To Overcome Negative Experiences

Aum Sairam

In his later role as a Sufi Master Sri Sai Baba encouraged his visitors to practice repentance, to turn away from the life they had been living, and to practice devotion to God in whatever form they chose. He admonished his devotees to give up bad habits such as addiction to liquor, and exhorted that negative qualities such as caste rivalry, pride of learning, greed, etc. should not be harbored. In answer to a devotee's question concerning worldly activities, Sri Sai Baba observed

The Shadripus [the six enemies - lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, pride and jealousy] are all delusive. They make the unreal appear as real. If a rich man wears a gold ornament, the poor man gets jealous, and thinks he must have one. This is greed. All are like this. So one must conquer the six enemies. If they are conquered, waves of passion will not arise. Else they will enslave you. If they are subordinated and reason made the commandant, then the delusive pleasures and pains will no longer hold sway over you.

Commenting to Nana Chandorkar, he said that of this jealousy is the easiest to conquer:

Jealousy is the inability to endure another's profit and prosperity. If another gets fortune or power, we cannot put up with it, we scandalize him. When he meets with loss, we rejoice. But is this good? When that man attains prosperity, what loss have we really suffered? But people do not consider this point of view. If he attains good let us rejoice; let us attain or strive to attain equal good. That should be our desire and determination.

One technique, which Sri Sai Baba enjoined for overcoming such negative experiences, was to repeat the name of God. He said: "if others hate us, let us simply take to recitation of the names of God and avoid them."

Allah Malik