The Divine Lifestyle (9b) - Concluding Chapter

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I ATTEND TO THE MOST TRIVIALWITH DETAILED CARE(Chapter 9)

During

His younger days, His feeding of the poor beyond bounds became

intolerable even for His mother. She exclaimed angrily, "Look Sathya!

We are not rolling in riches here. If you want to feed the poor any

more, it has to be only from your share of the food.Be it so!"

retorted our Prince. He filled the beggar's can to overflowing. It

was lunchtime. The mother called the beloved son. How could she stick

on to her harsh threat? But then He did not budge from His resolve.

"You little brat, what an obstinacy! Get up and toe the line," said the

mother. He remained unmoved. The house folk joined in and cajoled Him,

threatened Him, yet to no avail, in the words of a devotee, "Soft as a

flower, but stronger than a thunderbolt when determined!" In

the thirties, i.e., the school days of Sathya, discipline was draconian

in the schools, even in modernized cities. It was no wonder then that

callous cruelty towards the pupils was an accepted canon in the lower

elementary school of Puttaparti - a backward village. Latecomer

had to undergo harsh chastisement. According to the code of the

authorities, late-coming was not confined to later than a prescribed

school-hour, announced by the ringing of the bell. Except the first two

entering the classroom, all the others were categorized "late", no

matter when they reached the school. As punishment, the first latecomer

was caned once, the second twice, and the successors in successively

increasing numbers. To

avoid punishment, the children would reach the school very early in the

morning, long before any teacher or attendant could be present to note

down the first and second arrivals - with neither breakfast nor even a

drink. Sathya had never gone to school so much in advance. He would

proper clean up the kitchen after cooking the day's meals, packing up

part of it for Him to take during lunch-recess at the school and

storing up the rest properly for the grandfather, and then only start

for the school. Though the teachers were hesitant to mete out the

traditional treatment to Sathya, the prodigy and the born prince, He

however, suffered mentally the pain of His schoolmates as His own. When

He was 8, He had to walk two and a half miles daily to and from

Bukkapatnam to continue His Higher Elementary School as Parti had no

provision for such 'advanced' studies! Added to this was the cooking,

plus bhajans, plus teaching. Swami was taken to nearby Bukkapatnam for

some function. An early morning coffee was all that Baba had had. It

was past 11 am when the function drew to a close. But the organizers

did not at all feel that Swami, who after all was in a human body,

should have been given a drink at least. An important person of

Prashanti Nilayam felt sore about this. He was very sorry that Swami

could not have His breakfast at 8.30. But luckily he had taken with him

a flask of coffee for use in case of necessity. So he whispered in

Swami's ear if He would drink coffee. Swami negated the idea with a

sign. Swami

participated in the procession too, after the conclusion of the

meeting. It was past midday when He returned to Prashanti Nilayam in

the hot sun, after visiting some other places also. He

told His anxious aide, 'Abbayi, do I go out to places to be hosted and

feasted? Don't I go only to do My duty of giving darshan and discourse

to people? Even if the organizers happen to forget to see to My

convenience, will it be etiquette to drink what had been taken from

here before them, as if to pinpoint their omissions?' He

is very specific in His dealings with high officials or "big shots".

When they come on their own, as devotees, He will treat these of power

or position as He does others. Even Governor Dharma Vira and Chief

Admiral Nanda had to sit and wait along with other people, for Baba's

darshan. But on occasions when Swami Himself invites them, they are

considered not as votaries, but as 'guests'. How much Swami Himself

will be doing from behind is not known outside. For

instance, when a Maharajah - very conscious of his prestige and

well-known for his over-nice hospitality came to Prashanti, Swami

Himself prepared the sherbet in the inner apartments, placed the

glasses in order on a tray, not forgetting to insert a napkin. Finishing

this job as an expert, He came out and in regal majesty, conversed with

the party - when a servitor brought the tray and served the drinks. Once,

Swami disregarded a very close sevak of His to the point of his

breaking down. Anguished at heart, and tearful, the servitor pleaded to

Swami, "Beat me to death if you like; don't ignore me, please. Kindly

tell me plainly what wrong I committed.Do

you now at least realize, Sir, how painful is indifference?" asked

Swami, and continued, "You know, the Health Inspector came here during

Navaratri. Did he come here for darshan? Wasn't he here in his official

capacity to give preventive injection against infections in this crowd?

