Gift of Grace
The late Sri Ratan Lalji was a dear devotee of Bhagavan Baba. He was very familiar with Swami’s teachings and would share them with many of us who visited Parthi or Brindavan and attended the lecture sessions he held there.
How to live at peace with oneself and with one’s fellow beings is the main problem of life. The solution lies in winning the gift of grace from the Lord of the universe according to the ancient view in our land of Vedanta [essence of Vedas—spiritual literature]. Peace of mind being a mental state cannot be had though physical well-being. Air-conditioned comfort alone cannot give desired mental peace because the money with which this sort of comfort can be bought comes and goes. With money, power, and material advancement, man has gained greater speed, splash, and superficiality, beginning and ending in so-called sophisticated doubt; whereas our ancient way of life teaches us to cultivate an unshakable faith in the glory of atma [real self].
An attempt is made in the following lines to depict and describe the impact that the grace of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has had on the people in Mumbai. The grace of God is available to all of us. It is like sunshine; in order to be in its light, you only have to step out of the darkness of your room. Likewise, in order to win His grace, you have to do sadhana [spiritual effort], which uproots ignorance and enables the light of wisdom to dawn.
The silent psychological revolution affecting millions of people has been brought about by Bhagavan Baba through His inimitable ways: by His individual counsel, His infinite charm, His Divine power, and His absolute spiritual message given in simple language, and understood by common man today, regardless of caste, creed, religion, and region. People from all parts of the world that have had the privilege of being near His lotus feet and are under His Divine spell have tried to remodel their lives, change their world view, and their sense of values. Baba not only awakens hunger, but also satiates it if you are devoted to Him. The devotees try to lead more purified and satwic [pure] lives by exerting to rub off the tamasic [dull, ignorant] and rajasic [passionate, active] vasanas [predisposing tendencies] accumulated during their past lives.
The yardstick of His grace is not merely to be found in the cure of physical ailments, the achievement of some worldly success, or the emergence of vibhuti [sacred ash] or kumkum [vermillion powder] appearing on His photos. Bhagavan says that His life is His mission; so each one of us should try to translate His teachings into action and thereby lead such lives that our behavior and conduct may obviously reveal us to be His humble devotees. His grace would be outwardly visible by our humility or indifference to pomp and publicity, our attaching less and less importance to the world of name and form, our wholehearted abiding faith in absolute divinity, and our love and worship of Him.
Inwardly we can judge for ourselves the progress in our sadhana. It can easily be discerned by the amount of (viveka) discrimination between the real and the unreal, the light and darkness, immortality and mortality, and the Self and the impure and individualized self that we have cultivated. This would naturally result in our getting detached from worldly pleasures. We also would become unruffled in grief and joy; in turn we will become less self-centered and more Self-centered.
During Bhagavan’s visit to Mumbai [in 1971], the devotees have had several opportunities to receive a spiritual bath in His Divine radiation and immediate presence. They are trying to lead more integrated lives, to learn and speak the international language of the heart and thereby understand that the entire creation is one, the underlying divinity being one behind all this manifestation.
It would not be out of place to enumerate briefly the activities of Bhagavan’s seva [service] organizations being carried on in this city. During His first visit to Mumbai about six years back, people had the chance to have His darshan [sight of a holy man], witnessed and experienced His Divine leela [play], and heard His upadesh [teachings]. All these created such a profound impact on the people that they soon set up a committee known as the ‘Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samiti.’ They charged it with the task of organizing bhajans [devotional singing], arranging public meetings during Bhagavan’s visits here, and trying to explore more avenues by which His Divine message could be spread.
Indian philosophy teaches secular worship, meaning that an individual personally can worship his or her chosen name; yet when a group of people in chorus sing the glory of God, they are encouraged to sing His glory by reciting various names of one and the same spiritual reality. Now in every part of the city and greater Mumbai there are regular bhajan centers where bhajans are conducted and study classes are held in order to satiate the spiritual hunger of the people. Nagarasankirtan [going around the village or town singing devotional songs] was particularly emphasized by the Divine Master Himself during the world conference of Sai devotees held in Mumbai three years back. It was meant particularly to internally purify those who participated in it and also the generally polluted atmosphere. Practically all over Mumbai, groups of people go around early in the morning singing the glory of God.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 35 who are eager to perform active seva have been organized as Seva Dal Corps. They visit hospitals to bring a little comfort, cheer, and relief to suffering brothers and sisters and participate in every other program and activity planned by the seva samiti. Three years ago, the Sri Sathya Sai Education Foundation was inaugurated, which in a humble way has been assisting the cause of moral education. It is also engaged in printing and publishing literature that embodies the philosophy of universal love and pursuit of truth so as to counteract the violence, disintegration, and lack of moral fiber rampant today.
Bal Vihars in schools and private homes have also been started all over the city to acquaint children at an impressionable age with our ancient Indian culture, as the children of today have to shape the destiny of tomorrow.
~Ratan Lal
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, May 1971
