Shirdi Sai Gita 2 (Pleasures & Pains) Telugu Talk

Happiness & Sorrow

Nana: (With folded hands) "Baba! Why then do we have happiness and sorrow? We get pleasure from happiness and heart breaking pain from sorrow. The person who is entangled in the world suffers between both these extremes every second of his life. If this world is the store house of happiness and sorrow; how can one destroy sorrow and achieve happiness without leaving it?"

Baba: "Happiness and sorrow are delusions. They are the fog which covers up and hides the reality.

What we feel are the pleasures of this world are not truly its pleasures.

Examine this aspect closely. Many people commit mistakes in understanding these aspects. It is by the prarabdha karma that one gets delicious food to eat while another gets dry bread to eat. The one who gets the stale dry bread may be plunged into sorrow. Another may get merely the dry crust of the stale bread. The man who got the delicious food to eat will think that he has everything and lacks nothing. One may eat delicious food or one may eat rice with pickle. It is merely to assuage hunger and to fill the stomach. Some may wear costly shawls with jeweled embroidery. Some may cover their skin with rags. It may be a costly shawl or a rag; the purpose is to cover the skin only. Beyond this basic use there no further use for these things".

"It is ignorance to give importance to happiness or sorrow.

Explanation:  Here we have to quote Bhagavadgita sloka – 2:14

Maatraasparshaastu kaunteya sheetoshnasukhaduhkhadaah;

Aagamaapaayino’nityaas taamstitikshaswa bhaarata.

The contacts of the senses with the objects, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold and pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna!

Attachment is the primary reason for happiness and sorrow.  What is attachment?

Attachment describes the connection between an individual and an external object. Objects can be people, things, possessions, positions, power, fame etc.

Most people are attached to something or other in life, whether they are aware of their attachment or not.

We can use daily life scenario to understand this. We watch a program on Television. When this is done repeatedly for about two weeks, we develop attachment to this program and it becomes our favorite program. We leave the office in time so that I do not miss the program. If my subordinates do not finish their work in time, I become angry. I shout at them to hurry up lest I might miss my program. If my superior asks me to come to his cabin, I develop a fear that I may be delayed.

Until we experience fear or anger, we do not realize that we are attached. 

When we have attachments like this, they will be responsible for the sorrow.

Pleasures of life:

According to Bhagavadgita 18^th chapter there are 3 kinds of Pleasures:

Sukham twidaaneem trividham shrinu me bharatarshabha;

Abhyaasaadramate yatra duhkhaantam cha nigacchati.

Now hear from Me, O Arjuna, of the threefold pleasure, in which one rejoices by

practice and surely comes to the end of pain!

Satvic pleasures:

Yattadagre vishamiva parinaame’mritopamam;                                                               Tatsukham saattwikam proktam aatmabuddhiprasaadajam.

That which is like poison at first but in the end like nectar—that pleasure is declared to be Sattwic, born of the purity of one’s own mind due to Self-realisation.

Rajasic Pleasures:

Vishayendriya samyogaad yattadagre’mritopamam;

Parinaame vishamiva tatsukham raajasam smritam.

That pleasure which arises from the contact of the sense-organs with the objects, which is at first like nectar and in the end like poison—that is declared to be Rajasic.

Tamasic Pleasures:

Yadagre chaanubandhe cha sukham mohanamaatmanah;

Nidraalasyapramaadottham tattaamasamudaahritam.

That pleasure which at first and in the sequel is delusive of the self, arising from sleep,

Indolence and heedlessness—such a pleasure is declared to be Tamasic.

There is no being on earth or again in heaven among the gods that is liberated from the three qualities born of Nature.

Like this Baba explained that all the pleasures and pains are only delusions, which means they are fixed false beliefs.

Baba continues!

If the mind is an ocean, the waves of sorrow and happiness are always rising and falling in that ocean.

What you feel as sorrow and happiness are not real. They are mere delusion caused by your infatuation with the body.

You may have a doubt here. Waves are present if only water in present. Light is present if only a lamp is present. So there must be a causative factor for the birth of these notions such as happiness and sorrow.

What is it? It is the six enemies such as lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, pride and envy which is the basis for the experience of happiness and sorrow in this world. The form of the waves is delusion. It makes the truth seem a lie; and a lie seems as the truth. When a poor man sees gold in the hand of a rich man, he feels envious. Then the wave of envy starts in his mind. He gets the feeling, "That gold should be in my hand." The moment he gets this feeling, another wave of greed starts in his mind.

