 14, Leela 1: Ratanji of Nanded )   Do we create bad karma just by thinking? Our mind produces all kinds of thoughts. Mind is the origin of action since every action begins with a thought. Bad thought results in bad action which leads to bad karma. Even if there is no action from the thought, the thought creates bad karma. Please visit my previous blog for more details.     Types of Karma   As described in Tattva Bodhah, there are three types of karma:   ·         Agami Karma: What you sow today, you reap tomorrow. The result of what you do today come as agami in the future. The result may come the next instant, after a few years or in a future life.   ·         Sanchita Karma: The results of actions performed in (all) previous births which are in seed form and giving rise to endless [millions] of births [in our future] are called sanchita (accumulated karma).   ·         Prarabdha Karma: From the total [collection] of karma (sanchita), those actions which have fructified to give us the present birth and the experience in it are prarabdha karma. Prarabdha decides the time and place of our birth, the environment in which we live, our lifespan etc. It is commonly called fate, destiny or luck.   From: Tattva Bodhah of Sri Adi Sankaracarya, Commentary by Swami Tejomayananda, Mumbai: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 2008, p124-127     Jivanmukta   Presently for us, the knowledge that I am a human being, moreover a man or a woman, is natural and effortless. I do not have to meditate or repeat that ‘I am a man’ each morning. This knowledge is firmly rooted in me and despite being told and intellectually convinced that I am not the body, I still conduct my life with the knowledge that ‘I am a man’.   Similarly, when the knowledge that ‘I am not the body’ but the pure, infinite Awareness becomes firmly rooted and effortless, a person is called a Jivanmuktah. He need not meditate and remind himself about his true nature, which is Brahman, the One Consciousness, i.e. sat-chit-ananda. He may appear to be very ordinary, but His vision is quite the opposite of the ignorant man! The Jivanmukta knows himself to be the infinite Self and the world to be unreal.   From: Tattva Bodhah of Sri Adi Sankaracarya, Commentary by Swami Tejomayananda, Mumbai: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 2008, p119     The Karmas of the Jivanmukta   As per Tattva Bodhah, for such souls, the Sanchita Karma and Agami Karma are destroyed the instant they realize their true nature is One Consciousness, i.e. sat-chit-anand.  After this, they no longer identify with their body or mind. They are beyond Maya.  The Prarabdha Karma for such souls is manifested into results at the time of their physical birth, and these results play out over the whole span of their physical lives, regardless of when they achieve moksha.

 

We possess (or are deprived of) things in our lives based on our karmas. Our prarabdha karma decides the time and place of our birth, our lifespan, the type of family we were born to. Prarabdh karma is that portion of our entire bundle of past karma over many lives, which has been released for working out in this lifetime (Tattva Bodha 3.1). Even our appearance and physical characteristics are all consequences of karma in our past lives, as are many of the episodes of suffering we are experiencing in this life. Do not blame God, Guru or others for them.

You might not have a choice with what you get in life, but you do have a choice on what attitude you receive it with. Take full responsibility for what happens in your life with the attitude of prashad buddhi. Just as we accept prasad in the temple, graciously and without complaining, we should accept all situations, pleasant or unpleasant, that come into our lives, as prasad from Baba. Be grateful for whatever is received and accept it with an attitude of prashad, without complaint.

Jivanmukta

Baba reacted to the accidental breaking of the brick by saying, “it is not the brick, but my karma which has broken”. He was referring to the Prarabdha Karma. As we all know, Baba was a self realized soul (Jivanmukta). Baba’s Sanchita Karma and Agami Karma were destroyed the instant He realized His true nature to be the One Consciousness. His Prarabda Karma was not destroyed upon achieving moksha since it had already expressed itself at time of His birth. At that time, among other things, it determined the life span of His physical body. When Baba spoke of His karma breaking, it was another way of saying that His physical body had reached the end of its lifespan.

