How easy it is to seek Brahma-Jnana? How highly one could…or how lightly one could treat the theory of Brahma-Jnana…? The best answer comes from a “live-example”,  from the time of Shirdi Sai, wherein Bhagawan presented an episode, of a rich, naive man’s ambition to see Brahman. What was Shirdi Sai’s precepts to the ‘worldly one’ … a beautiful episode from Sai Satcharita. There was a rich gentleman who was very prosperous in his life. He had amassed a large quantity of wealth, houses, field and lands, and had many servants and dependents. When Baba’s fame reached his ears, he said to a friend of his, that he was not in want of anything, and so he would go to Shirdi and ask Baba to give him Brahma-Jnana which, if he got, would certainly make him more happy. His friend dissuaded him, saying, “it is not easy to know Brahman, and especially so for an avaricious man like you, who is always engrossed in wealth, wife and children. Who will, in your quest of Brahma-Jnana, satisfy you that won’t give away even a paisa in charity?” Not minding his friend’s advice, the fellow engaged a return-journey tonga (horse drawn carriage) and came to Shirdi. He went to the Masjid, saw Sai Baba, fell at His Feet and said, “Baba, hearing that You show the Brahman to all who come over here without any delay, I have come here all the way from my distant place. I am much fatigued by the journey and if I get the Brahma-Jnana from You, my troubles will be well-paid and rewarded.” Baba then replied, “Oh, My dear friend, do not be anxious, I shall immediately show you the Brahman; all My dealings are in cash and never on credit. So many people come to Me, and ask for wealth, health, power, honour, position, cure of diseases and other temporal matters. Rare is the person, who comes here to Me and asks for Brahma-Jnana. There is no dearth of persons asking for wordly things, but as persons interested in spiritual matters are very rare, I think it a lucky and auspicious moment, when persons like you come and press Me for Brahma-Jnana. So forthwith, I show to you with pleasure, the Brahman with all its accompaniments and complications.” Saying this, Baba started to show him the Brahman. He made him sit there and engaged him in some other talk or affair and thus made him forget his question for the time being. Then He called a boy and told him to go to one Nandu Marwari, and get from him a hand-loan of Rs. five. The boy left and returned immediately, saying that Nandu was absent and his house ws locked. Then Baba asked him to go to Bala grocer and get from him, the said loan. This time also, the boy was unsuccessful. This experiment was repeated again twice or thrice, with the same result. Sai Baba was, as we know, the living and moving Brahman Incarnate. Then, some one may ask – “Why did He want the paltry sum of five rupees, and why did He try hard to get it on loan? Really He did not want that sum at all. He must have been fully knowing, that Nandu and Bala were absent, and he seems to have adopted this procedure as a test for the seeker of Brahman. That gentleman had a roll or bundle of currency notes in his pocket, and if he was really earnest, he would not have sat quiet and be a mere onlooker, when Baba was frantically trying to get a paltry sum of Rs. five. He knew that Baba would keep His word and repay the debt, and that the sum wanted was insignificant. Still he could not make up his mind and advance the sum. Such a man wanted from Baba the greatest thing in the world, viz., the Brahma-Jnana! Any other man, who really loved Baba, would have at once given Rs. five, instead of being a mere onlooker. It was otherwise with this man. He advanced no money nor did he sit silent, but began to be impatient, as he was in a haste to return and implored Baba saying- “Oh Baba, please show me the Brahman soon.” Baba replied – “Oh my dear friend, did you not understand all the procedure that I went through, sitting in this place, for enabling you to see the Brahman? It is, in short this. For seeing Brahman one has to give five things, i.e. surrender five things viz. (1) Five Pranas (vital forces), (2) Five senses (five of action and five of perception), (3) mind, (4) intellect and (5) ego. This path of Brahma-Jnana of self-realization is ‘as hard as to tread on the edge of a razor’. Sai Baba then gave rather a long discourse on the subject, the purport of which is given below Qualifications for Brahma-Jnana or Self-Realization All persons do not see or realize the Brahman in their life-time. Certain qualifications are absolutely necessary. (1) Mumukshu or intense desire to get free. He, who thinks that he is bound and that he should get free from bondage and works earnestly and resolutely to that end; and who does not care for any other thinks, is qualified for the spiritual life. (2) Virakti or a feeling of disgust with the things of this world and the next. Unless a man feels disgusted with the things, emoluments and honors, which his action would bring in this world and the next, he has no right to enter into the spiritual realm. (3) Antarmukhata (introversion). Our senses have been created by God with a tendency to move outward and so, man always looks outside himself and not inside. He who wants self-realization and immortal life, must turn his gaze inwards, and look to his inner Self. (4) Catharsis from (Purging away of) sins. Unless a man has turned away from wickedness, and stopped from doing wrong, and has entirely composed himself and unless

