IS BABA A TEACHER?
This question is diversely interpreted and meets with diverse answers. Superficial persons answer in the negative as he was seldom seen making hortatory or did active speeches or busying himself as a pedagogue does. Others who have carefully studies his words andactivities give an empathic affirmative answer. They say if any one was a teacher, Sai Baba was undoubtedly one, that his teaching was mostly so subtle and secret, that few could discover the fact he was teaching and that what he taught was the highest lesson viz., knowledge of God and the self. Even careful observers sometimes say that Baba was not a teacher but mean that he was not a mere teacher, but a great deal more, i.e., that he was the guardian angel or all in all of his trusting devotee. The majority of those who came to see him, came out of momentary curiosity or just to have the merit of his darshan or get a want satisfied or grievance redressed and, having made no study of Baba, they are surprised to see a collection of Baba's sayings, a bare perusal of which leads to one conclusion only viz., that Baba was a great and remarkable teacher, unostentatiouslyadopting subtle but efficient methods and sadhanas inevitably and finally carrying his devotee to the grand goal of all being, and Baba is still rendering that service to all that he draws to himself or that place themselves in proper contact with him.
Persons noting how Baba dealt with sincere and fully surrendered devotee like Nana Saheb Chandorkar, Raobahadur H.V. Sathe etc., say that Baba was not a teacher i.e., a mere preacher of truths but a trainer – one who undertook the task of putting the pupil through all the entire course necessary for attaining his objective and thereforeinspired, encouraged, warned, watched, corrected errors, staved off temptations, prevented falls and rendered every help to strengthen and develop the struggling soul of the devotee to rise to its fullest stature. T enable the render to appreciate the above view, a few facts may be narrate.
Sai Baba, the fakir of Shirdi, sent word to Nana Saheb Chandorkar, a Deputy Collector, to come and see him, and them explained the reason for such a strange invitation. Baba and Nana had been on intimate terms for the preceding four births (evidently as Guru and devotee) – a fact of which Baba and not Nana, was aware – and Baba wished thedevotee to renew his contact in this birth also with some difficulty and after Baba showed Nana not nearly his wonderful or superhuman knowledge, powers and kindness, Nana placed himself in contact with and under the guidance of Baba. Baba then occasionally gave him counsel and warnings, and took care to watch his conduct at all times, in his (Baba's) and unseen form, and rebuked him for his errors.
Baba: Nana, if any one begs of you anything, if that be in your hand or power, and if you can grant the request or get it granted, do so. Do not say "No". If you have nothing to give, then, give a suave negative. Do not mock or ridicule the applicant nor get angry with him. If you do not like to part with what you have, do not say falsely that you have nothing. Decline to give it in polite terms and say circumstances or your desire stand in the way. Will you remember this lesson or forget it?
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: What is difficulty in this? I shall remember.
Baba: This lesson is not quite so easy as it may seem.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: I will keep it in mind.
Sometime 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.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Why don't you talk with me?
Baba: Nana, when a man says he will remember the lessons I taught him but really does not, how can I talk to him?
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Baba, I remember all your lessons.
Baba: You gentleman, you evade seeing `sircar' (God Datta) and take a detour. Why? Because the saint will ask for Rs.300/- is this the way to remember my lesson? If you have not the money, if it was not easy to arrange to get it, you have only to tell him that fact. Will the 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?
Nana repented his mistake and was thankful to have such a guru to watch him everywhere and rebuke him.
Baba: Nana, If anyone comes and begs for anything give him as much as you can, and if that person be not satisfied and asks for more, answer him suavely in the negative. Do not pour your wrath or display all your official authority against that person.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Good.
(But one day at Kalyan Mrs. NGC was greatly provoked by the importunity of a beggar woman who refused to budge unless she was given as charity the whole stock of `Bhajani' (fried and spiced grains); and Mrs. NGC. appealed to her husband, NGC came down and called out to the peon to neck out the beggar unless she quietly accepted the quantity given and left the house. Sometime late Nana Saheb Chandorkar visited Shirdi, but Baba was glum and would not talk to him.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Baba, why do you not talk to me?
