By: Sri Narasimha Swamiji
Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today. In the ‘Life of Sai Baba’, we should observe dying is important. It’s as important as living because birth and death inter-are.
Sai Baba said, “Anything that is born must die.” If there is birth, then there must be death also. If the right is there, the left must be there also. If there is a beginning, then there must be an end. The true nature of all things is not to be born, not to die, not to arrive, and not to depart. If your dear one has just died, you may have a difficult time overcoming your loss. But look deeper. Because we are attached to one of the forms, one of the many manifestations of that person, we suffer and feel sad. The person we love is still there but, in our delusion, we cannot recognize him and say: “He no longer is.” We ask, “Where are you? Why did you leave me all alone?” Our pain is great because of our misunderstanding. Our beloved is manifesting in a different form. If we understand this, then we will suffer less. To reduce suffering and face our fear, it helps to stabilize the mind through ‘Nama Smaran’ and contemplation. Breathing is the vehicle that carries concentration. It directs your mind to the object of your ‘Dhyana’. Through the awareness of breathing, we begin to direct the mind towards recognizing reality – our Antaryamin Sai Baba.
Here is a rare photograph of Lokamanya Tilak and G.S.Khaparde in a political rally in Mumbai. The British Government virtually organized a manhunt for the two of them and we know that Khaparde took Baba’s shelter to avoid imprisonment. Like them, many have suffered umpteen miseries.
A chant of Vishnu Sahasranama before the picture of Lord Sainath which is recited daily in our residences goes like this: “With my adoration to Lord Vishnu, breathing in and out, I know I am of the nature to die; I cannot escape death. I am of the nature to grow old; I cannot escape old age. I am of the nature to get sick. Because I have a body, I cannot avoid sickness. Everything I cherish, treasure, and cling to today, I will have to abandon one day. The only thing I can carry with me is the fruit of my action. I cannot bring along with me anything else except the fruit of my actions in terms of thought, speech, and bodily acts.”
As we think of Baba’s Mahasamadhi, we can recognize this reality and smile. This is the practice of facing our fear. Fear is always there within us – the fear of getting old, getting sick, dying, or being abandoned by our loved ones. It is human to be fearful and to worry about it. Lord Sainath advised us not to suppress these fears but to invite them to the upper level of our consciousness, recognize them and smile at them. Every time your fear is invited up, every time you recognize it and smile at it, your fear loses some of its strength. When it returns to the depth of your consciousness, it returns as a smaller seed. This practice should be carried out every day, especially when you are feeling mentally and physically strong. And while practicing, if your mind gets distracted, just bring your attention back to your Breath to Baba’s assurance – “You may ask where I am now and how I can meet you now. But I am within your heart, and we can meet without any effort”. – Shri Sai Baba (Chap 44, Ovi 162).
Leave a Reply