Sri Das Ganu

Om Sri Sai Ram

Shri.Ganeshayanamah. Oh Lord Lambodar your form is the Truth. Oh Generous One, you are the Origin. Please hold my hand and help me write. Oh Listeners, please listen to this Sant Kathamrut -a book comparable to spring. The stories of the saints are the mango trees here. They have the branches of miracles performed by the saints. The poetic arrangement is the foliage of the tender leaves and the advice given by the saints is the fruit. I beg you to become a cuckoo and enjoy the sweet juice of the fruit. This book is the Manas Sarovar.

The stories of the saints are the fully bloomed water lilies. The pure honey of advice is contained in them. Oh Listeners, enjoy this honey like humble bumble bees.  He is the Kalpatam (The Divine Tree). He is the ship to cross the ocean of the mundane world, he is very generous. He is the ocean of mercy. He loves his devotees.

Sai’s devotees went to Shirdi at the time of Dhanu Sankraman in the month of Pausha. Listeners may think that the Dhanu Sankranti is not as important as the Makar Sankranti. Why should, then, the devotees choose a less important day for the Darshan? On Dhanu Sankranti. people offer the Naivedha to the Sun and take their meals at sunrise. A similar situation is here too. I shall try to explain it to you.

The worldly miseries froze the devotees with cold. They donned themselves with the warm clothing of devotion and rushed to see Baba -their Sadguru. Shirdi is the mountain from where rises Sai the Sun. Sai’s grace is the dawn. The devotees bathed themselves in the Ganga of faith and went for his darshan. The Lord, then, offered them a meal prepared from Self realization. This is Dhanurmas in Shirdi and hence the devotees gathered in Shirdi in anticipation of the meal. Narayan, the son of Shri.Govind born in the family of Chandorkar Haripant, a pious devotee and a firm believer in the teachings of the Vedas. Beray, Nimonkar, Laxman Maruti and other great devotees gathered there.

All of them sat in the mosque and were as glad as the children are to see their mother. Chandorkar folded his hands in reverance and said, “I asked you a question. Baba: but you did not answer it then. Please tell me why you are annoyed with us and then, explain to us who the God is and where He lives.

Maharaj said. “Nana, anger does not stay in my heart. You are all my children. Whom do I get angry with? Of course, you have the right to show the false anger with me. Had Shri.Venkusa been around, I would also have had shown this kind of false anger expressed to him. Anyway. I have given two discourses to you earlier. You must remember the advice therein and listen to me. If you assimilate the knowledge I have given you earlier, it will equip you with four instruments. When a devotee is equipped thus, then only, the knowledge of Bramhan is related to him for self realization. The ways followed to procure the desired are known as the instruments here. Concentrate on my speech. I will relate those four instruments to you. Remember the subject is very deep.

The first one is the proper understanding of the real and the unreal. This is called Vivek, the reasoning. Second is Vairagya the asceticism. The third is the group of six consisting of Shama, Dama etc. The fourth is the desire for Absolution.

Listen to the definition of Reasoning. This deals with the permanent and temporary things. One must have realized that the world is an illusion and Bramhan is the truth. A lot of pure Chaitanya. The visible world is simply, an illusion. Oh Narayan, one cannot believe in it but one experiences its existence. There is no place in this universe devoid of this Chaitanya. One cannot find a single thing devoid of this. My son! It does not have any colour or form. Do not forget this, this is called Bramhan. It is worshipped by Gnanies who are called the realized ones in this world. The Chaitanya contains millions and millions of animals, plants and insects. It is the prime cause for the very existence of the universe and the shapes of these life forms. The Chaitanya envelopes everything. It is without pain. It is truth, knowledge and bliss embodied. We are also not different from it.’

Nana folded his hands and prayed, ‘Baba, I have some difficulty in understanding, here. You said the Bramhan is devoid of pain and it envelopes everything. It is blissful too. My Mother, you said everything contains this Bramhan. I, however, find that the world is full of miseries and pain. It is also infinite. I do not see any properties of Chaitanya in it. How can a born-blind see beauty? How can Real Chaitanya live in an illusory thing? If the Soul itself is the life force, then its unity does not exist at all because there are many souls. The pleasure and pain of one soul do not affect others. How can we? Then say that all of them contain the same Chaitanya? Since the bodies are different I feel that the souls are also different.”