Via this leela, Baba is conveying to us that the loss of the brick signified that His karma no longer allowed Him to have support of His physical form.  Baba left His physical body just a few days after this incident with the brick.

3)    It is okay to express sorrow and bemoan your loss, but not okay to accuse and blame others for the loss 

Via this leela, Baba is teaching us that it is natural to grieve for the loss of someone or something precious in you. It is natural and acceptable to express pain and grief by shedding tears, as Baba Himself did upon the breaking of the brick.

It is important to note what He did not do. He did not get angry, nor did He accuse, yell at, or act out violently at the person involved with the accident. Here Baba is teaching us that when an unfortunate loss happens, we must not react with anger or blame others, but act with circumspection and accept the loss as consequence of our past karma.

Another possible explanation for His sorrow at the breaking of the brick could be His recognition that, at the loss of His physical body, His beloved devotees would be distraught and devastated. Baba cried, not due to any attachment to His own physical body, but for the plight of His devotees at their feeling of loss.

 

Putting into Practice

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

1)    As a jiva on your long journey over countless births, gaining a human birth is a rare opportunity to work towards gaining moksha, and you must not squander it

In order to make best use of our human birth, to achieve the ultimate goal of human life, which is moksha, we must strive in our spiritual practice to realize our true nature. This concept is very well explained by Swami Sarvapriyanandaji below:

Ocean and Wave parable:

Imagine in the Pacific Ocean, a new wave is born. It gets bigger and bigger and feels good about itself. When it compares itself to other, smaller waves, it starts having a superiority complex. When it starts looking at waves, bigger in size to itself, it starts feeling jealous of the bigger waves and starts having an inferiority complex. I am this much, and all these waves are so different than me.

Then one day the wave exclaims, “Oh, my God what’s that?”. The wave next to it says, “buddy that’s the shore. That’s death, that’s doom”. The wave thinks, Oh, my God, I am going to die.

Now a Vedantic wave, comes along and says, “there is something called water, well, this water is immortal, it does not die like us waves, and this water is all pervading. It’s in all waves.  There is nothing greater than this water. So, the water does not have the problem of superiority complex but is also in all waves so it does not have a problem of inferiority complex and it is one with everything”. So the wave says, “good for water, but what about me? I am going to die”. And the Vedantic wave tells him, “You are water”. Look at yourself, “The top of you is water, the middle of you is water, the bottom and all sides are water. In fact, look around you. All you see is water”. A wave is the name and form and action given to water.

The moment the wave realises this it becomes one with the Ocean. The little form will dash against the shore and disappear into surf, but it doesn’t care anymore. For it, it becomes the infinite. From that point of view all are same to it. We are one infinite existence. Now limited to our particular body and mind, but if we analyse, we will realise that we are not the body and mind. We are Existence-Consciousness-Bliss shining through this body and mind. Our true nature is Sat-chit-ananda. When we realise our true nature, we will realise that we are eternal. We are not born with the birth of the body. We do not die with the death of the body. It is the same in the President of the United States and same in the homeless person.

Set aside a few minutes everyday to practice meditation. Not only will it help you with your spiritual progress, but studies have proven that meditation has tremendous health benefits, as well, more than just temporary stress relief.

Meditating upon the Self

The knowledge that, “I am the body and mind”, is natural and ingrained in us. We do not have to meditate or remind ourselves of it.  What we must do is to unlearn this knowledge via meditation on our true self, by constantly reminding ourselves that “I am not the body or the mind, but the One Consciousness”, i.e. sat-chit-anand.  When this knowledge becomes firmly rooted and ingrained in us, we would become one with our true self and reach moksha, freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

Different ways to meditate on our true Self

As my Vedanta teacher, Rita Nayar, used to say, that there is no right and wrong way to meditate. Do what works for you, but do it consistently, on a regular basis.

Meditation does not only mean sitting with eyes closed. It can also be done via contemplation and introspection while busy with monotonous tasks which do not need our complete attention. Contemplate on your true nature.