Ananya Bhakti… How many of us do get immersed in the melodic, enchanting music of Sai Krishna’s flute, completely intoxicated, forgetting our own selves??? Bhagawan narrates the essence of true, unparalleled devotion…Ananya Bhakthi… From Bhagawan’s Divine discourse at Abbotsbury, Chennai, on 19 Jan 1986. A Gopika once asked Radha how she felt when she saw Krishna, how her heart responded, what transformation occurred in her and what joy she experienced. Radha replied: “The moment I hear the melodious flute of Krishna, my heart becomes still, and I forget myself when I learn that Krishna is coming. I am lost in the music of His flute and I am aware of nothing else. How can I describe to you my feelings when I am intoxicated by the magic of His melody?” The God intoxicated devotee cannot describe his blissful experience in words. One who attempts to express it, has no real experience of it at all. Those who regard themselves as devotees should recognise the vast difference between their narrow minded attitude and the ineffable character of true devotion. They should resolve to shed all their petty attachments and develop steadfast devotion to God as the main object of their life. For this purpose, the company of the good is essential. Good thoughts are promoted only through association with the good. This means avoiding contact with the evil minded and the unrighteous. Association with bad persons makes even a good person bad. There are classic examples of the evil consequences of association with the bad. Kaikeyi in the Ramayana and Dharmaraja in the Mahabharata are examples of persons who suffered grievously because of their association with evil minded persons Manthara in the case of Kaikeyi and the Kauravas in the case of Dharmaraja. Everyone must strive to fill the heart with true devotion. Constant contemplation on the form of the Lord and frequent repetition of the Lord’s name are the means by which the heart is filled with the love of God. When there is this love, the devotee is filled with inexpressible ecstasy. It was out of such ecstasy that Kulasekhara Alwar, the royal saint, exclaimed: “Oh Lord! People talk of Moksha as the means of redeeming life and getting rid of birth and death. I do not ask for such redemption. I shall be content with loving you and serving you in countless lives. Allow me to love you and serve you that is the only blessing I seek from you and not Moksha.” II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

“Why don’t You show Yourself to all?” Is it so easy to manifest HIM, our Chosen Lord, in front of us in physical? …For Maladasa, an innocent cowherd, it was…as his unflinching faith coupled with persistent yearning won him His physical darshan…a story from the Mahabharata times as recounted by Bhagawan Himself… There was a cowherd called Maladasa who was determined to see the Lord, as He was described in the sacred texts he had heard expounded in the village temple by a pandit. So he prayed fervently to the “black Lord riding on the white bird” all the time his cows were pasturing in the fields. Eleven days passed; but, there was no sign of the “black Lord riding the white bird,” He had forgotten to take food and drink during all those days and so, had become weak, too weak to walk or talk. At last, the Lord melted at his entreaties and presented Himself before him as an old Brahmin; but the Brahmin was not riding a white bird, nor was he black, beautifully black, as the pandit had described. So, he asked the Brahmin to come the next day at seven in the morning, so that he may bring the pandit and verify whether He was the Lord Himself. The pandit laughed at the whole affair and refused to take part in it, but Maladasa was so importunate that he agreed. The entire village turned out on the river bank the next day, long before seven o’clock. The Brahmin was there, exactly as he had promised and Maladasa showed Him to all. But, they could not see him! They began to laugh at the cowherd’s antics and threatened him with a severe beating for bringing them along as butts for his joke. Maladasa could see the Brahmin clearly but no one else could. At last, he got so enraged that he walked up to the old Brahmin and gave him a whacking blow on the cheek, saying, “Why don’t you show yourself to all?” That blow changed the entire scene. Krishna appeared in resplendent robes, smiling face, captivating form and the white bird. As the astounded villagers were recovering from the amazement, the Vimana (heavenly chariot), floated down from the sky and Krishna asked Maladasa to sit inside it. Then, with the Lord by his side Maladasa rose up and soon was out of sight. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

The Lesson ‘Dakshinamurthi’ teaches… Bhagawan’s unique way of story-telling often brings lore from ancient lives, texts and even from realms unknown to man, known only to God … here comes a beautiful recountal from Bhagawan, Who narrates a story involving The Supreme Teacher, Dakshinamurthi, from Whom it is believed that all the knowledge, sacred wisdom, emanated. Once, Dakshinamurthi wanted to teach the people the real spirit of God and also He wanted to enjoy Himself. He took a tree as His guru; He took a river as His guru, so also He took a stone as His guru. He took nature as His preceptor and began to travel with joy. After some time, He reached the shore of an ocean. He sat on the shore and was contemplating. At that time a little dirt had fallen in the ocean. The ocean became very furious and sent wave after wave to repel that dirt to the shore. Dakshinamurthi got angry with the sea. He said, “What is this? This dirt is a very small thing and the ocean is a very expansive one. Can it not contain this small piece of dirt in itself? How selfish is this ocean?” Then He reflected that because the ocean is to be respected, He should find out whether it wished to give Him some message. He felt he should not get angry with the ocean and prayerfully asked that He be given the reason for its action and thus make His heart and mind peaceful. Then the ocean spoke thus: “I am very expansive and very large and in me are born many, many animals and creatures. Therefore, I always wish that my form should be very clean. If I give place to dirt, though it be very small, tomorrow it will make all my form unclean. Therefore, I did not want to give place to that little dirt and wanted to throw it back to the shore.” This, Dakshinamurthi compared to samsara or family. If, in the family, we give place to a mean idea or a mean quality, it will certainly grow and will cover up and enmesh the whole family. Therefore, people leading a family life should try to see that not even a small, mean quality enters it. Samsara does not refer to family life alone. Our life itself is a samsara. So in this life, we should never give place to things that will mislead us or that will make us unclean. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II