Introduction
There is no end to Sai Baba’s Leelas for His devotees. We always say that every post on this blog (and of course all the blogs of Sai Yug Network) is an outcome of a Leela. We will be jotting down the subjects that we wish to research and write about. However, it is Baba’s direct plan and order to pick which one should be published on which day. This is His way of conveying messages at the appropriate times to His devotees. Even if a devotee is reading this post after a year of its publishing, it will make sense to him or her at that particular point in time. Many of the devotees who have been associated with us will agree to this and the ones who joined us recently will soon get the messages and understand its purport.
This week we wished to come out with the meaning of “Anant Koti” Jaykara, and we were excited about how spiritually uplifting it would be. However, we shifted it to the next one because Baba helped us to jot down something else. We read and write what Baba hints us. So our readers might not find any continuity in the posts of this blog. Whatever comes to us, we present to you, following or not the sequence.
Sai Satcharitra is an Autobiography of Sai Baba, complied by Hemadpanth. This is what we have concluded after reading it for years and years, now. Whatever was read a decade back made sense at that time and rereading it makes sense even today. Repetitive readings are not growing mechanical, but they are becoming technical. Every line, expression, and statement, now explains Who is Sai Baba and why He is being revered by many even after 100 years of His Mahasaamdhi and while many saints existed and still exist and counting.
Excerpt From Sai Satcharitra
Before we proceed further, we want to highlight an excerpt from Sai Satcharitra which caught our attention and made us think about what it means in reality and why we were eager to share it sooner.
Sai Baba gave a story of his boyhood as follows:- “When I was a youngester, I was in search of bread and went to Beedgaum. There I got embroidery work. I worked hard, sparing no pains. The employer was very much pleased with Me. Three other boys worked before Me. The first got Rs. 50/- the second Rs. 100/- and the third Rs. 150/-. And I was given twice the whole of this amount, viz. Rs. 600/-. After seeing my cleverness, the employer loved me, praised me and honoured me with a full dress, a turban for the head and a shell a for the body, etc. I kept this dress intact without using it. I thought that what a man might give does not last long and it is always imperfect. But what My Sircar (God) gives, lasts to the end of time. No other gift from any man can be compared to His. My Sircar says “Take, take,” but everybody comes to me and says ‘Give, give.’ Nobody attends carefully to the meaning of what I say. My Sircar’s treasury (spiritual wealth) is full, it is overflowing. I say, “Dig out and take away this wealth in cartloads, the blessed son of a true mother should fill himself with this wealth. The skill of my Fakir, the Leela of my Bhagwan, the aptitude of my Sircar is quite unique. What about Me? Body (earth) will mix with earth, breath with air. This time won’t come again. I go somewhere, sit somewhere; the hard Maya troubles Me much, still I feel always anxiety for My men. He who does anything (spiritual endeavour) will reap its fruit and he who remembers these words of Mine will get invaluable happiness.” (Sai Satcharitra, Chapter 32)
A few of our recent posts cover our thoughts and understanding of an experience about Brahma Gyan i.e. self-realization and realizing what true consciousness means. Our motto is to make this Kaliyug, SaiYug and what our Sathguru Sainath preached should be followed. Baba talked in parables, these parables were meaningful and at times devotees will be left puzzled and brooding. The above is also a kind of parable. Though apparently, it looks like Baba is talking about His Sircar during His young age, the statement weighed in bold above, left us thinking and the following three questions came to our minds
- Who is Fakir?
- Who is Bhagwan?
- Who is Sircar
Why is Sai Baba referring to all three and highlighting the characteristics of three different entities? What is the hidden message there for us? Baba did not share any information about His birth and parentage, why was He keen on sharing about His Sircar? It can be considered a foreward to what He wanted to convey actually. Dear readers, can you give a pause to this reading and think about what must be the answers before reading further? Give yourself ample time to analyze and we are eagerly waiting for your valuable answers in the comment section below.
Interpretation
Our Interpretation of “Who is Fakir?”: Sai Baba had attained the state of consciousness much before He took the bodily form and came to Shirdi. That is why we have many times noticed Him referring to Himself as “This Fakir”. He always used to utter “Allah Malik”. That means He is not considering Himself as the Supreme Master. Baba’s attire was like a Fakir and He asked alms for food to sustain the body He was in. He never showed any attachment to the body and addressed It as Fakir. He was a witness to the show of the world and being an enlightened one, the body That He was moving in was also different. The same way the senses were to Him. So when He refers to “The skill of my Fakir” He meant that the human body is an instrument to reach the goal which every soul has been set to reach. He is not confined to the Body which He was in and so addressed it from a third person’s perspective.
