LEARN TO LIVE

LEARN TO LIVE

Baba said, "Mere reading won't do. You have to think and carry out what you read, otherwise, it is of no use." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21

 

A learned Pundit was once giving discourses on the Bhagavad Gita in the august presence of a Maharaja.

One day the turn of this sloka came:

"Ananyaaschinthayantho maam
Ye janaah paryupaasathe
Theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam
Yogakshemam vahamyaham." (Gita chapter 9, verse 22)

The Pundit was explaining enthusiastically the many-sided implications of this sloka, but the Maharaja shook his head and said: "This meaning is not correct."

He continued to dispute the correctness of every one of the explanations the Pundit gave. The poor Pundit had won meritorious distinctions at the court of many a Maharaja and was honoured by them all with pompous titles. He felt as if he was stabbed when the Maharaja in the presence of the entire band of courtier condemned his explanation of this sloka a 'wrong'.

He smarted under the insult; but plucking up courage, he again set upon his task, and marshalling all his scholarship, he plunged into an eloquent discourse on the multiple meaning of the words, "Yoga" and "Kshema."

The Maharaja did not approve of even this; he ordered: "Find out the meaning of this sloka and having understood it well, come to me again tomorrow." With this, the Maharaja rose from his throne and went into the inner apartments.

The Pundit lost even the few grains of courage left in him. He was weighed down by anxiety; he tottered under the insult; he reached home and, placing the copy of the Gita aside, he dropped on his bed.

Surprised at this, the Pundit's wife asked, "Tell me why you came home from the palace today in such grief? What exactly did happen?" She rained one anxious question after another so that the Pundit was obliged to describe to her all that had happened, the insults heaped on his head, the command with which the Maharaja sent him home, etc.

The wife listened calmly to the account of what had happened and after pondering deeply over the incident, she said, "Yes; it is true. What the Maharaja said is right. The explanation you gave for the sloka is not the correct one. How could the Maharaja approve it? The fault is yours."

At this, the Pundit rose in anger from the cot, like a cobra whose tail is trodden hard. "What do you know, you silly woman? Am I inferior in intelligence to you? Do you, who are engaged in the kitchen all the time, cooking and serving, claim to know more than I? Shut your mouth and quit my presence," he roared.

But the lady stood her ground. She replied, "Lord! Why do you fly into such a rage at a statement of mere  truth? Repeat the sloka once again to yourself and ponder over its meaning. You will then arrive at the right answer yourself." Thus by her soft words the wife brought calm into the mind of her husband.

The Pundit started analysing the meaning of each individual word in the sloka. Ananyaaschinthayantho maam, be began, deliberately and slowly, repeating aloud the various meanings.

The wife intervened and said, "What use is it to learn and expound the meanings of words? Tell me what your intention was when you approached this Maharaja. What was the purpose?"

At this, the Pundit got wild. "Should I not run this family, this home? How am I to meet the cost of food and drink, of clothes and things, for you and all the rest? It is for the sake of these that I went to him, of course; or else, what business have I with him?" he shouted.

The wife then replied. "If you had only understood what lord Krishna has declared in this sloka, the urge to go to this Maharaja would not have arisen.

The Lord in the Sloka clearly explains that – "Ananyaschintayanto maam ye janaa paryupaasate" which means :Whoever worships me without any other thought or any other material worries and if one surrenders to ME completely at all times, his mind ever fixed on Me…

"Teshaam Nityaabhiyuktaanam Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham" which means –" To those devotees of mine, I would provide everything that they need and fulfil all their requirements in life(yoga and kshema)".

Thus explaining the sloka to the Pundit the wife remarked –"You have not done these; you approach the Maharaja, believing that he would provide everything. That is where you have gone against the meaning of the verse. That is the reason why he did not accept your explanation."

Hearing this, that reputed scholar sat awhile, ruminating on her remarks. He realised his mistake. He did not proceed to the palace the next day. Instead, he got immersed in the worship of Krishna at home.

When the king inquired why the Pundit had not appeared, courtiers said that he was staying at home and had not started out. The king sent a messenger, but the Pundit declined to move out.

He said, "There is no need for me to go to any one; my Krishna will provide me with everything; He will bear my Yogakshema Himself. I suffered insult because I did not realise this so long, being blinded by eagerness to know the manifold meanings of mere words. Surrendering to Him, if I am ceaselessly engaged in worshipping Him, He will Himself provide me with all I need."

