This is fifth part of chapter 6 of the divine book “Scribblings of A Shirdi Sai Devotee” written by an ardent and staunch devotee Shri Suresh Chandra Gupta ji from New Delhi.
Devotee readers who have missed earlier chapters can read from the links below.
Beads from the necklace of Sai Bhakti
43. The pleasure, which one experiences in ‘giving’ is not there in ‘taking’. Wealth shared with others with discrimination can never get exhausted. Experience of my own life shows that when we share our food, our clothes, our wealth with needy persons, the ‘Atmic Ananad’ experienced is much more deeper than what one would have experienced by using it personally. The feeling to be of use to someone, the pleasure experienced by wiping off the tears of the suffering humanity, the sens of satisfaction it gives, makes one experience a divine ecstasy, which in itself is superior. Even the animals fill their belly. If you have only cared in life to fill your own belly and of those who depend on you, what is then the difference between you and the animals? Therefore, be always prepared to share your earnings with others. If you keep on doing so, have full faith that it shall be your Guru’s Grace on you. Baba would surely be pleased with you and living life thus, you shall certainly be proceeding towards the goal of your life.
44. If we make it a habit of our thinking that this calamity, which has presently come in our ife, is due to our won ‘Prarabdh’ and when we have caught hold of Sai’s hand firmly, it can do us no harm, we shall then imbibe within us a divine power to face this calamity and to fight it out. We must appreciate that this situation which is before us shall have to be faced by us alone – whether we learn to live with it gladly or grudgingly. Why then waste our energy in crying and getting worried about it? Accepting it as a gift from Baba, we should find the way to face it boldly.
45. Being a devotee of Baba, we shall have to learn the art of living life like a child. Whenever hunger strikes the child, it weeps and the mother knows immediately that the child is hungry. In the same way, when a Sai devotee feels any difficulty in life and cries his heart out for help to Baba, He comes running to his help to Baba, He comes running to help and removes the cause of his discomfort, otherwise provides him the strength to face that difficulty boldly. If you have ever endeavoured to live life childlike you must have surely experienced the peculiar happiness and the feeling of fearlessness it provides. Living life guilelessly provides peace and bliss to the inner self and make life sublime.
46. Always remember that time waits for nobody. What was yesterday, is not today and what is today shall not remain tomorrow. We need to be extremely conscious of the value of time. One must live in today but should not forget yesterday, which has been instrumental in making us reach where we stand today. Yesterday, when you were a mere toddler, there was nothing else in your life except the affection of your father and mother, brother and sister. As you grew in years, your world got widened to some extent. The School, your friends, the glitter of the world all started influencing you. As you grew young, the worries of future, the desire to acquire some status in life, the scramble to attain a place in a society, the worry to forge ahead in the mad race of the world leaving behind others, started tormenting you. You did attain a lot in the world but today when you are sitting in the percipice of life, all these attainments in life seem to be meaningless. You have started thinking that you haven’t been able to do anything worthwhile except to fill your belly. You need not feel disappointed. Whatever time is left at your disposal, conlusived in that try to live our life the way you would now like to live and whatever seems to have been a waste in your life leave to live and whatever seems to have been a waste in your life leave it and try to live the life which can provide your soul peace and the sense of fulfillment. Whatever has happened till now, surrender it to Sai; whatever is happening today take it as His Kripa; and whatever will happen tomorrow should also be attributed to Him. Make it the goal of your goal of your life and learn to live in it and feel His grace at every step.
47. Many saints and sages, kings and emperors, worthy men came into this world who left their name in the pages of history. Their names remained confined to the history books only. But persons who left their eternal mark on the sands of Time are only those who dedicated their whole life to others; who never kept anything for themselves whatever they received distributed it amongst their fellow beings. And when they left the world, they left their mark on the minds of every person coming into contact with them. Even today innumerable persons bow to them with reverence and find relief from them in their lives. Our Sai also lived such a life on earth. When He left His mortal coil, He had nothing worthwhile on His person. If He left anything, it is a legacy which has become the prized possession on innumerable persons and to share which they are drawn to that Fakir. Remember that life is not in hoarding, it is in giving up. When you shall learn to give up worldly attainments, these shall come running after you. If without getting attracted from their glitter, you continue to keep on moving forward, you shall certainly reach your destination. But do remember that if you get attracted towards these, you shall never be able to reach your goal. True pleasure lies in the giving up and not acquiring.
48. While treading the path shown by Baba, at every step you feel that you shall be left behind in this fast moving world. If you do not try to follow the world, you find yourself deceived and ignored at every step. You are tempted to change yourself to be able to keep pace with the world. But inspite of your continuous efforts, your own beliefs, your thinking, your virtuous inheritances, come in your way and act as a stumbling bloc. If you care to learn from my experience, remember that you must continue to stick to your own paths. Do not even a for a moment think that you have to change. You are extremely fortunate whom your Sai has provided the impetus to continue treading the path shown by Him. Why on earth do you wish to ape the people, virtually living in hell?
Continued…Chapter 6 Part 6
More E-Books To Read
The Fragrance Of Devotion In Sai
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