This chapter (39) deals with Baba's interpretation of a
verse from the Bhagawad-Gita. As some people believed
that Baba knew not Sanskrit, and the interpretation was
Nanasaheb Chandorkar's, Hemadpant wrote another chapter
(50) refuting that objection. As the chapter No.50 deals
with the same subject-matter, it is incorporated in this
chapter.
Preliminary
Blessed is Shirdi and blessed is Dwarkamayi where Shri
Sai lived and moved until He took Mahasamadhi. Blessed
are the people of Shirdi whom He obliged and for whom He
came such long distance. Shirdi was a small village
first, but it attained great importance, on account of
His contact and became a Tirtha, holy place of
pilgrimage. Equally blessed are the womenfolk of Shirdi,
blessed is their whole and undivided faith in Him. They
sang the glories of Baba while bathing, grinding,
pounding corn and doing other house-hold work. Blessed
is their love, for they sang sweet songs which calm and
pacify the minds of the singers and listeners.
Baba's Interpretation
Nobody believed that Baba knew Sanskrit. One day He
surprised all by giving a good interpretation of a verse
from the Gita to Nanasaheb Chandorkar. A brief account
about this matter was written by Mr.B.V.Deo, Retired
Mamlatdar and published in Marathi in 'Shri Sai Leela'
magazine, Vol IV. Sphuta Vishaya, page 563. Short
accounts of the same are also published in 'Sai Baba's
Charters and Sayings' page 61 and in 'The Wondrous Saint
Sai Baba', page 36 - both by Brother B.V.Narsimhaswami.
Mr.B.V.Deo has also given an English version of this in
his statement dated 27-9-1936 and published on page 66
of "Devotees' Experiences, Part III" published by the
said Swami. As Mr.Deo has got first hand information
about this Subject from Nanasaheb himself we give below
his version.
Nanasaheb Chandorkar was a good student of Vedanta. He
had read Gita with commentaries and prided himself on
his knowledge of all that. He fancied that Baba knew
nothing of all this or of Sanskrit. So, Baba one day
pricked the bubble. These were the days before crowds
flocked to Baba, when Baba had solitary talks at the
Mosque with such devotees. Nana was sitting near Baba
and massaging His Legs and muttering something.
Baba - Nana, what are you mumbling yourself?
Nana - Iam reciting a shloka (verse) from Sanskrit.
Baba - What shloka?
Nana - From Bhagawad-Gita
Baba - Utter it loudly.
Nana then recited B.G.IV-34 which is as follows :-
'Tadviddhi Pranipatena Pariprashnena Sevaya,
Upadekshyanti Te Jnanam Jnaninastattwadarshinah'
Baba - Nana, do you understand it?
Nana - Yes.
Baba - If you do, then tell me.
Nana - It means this - "Making Sashtanga Namaskar, i.e.,
prostration, questioning the guru, serving him, learn
what this Jnana is. Then, those Jnanis that have
attained the real knowledge of the Sad-Vastu (Brahma)
will give you upadesha (instruction) of Jnana."
Baba - Nana, I do not want this sort of collected
purport of the whole stanza. Give me each word, its
grammatical force and meaning.
Then Nana explained it word by word.
Baba - Nana, is it enough to make prostration merely ?
Nana - I do not know any other meaning for the word 'pranipata'
than 'making prostration'.
Baba - What is 'pariprashna'?
Nana - Asking questions.
baba - What does 'Prashna' mean?
Nana - The same (questioning).
Baba - If 'pariprashna' means the same as prashna
(question), why did Vyasa add the prefix 'pari'? Was
Vyasa off his head?
Nana - I do not know of any other meaning for the word 'pariprashna'.
Baba - 'Seva', what sort of 'seva' is meant?
Nana - Just what we are doing always
Baba - Is it enough to render such service?
Nana - I do not know what more is signified by the word
'seva'.
Baba - In the next line "upadekshyanti te jnanam", can
you so read it as to read any other word in lieu of
Jnanam?
Nana - Yes.
Baba - What word?
Nana - Ajnanam.
