Sai Baba’s Sermons: part 2

After a few days Chandorkar Nana came to Shirdi again, he prostrated in front of Baba and clasped his feet. ‘Baba, please teach me what you promised to teach the last time I came here.’

Baba was pleased with Nana’s eagerness to learn. He said: Pay careful heed to my words. The destruction of the entanglements caused by happiness and sorrow is liberation (mukti). Follow my teachings to reach that state of liberation’

“There is another form of karma, namely Sanchita karma. This is the karma that has yet to develop, often in the next life. Rebirth is inevitable when sanchita karma is prevailing. The wise understand this and model their behaviour to avoid it, but the foolish do not know and do not bother about it. If a person got the situation of a servant in this life because of his prarabdha, and in that capacity, he commits a theft, that has now become the cause for another birth. If we question what he has achieved in this life, he has only laid the seed or foundation for another life. How can we escape from this relentless march of births and deaths?’

Chandorkar was puzzled. He said: ‘Baba, you say that the person committed theft and becomes a thief. You say that it is because of karma. You again say that the rest is the result of prarabdha. I am at a loss to understand your meaning. Could you please explain further the distinction between these?’

Baba replied: ‘Narayana, rein in your mind from wandering and then question! One should be vigilant to follow the canons of right conduct (dharma) when one is undergoing the effects of prarabdha. This means that one should cultivate the company of the good and spend time with them, One should avoid even the shadow of the bad, the wicked and the atheists in the society. Do not eat forbidden foods, Do not give room to arguments and rivalry. Always stick to the truth, God will be happy with you. If you give your word to anyone, back it up. God is distanced from those who give their word and fail to back it up.

I will now tell you about four people, listen to me with a concentrated mind.

The first is the entangled person. The one who does not know what is the right conduct and wrong conduct, one who does not revere God and one who does not have the right feelings in his heart. The one who commits sin, the one who behaves deviously, and commits sin talking harshly, those who are forever immersed in worldly activities, those who are rich but do not give to charity, though they will spend it for their own pleasures, people who spend other people’s money, and people who do not care about saints, are all bound people. Some people seek to increase their fame by defaming others. They act as if they are good and virtuous people while conducting themselves sinfully. This worldly life is the sole object of their endeavor. This world is their God, and their concentration is always on this world. They are also the entangled.

He who does not attain a purified mind even after reading many good books is also bound.

Then there is the second. The sincere seeker of truth (mumukshu) is someone who hates his state of entanglement. He is ever thinking to remove his bad qualities by right thought, he is ever burning with eagerness and working hard for the darshan of the Almighty. Someone who is interested in the company of the virtuous, pure people for whom the world has no real value is a Mumukshu. He who lives the life granted to him by prarabdha with no discontent, someone who is ever fearful of committing sin, someone who always speaks the truth, someone who, even if he be fallen, sincerely repents of his mistakes, who believes in God, has a humble and respectful attitude towards sadhus, who respects the right conduct and puts it in to practice, is a Mumukshu.

sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) is someone who does not leave the company of the virtuous and pious even for a second and constantly repeats the holy name of God. He who considers the worldly matters as poison and is ever eager to learn about spiritual is a sadhaka. He who is always meditating on the almighty, who lives in solitude, know that his is the stage of sadhaka. If someone like that hears the name of the Lord, and hears talk about Him, his throat parches and his words form indistinctly in happiness. Someone who forgets the worldly entirely and is ever involved in the service to the saints, and keeps God constantly in his mind, is a sadhaka.

The fourth is the Siddha. He is a realized person; he regards praise and blame as one; he regards individuals and God as one and has an equal disregard for fame or blame. He is influenced not a an iota by the six enemies: such as lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, or pride, nor by envy. He has no place for desire or doubt and no differentiation between me and you. He knows that the body is impermanent and that he is verily Brahman. He accepts happiness as well as sorrow equally: such a one is truly a Siddha.

Four different people and four ways to deal with karma. God is everywhere in this Universe; there is no place where God is not, but his divine delusion, maya, confuses and confounds us. The maya suppresses our desire to know and realize God.’

Bring learnING into practice

All of us that you see here is a form of God, Like Truth, Light, Maruti, Krishna, and so on, including you. That is why we should hate anyone, because God dwells in all beings. The feeling of universal love arises naturally in the heart and once that prevails can really achieve anything. Until that time, you would have to keep your mind under control.

A fly circles around the fire and fled again, just as the thoughts wander all over the place and they flee as they draw closer to God. We can only escape from the cycle of birth and death if we focus the mind on Brahman, and therefore there is no better opportunity than human birth. Namely, human life provides an excellent opportunity for liberation.

To help focus our thoughts is the worship of God with form set. If you have the image or representation of God with faith and devotion worship, in the firm belief that God resides in it, are your thoughts on God concentrated. Without concentration, the mind obviously not come to stillness.

Until someone who has realized the Self is self-liberation. The steps leading to self-realization are extremely difficult to commit, but there is an easier way to achieve liberation: Give yourself completely to God and live a pure life. This will eventually purify your heart. Seek God with your mind stilled by concentration. Meditate on the form of the God you held most dear is. Such meditation, you will eventually reach liberation.’

Baba closed this treatise and laid his right hand on Chandorkars head to bless him. Chandorkar was filled with joy.

Baba replied: “I will never let my devotee fall from my grace, there you do have no doubt, I promise. May the Merciful Allah-i-llāhi bless you.’

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