Shri Sai Satcharita
Chapter 16 and 17
Quick Brahma-Jnana (Self-Realization)
These two
Chapters relate the story of a rich gentleman, who wanted Brahma-Jnana (Self-Realization), quickly from Sai Baba.
Preliminary
The last Chapter described
how Mr. Cholkar's vow of small offering was completed and accepted. In that
story, Sai Baba showed that He would accept with appreciation any small thing
offered with love and devotion, but if the same thing was offered with pride
and haughtiness, He would reject it. Being Himself full of Sat-Chit-Anand
(Existence, Knowledge and Bliss) He did not care much for more outward
formalities but if an offering was made in meek and humble spirit, the same was
welcome and He accepted it with pleasure and avidity. In fact there is no person
more liberal and benevolent than a Sadguru, like Sai Baba. He cannot be
compared to the Chintamani jewel (the Philosopher's stone which satisfies
desires), the Kalpataru (the Celestial Tree which fulfills our desires) or the
Kamadhenu (the Celestial Cow which yields what we desire), for they give us
only what we desire; but the Sadguru gives us the most precious thing that is
inconceivable and inscrutable (The reality).
Now let us hear how Sai
Baba disposed of a rich man, who came to Him and implored Him to give him
Brahma-Jnana. There was a rich gentleman (unfortunately his name and
whereabouts are not mentioned) who was very prosperous in his life. He had amassed
a large quantity of wealth, houses, field and lands, and had many servants and
dependents. When Baba's fame reached his ears, he said to a friend of his, that
he was not in want of anything, and so he would go to Shirdi and ask Baba to
give him Brahma-Jnana which, if he got, would certainly make him happier. His
friend dissuaded him, saying, "it is not easy to know Brahman, and
especially so for an avaricious man like you, who is always engrossed in
wealth, wife and children. Who will, in your quest of Brahma-Jnana, satisfy you
that will not give away even a cent in charity?" Not minding his friend's
advice, the fellow engaged a return journey tonga (horse drwan carriage) and
came to Shirdi. He went to the Masjid, saw Sai Baba, fell at His Feet and said,
"Baba, hearing that You show the Brahman to all who come over here without
any delay, I have come here all the way from my distant place. I am much
fatigued by the journey and if I get the Brahman from You, my troubles will be
well-paid and rewarded."
Baba then replied,
"Oh, My dear friend, do not be anxious, I shall immediately show you the
Brahman; all My dealings are in cash and never on credit. So many people come
to Me, and ask for wealth, health, power, honor, position, cure of diseases and
other temporal matters. Rare is the person, who comes here to Me and asks for
Brahma-Jnana. There is no dearth of persons asking for worldly things, but as
persons interested
in spiritual matters are
very rare, I think it a lucky and auspicious moment, when persons like you come
and press Me for Brahma-Jnana. So I show to you with pleasure, the Brahman with
all its accompaniments and complications."
Saying this, Baba started
to show him the Brahman. He made him sit there and engaged him in some other
talk or affair and thus made him forget his question for the time being. Then
He called a boy and told him to go to one Nandu Marwari, and get from him a
hand-loan of Rupees five. The boy left and returned immediately, saying that
Nandu was absent and his house was locked. Then Baba asked him to go to Bala
grocer and get from him, the said loan. This time also, the boy was
unsuccessful. This experiment was repeated again twice or thrice, with the same
result.
Sai Baba was, as we know,
the living and moving Brahman Incarnate.
Then, one may ask - "Why did He want the paltry sum of five rupees,
and why did He try hard to get it on loan? Really He did not want that sum at
all. He must have fully known that Nandu and Bala were absent, and he seems to
have adopted this procedure as a test for the seeker of Brahman. That gentleman
had a roll or bundle of currency notes in his pocket, and if he was really
earnest, he would not have sat quiet and be a mere onlooker, when Baba was
frantically trying to get a paltry sum of Rupees five. He knew that Baba would
keep His word and repay the debt, and that the sum wanted was insignificant. Still
he could not make up his mind and advance the sum. Such a man wanted from Baba
the greatest thing in the world, viz., the Brahma- Jnana!
