- “I always think of him who remembers Me.
- I require no conveyance, carriage, cart, nor train nor aeroplane.
- I run and manifest myself to him who lovingly calls me.
Baba in SSSC-Ch 40
Tag: Conscious
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Quotation 212
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You are God, you are mighty and opulent
Shishya (disciple) like the Sad-guru is really embodiment of Jnana.
The difference between the two lies in the attitude, high realization, marvellous super-human Sattva (beingness) and unrivalled capacity and Aishwarya Yoga (divine powers).
The Sad-guru is Nirguna, Sat-Chit-Ananda. He has indeed taken human form to elevate mankind and raise the world. But his real Nirguna nature is not destroyed thereby, even a bit. His beingness (or reality), divine power and widsom remain undiminished.
The disciple also is in fact of the same swarupa. But, it is overlaid by the effect of the samaskaras of innumerable births in the shape of ignorance, which hides from his view that he is Shuddha Chaitanya (see B.G. Ch. V-15). As stated therein, he gets the impressions – “Iam Jiva, a creature, humble and poor.”
The Guru has to root out these offshoots of ignorance and has to give upadesh or instruction.
To the disciple, held spell- bound for endless generations by the ideas of his being a creature, humble and poor, the Guru imparts in hundreds of births the teaching – “You are God, you are mighty and opulent.” Then, he realizes a bit that he is God really.
The perpetual delusion under which the disciple is labouring, that he is the body, that he is a creature (jiva) or ego, that God (Paramatma) and the world are different from him, is an error inherited from innumerable past births. From actions based on it, he has derived his joy, sorrows and mixtures of both.
To remove this delusion, this error, this root ignorance, he must start the inquiry.
How did the ignorance arise? Where is it? And to show him this, is called the Guru’s upadesh.
SSSC-Ch 29
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Oh Sai, create in us reverence for Your stories
- When a man takes a plunge into the sea, he gets the merit of bathing in all the Tirthas and sacred rivers.
- Similarly when a man takes refuge at the feet of the Sad-guru, he gets the merit of bowing to the Trinity, i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Siva and also Para-Brahma.
- Victory be unto Shri Sai, the wish-fulfilling tree and the ocean of knowledge, who gives us self-realization.
- Oh Sai, create in us reverence for Your stories.
- Let the readers and audience devour them with the same relish; the chatak bird drinks the water from the clouds and becomes happy.
- While listening to Your stories, let them and their families get all the true and pious emotions, viz.
- let their bodies perspire,
- let their eyes be full of tears,
- let their breath be steady,
- let their minds be composed,
- let their hair stand on end,
- let them cry, sob and quiver,
- let their hostilities vanish.
- When these things happen, that is a sign of the grace of the Guru dawning upon them.
- When these emotions develop in you, the Guru is most pleased.
- The Guru will definitely guide you to the goal of self-realization.
- The best way, therefore,
- to get free from the shackles of Maya,
- is our complete and whole-hearted surrender to Baba.
- The Vedas cannot take you across the ocean of Maya. It is only the Sadguru, who can do so, and make you see the Lord in all creatures
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Time is Divine
Give up the notions of one’s own doership, man must regard God alone as the doer.
He is the giver, He is the recipient and He is also the object that is given.
Time is the very form of God. Birth and death are encompassed by Time. Everyone, therefore, should regard Time as Divine and utilise it for performing sacred actions.
You should not waste a single moment. Time wasted is life wasted.
The fruits of your actions are determined by Time. All your experiences are the results of your actions, whether it is happiness or sorrow, affluence or poverty. Hence, good and bad depend on what you do. As are your actions, so are the fruits thereof.
The way you utilise your time determines the outcome.
Hence, this new year, which is a form of the Divine, should be put to right use.
– Puttaparti Satya Sai Baba in the Divine Discourse on Jan 01, 1991 -
Take pity and love all creatures
- “God lives in all beings and creatures, whether they are serpents or scorpions.”
- HE is the Great Wirepuller of the world: and all beings, serpents, scorpions etc obey His command.
- Unless He will 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 killings and be patient (until the serpent went off on its own, but keeping you in safe).
- The God is the Protector of all.”
Baba in SSSC-Ch 22
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Classification of disciples
- There are of three kinds of disciples of a Guru:
- (1) First or Best
- (2) Second or Average 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 add patience to these,
- their spiritual goal will not be distant.
