The True Meaning of Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan.....

[Guest guest]

can't able to come Prashanthi Nilayam..like that.. But after reading the

below article i got the answers for all my questions. As swami said “You

can either make a picture into God or make God into a picture.” Yes its a

golden statement. Only the thing difference is love and faith we have towards

swami. one more Quotation from Swami.. Closeness with me does't comes with

Physical Closeness. Ofcourse Bhagwan is omnipresent but earlier i think there

is some difference between his Physical appearance and obsence. But after the

reading article i don't think there is a difference. Dailly we can take any

no. of times Swami's padanamaskaras and we can

talk with him at any time from our homes.Yes we can have that feelings and no

need to feel any difference of Physical obsence. Please I want opinions from

all brothers and sisters regarding this . Sairam Bodla.Ramesh Please read

this below radiosai article also.

http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/11June01/03_Spiritual_Blossoms/02_Reflections/reflection.htm

Spiritual Blossoms Print this Page The True

Meaning of Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan Sai Ram and greetings. In this

article, I intend dealing with a question from one of our readers. This

listener/reader writes to say that in a recent Discourse to the youth of

Kerala, Swami said that “Darshan alone is not sufficient and that we must have

Sparshan [touch of the Divine] and Sambhashan [conversation with the Divine]

also.” The reader goes on to

add, “But Swami has Himself stopped giving Pada Namaskar. If Sparshan is a must,

then why this denial?’ This is Part 1 of the question, if I may put it that way.

Part 2 of the listener’s question [it is actually a statement] is contained in

the following remark: “Swami also says that Sparshan removes Karma

[consequences of past actions], and Sambhashan removes Sankatas [difficulties].

Actually all three, sins, [bad] Karma and Sankatas are same. There is no

distinction.” The writer ends by asking for our views. When we received this

mail it set us thinking and I said to myself, “Yes, Swami has spoken about the

blessings of Darshan etc. And it is also true that He Himself has put an end to

the much-coveted Pada Namaskar. All this is true no doubt but whatever happened

when there was no Avatar around, say during the period from Krishna to Shirdi

Baba?” When I began to ponder thus, many thoughts occurred to me, and this

article is the outcome. Let us start with the period between say Krishna and

Shirdi Baba. If we take Swami’s observations about Darshan, Sparshan etc., in

the literal sense, then does it mean that during this long period of five

thousand years or so, people were condemned to eternal damnation? Were they

barred from receiving Divine Grace? Were their problems not solved? Obviously

that could not be true. Then does it mean that Swami is not correct? Clearly

that possibility also has to be ruled out! How then do we reconcile what

appears to be a clear contradiction? The resolution to the paradox lies in the

way we interpret the words Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan and what they

