SAI BABA'S MISSION by Sri Narasimha Swamiji

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sai baba's mission

by Sri Narasimha Swamiji

The SECRET OF GOD-REALISATION

The

Lord's blessings are ever with His devotees whoever chants His sweet names and

who work in the world as His instruments, enthrone Him in your heart merge

yourself in Him. Continuous remembrance of the Lord is the secret of success in

life and God realization.

-

swami sivananda.

His

death was considered a sacrifice on behalf of entire humanity. Others' mission,

for example, Moses, was to lead the Jews from captivity in Egypt on towards the Promised Land and also to make

Laws that the Jews should submit to and so he proclaimed Laws of the 12 tables.

The idea of a missionary is practically that of an agent. In the case of Sai Baba, he declared " God has agents everywhere. They

have great powers " .

Baba

added, ‘I also have great powers’ implying thereby that he also was

an agent of God. He also expressly told D.S. Rasane

‘I can do nothing except what God orders.’ He did not give a kupni to G.G. Narke saying,

‘The Fakir’ (God) has not permitted me to give you kupni, i.e., the robe of the sanyasi

or begging fakir - as G. G. Narke was to be a family

man, an earning Grihastha, according to God's plan -

and not a beggar. As an agent he said that he had vast powers, that is, divine

powers.

 

The

powers and the mission have a close relation. The mission has to be worked

through the powers given and the powers are given only for carrying out the

mission. Baba had by concentration on God practically every siddhi

that one can think of, and Srimad Bhagavatha

XI (15) 32 says " What power is there that cannot be got by concentration

on God with conquest or control of mind and senses and breath? "

 

So

his possession of vast powers (both acknowledged and proved), was always

utilized for the benefit of mankind, promoting individual benefits that were

obvious, seen and well understood, and general benefits which were not so

equally obvious or well seen and understood. In Sai

Baba's life we see one marked difference between his life before 1886 and the

life thereafter. Before 1886, the main stress of his activities and views

appears to be on doing good to those who were near him

and connected by rinanubandha (prenatal obligations).

But rinanubandha cannot stop within definite

geographical limits.

 

By

reason of that principle, people from a far had to benefit, and in working it

out, he achieved other things also than doing good to the immediate comers. The

benefits derived by others consist in {1)the development and spread of the Sai faith intensively and extensively i.e. all over the

country (thus arresting the spread of Atheism and Agnostic ism) and (2)the

unification thereby of dharma and religion regardless of existing

diversification and divisions of religion, caste, creed etc.

 

The

main benefit is the unification of the Hindu faith within itself and of Islam

within itself, and, by purification and refinement of both, the building up of

one common central religion or faith that is fitted to be the world faith also

(3) Incidentally India's National problem of unifying conflicting groups is

helped to near its solution.

 

The

essential part of Baba's life is that which comes after 1886, (perhaps that

which is yet taking shape) though this is grounded upon the earlier part,

especially upon the training he had and the work he went through in the earlier

stages. The Guru's training and the further concentration of his entire soul

upon the Guru in solitude, etc., all ripened this plant called Sai Baba so that it might produce an exuberance of flower

and fruit. We shall point out. The first prominent flower or

fruit that the Sai tree (Kalpataru)

produced. That first flower or fruit is Narayan

Govind Chandorkar. He may

be termed appropriately the first apostle or Saint Peter of Baba. We shall see

how Baba sent for him.

 

Sri

N.G. Chandorkar was Deputy Collector of Ahmednagar, and was camping at Kopergaon

for " Jamabandi " i.e., Land Revenue

Settlement work. All Karnams of the taluk had to attend at the Jamabandi,

and the Shirdi karnam also

had to attend. No one left Shirdi without permission

of Baba, as the experience of everyone was that by leaving with Baba's

permission he was safe, and leaving without permission he ran many dangers. So

the Shirdi karnam Appa Kulkarni, went to Baba and

asked him for leave to go to Kopergaon for jamabandi work, as the Deputy Collector (Narayan Govind Chandorkar was there. Baba gave him leave, and added,

‘tell your Nana (that is Narayan Govind Chandorkar), to come

here,’ With great diffidence the karnam at the

close of the day approached the Deputy Collector and told him that Sai Baba, a fakir of Shirdi,

invited him to come to Shirdi. Chandorkar

was astounded. He thought that it could not possibly be, and told the Karnam that he was a stranger to the fakir and the fakir

was a stranger to him, and that he (the karnam) must

have some purpose of his own to invite him to his village, in spite of the Karnams protests Chandorkar would

not believe him and sent him away.

 

When

the Karnam reported his failure to Baba, Baba

repeated the invitation; and again the Karnam with

considerable diffidence approached the Deputy Collector the second day and

repeated the invitation. The second invitation had the same fate and for the

same reason as the first. That again was reported to Baba and like the

Prophetess Sibyl of Rome, Baba tried a third time and with success. Baba

pressed the hesitating karnam to repeat the

invitation for the third time.

 

This

time the invitation told, Nana Chandorkar thought

that there must be something in it, and so he told the Karnam

that he would visit Shirdi but not immediately. Chandorkar did keep his promise. Sometime after going to Ahmednagar, he did go and pay a visit to Shirdi.

 

After

making a present of sugar candy and almond with some reverence to Baba, Chandorkar asked Baba whether it was true that he sent for

him, and when that was admitted, why he had sent for him. Baba said, there are

thousands of persons in this world, and do I send for them all? ‘Should

there not be some special reason why you alone should be sent for?’ Chandorkar said that he was unable to see any special

reason. Then Baba made the solemn statement. 'You and I have been connected

with each other in four former births.

 

I

now invite you to come and again have your contact. When leisure serves, you

may come. Chandorkar was surprised by this statement,

and in any case was not fully impressed. He left the place with the impression

that he need not return to Shirdi. But he did come

and began his grand work of carrying on propaganda for Baba. With that Baba's

mission and life, and personality enter on a new stage.

 

The

Illuminated Teacher, the great poet and mystic of Iran, Jala

lal-Din Rumi, rightly said,

I am neither Christian nor Jew, Neither Gabir nor

Turk, I am not of the East, I am not of the West, Nor of the Land, Nor of the

Sea Ami!

I

belong to the Soul of the Beloved!

I

have seen that the two are one!

And

one I seek, and one I know!

One

I see!

One

I adore!

He

is the First!

And

He is the Last!

He

is the Outward!

As

He is the Inward, too!

 

(Source

Shri Sai Padananda July 1998)