Baba - Taking that word (instead of Jnana) is any
meaning made out of the verse?
Nana - No, Shankara Bhashya gives no such construction.
Baba - Never mind if it does not. Is there any objection
to using the word "Ajnana" if it gives a better sense?
Nana - I do not understand how to construe by placing "Ajnana"
in it.
Baba - Why does Krishna refer Arjuna to Jnanis or
Tattwadarshis to do his prostration, interrogation and
service? Was not Krishna a Tattwadarshi, in fact Jnana
himself.
Nana - Yes He was. But I do not make out why he referred
Arjuna to Jnanis?
Baba - Have you not understood this?
Nana was humiliated. His pride was knocked on the head.
Then Baba began to explain -
(1) It is not enough merely to prostrate before the
Jnanis. We must make Sarvaswa Sharangati (complete
surrender) to the Sad-guru.
(2) Mere questioning is not enough. The question must
not be made with any improper motive or attitude or to
trap the Guru and catch at mistakes in the answer, or
out of idle curiosity. It must be serious and with a
view to achieve moksha or spiritual progress.
(3) Seva is not rendering service, retaining still the
feeling that one is free to offer or refuse service. One
must feel that he is not the master of the body, that
the body is Guru's and exists merely to render service
to him.
If this is done, the Sad-guru will show you what the
Janna referred to in the previous stanza is.
Nana did not understand what is meant by saying that a
guru teaches ajnana.
Baba - How is Jnana Upadesh, i.e., imparting of
realization to be effected? Destroying ignorance is
Jnana. (cf. Verse-Ovi-1396 of Jnaneshwari commenting on
Gita 18-66 says - "removal of ignorance is like this, Oh
Arjuna, If dream and sleep disappear, you are yourself.
It is like that." Also Ovi 83 on Gita V-16 says - "Is
there anything different or independent in Jnana besides
the destruction of ignornace?")* Expelling darkness
means light. Destroying duality (dwaita) means
non-duality (adwaita). Whenever we speak of destroying
Dwaita, we speak of Adwaita. Whenever we talk of
destroying darkness, we talk of light. If we have to
realise the Adwaita state, the feeling of Dwaita in
ourselves has to be removed. That is the realization of
the Adwaita state. Who can speak of Adwaita while
remaining in Dwaita? If one did, unless one gets into
that state, how can one know it and realise it?
Again, the Shishya (disciple) like the Sad-guru is
really embodiment of Jnana. The difference between the
two lies in the attitude, high realization, marvellous
super-human Sattva (beingness) and unrivalled capacity
and Aishwarya Yoga (divine powers). The Sad-guru is
Nirguna, Sat-Chit-Ananda. He has indeed taken human form
to elevate mankind and raise the world. But his real
Nirguna nature is not destroyed thereby, even a bit. His
beingness (or reality), divine power and widsom remain
undiminished. The disciple also is in fact of the same
swarupa. But, it is overlaid by the effect of the
samaskaras of innumerable births in the shape of
ignorance, which hides from his view that he is Shuddha
Chaitanya (see B.G. Ch. V-15). As stated therein, he
gets the impressions - "Iam Jiva, a creature, humble and
poor." The Guru has to root out these offshoots of
ignorance and has to give upadesh or instruction. To the
disciple, held spell-bound for endless generations by
the ideas of his being a creature, humble and poor, the
Guru imparts in hundreds of births the teaching - "You
are God, you are mighty and opulent." Then, he realizes
a bit that he is God really. The perpetual delusion
under which the disciple is labouring, that he is the
body, that he is a creature (jiva) or ego, that God (Paramatma)
and the world are different from him, is an error
inherited from innumerable past births. From actions
based on it, he has derived his joy, sorrows and
mixtures of both. To remove this delusion, this error,
this root ignorance, he must start the inquiry. How did
the ignorance arise? Where is it? And to show him this
is called the Guru's upadesh. The following are the
instances of Ajnana :-
1 - I am a Jiva (creature)
2 - Body is the soul (I am the body).
3 - God, world and Jiva are different.
4 - I am not God.
5 - Not knowing, that body is not the soul.
