Teaching by Example – A 100 Inspiring Years of Selfless Love
Baba also said that devotion is not a uniform to be worn on certain occasions, it is a way of life. He often said, “My life is my message.” And He walked the talk. In the later years of His earthly sojourn Baba said, “Your life is my message.” I strive to conduct myself as per the path shown by Him.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, has been my Living God and Guru and has hand-held me and millions of others to understand the purpose of life and also realise that divinity lies not outside, but deep within us. It has to be recognised and experienced, not searched for, in places external.
Have you ever sat in silence and listened to the sound of your breath? On average every human takes 21,600 breaths per day. And the sound of each breath is So-ham! As we breathe in, the sound of the breath is ‘So’ and as we breathe out, the breath says, ‘Ham’ What does this mean? ‘So’ means ‘That’ and ‘Ham’ means ‘I am’. This translates to, ‘I am that’ or ‘I am God’. This is the declaration that the breath, makes to the soul 21,600 times a day. It is this truth that, though is being told by the breath to the soul, day in and day out, each day of our lives, the soul finds it hard to hear and believe. And this is where, the Guru steps in.
The word ‘Guru’ refers to a spiritual guide who enlightens. Gu means darkness and Ru means dispelling. The Guru teaches us to master the mind. The quest of the soul, can only be satiated by a Spiritual teacher or Guru who incites us to look within ourselves. He goads and guides us and ignites the thirst for spiritual knowledge. The Guru encourages us to ask ourselves, “Deham?” (Is this body, me?) Deep contemplation on the self tells us, “Naa ham,” (No! I am not this body. I am the one who dwells in this body.) The search then shifts to the one that dwells in the body. “Ko ham?”(Who am I?) Probing deeper, delving within and contemplating; in a state of pure consciousness, the answer comes as a realisation, “Soham!" (I am HE!) I am divine! I am a part of divinity! I too am divine!!! I am the soul (Atma). The Atma is a part of the Param-Atma. This Atma is on an earthly sojourn. I am a part of God. I will go back to my home, to my source, where I belong, when my time here gets over! Baba has simplified this learning for us!
A young man in his quest for knowledge knocked at the door of a Guru. A stern voice asked, “Who is it?” Quietly, the young man came back. The next day, he knocked at the Guru’s door again. A voice asked, “Who are you? Where have you come from?” The boy returned again. The following morning, he knocked the door again. A voice queried, “What do you want?” The boy went back, sadly. On the fourth day, the boy found the Guru’s door open. He walked in straightaway and found a peaceful looking man, sitting cross legged on the floor. He was meditating. Quietly the boy sat down in front of him. Slowly, the Guru opened his eyes and looked at the youngster. He smiled and asked, “Are you the one who has been coming here for the last three days. Why didn’t you come in?” The boy replied, “You asked me, who I am, where I came from and what I wanted. These are the questions I am trying to find the answers to. Can you help me find them?”
Questions suchlike, come up in our minds when we realise that human birth has a higher purpose. It is then that we seek a Guru. Amongst other teachings, the Guru teaches us to listen to our breath, and understand the beauty of Soham. Then life becomes a beautiful journey from I to Him! Bhagawan Baba has weaved magic for many who recognised that He was divinity in Human form.
Baba’s life has been a saga of selfless love. He lived simply. He worked 24x7. He did not even have a bank account in His name. He set up educational institutions, hospitals, a water project etc. He taught his devotees to perform seva in multifarious fields. The Sathya Sai Centres, the world over, conduct Narayan-seva, wherein they provide free food to the needy. They conduct Bhajans and Vedam chanting. They organise free medical camps, offer seva in hospitals, old age homes, help out at places of natural calamities, or any place required, because Baba said, “Nar seva is Narayan seva. Manav seva is Madhav seva.” (Service to man is service to God.) Baba also said that devotion is not a uniform to be worn on certain occasions, it is a way of life. He often said, “My life is my message.” And He walked the talk. In the later years of His earthly sojourn Baba said, “Your life is my message.” I strive to conduct myself as per the path shown by Him. As Baba says, “My biggest miracle is the transformation of the human heart.” The number of hearts transformed is innumerable …
Baba delivered countless discourses over the years. The essence of His teachings is engraved on His Mahasamadhi – “Love All, Serve All.” This is the essence of the Vedas. Baba said that the essence of the Vedas, lies in realising that you are not separate from others, so by loving and serving all, you are verily loving and serving God. Conscious and continuous practice, leads to recognising the divine in everyone and expressing it through selfless service. This eventually leads to the realisation of God. The simplicity of Baba’s teachings is what makes them so easily acceptable. It may not be a breeze to follow them, but they can surely be adopted by a conscious, purpose-driven mind. If you are a spiritual seeker, the path laid out by Him, could not be simpler.
Another wing of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, is the Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini. This is a unique ed-tech platform that provides values-based teaching resources for teachers and students. The content created herein is uploaded to the Prime Minister’s DIKSHA portal and is downloadable free of cost. I am blessed to work as a volunteer in this. It gives me an opportunity to sanctify my time; at the same time create valuable resources for the benefit of the society and the Nation.
The name, ‘Sathya Sai Baba’, translates into, everyone’s real mother and father. Baba has truly been my mother and father, more so after my physical parents passed on. Bhagawan Ram in the Ramayana says, “Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi.” This means, ‘Mother and motherland are superior to even heaven.’ This emphasizes a deep adulation for one's mother and Motherland, valuing them even more than the heavens. For me, offering seva in The Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini, is like offering seva to my divine Mother Sai as well as serving my Motherland by contributing to Nation building in being a part of the content creation team, in the role of a ‘Language Reviewer’. This opportunity has been God-sent, and I am grateful for it. I am akin to a squirrel in helping the Lord build His Ram-Setu.
The celebrations of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 100th birthday are in full swing at Prashanti Nilayam, Puttaparthi. Do not miss the opportunity of joining in person or virtually. This is an opportunity of a lifetime … make the most of it.
Sharing the 100th birthday theme song here https://youtu.be/0zCcWmm3KR8?si=9sztMwrTVl7dYeQp
Published in Acadnews https://acadnews.com/teaching-by-example-100-inspiring-years-of-selfless-love/
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