Any other man, who really
loved Baba, would have at once given Rupees five, instead of being a mere
onlooker. It was otherwise with this man. He advanced no money nor did he sit
silent, but began to be impatient, as he was in a haste to return and implored
Baba saying "Oh Baba, please show me the Brahman soon." Baba replied
- "Oh my dear friend, did you not understand all the procedure that I went
through, sitting in this place, for enabling you to see the Brahman? It is, in
short this. For seeing Brahman one has to give five things, i.e. surrender five
things viz. (1) Five Pranas (vital forces), (2) Five senses (five of action and
five of perception), (3) mind, (4) intellect and (5) ego. This path of Brahma-Jnana
or self-realization is 'as hard as to tread on the edge of a razor'.
Sai Baba then gave rather a
long discourse on the subject, the purport of which is given below:
Qualifications for
Brahma-Jnana or Self-Realization
All persons do not see or
realize the Brahman in their life-time. Certain qualifications are absolutely
necessary:
1.
Mumuksha or intense desire
to get free. He, who thinks that he is bound and that he should get free from
bondage and works earnestly and resolutely to that end; and who does not care
for any other thinks, is qualified for the spiritual life.
2.
Virakti or a feeling of disgust with the
things of this world and the next. Unless a man feels disgusted with the
things, emoluments and honors, which his action would bring in this world and
the next, he has no right to enter into the spiritual realm.
3.
Antarmukhata (introversion
/ introspection). Our senses have been created by God with a tendency to move
outward and so, man always looks outside his self and not inside. He who wants
self-realization and immortal life, must turn his gaze inwards, and look to his
inner Self.
4.
Catharsis from (Purging
away of) sins. Unless a man has turned away from wickedness, and stopped from
doing wrong, and has entirely composed himself and unless his mind is at rest,
he cannot gain self-realization, even by means of knowledge.
5.
Right Conduct. Unless, a
man leads a life of truth, penance and insight, a life of celibacy, he cannot
get God-realization.
6.
Preferring Shreyas, (the
Good) to Preyas (the Pleasant). There are two sorts of things viz., the Good
and the Pleasant; the former deals with spiritual affairs, and the latter with mundane
matters. Both these approach man for acceptance. He has to think and choose one
of them. The wise man prefers the Good to the Pleasant; but the unwise, through
greed and attachment, chooses the Pleasant.
7.
Control of the mind and the
senses. The body is the chariot and the Self is its master; intellect is the charioteer
and the mind is the reins; the senses are the horses and sense objects their
paths. He who has no understanding and whose mind is unrestrained, his senses
unmanageable like the vicious horses of a charioteer, does not reach his
destination (get realization), but goes through the round of births and deaths;
but he, who has understanding and whose mind is restrained, has his senses
being under control, like the good horse of a charioteer, reaches that place,
i.e., the state of self-realization, whence he is not born again. The man, who has
understanding as his charioteer (guide) and is able to rein his mind, reaches
the end of the journey, which is the supreme abode of the all-pervading, Vishnu
(Lord).
8.
Purification of the mind.
Unless a man discharges satisfactorily and dis-interestedly the duties of his
station in life, his mind will not be purified and, unless his mind is that
Viveka (dis-crimination between the Unreal and the Real), and Vairagya
(Non-attachment to the unreal) crop up and lead on to self-realization. Unless
egoism is dropped, avarice got rid of, and the mind made desire-less (pure),
self-realization is not possible. The idea that ‘I am the body’ is a great
delusion, and attachment to this idea is the cause of bondage. Leave off this
idea and attachment therefore, if you want to get to the goal of
self-realization.
9.
