Monday, October 20, 2008

POWER OVER BIRTH AND DEATH


POWER OVER BIRTH AND DEATH

Nana's daughter lost the child within a few months, and had lost her husband some months earlier. She thus becomes an issueless widow at the age of seventeen. This cast a gloom over the whole family. Sometime later, Nana Saheb went with his family to Baba and sat in glum silence before him.

Baba: Why are you so silent?

Nana: You know everything. While we are under your care, these calamities have befallen us, loss of child, loss of son-in-law, etc.,

Baba: If you care for child, etc., don't come to me for these. These are not in my power. These (i.e., birth of child and death of relatives) are dependent or Poorva Karma. Even Parameshwar, Great God Himself, who has created this entire world cannot alter these. Do you think He can tell the Sun or Moon "Rise some two yards farther away from your appointed place?" No, He cannot and will not. That will produce disorder, chaos.

Nana: If that is so, how is it that you tell some one that he will have a son and he gets a son and you tell another that he will get employment, and he gets it? Are these not your chamatkar i.e., miracles?

NO MIRACLES:

Baba: No, Nana, I perform no miracles. You have your village astrologers; They work two or four days ahead and give out their predictions. Some of them come true. I look farther ahead. What I say happens. My art also is a sort of astrology. But you people do not understand this. To you, my words look like miracles – because you do not know the future. So you regard events as proofs of my miracle working power and turn your reverence to me. I, in my turn, direct your reverence to God, and see that you are really benefited.

"SURRENDER ESSENTIAL PROTECTION" – GITA PROMISE:

These words of Baba strongly remind one of Lord Buddha's interdiction against "Miracle-working". Yet according to the popular view Lord Buddha worked many a miracle. These apparent self-contradictions in Buddha and Krishna have their explanation and some attempt will be made in later chapter to offer some hints on the subject. Here it is enough to say that Baba was referring to certain facts as fixed by superhuman agency, which man has to accept and face. He was frequently saying in the words of Kabir, `You must be content with the lot assigned to you by God." "Have Faith and Patience". Babataught both by example and precept that real happiness and success in life here and hereafter come to the man who grasps not, but renounces, who surrenders all his will to his God and Guru. Baba helped his sincere devotees to make this surrender, by attending to every want of theirs, once they tried to make their surrender or even started making it. Did not Krishna say that he attends to the welfare of those who surrender themselves and think solely of Him at all times with complete faith?

(Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B.V. Narasimha Swamiji)

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