What Is Baba's Mission?
All roads lead to Rome. All paths margas lead to Sri Baba, Sri Krishna, and Sri Rama are all divinely gifted or perfected souls and expressions of divinity transforming every one who comes into contact with their divine personality - especially those who are drawn through Rinanubandha by their divinity and that are the purpose or mission of their lives. So, Baba has not one mission, but a hundred missions. Protecting the good (virtuous) punishing or reforming the wicked, establishing Dharma (virtue) or its hold on the people, are the functions of divine personalities and Baba was performing all these functions. A mission may come in. as a part of these functions.
Saints expound all the margas and find which marga or combination of which margas would suit each approaching devotee and give the same to him. Thus Baba adopted every marga but in particular one may not that predominance in his methods was neither for ritual nor for Vedic study, but for living in consonance with the supreme manifestation of Divinity in Him. His mission is to help every one; that means, of course, every one capable of benefiting — not persons who come in an unreceptive mood. Baba quoted occasionally his master's or Guru's behest that "as he has received liberally from his master, he must similarly distribute liberally amongst those that approached him." Baba was distributing not merely wealth, worldly relief and comforts but also spiritual blessings to all and sundry those were capable of receiving those benefits.
To us Sai devotees, Baba is not only a teacher but a controller from within the ever watching Guardian Angel. He regulated the lives of those who wholly surrendered to him. While doing service incidentally the work of conveying moral teachings was carried on by Baba and he gave occasional talk about morality.
'Behave properly,' 'Behave with integrity and probity. Hurting others is sinful was the advice given by Baba to Shama and Rao Sahib Galwanker which will suit us too. Baba expected people to act us to this teaching.
When a great saint lending a perfectly pure life as a Samartha Sadguru and helping thousands that came to him in the course of about half a century on their way to God is to be described, his utterances are sure of ethics and spirituality and it is neither possible nor desirable to make anything like an attempt to give a fall account of his moral teachings - Baba's influencing devotees was not and is not mainly by any sort of express teaching. He was molding his children as he called his devotees, from inside and he used not merely words but also his gaze, his touch and even his aura or the will power to remove undesirable tendencies and influences and replace them by useful and holy ones.
Even today it is his inner working that counts in the improvement and building up of the devotee. His presence, his gaze, his touch had all their effect. Each of these had its own peculiar effect as intended by Baba. Baba in many ways sowed seeds of morals and spirituality in the hearts of those approaching him, and some-times almost imperceptibly. Whenever he rendered any worldly help, that help was accompanied by a spiritual seed sowing and the beneficiary remembered Baba with faith, love and admiration for his power, guidance and kindness. These thoughts were the seeds from which a huge tree of faith would grow up later on and Baba who sowed the seeds mostly, watered and manure his plant and in many a case, beginning with worldly benefit, the devotee got on to higher and higher spiritual levels.
Baba's teachings are so common that when set out, they may look like copy book maxims and some may wonder why these should be set out at all, as everyone knows these moral teachings. What Baba taught was not something new and strange. It is the old, old truths of morality and spirituality that have to be rubbed into each soul and lived up to and therefore, Baba would place truths before the devotee when the appropriate occasion offered itself. Anyhow, in order that a curious reader wanting to know what sort of teachings Baba's were, might get satisfaction, we shall give below a few of his teachings with mere curiosity but really proceed to read, digest, absorb and live up to them and make them part of himself. For instance about contentment and surrender, Baba used to say, 'God is great. He is the Supreme Master.' Baba also said occasionally where people thought he was great, 'How great is God? No one can compare with him. God creates supports and destroys. His leela {sport} is inscrutable. Let us be content to remain as he makes us, to submit our wills to his.' This is the most important doctrine, a doctrine of submission and surrender. Baba said 'As God places us, let us remain. Take what comes. Be contented and cheerful. Never worry. Not a leaf moves but by His consent and will. We should be honest, upright and virtuous. We must distinguish right from wrong. We must each attend to his own duty. But we must not be obsessed by egotism and fancy that we are the independent causes of action. God is the Actor. We must recognize his independence and our dependence on Him and see all acts as His. If we do so, we shall be unattached and free from Karmic bondage.'
Another important thing for peace and happiness is love of all creation. Baba's moral teachings were conveyed by his own life and activity. Baba loved all creatures and the underlying motive of every act of his was love towards, all human beings and all creatures. Baba said 'Love all creatures. Do not fight with any. Do not retaliate nor scandalize any. When any one talk of you, that is, against you, passes on unperturbed. His words cannot pierce into your body. Others' acts will affect them alone and not you. As for activity Baba was ever active and never idle. And his advice was 'Do not be idle, work. Utter God's name. Read scriptures. We should not harbor envy, rivalry or combative disquisition towards others. If others hate us, let us simply take to 'Nama Japa' and avoid their company.'
Baba said at time 'God has agents everywhere and they have vast powers and I also have vast powers. But abhimana the idea that I am doing has to be completely suppressed in order that one may really have spiritual elevation, peace and happiness.' All these comprises of Baba's teachings according to observations of our beloved Master Rev. Narasimha Swamiji as above forms part and parcel of the most essential points in all religions. Thus spoke Sri Narasimha Swamiji through his book Life of Sri Sai Baba.
May all be blessed by a careful reading of this article with all faith and be blessed by Baba and Swamiji to attain the Highest - is my earnest prayer.
By H. H. Sri Saipadananda Radhakrishna Swamiji
