It is said that
Shirdi Baba's guru was "Venkusa". Actually it was the Lord
Venkateswara who is meant so. It is a privilege which a rare one or two earn in
a thousand years, to get the Lord Himself for Guru. And when one is so blessed,
the Lord cedes representative status to such a person. Hence to accept Baba as
Guru is to accept the Supreme as so.
You are not
doing a favour by accepting Baba as Guru. Who does any favour to a parent or
grand-parent by accepting that relationship? To call upon Baba and cast your
burdens on Him, is a Benediction you are favoured with, Indeed He has already
chosen you before ever you "condescend" to choose Him! You may as
well choose your mother when you are already grown up ! Such is the
accessibility of Baba. Your choice figures crucially because the Divine parent
is not as an earthly parent, already known. You have to re-establish contact
from your side, for effective two-way flow in present life.
Your earthly
parents love you even if you are an unworthy and vile child. But your errors
steer you away from the flow of their blessings and you pay for your errors.
Even so, Baba's grace can be wasted if you are a leaky receptacle. You may defy
and disobey the instruction, correction, training and discipline of your elders,
teachers, parents etc. Your living is per what your character and courses
decide, not per what your arrogance, nonchalance and irresponsible waywardness
may win for you, seemingly.
Baba cares for
you massively-cares for both yoga and kshema - spiritual well-being and
wellbeing in life's courses on earth. He first emphasises "Yoga"
which simply means spiritual excellences, namely clean character, warm heart
and incompatible courses. If you foul up this base, the care of your living
processes on earth gets massed-up, just as dirty vessels contaminate even the
holy waters of the Ganges.
To accept Baba
as your Divine Benefactor, Guide and Protector, first means firm commitment to
excellence of personal purity, goodness of character, and a total opting out of
pollution and corruption on your own personal responsibility. The standard you
accept should be as Baba expects. If you accept that sacred standard, then Baba
never fails to instruct and illuminate you in that quality by numerous means
which astonish you. The guidance and correction come searching for you,
somehow, adequately, infallibly and on time. You may get illumination from
within, or new noble friends will guide you aright, a book, a song, a passing
acquaintance can leave deep beneficial impacts on you.
When you ponder
over the "Ashtothara" lines in praise of Baba, and note the meanings,
you will marvel how many glorious graces are attributed to Baba —quite human
qualities of love, purity, compassion, grace, caring concern, etc. Surely if
you belong to Baba's pedigree, then by those same excellent persona! qualities
alone is your belonging to his gotra measured.
If you are a
mini-Baba in "Yoga" (Spiritual quality of sanctity and cleanliness),
then the "kshema" part, of Divine care and providence upon you and
yours, turns up as an astounding march-past of impossible incredibe miracles
sustaining lustily your earthly and spiritual health and wellbeing. I have read
numerous testimonies to Baba's grace and miraculous succour, care, providence.
Even so, millions more blow trumpets to the glory of numerous godmen, hoax
godmen and impostors. But very few indeed have ever cared to refer to the base
of personal purity and unpolluted homely excellence of character! I had an
astonishing transcendental experience. You can call it a Dream, vision,
communion, mystic mystery what so !
I felt I was a
saint whom people called "The friend of the Lost and Sorrowing", the
benefactor of the Orphans of the Earth. I was on the ceaseless task of
relieving the sorrows and turmoils, woes and "god forsaken" gloom of
the helpless and hopeless, where the world's busy mobs bypassed them, and abandoned
them to doom.
I came back to
everyday consciousness with a jolt, and was baffled how on earth I could have
been such a one. It was absolutely none else but me then ! How great that
situation, and how pint-size my usual stature I
I passed on the
puzzle to Baba. Said Baba : You merged into me then - you -i are of my
clan, and you too are my proxy down here on earth !
And Baba placed
His palm on my chest. As His "touch" of onward-commissioning of me,
on that great tradition of Divine compassion in human channels. His palm-print
is on my chest as a link which cannot ever be broken! It is real to me, though
not visible to others. What a collosal responsibility He has bequeathed me and
how great the hazards, challenge and burden thereof!
I should have hesitated to recount so much
of what may sound like self-boast were it not that I frequently hope and pray
that many of you who read this, will also get pushed into this Baba's Stream,
ail by His leela, and then I can sit back and marvel that you have tons more to
recount as a first person standing in for Baba, down here, amidst this society,
as a dummy in whom rather Baba now dwells to bless and heal humanity.
N. SRIRAM
Madras-4.