Baba said, Nana,you make a mistake, here. Now listen to me with full concentration. If we mix red, white, black, yellow, blue, green, violet and crimson colours separately with water and keep these mixtures in different glasses, can the water be different? It gets red colour with red and yellow with yellow. If we separate the colour from the mixture, the colour of the water will not be visible again. In the same manner, after the union of the soul with heart, experience of miseries and pain are caused. Bodies of the animals are different but there is no difference in their souls. All of them have the same soul. Pleasure and pain are the properties of the heart (body). The body, however, is necessary for the soul. Understand this, My Child.

Now, I will analyze this topic so that you will understand it well. My child Narayan, the Chaitanya has three qualities. They are spiritual (Parmarthic), customary (Vyavaharic) and illusory (pratibhasic). They are similar to the three states of the body viz. childhood, youth and old age. The souls who have reached the state of spiritualism are considered as holymen. Those who understand the difference between the right and the wrong and follow” the Shastras are called customary. Those who consider illusion as the truth are called illusory. They are covered with nescience, Nana.

You see an emperor, his officers and his messengers. All of them are due to the existence of the empire. They are all different. The emperor enjoys elephants, palanqines, different vehicles etc. He controls others at his will. His officers have to act according to his orders. Their wishes are dependent on those of the emperor’s. The messengers have to execute his orders. Their own will is limited here. The subjects are under the envelope of the power of the emperor.

Everything, the emperorship, messengership and also the subjecthood, are all dependent on this power. This power, however, is different from all of them. When the emperor dies, the power of the empire does not cease to be. We can easily understand the different aspects of this power. He who becomes one with the power becomes the emperor, though the power is independent, everything happens when one is supported by it. Nana, you sit in the chair (of the Secretary) due to the power of the empire. Your peon who swings the fan over your head does so due to the same power. Both of you are there (in the office) due to the same power but you perform different duties. The emperor fully enjoys this power. A part of it is enjoyed by the officers. The peon enjoys even a smaller part of it. The subjects, too, enjoy under its aegis. Thus, the spiritual souls become one with the Bramhan and enjoy complete bliss.

Upon this Nana asked very politely, How can one divide the formless power of the empire into different parts? Once we name the different parts, its nature of being formless vanishes (Hence it contradicts the assumption).

Baba said. “A very good question, Nana! I am very glad you asked it. The power of the empire, certainly, cannot be divided. We, however perceive its divisions (parts). Same is the case with the Chaitanya which appears to be infinite but one perceives its parts. Though one cannot divide it into parts the recipients enjoy it partially according to their abilities. The space occupies small and big pots, utensils and the sky. The containers may have different capacities to fill the space. Does it, then, mean that the space is divided? Nana, understand this. This is the case here too. This is how the soul is. I have explained to you the nature of the Soul.

Whatever we see around us is the trick of the Maya (illusion). This universe is formed by the union of the Maya and the Bramhan.”

Thereupon, Narayan asked, “Who is this Maya? Who created her? What is her nature? You have explained to me that the prime cause for the universe is the Chaitanya. The universe is not different from it. Where does then, this Maya come from?”

Maharaj replied to this. ‘Listen to me carefully. I will explain to you how Maya came into being. The very power of the Chaitanya, She had adorned the Chaitanya entirely. You cannot separate them as sweetness cannot be separated from treacle (jaggery). One cannot separate the light from the Sun. The union of these two has created the Universe.

My son this is the case here too. The Sun makes itself known due to its radiance. This similarity exists between Maya and Bramhan. Maya, however is limited but Chaitanya is infinite. Both of them are permanently ancient. Maya is the primal matter and Chaitanya is the soul. Dnanraja (Dnaneshwar) has discussed the soul and Maya in the Amrutanubhav (The Dnaneshwari). I will therefore not repeat it. I will only introduce that spiritual cave to you.

