GURU BHAKTI
When a person is in god-realisation, e.g., `aham Brahmasmi' state and some treat him as their personal God incarnated for their benefit, and others treat him as a wonderful embodiment of daivi prakriti or divine qualities, what answer can we give to the question – what is his religion? God has no religion as religion is human institution and a human attitude towards God. When, however, a god-self-realiser has various moods and for the sake of society (loka sangraha) taken up the role of a wandering fakir or a teacher (sadguru), the question of his religion can be raised, though it is hard to give an answer.Even when he is not in the god-mood, he, if a sadguru of all religions, like Sai Baba, is seen to be saturated with Hinduism when dealing with Hindus, with Islam when dealing with Moslems and so on. He is everything in turn, according to the mentality of the person that approaches. "Ye yatha mama prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamyaham", i.e., "I adopt the manner in which I am approached and devote myself to the approaching person in his way", said Sri Krishna. Sri Sai Baba acted exactly in that manner, and none could affirm of him that he belonged to any religion. so, people could and did sometimes say of him that he had no religion or that he belonged to all religions.
In the present stage which civilisation and culture have reached in the world, this position of Baba has a great and universal merit. The history of religion is a piteous spectacle, where a great divine spark lights parts of the world, and a glimpse of real divinity iscaught perhaps by the very few in intimate touch with the incarnated light. But besides the ordinary dullness of mankind and its inability to reproduce or retain divine light amidst worldly life, the surging waves and storms of animal nature generally assert themselves so far as to discolour or drown the divine light with the result that in thename of religion, the animal nature of man proceeds to get its full satisfaction and prevent the reappearance or spread of the real light divine. "If Christ came to Chicago, he would have been driven out by Christians themselves from their homes and churches", said a writer in the Review of Reviews some decades back. If Christ came to Europe or Asia today, the very same treatment would probably be meted out to him. This is not an observation that should be made of Christianity alone. How many Buddhists are there whom Buddha would not find it easy to describe as his real followers? How many that take the name of Sankaracharya or Sri Ramanujacharya are really filled with thespirit of these great leaders and follow their divine light? It is because of this human tendency to quickly drown the divine sparks that incarnate, that the old order changeth giving place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.Every part of the world receives its divine messenger, in a form suited to its special condition and its stage of development. This truth is referred to in Srimad Bhagavata, which states that divine manifestations (avatars) are not confined to ten or twenty-four but are numberless, "avatarah asankhyeyah". This `Vibhutimat sawam srimadurjitam' is sure to assert and get a recognition of its excellence, earlier or later and must purify and exalt the section of humanity coming to it. What then is the religion of these `purushaya amsah?" the religion of the people amidst whom they shine.
In reality, the essence of religion, whatever it may be found, is one. It is Divine Power, Knowledge and Love-Love that recognises no barrier of caste, creed or colour . When people assert that they are following such an amsa of God – be it Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Sankara or Chaitanya – and in his name, slay, burn, torture and "shut the gates of mercy on mankind", they are really working out not God or the essence of religion but the opposite principle. God is Love, Hatred is its opposite. Where hatred and murder, greed and plunder are the prevailing feature, there is no God or real religion. In Baba, hatred and greed had no place at any time. His being, mind, words and conduct were saturated with Love Divine – impartial love that seeks no reward, - Love that sacrifices itself for the benefit of humanity.
When a person is in god-realisation, e.g., `aham Brahmasmi' state and some treat him as their personal God incarnated for their benefit, and others treat him as a wonderful embodiment of daivi prakriti or divine qualities, what answer can we give to the question – what is his religion? God has no religion as religion is human institution and a human attitude towards God. When, however, a god-self-realiser has various moods and for the sake of society (loka sangraha) taken up the role of a wandering fakir or a teacher (sadguru), the question of his religion can be raised, though it is hard to give an answer.Even when he is not in the god-mood, he, if a sadguru of all religions, like Sai Baba, is seen to be saturated with Hinduism when dealing with Hindus, with Islam when dealing with Moslems and so on. He is everything in turn, according to the mentality of the person that approaches. "Ye yatha mama prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamyaham", i.e., "I adopt the manner in which I am approached and devote myself to the approaching person in his way", said Sri Krishna. Sri Sai Baba acted exactly in that manner, and none could affirm of him that he belonged to any religion. so, people could and did sometimes say of him that he had no religion or that he belonged to all religions.
In the present stage which civilisation and culture have reached in the world, this position of Baba has a great and universal merit. The history of religion is a piteous spectacle, where a great divine spark lights parts of the world, and a glimpse of real divinity iscaught perhaps by the very few in intimate touch with the incarnated light. But besides the ordinary dullness of mankind and its inability to reproduce or retain divine light amidst worldly life, the surging waves and storms of animal nature generally assert themselves so far as to discolour or drown the divine light with the result that in thename of religion, the animal nature of man proceeds to get its full satisfaction and prevent the reappearance or spread of the real light divine. "If Christ came to Chicago, he would have been driven out by Christians themselves from their homes and churches", said a writer in the Review of Reviews some decades back. If Christ came to Europe or Asia today, the very same treatment would probably be meted out to him. This is not an observation that should be made of Christianity alone. How many Buddhists are there whom Buddha would not find it easy to describe as his real followers? How many that take the name of Sankaracharya or Sri Ramanujacharya are really filled with thespirit of these great leaders and follow their divine light? It is because of this human tendency to quickly drown the divine sparks that incarnate, that the old order changeth giving place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.Every part of the world receives its divine messenger, in a form suited to its special condition and its stage of development. This truth is referred to in Srimad Bhagavata, which states that divine manifestations (avatars) are not confined to ten or twenty-four but are numberless, "avatarah asankhyeyah". This `Vibhutimat sawam srimadurjitam' is sure to assert and get a recognition of its excellence, earlier or later and must purify and exalt the section of humanity coming to it. What then is the religion of these `purushaya amsah?" the religion of the people amidst whom they shine.
In reality, the essence of religion, whatever it may be found, is one. It is Divine Power, Knowledge and Love-Love that recognises no barrier of caste, creed or colour . When people assert that they are following such an amsa of God – be it Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Sankara or Chaitanya – and in his name, slay, burn, torture and "shut the gates of mercy on mankind", they are really working out not God or the essence of religion but the opposite principle. God is Love, Hatred is its opposite. Where hatred and murder, greed and plunder are the prevailing feature, there is no God or real religion. In Baba, hatred and greed had no place at any time. His being, mind, words and conduct were saturated with Love Divine – impartial love that seeks no reward, - Love that sacrifices itself for the benefit of humanity.
(By HH Sri Sri B V Narasimha Swamiji)
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