SIGNIFICANCE OF BABA’S MAHASAMADHI:
Success in life comes only to the bold, the intrepid, the thorough-going, those who are indeed earnest about success and prepared to sacrifice all, even pet notions, pet aversions, and pet loves. It is not commonly recognized that one of the hardest things to give up is one’s weakness, the weakness that prevents man from facing the real truths of existence. Often one finds something like a huge obstacles that stands in the way of one’s success and is frightened, but let him pluck up courage and stare the difficulties in the face with fierce determination, to examine it, to dive to its bottom and find out if it has real power to check his advance. Lo! Such examination reveals often the hollowness of the towering giants standing in his way and the ease with which it can be knocked out. Often enough, when one thinks himself helpless and inclined to despair, let him just shake himself up and get himself into a prayful mood, and cast about for ways and means to achieve the end and carefully examine the possibilities of helpers coming to his rescue. Ten to one, he is sure to get more hopeful and practical and discover some at least with whose aid he will achieve at least partial success. Let us all dare to think fearlessly as to the real strength, meaning, and justification of so many assertions, assumptions, faiths, creeds and slogans that are some times found to be exerting their influence in keeping us down. Let us get to the bottom of ourselves. Let us revalue our aims, goals and standards. Let us daringly put the question to ourselves, “What is it we are really aiming at, and is the same worth our troubles, and if it is, what steps are needed to achieve success?” and let us resolve to take every step necessary even if it involves the highest sacrifice, because the cause must be worth the sacrifice. If it is worth the sacrifice, it is cowardice to withdraw from such sacrifice. If mere living is not our goal, if there are aims much loftier and nobler than bare living then, we must be ready to sacrifice life itself for achieving such goals; and every comfort or amenity that we are hugging to our hearts now should be sacrificed with readiness.
Let us take for example our entire outlook on life today, first individual, and then social, political or in other directions. Why not spend 15 or 30 minutes of earnest thought everyday to this most important matter? Let us not fear that our search will lead us to Philosophy that will make us mad. It is not quest of wisdom that will bereave us of reason. What does it is the present drifting in cowardly fashion along the various currents of thought that strike against us by the so called public opinion which in reality means the ill-digested and unanalyzed views of numerous thoughtless or poor thinking individuals, each receiving and passing on what are called current ideas. Let us dare to stand against the current to grapple with it, to demand of it reason to justify its assumed power and soundness. Not infrequently shall we find that the assumptions, which easy going people fall in to about their capabilities, their duties, and their possibilities are really unjustifiable. First let us take the question what we are living for and striving for. it is really for the loaves and fishes that the vast majorities are running after? Is it wealth that I am wanting or seeking? Is it position, power or fame? Am I seeking to be in the limelight in the eyes of vast multitude? Let me decide as an impartial judge would decide as to which of these or any thing else, I am the slave. After boldly divine within and examining the course of conduct I am pursuing, let me decide which motive or power is the dominating motive or power in my case at present. After that, let me conscientiously ask “Is this the only thing that has to offer or are there other possible goal and, if so, is this the best of all the alternatives? Is it really worthwhile living, that is, spending my lifetime and all my life energies for this object? What pleasure, happiness or satisfaction do I derive – first aiming at this, next by striving and taking various steps to reach this, and last the actual attainment of this objective?”
One need not shy at this question either with the fear that people coming to know of such self-enquiry may laugh at it or the fear that one would set himself in opposition to numerous others by pursuing one’s lonely course in total defiance of popular conventions, or even the fear that the strenuous mental effortsinvolved might shatter one’s entire physical and mental frame and lead one to the sick bed or the mental hospital. Come what may, we must dare and struggle to reach the highest, and we fall there is nothing to bar fresh and repeated endeavours in the same direction with real faith in God and the Guru. If such spirited efforts are made, they will undoubtedly lead us to the highest that life has to offer.
It is in the above strenuous spirit that that Sri Sai Baba worked upto 70 years of his life; and it is that which accounted for the perfect integration of his character. That character being essentially of the elements is known as Daivaprakriti. his integrated character may be termed Divine. He dared to take upthe great truths of the Mahavakyas e.g., “Ayam Atma Brahma” “Tatvamasi”, “Aham Brahmasmi” – expressing them in the Arabic and Urdu forms “Analhuq” and “Maim Allahum”. While many are staggered at the practical impossibility of their overcoming their ideas of being individual self by dissolving in the cosmic self from which it emanated (in the manner in which a pratibimba emanates from the bimba), Baba dared to give up the self and merge himself in the universal being, Allah. Ahile most of us cannot escape identifying ourselves with the physical sheaths called the “body”, he dared and succeeded in crossing those sheaths and transcended the body. In his own words, “This body is my house. My Guru took me away far from it long ago”. That is by the Guru’s grace, he overcame to the Dehatmabuddhi not only intellectually but also in actual realization. “Place this body upon a funeral pyre and burn it”, he said referring to his own body, “and I shall be witness of it unaffectedly.” That is while he was in the flesh, he fully realized himself as out of it, that is, he realized his divine nature as a jeevanmukta does and was a jeevanmukta; and in October 1918, when his physical sheath was cast off, he would be a Videhamukta with however a determination – the determination to continue to do unattached beneficial work to help the devotees, that is, to work as Iswara. That is the meaning of his Mahasamadhi. In this Mahasamadhi of his, we the devotees find the full benefit. We glory in it. we make the fullest use of it by holding before our minds’ eye the picture of Sai, his deeds, all glittering as divine traits. And this picture growing vivid every day not only blesses us in various efforts but transforms our whole life into His or Him.
