SRI SHIRDI SAI And PRTHI SAI

SRI SHIRDI SAI AND PARTHI SAl

Two great incarnations that have reformed the humanity in modern times and prepared it for service to mankind are that of Shirdi Sai Baba and Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi!! Both of them had a tremendous influence on people as they breathed pure love, selflessness, nonattachment and accessibility The difference between the earlier incarnations and that of these two is while the former came to kill the demons and establish Dharma, the latter arrived to reform, and resuscitate the latent quality of pure love and the spirit of Seva or service to mankind! Both  preached the same old tenets of  purity, Shraddha, faith, compassion and total surrender to the Almighty! They lived a simple life divested of ostentation and luxury that attracted the attention of the entire world! They appeared to be one among the men but with a difference! What exactly did these incarnations think and teach?

Shirdi Sai’s teachings create supreme faith and confidence among the devotees for salvation. The Cardinal principles of his message are Shraddha,Saburi or faith,Purity, Compassion, complete Surrender, Udi and Dakshna. Faith should be through love and reverence and conviction, not by intellectual wisdom but by spiritual inspiration. Steadfast love in God is the gateway to eternity. Baba refers to Gita where Krishna  tells Arjuna that God is satisfied with  “Patram, pushpam, phalam and toyaml" if offered with pure love! Saburi is patience and perseverance to be inculcated from very early age. Purity is not of the external body but the inner purity of the mind and heart. Austerity should not be the end in itself leading to the mortification of body. Shirdi Sai Baba himself was the epitome of love and compassion. He said that one should never turn away any body from his door be it a human being or an animal. Total surrender to the Guru places man on a high pedestal of reverence. Udi or ashes from Dhuni at Dwarakamayi signify that all visible phenomena are transient. One is expected to have a discrimination between the real and the unreal. Dakshna-- money demanded by Shirdi Sai reminds all that they should be non attached to worldly things and develop Vairagya!

According to Satya Sai baba faith is the basis of life. “ You do not run away from the barber because he is armed with a sharp razor. Yo place faith in him...You have faith in the driver of your car..So too believe in the inner motivator, the Atma within, the voice of God. The mother creates the faith in the father for the child. So too mother Nature proclaims that there is a father who has designed and engineering and motivating these worlds. But man does not accept this for he has lost the capacity of faith.” (SSS2/3 11 78) while anyone can doubt, faith is difficult. Absolute faith is the reason for the success of humanity. Implicit faith is the secret of spiritual achievement! When Arjuna said yes to everything Krishna said describing the bird, the Lord admonished him. Arjuna said, “ For me your words are far more weighty than the evidence of my eyes.”  Usually God tests the power of faith by creating hurdles!

True devotion implies surrendering to the will of God! This is otherwise called ‘saranagathi.’ This is the highest form of devotion.It is said that Chaitanya was once attacked by some envious persons. They took away his cymbals, and later bound him hand and foot! Still he continued in his singing the glory of God I! He couldn't clap as his hands were bound. He exclaimed , “ Lord! I shall keep the rhythm of my chanting with my voice. Your love will be my tune...I do not care for the treasures of the world. Confer this wealth on me.”! According to the Vedas, in following Dharma and doing your duty to God, you can disobey the words of father, mother, preceptor, or anybody else! Bharata, prahlada, Meera and others are classical examples! Vibhishana asked Rama to kill his own son! Emperor Bali disobeyed his preceptor Sukracharya and surrendered himself to Vamana. Is it not a great honor to be the donor to God himself? Mira forsook her husband for the sake of her Krishna!

“ Become a true devotee with unshaken faith and with an attitude of complete self surrender” counsels Parthi Sai Baba!! Both Shirdi Sai and Satya Sai emphasize  the value of devotion and prayer for the sake of society at large.Devotion should not be solely for personal salvation. Self centered prayers have no value or effect. Community prayers for the welfare of the world were recommended by our ancient sages and seers! Satya Sai Baba says that selfless, loving service to others, is the highest form of Sadhana! Satya Sai Baba’s golden words inspire us. “ It is the i realization of oneness with the Divine, which alone can give lasting bliss. Even while being engaged in the activities of the secular world, we should strive to sanctify all actions by dedicating them to the Divine.” Let us try to implement the teachings of both the Baba's!!