When the messenger took this message to the palace, the Maharaja proceeded to the dwelling of the Pundit on foot; he fell at the feet of the Pundit, saying "I thank you sincerely for explaining to me this day, out of your own experience, the meaning of the sloka which you expounded yesterday."

Thus, the king taught the Pundit that any propagation of spiritual matters which does not come out of the crucible of experience is mere glitter and show.

CHOICE IS YOURS

CHOICE IS YOURS

 

Baba said, "I rest there where there is full devotion." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 13.

 

Two businessmen once set out for a distant land for doing business. They were both rich. They had heard well about the returns that their business would bring them in the new place.

The first one, Rama, thought, "Let me invest my entire wealth. Even if the business be shaky in the beginning and there be initial losses, yet my foundation will be strong and I will gain in the long run."

Accordingly, he invested his entire fortune and started the business in right earnest, on a well established ground. With the usual losses in the beginning, he pulled on through the infant stages extraordinarily well and became a well-reputed businessman. As days passed by, he was getting from the establishment more profit than he ever dreamt of.

 

On the other hand, Govind, the second man, thought with a certain pessimistic attitude: "If I invest all my money and lose it, then I will neither have the profit from the new establishment, nor the fortune to live happily with the old wealth. So let me invest a little at first. If it is profitable, I will invest more and more of the old wealth; for, then, the new profits will help my living and there will not be any need for me to depend on the old wealth for my day-to-day living."

At first, he invested a little. That was consumed by the initial loss account. Then he invested a little, again. It too, was found to compensate only the initial loss without leaving him any profit. As years rolled on, he found that he had lost all his wealth and had nothing to live upon!!

The two businessmen are like two spiritual aspirants. Their going to a far off land is like the aspirants' going into seclusion for reaping a good spiritual harvest.

Like the businessman investing all his wealth at one time, an aspirant renounces his all at once. Like that businessman, the aspirant too, has got his shaky beginning, but has established himself well in the spiritual path. There is no fall back or final loss. He progresses rapidly and soon attains the bliss of spiritual life, the ultimate aim of human existence.

Akin to Govind is that aspirant who takes to seclusion foregoing a little comfort, but keeping intact his old fortune to save him in times of need. The aspirant doubts: "If I give out all my wealth and also do not succeed in attaining the Goal, I may be forced afterwards to live like a beggar in this world. So let me keep something in store. On attaining that Bliss, I shall gladly give out this wealth. If I do not attain that bliss, I shall and can utilise this wealth in this world."
This aspirant like the second businessman loses all his wealth when Time places its mighty hand upon him. Nor does he get the fruits of spiritual life, like Govind going without profit.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

THIS ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

THIS ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

 

"As we all know, four things are common to all the creatures, viz. food, sleep, fear and sexual union. In the case of man, he is endowed with a special faculty, viz. knowledge, with the help of which he can attain God-vision, which is impossible in any other birth." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 8.

 

One day a clever fox began wondering, "Why man is considered the acme of creation and in what way is he superior to animals? Both man and beast have emotions and passions. Both have their own good and bad qualities. Why then this superiority? Let me go to the king lion and seek his advice."

Thinking thus, the fox hurried to the lion's den. "How nice to see you after so many days. Come tell me what is it that you want?" said the lion.

The fox said in all humility, "Oh, King, Man is growing all-powerful and is claiming sovereignty over the entire creation. I cannot tolerate man's arrogance and his claim of superiority over all animals. In what way are we inferior? Can we not establish our superiority? We must do something about it."

The lion nodded its head and said: "True dear, what shall we do?" The lion and the fox discussed the problem for a long time and decided finally to call for a conference of all animals in the forest. They would discuss thoroughly the relative merits and demerits of man versus animals.

The lion then said to the fox: "Go and make all arrangements for the conference. Invite all animals, big and small without any exception. But, who will preside over the conference?"

The fox replied: "There is a sage in our forest who has been doing penance since a long time. He is a friend of both man and animals. He will certainly have no preference or prejudices. Why not request him to be the Chairman?"

"Do so", replied the lion.

In a week's time the fox executed the whole plan. A vast area in the forest was cleared to hold the conference. On the appointed day the animals began filling up towards the conference venue. Very soon, all the animals were seated in their respective places. The sage arrived in time and took his presidential seat. The lion and the elephant stood on either side of the sage, while the fox stood in front
of the gathering.