There are several meditation practices, pick one that suits you from the following types:

·         Loving-kindness meditation

·         Mindfulness meditation

·         Breath awareness meditation

·         Transcendental Meditation

2)    Take full responsibility for everything that happens in your life as it is due to your own past karmas

Accept all that comes to you in your life, pleasant as well as unpleasant as it is due to your own past karmas. You should no longer ask “why me?” Or “why is this happening to me?”. In this way, you develop the attitude of prasād buddhi.

This awareness has to be maintained constantly so that it becomes a permanent part of your attitude. This attitude will help you deal with any difficult situation in your life. At such times, remember this leela, and Baba will give you the strength to deal with your difficult situation. 

How could ordinary individuals like us, avoid creating new karmas?

Not only do we exhaust our past karmas in this life, we create new karmas. We must be careful not to create new karmas in our present lives.  

As per Bhagvad Gita, chapter 3, verse 9:

Work must be done as a yajña (sacrifice) to the Supreme Lord; otherwise, work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties, without being attached to the results, for the satisfaction of God.

If we do not perform actions as a sacrifice to God, we will be forced to work to gratify our mind and senses. Instead, when we perform work as a sacrifice, we then look upon the whole world and everything in it as belonging to God, and therefore, meant for utilization in his service. 

3)    It is okay to express sorrow and bemoan your loss, but not okay to accuse and blame others for the loss 

Remember this leela if you face loss of someone or something precious in your life. Coping with loss is not going to be easy but accept it as your fate and remind yourself that you are burning your karmas in this process.

At such times, it is best to turn your minds to your Sadguru.  Surrender to Baba and He will help you in your difficult times. 

 

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 1, Leela 1: Baba Grinding Wheat

Leela:

It was sometime after 1910 that I (G. R. Dhabolkar) went, one fine morning, to the Masjid in Shirdi to obtain darshan (see the divine form) of Sai Baba. I was wonder-struck to see the following phenomenon.

 

After washing His mouth and face, Sai Baba began preparations to grind wheat. He spread a sack on the floor and placed a hand-mill on it. He took some wheat in a winnowing fan (a device used to separate wheat from chaff) and drew up the sleeves of His kafni (robe). He then took hold of the peg of the hand-mill, started grinding the wheat by adding handfuls of wheat in the upper opening of the mill and turning it.

 

I wondered what business Baba had with the grinding of wheat, when He possessed nothing and stored nothing, as He lived on alms. Others who had come there thought likewise, but none had the courage to ask Baba what He was doing. Quickly, this news of Baba's grinding wheat spread throughout the village, and men and women flocked to the Masjid to see Baba's act.

 

Four bold women from the crowd forced their way up and, pushing Baba aside, forcibly took the peg into their hands and, singing Baba's Leelas, started grinding the wheat. At first Baba became angry, but on seeing the women's love and devotion, He was much pleased and began to smile. While they were grinding, the women began to think: Baba had no house, no property, no children, none to look after, and He lived on alms, He did not require any wheat-flour for making bread or roti. What will He do with this big quantity of flour? Perhaps as Baba is very kind, He would distribute the flour amongst us.

 

Thinking in this way while singing, they finished the grinding and after putting the hand-mill aside, they divided the flour into four portions and began to walk away with it. Baba, who was calm and quiet till then, got angered again, and said, "Ladies, are you gone mad? Whose father's property are you looting away? Have I borrowed any wheat from you, so that you can safely take the flour? Now please do this. Take the flour and throw it on the village border limits." On hearing this, the women felt abashed, and whispering amongst themselves, went away to the outskirts of the village and spread the flour as directed by Baba.

 

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), p2

Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p6

 

 

Teachings from Leela:

1)    Your Sadguru works hard to prepare and spread His teachings, not just for his devotees during his lifetime, but for generations of devotees to come

A previous blog covered a leela titled Baba’s Handi, which described a beautiful image of Baba lovingly preparing a large meal to feed dozens of poor, and pointed out that this was also a metaphor for Him doing the same for His devotees’ spiritual needs.

