Your Offering to Sai Baba

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Your Offering to Sai Baba

 

By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

 

You would think that you can give back nothing to Baba, who is a Supreme

Giver, only Baba can give to his devotees. But this is not wholly correct.

The action of giving cannot be unilateral. Even God receives first, then

gifts. In the day to day practical life, there is no giving without taking.

It is therefore that the word " give and take policy " has come into vogue.

If Baba asked for nothing, why could he have asked for Dakshina'? Why he

would move from door to door in hot sun in Shirdi to beg for alms. It is

true that Baba was never yearning for Dakshina or alms. He was simply

searching the hearts of the devotees in this process. He was teaching us to

part with or sacrifice a bit of our earning for a higher way of life.

 

Baba used to cater to the prayers or demands of his devotees. He would

tender his hand of help through some strange miracles to salvage his

devotees in distress or difficulties. This was also not without expectations

from them. He responded to devotees' wishes so that the devotees should turn

to his way of teachings and do what he liked them to do. But all of us

forget this truth and go on asking for new farther from Baba every time,

without taking note of Baba's demand from us. When

 

Baba fulfils our wishes we are thrilled, we are choked with emotions of

gratitude and we shed tears of joy.

We call Baba as the Kalpa tree. We say that He is our Guru, God. We proclaim

that we are his devotees. But really speaking, we do not deserve to be his

devotees or disciples. We are only searching for a link to spread a hand of

begging before him again and again without remembering his real message and

teachings to us. We forget what Baba wants us to do, nay we purposefully

ignore it! We place a new demand at his feet. We are angry, if he does not

fulfill.

 

The message of Baba's life: - All know that Baba meets devotees' demands. It

is for this that people from all religions, sects, leads, castes throng

round his samadhi. They come to fulfill their vows. They want to exchange

the grace with offerings. They are blind to Baba's Upadesha. He does not

want us to place demand after demand to him. He wants us to realize his

message. He wants us to spread this message among others. He wants us to act

and practice his teachings. He recognizes the bhakti manifest in practicing

his tenets and teachings.

 

Shraddha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience): - We are familiar with these phrases

without brooding over their meaning and aerial application to life. The

unflinching allegiance to God and self sacrifice is denoted by Shraddha. It

is not easy to practice this. Because we have to change the centre of

gravity of our life, we must replace selfish thinking by God orientation,

offering everything to his wishes. Saburi teaches us to be fixed in

difficulties and onslaught of fate. We shake, waver each moment. How can we

be devotees without practicing these tenets; Baba wants us to translate this

into action in day to day life.

Baba's Karma, Bhakti and Dhyana: Baba wants us to leave our narrow thoughts,

selfish nature and obstinate ways and to take up a new life of service and

sacrifice. He wants us to come out of the circle of selfishness and " I "

attachment to personal benefits and live a life of benevolence and selfless

service. This is Baba's Karma yoga. He wants us to offer each of our karma

as a flower to God as offering. This is his Bhakthi yoga. That God is

present everywhere is his Dhyana yoga. We have to offer all our thoughts,

desires, passions and acts to God are the expression of this Dhyana yoga.

Baba's ultimate demand: Baba wants us to practice Nama and Dhyana. He wants

us to take his name, forgetting all else (i.e. body consciousness). He wants

us to meditate on his form. This should be perpetual, unending. We have to

merge our mind, intellect, body and ego in his consciousness. This is his

ultimate demand. Do not look at these words with levity. Know the gravity of

the meaning and actual practice. When Baba begged from door to door in

Shirdi for a loaf of bread, he did not actually want food from us. He wanted

the offering of our whole existence.

 

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iBaba