By: Ramaswamy Seshadri
Sai Maharaj during his interactions with devotees used to quote Sage Vasishta and Ashtavakra. Many commentaries have been written on the two wisdom works, one by Sage Vasishta containing the essence of his interaction with Prince Rama, and the other, by Sage Ashtavakra, answering questions posed to him by King Janaka, the father of Sita.
Baba advised devotees to read both works as these contain valuable nuggets of deep insights that help one to come to grips with what is real and what is unreal.
Since much is lost in translation, there are those authors who try to ‘transcreate’ verse, in effect, taking a bit of poetic license to interpret and present what the verse or text is trying to convey. And Sri Narasimha Swamiji in his work ‘Sainath Mananam’ has attempted to “time travel into the depths of the mind,” in which he presents thoughts found in Yoga Vasishta and Ashtavakra Gita in 108 poems.
“You enter a dream for the heck of it / And know not the way to exit route / From the world you brought alive / In sleep, awake to desires manifest / In the raging flame that consumes / Your being stranded amidst embers / Aglow, each spark ignites your mind / Where the forest green will grow anew / Once upon a time in the future past / Luring the hunter once more / In pursuit of the game you love.” Titled ‘The Dreamer,’ this is one among the many lyrical presentations that take one down the transcendental path, throwing open the way to realms beyond, and offering tantalizing glimpses of treasures yet to be discovered.
Sri Narasimha Swamiji refers to Yoga Vasishta profusely in his work ‘Life of Sai Baba’. According to Swamiji, the Yoga Vasishta is quite dark in the opening chapters as it elaborates on the depressed state of mind experienced by the young Prince Rama who is uncertain of his present and his future as king. Sage Vasishta, in an attempt to gently lead the way out of the gloom felt by the prince, successfully engages him in a series of questions and answers that serve to lighten the king-designate’s burden, somewhat, and show him the light.
In the process, we, Sai devotees too, get glimpses of wonderfully expressed elaborations on subjects we dread most, like death. Writes Sri Narasimha Swamiji, “In hopelessness is hidden / The hope of life in death / Of the wandering mind / running amok here to there….”
A common thread running through the works of both Vasishta and Ashtavakra is that of the need to maintain loving detachment. This is well articulated by Janaka when he says, “Infinite is, indeed, my wealth of which nothing is mine. If Mithila is burnt, nothing that is mine is burnt.” That is to say, the true Self is infinite, boundless, all-pervasive, formless, subtle, and free. According to Ashtavakra, whether you are a king or a beggar, you shine only when you are unattached. This is What Sai Maharaj wanted his devotees to imbibe.
When Kaka Dixit came to Shirdi he was contesting the elections and Baba advised him thus – ‘A king, an administrator, a head of state, is expected to carry out his duties while remaining unattached, free of greed, free of boundedness. This is what makes a true leader.” Service to all is another given, which is why Nana Saheb Chandorkar as Deputy Collector would often remark, “Collector means chief servant in the district.” Sai Baba meant this not only means selfless service, but it also means equanimity and humility that give no space for the ego.
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