Baba: How can I talk to one who does not care for my advice or lesson?
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: What lesson have I forgotten? I remembered all your lessons.Baba: That day, when the beggar woman was importuning you for `Bhajani', how did you happen to call your peon to expel her and to show all your official authority. What mattered, if she remained sitting your door, asking for more, while refused it? What could she do? After a while she would have gone away. Instead of gently replying her, why get angry with her and call the peon to expel her?
Nana then recalled the advice given, exactly applying to the events that actually happened, and was full of regret.
Before dealing with Baba's teaching or training of Nana Saheb Chandorkar or anyone else, one important fact has to be noted. Among the various sins and vices enumerated in the Dharma Sastras in the Maha Sankalpa of the Sravana Upakarma, is Bhritake Adhyapana (i.e) imparting instructions for pecuniary or other valuable consideration, as it must necessarily degrade the teacher, the thought and the teaching, according to the highest spiritual standard. Though many gurus have succumbed to the charms of wealth and plunged into this sin according to well-known verse:
Bahavo guravah santi
Sishya vittapaharakah
Virala guravah santi
Sishya chittapaharakah
Sai Baba never fell into it, as he was always supreme in his self-god idea and treated the yellow dust just as he treated all other dust and dirt. Here is a good instance:
A wealthy lady wishing to get Sai Baba for her Guru filled a big plate with silver coins and for four days stood before Baba with that plate hoping that Baba, who knows of course, the desires of every one's heart, though unspoken would accept her gift and impart his instructions or mantra. Finding that Baba did not take any notice of her or her unuttered wish, she spoke out.
Lady: Baba, I have come here for a guru. Take my dakshina now. Make yourself my guru and give me upadesa.
Baba (refusing to take the money): It is not the guru that makes himself your guru. It is you who must regard him as guru, i.e., place your faith in him. Take a potsherd and regard it as your guru and see if your goal (or aim) is reached or not.
What then was the motive or consideration, which impelled Sai Baba to impart spiritual instruction of even the highest invaluable wisdom? That which moves all great souls and sages – Love. In some cases, love appeared as gratitude or rinanubhandha. In the case of Nana Saheb Chandorkar, who was given more valuables and numerous lessons than most, the question of motive was specially raised by the latter. When the all knowing guru living as a poor fakir in the Shirdi Mosque sent word for the first time for the Nana Sahib to come unto him, the latter, after refusing two invitations, responded to the third and asked Baba, why he (Nana) was sent for.
Baba: There are thousands of persons. Do I send for all of them? Should there not be a special reason why you alone should be sent for?
Nana: There might be. But I am not aware of it.
Baba: Nana, you and I have been connected with each other (rinanubandha) intimately during four births (janmas). You do not know that, but I do. So, be going over here whenever it is convenient.
Nana had been rendering service to Baba deriving instruction from him in previous births and Baba wanted the devotee to resume his role-to begin his lessons perhaps at the point where he left them in his last birth. Nana was unconsciously swayed by his ideas of admiration and attachment to the guru.
Poorvabyasena tenaiva
Hriyate hyavasopi sah
In the case of the northern Indian judge, whose experience is the first and most valuable in the volume of Baba's devotees' Experience, Baba drew him by visions in dreams wherein he assured him that he (Baba) was the debtor (i.e., under rinanubandha) bound to take darsan of the judge.
But love is the ultimate shape that the motive takes, Pity also moves the mind to love. Baba repeatedly declared that he was the mother of the devotees and was bound to look after all their interests, "I am your father" he also said to G.G. Narke. "You have to get your benefit and everything from me." Everything of course, includes wisdom and the highest spiritual culture.
It is love that renders the contact between the teacher and the taught specially effective and happy.
What delights can equal those
That stir the spirit's Inmost deeps
When one that loves but knows not reaps
A truth from one that loves and knows !