On your own, you should have arranged for his board and lodging. But

you failed in that. Never mind. Later, didn't he approach you,

requesting some arrangement for food? Did you wake up to your

responsibility at least then? As is your wont, not even looking him in

the face but looking elsewhere you pursed your lips in stark

indifference! How can such a one have the right to complain that I have

ignored him?"

During

festival times, He enters the canteen, and gives suggestions in

culinary matters. He tastes a little of the food varieties prepared for

distribution to the poor. He takes part in cutting into singles the

double dhoties bought for distribution to the poor. He applies the

scissors to one end and in a second or two dexterously tears the dhoti

into two. A

close devotee got Swami's permission to celebrate the marriage of a

relative in Puttaparti. The bride's party did not have any devotion to

Swami, or perhaps they thought, Swami Himself would make all the

necessary arrangements for the marriage. So they did not take any part

in the arrangements nor did they send the money needed. The

self-respecting devotee waited and waited, and at last, a day or two

before the wedding day, with no funds to buy accessories, he was driven

to think in terms of canceling the alliance. Swami

called him in. He did not utter a single word slightingly of anybody,

but just said to the devotee, "Well, write down the list", and began

dictating the list of things necessary for the marriage. He gave a wad

of currency notes, and treating it light, directed the devotee, "Go to

Hindupur and get everything, Nayana." The

devotee committed a mistake. He did not realize that Swami who, had

listed the items specifying also the required quantity of each, would

have given only the amount just sufficient to buy these. So, when a

colleague who went with him to Hindupur chose not to buy something he

wanted, for want of funds, this man offered to pay for the purchase

thereof. As a consequence, when they returned to Prashanti, with the

lorry-load of luggage at dead of night, to be precise, at 1.30am, he

had no money to pay the lorry fare! If only he had not given his

colleague money, he could have paid for the lorry. Swami had played

such a meticulous accountant-general when giving him funds for the

purchase! Whom could he awake and ask for money in Prashanti at that

unearthly hour? The lorry had to return immediately. Shaken in shame

and sorrow, he got down from the lorry with a heavy heart, when... Is

it true? Is it the voice of Swami from the verandah upstairs? Yes, it

is He! He calls by name a close devotee. From the neighboring tenement,

that devotee rushes upstairs, wondering. Returning, he comes straight

to our gentleman and places some rupee notes in his hand, saying Swami

asked him to give the money.The devotee's heart leapt to his eyes and showers of tears streamed out. Swami had given exactly the sum he was short of. Bhagavan

takes very moderate quantities of ordinary food. Though the devotees

specify some dishes as His favorites, He never insists on or rejects

any particular variety. He avoids milk and ghee. At the same time, He

objects to people abstaining from food and even soft drinks

puritanically, to dine detriment to their health and zest. When

a devotee put Him the question, "May I drink tea?" He replied, what

will serve as a principle of living itself. "Heaven is not denied to

those who drink tea. But do not adore tea is the only reality. There

are two methods by which you can discard habits.One,

deprivation, denial. this can yield only temporary success. When

pressure relaxes, the habit exerts itself and it becomes difficult to

resist. Two, become so absorbed in something far more pleasing that the

habit falls off by itself." He

has not installed an air-conditioner in His room in Prashanti Nilayam,

though it is terribly hot there in summer. He has no electric shaver.

He does not use a spoon for taking food. He

gives careful attention to even minor matters. For example, He will not

forget to put off the fan while coming out of the interview room to

select people. After they assemble there, He will Himself close the

door and switch on the fan. At the end of the interview, He will

Himself carry the plastic bag and distribute the vibhuti prasad rather

than asking some to do it. He does His own packing, arranging neatly

His clothings and other things in boxes and bags when He starts on a

tour.Bhagavan's days in school are reproduced here. This

was extracted from a leaflet produced by the Japanese devotees in

conjunction with the World Youth Conference. It highlights in detail

the account of Bhagavan when He was young. His life is indeed a message.

