Baba's grace & How to surrender?

శరణాగతి -బాబా అనుగ్రహం 

Great Sadgurus usually teach us through experiences only, but not just by oral teaching. Some times we don’t even realize that they were teaching us something if we do not pay attention to that. But we gain some kind of wisdom from those teachings because these teachings are powerful and burn our accumulated sins. What we need is love towards our Guru. Baba always followed this kind of teaching method. He wanted us to learn that God is every where and in each organism. That’s why he appeared in different forms for different people. This is Paramatama (Supreme soul) manifesting in different forms. So how can we follow these teachings and get some experience from this.

We want to experience God but we need to work hard for this. We are asking for a Universal experience and this is not an ordinary life related issue. We need devotion for this because what we are asking is experience with infinite. Our desires also make God to be transient even though he is permanent. How much time can we dedicate to God? Do we really deserve such an experience? We might have some bhakti, we worship God and we believe in him. But is this sufficient?

Our Bhagavad Gita teaches us like this:

Devotion to God is graded based on knowledge of God:

The nature of God is revealed in Holy Scriptures. The understanding of the people depends on their level of intelligence. Among those who are devoted to God based on their knowledge of God, there are three grades.

Grade 1: There is God (There is only one form and name for the God)

People, who acknowledge the presence of God, will be devoted to a personal god. However, they assume that their god is the only the god and will not respect the gods of other religions and sects.

Such devotees think God as an independent entity will pray to God with respect. They will praise the God for all his powers and glories.

Grade 2: There is only one God. (God is the name for all forms)

When people gain more maturity, they will understand that there is only one God, who is being worshiped by different people by different names and forms.

It does not matter what name one addresses the God because the true God does not have any name or form. Such devotees are aware that the God, who is formless and nameless, is the same God that appears in different names and forms in the minds of other devotees. Therefore, unlike people in the Grade 1, they do not assume that other devotees are in the wrong path. They are aware that people pray to the same God by different names and forms because their limited intelligence.

Such devotees know that the God is the intelligence cause of the universe.

Grade 3: There is nothing but God. (God is formless and forms are illusion)

This is the ultimate understanding of God. People in this grade are truly devoted to God, since they are aware God being not only the intelligence cause of the creation but also the material cause.

This means there is nothing in the universe that is not God.

Such people are not under the delusion that they are independent of the universe. The entire creation is seen as one entity. Whatever actions they do, it is done as a service to God.

All these grades are good. But we know where we need to go from this analogy. But our mind plays so many tricks on us. We become slaves to this mind. We don’t use our intellect (buddhi) all the time and we get caught up in this viscious cycle most of the time. We all have to make an effort to reach the ultimate stage in this Bhakti grade system.

That’s why Baba taught us Navavidha Bhakti (nine modes of worship). Same thing was explained really well by Prahlada in Bhagavata purana. His father did not tolerate him being a Vishnu Bhakta (devotee) and he tortured him with various means. Even these methods were viewed by Prahlada as a form of Vishnu. That’s why nothing could hurt him or bother him. He was at that highest stage of grade system we talked about earlier. What a stage to be in. When Saints reach that stage they do not see any thing else. They are immersed in the nectar of God. Baba used to talk about his service to his Guru. There was no one like him who can serve a Guru. He did not expect any thing from the Guru and he did not see any thing else other than his Guru.

How can we understand Surrender?

Here we will see a story; Once upon a time a pious devotee of God was travelling in a valley area. By accident he fell in to the valley and while falling down, he prayed to God very sincerely. He was able to hang on to a tree branch but still in grave danger. He thought that he was lucky and looks down the valley, gets scared again. He starts praying to God again. God appears and says leave that branch I will save you. We can imagine that Bhakta’s dilemma. He could not let go that branch. God wanted him to trust him. Even though he is a staunh devotee, but could not surrender himself completely. What if a snake was about to come on to that branch? God knows what is best for us. But this bhakta do not know and he feels safe at that moment by hanging on to that branch. We can imagine that situation in our daily life where we can not surrender our selves to God.

Shyama bitten by a snake:

Once Shyama was bitten by a snake and the posion was spreading all over the body. He is about to die. There was one custom in the Shirdi village that they will take a person who was bitten by a snake to a temple in the village. But Shyama told the villagers that no matter what happens to him, he has to go to Baba only.   By the time they reach the Dwarakamai, posion was already spreading all over. His condition presented to be very grave. Of course Baba saved him. Shyama is a great soul and he is a perfect example of pure devotion and faith. We have to thrive for that kind of devotion.

How to cultivate the seed of Bhakti:

The seed of bhakti that we have inside us has to grow in to a big tree. For a seedling to grow, ideal circumstances have to be present. It needs adequate Sun light, water and air along with other nutritional elements. More over when it is growing any animal can graze and eat it. In a similar way if we want to love God we need a seed called Faith (shradda) and provide adequate circumstances for this bhakti to grow. We have to protect this bhakti from worldly objects because they can consume us if we are not careful. You have to cultivate love towards Baba every day. You have to give this seed light - jnana (knowledge), water – Sabhuri (patience like water) and air – fill it with Bhakti. We have to know about God, do read the scriptures and try remembering God’s name all the time. Stay away from bad influences.

 Baba taught a good lesson to Hemadpant through grains story (Chana leela).