Both leelas describe Baba setting up a quern (a hand-mill used to grind wheat) and with his own labour, using it to grind wheat into flour -- at which point the two leelas diverge. In Baba’s Handi, Baba kneads the wheat to dough, and makes bhakri from it to feed his devotees, while in this leela, Baba has the flour taken to the edge of a brook (a small stream) and spread there.

Knocking the quern's wooden peg firmly into place to prevent it from becoming loose while grinding, is a metaphor for Baba’s planning the teachings for His contemporary and future devotees.

Taking a firm hold of the quern-handle and rotating the quern-stone with his own hands, working hard to turn wheat into flour, is a metaphor for Baba labouring to prepare His teachings so that they are easy to understand and assimilate.

Having the villagers spread the flour at the side of the brook, at the village boundary, is a metaphor for spreading Baba’s teachings not just for His devotees in Shirdi, but for His devotees the world over, present during His lifetime and for the future generations of devotees to come. As brooks go, they feed water to larger streams, which feed larger tributaries, which feed rivers, which ultimately feed the ocean. If something is put into a brook, it will eventually make its way to the whole ocean – this is a metaphor for spreading Baba’s teachings. The word boundary is used in many leelas to mean the crossing from one life to the next – this is a metaphor to mean the spreading of Baba’s teachings beyond his own nirvan (passing).

Note: As per Baba’s instruction, found in the original Marathi pothi, of the Sai Satcharitra, by Govind R. Dhabolkar (Hemadpant), Baba asked the ladies to spread the wheat flour on the side of the brook, which happened to be located near the Shirdi border. He did not ask them to just spread the flour on the border. Below is the English translation from the original Marathi pothi:

As per Indira Kher version, Page 7, verse 134:

he got the coarsely ground flour to be thrown along the side of the brook at the village border.

The Gunaji translation of this leela describes the destination of the flour to be the border of the village  That there was brook near the border of Shirdi as confirmed by Ramgeerbua Gosavi, a param bhakta (a pre-eminent devotee) of Sai Baba, who was one of those fortunate souls blessed to live in the times of Sai Baba and experience His sagun (manifest) avatar.

Those of us who were not fortunate to see Baba in his sagun form, before his nirvan, must take heart from this message, as it is specifically for us, his bhaktas in future generations. The treasure of His teachings, which are embodied in His leelas, have been prepared with His labour, and it is through His plan and design, that we are able to experience them.

This message takes even more significance, as it is because of this leela, that Dhabolkar was inspired to seek Baba’s permission to capture and record His leelas during His lifetime, and to write the Sai Satcharitra.

 

2)    When intending to help others, do not push your way in, but be respectful and considerate

In the leela, four bold women, from the crowd forced their way up and, pushing Baba aside, snatched the quern handle away from Him and started grinding. Baba got angry with them.

Of course, it was mock anger, as He loved all His devotees and confessed to it, as mentioned in the Indira Kher version, chapter 11, page 88, verse 74 and 75:

74. "Even if I seem to be angry with someone, my heart knows no anger."

75. "Should a mother push her child away with a kick, or the ocean send the river back, only then is it possible that I will repulse you or harm you in any way".

From the above instances, what Baba is conveying is that it is impossible for Him to get angry. He said that, just as an ocean will never send the river back, He too can never be angry with His devotees.

Via this leela, Baba wants to teach us that we must be respectful and considerate of other people. Even if we want to help them, we must ask politely and offer our help to them, instead of pushing our way in.

 

3)    If you are involved in organized activities to spread your Sadguru’s teachings, you must protect yourself from the ego of doership, act without any selfish motives, and maintain a sense of gratitude.

Even though Baba Himself was capable of spreading His teachings, via this leela, He shows us that it is at His behest that we, his bhaktas, are invited to participate and contribute.

As mentioned above, by having the village women spread the flour at the side of the brook, Baba enlisted their help in the spreading of His teachings. While they had the privilege to contribute, the action was performed through His guidance. Always keep this in mind as you perform any such actions. 

