These two chapters XVI & XVII relate the story of a rich gentleman, who wanted Brahma-gnyan, quickly from Shri Shirdi Saai Baba. Preliminary: The last chapter described, how Mr. Cholkar’s vow of small offering was completed and accepted. In that story Saai Baba showed that, He would accept with appreciation any small thing, offered with love and devotion but if the same thing was offered with pride and haughtiness, He would reject it. Being Himself full of Sat Chit Anand (Pure Consciousness, Knowledge and Bliss) He did not care much for mere outward formalities, but if an offering was made in a modest and humble spirit, the same was welcome and He accepted it with pleasure and avidity. In fact, there is no person more generous and benevolent than a Sadguru, like Saai Baba. He cannot be compared to the Chintamani Jewel, the Kalpataru (the celestial tree which fulfils our desires) or the Kamadhenu (the celestial cow which yields, what we desire), they give us only what we desire, but the Sadguru gives us the most precious thing, that is inconceivable and inscrutable (the reality). Now let us hear, how Saai Baba disposed of a rich man, who came to Him and implored Him to give him Brahma-gnyan. There was a rich gentleman, who was very prosperous in his life. He had amassed a large quantity of wealth, houses, and lands, and had many servants and dependents. When Baba’s fame reached his ears he said to a friend of his that he was not in want of anything, and so, he would go to Shirdi and ask Baba to give him Brahma-gnyan, which if he got, would certainly make him more happy. His friend dissuaded him, saying, “It is not easy to know Brahma and especially so for an avaricious man like you, who is always engrossed in wealth, wife and children. Who will in your quest of Brahma-gnyan satisfy you, who does not give away even a paisa in charity?” Not minding his friend’s advice, the fellow engaged a return journey Tonga (Horse drawn carriage) and came to Shirdi. He went to the Masjid, saw Saai Baba, fell at His Feet and said, “Baba, hearing that, you show the Brahma to all who come to you, I too have come here all the way from my distant place. I am much fatigued by the journey and if I get the Brahma-gnyan from You, my troubles will be well-paid and rewarded.” Baba, then, replied, “Oh, My dear friend do not be anxious, I shall show you the Brahma. Many people come to Me and ask for wealth, health, power, honour, position, cure of diseases and other temporal matters. Rare is the person who comes to Me and asks for Brahma-gnyan. There is no dearth of persons asking for worldly things but persons interested in spiritual matters are very rare. I think it is a fortunate and auspicious moment, when persons like you, come and ask Me for Brahma-gnyan. So forthwith, I show to you with pleasure, the Brahma, with all its accompaniments and complexities.” Saying this, Baba started to show him the Brahma. He made him sit there and engaged him in some other talk and thus, made him forget his question for the time-being. Then He called a boy and told him to go to one Nandu Marwadi and get from him a loan of Rs.5. The boy left and returned immediately, saying that Nandu was absent and his house was locked. Then, Baba asked him to go to Bala grocer and get from him the said loan. This time also the boy was unsuccessful. This experiment was repeated again twice or thrice, with the same result. Saai Baba was, as we know, the living and moving Brahma Incarnate. Then, some-one may ask, “Why did He want the paltry sum of five rupees, and why did He try hard to get it? Really He did not want this sum at all. He must have been fully knowing that Nandu and Bala were absent, and He seemed to have adopted this procedure as a test for the seeker of Brahma. That gentleman had a roll or bundle of currency notes in his pocket and if he was really earnest, he would not have sat quiet and be a mere onlooker when Baba was frantically trying to get a paltry sum of Rs.5. He knew that Baba would keep His word and repay the debt, and that the sum wanted was insignificant. Still he could not make up his mind and advance the sum. Such a man wanted from Baba, the greatest thing in the world, viz. The Brahma-gnyan! Any other man who really loved Baba would have given to him Rs.5 at once, instead of being a mere onlooker. It was otherwise with this man. He advanced no money nor did he sit silent but began to be impatient, as he was in a haste to return and implored Baba, saying, “Oh Baba, please, give me the Brahma-gnyan soon!” Baba replied, “Oh my dear friend did you not understand all the procedure that I went through, sitting in this place, for enabling you to see the Brahma? It is in short this: For seeing Brahma, one has to give five things, i.e., surrender five things, viz. (1) five Pranas (vital forces), (2) five senses, (3) mind, (4) intellect and (5) ego. This path of Brahma-gnyan or self-realization is as hard as to tread on the edge of a razor." Saai Baba then gave a rather long discourse on the subject, the purport of which, will be given in the next chapter. ..... SHRI SAAI SATCHARITA (Chapter-XVI) Bow to Shri Saai – Peace be to all
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:03:20 +0000
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