By: Sri Narasimha Swamiji
One of the greatest things a Sai devotee can do is to give of himself to serve others. Many people fear giving because they worry that they will have less. But there is a law of abundance at work in the universe. Whenever we give selflessly, unasked for, we end up having more.
Dasganu Maharaj was living in a farmhouse on Pimphalwadi Road in the outskirts of Shirdi. He had taken up cultivation and had a cow to look after as a hobby. By then his wife had passed away in 1920 and he was busier as a Kirtankar. He had a friendly neighbor who looked after Dasganu Maharaj. This neighbor had three sons. When he was nearing his end, he called his sons to his deathbed and told them, “When I die, you are to divide my belongings.” He turned to his oldest son and said, “I want you to take half of my worldly possessions.” Next, he turned to his middle son and said, “I want you to have one-third of my belongings.” Finally, he told his youngest son, “You shall have one-ninth of my worldly belongings.” He advised them to seek Dasganu Maharaj’s guidance if they are unable to follow this formula.
Shortly thereafter, the elderly man died. When an account was taken of his possessions, it was discovered that all he owned were seventeen cows. The sons did not know about dividing up the seventeen animals. It was impossible to divide the cows exactly as their father had asked. They went to Dasganu Maharaj for advice.
Dasganu Maharaj realized that the seventeen cows could not be divided into a half, a third, and a ninth.
He prayed to Sai Baba who gave him an instant solution and said, “I own only one cow. But if I add that cow to your herd, you can divide the cows according to your father’s wishes and have harmony among yourselves.”
When he added his cow to the seventeen, there were eighteen cows, which could easily be divided as the boys’ father wished. To the eldest he gave one half, that is, nine cows. To the middle son, he gave one third, which turned out to be six cows. To the youngest, he gave one-ninth of eighteen, which turned out to be two cows. The boys left happily.
When Dasganu Maharaj turned around, he realized that lo and behold, his own cow remained! He thanked Sai Baba, saying, “O God, Your wisdom surpasses all understanding!”
This incident illustrates that we never lose when we give. Dasganu Maharaj was so selfless he was willing to give his only cow away for the dignity of his neighbor and to preserve harmony among his friend’s children. Yet, it turned out that the cow was useful to help divide the herd and was not really needed otherwise. So Dasganu Maharaj was left with the cow that was his, anyway.
In our daily life, Sai Baba has provided us many such experiences in which an opportunity to give something away to someone in need, making a sacrifice, only to find that it was either returned to us or circumstances changed and we did not need to give it away. Yet, regardless of the result, we were rewarded with the feeling of satisfaction of having sacrificed for others. We feel Lord Sainath’s blessings showering down upon us. We thank Lord Sainath that we chose to give rather than to be selfish.
There is no greater joy that can fill our heart than giving. All who have given selflessly may have experienced that one never loses when one gives. We find more and more blessings raining down upon us unasked for, and our hearts are filled with Sai love.
Leave a Reply