These lines from Tennyson, appear to refer to imparting of information by the teacher to the taught, when the motive for the imparting is mutual love. But the fruits of love are never confined to the mere mechanical transfer of knowledge from one head to another. Love swells up from the heart of one and includes similar ebullition of love in other hearts, which it contacts and then deep calls unto and flows on to the deep and the result is blissful oneness, before the actual realization of this oneness in perfection. Delightful hints of the coming oneness surprise the parties more especially when they reach practically the same level of thought and feeling an idea which is well expressed in the following verse:
When each by turns was guide to each
And fancy light from fancy caught
And thought leapt forth to wed with thought
Ere thought itself could wed with speech.
The inter-relation between the pupil and the teacher in the rishi-ashram gurukulas of ancient days was not infrequently of this type. There the pupil was treated and loved as a son by both the teacher and his wife and the pupil identifying himself with the interest ofthe master was ready for any-even the highest sacrifice. An excellent illustration is the Tamil saint, who was sent out to see that guru's land property irrigated. Finding that a ridge in the land had given away and all the water was running away from master's field and finding no stones, blocks or other material available to stop the gap, the pupil lay down, thrust his head into the gap thus saving the water for the master and losing his own life. Baba's own relation with his guru was of this type of intense love. Baba said that when he was taken as a boy of tender age, (about five years of age), he sat by his guru's side and being filled with intense love for the guru, gazed and gazed upon him from morning till night, for a period of about 10 or 12 years. The guru loved him with equally ardent love and the result of this mutual love was the transfer of the entire panoply of powers and nature from the guru to the pupil. By guru kripa, the pupil attained all that had to be attained, that is oneness with his guru-god and his manifestation in the Universe, - involving the possession of all siddhis, i.e., superhuman powers andlove for the entire universe.
Love is itself a training, in fact, the highest training and is at the same time, the end and goal of all training. Baba taught (without oral instruction generally) this love and trained his devotees to develop this love to the fullest extent of their capacity and in ways peculiar to each devotee, as will be seen from the experience of Nana Saheb Chandorkar and of the North Indian judge, as also of Rao Saheb Galvankar, as described in the "Devotees Experiences of Sai Baba".
This question is diversely interpreted and meets with diverse answers. Superficial persons answer in the negative as he was seldom seen making hortatory or did active speeches or busying himself as a pedagogue does. Others who have carefully studies his words andactivities give an empathic affirmative answer. They say if any one was a teacher, Sai Baba was undoubtedly one, that his teaching was mostly so subtle and secret, that few could discover the fact he was teaching and that what he taught was the highest lesson viz., knowledge of God and the self. Even careful observers sometimes say that Baba was not a teacher but mean that he was not a mere teacher, but a great deal more, i.e., that he was the guardian angel or all in all of his trusting devotee. The majority of those who came to see him, came out of momentary curiosity or just to have the merit of his darshan or get a want satisfied or grievance redressed and, having made no study of Baba, they are surprised to see a collection of Baba's sayings, a bare perusal of which leads to one conclusion only viz., that Baba was a great and remarkable teacher, unostentatiouslyadopting subtle but efficient methods and sadhanas inevitably and finally carrying his devotee to the grand goal of all being, and Baba is still rendering that service to all that he draws to himself or that place themselves in proper contact with him.
Persons noting how Baba dealt with sincere and fully surrendered devotee like Nana Saheb Chandorkar, Raobahadur H.V. Sathe etc., say that Baba was not a teacher i.e., a mere preacher of truths but a trainer – one who undertook the task of putting the pupil through all the entire course necessary for attaining his objective and thereforeinspired, encouraged, warned, watched, corrected errors, staved off temptations, prevented falls and rendered every help to strengthen and develop the struggling soul of the devotee to rise to its fullest stature. T enable the render to appreciate the above view, a few facts may be narrate.
Sai Baba, the fakir of Shirdi, sent word to Nana Saheb Chandorkar, a Deputy Collector, to come and see him, and them explained the reason for such a strange invitation. Baba and Nana had been on intimate terms for the preceding four births (evidently as Guru and devotee) – a fact of which Baba and not Nana, was aware – and Baba wished thedevotee to renew his contact in this birth also with some difficulty and after Baba showed Nana not nearly his wonderful or superhuman knowledge, powers and kindness, Nana placed himself in contact with and under the guidance of Baba. Baba then occasionally gave him counsel and warnings, and took care to watch his conduct at all times, in his (Baba's) and unseen form, and rebuked him for his errors.
