Sri Saibaba Temple of Universal Oneness , Nashville , TN Weekly News Letter Volume 83

[Sri Saibaba Temple - Nashville]

Sairam

Upanishads declare that unless experienced, a karma can never be annihilated. However, it does not mean that it has to be experienced only by the person who generated it. Thus, when we face some challenge in our life due to a sin committed by us, we can pray to a Saint to share some portion of that sin so that we can face that problem more easily. If that Saint is so spiritually advanced that He is always in oneness with the all-pervading Spirit of God, and we believe Him to be so, then that Saint, out of boundless mercy for us, shares some portion or all of our sin causing that particular challenge we are facing.

The extent of sharing of our sin by that Saint depends on the experience our soul needs in this birth – our soul always wants to express and experience unconditional love towards others in various circumstances, and our life is nothing but a sequence of opportunities for this great objective of our soul. As long as our heart is reluctant to cooperate with our soul in fulfilling this objective due to its conjunction with our mind, our soul will force us to experience many such challenges in our life so as to teach our heart a few lessons on unconditional love. With such heart we can’t expect that Saint to share a significant portion of our sin.

            More percentage of our sin will be shared by that Saint, in general, when we reach the state of prapanna because a prapanna never entertains malice towards anyone in his heart. Obviously most of us are yet to reach the state of being of a prapanna; it is not required either to get a Saint share our sin causing a particular problem. While the heart of a prapanna never entertains malice towards anyone, we can maintain it temporarily during the prayer time.  We do not make it happen using our mind but the Spirit of God, the Master of our soul, makes it happen.

Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda asserts, “Although people go to the Supreme Abode of God daily, they do not know about it, just as people frequently walking over a treasure of gold do not know about it” (C.U. 8-3-2).

            It happens every night during the dreamless deep sleep. After you woke up from a long dreamless deep sleep, have you ever remembered how you felt? Take a few seconds now to ponder it over and then answer that question.

Most probably your answer will be close to a feeling of pleasant peace. Haven’t you felt, in the morning, that you slept with pleasant peace in the previous night? That is what happens when your soul gets merged into the Spirit.

            During the dreamless deep sleep, your mind and senses were unconscious as there were no thoughts, dreams or sensory perceptions. Assume that even during the wakeful state in the broad daylight, while your mind and senses are wide awake, you are able to feel that pleasant peace – you have made it! For, you have consciously entered into the Spirit of God.

            Having seen how to surrender our soul to Paramatma at least for a few moments, let us now examine the role of Saranagati in getting our prayers fulfilled. When we pray to a Saint like Shirdi Sri Sai Baba to share our karma that is causing our present problem, the extent of sharing of our karma by that Saint depends on the state of our heart during the prayer. If our heart feels malice towards none for a few moments during our prayer, then chances of sharing of large portion of our karma by that Saint improve significantly.

            As long as our soul is in conjunction with our mind, our heart can never feel unconditional love; for, our mind knows nothing about unconditional love. But when our soul gets merged with the Spirit of God, our heart instantaneously feels unconditional love for God and malice towards none.

            Thus, if our soul is temporarily immersed in the Spirit within us during our Prayer, our heart feels malice towards none at least for a few moments - this will do for the Saint to share our karma causing a particularproblem for which we are praying.

1. Baba’s general advice to his bhaktas as recollected by Hemadpantji:

            “Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away; but receive them well and treat them with due respect.

            Sri Hari will be certainly pleased, if you give water to thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you, and you are not inclined to give, do not give; but do not bark at him like a dog.

            Let anybody speak hundreds of things against you; do not resent by giving a bitter reply. If you always tolerate such things, you will certainly be happy.

            Allah Malik; nobody else is our Protector. His method of work is extraordinary, invaluable and inscrutable. His will will be done and He will show us the way and satisfy our heart’s desires.

            It is on account of rinanubandham that we have come together; let us love serve each other and be happy. He who attains the supreme goal of life, is immortal and happy; all others merely exist.”

 

2. On Hemadpantji’s dispute with a fellow devotee over whether poisonous creatures like scorpion and snake should be killed:

            “God lives in all beings and creatures whether they be serpents or scorpions. He is the great wire-puller of the world and all beings including serpents, scorpions, etc. obey His command!

Unless He wills it, nobody can do any harm to others. The world is all dependent on Him and no one is independent.

So, we should take pity and love all creatures, leave off adventurous fights and killings and be patient. The Lord is the Protector of all.”

  

2. Baba shares a karma of the family of a devotee to avert an imminent accident – Leela for the kid of a blacksmith

 

In the year 1910 A.D., Baba was sitting near the Dhuni (sacred fire-place) on Deepavali holiday and warming Himself. He was pushing fire-wood into the Dhuni, which was brightly burning.

A little later, instead of pushing logs of woods, Baba pushed one of His arms into the Dhuni; the arm was scorched and burnt immediately. This was noticed by the servant Madhava, and also by Madhavrao Deshpande (Shama). They at once ran to Baba and Madhavarao clasped Baba by His waist from behind and dragged Him forcible back ward and asked, "Deva, for what have You done this?"

Then Baba came to His senses and replied, "The wife of a blacksmith at some distant place, was working the bellows of a furnace; her husband called her. Forgetting that her child was on her waist, she ran hastily and the child slipped into the furnace. I immediately thrust My hand into the furnace and saved the child. I do not mind My arm being burnt, but I am glad that the life of the child is saved."

 

3. Baba shares a karma of the family of a devotee for health– Leela for the son of Mrs.Khaparde

Mrs. Khaparde, the wife of Mr. Dadasaheb Khaparde of Amraoti, was staying at Shirdi with her young son for some days. One day the son got high fever, which further developed into Bubonic plague. The mother was frightened and felt most uneasy.

She thought of leaving the place for Amraoti, and went near Baba in the evening, when He was coming near the Wada (now Samadhi Mandir) in His evening rounds, for asking His permission. She informed Him in a trembling tone that her dear young son was down with plague.

Baba spoke kindly and softly to her, saying that the sky is beset with clouds, but they will melt and pass off and everything will be smooth and clear. So saying, He lifted up His Kafni up to the waist and showed to all present, four fully developed buboes, as big as eggs, and added, "See, how I have to suffer for My devotees; their difficulties are Mine."

 

4. Demonstration of Baba’s oneness with the Spirit of God – Leela for Mrs.Tarkhad

Once, Mrs. Tarkhad was staying in a certain house in Shirdi. At noon, meals were ready and dishes were being served, when a hungry dog turned up there and began to cry. Mrs. Tarkhad got up at once and threw a piece of bread, which the dog gulped with great relish.

In the afternoon, when she went to the Masjid and sat at some distance, Sai Baba said to her, "Mother, you have fed Me sumptuously up to my throat; My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well."

 

She could not at first understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied, "Baba, how could I feed You? I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment."

Then Baba replied, "Eating that lovely bread I am heartily contended and I am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals and to which you gave the piece of bread is one with Me, so also other creatures. I am roaming in their forms. He who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved. So, abandon the sense of duality and distinction, and serve Me, as you did today."

Editorial Team

Temple Seva Committee

Sri Saibaba Temple of Universal Oneness

Nashville , TN