The fox being the Secretary of the conference welcomed the gathering and said: "I welcome you all and thank you all for attending this conference". Referring to the Agenda of the conference, the fox said: "I am pleased to place before you four major points over which we have to deliberate. You have to think well and come forth with your opinions as these points have a vital bearing on our self-respect. Man as well as the animals are born alike, of the womb of the mother. Then why should animals be called 'janthu' and man as 'manava'? They should be addressed alike.

There is a fantastic notion that man is wise and animals are foolish. We cannot accept this humiliation and baseless stigma.

It is claimed that man has the most blessed faculty of speech. But what is the reason for pride when man is only abusing this faculty? In what way do we suffer for want of this faculty? Though we are dumb, we are able to procure food, find shelter, rear our children and live happily. So, man cannot be considered as superior to us only because of this rare faculty of which he boasts.

Finally, they say that we are cruel and that man is kind and compassionate. In fact, we are more kind and considerate than man. So, we have to refute this allegation, as well.

Having read out the agenda, the fox went and sat in its place.

The lion stepped forward and raising his head, said in a dignified manner: "I totally approve of all the points of the agenda. I cannot consider man superior to us in any way. Let us first of all take up the point of valour and strength. Is there one among men who can excel me in strength and valour? Even though I am the sole monarch of the forest, I do not indulge in any act of injustice and corruption. I don't kill any animal unless I am hungry. Such being the case, can man claim to be superior to us?" "Never, never", roared the whole assembly.

The lion then resumed its seat beside the sage. The elephant got up and trumpeted its own glory. "In form, stature, and strength, I am far superior to man. He is a pigmy beside me. As for intelligence, I am reputed for my subtle intellect. Since time immemorial, for every important and auspicious function in the temple or in the palace my presence is considered auspicious. In fact pious men offer me fruits and flowers with deep feelings of reverence. How can man call himself superior to us?" The whole assembly roared: "He can't, he can't". The elephant went back to its seat by the side of the sage.

Then came forward the dog and saluting one and all in the assembly said aloud: "I have sound reason to claim that the animals are certainly superior to mankind. Take for example, the quality of love, faithfulness and loyalty. Can any man boast of himself being superior to the dog in these qualities? Man himself keeps us and treats us as a member of his family because of these rare qualities. But, what about men? They have no sense of gratitude even. They keep us on cheap food or on the left over bits at their meal. Man, in his relation to his own master whom he serves is ungrateful to the core. Sir, I am sure, we animals are far superior in these characteristics to man." Having spoken thus, it went and sat in its place.

It was now the turn of the President to give out his decision on the matter under dispute.

The sage got up and said: "My dear friends, what the dog has said is true. Man often says one thing and does another. This inconsistency is not to be found in animals". All the animals clapped for long with joy. The sage continued: "In the matter of food, sleep and allied habits of living, there is absolutely no difference between man and animals. But, there is one fundamental difference. The animals cannot transform themselves, while man can transform himself through education, company and emulation. The animals cannot even change their food habits".

The fox at once got up and questioned, "Oh Master, What you have said is true. But do you think that all men transform themselves?"

The sage said: "Why, without doubt, such men who do not, are worse than animals.

The sage continued: "Men have got another virtue, discrimination". The fox said: "It is true that they have discrimination, but what is the use? They put even animals to shame in their bad conduct. Oh, what a pity. Man spends all his time, talents, strength and money to earn his bread, while we animals procure food without any labour."

The sage could see that the fox was trying to exceed the limits and make much of their instinctive nature.

So, he said: "Oh, dear animals. You must also be told about another important distinction. Man can conquer illusion. He can realise the self or atma and attain immortality. In fact the very word "man" indicates these attributes:

M - means Maya;
A - means the Atmic vision and
N - means Nirvana.

The animals asked him: "Oh Wise one! Do you mean to say that all men make use of these three attributes?"

"No, not all of them," replied the sage.

"Then those who do not attain nirvana by conquering illusion and having atmic vision must be treated as our comrades" asserted the animals, in one voice.

"Oh, Dear ones." replied the sage, "I have come to this forest only to be your friend and prove myself a true Man".

NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP

NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP

 

"If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.  24.

 

One day a young lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?

 

He said "keep going." Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse.

 

"What should I do?" The young lady asked.

 

"Keep driving," her father replied.

