Spiritual Gems from Sai Satcharita Chapter - 1, Part 3

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While they were grinding, they began to think that Baba had no house, no property, no children, none to look after, and He lived on alms, He did not require any wheat-flour for making bread or roti, what will He do with this big quantity of flour? Perhaps as Baba is very kind, He will distribute the flour amongst us. Thinking in this way while singing, they finished the grinding and after putting the hand-mill aside, they divided the flour into four portions and began to remove them one per head. Baba, Who was calm and quiet up till now, got wild and started abusing them saying, "Ladies, are you gone mad? Whose father's property are you looting away? Have I borrowed any wheat from you, so that you can safely take the flour? Now please do this. Take the flour and throw it on the village border limits." On hearing this, the women felt abashed and whispering amongst them, went away to the outskirts of the village and spread the flour as directed by Baba.

Sai Ram. The thinking of the women is true, in the worldly sense. But the whole Universe was His house, His property and all the living and non-living beings were His children. He had the whole world to look after! "Perhaps, as Baba is very kind, He will distribute the flour amongst us...." Looked at from the ordinary human point of view, this episode brings home the truth that "thus even while doing good karmas, we get attached to the fruits or the result of the karma, action. Sai has rightly rebuked them and us and advised us to work without any expectation of the results for the work which we do." This is perfectly accordance with Sri Krishna's teaching to Sri Arjuna in Srimad Bhagavad Gita that one should do ones' duty but without attachment to the result.

"Ladies, are you gone mad?" Yes, those ladies and all of us who hanker after reward for actions are 'mad' with ajnan. Greed is the root cause of madness. "Have I borrowed any wheat from you, so that you can safely take the flour?" Pl. note the word, "safely" that was used by Baba. It has a deeper meaning. If we take what is ours, there will be no problem. If we take what is not ours, we get into a deeper karmic debt, which we need to pay with interest later. Sai Ram.

I asked the Shirdi people - "What was this that Baba did?" They replied that as the Cholera Epidemic was spreading in the village and this was Baba's remedy against the same; it was not wheat that was ground but the Cholera itself was ground to pieces and pushed out of the village. From this time onward, the Cholera Epidemic subsided and the people of the village were happy. I was much pleased to know all this; but at the same time my curiosity was also aroused. I began to ask myself - What earthly connection was there between wheat flour and Cholera? What was the casual relation between the two? and how to reconcile them? The incident seems to be inexplicable. I should write something on this and sing to my heart's content Baba's sweet Leelas. Thinking in this way about this Leela, my heart was filled with joy and I was thus inspired to write Baba's Life - The Satcharita.

Sai Ram. The author asked the Shirdi people, "What was this that Baba did?" The most extraordinary things start In a very ordinary way. The masterpiece Sai Satcharitra began thus from a very simple incident. "Cholera itself was ground..." not only cholera, but the desire to covet what is not ours, that was ground. "What earthly connection was there..." nothing. But in the astral planes, it becomes clear to those gifted with 'divine eyesight' that disease/illness is linked to our disharmony with nature and our transgression of dharma. So Baba used a magical ritual (white magic), which the simple village people did not understand consciously or intellectually but could feel in their auras and spiritual vibrations. Simple souls would just wonder and pray and accept. They don't question or look for logical explanations. But we, the educated, need intellectual curiosity to be satisfied. Hence explanations come when we surrender our ego and our intellect so that intuition can come forth and our faith can grow side by side with logic and discriminating intellect. Sai Ram.

And as we know, with Baba's grace and blessing this work was successfully accomplished.