Jai Sai RamApologies for not updating the blog for long time. Im clubbing together a few experiences i had recently with the most merciful and benevolent Saint, Shri Sai Baba.
Jan 2013 i was transfered on H1B visa to California, US. With Baba's blessings we settled well. Since then for about a month i did not get enough vibrations probably due to the new house and place. I enquired if there was any Baba temple near-by. I was immensely happy to find out that there was one called Shirdi Sai Darbar within 1.5 miles from my house. Then i started visiting the temple for Aarthis during the weekends. During one of the visit to the temple as i was walking along the road, my mind was in a state of Vairagya(dispassion) as i was thinking about how many more years are left for working out my Karma and when i will reach his abode of no return. Soon i found an American lady next to me enquiring about a Church. I told her its just next to the Sai baba temple am going. She said she will join me till there. The conversation soon turned into a strong vibration for me as she said Lord has sent for me to help her with the address. She said this body is divine and we should take a very good care of it as long as we live with it. She said she has no computers, no cell phones and she relys on her own.She is a farmer in near by place. She asked me about my job and I said I'm from India. She said she knew of many Saints in India and keeps visiting India often and spoke a few words about Shri Ramana Maharshi. She also told me that being in a place like America is very easy for one to get spoilt and we should be very careful in everything. I thanked her for her kind advices. As we walked we reached the church. She said everyone is same to her be it the Christ or Sai baba. She came to visit the church just to find the process and method they use to follow the Christ. She said she will next go to Baba's temple. I thanked, greeted her and left for the temple. I had a feeling that this is none other than Sai himself. How can an American Lady speak so much in depth of the leelas of Indian Saints. Wouldn't she know the process Christians follow at Church. For me, she is none other than Sai who came timely to lift up my spirits.
The next experience goes like this:
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| Sri Sunkalamma Devi, Kondapur, Gooty,Anantapur Dist, AP |
And coming to the experience i had, this is the temple where the Goats are often offered to please the diety. And my family was no exception. From time immemorial, this ritual is followed. Just all were planning for this ceremony to be held in Jun 2013 and from few days before this ,during parayan, i read the Ordeal of Guru-Bahkti in Chapter 23 of Sai Sat Charitra (Please Read about it in the below section), in which Sai Baba puts a few devotees on test to check if they will go ahead and kill the goat or leave it off thinking that Sai pervades everything and is resides in every living being. Similarly he put me on test. A few days before this incident, i had a strong feeling to read about the great Saint of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Pothuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy. I was reading it on the net but some how i got into my work and closed the browser. The next day, Sai baba aired the movie about this saint on the leading telugu channel. When i watched the TV, i see this same scene in this movie where the villagers will be ready to offer many goats to the diety named Poleru. Shri Veera Brahmendra Swamy says this is just a superticious belief. The villagers say the diety would be furious with them and will be displeased if they do not offer goat. Swamy says, he will spare his life for them and they should believe him. Before the entire crowd, he will pray and invoke the diety and there Maa Durga appears and blesses everyone. This is a real incident which has happened. Thus Villagers are convinced with the idea of feeling oneness with all living entities.
Baba's ways are insruitable. He gives different experiences, teaches different devotees in different ways. He showed me the path practically. I spoke to my family about my intutions and feelings and they, being Sai devotees readily accepted my idea. This superticious belief thus ended in my family but we will continue to pray the diety with all respect, love and devotion through generations to come.
Thanks Baba for showing the right path to us. You are our light. You are our Guru. We follow you.
Ordeal of Guru-Bhakti ( Chapter 23 of Sat Charitra )
While the Cholera-ordinance was in force in Shirdi, somebody brought a goat to the Masjid. It was weak, old and about to die. At this time Fakir Pir Mohamad of Malegaon alias Bade Baba was near. Sai Baba asked him to behead it with one stroke, and offer it as an oblation. This Bade Baba was much respected by Sai Baba. He always sat on the right hand of Sai Baba. After the chilim (pipe) was first smoked by him, it was then offered to Baba and others. After the dishes were served, at the time of taking meals at noon, Baba respectfully called Bade Baba and made him sit on His left side, and then all partook of food. Baba paid him also daily Rs.50/- out of the amount collected as Dakshina. Baba accompanied him hundred paces whenever he was going away. Such was his position with Baba. But when Baba asked him to behead the goat, he flatly refused, saying "Why it should be killed for nothing?" Then Baba asked Shama to kill it. He went to Radha-Krishna-Mai and brought a knife from her and placed it before Baba. Knowing the purpose for which the knife was taken, she recalled it. Then Shama went to bring another knife, but stayed in the Wada, and did not return soon. Then came the turn of Kakasaheb Dixit. He was 'good gold' no doubt, but had to be tested. Baba asked him to get a knife and kill the goat. He went to Sathe's Wada and returned with a knife. He was ready to kill it at Baba's bidding. He was born in a pure Brahmin family and never in his life knew killing. Though quite averse to do any act of violence, he made himself bold to kill the goat. All the people wondered to see that Bade Baba, a Mahomedan was unwilling to kill it while this pure Brahmin was making preparations to do so. He tightened his dhotar and with a semicircular motion raised his hand with the knife and looked at Baba for the final signal. Baba said - "What are you thinking of? Go on, strike". Then, when the hand was just about to come down, Baba said - "Stop, how cruel you are! Being a Brahmin, you are killing a goat?" Kakasaheb obeyed and kept the knife down and said to baba - "Your nectarlike word is law unto us, we do not know any other ordinance. We remember You always, meditate on Your Form and obey You day and night, we do not know or consider whether it is right or wrong to kill, we do not want to reason or discuss things, but implicit and prompt compliance with Guru's orders, is our duty and dharma".
Then Baba said to Kakaseheb, that He would Himself do the offering and killing business. It was settled that the goat should be disposed of near a place called Takkya, where fakirs used to sit. When the goat was being removed to that place, it fell dead on the way.
Hemadpant closes the Chapter with a classification of disciples. He says that they are of three kinds : (1) First or best (2) Second or middling and (3) Third or ordinary. The best kind of disciples are those who guess what their Gurus want and immediately carry it out and serve them without waiting for an order from them. The average disciples are those who carry out the orders of their Masters to a letter, without any delay, and the third kind of disciples are those, who go on postponing the carrying out of their orders and making mistakes at every step.
The disciples should have firm faith, backed up by intelligence and if they and patience to these, their spiritual goal will not be distant. Control of breath -- ingoing and outgoing, or Hath-Yoga or other difficult practices are not at all necessary. When the disciples get the above-mentioned qualities, they become ready for further instructions and the Masters then appear and lead them on, in their spiritual path to perfection.
At the lotus feet of Shri Sai
Sudheer Kumar Pisay