The necessity of a Guru. The knowledge of the
Self if so subtle and mystic, that no one could, by his own individual effort
ever hopes to attain it. So the help of another person-Teacher, who has himself
got self-realization, is absolutely necessary. What others cannot give with
great labor and pains, can be easily gained with the help of such a Teacher;
for he has walked on the path himself and can easily take the disciple, step by
step on the ladder of spiritual progress.
10.
Lastly the Lord’s Grace is
the most essential thing. When the Lord is pleased with anybody, He gives him
Viveka and Vairagya; and takes him safe beyond the ocean of mundane existence,
‘The Self cannot be gained by the study of Vedas, nor by intellect, nor by much
learning. He, whom the Self chooses, gains it. To him the Self reveals its
nature,’ says the Katha Upanishad.
After the dissertation was
over, Baba turned to the gentleman and said - "Well sir, there is in your
pocket the Brahma (or Mammon) in the form of fifty-times five (Rs.250/-) rupees
two hundred and fifty; please take that out." The gentleman took out from
his pocket the bundle of currency notes, and to his great surprise found, on
counting them, that there were 25 notes of 10 rupees each, Seeing this omniscience
of Baba, he was moved and fell at Baba's Feet and craved for His blessings.
Then Baba said to him,
"Roll up your bundle of Brahma” viz. Currency notes. Unless you get rid
completely of your avarice or greed, your will not get the real Brahma. How can
be, whose mind is engrossed in wealth, progeny and prosperity, expect to know
the Brahma, without removing away his attachment for the same? The illusion of
attachment or the love for money is a deep eddy (whirlpool) of pain full of
crocodiles in the form of conceit and jealousy. He, who is desire-less, can alone
cross this whirlpool. Greed and Brahma are as poles asunder, they are eternally
opposed to each other. Where there is greed, there is no room for thought or
meditation of the Brahma. Then how can a greedy man get dispassion and
salvation? For a greedy man, there is no peace; neither contentment nor
certainty (steadiness). If there be even a little trace of greed in mind, all
the Sadhanas (spiritual endeavors) are of no avail. Even the knowledge of a
well-read man, who is not free from the desire of the fruit or reward of his
actions, and who has got no disgust for the same, is useless and cannot help
him in getting self-realization.
The teachings of a Guru are
of no use to a man, who is full of egoism, and who always thinks about the
sense-objects. Purification of mind is absolutely necessary; without it, all
our spiritual endeavors are nothing, but useless show and pomp. It is,
therefore, better for one to take only what he can digest and assimilate. My
treasury is full, and I can give anyone, what he wants, but I have to see
whether he is qualified to receive My gift. If you listen to Me carefully, you
will be certainly benefited. While sitting in this Masjid, I never speak any
untruth.”
When a guest is invited to
a house, all the members of the household, friends and relations that happen to
be present, are entertained, along with the guest. All those who were present
in the Masjid at this time could partake of the spiritual feast that was served
by Baba for the rich gentleman. After getting Baba's blessings, one and all,
including the gentleman left the place quite happy and contented.
Special Characteristic of
Baba
There are many Saints, who
leaving their houses, stay in forest, caves or hermitages and remaining in
solitude, try to get liberation or salvation for themselves. They do not care
for other people, and are always self-absorbed. Sai Baba was not of such a type.
He had no home, no wife, no progeny, nor any relations, near or distant. Still,
He lived in the world (society). He begged His bread from four or five houses, always
lived at the foot of the (Neem) tree, carried on worldly dealings, and taught
all the people how to act and behave in this world. Rare are the Sadhus and Saints
who, after attaining God-vision, strive for the welfare of the people. Sai Baba
was the foremost of these and, therefore, says Hemadpant.
"Blessed is the
country, blessed is the family, and blessed are the chaste parents where this
extraordinary, transcendent, precious and pure jewel (Sai Baba) was born."
Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be
to all
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