Let us read a full description of His virtues from Kasturi himself from his Loving God.When

He wills a journey by road, He loads the car with hampers heavy with

breakfast, lunch or dinner, besides snacks and fruits in plenty. He

scans the countryside to spot a sheltered nook encircled by blossoms

and He finds one soon. The carpet is spread, jugs of water are brought,

hampers are opened, baskets are emptied, plates and cups are handed

out. Mother Sai squats in the center. With exclamations of

appreciation, He places each item of food on the plates held before Him

by us - the children. Devotees dare not say 'Enough' or 'No' on the

basis of their digestive efficiency, allergic alarm, dietary

prejudices, etc. They relish whatever comes from the Divine Hand and

consume the quantity He grants. So, Baba decides the measure and the

menu for each. He prohibits, persuades and recommends. "You have a

touch of diabetes", "You are over eighty", "This pickle is popular in

your state", He comments as He fills the plates... Bhagavan too shares

the breakfast or lunch with us; He loves to watch us enjoying the food

He gives. Even while inside the car, He takes out one by one luscious

apples from the bag He keeps near Him, slicing them with care; He

tempts us to eat in plenty. Once... the skin could not chewed and

swallowed by me since I had a set of artificial teeth unused to tough

tasks. I dared not to spit the stuff through the window for fear the

denture would follow the skin. Swami recognized the embarrassment, the

next slice He handed over to me had the skin removed! On

another occasion, Baba and a few others were traveling by car from

Trichinopoly to Bangalore via Palamaner. On reaching the Forest Rest

House at Palamaner at 10 in the night, the party had to be satisfied

with food from a hotel, which had not yet closed luckily. But there was

nothing to protect them from the biting cold. Kasturiji says, "We were

able to persuade Him to use a shawl. Sleep stole into our eyes in the

silence. When I woke at dawn from my bare reed-mat, I found the shawl

keeping me warm from head to foot. Baba, the mother, had tiptoed during

my sleep and gently spread it over me. Baba found me in tears. How else

could I express my good fortune and my gratitude at the lesson He

taught us?" When

Swami visited Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) in 1982, a plane was chartered

for His return journey to Bangalore via Jamnagar. A retired Wind

Commander of Indian Air Force was requested by the Sri Sathya Sai Seva

Organization of Madhya Pradesh to pilot the aircraft. There were seven

others in the plane other than Bhagavan and the pilot. During the

flight, Bhagavan took seat in the cockpit and, peeling an orange

Himself, started giving petal after petal to the pilot with great love.

But the pilot, after one or two, politely declined more in the usual

way of courtesy, for he did not realize the stature of the Giver at

that time - an action he repented for with moistened eyes thereafter.

Bhagavan also graciously created a gold ring with nine precious gem

studded on it as a memento for him - a priceless possession for anyone. When

sick or injured, His loving care has a feather touch. During the

African tour of 1969, the car in which Kasturiji and Raja Reddy were

traveling met with a small accident and Kasturiji was injured with

minor wounds. In his inimitable style he says : "The

East Africa tour enabled me to secure two priceless gifts of Grace. The

first was a car accident in which I received a few injuries, which drew

on me for full seven days the shower of tender affection from Sai, the

Mother. I had long cherished a desire to be nursed through an illness

by Swami. The African continent conferred that boon on me." It

is not that He showers His motherly affection only on the devotees

around Him. Time, space and distance cannot come in the way of His

compassion or motherly concern. The author of the book 'Anyatha Saranam

Nasti' narrates an incident : "One night He was lying on His bed and

was talking to us when He suddenly fell down. His body looked like a

small bundle that was twisted and tangled. After some time, He was in

great pain. He was still in some world. He opened His eyes and asked a

devotee to massage His body. Baba then said, "A lady was in labor. I

just made a trip to America. the baby in the womb was in breach

position and could not come out. I entered the womb, turned the baby

into the correct position, blessed the child and the mother after

delivery and now I have come back." Sai,

as Father, is a strict disciplinarian. He brooks no mercy for those who

cross the limit He has prescribed whether it is in the Sai Organization

or among general devotees. "Following

My instructions without demur is the best plan while engaged in service

or Seva; it is wrong to yield to lower craving or to follow one's own

impetuosity. I dislike flippant talk, frivolous prattle, casual

conversation and even face to face grouping of men and women, at all

times and more specially, during spiritual gatherings and occasions.

You must be models of straight and courteous behavior." Baba directs. Many

so-called 'close devotees' had to leave the Mandir at short notices

whenever they crossed the Lakshman Rekha marked by Him. But He will

never have any ill will towards them. All that He wants is to make them

look inward and correct themselves for their own good. Kasturiji admits

of a bad habit he had had of using frequently the expletive 'idiot' for

expressing displeasure even without much of a provocation. Baba once

admonished him rather harshly "Don't cause injury to anyone's

self-respect, intentionally or unintentionally" and this practice was

virtually erased. As

Father Sai, He grooms His devotees far and near. During a halt at the

residence of one of the devotees, a young man in the group asked the

host for a glass of buttermilk. Baba unexpectedly entered the room and

detected the empty glass on the sill of the window. With patriarchal

authority, He pointed out the mistake as it must have caused

inconvenience to the host and advised all to be satisfied with whatever

was given or served and to keep our urges under check. He also gave

tips on table manners and insisted on the need to desist from asking

for second helpings. In

order to discourage and dissuade His devotees from carrying on with

certain bad additions that have assumed chronic proportions over a

period of years, Baba sometimes expresses His displeasure about it in

general terms within their hearing as the first dose of treatment. If

they do not give up such bad habits with such oblique references, then

He will directly deal with them.