Those who enter that cave stay in there for ever in lasting bliss. They do not come out of it. The soul is the root cause of everything. Maya is the effect. This Maya is very important, Oh Narayan! Maya gives rise to ego which makes one feel one’s individuality. When Maya engulfs something one loses the sense of truth. Maya has two qualities. Maya covers everything that exists. What does not exists, Maya makes it appear as if it does. Those are the two things, Maya does. She, thus, confuses everybody. A labourer dreams that he has become a king. Here, his existence as a labourer is, first, covered by the Maya. Though there is no kingship, Maya creates the illusion. Thus, Maya covers the Bramhan and projects a different picture. In fact, this universe does not exist. There is only one true thing and that is the Chaitanya. However, due to the Maya, it appears as the universe. The properties of the universe appear to be true though the universe itself is all illusory. This is what causes inauspiciousness. Therefore you must remove the veil of the Maya and see the Chaitanya with the help of the knowledge. You will find that you are everything yourself. When water loses its turbidity, one sees clear water. Similarly, when the turbidity due to the Maya is removed, the Chaitanya will re-appear clearly. You must worship that reality, Oh Narayan! I have to tell this to everybody.

The soul is the reality. The main purpose of the spiritual knowledge is to explain this principle. You must realize this soul and achieve the absolution in this birth only.
On listening to this sermon, everybody was completely satisfied. They started prostrating before the Lord. Oh children, assimilate what Baba told lovingly to Vaidhya Sathe, Chandorkar, Berey, Nana, Nimonkar, Maruti Laxman and Noolkar. All the devotees said, “Amen’ and prostrated before Baba again and again. How can there be the darkness of ignorance where the Sun of knowledge shines?

Oh Sai Maharaj! please accept this child. Please allow Das Ganu to sit by the cool shadow of your grace. Sai Maharaj -the cloud of knowledge showered this nectar in this Shri.Sant Kathamrut. Ganu is requesting you to enjoy this nectar. This is the end of the fifty seventh chapter.

57th Chapter from Shri.Sant Kathamrut by Shri.Das Ganu.

Also Read Below
Shri Bhakta Leelamrut – Chapter 31 & 32

Shri Bhakta Leelamrut by Dasganu Maharaj – Chapter 32

Shri Ganeshayanamah. Oh Lord of the Universe. You are idol of bliss. You are merciful, radiant and formless, but you do exist in all forms. Such is your uncomprehensible nature. I cannot understand it oh, my Mother. The Vedas, even, say, “Neither this nor that.” The sons of knowledge like Bhrugu, Parashar and Vashishta could not explain your nature. I am just like a glow-worm in their comparison. Whatever may be the case, Oh Lord, please listen to my earnest prayers and enter my body and write this book.

Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Nimonkar, both Sai devotees, once went to Shirdi for Baba’s darshan. Nanasaheb fell at Baba’s feet and said: “O Sai Maharaj, I am sick and tired of this mundane life. The Shastras say that this world of ours is meaningless, an illusion. Help me. O brother of the helpless, to break the fetters that bind me to this mundane life, the more one looks for happiness in this world, the less one finds it. Misery seems to be man’s lot. Wretched hope that springs eternally in us sends us from place to place.. I am sick and tired of it. I do not want to get involved in it.”

Baba laughed at this and said:” Where do you get these crazy ideas from, Nana? You really are a simpleton. What you said about mundane life is true but you can not escape it as long as the body exists. Nobody can escape it, not even I”. Our mundane life affects the body in various ways,” continued Sai Maharaj. “Desire, envy, avarice, pride, hatred and anger are part of our mundane life; so are the senses of sight, hearing and taste. So indeed are our imagination and our bodily needs. They are all inextricably mixed: they are like a mixture the component parts of which are inseparable, like a knot that nobody can untie. People say that one’s wife and progeny are also of one’s mundane life. You too believe so and find it difficult to get on with them. What with one’s wife and children and other relatives like brothers, nephews etc, life is full of problems but you cannot get rid of these.”

Nana said, “My previous lives were evidently ordained by the Lord but my concern is with my present one. I do not want any more of it bedeviled, as it is by too many problems, too many woes. Help me to rid myself of this.” Baba laughed at these words of Nanasaheb and said. “You are responsible for this life as well. You are the one who caused it. Now, then, can you get rid of it? This body of yours is the fruit of the accumulated karma of the past. Karma is the root cause of all our miseries. All those that are born – whether men, birds or beasts -suffer from the effects of their previous karma. Unless one bums down the effects of one’s previous karma, one cannot be rid of the body.

