Special on Guru Purnima : Baba Will Guide

Tish Malhotra has written extensively on Shirdi Sai Baba. He has contributed some articles on Sai for this web magazine also which can be seen here and here. Today, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, he has contributed another article on the Samarth Guru Shri Sainath and his teachings as enunciated in Shri Sai Satcharitra. 

Special on Guru Purnima : Baba Will Guide 

Tish Malhotra

Today is Ashadh Shukla 15, the sacred Gurupurnima Day.  On this occasion, devotees worship their Sadguru with reverence, love and devotion. Shirdi Sainath is also known as Samrath Sadguru. This article is a loving offering to Him on this Holy Gurupurnima Day.

Lord Sainath speaks and instructs us through Shri Sai Satcharitra.  It is upto us how sincere and deeply committed we are to follow His teachings and benefit from them.  For example, the Chapters 24 and 25 of the Holy Book contain the life changing commands.  It is in the best interest of all of us to quote them here extensively and try to learn the desired lesson on how to move forward on the path of spiritual development.

The Holy Book states: “By worshipping Sai Baba, we attain both the objects – worldly and spiritual, and are fixed in our true nature and get peace and happiness.  Therefore, those who want to accomplish or gain their welfare, should respectfully hear Sai Baba’s Leelas or stories, and meditate on them.  If they do this, they will easily attain the object of their life and get bliss.”  

Through the humorous tale of the Channa Leela, in the Chapter 24 “Baba has taught and advised us that, before the senses, mind and intellect enjoy their objects, first  He should be remembered, and if this be done, it is a way of making an offering to Him.  The senses, etc. can never remain without their objects, but if those objects are first offered to the Guru, the attachment for them will naturally vanish.  In this way, all the Vrittis (subtle thoughts) regarding desire, anger, avarice etc should first be offered and directed to the Guru, and if this practice be followed, the Lord will help you in eradicating all the Vrittis.  When before enjoyment of the objects, you think that Baba is present, the question, whether the object is fit to be enjoyed or not, will at once arise.  Then the object, that is not fit to be enjoyed, will be shunned and in this way our vicious habits or vices will disappear, and our character will improve.  Then love for the Guru will grow and pure knowledge will sprout up.  When this knowledge grows, the bondage of body-consciousness (we are the body) will snap and our intellect will be merged in spirit-consciousness (we are the spirit).  Then we shall get bliss and contentment.  

There is no difference between Guru and God.  He who sees any difference in them, finds God nowhere.  So leaving aside all ideas of difference, we should regard Guru and God as one; and if we serve our Guru, as stated above, God will be certainly pleased and by purifying our minds will give us self-realization.  To put the matter in a nutshell, we should not enjoy any object with our senses etc, without first remembering our Guru.  When the mind is trained in this way, we will be always reminded of Baba and our meditation on Baba will grow space.  The Sagun Form of Baba will ever be before our eyes and then, devotion, non-attachment salvation will all be ours.  When Baba’s Form is thus fixed before our mental vision, we forget hunger, thirst and this Sansar (world), the consciousness of worldly pleasures will disappear and our mind shall attain peace and happiness.

The most important lesson inherent here is that whether to do something or not or take something and not will become clear to us if we first think of Baba and ascertain in our mind and heart whether He would approve our act or not.  If yes, then let us go ahead, if not then we should do not do it, howsoever pleasurable it may be.  We will thus following the true path of permanent happiness rather than getting lost in the temporary enjoyment of sensuous objects.  For this to happen really, we have to ever remain absorbed in the blissful thoughts of Baba, whether we are performing our worldly duties or engaged in spiritual pursuits

The Holy Book continues to state:  “The Shruti also emphasizes this lesson, and asks us to offer things first to God and then enjoy them, after they are renounced by Him.  Baba also has taught us the same lesson in His inimitable and humorous way.” as stated above.

The Holy Book also reminds us what  Baba said has promised: “Believe Me, though I pass away, My bones in My tomb would be speaking, moving and communicating with those, who would surrender themselves whole-heartedly to M.  Do not be anxious that, I would be absent from you.  You will hear My bones speaking and discussing your welfare.  But remember Me always, believe in Me heart and should and then, you will be most benefitted.”

Therefore, it is our foremost duty to keep praying to Baba every moment of every life: “Oh Sai Sadguru, the wish fulfilling tree of the bhaktas, we pray, let us never forget and lose sight of Your feet; we have been troubled with the ins and outs (births and deaths) in this sansar; now free us from this cycle of births and deaths.  Restrain us from the outgoing of our senses to their objects and introvert us, and bring us face to face with the Atma (self).  As long as this outgoing tendency of the senses and the mind is not checked, there is no prospect of self-realization.  Neither son, nor wife, nor friend, will be of any use in the end.  It is only, You, Who will give us salvation and bliss.  Destroy completely our tendency for discussions and other evil matters, let our tongue get a passion for chanting Your name.  Drive out our thoughts, and make us forget our bodies and do away with our egoism.  Make us ever remember Your name and forget all other things.  Remove the restlessness of our mind and make it steady and calm.  If You just clasp us, the darkness of night, of our ignorance, will vanish and we shall live happily in Your light.  That, You made us drink the nectar of Your leelas and awakened us from our slumber, is due to Your grace and our store of merits in past births.”

So here it is vital for all of us to remember that while doing Parayana of Sri Sai Satcharitra, we must keep renewing our love and devotion for our Baba with unflinching faith and patience.  We are to keep attempting to learn and relearn from what is stated in the Holy Book and lead our life according to Baba’s sacred teachings.  He is always there to take us out of the dilemma of deciding whether to do something or not; in other words, “Yes” or “No” for taking a particular action.  We are to follow His instructions sincerely in either case, that is whether to “do” it or not to do it.”  That’s the real test of our loving and living relationship with Baba as our Real Mother, Father and the Well Wisher.  He alone can lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to Light, and from death to immortality.  Not only that, it is the surest way of attaining liberation both from the bondage of Karmas as well as the vicious cycle of birth, death and rebirth.  

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*A Delhi-based freelancer.