Baba: (Continued) Nana, how many more examples can I give you of this? First, we have to conquer our six enemies. Once they are conquered, they cannot do anything to start these waves our mind. To tell the truth we cannot fully conquer these six enemies but we can make them our slaves.

Baba continues:

We should place our knowledge as the superior officer over these six enemies.

Over knowledge, we should place discrimination as the supervising officer.

If we successfully achieve this, there will be no further pain of happiness and sorrow for us."

"Alright, now I will tell you what the true happiness and sorrow are.

Mukti (Emancipation, salvation) is true happiness.

To take birth and die is true sorrow.

Any other happiness or sorrow but for these, is a result of mere delusion.

OM SAI RAM !

SHIRDI SAI GITA 1 

Samsar

One day the pure and virtuous Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Nanasaheb Nimonkar came to Shirdi for the darshan of Sri Sai Baba. Nana sahib prostrated at Baba's feet and prayed,

Nana: "Oh Sai Maharaj, Oh thou able one! No more this worldly life for me.

All the Shastras say that this worldly life is futile. Protector of the meek and the downtrodden!

Please tear asunder these chains of worldly attachments, which entangle us and hinder our progress.

What pleasures we seek are turning into pain to haunt and torment us.

 Desire is making us dance like puppets at her whim. 

No matter how far the search, we are unable to find true bliss in this world. I am fed up of this life. I do not want these worldly entanglements anymore."

Baba patiently heard what Chandorkar had to say. 

Baba:

“From where are you getting these insane ideas?

What you say is true to some extent but you seem to have gone on a tangent on the whole. You may try to escape from the worldly but it will not let you escape from it. It will always stick by your side. It is not possible for anyone to escape from its clutches. Even I could not escape being entangled in this body of mine.

How can we then escape the entanglements?

This world has many attributes. Let me explain them to you.

When lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, pride and envy are covered by ego the result is worldliness. That is the world.

The eyes see an object, the ears hear, the tongue tastes - this too is the world (Samsara). It is the nature of the body. This world is an admixture of pleasure and pain. They do not leave anyone. No one can escape from their clutches.

You feel that wealth, wife and children are the world. You are now weary of this. But they will not leave you even if you wish to leave them.

The reason for all this is your prarabhda karma. No one can escape it without experiencing it and working it out in the three worlds.

Nana: "All what you had said earlier was given by God and are his creation, the last - prarabhda is my own creation. I am wearied of this worldliness. Please remove my entanglements and save me somehow or the other."

Baba: (laughed) "Everything is your creation. What is the use of feeling fed up now?

All these are the result of the karma of your previous lives, the result of the prarabdha karma.

This prarabdha is the main reason for us to take birth in this world. None can escape the prarabdha. That is why people are born. There are the poor, the middleclass, the rich, the others, the bachelors, the vaanaprasthas, the sanyasis, the high and mighty, the low and such many kinds of people. There are many animals such as horses, cattle, foxes, birds, tigers, wolves, dogs, pigs, cats, snakes, scorpions, the ants and insects. The life inhabiting them all is the same. But they all look different from each other to the casual onlooker. Have you ever thought why this should be so? It is because of their sanchita karma that they are different from each other. They assume the qualities, conduct and the way of life as per their bodies.

What is the purpose of seeing all these bodies and feeling wearied? The tiger eats meat. The pig eats excreta. The wolf digs out the buried human body and eats it with relish. It is the nature of their bodies which makes them do that. The swan eats the tender leaves of the lotus; the vultures eat the stinking decayed meat. One gets the qualities and the habits of the body one is born in. This is the law of the nature. It is in accordance with this law of the nature that the living beings experience their prarabdha karma.

Look here Nana! Some lions roam freely in the jungle - the lords of all they survey. Some lions are caged and taken from village to village on show. The rich man's dog sleeps on mattresses of silk. Some dogs keep roaming throughout the day for a few pieces of bread. Some cattle are fed to satiety with hay. The owner gives them sufficient water and oilcakes to feed and takes good care of them. Some cattle keep roaming throughout the day, hungry for food. They do not even get a few stalks of grass to eat and have to nose about the rubbish.

The main reason for these differences is the prarabdha karma.

None can escape it without experiencing it to the full. It is the reason for the prosperity of the rich and the poverty of the poor.

None can escape its writ without undergoing the full course.

What law applies to animals applies to humans too.