The women had thought to themselves that, since Baba had no use for the flour, they could keep it to themselves.  Baba pointed out and challenged these selfish thoughts. Our minds are tricky, and very adept at rationalizing wrong behaviour. Be aware of your thoughts and be ruthless in challenging clever but untrue rationalizations. 

Remember that He is the doer, not you. Offer all your actions at His feet, and if things don’t go the way you expect, consider that too is His plan.  Do not worry about the outcome and leave all that to Him.

 

Putting into Practice

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

1)    Your Sadguru works hard to prepare and spread His teachings, not just for his devotees during his lifetime, but for generations of devotees to come

This leela provides a very beautiful and vivid image of Baba grinding wheat for his devotees. As this leela shows, you who were born after His nirvan, were also in His thoughts in those times, as you are in His thoughts even now. Baba toiled to prepare materials for your spiritual progress too and remembering this can be immensely powerful.

When you’re struggling to meet your commitments towards your spiritual progress, when you’re feeling alone and unhappy, when you’re undergoing difficulties in life, bring this image to mind. It will do wonders for you.

2)    When intending to help others, do not push your way in, but be respectful and considerate

It is possible, with all good intentions, to barge into people’s lives and circumstances, without invitation, and cause them pain and distress. If your intent is pure, offer your help with kindness and consideration. Do not proceed unless invited to do so.

 

3)    If you are involved in organized activities to spread your Sadguru’s teachings, you must protect yourself from the ego of doership, act without any selfish motives, and maintain a sense of gratitude.

If you become involved in organized activities, you may find that your success in these activities get entangled with your ego.  This is a natural trap for the human mind, and you will have to learn to get beyond it.  You need to remind yourself, over and over again, that you are not the doer, and therefore any success in these activities is not yours, and in the same vein, any failure in these activities isn’t yours either.

This is a common obstacle that seekers on the spiritual path face, and we must all learn to get beyond it. It is a great lesson and central to karma yoga – to do the actions on God’s behalf and to take no ownership of the results. Once you move beyond this obstacle, there is great peace of mind to be had on the other side.

 

Listen to the stories with reverence; Reflect upon them deeply. After reflection, contemplate on them. This will bring great satisfaction. 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.

 

Chapter 27, Leela 3: Geeta Rahasya

Leela:

Baba always loved those who studied Brahma Vidya (knowledge of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality) and encouraged them. We will look at one example.

 

Once, Bapusaheb Jog received a package in the mail. It contained a copy of Geeta Rahasya, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita by Lokamanya Tilak. When he came to the Masjid with the package under his arm and prostrated himself before Baba, the parcel fell at Baba's Feet.

 

Baba asked, “What Bapusaheb! What is this?”. Bapusaheb immediately placed the package in Baba's hands.

 

After flipping through the pages of the book for a moment, Baba took out a rupee from His pocket, placed it on the book with affection, and handing it to Jog, said, "Read this book from beginning to end. It will be beneficial to you”.

 

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), p143

Based on Shri Sai Satcharita, The Life and Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, G. R. Dhalbokar, Translated by Indira Kher (Slovenia: Bird Publisher, 2009), p229

 

Teachings from Leela:

 

1.    Baba tailors His advice for each of His devotees, sometimes requiring them to read certain spiritual books or follow certain practices, to obtain the specific knowledge that they need for their Spiritual progress

To understand this leela, let us first take a brief look into the life of Bapusaheb Jog, who receives advice from Baba in this leela. After his retirement, Bapusaheb and his wife moved to Shirdi, and spent all their time serving and worshipping Baba. After Megha passed away in 1912, Bapusaheb performed the daily arati ceremony in the Masjid and the Chavadi till Baba’s Mahasamadhi in 1918. Baba also called upon Bapusaheb to give discourses on two spiritual works, the Jnaneshwari, by Sant Janeshwar, and the Eknathi Bhagawat, by Sant Eknath.

