UNTO THEE.... By a Former student of Baba's Institute.

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UNTO THEE....

By Sri Madhusudhan Rao NaiduFormer student of Baba’s Institute.

Not very long ago, a tiny grain of sand waded its way through the waves of the

mighty ocean, blissfully ignorant of what was in store for it in the heart of

the sea...but only too anxious to have lost its trampled past! As if swept by

the invisible waft of a tender touch, it soon found its reluctant self at the

mouth of the Mother of Pearls. Even as it stepped into that haven of happiness,

it only irritated and annoyed the architect of its destiny!

Will a mother ever avenge its child in her womb for all the kicks that she

receives? All the deeds of the erring grain of sand were forgiven once it was

engulfed in the encompassing love of the patient oyster ...only to emerge as a

sparkling pearl that would adorn the neck of the one whose own feet had

trampled it... not very long ago!

My voyage from the shores of humanity to the shrine of the divine is the most

treasured part of my life. I was then a 'student' and now a 'Sai Student'. I am

sure that my tale of transformation would not be very different from that of the

others at His feet.

It was one of those pleasant afternoons when Bhagavan was seated in the portico

in front of the parched millions who thirst for a mere glance, a mere word, a

mere smile or just a mere sight of His countenance, but it made a difference to

my life and the lives of many who were close enough to follow and gather with

eager hands the pearls of wisdom that were showered by Bhagavan.

"Will you do anything that I will ask of you?", demanded the Lord.

"Yes, I will." Pat came the reply.

"Anything, you mean?"

"Yes, anything that You command."

"Well... Then eat two fishes tomorrow and come," ordered the Lord.

I was speechless....

"Will you do that? Tell me now." Bhagavan insisted on an answer while that

familiar mischievous smile played on His lips.

I was thinking while all the eyes, human and divine, were riveted to my face, waiting for a reply.

I thought...if I say “Yes, I will do", with the courage (if not the faith) of a

Kakasaheb Dixit (an ardent devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba), the Lord might scold me

for not having followed His teachings .

On the other hand, if I say "I won't", I might be reprimanded for lack of faith

in the Lord's command.

I was in a fix!! .

A few moments passed...My heart skipped a few beats even as I was evaluating the

pros and cons of the decision I was going to make. There was pin-drop silence...

to be broken only by the divine reproach

"Chee!! Neeku nammakame ledu. Swami atlantivi yepaadaina chepputhada? Swami

atlanti di yeppudu cheppudu ani gettiga jawab cheppali." (meaning, You do not

have any faith. Will Swami ever ask you to do such things? You must reply with

firm faith that Swami will never ask such things of anyone.)

Those were the words that struck me like a thunder-bolt only to make an

indelible impression on my heart. Yes, Swami asks us to do what is good for us.

The pill might be bitter, the decoction might be sour, and the treatment might

be agonizing... Yet that would be the only thing good that can happen to us

when He commands.

Academic education was over at the divine feet. It was time to pray for further

guidance. My heart searched for every opportunity to present its plight and

beseech His grace. Finally, I succeeded when He chose to stop by me while

gliding during the Darshan. I poured out.

"You have done so much for me ...Tell me now what shall I do for You?"

"Be Good. Be Happy."

He summed up the entire essence of all the scriptures in four simple words. I am

yet to comprehend...was it a command or a blessing!

Does it not surprise when all He asks of us in return for all that He does for

us is to be good and happy. Well if that is not God, then what else is!

However, when He asks us to do something, do we ever pause for a moment and

think for a while as to who actually is doing it! Let me explain.

Have you ever seen a father driving a vehicle with an excited tiny tot on his

lap? Well, if you have done so then it makes my task much easier. The child,

who has its little hands on the steering wheel, in all its innocence, assumes

and gets excited that it is able to steer the car, little aware of the greater

truth that the father is holding its puny palms. The father, who is all-aware,

pretends that the child is actually able to steer the car and even mentions a

word or two of appreciation to the onlookers.

