Reference Source: Sai Padananda Magazine, April 2012
Original Kannada Article by: M.V. Shanthi
Translated into English by: Prathibha G.
Shri. Narasimha Swamiji inaugurated and laid the strong foundation for the All India Sai Samaj in Chennai in the year 1941. The primary goal of this organization was to campaign and propagate the faith in Sai Baba of Shirdi and His life, teachings, and mission, the diffusion of knowledge regarding Sai Baba, the arrangement of lectures, Bhajans and Kirthans for Sai Baba and the construction of buildings for the aforesaid purposes all over India. Many Sai-Sevaks had volunteered their time and effort to promote the divine cause as outlined by the Samaj.
An extremely rich lady once visited the Sai Samaj’s facility in Mylapore, Chennai. She had heard a great lot about Shri. Narasimha Swamiji. She was deeply interested in listening to Shri. Swamiji’s sermons and lectures, and also participate in the Samaj’s Sai campaign activities. She reverently approached Shri Swamiji and paid her obesceince to him! Then she made a humble plea to him saying — “Swamiji, I’ve a great aspiration to become your student. Please induct me as a student and allow me to be a part of your Sai propagation service!” The lady had decked herself up with glitters of gold and diamonds! The lady’s material richness was visibly evident all over her.
It did not take any deliberation time for Shri. Swamiji to gauge the lady’s affinity to materialism. He smirked at the lady’s request and quizzically asked her — “Really?? Is it your real desire to get yourself inducted into our Sai Samaj activities? If your strong intent is to be of service to the Samaj, then, just remove all the glittery jewelry off of yourself, bundle them all up, and hand them over to me. Right after then, you can engage yourself in our Samaj’s Sai campaign activities!” The lady devotee was extremely perplexed. She thought, the Swamiji should not have any affinity toward worldly materials such as gold and diamonds. However, here and now, Shri. Narasimha Swamiji is demanding her to handover the jewelry! She couldn’t refute Swamiji’s demand either! She thus enquired with Swamiji — “Swamiji, would you instead allow me to hand over the jewelry to you later this evening?”. Swamiji chuckled and agreed to her request.
Later in the day, the lady devotee approached Mrs. Sharada Varadarao, a Sai Samaj voluteer and detailed out her doubts about Swamiji inclination. Mrs. Varadarao snickered at the lady’s thought and said, “You should have handed over your jewelry to Swamiji. Swamiji is a Saint. What is he going to do with your jewelry? He would have returned the jewelry back to you!” The lady was stupefied when made aware of the saintly attribute of Shri. Swamiji. With a joyous tone she acclaimed saying, ‘Really!!! Is the Swamiji just going to return my jewelry?” So saying, she approached Swamiji later that evening and said, “Swamiji, this morning you asked me to part with my jewelry. I have them all here. Please accept it!”
Swamiji responded, “Mother, I don’t want your jewelry. Similarly, we don’t want your service for Sai-propagation campaigns either! You decided to part with your jewelry only after being affirmed that I would return your jewelry back to you. Sai Baba’s seva stipulates ‘COMPLETE SURRENDER’. SAI SEVA IS NOT A BUSINESS!!”
This experience between Swamiji and the lady devotee is akin to the experience a wealthy Sethji (businessman) had with Shri Sai Baba in Shirdi. The Sethji had approached Baba seeking Baba to impart him of Brahma Jnan. He was extremely wealthy, and his pockets were loaded with currency notes. He wasn’t willing to part with even Rupees 5/- when Baba repeatedly kept sending Nandu, a small village boy of Shirdi to fetch Him a loan money of Rupees 5/- from one or the other store keepers in Shirdi. Just like Baba said, path to liberation is through total surrender. That itself is Brahma-Jnan!!
Aum Sai Ram
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