Power over Birth and Death

[Guest guest]

XIII POWER OVER BIRTH AND DEATH

 

Nana’s daughter lost the child within a few months, and had lost her husband

some months earlier. She thus becomes an issueless widow at the age of

seventeen. This cast a gloom over the whole family. Sometime later, Nana Saheb

went with his family to Baba and sat in glum silence before him.

Baba: Why are you so silent?

Nana: You know everything. While we are under your care, these calamities have

befallen us, loss of child, loss of son-in-law, etc.,

Baba: If you care for child, etc., don’t come to me for these. These are not in

my power. These (i.e., birth of child and death of relatives) are dependent or

Poorva Karma. Even Parameshwar, Great God Himself, who has created this entire

world cannot alter these. Do you think He can tell the Sun or Moon “Rise some

two yards farther away from your appointed place?” No, He cannot and will not.

That will produce disorder, chaos.

Nana: If that is so, how is it that you tell some one that he will have a son

and he gets a son and you tell another that he will get employment, and he gets

it? Are these not your chamatkar i.e., miracles?

NO MIRACLES:

Baba: No, Nana, I perform no miracles. You have your village astrologers; They

work two or four days ahead and give out their predictions. Some of them come

true. I look farther ahead. What I say happens. My art also is a sort of

astrology. But you people do not understand this. To you, my words look like

miracles – because you do not know the future. So you regard events as proofs of

my miracle-working power and turn your reverence to me. I, in my turn, direct

your reverence to God, and see that you are really benefited.

“SURRENDER ESSENTIAL PROTECTION” – GITA PROMISE:

These words of Baba strongly remind one of Lord Buddha’s interdiction against

“Miracle-working”. Yet according to the popular view Lord Buddha worked many a

miracle. These apparent self-contradictions in Buddha and Krishna have their

explanation and some attempt will be made in later chapter to offer some hints

on the subject. Here it is enough to say that Baba was referring to certain

facts as fixed by superhuman agency, which man has to accept and face. He was

frequently saying in the words of Kabir, ‘You must be content with the lot

assigned to you by God.” “Have Faith and Patience”. Baba taught both by example

and precept that real happiness and success in life here and hereafter come to

the man who grasps not, but renounces, who surrenders all his will to his God

and Guru. Baba helped his sincere devotees to make this surrender, by attending

to every want of theirs, once they tried to make their surrender or even started

making it. Did not Krishna say that he attends to the welfare of those who

surrender themselves and think solely of Him at all times with complete faith?

 

(This is from the book"The Wonderous Saint Sai Baba" written by

Pujyasri B.V.Narasimaswami,founder President of All India Sai

Samaj, Chennai....this book can be read at www.saileelas.org)