Let’s look at that story and Baba’s teaching. Hemadpant gives this narration in Satcharita as follows:

Once Hemadpant was massaging Baba’s feet and doing his service (seva). At that moment Shyama laughed and remarked: “What Annasaheb! What are these grains here which seem to be stuck? ” Saying so, Shyama touched the sleeve of the coat with his fingers, when from the folds of the coat, grains were found. How did the grains come to be stuck to the coat?  Everybody was wondering how these grains came there.

Then Baba said: “He has a bad habit – that of liking to eat alone. Taking advantage of the market day, he came rubbing the grams in his palms (to take off the skin). It is not good to eat alone. But I know his habit. These grams give the proof. What is there to be surprised about? ”.

 Then Hemadpant said: “Baba, till this day, I have not seen the Shirdi bazaar. If I went there, I could buy the grams. And the question of eating them would arise only later. I never eat anything without sharing it with someone who so ever has this liking may do so, but this is not my habit”.

Now observe Baba’s skill. How he made devotion firmer to himself! Hear with attention, to what he said after listening to my clear denial.

Baba then said; “You share the food with whosoever is near you. But what do you do, when you are alone? What can I also do? Do you remember me? Am I not beside you? Do you offer me a morsel? ”

Meaning behind the story:

Thus he made the grams a mere pretext and deeply impressed upon this principle. Eating food without offering to Indra and other deities, the five ‘pranas’, the fire and defrauding them of it or without offering to all deities made by presenting oblations to the fire before meals, or without offering it to the unexpected guest makes the food highly impure.

In principle, this appears insignificant. But its application in daily life is very important. Enjoying the flavor of the food is not the only implication – all the five senses and other enjoyments are included. One who panders to his senses can never hope to achieve spiritual progress. He who has a tight control over the senses alone can succeed.

The Shrutis proclaim: “Yada Panchavatishthante ” i.e. when all the five senses and the intellect become steady it is considered the highest state of Yoga. That was emphasized by Baba, through this joke.

Words, touch, form, are related to this principle. How full of advice is this teaching of Baba, in relation to this incident!

“Before the mind, the intellect and other senses enjoy these objects; remember me first so that they become an offering to me. The senses can never remain without their objects; but if these objects are first offered to the Guru, the attachment for them will naturally vanish.

If you desire anything, desire me only! If you are angry vent your anger on me only! Offer me your pride and stubbornness. Be devoted only to me.

 Whenever desire, anger, pride arise strongly make me the object towards which to direct them. In this way, one by one, the Lord will help you in eradicating all the ‘Vrittis’. The Lord will certainly calm the strong waves of these three venomous qualities. In fact, this disturbed mental state would be absorbed in my form or would become one with me. A state of peace will be yours at my feet”. If you practice this, desires will become weak, on their own, and with the passage of time desires will be destroyed from their very roots. The mind will be free from all such tendencies.

Knowing and believing that the Guru is close by such a person would never be disturbed by such tendencies. Once such a good habit takes firm root, the bondage of the world will loosen. The Guru’s form will be seen in every desirable object. Thus desire itself becomes the form of the Guru.

If there is the slightest desire for the enjoyment of these objects; and you think that Baba is close by, the question whether the object is fit to be enjoyed or not will at once arise. The object that is not fit to be enjoyed will be easily shunned. In this way, the devotee’s vicious addictions will disappear and an aversion towards the undesirable will develop.

He will be ready to obey the rules for the control of the senses, as mainly stated in theVedas. Then, the enjoyment of the objects will be as per the rules and there will be no indiscriminate indulgence. When such a habit is developed, the thoughts about enjoyment of the sense objects are weakened. The desire for the worship of the Guru arises and pure knowledge will sprout. When pure knowledge grows, the bondage of body-consciousness will break and the intellect will be merged in spirit consciousness, leading to infinite bliss. Even though the body is perishable, it is a means towards gaining enlightenment, which is really more desirable than salvation, because through it, we can experience ‘bhakti’. This fifth rung of gaining enlightenment is superior to the other four ‘kama, artha, dharma and moksha’. They cannot be compared to ‘bhakti’. Invaluable are the gains of ‘bhakti’.

One who achieves fulfillment by serving the Guru can fully understand the implication of this statement. He alone will achieve enlightenment by understanding the inherent meaning of ‘bhakti’, knowledge and detachment. One who thinks of the Guru as different from God is like a man reading the whole Bhagavat without realizing who God is.

 Desire for the objects of senses will be destroyed from the root when you serve the Guru, with a pure heart. The mind will become pure and sinless and your Self will manifest with effulgence. So be it. Given the strong desire, it was an easy matter for Baba to produce roasted grams! He needed no special time for the enactment of the most miraculous deeds. A popular conjurer or juggler, merely to earn his livelihood, can produce whatever you ask for, by waving his magic wand. But Sainath is a divine conjurer! What can be said about the prowess of his miracle? When he wished, he produced innumerable grams, on the spur of the moment.

 Moral of this story:

This story expands our horizons and if we can follow these principles in our daily life; we will become pure in our heart. Then we will be saved by our Guru from this life death cycle.

Let us concentrate on it. ‘Do not enjoy any object with any of our five senses without first remembering Baba’. When the mind is trained in this way, we will be always reminded of him. The attention will be at Sai’s feet in all transactions.

That Incarnation of Pure Brahman will ever remain before the eyes and then devotion, liberation and non-attachment would arise.

Salvation will be achieved. When this beautiful form is fixed before our mental vision, we forget hunger, thirst and the mundane existence.

The consciousness of worldly pleasures will disappear and our mind will attain peace.

OM SAI RAM!