Baba: Nana, if any one begs of you anything, if that be in your hand or power, and if you can grant the request or get it granted, do so. Do not say "No". If you have nothing to give, then, give a suave negative. Do not mock or ridicule the applicant nor get angry with him. If you do not like to part with what you have, do not say falsely that you have nothing. Decline to give it in polite terms and say circumstances or your desire stand in the way. Will you remember this lesson or forget it?
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: What is difficulty in this? I shall remember.
Baba: This lesson is not quite so easy as it may seem.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: I will keep it in mind.
Sometime 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.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Why don't you talk with me?
Baba: Nana, when a man says he will remember the lessons I taught him but really does not, how can I talk to him?
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Baba, I remember all your lessons.
Baba: You gentleman, you evade seeing `sircar' (God Datta) and take a detour. Why? Because the saint will ask for Rs.300/- is this the way to remember my lesson? If you have not the money, if it was not easy to arrange to get it, you have only to tell him that fact. Will the 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?
Nana repented his mistake and was thankful to have such a guru to watch him everywhere and rebuke him.
Baba: Nana, If anyone comes and begs for anything give him as much as you can, and if that person be not satisfied and asks for more, answer him suavely in the negative. Do not pour your wrath or display all your official authority against that person.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Good.
(But one day at Kalyan Mrs. NGC was greatly provoked by the importunity of a beggar woman who refused to budge unless she was given as charity the whole stock of `Bhajani' (fried and spiced grains); and Mrs. NGC. appealed to her husband, NGC came down and called out to the peon to neck out the beggar unless she quietly accepted the quantity given and left the house. Sometime late Nana Saheb Chandorkar visited Shirdi, but Baba was glum and would not talk to him.
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Baba, why do you not talk to me?
Baba: How can I talk to one who does not care for my advice or lesson?
Nana Saheb Chandorkar: What lesson have I forgotten? I remembered all your lessons.Baba: That day, when the beggar woman was importuning you for `Bhajani', how did you happen to call your peon to expel her and to show all your official authority. What mattered, if she remained sitting your door, asking for more, while refused it? What could she do? After a while she would have gone away. Instead of gently replying her, why get angry with her and call the peon to expel her?
Nana then recalled the advice given, exactly applying to the events that actually happened, and was full of regret.
Before dealing with Baba's teaching or training of Nana Saheb Chandorkar or anyone else, one important fact has to be noted. Among the various sins and vices enumerated in the Dharma Sastras in the Maha Sankalpa of the Sravana Upakarma, is Bhritake Adhyapana (i.e) imparting instructions for pecuniary or other valuable consideration, as it must necessarily degrade the teacher, the thought and the teaching, according to the highest spiritual standard. Though many gurus have succumbed to the charms of wealth and plunged into this sin according to well-known verse:
Bahavo guravah santi
Sishya vittapaharakah
Virala guravah santi
Sishya chittapaharakah
Sai Baba never fell into it, as he was always supreme in his self-god idea and treated the yellow dust just as he treated all other dust and dirt. Here is a good instance:
A wealthy lady wishing to get Sai Baba for her Guru filled a big plate with silver coins and for four days stood before Baba with that plate hoping that Baba, who knows of course, the desires of every one's heart, though unspoken would accept her gift and impart his instructions or mantra. Finding that Baba did not take any notice of her or her unuttered wish, she spoke out.
Lady: Baba, I have come here for a guru. Take my dakshina now. Make yourself my guru and give me upadesa.
Baba (refusing to take the money): It is not the guru that makes himself your guru. It is you who must regard him as guru, i.e., place your faith in him. Take a potsherd and regard it as your guru and see if your goal (or aim) is reached or not.