Kasturiji

was a snuff addict for three decades when he traveled with Baba to

Rishikesh and other places of great spiritual importance. So he had

stored enough of that stuff that would suffice for considerable period.

One night, while camping at the Ashram of Swami Sivananda, Baba came

out of His cottage in the Ashram complex and straightaway walked into

the dormitory where Kasturiji and five others were preparing for sleep.

Swami Sadananda and Satchidananda accompanied Him. Baba came near

Kasturiji's cot and turned the pillow over to expose the snuffbox. Baba

looked at him sternly and said only one word "Dirty". Kasturiji, in

great remorse and embarrassment took it and threw it away, and touching

Baba's feet assured Him "No more, Swami, I am giving it up from this

moment." The immediate reward was a soft pat. The harshness or

roughness of Baba intended to correct anyone at all times has an

undercurrent of perpetual love which makes an everlasting impact on the

corrected. The

stories of His life inspire us with zeal and passion to become

exemplary. This will help release others, when they emulate us, from

their own jails of limitation and motivate many more to discover their

destiny. It becomes an inspiring testimony of 'Simple Living and High Thinking'

which Bhagavan has asked all devotees and aspirants of divinity to heed

and practice. Ideals are what man should have and they will ever be the

guiding compass for his ship of life. A ship must sail, only then can

it reach the destination. No doubt it would be safer in the docks but

that is not what ships are made for.'I am happy only when the poor are served. I have dedicated My entire life for the uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.'(Sathya Sai Speaks 1.1.2001)Statements

of this nature reveal how divinity must think and act. Swami here

stresses an ideal which He has been practicing all His life, a clear

instruction that this is the kind of ideal we should also possess. A

prick in our conscience must release thoughts such as 'What am I doing

to make others happy? How much time am I spending bringing comfort to

the poor and down-trodden? How am I using my god-given talents to serve

humanity?

'My

life is My message. Some people may hate Me and criticize Me, but I

will not hate or criticize anyone. When you practice this principle,

you can also attain the Divine state. If Sai has attained such fame and

reputation, what is responsible for it? It is His Divine Principle

alone. This Love is My real property.'(Sathya Sai Speaks 11.3.2001)Here

Bhagavan is reassuring that to one who practices such love, fame and

reputation will follow. He is also warning us to be ever watchful for

the criticisms and eyes of envy that will follow us. To every critic,

Bhagavan here teaches us how to respond. Don't hate or respond to

anyone who criticizes you. He remarked once in a speech 'Dogs will bark at a passing elephant but the elephant continues its march.' The

recommended attitude and the lifestyle, if adopted, will get its share

of rewards and pain. But be a witness to both and develop a steady

equanimity. If people are critical of you, be happy that you are worthy

of their time and effort to criticize. It must be remembered that at

all times we are watched. Having a Master to guide us also brings its

share of responsibility that we should reflect His teachings in our day

to day practices. Our actions and behavior should not bring dishonor to

ourselves, our families, societies and the Lord Himself.Hence,

life led by God reveals to us the 9 Divine Utterances which are simple

statements but have great implications to our lives. This practice of

these attitudes are critical. The growth of activities in the future

will demand our time and energy. We must slowly adapt these thinking

processes and experience the state of Divinity within. There is much to

be done. There is a bubbling excitement of how this great Drama will

end but the more exciting point is what ROLE are we playing in this

Divine Drama?The curtains will pull and the show will end and

as we hear the audience clap, can we truly say to ourselves that we

have not just lived but experienced...THE DIVINE LIFESTYLE?(From : THE DIVINE LIFESTYLE by DR SURESH GOVIND,With the consent of Sathya Sai Central Council of Malaysia)Visit : Sai Divine

Inspirations : http://saidivineinspirations.blogspot.com/ Sai Messages : http://saimessages.blogspot.com/ Love Is My Form : http://loveismyform.blogspot.com/