Sant Jnaneshwar’s Jnaneshwari is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. He wrote that true knowledge consists in knowing God in the non-dual form and that devotion will culminate into Advaita Bhakti. He advised that each of us should perform our duties as a yajna (sacrifice) and offer our actions as flowers at the feet of God.

 

Sant Eknath’s Eknathi Bhagwat is an explanation of the eleventh Adhyaya (section) of the Bhagawat Puran, a very important ancient text on Bhakti, with an emphasis on achieving moksha through cultivating a personal relationship with Lord Krishna.  

 

The eleventh adhyaya is a dialog between Lord Krishna and Uddhava.  This dialog discusses how bhakti ultimately leads to freedom from the bondage of this world. To know more about the Eknathi Bhagawat, see my previous blog Chapter 27, Leela 1: Granting Consecrated Book.

 

As we can see, Baba entrusted Bapusaheb with giving discourses on two very important scriptures, which shows His confidence in Bapusaheb’s knowledge about them.

Why did Baba ask him to read Tilak’s Geeta Rahasya, a yet another commentary on the Bhagavad Gita?

 

The main themes of both books Bapusaheb knew well centered around Bhakti. To provide Bapusaheb the knowledge he needed for his spiritual progress, Baba asked him to read this additional commentary, as it had a fresh, new perspective on the Gita.

 

A little about Bal Gangadhar Tilak

 

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) was an independence activist, philosopher and freedom fighter. He was conferred upon the honorary title of Lokmanya, which literally means accepted by the people as their leader. Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of swaraj (self-rule) and a strong radical in Indian consciousness. His famous quote, "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it!" is well-remembered in India even today.

 

Tilak believed that independence from British rule was the foremost necessity for the well-being of his nation. Tilak spent six years of rigorous imprisonment (1908-1914) in Mandalay Jail, Burma. He was incarcerated based on what he protested as false allegations about his support to the Indian revolutionaries, who had killed some British people. He wrote the Gita Rahasya while in prison.

 

Gita Rahasya

 

Tilak’s Gita Rahasya (Gita’s secret) is a commentary on Bhagavad Gita. In this book, Tilak differs from almost all other commentators when he says, Karma Yoga is greater than both Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.

 

As described in the foreword, Tilak concludes that the Bhagavad Gita’s main message is about the importance of Karma Yoga, and the need for adding this practice to whichever spiritual path you’re on:

 

Jnana Yoga there is, yes. Bhakti Yoga there is, yes. Who says not? But they are both subservient to the Karma Yoga preached in the Gita. If the Gita was preached to desponding Arjuna to make him ready for the fight — for the Action— how can it be said that the ultimate lesson of the great book is Bhakti or Jnana alone? In fact, there is a blending of all these Yogas in the Gita; and as the air is not Oxygen or Hydrogen, or any other gas alone, but a composition of all these in a certain proportion, so in the Gita all these Yogas are blended into one.

 

 

Difference between Karma and Karma Yoga

 

Before we proceed to understand Lokmanya Tilak’s commentary, let us review the subtle difference between Karma and Karma Yoga (from this commentary):

 

Karma is both action and the result of action. What we experience today is the result of our karma—both good and bad—created by our previous actions. This chain of cause and effect that we ourselves have created can be snapped by karma yoga: fighting fire with fire, we use the sword of karma yoga to stop the chain reaction of cause and effect. By disengaging the ego from the work process, by offering the results up to a higher power—whether a personal God or to the Self within—we stop the whole snowballing process.

 

Karma yoga is the yoga of action or work; specifically, karma yoga is the path of dedicated work: renouncing the results of our actions as a spiritual offering rather than hoarding the results for ourselves.

 

Why did Baba ask Jog to read this book from start to finish?