actually imply. Let us start with the word Darshan. For all of us, Darshan

simply means Darshan of our beloved Swami. However, if, for the sake of

argument, you asked someone say who lived in the seventeenth century or earlier

what that word means, then that person would possibly say that Darshan means

going to the temple and seeing the deity installed there. In fact, even today,

for millions in India who are not devotees of Swami, that is what the word

would mean. Just think about what Meera did, for example. She started by

worshipping an idol of Krishna and that helped her to print His image on her

Heart. Thereafter, she always saw Krishna in her Heart and that for her was the

ultimate Darshan. Was it

make-believe? If it were, then she would not have got the benefits of Darshan

that you and I get. But, as we all know, she received Krishna’s Grace in full

measure. Then there was Tyagaraja, the incomparable devotee of Rama. He hardly

stirred out of his house to go to this shrine or that. He had idols of Rama,

Sita and others and worshipped them daily like all others did. But he also went

a lot further because for Tyagaraja the objects of worship were not mere idols –

they were verily the Lord, His Consort and His retinue. Thus when Tyagaraja’s

brother threw the idols into the river, Tyagaraja wept like one would when one

loses a loved one. And when he discovered the lost idols, he sang with great

joy, after which he ceremoniously welcomed the Lord back into the house. By the

way, Swami has recalled all these incidents in great detail, as also the songs

sung by Tyagaraja on those occasions. No wonder Swami says: “You can either

make a picture into God or make God into a picture.” As you feel so you become –

if one feels the idol is not an idol but God, then God it is. So you see, we

need not necessarily interpret Darshan in a limited sense. Mind you, I am NOT,

repeat NOT, trying to say that seeing Swami is nothing unique or great. Far

from it; the joy of seeing that Divine Face and the Divine Smile will ever

remain an incomparable blessing. Nothing on earth can match that. Only the

Avatar is equal to the Avatar – of that one can be sure. Then what exactly am I

trying to say? Simply this: The blessings conferred by the physical Darshan of

Swami was available to devotees even when Swami had not incarnated in His

present form; and that blessing comes from faith. After all, as Swami reminds

us ever so often, God is everywhere and is present all the time. Thus, anyone

can

have the Darshan of God any time, any place. If one chooses, one can see God in

a sunset, a mountain, in fact anything, which is why the ancients of India

worshipped almost everything from an ant to a mountain, snakes included! It is

perhaps pertinent at this point to briefly recall the story of Ramakrishna

Paramahamsa and a young seeker named Narendranath, later to become famous as

Swami Vivekananda. At the time of this story, Narendra loved Ramakrishna very

much but was sceptical about many of the latter’s teachings. When he asked

Ramakrishna whether he had seen God, Ramakrishna replied in the affirmative

adding, “I see God as clearly as I see you.” Ramakrishna not only saw Mother in

the idol of Kali but also spoke to her regularly. In other words, he not only

had Darshan but also Sambhashan and it was not related to the Avatar. I am

sure you will murmur and say, “But look, this is different. You simply cannot

compare the two.” So it would seem to you and me but we must remember that for

people who are prepared to see God everywhere, every experience of communion

with God is very special! In other words, they get as much joy from every thing

under the Sun as we get from Swami. That is in fact what Swami actually expects

of us – not to limit God to just one form but see Him everywhere in the Cosmos

and in every living being. That is true Advaitam or Universal Oneness, and as

Swami often says, Advaita Darshanam Jnanam, meaning that is the Ultimate and

Supreme Knowledge. Agree most of us are nowhere near that stage; but be that as

it may, the statement remains true. Let me now move over from Darshan and

Sambhashan to Sparshan, which, for most of us, means Pada Namaskar. “Why this

denial?” asks our friend. That question is being asked because he has forgotten

what Swami said when He brought the curtain down on Pada Namaskar some years

ago. Basically He asked, “Who is giving Namaskar to whom? You and I are One; so

where is the question of My giving Namaskar to you?” That remark sends a strong

message: “Snap out of it and go beyond Dvaitam or duality to Advaitam or the

non-dual state.” We don’t want to do that and wish to cling to the dual state

but the Master would have none of that. So when we say denial, it simply means

we want to be in the KG while our dear Lord and Master wants us to move on to a

higher class. If the Master for our own good wants us to go to a higher class,

can we call that denial? I wonder.

I am reminded here of a conversation I had many years ago with late Mr.

Ahluwalia who served in the Vice Chancellor’s Office. Vice Chancellors came and

went, including myself, but Mr. Ahluwalia remained constant and saw six of them!

One day he told me, “Sir, I have many, many Pada Namaksars.” This statement

puzzled me because I had not seen Swami giving this venerable gentleman many

Namaskars. Even while I was wondering, Mr. Ahluwalia cleared my doubt by

saying, “I have a photo of Swami’s Feet, and I not only prostrate repeatedly

before it but also hold the Feet on my head!” Mr. Ahuliwalia was dead certain

that what he was doing was equivalent to a Pada Namaskar. As is the feeling, so

is the result says Swami often; it was certainly true with this gentleman.

Talking of Pada Namaskars, I must not fail to recall late Brig.

Bose, father of Col. Bose who is looking after the Chaitanya Jyothi. Brig. Bose

and I used to sit next to each other during Darshan many years ago and in those

days when Swami walked past us, Brig. Bose never sought to touch Swami’s Feet as

many others tried to do, often much to Swami’s inconvenience and annoyance. They

simply did not care what Swami felt; they felt that they had a right to touch

and if Bhagavan did not like it that was His problem! What about Brig. Bose?