 

On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!"

 

Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving!"

 

Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out.

 

Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out."

 

She said, "But why now?"

 

He said, "When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is now over."

THE LIITLE GIRL

THE LIITLE GIRL

 

Baba said, "If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you, day and night." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 15

 

There was an atheist couple who had a child. The couple never told their daughter anything about the Lord. One night when the little girl was 5 years old, the parents fought with each other and the dad shot at the Mom, right in front of the child. Then the dad shot himself. The little girl watched it all. She then was sent to a foster home. The foster mother was a Christian and took the child to church. On the first day of Sunday School, the foster mother told the teacher that the girl had never heard of Jesus, and to have patience with her. The teacher held up a picture of Jesus and said, "Does anyone know who this is?"

 

The little girl said, "I do, that's the man who was holding me the night my parents died."

 

(John Michael Montgomery's song "The Little Girl" is based on a true story)

STAY IN ETERNAL NOW

STAY IN ETERNAL NOW

 

"Tell your son to believe in Me, to throw aside horoscopes and predictions." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 29.

 

An emperor in Japan asked Gudo, the Zen master, "What happens to a man of enlightenment after death?"

 

Rulers of medieval Japan often consulted Zen masters on political affairs or philosophical problems and while some emperors were spiritually quite advanced, most rarely understood the true import of the masters' teachings.

Gudo replied to his emperor, "Phew, I don't know what happens".

"Well, you're supposed to be a master!"

"Yes, but not a dead one!"

True masters do not engage in past analysis or future speculations. Their only striving is to keep their mind in the eternal now. There is nothing to achieve by doing, but everything to gain by being.

MAKE YOUR DAYS GARBAGE FREE DAYS

MAKE YOUR DAYS GARBAGE FREE DAYS

"Our mind is fickle by nature, it should not be allowed to get wild. The senses may get restless, the body, however, should be held in check and not allowed to be impatient." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 49. 

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

UNBROKEN UNBOUNDED LOVE

UNBROKEN UNBOUNDED LOVE

 

"How can we praise love? Everything is insignificant before it. Without love our reading, hearing and the study are of no avail. In the wake of love follow devotion, dispassion, peace and liberation with all their treasures. We do not get love for anything unless we feel earnestly about it. So where there is real yearning and feeling, God manifests Himself. It includes love and is the means of liberation." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.48.

 

Once there was a great king named Vishwamitra. One day he learned that there was a saint in his kingdom whom everybody adored. The name of this saint was Vashishtha, and everyone gladly touched his feet.

 

Now, although Vishwamitra was a very great king, nobody used to come and touch his feet. People were afraid of him, and they would tremble before him. But with Vashishtha it was different. People gladly touched Vashishtha's feet with deepest appreciation and admiration. So Vishwamitra was extremely jealous of Vashishtha.

Vashishtha was a very great saint. After praying to God for many, many years, Vashishtha had realised God and could speak to God face to face. Vishwamitra knew that this was the reason why everybody was adoring Vashishtha instead of him, so he too started praying to God. He prayed to God for a couple of years very seriously, often fasting but still he did not realize God. Then he became impatient. He went to Vashishtha and said, "You have realised God, but I have not been able to. I wish you to tell the world that I have also realised God, like you."

Vashista replied, "How can I say that?"

 

"You can say it," the king insisted. "If you tell people, everybody will believe you, because you yourself have realized God. You know who God is you speak to God. Tell everyone that I have realized God. Otherwise I shall kill your children."

Vashishtha said, "You can kill my children, but I cannot tell a lie."

 

Vishwamitra was a most powerful king. One by one he had the hundred sons of Vashishtha killed. The hundred sons were very well educated, kind and spiritual. They had studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and other religious and sacred books. Nevertheless, the notorious king killed them all. Even after doing this Vishwamitra was not satisfied because Vashishtha still refused to announce that he had realized God.

After a few months he thought, "This time he has to tell the world that I have realized God, or I shall kill him." With this idea in his mind he went to Vashishtha's small cottage. Before knocking at the door he stood outside quietly listening to the conversation inside.

Arundhati, one of Vashishtha's wives, was saying to her husband, "My lord, why don't you say that Vishwamitra has realised God? If you had said it I would still have all my children. They were such nice, kind, devoted children. They were all jewels. But just because you wouldn't say that he has realized God, he has killed all my children, and who knows what he will do next."

