| body (ear, eyes, mouth etc.) but the
same is not possible with the Masters statue, photograph or painting.
Those devotees who, during the period of human embodiment of the
Master evolve spiritually and establish a system of subtle mental
communication with the Master (even when physically away from the
Master), don't find it difficult to communicate with Him even after
his taking Samadhi. However, those devotees who did not evolve when
the Master was there or had never seen, heard, touched or smelt the
Masters body or items (through the use or their gross physical
instruments), find it difficult to maintain their devotion and faith
as steadfastly as before, once the Master left his body. Gradually
there is a possibility of their devotion and concentration on the form
of the Master getting affected. The devotees usually get what can be
termed, as a 'spiritual feeding' or 'spiritual vitalization' when in
the presence of the Master. Once His body enters the tomb (Samadhi),
they worship the tomb not because of its aesthetic value but because
underneath the tomb lies the body of the Master whom they continue to
love.
For devotees born after the Samadhi of the Master, it is a different
issue altogether. Their devotion emanates from the knowledge they
get/receive from old and experienced devotees. They also get lots of
information from the print media (books, magazines etc.) and
audiovisual media (Movies, T.V., Radio etc.) about the divine
personality and qualities of the Master. Today, they can get the
requisite information through the medium of the internet. Thus when
they start following a Master, they read the available literature on
him, ask questions about him, participate in discussions about him.
Once influenced by his superior divine and humane qualities, they
start worshipping him. In this process, they establish a mental and
emotional connectivity with the omnipotent spirit of the Master and
also realize that the spirit of the Master can guide them in the path
of spiritual evolution and protect them from worldly miseries.
However, there is one school of thought which posits that a Sadguru in
a mortal form alone can guide and protect his devotees. Once a Sadguru leaves his body, he cannot actively help his devotees.
Therefore, they insist on following, what they call a "living
Sadguru".
Let us take the case of our Master Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Before
leaving his body, Baba gave certain assurances to his devotees in
unequivocal terms, popularly known as the eleven sayings (Gyarah Vachan) of Baba. The gist of these eleven sayings is that, Baba will
protect and guide his devotees (old or new) from his Samadhi, where
his body is entombed. Once when in a mood of divine ecstasy, Baba
made a forecast to a group of devotees that in the future, Shirdi
would be visited by an un-imaginable number of devotees -both big and
small- would bee-line his tomb and also that he would be present in
'Guli-Guli' (correct pronunciation Gali- Gali in Hindi which means
'every lane') of Shirdi. Let us examine whether Baba's forecasts have
come true ninety years after his Samadhi (1918 to 2008).
During the last 90 years and particularly during the last 20 years or
so, the spread of the name and fame of Sai Baba and the increase in
the number of his devotees is phenomenal. There has been a
mushrooming growth of temples and other related activities (medical,
educational, social and religious) in the name of Baba all over the
country. The number of books, magazines, souvenirs etc. created
exclusively for spreading the name and preaching of Baba in different
Indian and foreign languages is too numerous to be listed herein. Not
only are hundreds of new temples are coming up all over the globe, but
also in many existing temple complexes, his statutes and images are
being consecrated. Various audiovisual media such as Television
channels, internets etc. are regularly displaying various facets of
his life and his preaching. Many devotees are experiencing his kind
divine interventions in times of distress as a result of their
prayers. This 'Sai Movement' is an intensely dynamic process that is
flowering and prospering day by day.
This naturally leads to the belief that a Sadguru or a Perfect Master
is as potent without a body as he is with it. Therefore, the devotees
of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi need not have to lament that they could not
experience the physical presence or the divine activities of the
Master when he was in his mortal embodiment. He is omnipresent and
omnipotent and the mere lack of a physical manifestation of his power
need not make his devotees lose faith and hope. This is what Baba said
and this is what we should follow.
In closing, on this New Year, I pray Shri Sainath Maharaj to bless the
millions of his devotees, grant them health and happiness and lead
them on the path of spiritual evolution.
(C.B.Satpathy) |
