Shri Sai Baba

(by P. J. CHINMULGUND)

The experience of God of all Saints of all countries, religions and periods, whatever different practices (Sadhana) they might have followed, their experience of the Ultimate Truth is identical. Thus Christian Saints like Saint Augustine¹ and Saint Cece-lia², Muslim Saints like Mainsur³ and Sadi,⁴ Parsi Saints like Meherbaba, Maharashtrian Saints like Jnyaneshwara and Tukaram, Saints of South India like Purandardas and the Alvars, Saints of the North like Tulsidas and Surdas, these and many others shave had the same experience of God and their description of their experience, though couched in different languages, reads alike. The Absolute or God is known by various names, God, Brahman, Atman, Parame-shwara, Alia, Yazdan, Jehova and so on. He is also described by his attributes like the Word, Power, Light and so on. But all these different words refer to the One. Every religion and school of thought has said that there is only one Universal God. That being so it follows that the real experience of God must also be one. Hence, whether this experience is realised by a person living hundreds of years; ago or by a person living now; whether it is realised by a person living in Europe or in India, whether it is realised by a person speaking Sanskrit or Persian, whether it is realised by a person with sight or by one who is blind, it follows that that experience must be the same. Just as the description of sun given by anyone at any time is the same, the experience of God described by all Saints is one and the same.

It is this direct and intuitive experience of God that constitutes mystic experience. All Saints, therefore, who have realised the Absolute are mystics. The mystic not only experiences God but being one with God he becomes God and when he speaks or writes, he speaks or writes with the authority of God. In Vedanta it is said, "everything is Brahman or Atman or God." It is also said, i am Brahman", "I am He,"; so that the conclusion that a person who has realised Brahman, becomes Brahman Itself, is inescapable.

When that stage is reached the individual becomes endowed with all the attributes of the Absolute or Brahman or God. It is because of this that all Saints who have obtained Sakshatkara, or realisation of God are able to foresee the calamities that may be in store for their devotee and are able to, if the devotee has unshakable faith in them, to avert them. They are also able, for the same reason to fulfil the wishes of their devotees if they are convinced that such fulfilment will not come in the way of their spiritual progress. The ultimate aim of all Saints is to lead their devotees, gradually, to the stage of spiritual perfection, so that, they and the devotees become one. Everything that they do is, therefore, directed to this end. It is, therefore, entirely wrong to go to a Saint for the fulfilment of one's worldly needs and desires. The Saints may and will fulfill them if they are convinced that it will lead to the devotee's spiritual advance.

Shri Sai Baba, who was one of the greatest Saints that have appeared in India had all these characteristics. His life and the life of other Saints had many points in common. His teaching also was in consonance with their teaching.

Like all Saints, Shri Sai Baba advised his devotees to follow their own religion. Even today, no one knows to what particular religion, caste or community he belonged. He himself used to respect and love all religions, as he himself followed, what might be called, the world religion or perennial philosophy. He used to sit in a mosque and yet he called it Dwarakamai. He himself initiated the Ramanavami festival at Shirdi and yet also encouraged the Urus. Thus, by personal example he used to inculcate in his disciples the quality of all religions.

The one thing he very scrupulously avoided was to take credit for himself for anything that he did. His constant phrase was "Alla-Malik" — God is the Lord and Master and He does everything. This, again, showed his devotees that all things flow from God and that one should have implicit faith and take complete refuge in God. This was like the famous doctrine of Prapatti of Shri Ramanujcharya.

Like all great Saints he rarely gave direct advice but spoke indirectly. It was for the listener to listen to his words carefully and understand their meaning. This is well shown in the incident where he told Shri Dasganu that an ordinary servant girl would explain to him the meaning of a difficult verse in the Ishavasya Upanishad. Again, if he wanted to help any devotee of his who was far away, he used to tell his disciples at Shirdi that he himself was feeling unwell. The reason for such indirect statements is that only those who have firm faith and devotion to God should be helped and should understand what was good for them, because only such persons can understand the meaning of the Saints apparently obscure words. His mastery over Yoga is illustrated by the incident where a disciple found, one day, that he had separated his limbs and that he was practicing

Dhauti and Pauti. He used to sleep on a narrow plank which was suspended from the ceiling by worn out rags. He was able to light several lamps using water instead of oil. These were but the outward manifestations of Yoga which confers mastery over laws of nature, and where the laws of nature bei-come subject to one's will and where there is, at the same time, devotion, union with the Atman necessarily follows. As regards Karma, he was very regular in his daily life. He would only ask for alms at only a few houses. He carefully fixed the days when he would live in the mosque or in the Chawdi. The performance of all actions regularly and without a thought of obtaining any result therefrom is the essence of Karmamarga. As regards Bhakti, his complete devotion to God was obvious to anyone. He used to listen to religious songs and Bhajans with profound love and rapt attention. Often he used to tell his disciples to sing a Bhajan for him. His mind was, for ever, fixed on God.

Like all great Saints he had the greatest love and regard for his Guru. No one knows who his Guru was nor did he ever mentioned him by name. Yet, the place in Shirdi which he used to call his Guru's place had the greatest attraction for him, and he used to tell his disciples to go and burn incense there to obtain the Guru's blessing. In fact, no one knew that there was such a place till Shri Sai Baba himself pointed it out. '

When Shri Sai Baba told this devotees to have full faith in him, to worship him, to remember him constantly, he was not referring to his human form but to the Absolute. He said, "Look upon me as the Absolute or Paramatman, who is everything. All creation, whether sentient or non-sentient, is nothing but Paramatman. Therefore, look upon everything as divinity." Once, a devotee of his was sitting down to her meal when a hungry dog came to her- She fed the dog first. After her meal she went to see Shri Sai Baba and he immediately said, "Mother, I am fully satisfied today with the meal that you gave me." The woman could not understand the meaning of his words. So, he said, "That hungry dog whom you fed before your meal was none other than me. I take all these forms. I become a dog or a cat or a fly, and any service done to them is service done to God." That is the central teaching of all Saints: look upon the whole world as God and serve him. To consider different things as different entities is nothing but ignorance. As Jnyaneshwara Maharaj says, "It is not necessary to discard the world to find Me, because I am everything. It is not necessary to find Me at a particular time, in a particular place or in a particular thing, 1 am everything of everything."

Such great Saints go beyond birth and death. As Shri Jnyaneshwar Maharaj says, "Such a person looks upon the whole Universe as his residence; in fact, he himself becomes the whole Universe." Similarly Eka-nath Maharaj says, "The images of God are but His inert representations whereas the Saints are living God." There is no wonder, therefore, that Shri Sai Baba, though he took Samadhi fifty years ago, is still living and runs to the help of his devotees whenever they call upon him.

¹ St. Augustine (354-430) The greatest of the Latin Fathers, high in rank as philosopher, next to St. Paul Great Writer.

- St. Cccalia: Martyred (2nd Cent. A.D.) patron saint of Music (since 15th Century) Festal Day Nov. 22nd.

^:l Mansur; Sufi divine of the 17th century.

⁴ Sadi (Saadi) (12th-13th century) Persian mystic poet author of Gulistan and Bustan.