Vashishtha said, "How can you ask me to do that? I love him. He has not realised God. How can I tell people that he has realized God? I love him and that is why I cannot tell a lie."

Even though Vishwamitra had killed the hundred sons of Vashishtha, the father could still say that he loved him. When Vishwamitra heard what Vashishtha said, he came running in and touched Vashishtha's feet, crying, "Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, my lord. I never knew that anyone on earth could love a person who had killed all his children."

Vashishtha placed his hand on Vishwamitra's head and blessed him. He said, "Today you have realized God, because today you know what love is, what truth is. God is all forgiveness. I am forgiving you because the God in me is forgiving you. Today you have realized God."

What do we learn from this story? We learn that the ideal of forgiveness is the supreme ideal. When we pray to God we see God's qualities: love and forgiveness. When we receive love and forgiveness from God we can behave like God towards other people.

Vashishtha's hundred sons were killed, yet even then he loved Vishwamitra. Then, when Vishwamitra begged for forgiveness, Vashishtha gave it immediately, as well as giving him his inner Light, Joy and Power.

Like Vashishtha, we always have to forgive people when they do wrong things. In this way we give them our Light, our Truth, our Joy. From this story we also learn the importance of associating with holy men.

Do not develop ill-feeling inside your heart for the man who has insulted you or injured you. This is worse than open anger. This is mental cancer. Do not nourish grievances. Forget and forgive.

PRIDE WILL PUT A STOP TO PEACE

PRIDE WILL PUT A STOP TO PEACE

 

"If we become egoless, then our success is assured." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 24.

 

After the battle of Kurukshetra was over, one day Yudhishthira said to Krishna, "Krishna, we Pandavas have won. Needless to say, it is all your Grace. Otherwise, we could never have won. But you know, Krishna, in spite of our victory, something is bothering me. Do you know what it is? I have no peace of mind. Now that we have defeated the Kauravas, we are supposed to be very happy. But how can I be happy when I have no peace of mind? Why is this so? Why is it that I cannot be happy and peaceful?"

Krishna said, "Yudhishthira, O King, how can you be happy when your worst enemy is still alive?"

"My worst enemy is still alive!" Yudhishthira exclaimed. "Who is he? How is it that I do not know anything about him? Please tell me, Krishna, where my worst enemy is."

Krishna said, "Your worst enemy is not elsewhere. It is inside you. You have been feeding and nurturing that worst enemy for a long, long time. Unless and until you have conquered that enemy, no matter what you achieve, no matter what you do for yourself or for mankind, you can never have happiness."

"O Krishna, for God's sake, tell me who my worst enemy is. Stop your philosophy and now illumine me."

Krishna, with a loving heart and a smiling face, embraced Yudhishthira and said, "O Yudhishthira, you are by far the best not only among the Pandavas, but among all mortals, all human beings. Yet one enemy of yours, which is nothing short of weakness, is most destructive. And that weakness-enemy of yours is your unfortunate pride. Conquer the iota of pride that you have. Then happiness will flow into your mind, and peace will smilingly settle down inside the very depths of your heart."

Yudhishthira said, "Your wisdom-blessing is my mind's happiness and my heart's peace, Krishna, my Krishna."

KNOW THYSELF

KNOW THYSELF

 

"A guide is always necessary to show us the right way in small or great matters." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 32.

 

Patrul Rimpoche was roaming the Tibetan mountains. One day he heard about a great hermit who had spent twenty years in a cave meditating on the Perfection of Patience. Desirous to meet such a saintly being, he went in search of his cave. Poking his head around the entrance, he called out, "Hello there, what are you doing?"

His meditation disrupted by this impertinent hollering, the hermit opened his eye and inquired, "What do you want?"

The beggar crouched down in front of him, his eyes glinting with mischief, without uttering a word.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?" pressed the hermit.

"I come from behind my back, and I'm going in the direction I am facing."

Nonplussed, the hermit continued, "Where were you born?"

"On earth."

"OK," he said, trying to contain his rising frustration, "What – do – you – want?"

"Well, I was curious to know what you're doing here."

The hermit was keen to impress this simpleton. "You see my son, I have been meditating here for twenty years on Lord Buddha's Perfection of Patience.

The beggar howled with laughter, poking him in the ribs with a dirty finger, and said, "Oh, what a great scam. Gullible locals, are they? How much are you making these days?"

