By: Sushma S. Aradhya
Sai Baba prompted me and my mother to enroll in a Gita Swadhdyay class in the local Sai Mandir. Waking up at 5.30 am every day and sitting through the class was in itself an achievement for a person like me, with very little attention span. Swadyay is not just a lecture but also something that you listen to, allow it to play and settle in your mind, and then make it a part of your life. Which is what I found intellectually challenging. It was conducted by a Sanskrit scholar who quoted anecdotes from Sai Satcharita and made us feel in Sai Bliss with so much head and heart.
The ones that stayed with me the most were on the concept of yajna in chapter 3. Yajna is cosmic order rather than sacrifice, as he quoted breaking of the coconut given by Vasudevananda Saraswati to Sai Baba. The result of everything that happens to you or through you is the work and role of Sai Baba’s Sankalpa’ to you and so many stakeholders.
He gave us the simple example of the sugarcane juice machine where every part, from the nuts, bolts, and wheels, to the handle that churns the machine are all important. Then how is it possible for one part to stake a claim for the final outcome? That is why you have no right over the fruit of your action. 
When Kaka Dixit brings a trunk-load of silver coins after winning a major legal case, Sai Baba distributes the money to all present in the Mosque.
Play your role in life just like the sun, wind, and rain; they don’t expect a ‘thank you’ and just do what they have to do. Every person who comes into your life, every meal, every act, even your own breath, are all outcomes of yajna. So the honor, respect, and gratitude for everything in creation arise.
Krishna reveals in chapter 6, the nuances of meditation and techniques to help one go deeper in the practice. In verse 5 he says, “Let a man raise himself by himself, not debase himself for he is one’s best friend or enemy. I learned that taking responsibility for your actions is key to success in life. No one in life can help you if you can’t help yourself. With every action, thought and intention, you can choose to either raise yourself or go lower. However hard it may seem at some moments in life, in the end, it’s only you. No spouse, friend, or parent can do this for you and it’s an illusion to think otherwise. This verse taught me self-reliance and discrimination, vital for personal growth as exemplified by Mother Radhakrishna Mayi in her selfless devotion to Sai Maharaj.
“Treat victory and defeat, gain and loss, pleasure and pain alike, and get ready for battle. Fighting thus, you will not incur sin,” said Krishna to Arjuna (2:38). Sai Baba turned Dasa Ganu into a great Kirthankar. Baba used to assure him always “You are always a winner. Sometimes you win; sometimes you make others win.” When we see the world and our experiences through this lens gifted to Dasa Ganu, opposites will not drag us down but keep our minds uplifted, no matter what! This was my gain in this course – something that would never have happened in my schedule otherwise.
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