Shirdi Sai Baba Stories,Leelas and Teachings.: Inner Voyage to Explore Sai-Master and the Disciple-Part1.

Dear all,

Happy Baba's day .Today I am uploading the 12th chapter from the book "Inner Voyage To Explore Sai ".Devotees are requested to follow the link given at the end of this post if they miss on any part/chapter of the book .Jai Sai Ram

Chapter XII
THE MASTER AND THE DISCIPLE

Radhakrishna Swamiji wrote an imaginary dialogue between a seeker-disciple and Sai Baba, the Master, which is the very quintessence of the teachings of Baba. Here it is.

A seeker after truth feels sorrowful, finds no comfort in society, no solace and no assurance in the teachings of ordinary men. He argued tenaciously with others and asserted his opinions. He mistook evil for good and ignorance for knowledge. He feels forlorn and is helpless like a floating reed. He goes to several places, visits many saints in search of enlightenment, but finds no consolation. His visits only add to his bewilderment. He cries in anguish: “Is there nobody to hear me, to console me and show me the path of wisdom and reality? Is there nobody to hear my appeal and my voice?”
Then he happens to meet a friend in Bombay who speaks of the greatness of Sai Baba and advises him to worship Baba in full faith and in an attitude of complete surrender. After some time during his meditation he hears a voice.

Master: I am with you. I hear your voice

Disciple: Who are You to assure me ?

Master: I am the spirit of love and Truth. I am Sai Baba.

Disciple: Oh Master! Where were You all these days? Why did You not come to me earlier? Why did You leave me desolate?

Master: You were desolate because pride was your companion. Pride satisfied you. Wherever there is pride I cannot step in. Whoever falls in ahankar, feels highly about his importance and is full of egoism and whoever listens to flatterers cannot see me. You were immersed in self glory and self exaltation which blinded and deafened you. You were blind and deaf. You could not see me or hear me. Self-seeking led you astray and hence my path was hidden from you. Now you have abandoned pride; you can hear me. Ask, I will assure you; seek, you shall find Me.

Disciple: Oh respectful Master! I am weary. Please strengthen me and teach me wisdom.

Master: He who takes refuge in his Guru with love, faith and humility after abandoning self, will never be deserted by Him. My word will be your comfort. My love will lift you, give you solace and strength. You have read the sloka in Bhagavad Gita where the Lord promises that one can get wisdom if he surrenders himself totally and completely giving up everything.

Disciple: Please, speak your word. I will follow. Show me the path, I will walk with you. Your commands will be instructions to me and I shall follow You like a true servant. You are the Master so long I have waited for, Whom I have sought so long. I have found You. I have heard You. Let me not leave you.

Master: He who follows self, who is attached to self-seeking, his desires and ego, abandons Me. But he who abandons self, he is with Me always.

Disciple: Yes, my Lord! It is true, Hitherto I have run after vain and empty pleasures and desires. I was suffering from self-delusion. So I missed You. Now I have found you. Take pity on me and instruct me.

BE HUMBLE

Master: Dear Disciple, Humility has dawned on you. You have developed faith. You are now ready to receive from Me all that will enable you to pursue the path of wisdom. Henceforth, you must strive to follow Truth and Whatever you wish I will not withhold from you.

Disciple: Oh my Guru Divine! Teacher of Teachers! I am restless to hear from you your word. I have read much. I have studied all the scriptures; I know some of them by heart. I also know the various precepts of other religions. Yet I have no peace. Please reveal to me the way of wisdom and knowledge.

Master: Wisdom is not to be learnt by studying books or by extensively following the commentaries made thereon and theoretical arguments, however eminent the authors may be. Rituals, going to holy places or temples or repeating mechanically the slokas any number of times will not help you. They may be of some value to purify the mind provided they are done with faith and understanding. The most important thing first is to purify the mind by casting off all the defilements there. You have to make a self-examination first of your heart and the highway of wisdom will be thrown open to you by practice of righteous life and leading a sinless and blameless life.

Disciple: Teach me, Oh my master! How to search my heart, how to practice, how to lead a sinless and blameless life?

Master: Delusion and doubt are within you. At the same time, reality is also within you. It is covered by dust as on a mirror or fire by smoke due to impure mind. You are blinded by your own errors. Remove those errors, you are on the way to the Path of Truth. Engage yourself in silent meditation first in solitude and examine your errors. Make a thorough self-examination. Try to remove them one by one, which are the causes of your bondage.

Disciple: What are the errors of Self?

Master: They are mainly desire, passion and egoitsm or broadly Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya, the six shackles of mankind. The great evil, kama, is dominant in the majority of mankind. It holds them as if by iron chains. Day and night it haunts and taunts them. It appears in the most alluring garb and it steps out in undisguised seductive abandon. A pleasant sensation, a mad moment of delirium, which men call having a good time. Desire leads to self-delusion. It is as fickle as a monkey. It is never satisfied with the object in hand but jumps after other unattained ones. It is the chain that binds us to the world of phenomenon. Sons, wives, riches are considered to be the elixir of life but none of them can be of any ultimate good to us. The cause of suffering is desire. The desire to enjoy and possess worldly objects is the most dangerous enemy. Desire leads to passion and ego is the cause of attachment. What is passion? Slander, evil gossip, back biting, profanity, fault finding, peevishness, irritability, quarrelsomeness, surliness, jealously, malice, irritation, resentment, combative attitude, malicious mockery, destructive criticism and haughtiness with ill will.

Disciple: Please explain and instruct further.

Master: I shall explain further. Passion includes krodha. Lobha is the most poisonous. Greed binds us to material things. A man becomes a miser and he becomes a little more than an incarnated heap of gold and silver, of lands and securities, lands and houses. There will be no pity in him, no love, no kindness to others. Moha is attachment and Mada is dullness and Matsarya is jealousy. Finally, the ego, the most difficult to conquer. It consists of bigotry, self- assertion in season and out of season. It makes obtrusive show of wealth or power, it is gaudy to dress, exhibits a domineering attitude, is busy scolding and fault finding. The man with ego frequently interrupts others when they are talking; he likes to make public speeches, is eager to see his name print in newspapers, makes a show of his piety, loves to make long prayer in public and makes it a point to let the public know about it even if it is only some paise that he gives for charity. He dearly loves titles and honours and enjoys the multitude bowing down to him.

To be continued....

Coming up in Next post :

The Master and the Disciple-Part 2

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