What then was the motive or consideration, which impelled Sai Baba to impart spiritual instruction of even the highest invaluable wisdom? That which moves all great souls and sages – Love. In some cases, love appeared as gratitude or rinanubhandha. In the case of Nana Saheb Chandorkar, who was given more valuables and numerous lessons than most, the question of motive was specially raised by the latter. When the all knowing guru living as a poor fakir in the Shirdi Mosque sent word for the first time for the Nana Sahib to come unto him, the latter, after refusing two invitations, responded to the third and asked Baba, why he (Nana) was sent for.
Baba: There are thousands of persons. Do I send for all of them? Should there not be a special reason why you alone should be sent for?
Nana: There might be. But I am not aware of it.
Baba: Nana, you and I have been connected with each other (rinanubandha) intimately during four births (janmas). You do not know that, but I do. So, be going over here whenever it is convenient.
Nana had been rendering service to Baba deriving instruction from him in previous births and Baba wanted the devotee to resume his role-to begin his lessons perhaps at the point where he left them in his last birth. Nana was unconsciously swayed by his ideas of admiration and attachment to the guru.
Poorvabyasena tenaiva
Hriyate hyavasopi sah
In the case of the northern Indian judge, whose experience is the first and most valuable in the volume of Baba's devotees' Experience, Baba drew him by visions in dreams wherein he assured him that he (Baba) was the debtor (i.e., under rinanubandha) bound to take darsan of the judge.
But love is the ultimate shape that the motive takes, Pity also moves the mind to love. Baba repeatedly declared that he was the mother of the devotees and was bound to look after all their interests, "I am your father" he also said to G.G. Narke. "You have to get your benefit and everything from me." Everything of course, includes wisdom and the highest spiritual culture.
It is love that renders the contact between the teacher and the taught specially effective and happy.
What delights can equal those
That stir the spirit's Inmost deeps
When one that loves but knows not reaps
A truth from one that loves and knows !
These lines from Tennyson, appear to refer to imparting of information by the teacher to the taught, when the motive for the imparting is mutual love. But the fruits of love are never confined to the mere mechanical transfer of knowledge from one head to another. Love swells up from the heart of one and includes similar ebullition of love in other hearts, which it contacts and then deep calls unto and flows on to the deep and the result is blissful oneness, before the actual realization of this oneness in perfection. Delightful hints of the coming oneness surprise the parties more especially when they reach practically the same level of thought and feeling an idea which is well expressed in the following verse:
When each by turns was guide to each
And fancy light from fancy caught
And thought leapt forth to wed with thought
Ere thought itself could wed with speech.
The inter-relation between the pupil and the teacher in the rishi-ashram gurukulas of ancient days was not infrequently of this type. There the pupil was treated and loved as a son by both the teacher and his wife and the pupil identifying himself with the interest ofthe master was ready for any-even the highest sacrifice. An excellent illustration is the Tamil saint, who was sent out to see that guru's land property irrigated. Finding that a ridge in the land had given away and all the water was running away from master's field and finding no stones, blocks or other material available to stop the gap, the pupil lay down, thrust his head into the gap thus saving the water for the master and losing his own life. Baba's own relation with his guru was of this type of intense love. Baba said that when he was taken as a boy of tender age, (about five years of age), he sat by his guru's side and being filled with intense love for the guru, gazed and gazed upon him from morning till night, for a period of about 10 or 12 years. The guru loved him with equally ardent love and the result of this mutual love was the transfer of the entire panoply of powers and nature from the guru to the pupil. By guru kripa, the pupil attained all that had to be attained, that is oneness with his guru-god and his manifestation in the Universe, - involving the possession of all siddhis, i.e., superhuman powers andlove for the entire universe.
Love is itself a training, in fact, the highest training and is at the same time, the end and goal of all training. Baba taught (without oral instruction generally) this love and trained his devotees to develop this love to the fullest extent of their capacity and in ways peculiar to each devotee, as will be seen from the experience of Nana Saheb Chandorkar and of the North Indian judge, as also of Rao Saheb Galvankar, as described in the "Devotees Experiences of Sai Baba".
(By HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji)
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