Baba’s Knowledge of Sanskrit
His Interpretation of a Verse from Gita – Construction of the Samadhi Mandir.
This chapter (39) details Baba’s interpretation of a verse from the Bhagavad Gita. Some people believed that Baba didn’t know Sanskrit, and the interpretation was by Nanasaheb Chandorkar’s, Hemadpant wrote in another chapter (50) refuting that belief. 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 incarnated on this earth. Shirdi was a small village first, but it attained great importance, on account of its contact with Shri Sai and became a Tirtha, holy place of pilgrimage. Equally blessed are the womenfolk of Shirdi, blessed is their whole and undivided faith in Shri Sai. 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 both the singers and listeners alike.
Baba’s Interpretation
Nobody believed that Baba knew Sanskrit. One day He surprised all by giving a deep interpretation of a verse from the Gita to Nanasaheb Chandorkar. A brief account of this was written by Mr.B.V.Deo, Retired Mamlatdar and published in Marathi in ‘Shri Sai Leela’ magazine, Vol IV, 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 H.H Shri 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 H.H Shri B.V.Narsimhaswami. As Mr. Deo had received 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 took pride on his knowledge of Gita. He fancied that Baba knew nothing about Gita or Sanskrit. So, Baba one day pricked his bubble of ignorance. These were the days before a lot of devotees flocked to Baba, when Baba used to have solitary talks at the Masjid with the devotees. Nana was sitting near Baba and massaging His Legs and muttering something.
Baba – Nana, what are you mumbling yourself?
Nana – I am reciting a shloka (verse) from Sanskrit.
Baba – What shloka?
Nana – From Bhagavad Gita
Baba – Utter it loudly.
Nana then recited a shloka from chapter 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 explain 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 lost his mind?
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, Vyasa 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 Jnani 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 ego and pride were busted. Then Baba began to explain:
(1) It is not enough merely to prostrate before the Jnanis. We must make Sarvasva Sharanagati (complete surrender) to the Sadguru.
(2) Mere questioning is not enough. The question must not be made with any improper motive or attitude or to test the Guru and catch the mistakes in his answer, or out of idle curiosity. There should be serious intention in the query with a view to achieve moksha or spiritual progress.
(3) Seva is not rendering service with 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 his Guru’s and exists merely to render service to him.
If this is done, the Sadguru will show you the Janna referred to in the previous stanza.
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 commentaries 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 ignorance?” 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 realize 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 realize it?
Again, the Shishya (disciple) like the Sadguru is really the embodiment of Jnana. The difference between the two lies in the attitude, self-realization, marvelous super-human Sattva (beingness) and unrivalled capacity and Aishwarya Yoga (divine powers). The Sadguru 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 Bhagavad Gita. Ch. V-15).
As stated therein, the disciple gets the impressions – “I am 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 that he is reall God. The perpetual delusion under which the disciple is laboring, 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; (3) Why should Krishna refer Arjuna to other Jnanis? “Sadbhakta (real devotee) considers every thing to be Vasudev (Bhagavad Gita.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 (Bhagavad Gita.7-18, commentary of Jnanadev on this). As Shri Krishna knows that there are such devotees and Gurus, He refers Arjuna to them so that their greatness be known.
Construction of the Samadhi-Mandir
Baba never talked, nor ever made any controversy 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 such an instance. Shriman Bapusaheb Booty, the famous multi-millionaire of Nagpur lived in Shirdi with 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. Baba appeared in his dream and ordered him to build a Wada (resting place) of his own near the temple. Shama who was sleeping there, also got a similar vision. When Bapusaheb wake up from sleep, 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 matched. 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 it. And when the porposal was placed before Baba, He also gave his permission 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 suggested certain improvements on his way to and from Lendi. Further work was entrusted to Bapusaheb Jog and when it was going on, an idea struck in 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 discuss this matter with Baba and get His consent. The latter asked Baba about this when He was just passing by the Wada. Hearing this, 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 statue of Murlidhar. But before it was ready, a new event took place. 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 resources (about one lakh of rupees) would be futile. 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 for Murlidhar and Baba Himself became Murlidhar and the Wada thus became the Samadhi-mandir of Shri Sai Baba. His wonderful life is unfathomable.
Blessed and fortunate is Bapusaheb Booty in whose Wada lies the holy body of Baba.
Bow to Shri Sai – Peace be to all