One is rich, the other poor; one is prosperous, the other in the clutches of wretched poverty. One is an orphan who has to beg for alms.

One moves like a prince on horse-back.

One enjoys all the luxuries of life in kingly mansions.

One has nothing to call his own and sleeps naked on the bare ground, the sky itself his roof. Some have progeny, but they all die.

Some women are barren and bear no children.

Some women go to much trouble for just for the sake of bearing children”.

Now let us understand the Karma theory. 

Whatever deeds we do from morning till the time of our sleep in the night, are all Karmas.  Every human being keeps on performing acts from birth to death and such acts yield results. Even the fruits of the acts are called Karmas. It is a certainty that every act yields fruits.  

Depending upon the time taken by actions to produce results they are classified into three divisions.  They are:

1 ) A g a m i  Ka r m a s              (C ur ren t  Act s)          

2 ) Sa n chi ta  Ka rm a s  (A cc um u la ted  Ac ts )

3 ) Pra ra bhd ha  Ka rm a s  (Accumulated  Karmas which  ripen  and became ready  to be experienced by the human being are termed Prarabhdha Karmas)

1. Agami Karmas (Current Actions)

Whatever actions we do now are to be classified as Agami Karmas. Of these some yield instant results and withdraw from further operation. Some others remain dormant for the time being and get accumulated for giving results in future at the appropriate time.

Take for instance our taking food when we are hungry.  Our hunger is immediately satisfied. Here taking food is an action and satisfaction of hunger is the result of the act.  Similarly when we feel thirsty, we drink water. Our thirst is quenched at once.  When we get angry against a person, we beat him. If the other person is in a position to retaliate, he will return the blow.   While our beating the person first is an action, the other man returning the blow is the result of our act.   In all the above cases we observe that our acts produce instant results and get dissolved.

Yet, there are some actions which do not produce immediate

results.   Let us take a case where we curse a person, accusing him of some misdeeds, in his absence. Since that person is not before us, there is no reaction or result for our act.  So also when we do charities or meritorious deeds we do not reap the result immediately. Similarly when our children appear for examinations the results are known only after some months.   So in these latter instances the Karmas remain inert for a certain period for yielding results at a future point of time. These are also called current actions or Agami Karmas.

II. Sanchita Karmas (Accumulated Acts)

Of the total Karmas performed in a birth some yield instant results and get dissolved. The rest get stored for yielding fruits in the coming births.  Similarly some deeds done in earlier births also might get accumulated and both these types of Karmas are carried forward. The above two categories of Karmas come under the classification of Accumulated Karmas or ëSanchita Karmasí. It is note ñ worthy that even though Jeeva sheds off his body due to death, the accumulated karmas do not leave him, but accompany him to the next births till their fruits become ripe for enjoyment.

When  we change  rented  houses  we carry  with  us a ll  our belongings from the previously occupied house to the new house. Similarly when Jeeva leaves the body, which can be compared to a rented house let out by God, he carries forward all the Sanchita Karmas (accumulated fruits) acquired by his Karmas done in the course of the previous births and enters another suitable body (or a rented new house) kept ready by God. These reserves of Karma fruits which the Jeeva carries from birth to birth are Accumulated Karmas or ëSanchita Karmasí.

III. Prarabdha Karmas

Jeeva carries forward with him the Accumulated Karmas from birth to birth. Such of the said Karmas which become ripe for enjoyment in the current birth are called Prarabdha Karmas as far as that birth is concerned.

Jeeva enters a body appropriate for its occupation based on the Prarabdha Karmas and emerges  into the world  with  that bod y. That body la sts till the completion of enjoyment of the Prarabdha Karmas.   This is where Baba was saying we acquire a body based on Prarabda. Whenever we finish all these karmas in this body, we leave the body and we call this as Death. Whatever Karmas left and if they are suitable for a certain body (either as human or animal), we take that form.  In this way the wheel of birth and death rotates.

Sankaracharya in the his Bhajagovindam describes this:

Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam

Punarapi Janani Jathare Sayanam

This says: The Jeeva has to pass through innumerable number of births and deaths and for every birth has to enter the mother’s womb and suffer the related karmas.

   Where is the end of this cycle of births and deaths then?  

    When does he get liberation from this chain?

Is there not a way to get salvation and attain the state of eternal bliss?  

Yes, there is.

Sai has shown us the great path and we have to cultivate Shradda and Sabhuri. We follow our great Guru and he will lead us to the salvation.

OM SAI RAM!