The hermit thundered, "How dare you! You barge in here. You give me all these crazy lines. Now you insult me. Out. Out."

As he rose to leave, Patrul Rinpoche calmly observed, "And where's your perfect patience now?"

The hermit's anger froze instantly, as he realized the vanity of his claim. Sitting down and taking a deep breath, he started meditating in earnest for the first time.

Patrul Rimpoche lived in the nineteenth century and was one of the greatest scholar in Buddhism. This highly realized saint roamed all over Tibet anonymously, dressed as a beggar, creating mischief along the way. His primary goal was to focus the mind of people on true spiritual pursuits, while exposing false teachings and fake spirituality.

This hermit had deluded himself for over twenty years, and grew comfortable in it. But a single encounter with a master can shatter a lifetime of delusions and re-establish us on the true path. Were these twenty years of previous meditation a waste of time? Quite the contrary. They were the necessary preparation to bring about this profound transformation.

 

ஸ்ரீ சாயி சத் சரித்திரம் - தமிழில் - ஒலி வடிவில்

ஸ்ரீ சாயி சத் சரித்திரம் - தமிழில் - ஒலி வடிவில்

தரவிறக்கம் செய்ய:

Chapter 1	Chapter 2	Chapter 3	Chapter 4	Chapter 5
Chapter 6	Chapter 7	Chapter 8	Chapter 9	Chapter 10
Chapter 11	Chapter 12	Chapter 13	Chapter 14	Chapter 15
Chapter 16   &17		Chapter 18 & 19		Chapter 20
Chapter 21	Chapter 2 2	Chapter 23	Chapter 24	Chapter 25
Chapter 26	Chapter 27	Chapter 28	Chapter 29	Chapter 30
Chapter 31	Chapter 32	Chapter 33	Chapter 34	Chapter 35
Chapter 36	Chapter 37	Chapter 38	Chapter 39	Chapter 40
Chapter 41	Chapter 42	Chapter 43 & 44		Chapter 45
Chapter 46	Chapter 47	Chapter 48	Chapter 49	Chapter 50
Chapter 51	Chapter 5 2

நன்றி: ஸ்ரீ சாயிபாபா ஸன்ஸ்தான், ஷீர்டி.

YOUR REAL NATURE

YOUR REAL NATURE

 

 

Baba said, "You will come across a great Saint by your good luck, and then he will show you the future path, and give rest to your mind and make you happy." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.  21.

 

Once, while out hunting, a lioness gave birth to a cub amidst a flock of goats. She left her newly born baby amidst the goats and returned to her den in the forest. This baby lion began to live with the group of goats. He ate, slept and stayed with them. As he grew up, the shepherd named him Lindiyo, a name normally reserved for goats and sheep. The lion responded to his name, skipped and danced, like every tame animal.

Lindiyo grew up into the full frame of a lion but he himself never knew it. To himself, he was only a weak, frail goat.

One day, while they were on lush pastures, a huge lion roared and attacked the flock. All the goats fled with fear; they ran in all directions to save their lives. Even Lindiyo scampered away.

The lion was astounded and looked twice. ''How did a lion get mixed up with a flock of goats?'' he asked himself. He leaped and chased Lindiyo and soon seized him. Lindiyo was trembling with fright. He shut his eyes tight. ''Hey, you!'' the lion shook him, ''You're a lion. How did you end up in this group of goats?''

''Please, let me go. My name is Lindiyo, Sir, please let me go!'' the lion-goat helplessly pleaded for mercy.

''Come come! You're not a goat! Rather, goats are your daily dinner. Why have you lost your senses? Come with me to the riverside.'' So saying the lion dragged Lindiyo to the river bank and where the water was quite still, he showed him his own reflection. ''See,  look at your face. It's like mine. You have a golden mane, see the paws and the claws, everything is like mine. You are a lion and not a goat.'' He further taught him to stand tall and roar like a lion. ''Come on speak like I speak and roar; and remember these goats are our food, not friends.''

Lindiyo suddenly realised his true identity and broke out from his shell of limitations. He himself roared and drove away the goats. He had become a lion from a lion-goat.


We too, suffer from a similar problem. Our true identity is Atman which is not different from the one prevailing consciousness -Brahman, but we have somehow lost that knowledge and believe ourselves to be the body.