6 - Not knowing that God, world and Jiva are one.
Unless these errors are exposed to his view, the
disciple cannot learn what is God, jiva, world, body;
how they are inter-related and whether they are
different from each other, or are one and the same. To
teach him these and destroy his ignorance is this
instruction in Jnana or Ajnana. Why should Jnana be
imparted to the jiva, (who is) a Jnanamurti? Upadesh is
merely to show him his error and destroy his ignorance.
Baba added :- (1) Pranipata implies surrender. (2)
Surrender must be of body, mind and wealth; Re: (3) Why
should Krishna refer Arjuna to other Jnanis? "Sadbhakta
takes every thing to be Vasudev (B.G.VII-19 i.e., any
Guru will be Krishna to the devotee) and Guru takes
disciple to be Vasudev and Krishna treats both as his
Prana and Atma (B.G.7-18, commentary of Jnanadev on
this). As Shri Krishna knows that there are such Bhaktas
and Gurus, He refers Arjuna to them so that their
greatness may increase and be known.
Construction of the Samadhi-Mandir
Baba never talked, nor ever made any fuss about the
things which He wanted to accomplish, but He so
skillfully arranged the circumstances and surroundings
that the people were surprised at the slow but sure
results attained. The construction of the Samadhi-mandir
is an instance in point. Shriman Bapusaheb Booty, the
famous multi-millionaire of Nagpur lived in Shirdi whith
his family. Once an idea arose in his mind that he
should have a building of his own there. Sometimes after
this, while he was sleeping in Dixit's Wada, he got a
vision. Bava appeared in his dream and ordered him to
build a Wada of his own with temple. Shama who was
sleeping there, got also a similar vision. When
Bapusaheb was awakened, he saw Shama crying and asked
him why. The latter replied that in his vision Baba came
close to him and ordered distinctly - "Build the Wada
with the temple. I shall fulfill the desires of all.
Hearing the sweet and loving words of Baba, I was
overpowered with emotion, my throat was choked, my eyes
were overflowing with tears, and I began to cry."
Bapusaheb was surprised to see that both their visions
tallied. Being a rich and capable man, he decided to
build a Wada there and drew up a plan with Madhavarao (Shama).
Kakasaheb Dixit also approved of it. And when it was
placed before Baba, He also sanctioned it immediately.
Then the construction-work was duly started and under
the supervision of Shama, the ground floor, the cellar
and the well were completed. Baba also on his way to and
from Lendi suggested certain improvements. Further work
was entrusted to Bapusaheb Jog and when it was going on,
an idea struck Bapusaheb Booty's mind that there should
be an open room or platform and in the centre the image
of Murlidhar (Lord Krishna with the flute) be installed.
He asked Shama to refer this matter to Baba and get His
consent. The latter asked Baba about this when He was
just passing by the Wada. Hearing Shama, Baba gave His
consent saying, "after the temple is complete I will
come there to stay" and staring at the Wada He added -
"after the Wada is complete, we shall use it ourselves,
we shall live, move and play there, embrace each other,
and be very happy." Then Shama asked Baba whether this
was the auspicious time to begin the foundation-work of
the central room of the Shrine. The latter answered in
the affirmative. Shama got a coconut broke it and
started the work. In due time the work was completed and
an order was also given for making a good image of
Murlidhar. But before it was ready, a new thing turned
up. Baba became seriously ill and was about to pass
away. Bapusaheb became very sad and dejected, thinking
that if Baba passed away, his Wada would not be
consecrated by the holy touch of Baba's Feet, and all
his money (about a lakh of rupees) would be wasted away.
But the words "Place or keep Me in the Wada" which came
out of Baba's mouth just before His passing away,
consoled not only Bapusaheb, but one and all. In due
time Baba's holy body was placed and preserved in the
central shrine meant or designed for Murlidhar and Baba
Himself became Murlidhar and the Wada thus became the
Samadhi-mandir of Sai Baba. His wonderful life is
unfathomable.
Blessed and fortunate is Bapusaheb Booty in whose Wada
lies the holy and the pure body of Baba.
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