FROM LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

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FROM " LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA " BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

 

....Now let us turn to the qualifications of sishyas and begin with Babaâs

summary. Baba stated that his own Guru asked him for a dakshina of 2 pice and

that he gave them to him, who was thereby satisfied. He added in explanation

that the two pice demanded by the Guru who had no attachment to coins, or

earthly objects were Nishta and Saburi. Baba wanted two things to be given to

him. About the impatient Mrs. Khaparde, who was staying with her husband, who

was impatient of the prolonged stay at Shirdi that entailed loss of business and

income Baba told Kaka Dixit to give her Rs.200, meaning only Nishta and Saburi.

Taking up Nishta first, one can see that no progress at all will be made by any

sishya, who has no faith either in the particular Guru or in Sastras, Vedas or

Mantras. Atheists, scoffers, flippant persons, women hunters, combative persons,

passionate natures, hypocrites, cruel hearted and wicked people in general, or

those reveling in sin, are, as a rule incapable of pure and strong faith and so

are unfit either to be Gurus or sishyas. And in the sishya, pride and

stiffnecked ness, Susrusha Vimukha lack of reverence, Bhakti Sraddha Hina will

be fatal to all progress. No Guru in the first place would care to accept a

sishya who lacks in the proper attitude and spirit and the above defects betray

lack of faith, Nishta. In the Guru Gita, the warning is given that no

instruction or upadesha should be given to one lacking in faith, for,

 

Naranaamcha phalapraptou Bhaktir evahi Karanam.

 

That is, to make the teaching effective, the sishyas faith in the Guru is a sine

qua non. Unless a man has the necessary humility, he cannot approach a Guru.

Gurus have to test a newcomer to make sure that he has or will soon have

sufficient humility and receptivity. If one has not sufficient faith in his

Guru, he will not accept what the Guru says in the first place.......