BABA'S METHOD OF INSTRUCTION

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BABA’S METHOD OF INSTRUCTION

Before proceeding to deal with Baba’s method of instruction, it is just

well to remind readers that role of samartha Sadguru, which Baba took on

himself, was not the narrow one which teachers even of divinity ordinarily take

upon themselves. People dealing with Baba dealt with him as the

‘All-in-all’. Said Krishna: -

"Pitamahesya jagatah mata dhata pitamaha"

I.e., I am the world’s father, mother, supporter and grand-father.

And accordingly, the devotees assure Baba in their daily address to Him that He

is their Mother, Father, Kinsman, Friend, Wisdom, Wealth, - their everything.

Twameva mata pita twameva

Twameva banduhscha sakha twameva

Twameva vidya dravinam twameva

Twameva sarvam mama devadeva.

To the devotees, Baba was not a mere human guru. He was God-incarnate. In fact,

many of them had no other conception of God except their idea of Baba. And Baba

developed this faith in them to enable them vividly to realise God and their own

self to the fullest extent, in accordance with the last stanza in Swetaswatara

Upanishad:

Yasya deve para bhakthi yatha deve tatha gurov

Tasyaite kathitahyartha prakasante mahatmanaha

i.e., If one has supreme faith in his Ishta Devata (i.e., his own particular God

and the faith that his Guru is that God, then the vedic teachings about God

blaze out brilliantly in his heart.

Naturally every word, every gesture, and every pose of Baba and all acts and

omissions of his – especially his chamatkaras, i.e., his wonderful feats,

were full of instruction and educative value to them. His very image in their

hearts was the most powerful means for their being raised higher and higher,

till they should attain equality, nay, identity with him. This course would

ordinarily cover numerous janmas and births. But, as Baba assured many, there

is no reason whatever, why each of them, or at least many of them should not

endeavour to attain perfection even in this single life.

Baba’s method of dealing with individuals varied with their capacity or

the stage which they had reached, as the influence he exerted was to raise them

to the next immediate higher stage, curing defects present and calling for

immediate attention; and the advice and help given to one would be found to be

totally different from, nay, sometimes even inconsistent with that given to

another. That is why the late Rao Bahadur S. B. Dhumal told the District

Magistrate, who inquired what Baba’s teachings were, that he (the

magistrate) should himself go in person to Baba and learn the same.

One peculiarity characteristic of Baba and other saints and sages is the

employment of riddle and symbology to rouse curiosity and fix the resultant

discovery of truth, deep and firm in the hearer’s mind. When Anantha Rao

Patankar complained to Baba that with all his wide study of the sastras, peace

of mind had not been attained by him. Baba’s answer was "Once a merchant

came here. In his presence, a quadruped passed its stomata i.e., nine balls of

stool. The merchant, anxious to attain his quest, spread his cloth beneath its

tail, gathered all the nine balls and took them away. He got concentration and

peace of mind". Patankar discovered that Baba directed him to navavidha bhakti

(i.e.,) the nine forms of devotion and adopted the same as his means for

attaining peace.

When a sub-judge had been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for corruption

and came to Baba for his help in his criminal appeal, Baba said, "so margosa and

reap margosa". The sub-judge could not understand his advice. But, it is a

patent reference to the Law of Karma, which had brought on its early results in

the case of the sub-judge, who was thus advised to make up his mind to bravely

and joyously suffer the results of his own action, so as to start his account

with a clean sheet for the next course.

To a man who had brought custard apples (Seetha phal) as presents, Baba said,

"gnana marga is Ram phal, bhakti marga is Seetha phal. Seetha phal has its pulp

almost the surface and is easy to get at. The surface of Ram phal is harder and

the pulp is not easy to get at. Ram phal should ripen and be plucked on the

tree, for if it falls down, it is spoiled. So, if a gnani falls, he is ruined."

To Hari Seetha Ram Dixit, who had during his morning contemplation a transient

appearance (sakshatkara) of Vittal and who went to Baba to get his assurance as

to its significance, Baba said at once, "Kaka, did not Vittal Patil come? Have

you not seen him? That Vittal is very elusive . tie him fast. If by

inadvertence you lose sight of him, he will vanish in a second." Thus Baba

confirmed Kaka’s idea that it was Vittal Pandarinath that had vouchsafed

to him a momentary glimpse of Himself; but added that such sakshatkaras are

very transient and have to be frequently sought and kept before the mind to

make God a permanent possession. that is, to become the everlasting one into

which one has to merge, without any further return.

Yat gatva nivartante

yat dhama paramam mama:

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

(Vasuki Mahal Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust, Coimbatore-641025, India)