[Baba's Day] Sri Sai Baba Correcting the Devotees

Aum Sairam

May This Thursday [Baba's Day] Bring You Strength, Goodluck, Success, Happiness and Joy

Everyone makes mistakes but it is only when we realize, correct them and behave according to what we have learnt, that we can really benefit from them. Sri Sai Baba likes us to do this. It makes him happy! Let us look at some of the teachings Sri Sai Baba gave to his devotees while he was correcting them.

Once a devotee called Madhur Das came from Anjanwel to Shirdi for Sri Sai Baba's darshan and stayed at the house of Sagun Meru Naik. One day both these devotees had maliciously gossiped about the failings of their fellow devotees. When Madhur Das went to the mosque afterwards Sri Sai Baba asked him irritably, what is Sagun saying? Madhur Das immediately realized that his conversation with Sagun Meru Naik had hurt Sri Sai Baba deeply. The indulgence in malicious gossip not only wastes valuable time, but eventually it will also become our nature and we will start seeing even the good in others as bad. It will scar us psychologically. We should spend the time not in finding the bad in others, but in distinguishing the good in them and in identifying in others the loving form of Sri Sai Baba who is in all of us. If we concentrate on seeing and talking about the Sri Sai Baba in us, and of Sri Sai Baba's leela’s [examples of power and miracles] that itself becomes satsang [literally, association with truth; the gathering of devotees to pray, to fill themselves with God consciousness.]

Once in Shirdi, a devotee was maliciously gossiping about another devotee and was fabricating various allegations about him. Sri Sai Baba, who was omniscient, knew of this. As Sri Sai Baba was going to Lendi baug that afternoon, this devotee had come for his darshan. Sri Sai Baba showed him a pig and said, Look, see how that pig is eating excreta with great liking. Your nature too is like that pig. How happily are you denigrating your fellow devotee! What benefit can you gain by coming to Shirdi if you behave thus?

The devotee realized his mistake and repented. The pig may eat excreta and feel happy about it, but to the onlooker it is a loathsome sight. In the same way if we are inclined to fabricate and spread malicious gossip about our fellows it makes us loathsome in the eyes of others. It is said that in such behavior the accumulated merit goes to the slandered person and his sins are accrued to the slanderer. The yogis therefore say that the slandered person should thank the slanderer for taking away his sin and giving abundantly of his accumulated merit. Why therefore should one slander others and pick up their sins too?

Once a devotee was distributing halva as Prasad at the mosque. Another devotee was not on good terms with him and did not accept the Prasad from his hands. Sri Sai Baba noticed this and asked, did you take the Prasad? No replied the devotee, He and I have some differences, I will not accept anything from his hands. Sri Sai Baba said, who is the giver and who is the receiver and what is the thing given? It is all one. Do not have enmity for anyone. So we should not hate anyone. In fact, why do we feel anger? Why do we have differences of opinion? It is simply because of the feeling of ego underlying the I and My. It is our ahamkara or the egoistic self who makes us feel so. Under its influence we feel that our opinion is the right one and that everyone else is wrong. When others do not agree with us, then we start arguing with them. This becomes more and more heated and in time it develops into anger. This in turn leads to hatred, envy and jealousy. That is why Sri Sai Baba used to say that the foundation of all anger is the ahamkara of I and My.

While it may be difficult to eradicate the ego, it is not difficult to emerge victorious over anger and hate. The practice of a little patience and forbearance, and the retreat from arguments will reduce anger and destroy hate. We are traveling in the path of Sri Sai Baba our conduct therefore should be above reproach. Let us therefore on this Thursday be careful not to pick on the faults of others or spread malicious gossip about them, and walk proudly along the Sai Tatwa.

Allah Malik