Spiritual head of Sai Mandir Hysodlour
We Have lot of problems. As we try to find a way out of all the resulting uncertainty, the words ‘shraddha’ and ‘saburi’, faith and patience, frequently associated with Shirdi Sai Baba, come to our rescue. We often chance upon these two words painted on trucks, behind autorickshaws and taxicabs as we fret, and fume stuck helplessly in traffic jams.
Nature has played its mighty hand by consigning us all to a ‘masking zone’ as it were, where all humankind has been forced to recalibrate and re-evaluate. Just as we protective covering against germs, so too we can think of a metaphysical mask to protect against untrammelled greed and pursuit of material gains in a manner that widens the gulf between the haves and have-nots.
During troubled times, there have been times when Nature has forced us into a state of suspended animation, helping us capture the essence of living enshrined in endless actions characterised by kaya, vacha and manasa — body, speech, and mind. In this state, the mind often rewinds and analyses situations that led us to this point in the first place. When the mind is somewhat freed from the pursuit of a fast-paced life, certain thoughts, sayings, and words come to occupy it. It is analogous to the blessings of the first rain accompanied by flashes of lightning that washes away filth and pollution. Shraddha and saburi are two such words, hyphenated as they are with the image of Sai Baba, his eyes full of
karuna and vatsalya, compassion and affection; his Abhaya Mudra reassuring us of his boundless blessings. Turbulent emotions find stillness in such a calm presence.
Shraddha is where we begin. Faith in the divine helps us tide over challenges, guides us, and annihilates the masks of darkness, ignorance, and uncertainty. It instills in us confidence and urja, energy. Shraddha, immersive faith without any doubt, is Ishwarapranidhana, a commitment to the Sai Ishwar.
However, one must cultivate saburi to experience shraddha. Saburi brings in a rootedness that lights the path to help us understand the essence of life. One needs to be patient and humble and wait for the Divine Drishti to experience His grace. Saburi is also being tenacious and performing one’s karma as an offering to the guru without any expectations. Patience calms us. It infuses in us a sense of gratitude, happiness for others, and the powers of discretion. It settles us and helps the mind focus with dhyana and ekagrata, concentration. Patience leads to faith, and faith leads to patience.
Sai, as a Paramguru, lived his life to teach his seekers shraddha and saburi, two seemingly simple character traits but ones that encompass a universal understanding. He motivated us to walk the path with confidence and grit by cultivating shraddha and saburi.
We are all hoping for God realization one day. When the time comes, let us guard against selfishness and anarchy by surrendering ourselves to the satya vachan, truthful sayings of our gurus and sacred texts.
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