We all see ourselves as Lindiyo. We must realise our real nature and identity as the Atman and become the master of Maya and not its slave. And to attain such knowledge, we need to approach a Guru, who shows and convinces us that we are not Lindiyo but the pure and powerful Atma, which is nothing but Brahman - the Absolute Truth.

 

 

IT IS EXAMINATION SEASON – FACE YOUR TEST CONFIDENTLY

IT IS EXAMINATION SEASON – FACE YOUR TEST CONFIDENTLY

 

"We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 29.

 

Once there were two disciples of Rishi Apaddhoumya. Their names were Aruni and Upmanyu. Both were young and very quiet. They obeyed the Guru in everything.

Once the Guru decided to test them to the full. He sent them to the forest to graze the ashram's cows. He also ordered them, ''Don't eat anything.'' Both disciples always obeyed the Guru, and so they ate nothing. But whenever they felt hungry they would milk a cow and drink some milk.

After some days the Guru asked, ''What do you eat?''

They replied, ''We eat nothing cooked but do drink milk.'' The Guru said, ''From now on, don't drink milk either.'' The disciples agreed and went happily off to the forest to graze the cows.

In the afternoon both felt hungry, but the Guru had ordered them not to drink even milk now. And so they went to a village and begged pieces of fruit and ate them. Thus they began to do this every day.

A few days later, the Guru asked ''What do you eat?''

They replied, ''We beg pieces of fruit from the village and eat those.'' The Guru instructed, ''We should never beg in this way.'' So the two promised never to beg again.

Aruni and Upmanyu again went to the forest to graze the cows. Never did they find fault with their Guru.

For three to four days they managed to survive without food. But hunger grew and they could bear it no longer. The Guru had commanded not to eat or drink milk. So they ate some wild berries.

The berries were poisonous and the two became blind. As they made their way back to the ashram holding each other's hand they fell into a dry well one hundred hands deep. Seeing the cows return alone to the ashram the Guru became worried. Where were Aruni and Upmanyu? He set out in search of them.

He searched the jungle calling, ''Hey Aruni, Hey Upmanyu.'' He couldn't see them anywhere. However, the two disciples heard their Guru calling and shouted a reply from the bottom of the well.

''Where are you?'' the Guru shouted. ''Over here, in the well,'' they called back.

The Guru had some people climb down into the well and bring the two disciples up. When he saw them he realised they had become blind! He asked the reason for this. They humbly answered, ''You commanded us not to eat or drink anything, but we were so hungry that we ate some wild berries. They were poisonous and then we became blind. And as we tried to make our way back to the ashram, we fell into this empty well.''

The rishi was extremely pleased with their devotion to him. He called Ashwinikumar, the physician of the demi-gods. He gave them potent medicine and so both boys could see again.

The Guru so tested his young disciples, but they were not discouraged. They did not run away and leave the Guru. They had immense faith and devotion and love for their Guru that they were ready to do anything at their Guru's command. Such true faith in a Guru definitely leads one to the "Truth" and brings us true wisdom and enlightenment.

POVERTY IS…..

POVERTY IS…..

 

Baba said, "The Lord is always brother (befriender) of the poor." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 5.

 

One day a monk left his ashram and went out to the main street of the city, jiggling a few copper coins in the palm of his hand. As the beggars thronged around him, he announced that he would only give the coins to the poorest man in the city. As the demanding hands pressed him from all sides, he kept saying, "No, it is not you not you, not you," and he continued walking.

Suddenly the fanfare of trumpets obscured the noise of the city. Guards hurried down the street to clear away the riff-raff, and proclaimed that the Maharaja was coming out of his palace on his royal elephant.

The people lined the street with eager anticipation to make their obeisance to their king, but the monk stepped in front of the elephant, and, addressing the king in a loud voice, said, "Great Maharaj! I have something for you." And he tossed the copper coins to the king.

The king was astounded and demanded to know why the monk was being so impertinent.

"Your majesty, I made a vow that today I would give this copper coin to the poorest man in the city."

"Me" screamed the king. "I own this city. I own this whole country. How can you say that I am the poorest man?"

 

"Because you have constant hunger for more possessions."

This is the snare of maya, the cosmic delusion: the more we feel separated from God, the more we try to fill our life with possessions, which further deepens our spiritual emptiness. This constant rush to acquire more things, more sensations, more people, and more thoughts turns us from divine children to bestial paupers. "Poverty", as Plato said, "consists, not in the decrease of one's possessions, but in the increase of one's greed."