Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

Swami! In an organisation where we have to interact with people, most

often we come across people criticising each other and blaming each

other. This is very frustrating, and divides people into groups.

Sincere persons become frustrated because of uncharitable criticism.

It looks like character assassination and mud slinging. How are we to

take this evil prevalent everywhere?

 

Sai Baba: It is a sin to criticise others. It is a sign of weakness

and inferiority complex. You shouldn't criticise or hate anyone. In

fact, no one has any authority to criticise others. To tackle this,

first of all, one should put a question to oneself: " Who is being

criticised? " Then, you don't feel upset any longer. Why? If the

criticism applies to your body, you don't need to feel bad because

the body is temporary and ephemeral. You should be indifferent to

your own body, which lands you in many difficulties and problems. The

other man is doing service to you by criticising your body. You

should be thankful to him for doing so on your behalf. Is it then,

the spirit or atma that is criticised? This is not possible because

the same soul or atma is present in the critic also. Atma is Self,

the same in all. Then, who is the critic and who is criticised? It

all amounts to the criticism of one's own self. Ego and jealousy are

the root causes that provoke a person to criticise others.

 

You have put another question. You want to know how you should react

to criticism against you. A small example. Suppose you receive a

registered letter. If you don't want to accept it, you can refuse to

take delivery. The registered letter will then go back to the sender.

Will it not? Similarly, criticism against you is a registered letter.

Don't acknowledge and receive it. Refuse it so that the same

registered letter of criticism will go back to the sender, the critic

himself. If anyone speaks loudly and belligerently against you in

public, it is all lost in the air or in your vicinity. If anybody

accuses you secretly, it goes to the accuser himself.

 

What I feel is that one has to be judged by one's merits and not by

one's faults. I ask you repeatedly to seek out your own faults and

others' merits. If you enquire deeply, you will notice that personal

criticism is nothing but the " reflection of the inner being " . You

spot the bad in the outside world, because of the bad in you. There

is nothing that you can find outside yourself. Duryodhana was asked

to go in search of a good man. He returned saying that he had found

none. If you want to know any good person existing in this world, it

is yourself only. Dharmaja was asked to go round and bring a bad

person. He returned saying that there was none who was bad other than

himself. This is the difference in the attitude of two persons with

different views of life. As is your vision so appears the creation.

As is the colour of the glasses you wear, so is the colour of the

world you see. If you are aware of this truth, you will never

criticise anybody.

 

Sarva ova namaskarah kes'avam prati gacchati, whomsoever you respect

and revere, it amounts to reverence unto God. Since God is in

everyone, if you respect anyone, it means, you respect God.

Similarly, sarva jiva tiraskarah kes'avam prati gacchati, whomsoever

you hate, it amounts to hatred of the Divine Himself. If you deeply

look into the eyes of the man standing in front of you, you see your

own reflection. Therefore, he is not a separate person but your own

reflection.

 

There is only one without the second, i.e., God who is present in

all. When you point out your forefinger at the mistakes of another

man, three fingers of yours are turned towards you, reminding you of

your own mistakes. If you understand this, you won't criticise

anybody or blame anybody. God gives and forgives. I often tell you,

past is past and it is beyond recovery. Hence, be careful hereafter.