Fun With Sai
Once a few of us were sitting on the verandah at Whitefield in Bangalore, Swami very graciously joined the group and narrated the following story:
There was a king who asked a Pandit as to which one of the following four he would prefer:
Whether you will speak against the vedas.
Whether you would eat non-vegetarian food.
Whether you will take wine.
Whether you would prefer to live with a woman who is not your wife.
The Pandit said, “I am a brahmin; how can I speak against the vedas? It is a sin. Similarly, how can I take non-vegetarian food? I will become an outcast. And how can I think of another woman when I am married?” But he thought he could take a little wine and forget about it and no one else will know. Thus the pandit started taking wine. But when he got intoxicated, his mind and body went out of control, he began abusing the vedas, started taking non-vegetarian food and, so, all the rest of it.
The moral that Bhagavan wanted to bring home to us was that a little wine that the pandit thought would not do any harm brought ruin to him as he acquired all the four vices because of it. Baba further said that, nowadays, religious people who know that all the four vices will accompany with wine, do not themselves take wine, but offer it to others in parties. “This is worse,” says Baba. “It is better to drink wine rather than serve it and make others to go on the bad path.” Somebody from amongst the group said, “Swami, in this world, these days, one has to give parties to his clients and customers and serve wine to them for the sake of business.” Baba immediately said, “It is all right, but those who are my devotees should have faith in divinity for their business to prosper rather in the efficacy of wine.” One of the industrialists on hearing the upadesha [discourse] from Bhagavan fell at the feet of the Lord and said, “Swami, I will not do it hereafter.” Divine grace flowed out to him in the form of a ring specially materialized, to assure him of Bhagavan’s protection.
Source: Sixteen Spiritual Summers
