Religion and spirituality are for the old. That is what the young generally think. They think that spirituality is a post-retirement plan; something which has to be enjoyed with the gratuity and pension that you get after retirement. This is not true. It is the fault of the youth to think in this manner. Parents guard their children from anything even remotely religious or spiritual and encourage them to first get ‘settled’ in material life before starting a spiritual life.
Shri Narasimha Swamiji points out in his masterpiece ‘Life of Sai Baba’, that Baba’ that our education and cultural grooming has led to unconcealed and unwarranted abhorrence for religious and spiritual matters. They are seen as elaborations of a strait-jacketed and non-consequential thinking. The result is that the moment one sees a devotee, a place of worship or a religious text, one tends to look away much like one would do on sighting garbage. Why so much aversion?
u are juggling with alternatives, when you are at a loss what to do, when you want to take a road but are still standing perplexed at the crossroads. That is when you need spirituality. That is when you need to get a hold on yourself. Not on your puny self of body and mind, but on your true self that is beyond time, space, and causation. Imagine the endless possibilities that would open up if you were aware of this true personality of yours and when you realize that you cannot be limited by anything. That is when your life begins. And that cannot happen without contemplation, soul-searching, without putting behind your body and mind – essentially what you presently consider to be you.
How to accomplish this? How to know what is the best course to take when one is flooded with choices? When you purchase some machinery or equipment it generally comes with a manual. This manual tells you the operating instructions and also to troubleshoot if something goes wrong. In practice, we do not go through this manual. It gathers dust till the moment we come across a problem. How nice it would have been if we had read the manual earlier!
As far as our life is concerned, we can be prepared. Through our traditional heritage we are blessed with manuals like Gita, Ramayana, Sai Satcharitra etc., they tell us what to do when things go wrong in our lives. They also teach us how to go about our lives in such a manner that no problems would arise.
Nana Saheb and his orderly Ganesh Rao witnessed the miracle of Ganga gushing out of Baba’s feet on their first visit to Shirdi. That night Ganesh Rao composed a song on this event. Next day, when he went to Shirdi, on Baba’s direction, Ganesh Rao sang it. Everyone liked the song. But Baba said: “Ganu, you are such a beautiful poet and yet you take pride in composing erotic songs to sell for the lower taste! What a tragedy of a divine gift?” Ganesh Rao was embarrassed! Baba further said: “You compose erotic songs, write cheap plays and watch filthy shows! Ganu dear, God has bestowed on you a gifted pen – not for writing dirty stuff, but for praising His glory through beautiful compositions. Write devotional songs and sing them with devotion! Praise and sing the greatness of saints in kirthans! My fakir will look after your welfare! Will you not listen to me?”
Baba’s appealing advice touched the core of Ganesh Rao. He was fond of composing erotic poetry. But now Sai Baba’s omniscience dominated his imagination. He was a changed man! He started thinking that he was wasting his birth as a Brahmin in composing cheap dirty stuff for Tamashawallas! He decided that he should compose devotional songs and become a good Kirthankar.
In life, we should not let others circumscribe us or define us. If you allow them to do that, they will reduce you and your work to zilch – as if what you are and what you have achieved don’t count at all. If we are fooled into accepting their definition of us, we would be found wanting definitely. Not just materially but intellectually and emotionally as well. On the contrary, if we remain calm observers of ourselves, we could see ourselves in a far more positive light as Ganesh Rao did. It is an internal processing exercise with splendid results.
Anna Saheb Dabholkar was prejudiced against Sai Baba. When Dabholkar visited Shirdi, Sai Baba sublimated his ego and made him compose the epic ‘Sai Satcharitra’. Similarly, Baba showered his grace on Megha who was just a cook. He changed his mental set up and enabled him to be engaged in rituals to attain ‘Moksha’.
Therefore, when people comment on us or our ability we should listen to our ‘Antaryamin’. If we have done your job with honesty and dedication, we should not look forward to appreciation from others. Detractors will always be there. If we look inside objectively, we see the whole picture, not the fragments stitched together by those who are inimical to us.
It stretches through our entire life. Small actions and behavior patterns become more understandable when we widen our perspective. That is when we will see that those who dismissed us as ‘useless’, ‘not up to it’, ‘not able to’, ‘not satisfactory’, did so from a very narrow perspective. A freer objective assessment would have come up with another, more pleasing picture.
Why is it important for us to engage in an exercise of self-assessment, a kind of taking stock? It is a great way to get energized. And set about exploring the treasure trove tucked away inside.
We all go through those vulnerable moments when what others think of us or say of us, howsoever wrong or unflattering they are, begin to prey on us, and we might end up believing everything they say. These definitions are sometimes so powerful that they influence our notions of good and bad. We face these situations everywhere.
Sai Baba’s definition of us is of course the best of all. He called us ‘his children’. With this definition before us, we become self-respecting, dignified and are able to walk with confidence. When the path becomes slippery, Sai Baba holds our hand. When our steps falter, Sai Baba steadies us. When we begin to become negative about ourselves, Sai Baba’s grace fills us with reassurance.
When we draw the full picture, we won’t allow vicious critics to have the final word. It is the picture we create for ourselves that determine ‘who we really are’.
By Dr Vijayakumar
(Dr.G.R. Vijayakumar (born 1949) is known to Sai devotees since 1977 through his articles and poems in several Sai magazines. He was guided to Sai-marg by Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji and was connected with Shri Sai Spiritual Centre, Bengaluru between1977-2016. His biography on Shri Narasimha Swamiji is translated into 13 languages and another book ‘The Loving God’ on the life of Shirdi Sai Baba published by Sterling – New Delhi has been acclaimed ‘National best Seller’. His biography on Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji is titled – ‘A profile of greatness’. In all he has 23 books in English and Kannada.
Dr. Vijayakumar holds a MBBS and MD from Bangalore University and a Doctoral degree from Shri Lanka, apart from PG Diplomas in Nutrition and Industral Health. He retired as Chief of Medical Services of Ashok Leyland, a major automobile industry. Post-retirement, he has been serving Rajiv Gandhi Health University as a Professor Emeritus since 2007 and concurrently, as Principal of All India Institute of Local Self Government, Bengaluru.
He was awarded Governor’s Gold Medal in 2002 in recognition of having donated blood 107 times. A National award from USAID in 2004 for his contribution in AIDS prevention, from NCERT- Government of India ‘Rashtra Vibhushana’ in 2015, Henry Dunant award from Red Cross in 2010 and Landsteiner Award in 2016 are other recognitions. He was acclaimed ‘Best Editor’ for seven terms while he edited a corporate journal – ‘Ashley News’ for 19 years between 1988-2007.
He has widely travelled all over the world. He has a love for teaching and spends more time with his students.
Sai Baba blessed him with Seetha as his life partner whom he always considered an angel. Unfortunately, she attained His lotus feet in 2010. He has two sons – married and well settled and his favourite comment always is – ‘Baba has provided me a house to live in and good daughters-in-law who feed me.’
Life has always been – ‘Be good and do good.’ to Dr.Vijayakumar
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