SHRI SAI SATCHARITRA
THE WONDERFUL LIFE
AND TEACHINGS OF SHRI SAI BABA
SHRI SAI SATCHARITRA
Chapter I
Salutations -- The Story of Grinding Wheat and Its Philosophical Importance.
Shri sai satcharitra starts with salutations.
According to the ancient and respected custom
of India
First,
he bends to the God Ganesha to remove all obstacles, make the work a success
and says that Sai baba is the God Ganesha.
After,
he pray Goddess Saraswati to inspire him to write out the work, says that Sainath
Maharaj is Goddess Saraswati and that He is Himself singing His own life.
He
prays the Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar - the Creating, Protecting and Demolishing
Gods. he says that Shirdi Sainath is one with them and He as the great Satguru,
will carry us across the River
of Worldly Existence
Then,
to his tutelary God Narayan Adinath who manifested himself in Konkan - the land
get back by Parashurama, (Lord Rama) from the sea; and to the Adi (Original)
Purusha of his (writer’s) family.
Then, to the
Bharadwaja Muni, into whose gotra (clan) he was born.
After he pray to
various Rishis, Yagyavalakya, Bhrigu, Parashara, Narad, Vedavyasa, Sanak,
Sanandan, Sanatkumar, Shuka. Shounak, Vishwamitra, Vasistha, Valmiki, Vamadeva,
Jaimini, Vaishampayan, Nava Yogindra etc, and also modern Saints such as
Nivritti, Jnanadev, Sopan, Muktabai, Janardan, Ekanath, Namdev, Tukaram, Kanha,
and Narahari etc.
Then,
to his grandfather Sadashiv, father Raghunath, his mother, who left him in his childhood,
to his aunt, who brought him up, and to his loving elder brother.
Then, to the readers
and prays them to give their whole and complete attention to his work.
Lastly,
to his Guru Shri Sainath - an Incarnation of Shri Dattatreya, Who is his sole
Refuge and Who will make him realize that Brahman is the Reality and the world
a daydream; and incidentally, to all the Beings in whom the Lord God dwells.
After
describing in brief the various modes of devotion according to Parashara, Vyasa
and Shandilya etc., the author goes on to narrate the following story:
"It was sometime after 1910 A.D. that I went, one fine
morning, to the Masjid in Shirdi for getting a darshan of Sai Baba. I was
wondered to see the following fact. After washing His mouth and face, Sai Baba
began to make preparations for grinding wheat. He spread a sack on the floor;
and thereon set a hand-mill. He took some quantity of wheat in a winnowing fan,
and then drawing up the sleeves of His Kafni (robe); and taking hold of the peg
of the hand-mill, started grinding the wheat by putting a few handfuls of wheat
in the upper opening of the mill and rotated it. I thought ‘what business Baba
had with the grinding of wheat, when He possessed nothing and stored nothing,
and as He lived on alms!’ Some people who had come there thought likewise, but
none had the courage to ask baba what He was doing. Immediately, this news of
Baba's grinding wheat spread into the village, and at once men and women ran to
the Masjid and gathered there to see Baba's act.
Four
bold women, from the crowd, forced their way up and pushing Baba aside, took
forcibly the peg or handle into their hands, and, singing Baba's Leelas,
started grinding. At first Baba was angry, but on seeing the women's love and
devotion, He was much pleased and began to smile. While they were grinding,
they began to think that Baba had no house, no property, no children, none to
look after, and He lived on alms, He did not require any wheat-flour for making
bread or roti, what will He do with this big quantity of flour? Perhaps as Baba
is very kind, He will distribute the flour amongst us. Thinking in this way
while singing, they finished the grinding and after putting the hand-mill aside,
they divided the flour into four portions and began to remove them one per
head.
Baba,
Who was calm and quiet up till now, got wild and started abusing them saying,
"Ladies, are you gone mad? Whose father's property are you looting away?
Have I borrowed any wheat from you, so that you can safely take the flour? Now
please do this. Take the flour and throw it on the village border limits."
On hearing this, the women felt abashed and whispering amongst them, went away
to the outskirts of the village and spread the flour as directed by Baba.
I
asked the Shirdi people - "What was this that Baba did?" They replied
that as the Cholera Epidemic was spreading in the village and this was Baba's
remedy against the same; it was not wheat that was ground but the Cholera
itself was ground to pieces and pushed out of the village. From this time
onward, the Cholera Epidemic subsided and the people of the village were happy.
I was much pleased to know all this; but at the same time my curiosity was also
aroused. I began to ask myself - What earthly connection was there between
wheat flour and Cholera? What was the casual relation between the two? And how to resolve them? The incident seems to be mysterious.
I should write something on this and sing to my heart's content Baba's sweet
Leelas. Thinking in this way about this Leela, my heart was filled with joy and
I was thus inspired to write Baba's Life - The Satcharita.
And as we know, with
Baba's grace and blessing this work was successfully accomplished.
Philosophical Significance of Grinding
Sai Baba
lived in Shirdi for about 60 years and during this long period; He did the
business of grinding almost every day - not, however, the wheat alone; but the
sins, the mental and physical afflictions and the miseries of His countless
devotees. The two stones of His mill consisted of Karma and Bhakti. The handle
with which Baba worked the mill consisted of Jnana. It was the firm belief of
Baba that Knowledge or Self-realization is not possible, unless there is the
prior act of grinding of all our impulses, desires, sins; and of the three
gunas, viz. Sattva, Raja and Tama; and the Ahamkara, which is so subtle and
therefore so difficult to be got rid of.
This
reminds us of a similar story of Kabir who is weeping, seeing a woman grinding
corn. His Guru, Nipathiranjana asked why you are weeping. Kabir said "I am
weeping because I feel the misery of being crushed in this wheel of worldly
existence like the corn in the hand-mill." Nipathiranjana replied,
"Do not be afraid; hold fast to the handle of knowledge of this mill, as I
do, and do not wander far away from the same but turn inward to the Center, and
you are sure to be saved."
Shri sai satcharitra First Chater completed
Sainatharpana Masthu
(Dedicated Saibaba)
Subham Bhavathu
Shri
Dabholkar (Hemadpant)
Bow to Shri Sai
-- Peace be to all
Shri
Dabholkar = Writer of Shri Sai
Satcharitra
Sai
Satcharitra = Wonderful stories of
Satguru Saibaba
God
Ganesha = Hindu God
Goddess
Saraswati = Hindu God
Hemadpant =
Writer of Shri Sai Satcharitra
Brahma
= Hindu God of Creation
Vishnu =
Hindu God of Protection
Shankar =
Hindu God of Demolion
Narayan
Adinath = Hindu God
Parashurama = Hindu God, Lord Rama
Adi
(Original) Purusha = First person
Bharadwaja
Muni = Indian saint
Brahman =
The person who relealise his soul
Masjid = Muslim prayer place
Shirdi = The holy land , near Mumbai, India
Darshan = Watching of God or Guru with devotion
Leelas = Wonderful deeds of Satguru, God
Karma = Result of
previous actions
Bhakti = Love towads God
Jnana. = True knowledge
Ahamkara = Self ego
Kabir = Great saint of India
Nipathiranjana
= Kabir’s
Guru.
Shri
Dattatreya = First Guru of whole Universe
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