- Control of
- breath (ingoing and outgoing), or
- Hath-Yoga (Balancing Sun and Moon force of Human Body) or
- other difficult practices
- are not at all necessary.
- When
- the disciples get the above mentioned qualities,
- they become ready for further instructions and
- Masters then appear and
- lead them on, in their spiritual path to perfection.
- There are of three kinds of disciples of a Guru:
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Baba’s treasury is full
“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”
Baba in SSSC-Ch 16&17
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Make me the sole object of your thoughts and aims, you will attain Paramartha
“Look here, my Guru was a great saint and highly merciful.
I fatigued myself in trying to serve him and yet he did not utter any mantra in my ear. Instead he first shaved me clean and then begged of me two pice (money).
What he wanted was not metallic coin—he did not care even for gold,but only Nishta and Saburi, i.e. faith and courageous patience. I gave these to him and at once, he was pleased.
Mother, Saburi is courage, do not discard it. It ferries you across to goal. It gives i) overcomes all fears, ii) manliness to men, iii) eradicates sin and dejection and
For 12 years I waited on my Guru, who is peerless and loving.
- How can I describe his love to me?
- When he was Dhyanasta (in love trance),
- I sat and gazed at him; and
- we were both filled with Bliss.
- I cared not to turn my eye upon anything else.
- Night and day, I pored upon his face with an ardour of love that banished hunger and thirst.
- The Guru’s absence, even for a second, made me restless.
- I meditated upon nothing but the Guru and had no goal or object other than the Guru.
- Unceasingly fixed upon him was my mind.
- Wonderful indeed the art of my Guru!
- I wanted nothing but the Guru and
- he wanted nothing but my love.
- Apparently action less,
- he never neglected me,
- but always protected me by his glance.
That Guru—I tell the truth, sitting as I do in this Masjid— never blew any mantra into my ear; nor do I blow any into yours.
- Go thou and do likewise.
- If you make me, the sole object of your thoughts and aims,
- you will attain Paramartha, the supreme goal.
- Look at me with undivided attention;
- so will I look at you.
- This is the only truth my Guru taught me. The four sadhanas and the six sastras are not necessary.
- With entire confidence, trust your Guru. That is enough.”
- The lady bowed, accepted the advice and gave up her satyagraha.
Baba to a Lady, who started Fasting to get mantra from Him, about His Guru.
- How can I describe his love to me?
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Quotation- BCS 309
Alms giving without discrimination
“Athiti is what ever creature is hungry and comes on to you, at that (kakabali-crow offering) time, whether it is human or a bird, beast or insect.All these seek food. The real Athiti that you get, (but) you do not regard as such. These have come to you in lakhs.
Nana! give up your rotten interpretation*. At kakabali, take plenty of boiled rice outside the house and leave it there.
Do not shout or call for any, nor drive away. Whatever the creature that comes to eat, let not that disturb your mind. You get thus the merit of feeding lakhs of guests. “
Baba in BCS para 309 to N G Chandorkar alias Nana
*The phrase “Atithi Devo Bhava” translates to “The guest is akin to God,” highlighting the reverence and care that should be given to guests.
In Hinduism, welcoming guests, especially unexpected ones, is considered a sacred duty. This practice is deeply embedded in the culture and traditions, emphasizing the hospitality that should be extended to guests. Here are a few key aspects:
Rituals and Practices for Welcoming Guests
1. Traditional Welcome:
– Guests are often greeted with a warm “Namaste,” a gesture of respect and reverence.
– In some households, a ceremonial welcome called Aarti might be performed, where a small lamp is waved in front of the guest, accompanied by singing or chanting.
– Some families may apply a small mark (often a red dot known as tilak) on the guest’s forehead as a sign of blessing and respect.
2. Offering Refreshments:
– Guests are typically offered water, tea, butter-milk or other beverages upon arrival. This practice signifies hospitality and the intention to make the guest feel comfortable and valued.
– Following this, guests may be served snacks or meals, often including traditional and home-cooked dishes.
3. Providing Comfort:
– Hosts ensure that the guests have a comfortable place to sit and rest. Clean towels, refreshments, and any other necessities are provided.
– In many cases, if the guest is staying overnight, special arrangements are made to ensure their comfort, including clean bedding and private space.
4. Treating Guests with Respect:
– Throughout the visit, guests are treated with utmost respect. Conversations are often centered around the guest’s well-being, their travel experiences, and any needs they might have.
