BEWARE - TAKE CARE !!!

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BEWARE - TAKE CARE

Baba said, "There are many robbers, bolt your doors, be very vigilant, the

thieves will carry everything" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XXXI.

Once upon a time a jat was reduced to penury. He started begging from house to

house and village to village. In one village, he called at the house of a

Mirasi where he learnt that his neighbour was a petty tradesman who had lost

his little daughter recently. He also learnt that while the tradesman went out

to the city for work, his wife alone at home always cried, remembering her lost

daughter.

"What was the name of the daughter?" he asked.

"She was called Munni," replied the Mirasi.

Learning all about the tradesman’s family he called at his house. When the

tradesman’s wife, Shahni, came out, he said at once, "Why do you keep crying?

Your Munni is very happy. There in Swarga, she is all the time playing, running

about, even quarrelling with others of her age. These little girls are

interesting lot but they take so much of my time in settling their small

disputes. She doesn’t seem to remember you at all – not once has he mentioned

you. You are crying for nothing."

Shahni was happy to hear all this and she asked, "Maharaj, who are you and how

do you know about Munni?"

"I’m Narayana myself. Your Munni is happy and comfortable. A bit too active –

climbing trees and plucking fruits and eating and throwing them to others. I

came here only to inform you about her wellbeing. I must go back now. In my

absence these little kids may have created bedlam."

It surprised her to hear what she heard. She folded her hands and bowed to the

jat and said, "Please stay for a while. I’ll cook a nice meal for you. You’ve

come from so far. I’m so lucky to have your darshan. I can’t allow you to go

without a meal. It’ll please me. It’ll be a great favour. Please....."

"Alright. But be quick. I shouldn’t get held up here for long." The jat wanted

to get away as early as possible before the return of the tradesman.

Shahni prepared puris and halwa and served a plateful to the jat. The jat had

not eaten well for two three day. He took his fill – went on eating until he

had finished all that she had cooked. Shahni sat looking at him, thinking that

surely he must be Narayana, God himself. How could a mere human being eat so

much.

After eating when the jat got up to go Shahni said, "Hey Narayana, wait a

minute. I want to send something for my daughter. Only some dry fruits, a

coconut, some almonds and dry dates. Munni will enjoy them, She likes these

things."

"All right, give them to me quickly."

Taking these, he had moved away hardly a few steps when Shahni called him back,

"Hey Narayana, please wait for a few minutes more."

"What do you want now?" The jat said in annoyance. "You are deliberately

delaying my return to Swarga."

Shahni said, "Maharaj, here are a few ornaments. I’m getting old. I don’t need

them any more. Take these also. Munni will wear them and feel happy."

"All right, give these too and let me go."

Collecting them, the jat hurried away, lest her husband should come back and question him.

Soon the Shah came back. Entering the house, he cast a look at the utensils –

plates and all and asked – "What have you been up to? All these plates and

cooking utensils and this smell of pure ghee. You’ve made halwa and puries?"

Shahni clapped her hand and said, "How unlucky you are. Today Narayana himself

was here. If you had come back a little bit earlier, you would’ve had his

darshan. What a miss?"

The Shah paused for a moment to think and then asked, "I hope he hasn’t taken away something?"

The Shahni replied, "What was there for him to take? He had just a meal and I

gave him some dry fruits and some ornaments for Munni. I’ve grown old. I didn’t

need them any more. Munni will wear them." Hearing about the ornaments, the Shah

began shout at her, "You’ve thrown away gold and jewellery into a river. Which

side has he gone?"

The Shahni pointed to the direction. The Shah ran to the Mirasi who had brought

home a weak looking pony to train it. The Shah said, "Brother, may I take this

pony for a few minutes. I’ll be back in no time."

The Mirasi said, "Take it, brother."

The Shah mounted the pony and set out in pursuit after the jat. The jat looked

back, saw the pony advancing towards himself and presumed that it must be the

Shah. Looking around, he climbed a tree. As he was going up, he heard someone

call, "Hey Narayana, wait a while. Let me also have your darshan."

The jat replied, "Come quickly, I’m off to Swarga."

The Shah got to the tree, tied the pony to the trunk of the tree and began to

climb the tree. The jat was used to climbing trees but Shah was not. The Shah

had climbed a little way up in pursuit when the jat had reached almost the top.

He shouted back, "Come quick. Otherwise I’ll be gone to Swarga."

"I am coming. Let me get close." When the Shah had reached half way, the jat

quickly climbed down from a branch and on to the back of the pony. He rode the

pony away.

The Shah got down from the tree and reached home depressed and cursing. The

Shahni asked, "Could you have darshan of Narayana?"

"Oh yes," replied the Shah with some irritation.

"But where is the pony?"

"I’ve given that also to Narayana so that Munni can ride it."

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya........

In the famous verse wherein Lord Shiva informs Parvati that repeating the name

thrice is equal to repeating it a thousand times, we have a clue to this

calculation.

According to the numerology called ‘katapayadi’, each letter of the Sanskrit

alphabet has a specific numerical value. ‘Ra’ has the value of 2 and ‘Ma’, the

value of 5. So saying once ‘Rama’ means saying it 2x5=10 times. So when we say

the name thrice, it becomes 10x10x10=1000 fold potency. Such is the mystery

about the name ‘Rama."

(Source: Shree Sai Leela, March-April 2004, in page No. 28 the verse is given)

 

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