All people, rich and poor, and married ones, sanyasins and vanaprasthas exist because of the life force running through them; so do different kinds of animals like horses, bulls, jackals, tigers, rhinos, hyenas, dogs, pigs, scorpions, snakes, ants, fleas and kites. The same life force runs through all of them. Why, then, do these entities look different? Did you ever ponder this, Nana? If you do you will realize that the reason lies in their past karma.

The animals are different because of their previous karma, their innate characteristics depending on the species they belong to. Thus, tigers eat flesh and pigs eat excreta while hyenas dig out buried bodies and devour them. Kites and vultures feed on rotten bodies while swans eat the tender leaves of lotus plants.

Karma, determines not only the species – specific characteristics of animals but also what happens to some members of the species as distinct from some others of the species in their life-span. Thus, some tigers are lucky to roam free in the forest whereas others are destined to move from door to door at the bidding of their gypsy masters, chained and shackled. The dogs kept by the rich sit on soft mattresses while others roam about in the streets, lingering around houses for a piece of bread. Some cows are treated to good grains, oil cakes and special fodder; some do not get even a straw to nibble and some others have to hang around refuse dumps for food.

Coming to men, some are rich, some poor, some lucky and some mere destitutes reduced to begging. Some have vehicles and horses and some have large houses or palaces to live in while some have to sleep naked in the open. Some have children, some remain childless, some are unlucky to see their children die young and some get heartily sick of their children.”

Nana folded his hands and said, “I understand that but what puzzles me is this: why should there be pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow? There cannot be these if one gets rid of worldly affairs.”

To this Baba said, “Pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow are illusions. They are not real, although people think them to be real. Thanks to his previous karma, one man feeds on delicacies; another feeds on dry bread; a third gets only stale food or worthless left-overs. Those who feed on stale food or worthless left-overs consider themselves unhappy, while those eating good food say that they have everything they need. The purpose of eating is to quench the fire in the stomach, no matter what one eats delicacies or left-overs. Similarly, the purpose of covering one’s body, whether with delicate fabrics woven with gold thread or with rough garments made from the inner bark of trees, is to protect the body; nothing more. Thus, joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure are simply ways of looking at things. They are, as I said, illusions and you should not be deceived by them. Illusory as they are, these feelings cannot exist without a cause just as waves cannot exist without water or light without a lamp.

The six enemies like desire, avarice etc. are the underlying causes. These make one believe that the unreal is the real. When a poor man sees a gold bracelet on the wrist of a rich man, he feels angry. The anger in turn gives rise to envy, the desire to own something belonging to another. One must therefore defeat the six enemies. Once they are subdued they cannot disturb you with joy or sorrow. You need not destroy these enemies completely; you need only to learn to employ them as your slaves, keeping them in check through knowledge or rational thinking.

“There is, however, one real joy and one real sorrow. Being caught up in the cycle of births and deaths is the real sorrow; getting liberated from the cycle is the real joy. All the rest is illusion.

“How then, should one conduct oneself in the world? Listen to what I say carefully. One must be contented with one’s lot in life; one must not keep worrying over it. If riches come to you, accept them but be humble, like the trees which bend on being loaded with fruit. It is good to be humble, to be kind and polite but not to everyone. You should learn to tell rogues, who take advantage of the kindness of the rich, and be stern with them. Do not forget, however, that wealth is but the noonday shadow. Do not get puffed up with the power of wealth and harass others. Instead give in charity according to your capacity. One should never borrow and be extravagant. The world may be an illusion but your destiny is not: it is real. You need wealth to conduct your worldly affairs.

Wealth is essential but one should not get entangled in it. Do not be a miser. Be generous but not over-generous. Remember no one will care for you once your wealth is spent. Generosity combined with extravagance is dangerous; avoid it by all means. While giving in charity, consider how suitable is the recipient. Ask yourself: “Is he worthy of your help? Is he in real need? and only if the answer is yes, must you give. The sick and the disabled are worthy of your charity; so are orphans. All public welfare projects are deserving of financial help: so are scholars of merit. Try and help, if you can, poor and deserving women in labour.