Our Interpretation of “Who is Bhagwan?“: We all are aware of the mantra “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” that addresses Lord Vasudev i.e. Bhagwan Vishnu and His Avatar Shri Krishna. The sustainer of the gross world and the “Ahankar” (not the ego, here ahankar means “I am” identification, the seed of individual existence). Lord Vishnu is called Bhagwan while Lord Shiva is not referred to as Bhagwan Shiva. Sri Vishnu is addressed as Bhagwan because the meaning of Bhagawan is “the one who gives”. So what is His leela that Baba is referring to when He says, “The Leela of my Bhagwan?” Thinking deeply we got the answer that Maya is the biggest Leela of Bhagwan. The truth will also look like Maya after attaining consciousness because that itself is a Maya created by Bhagwan and Maya is the seed of all gross existence. Sai Baba refers to Himself as different from the Bhagwan and shows how Maya plays its role in this universe and runs the show.
Our Interpretation of “Who is Sircar?“: Whatever materialism gained in this life will fade away one day. God is there to help us all the time and the help comes verily. It never gets exhausting. The spiritual wisdom given by His Sircar that Baba is referring to and advising to take away in carts is an analogy for the simple jiv-atmas to understand. Likewise, the jiv-atmas are ever alert to accumulate material wealth, the same way they should be every ready to take the spiritual wealth which is available in abundance and in cartloads and understand the purpose of their birth. Whether first or last, Moksha can be attained at any birth, provided we are alert to grab the opportunity towards it by taking Prabhu Naam and asking Baba for the necessary wisdom.
We hope now you know Who is Sai Baba’s Fakir!
A sloka from Bhagavad Gita will be apt to end this post.
“नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सत: |
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभि: ||”
— Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verses 16
English Transliteration: nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayorapi dṛiṣhṭo ’nta stvanayos tattva-darśhibhiḥ
Translation word by word as it is:
| Sanskrit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| na | no |
| asataḥ | not the truth or of the temporary |
| vidyate | there is |
| bhāvaḥ | is |
| na | no |
| abhāvaḥ | cessation |
| vidyate | is |
| sataḥ | of the eternal |
| ubhayoḥ | of the two |
| api | also |
| dṛiṣhṭaḥ | observed |
| antaḥ | conclusion |
| tu | verily |
| anayoḥ | of these |
| tattva | entity |
| darśhibhiḥ | by the seers |
Interpretation in English: Of the transient there is no endurance, and of the eternal there is no cessation. This has verily been observed and concluded by the seers of the Truth, after studying the nature of both.
“Shraddha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience)”
“நம்பிக்கை மற்றும் பொறுமை”
Popular in this series:
- There Are Two Shirdi(s)
- The Motherly Love Of Shirdi Sai Baba
- Shirdi Sai Baba & Anger
- Shirdi Sai Baba And Yoga
- Dhuni in Dwarkamai – Spiritual Significance
- Sai Baba’s Leela – Lighting Lamps With Water – Significance
- How To Celebrate Dusshera – MahaSamadhi Day of Sai Baba
- Friendships With Sai Baba – Celebrating Friendship Day in Unique Way
- The Guru Poornima (Celebrating the Guru / How to Observe the Day)
- Annadhanam Mahadhanam – Break Vicious Circle Of Hunger & Poverty
- Sai Baba Guides To Ram Raksha Stotra
- How Meher Baba Met Sai Baba In Shirdi
- What Is The Meaning Of “Sai”?
- Celebrating Ramnavami – Sadguru Sai Baba’s Way
© Shirdi Sai Baba Life Teachings and Stories – Member of SaiYugNetwork.com
In many occassions Baba refers to Fakir,Bhagwan,Sirkar. These are the attributes of Himself. He is humility incarnation. In stead of referring Himself directly as God, like Sri Krishna, He tries to impress upon the godliness in Him to liberate the suffering humanity and people of Shirdi are wise enough to recognise Him.