After Swami had passed, he would just rub the ground on which Swami had just

walked, and then rub his head with the same hand. That was his way of getting

the blessing. One day he explained to me why he did so. He said much earlier he

too was addicted to this business of feet grabbing till one day Swami said to

him, “Do you think you can get Liberation, just by touching My Feet? If it were

so easy then every fly that sits on My Feet would get liberated!” Bose told me

that this one remark

cured him for ever! Let me now put all this together. Yes, Swami has pointed

out the advantages and merits of Darshan etc. All that is undoubtedly true, but

the unstated part of that is that the literal aspect of these words applies only

to starters. One cannot expect to remain a beginner for all times but must keep

moving up the [spiritual] evolution ladder. Moving up implies, among other

things, interpreting the words Darshan etc., in a larger sense as I explained

earlier. In the ultimate analysis, one must aim at Advaitam, when the

difference between God and man must get erased. May be we are light years away

from such a destination but nevertheless, we must accept the shock therapy that

Swami gives us to keep us moving towards that seemingly distant goal. We must

always accept what God gives us and asks us to do instead of demanding what God

must do and

say! A few words now about Part 2 of the question. Our friend says that sins,

[bad] Karma and Sankatas are the same – there is no distinction. Is this so? I

am not too sure. As I see it, among these three, there is both cause and the

effect. Sin is the cause and Sankatam is the effect. Incidentally, I would

prefer to use the term “impurity” or attachment rather than sin, for attachment

it is that eventually leads to misery - no attachment, no misery. The Lord makes

this very clear in both in the Gita and in the Gitavahini. OK, what happens

when there is no attachment? Swami has explained that also. He reminds us of

what He told Arjuna as Lord Krishna – attachment produces bondage to the cycle

of life and death, and embedded in this bondage is Karma, both good and bad. In

other words, attachment is the primary cause for Sankatam. Attachment is a body

related feeling and that is why Swami tells us again and again to rise above

body-consciousness. No body-consciousness, no attachment, no Karma, and no

Sankatam! It is really simple in principle but in practice we find it tough

because we are not prepared to put in the time for serious Sadhana.

Incidentally, you would notice that perfect detachment confers all the benefits

of Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan. And that is what devotees resorted to when

the Lord was not manifest in human form as He is now. As a matter of fact, this

triple benefit is a “bargain offer” and surely one cannot expect it to last

long! So Swami is weaning us away what He

once used to grant freely so that we become mature and His actions cannot be

hastily described as denial. God never denies, and it is only humans who do. To

substantiate this, let me recall a small story that Swami sometimes narrates,

and with that I shall end. The story goes like this. It appears that when

Krishna was very young, one day He was playing near the area where Yashoda was

filling water in her pots. After she had done the filling she called out, “Hey

Krishna, come and help me to load the pots on my head.” Krishna just laughed

and ran away. Yasoda grumbled, complained about her “unhelpful son” and trudged

back home. When she reached the doorstep there was Krishna waiting for her. Not

just that; with a big smile, He even helped Yasoda to unload the pots, although

she did not ask for help. Yasoda was quite surprised and said, “Krishna, You are

strange. When I asked You to place the pots on my head You refused but now when

I did not even ask You,

You have voluntarily helped me to bring down the pots from my head. What is the

meaning of all this?” Krishna smiled and replied, “I do not place burden on

people; I only help in removing them!” Everything that God says and does is

ALWAYS for our own good. Of that we must be clear. If we are, then many of our

doubts will simply not occur. Any views on this? Here is a question I would

like you to consider. Some say, “God knows whatever I do because He is my

Indweller.” Others say, “I don’t do anything; He is the doer.” Which of these

two is correct and why? Why don’t you write to us your views and comments?

Make it like a Letter to the Editor, and we shall publish them. Later we shall

try to air our own views on the subject. Any takers? Jai Sai

Ram.Dr.G.Venkataraman

[Guest guest]

said: "Look upon every man, woman and everyone as God. You cannot help any one;

you can only serve if you have the privilege. If the Lord grants that you can

help any one of His children, blessed you are; do not think too much of

yourselves. Blessed you are that that privilege was given to you when others

had it not. Do it only as a worship. The poor and the miserable are for our

salvation, so that we may serve the Lord coming in the shape of the diseased,

coming in the shape of the lunatic, the leper and the sinner." We crave for

physical darshan of His form but Baba has given us much more - He has given us

a direct order to Love All, Serve All. How privileged are we that we have been

given the knowledge and motivation to love Him and serve Him by loving all and

serving all? If we could channel all the craving and love we have for Baba and

His physical darshan into the form of loving service to the Sai in all

beings, we will achieve Constant Integrated Awareness of Baba which has got to

be a thousand-fold more joyful than a fleeting physical darshan, sparshan or

sambhashan of Baba's form. Like Meera, Thyagaraja and the Gopis. Baba wants to

confer this permanent joy upon us. May He bless us all that we are worthy and

capable of accepting it and moving closer to achieving constant communion with

Him. Jai Sai Ram. MangalaBodla Raamesh <rameshbodla > wrote: Sairam

Brothers and Sisters....