– Hosts may also offer small gifts or tokens of appreciation when the guest departs, further signifying the importance of their visit.
These practices not only reflect the value placed on hospitality in Hindu culture, but also emphasize the spiritual aspect of serving and honoring guests as part of one’s duty (dharma). -
Mahlsapaty
Mahlsapathy is the First & top most person in Sai Baba’s Court-Member of King’s Dharbar, and one among the VIBGYOR* member of Baba’s Dharbar.
Sai Baba stayed at one Chandbhai’s [headman of Dhoopkheda village] home for some days. The nephew of Chandbhai’s wife got betrothed to a girl from Shirdi. So, Baba came to Shirdi in that wedding procession, in 1872.
The marriage party had alighted at the pounding grounds, near Khandoba’s (incarnation of Shiva) temple, outside the village. When Baba went to the Khandoba temple, He met Mhalsapaty there.This Mhalsapaty was a resident of Shirdi and a goldsmith. As he was a devotee of Khandoba, and regular visitor of Khanderaya (Deity of Jejuri, who is also Khandoba), since many generations. As soon as Mhalsapaty saw Him, he welcomed Him with the words: “Welcome Sai”. Then, all the devotees of Sai Baba called Him “Sai Baba or Sai or Baba”.
Mhalsapati brought Sai Baba into the village and introduced Him to his friends Kashiram Shimpi and Appa Jagale. These three usually served, according to their capacity, the sadhus, saints , fakirs and ascetics visiting the village, and graciously took care of them.Baba was an absolute “Vairagya Purusha” and never cared for wealth or women. Mahlsapalhy, being himself highly detached i.e. of a vairagya temperament and not being overned by lust or other low urges, could easily appreciate Baba, from the very beginning was drawn to Baba;
when other people began to worship Baba, only when they saw Baba’s psychic powers e. g. when he turned water into oil to feed his lamps, and then they regarded him as God.
An important event in Mahlsapathy’s life that was- “Baba’s trying to leave his body about 1886 and returning to it three days later”.
Baba had made him the guardian of his body and told him, “Arre Bhagat, look after this body for three days. I am going to Allah. If I do not return, then get it buried in due course at that place, (that is, near the sacred gode neem tree).”
Mahlsapathy supported Baba’s body on his own knee, and when officers, including the village headman karnam, etc., held an inquest over the body, declared it dead, and wanted it to be buried. Mahlsapathy with the help of others stoutly opposed their proposal, and saved Baba from losing his body.
Thus, he rendered a valuable service in 1886, after which Baba lived for 32 years to create this huge Sai movement that has covered this World.
If Mahlsapathy had failed in his duty, and Baba had been buried, perhaps the course of history might have been different.
‘Whatever a person thinks of at the time of death he reaches’. When Mahlsapathy’s death was approaching, he retained full-consciousness and control of his mind.
That was on 11th Sep 1922, Monday (in the month of Badrapada, Ekadasi Somavara, sacred to Shiva and Khandoba), having finished all his puja, he said to his family, ‘To-day is my father’s Shraddha day. Finish cooking soon. To-day, I close my earthly life and go to Heaven’.
So, a Brahmin came and finished the Sraddha at once; and finished the gift of balis to crows, cows, etc, and guests were fed. Then the family meals were finished.
Mahlsapathy took betel and nuts after his meal. After chewing a bit, he put on a kupni. Having near him, Bala Gurav, Ramachandra Kothe, etc., he told them all to do Ramachandrajapa Japa.
Muhlsapaty said to his son that ‘Spend time piously in Uttama Bhakti Marga i.e. in holy devotion. All that I told you will happen.” Then Mahlsapathy uttered the word ‘Ram’ and breathed his last.
Thus he passed away in calm, faith and cheerfulness, on the 11th September 1922. This death was a fitting termination to a pure, lofty and dedicated life—a life of Love, faith and total surrender.
His remains are interred in a tomb at Shirdi, which is still worshipped by many.
* 1. Mahlsapathy 2. Narayan Govind Chandorkar 3. Das Ganu Maharaj 4. H.S. Dixit, 5. Hemadpant 6. Sri Upasani Baba and 7. G.S. Khaparde.
"I draw to Me, My man from far off or even across the seven Seas to Shirdi, like a sparrow with a string fastened to its feet"-Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian Spiritual Guru-God 