By: Baba Siva Rudra Balayogi
I offer my salutations to Para Brahman Lord Sainath and my Guru Maharaj Sadguru Siva Bala Yogi Swamiji on the 105 th ‘Punya Tithi’ of Sainath.
Oftentimes in history, some of the momentous happenings go unnoticed. And so it was, when in
April 1854, Sai Baba, appeared as a young man of sixteen years at Shirdi meditating under a neem tree. He did not reveal his name, from where he came, or his parents.
He left Shirdi unnoticed and came back four years later with a wedding party and settled down in a dilapidated mosque. He was above all religions, communities, and creeds and considered that humanity was entering a new era in its collective evolution. He considered: “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens”, and “all things had been immersed in a sea of divinity…” All who responded would become pious children of the Almighty, and the prophecies and predictions made by past spiritual luminaries, known variously as avatars, prophets, and tirthankaras, would be fulfilled.
Baba did not stir out of Shirdi but was omnipresent all over the universe. Recognizing that the world’s ‘prevailing order’ was ‘lamentably defective,’ Sai Baba provided the solution by blessing his devotees and giving ‘Marg Darshan’ that the world’s problems would be found only in an ethical approach as expressed in the spiritual principles of all the world’s religions, the most important of which would be recognition of the ‘oneness of humankind’. Dharma and religion mean the same thing. It is an outpouring of spiritual guidance from one Divine Source. Therefore, Sai Baba demonstrated through his life and mission that religion is “the greatest of all means for the establishment of the peaceful contentment of all in the universe therein.”
He further felt: “The weakening of the pillars of any religion hath strengthened the hands of the
ignorant and made them bold and arrogant…”
The devotees of Sai Baba are now celebrating the 105 th
anniversary of the Maha Samadhi of Sai Maharaj when Baba continues to shower peace and prosperity on his devotees.
As we contemplate upon Sai Maharaj and his blessings in contrast to the confusion and chaos that has engulfed us today, we need to reflect upon these words of Sri Narasimha Swamiji “…Sai Baba’s Maha Samadhi day is the Day in which humankind can behold the Face of Almighty, and hear the Voice of Sainatha Para Brahman” Here lies the significance of Sai Baba’s Maha Samadhi day following the Festival of Navaratri and Vijaya Dashami that spans 10 days, of which, all the ten days, are observed as holy days. Baba took Maha Samadhi at the transit of Vijaya Dashami to Ekadashi.
Although outwardly cataclysms or catastrophes are difficult to understand and hard to endure, there is some hidden wisdom that becomes evident later on. We all speak of the web of life; all visible events like Sai Baba’s Maha Samadhi in life are interconnected by invisible spiritual forces. What will help is the motto of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – one planet, one family, one future, and working for greater cooperation, a better understanding of the reciprocal relationships among the three protagonists that compose our society, namely, the individual, institutions, and diverse communities.
Reversing the orientation of our consciousness is the first movement we make in yoga. It is the most decisive change one makes in life. Herculean effort is needed to sustain and strengthen the process, for our tapasya will only yield to a complete surrender at the very end.
Because of the difficulty, there is a temptation to retreat into seclusion. Initially, we need to create our sacred environment. However, in Integral Yoga, we cannot shy away for long because we learn that the best way to change ourselves is through the thick of life itself. It is a yog of transformation after all and it is in action that our inner movements are best transformed. We must try to do this even in interaction. Eventually, whatever throws us onto the outside only signals the necessity of retaining our poise inside.
We are always tested. We must embrace this station in everyday life. At work or with our family,
that elusive tug is particularly there. We must step back continuously to retrieve our source.
Sooner or later, in your passage through lifetimes, this calling will come. Think of Sai Baba’s Maha Samadhi day. Truly, you do not have a choice. Do not look back, surrender to it and shift everything inside.
May the blessings of Sai Maharaj and Guru Maharaj be on everybody in the ‘Sai Aura’ family.
Leave a Reply