 

Baba recommended different books and practices to different devotees based on what He thought would be most beneficial to their spiritual progress. Via this leela, Baba wanted Bapusaheb to realise that, along with Bhakti Yoga, he needed to practice Karma Yoga as well, to make progress in his spiritual journey. Baba provided Bapusaheb the spiritual instruction He felt was missing, to advance Jog’s spiritual knowledge. Baba guided him to read the required material completely, to extract all the learnings from it and to gain spiritual progress. 

 

 

Putting into Practice

 

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

 

1.    Baba tailors His advice for each of His devotees, sometimes requiring them to read certain spiritual books or follow certain practices, to obtain the specific knowledge that they need for their Spiritual progress

 

In this leela, Baba conveys the importance of Karma Yoga in our lives. Let us see how to apply this in our lives.

 

The performing of karma (actions) is under your control, but you must teach yourself to renounce the results of your actions. Renouncing the results does not mean you must work for free for others always; you need to survive and pay your bills. What it means is that you must not be attached to the outcome of your actions. Learn to accept all that comes to you in your life, pleasant as well as unpleasant.

 

In devotional practice, the offering you make to God is called naivedya, which once offered, transforms to prasad. By offering naivedya to God, you are metaphorically offering your ignorance, while the receiving of prasad is metaphoric transformation of your ignorance into knowledge. You can offer anything to God as naivedya, and receive the result, whatever it is, with thanks. 

 

In this way, you will develop the attitude of prasād buddhi. This awareness must be maintained constantly in your day to day life so that it becomes a permanent part of your attitude.

 

How does Karma yoga complement your Bhakti practice?

 

As we have seen above, Karma Yoga is the renouncing of the results of our actions as a spiritual offering to the divine. As also noted above, the practice of offering naivedya is essentially from the Bhakti tradition.

 

The broad expansion of this practice, from the traditional offering of food, to the offering of all your toil and labour, is a beautiful enhancement to your Bhakti practice, and is sure to advance you in your spiritual journey and bring you closer to God. By including God in your life, not just during prayers, but also while you are performing other labours, your Bhakti will grow.

 

 

The following nine forms of Bhakti are in order of progression where each form of bhakti is more subtle and advanced than the previous one. When you dedicate all your work to God, then you play the role of servant to God, and reach the seventh form of bhakti below, Dasya.

 

·         Sravana (hearing of God's Lilas and stories),

·         Kirtana (singing of His glories),

·         Smarana (remembrance of His Name and presence),

·         Padasevana (service of His feet),

·         Archana (worship of God),

·         Vandana (prostration to the Lord),

·         Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God),

·         Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and

·         Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self).

 

How does Karma yoga complement your Jnana (knowledge) practice?

 

Brahma Vidya (Knowledge of Brahman), found in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Shastras and the Puranas, is the highest knowledge. It is the knowledge of our own divine nature, which leads to enlightenment.

 

Once we know our own divine nature, we come to realize the illusory nature of this world. We free ourselves from the bondage of “I” and “mine,” as we notice that oneness of pure consciousness in ourselves, everywhere and in everything. In this state, there is no “I” or “You”—basically there is no judgement, because there is no multiplicity or duality. There is only oneness and this oneness is our own true self. Thus, there is no need to look outside of ourselves for divinity; we ourselves are already divine. This realization of unity and oneness as pure consciousness is the core belief system of Jnana Yoga. 

 

For the seekers on the Jnana path, the addition of Karma Yoga to their practice offers them multiple opportunities every day to interact with the world selflessly, without thought of gain or reward and with complete disregard for its results to the individual self. By detaching yourself from the fruits of your actions, you learn to eradicate your ego and experience the oneness as pure consciousness. With each such experience, the seekers internalize more of their spiritual knowledge, which is otherwise known only intellectually.

 

 

 

The path of spirituality is a long one.  It is said that it might take countless lifetimes to reach the end. Everyone must tread this path at some point in their development. If you lack any spiritual practice or knowledge in this long journey, your Sadguru will guide you. If you are fortunate to have Baba, another saint as your Sadguru, you are truly blessed, as they will take you through this difficult journey 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.