Many a time we are blissfully ignorant of the greater force that works through

us without which we will be reduced to a mere bag of bones and flesh. In such

moments of ignorance, the words of the Lord become the guiding star and show us

the way.

"What grade did you get in the exams?" enquired the Chancellor (Baba).

With a twinkle in my eyes I raised myself to reach Him and reply, "Swami! 'O' Grade (Outstanding)'

"I know ...I know, Sir!" said the Lord with a smile. "Swami! It is Your Grace." I submitted.

"Yes! Grace tho ney grade vacchindi (Yes! You have got the grade due to grace) revealed the Lord.

....and He walked away leaving me behind, wondering at the simplicity of His magnificent truths.

How often do we actually realise (in the true sense of the term) that we are all

puppets with our destinies tied to the fingers of the great sutradhari (divine

puppeteer) that Bhagavan is? The applause that we gather greedily after every

performance is because of His grace and not our greatness.

Ultimately, whatever He asks us to do or rather does through us, whatever

happens to us or rather whatever He chooses should happen, is good for us.

"What ever happens is for your good."

This was the fifth time I heard Him say during the interview that He granted to

our family. After He left our hearts overflowing with His loving words and

souls spellbound by His silken smiles, He beckoned us yet again for a family

photograph...rather a complete family photograph!

I rushed with my little camera to capture that timeless moment, when to my ill

fate I realised that the flash had failed. Well...I tried again and again but

all in vain. The Lord willingly waited with the other family members to be

captured on that thin film of silver. However, the heartless camera that had

worked perfectly well till then, refused to oblige. My younger brother who was

sitting at the Feet of the Lord posing for the photo chose to try his luck too,

but the callous camera would not work. The fear of losing this opportunity

gripped my being and it did not go unnoticed by the Lord.

Swami, who was a silent witness to this wreck, took pity on my plight, "Aiyyo,

paapam."(So sorry). He commanded me to beckon the boy with the camera sitting

outside the interview room. I carried out the command and there we were having

a group photo that now included me too. After this brief photo session, Swami

said,

"See! Your camera did not work. Even that was for your own good. Now all of you

could be together in the photograph. So you see whatever happens is for your

good."

Needless to say, the point was driven straight home.

"Swami! Bless us that whatever might happen we should always have faith in You,"

prayed my younger brother.

The Almighty replied,

"Yes! You must have firm faith; however, clouds of doubts will come, which is

but natural. Still, you must persist, wait for the winds to blow them away and

you shall see the sun again. The sun is always there. It is only that the

clouds hamper your vision.

Doubts are but passing clouds and they bring the testing times along. Only if

you pass the test will they promote you to the higher standard. Is it not so?"

Test is His taste. He never promises us faith or devotion or love or peace

....all He promises are tests and, of course, the grace which can promote us to

the next standard, provided we put in sincere efforts.

There is no end to this saga of Sai's love...for the story began at the

commencement of creation and is destined to go on till the end of

eternity...All I feel when I walk down memory lane is that there is so much

being given unasked, let us rush to our homes and get back with the biggest

container lest we should miss the downpour.

In all these years that have gone by, many times I have wondered as to what can

one possibly give back to the Sun as a token of gratitude for all the light

that He brings to our dark homes even as He burns Himself out...perhaps nothing

at all! However, the least we could do is to keep our doors wide open and do not

let His efforts go in vain.

What can I possibly gift on the birthday of the one beyond time? As someone has appositely said,

What you are is God's gift to you and what you become is your gift to God."

So, I am here to offer myself and pray That I remain moist as clay For Him to mould and play

And when I grow hard and dry Wouldn't bend how much you tryLet me have the heart to cry

With the tears of joy or pain That He shall ordain And I be wet again ...

For Him to play and cheer Not just on this day but the whole year!!

Acknowledgement - Online Source:Radio Sai Org.- Courtesy: Hridaya Brindavan, 2005

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[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for such a wonderful mail.

 

Regards

Vidya.