“There are three types of feedings: mass feeding, regular feeding and occasional feeding. Mass feeding is feeding people in thousands. You may do this if you are very wealthy and your intentions good. When you mass-feed, you need not differentiate between caste or between good and bad people; all are worthy. Feeding in the name of the Lord also falls in this category. However, you should not undertake some feeding if you have to borrow and get into debt.

Regular feeding, on the other hand, calls for discrimination. Only way farers, mendicants, the worthy poor among students who live by begging their bread, and the hungry deserve to be fed regularly. “Then there is occasional feeding – feeding on occasions like weddings, festivals and the completion of the observance of religious vows. On such occasions you may invite your good friends and relations and feed them. These are the three types of feeding and the reasons behind them. The same holds good for the offering of clothing as well.

“Try to help those in distress whenever your purse permits. When in power, do not misuse it. Do not take a bribe while sitting in judgment on a case. Whatever responsibility is given to you, carry it out well and with due care. Do not dress overly and show off. Do not, without proper reason, insult anyone. Know the bad and the wicked and deal carefully with them. If you are blessed with sons, daughters, servants and maids, treat them all affectionately but do not take pride in these blessings, for such pride is the cause of the cycle of births and deaths. We must finish up with our past store of karma so that nothing is left for us to carry forward. Blessings like sons, daughters etc. are meant for this life only. Where, for instance, are the friends and relatives we had in our past lives? They ceased to be when the lives for which they were meant ceased to be. Desires, on the other hand, bind us from birth to birth and bring about the next birth. Do not therefore take false pride in your progeny, relations or friends. Only then will you get everlasting bliss. We go to a hotel to take shelter there for a short while. We do not get attached to such a temporary dwelling. The world too is but a temporary abode for us.

“Everybody should perform his duties and at the same time remember the Lord, who is full of bliss.

All children on earth were created by the one God but your own child is your responsibility. You must bring him up properly, educate him, give him some money and leave some wealth for him. Do not, however, take pride in his upbringing or education or the wealth you have left him. Do your duty and give the Lord the credit for doing it. Give the Lord the fruits of your duty too. This will help you to remain aloof and detached from worldly activities. Use your intelligence and knowledge to differentiate the good from the bad, accept the good and discard the bad. Take up good projects and make all possible efforts to complete them. You must by no means be apathetic towards the affairs of this world. Do your duties proudly but cast off this pride as soon as they bear fruit.

“As long as life exists, one must take good care of one’s body but one should not weep over death. After death nothing exists for you to cry over. Wise men are unmoved by death; it is only the foolish who give vent to their feelings in times of death. The body until its death is a loan from the five elements, which the life force repays. On full and final repayment of the loan, air mixes with air, fire with fire. Thus, the five elements go back to their respective places.

The body belongs to the earth and as such its loss is not a matter for mourning. Similarly the birth of a child need not be a cause for rejoicing, birth being as natural a phenomenon as death. One must simply stay calm, unmoved by birth and death, O Narayan! The earth bears the seed, the cloud waters it and the sun helps the seed to germinate. When the seed germinates, do the earth, the cloud and the sun rejoice and start dancing? Whether the sprout turns into a big tree or it dries up and withers is something that should cause neither rejoicing nor sorrow. If we act in this manner, how can there be any misery or cause for lamentation? The state of absolution is the absence of misery and lamentation.

Baba then told Nanasaheb that we would receive from him more ‘upadesh” later. Nanasaheb was very pleased to hear this. His eyes moist with tears of joy and his body full of goose pimples, he caught hold of Baba’s feet and said in a voice overwhelmed with emotion.”O generous Sai: you have redeemed me. Your “upadesh” has washed away the dust of nescience that had gathered over me. I am deeply grateful to you.” Nimonkar was equally overwhelmed. They both fell at Baba’s foot and left for their respective homes.

Oh Seeta Bedrey, I told you about the ethical conduct which Baba related to Chandorkar. Anyone who regularly reads this chapter will never be hurt by worldly affairs. Oh devout readers, drink the nectar of ethical knowledge from this Bhakt Leelamrit. This is Das Ganus request to you. Submitted at the feet of Lord Harihar. May God bless us all. This is the end of the 32 chapter.

