FROM LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

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

 

……“Charity or alms-giving is stressed in every religion as also in the

Hindu scriptures as stated already. Yet as very few understand and practice it

correctly, Baba had to give Nana instructions on Daana to reduce lobha, moha and

mada especially through increasing contact with God. Baba’s instructions to

Nana are found in the Gospel 306-309. The first advice was that alms giving

should be straightforward. No one when asked for alms should utter falsehood and

say ‘I have not got it’ (the money or other things prayed for), when he has

got it, but only decline to give it in polite terms and say that circumstances

do not allow the giving. No crooked ways should be adopted. Yet after this

advice was given, some time later, Nana, who had promised to pay Rs. 300 for

charity to be done at the Kopergaon Datta temple, did not bring the money and

therefore avoided a visit to the temple, which was on his way to Shirdi. He,

with the approval of his

friend, took a detour through a very thorny path, as a result of which he and

his friend ran thorns in their bodies. When they reached Shirdi, Baba would not

talk to them.

 

 

C: - Why don't you talk to me?

 

B:-Nana, when a man says he will remember the lessons I taught him but really

does not, how can I talk to him?

 

C:-Baba I remember all your lessons.

 

B: - You gentleman, you evade seeing ‘Sircar’ (God Datta and take a detour.

Why? Because the sadhu will ask you for ¬Rs. 300. Is this the way to remember

my lesson? If you have not got the money, if it was not easy to arrange it, you

have only to tell him the fact. Will that saint eat you? But what device is this

to avoid the temple of God for fear of the saint demanding money? Well then,

have not thorns pierced your feet and body and the posterior part of your

sapient friend? How can I talk to such a person?

 

Again Baba advised Nana to give his alms without any arrogance or anger and that

if any beggar was not pleased and wanted more, then the beggar should be

answered suavely. Wrath and official authority should not be flung at him. Nana

thought this quite easy. But on one occasion when his wife was being pestered at

Kalyan by a Brahmin beggar woman, who was not content with one-eighth of a

measure, one-fourth of a measure, one-half of a measure, or one measure, or even

2 measures, of Bhajani (Poriarisi porikollu) i.e. fried and seasoned rice, and

who threatened not to leave the house (at all) till the whole stock of four

measures in the possession of the lady was handed over to her, Nana’s wife

lost patience and sent for her husband. Nana came and gave it hot to the beggar

woman. ‘Either you take what is given or the peon will neck you out’, he

stiffly remarked. Then the beggar woman left. When later Nana went to Baba, Baba

again refused to talk to

him. “Mitra Dandam Abhashanam†is the well known saying. That means, ‘The

way to punish a friend is by refusing to talk to him.’ When Nana asked for an

explanation, Baba said, ‘You forgot the lesson I gave. When that beggar woman

was importuning you for more and more bhajani, why did you show your anger and

official authority, and threaten to neck her out? What mattered it if you

suavely refused to give more? The woman would have remained for some time longer

and left of her own accord’. Nana recognized that this mysteriously over

watching guardian angel of his was watching him every moment and anticipating

the temptations and evils that would befall him, and that he should be more

careful in carrying out his (Baba’s) instructions. Thus, Lobha by leading to

arrogance, insolence etc. in Nana was put down by Baba, and Nana recognized more

and more what true daana was.â€â€¦â€¦