May He now bless one and all !!!
Success in life comes only to the bold, the intrepid, the thorough-going, those who are indeed earnest about success and prepared to sacrifice all, even pet notions, pet aversions, and pet loves. It is not commonly recognized that one of the hardest things to give up is one’s weakness, the weakness that prevents man from facing the real truths of existence. Often one finds something like a huge obstacles that stands in the way of one’s success and is frightened, but let him pluck up courage and stare the difficulties in the face with fierce determination, to examine it, to dive to its bottom and find out if it has real power to check his advance. Lo! Such examination reveals often the hollowness of the towering giants standing in his way and the ease with which it can be knocked out. Often enough, when one thinks himself helpless and inclined to despair, let him just shake himself up and get himself into a prayful mood, and cast about for ways and means to achieve the end and carefully examine the possibilities of helpers coming to his rescue. Ten to one, he is sure to get more hopeful and practical and discover some at least with whose aid he will achieve at least partial success. Let us all dare to think fearlessly as to the real strength, meaning, and justification of so many assertions, assumptions, faiths, creeds and slogans that are some times found to be exerting their influence in keeping us down. Let us get to the bottom of ourselves. Let us revalue our aims, goals and standards. Let us daringly put the question to ourselves, “What is it we are really aiming at, and is the same worth our troubles, and if it is, what steps are needed to achieve success?” and let us resolve to take every step necessary even if it involves the highest sacrifice, because the cause must be worth the sacrifice. If it is worth the sacrifice, it is cowardice to withdraw from such sacrifice. If mere living is not our goal, if there are aims much loftier and nobler than bare living then, we must be ready to sacrifice life itself for achieving such goals; and every comfort or amenity that we are hugging to our hearts now should be sacrificed with readiness.
Let us take for example our entire outlook on life today, first individual, and then social, political or in other directions. Why not spend 15 or 30 minutes of earnest thought everyday to this most important matter? Let us not fear that our search will lead us to Philosophy that will make us mad. It is not quest of wisdom that will bereave us of reason. What does it is the present drifting in cowardly fashion along the various currents of thought that strike against us by the so called public opinion which in reality means the ill-digested and unanalyzed views of numerous thoughtless or poor thinking individuals, each receiving and passing on what are called current ideas. Let us dare to stand against the current to grapple with it, to demand of it reason to justify its assumed power and soundness. Not infrequently shall we find that the assumptions, which easy going people fall in to about their capabilities, their duties, and their possibilities are really unjustifiable. First let us take the question what we are living for and striving for. it is really for the loaves and fishes that the vast majorities are running after? Is it wealth that I am wanting or seeking? Is it position, power or fame? Am I seeking to be in the limelight in the eyes of vast multitude? Let me decide as an impartial judge would decide as to which of these or any thing else, I am the slave. After boldly divine within and examining the course of conduct I am pursuing, let me decide which motive or power is the dominating motive or power in my case at present. After that, let me conscientiously ask “Is this the only thing that has to offer or are there other possible goal and, if so, is this the best of all the alternatives? Is it really worthwhile living, that is, spending my lifetime and all my life energies for this object? What pleasure, happiness or satisfaction do I derive – first aiming at this, next by striving and taking various steps to reach this, and last the actual attainment of this objective?”
One need not shy at this question either with the fear that people coming to know of such self-enquiry may laugh at it or the fear that one would set himself in opposition to numerous others by pursuing one’s lonely course in total defiance of popular conventions, or even the fear that the strenuous mental effortsinvolved might shatter one’s entire physical and mental frame and lead one to the sick bed or the mental hospital. Come what may, we must dare and struggle to reach the highest, and we fall there is nothing to bar fresh and repeated endeavours in the same direction with real faith in God and the Guru. If such spirited efforts are made, they will undoubtedly lead us to the highest that life has to offer.
It is in the above strenuous spirit that that Sri Sai Baba worked upto 70 years of his life; and it is that which accounted for the perfect integration of his character. That character being essentially of the elements is known as Daivaprakriti. his integrated character may be termed Divine. He dared to take upthe great truths of the Mahavakyas e.g., “Ayam Atma Brahma” “Tatvamasi”, “Aham Brahmasmi” – expressing them in the Arabic and Urdu forms “Analhuq” and “Maim Allahum”. While many are staggered at the practical impossibility of their overcoming their ideas of being individual self by dissolving in the cosmic self from which it emanated (in the manner in which a pratibimba emanates from the bimba), Baba dared to give up the self and merge himself in the universal being, Allah. Ahile most of us cannot escape identifying ourselves with the physical sheaths called the “body”, he dared and succeeded in crossing those sheaths and transcended the body. In his own words, “This body is my house. My Guru took me away far from it long ago”. That is by the Guru’s grace, he overcame to the Dehatmabuddhi not only intellectually but also in actual realization. “Place this body upon a funeral pyre and burn it”, he said referring to his own body, “and I shall be witness of it unaffectedly.” That is while he was in the flesh, he fully realized himself as out of it, that is, he realized his divine nature as a jeevanmukta does and was a jeevanmukta; and in October 1918, when his physical sheath was cast off, he would be a Videhamukta with however a determination – the determination to continue to do unattached beneficial work to help the devotees, that is, to work as Iswara. That is the meaning of his Mahasamadhi. In this Mahasamadhi of his, we the devotees find the full benefit. We glory in it. we make the fullest use of it by holding before our minds’ eye the picture of Sai, his deeds, all glittering as divine traits. And this picture growing vivid every day not only blesses us in various efforts but transforms our whole life into His or Him.
May He now bless one and all !!!
(Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji)
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