Sai Baba Gita Reading for Today - Give your Burdens to God

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Sai Baba Gita Reading for Today

November 3, 2003

 

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Give your Burdens to God

 

When you take a train journey, upon reaching the railway station you

have to transport your luggage via a porter, or by one means or

another. If there is no one to help you, you have to carry the

luggage yourself. But once you enter the train you can put the

luggage down anywhere you like. Then you can relax and there is no

further bother with the luggage. The train will carry you and your

luggage. Nevertheless, there are some fools who will sit in the

train and carry their luggage on their heads. Those are the ones who

have been blessed with God's grace but still doubt and continue to

follow their own independent will. They have not surrendered fully.

 

Once you surrender yourself fully to the Lord and offer up

everything that is to be done, as well as when it is to be done and

how it is to be done, at the Lord's feet, he will take care of

everything. To achieve this level of surrender there can be no trace

of ego left; there should be no sense of yourself remaining. This

has been shown in a particularly clear manner in the Ramayana by

Lakshmana, the brother of Rama.

 

Let us pick up the story when Rama, Sita and Lakshmana during their

exile in the forest, were moving through a mountainous area. As is

the Lord's nature, he always loves to carry on some playful sport;

he is the perfect actor. He never has any sorrow or pain whatsoever,

but sometimes he will act as though he has these feelings. Whenever

God comes down in human form he acts this way in order to conduct

himself in a natural way as man. The human form is taken on by him

so that he can be easily accessible to people. On that particular

day, Rama, the incarnation of God, acted as though he was very

tired. He was removing the sweat from his brow and telling

Lakshmana, "Lakshmana, I am so tired. I don't think I will be able

to go any further. Please put up a hut somewhere nearby, so that we

can take a little rest."

 

Lakshmana asked Rama, "Brother, where shall we have this cottage?"

Rama said, "You can decide for yourself which place will be most

appropriate, and then put it up." Lakshmana responded, "Rama! Rama!

What have I done? What is my error? What sins have I committed to

hear these words? Please let me know why you have spoken to me like

this!" Now, Rama knew the mind of Lakshmana and so he knew why

Lakshmana was saying this, but in order to help Sita understand the

level of Lakshmana's surrender, Rama said, "Lakshmana, please tell

me what is troubling you. What have I said that has made you feel so

much pain?"

 

Lakshmana replied, "I have given up everything. I have given up

wife, mother, father, kingdom, everything. I have come along with

you feeling that you are the father, that Sita is the mother, and

that wherever you are is our beautiful capital city of Ayodhya. I

have come only to implement your will. I have given up my own

individual will, and now you ask me to construct a hut and choose

the place in which to build it. Your command is my only thought. I

have no other thoughts than that. Whatever is your will, I will do.

My only duty is to obey you. My only goal, truly my everything, is

you. You alone must tell me where the hut is to be put up." Sita

realized the depth of Lakshmana's devotion and surrender. She turned

to Rama and asked him to relieve Lakshmana's distress by designating

the site for the hut himself.

 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

Source:

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita035.html

 

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Sai Baba Gita

Compiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma Press

http://www.atmapress.com - ISBN: 0963844903

Online Edition: http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html