Satsang Swami Vivekananda and Shri Saibaba (contd....)

Satsang Swami Vivekananda and Shri Saibaba (contd....)
Non-Injury (Ahimsa)
"Never producing pain by thought, word and deed, in any Living being is
what is called Ahimsa, non-injury. There is no virtue higher than
non-injury. There is no happiness higher than what a man obtains by the
attitude of non-offensiveness to all creatures" (Vol. 1-189).
Sai Baba also preached non-injury all His life, He insisted on real
non-injury by thought, word and deed. He asked his devotees not to use
bitter and piercing words against anybody even if that person used them. He
advised his devotees that if anybody approached them for something and if
they did not want to give it to him, they may refuse but should never bark
(shout) at him like a dog. He asked his devotees not to be jealous of
anybody and not to aspire other man's (even own brother's) wealth and least
of all to fight for it. For this He narrated very useful parables (viz. the
story of two goats and story of the snake and the frog chapters 46 and 47).
He also condemned slandering and criticizing others actions and wasting time
over it. As to animals like cats, dogs and birds, He always preached
compassion towards them and encouraged feeding such dumb creatures Advice to
Mrs. Tarkhad in chapter 9 and to Mrs. Laxmibai Shinde in chapter 42. So much
so that when questioned whether injurious and wicked creatures like serpents
and scorpions be also, let loose without killing, He replied, "God lives in
all beings and creatures whether they be serpents or scorpions. Unless He
wills it, nobody can do any harm to others. So we should take pity and love
even such creatures and avoid killing them. The Lord (God) is the Protector
of all", (chapter 22)
Religion
"The end and aim of all religions is to realise God (Vol. Vl-82). There are
differences in non-essentials but in essentials they are all one (Vol I,
318). That each tribe or nation should have its own particular God and think
that every other is wrong, is a superstition that should belong to the past.
All such ideas must be abandoned." (Vol. II. 67)
''No man, no nation, my son, can hate others and live. India's doom was
sealed the very day they invented the word 'Mlenchchha' and stopped
communion with others". (Vol. V. 52).
How true are these ideas in Sai Baba's case, who always preached equality
and brotherhood of all religions especially amongst Hindus and Muslims in
His days! Sai Baba never preached in favour of any particular religion but
preached the essentials of ALL religions such as truth, non-injury, love,
non-attachment to wealth, service to the poor and distressed and compassion
towards the lowest of human beings and animals. He discouraged His devotees
from changing their religions or for that matter their deity of worship or
Guru also.
Guru
“Through thousands of years of chiseling and modeling, the Jives of the
great prophets of yore came down to us; and yet, in my opinion not one
stands so high in brilliance as that life which I saw with my own eyes,
under whose shadow I have lived, at whose feet I have learnt every thing the
life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, " (Vol. III. 312-13)
"Only the knower’s of Brahma are the spiritual teachers of mankind. This is
corroborated by all Scriptures and reason too. It is only the selfish
Brahmins who have introduced into this country the system of hereditary
Gurus, which is against the Vedas and against the Shastras". (Vol. VI,
464-65)
Sai Baba also had similar love and regard for His Guru from whom He claims
to have learnt everything in his younger days. As to leaving a disciple to
carry on His task, we already know that Sai Baba did not follow this useless
tradition and preferred to work Himself through His tomb after leaving the
mortal body.
God
"From highest Brahman to the yonder worm, and to the very minutest atom,
every where is the same God, the All-Love friend; Offer mind, soul body at
their feet. These are His manifold forms before thee, Rejecting them, where
searches! thou for God? Who loves all beings, without distinction, He indeed
is worshiping best his God”.
(Vol. IV 496)
Source Shri Sai Leela June 1985.