Om Shree Ganeshayanamah.! I pray to Lord Ganesh ‘I pray to Lord Umapati.!!! 0 Lord! I am praying to you in the evening (“pradosh kal”). I am your child and do not ignore me. You have chosen the most pleasant Kailas mountain as your abode. You appeared in the past as angry Veerbhadra when Daksha Prajapati insulted you. O Pashupati, you are always alert to protect your devotees. Why then are you ignoring me 0 Merciful Parvatiraman! May be you think this sinful ignoramus is not worthy of your grace and therefore do not appear before me. O Shoolapani, O Umanath, remember the hunter and forgive me as you have forgiven him. I am your child and pray, do not ignore me.

The devotees of the Lord, no matter what caste they were born in, become one with Narayan. They all belong to one caste only, just as there is only one life force in every heart and only one person, the Lord himself. How then can there be any duality? The devotees do not hold different opinions, nor do they take pride in any particular faith. In the past, great saints like Kamal and Kabir appeared on this earth. Did the Lord think of their caste? The Lord hungers for devotion, which he finds but rarely. He sells himself to the devotee who makes a bid for his grace with pure devotion. All devotees are dear to Lord Hari, no matter what caste or circumstances they are born in.

About twelve miles to the south of the Godavari near Kopergaon, is the village Shirdi. There appeared in that village a very pious Maharaj called Sai Baba by his devotees. Nobody knew where he came from. If anybody asked him where he came from or what his name was, the Maharaj would answer, the answer coming pat like rain after, thunder: “I belong to no place, I am Nirguna. But bound as I am by karma I got this form- this body of mine. The universe is my abode. Brahma is my father and Maya my mother, and they gave me this body.” His heart, however, was always full of bliss. He knew the world is mortal. This Maharaj brought off a number of miracles. I cannot describe all of them here.

Shirdi was a very small place in those days with just a few small shops dealing in groceries of everyday .

The Maharaj used to go round and get oil from the grocers, with which he lighted every evening a number of oil lamps in the mosque and in the temples -his daily ‘Deepotsava’. One day, the grocers, tired of giving oil gratis, decided to refuse as a body. They lied to him saying they had no oil. Baba was surprised that the grocers found it so easy to tell him a lie.

People tell lies, degrade themselves and move away from the Lord, falling eventually under the weight of their own karma. A liar is among the worst of sinners. One who always tells the truth attains the Lord. Truth is the path to salvation. Even penance and japa cannot match it. Truth is the river of bliss. One should stick to truth.

The Maharaj said nothing to the grocers. He went back to the mosque and performed a miracle. He set the earthen lamps all round the mosque and put wicks in them. The grocers, who had followed him, stood watching. “How can the lamps burn without oil?” they said to one another. “The man must be down-right mad; he is thinking of lighting the lamps without oil. Can any sane man think of maternity for a sterile woman? Sure he is a mad man, a leader of the ignorant.”

Nanasaheb Dengale, a Sai devotee, did not agree with them. He said to them, “You are all blind. Do not despise him like that. Shree Hari knows what powers this man has. If a diamond lies in a heap of stones, would you call it a stone? Keep quiet for a while and see what the Fakir does now. Don’t make hasty statements.”

There was a little oil in Baba’s tin can just enough to light one small lamp. Baba put some water in it and drank the mixture.

He then filled the oil lamps with water and lighted them and lo and behold, the lamps burned, as with oil. Awed, Dengale fell at Baba’s feet. The people of Shirdi seeing this miracle, began to wonder about Baba’s powers. They said that God himself had incarnated in Shirdi. They came all together, fell at Baba’s feet and said: We have sinned against you. Forgive us our sin. You are our dear mother and we your children. 0 merciful one, please do not be angry with us. You are Mercy, Knowledge, Virtue and Peace embodied in human form” Baba then said to them, “Listen to me carefully. Act in such a way that the Lord will be pleased with you. Never tell lies. Be truthful always. Never deceive anybody. Spend your wealth on good causes according to your capacity. You will be benefited and meet Narayan in the end. Remember my words and act acc