One with a steadfast faith can accomplish even the most difficult tasks. If one firmly resolves to realize the Supreme Self in His absolute being and loves Him to the exclusion of all else, he can realize God in this very life. Just a firm faith is enough in itself for one to eradicate sorrow, attain peace and become successful in life.
Sakhubai, a devotee, lived in the Karad village of Maharashtra. She was very chaste, polite and sincere but her parents-in –law were diagonally opposite to her in nature wicked, harsh and hard-hearted. They inflicted a lot of torture on Sakhubai.
One’s firm resolve can change even the most trying circumstances. Howsoever harshly the people may treat you in the world, if you do not mistreat yourself, their oppression cannot destroy you. You should but be firm in your faith and conviction. A wife has faith in her husband and has resolved to depend on him alone. But if her Sari is torn and she goes to beg for it at the neighbour’s house, this amounts to a breach of devotion to her husband. If a devotee happens to kill an insect, he should remember the Lord Achyuta. This is in tune with his faith that by remembering the Lord all sins are destroyed. But if he takes recourse to rituals and goes to bathe in the holy Ganga and observe fasts in order to get absolved of his sin, his faith is thereby distorted. If a yogi happens to kill an insect, it will suffice for him to do pranayama and think that the insect has only changed its body, while its soul is anyway immortal and also that he has not killed the insect intentionally. But if the yogi goes to take a bath in the holy Gange or observes fasts for redemption, his such faith in yoga can’t bring him success. If a Knower of the Ultimate Truth happens to kill an insect, for Him even resorting to pranayama and Self inquiry would mean that he doesn’t really have faith in the philosophy of Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth. He should have the firm conviction, ‘The Absolute Being is ever unchanged; only the form of he insect is subject to change OM.OM that’s all.
One’s own faith is sufficient for one’s deliverance. All kinds of torture were inflicted on Sakhubai but it could not shake her faith; for her conviction was, ‘The Lord is my very own and He fashions all these favourable and adverse circumstances for my progress. All these pleasures and pains are gifts from the Lord.’
Prahlad’s faith was unwavering too. His father inflicted all kinds of atrocities on him; but he was firm in his conviction, ‘My Lord is everywhere. He is there to save me from all harm.’ Fire didn’t burn Prahlad but all harm.’ Fire didn’t burn Prahlad but Holika, who had been endowed with a boon not to be burnt by fire, was reduced to ashes.
‘I have faith in Gandhiji; I am a follower of Gandhiji. He is the tower of inspiration for me.’ There is a difference between just saying these and actually acting accordingly. If one has real faith in Gandhiji, one should practice at least a single Gandhian principle in one’s own life. How wedded to truth Gandhiji was!
The Exemplary was the faith of Shabari, the Bhila woman. Her Guru told her, “You won’t have to go searching for Lord Rama. Just keep serving at the ashram and Lord Rama will Himself come to you.” Shavbari was sixteen years old when she come to the Guru’s ashram. She grew up to become an old woman of eighty years. People called her mad and said other derogatory things, but Shabari’s unwavering faith brought Lord Rama to her door; and also made Him eat plums first tasted by her. This is the miracle of faith. The real faith is defined in the following by Tulsidasji:
‘I rely only on the One; I am strong by the strength of that one; I am strong by the strength of that one; all may hopes are centered on that one and I trust the one alone.’
Prahlad’s faith made Lord Narasimha appear from the iron pillar. Again it was faith that brought the Lord before Dhruva when he was just five years old. Once Samantha Ramdas’ mother told her younger child Rami Ramdas, “Dear son! Look at Hanumanji with a fixed gaze and faithfully do japa of his name; then Hanumanji will appear before you.” Rami Ramadas placed faith in his mother’s words and at the age of just eight years, he made Hanumanji appear before him. Shivaji had a great faith in his dharma, in his Guru. He was also highly faithful towards his subjects.
When I go for a walk in the morning, I find poor people lying on the road for they can’t afford even small bamboo huts. The sight of mothers of India lying on the roadside with their young ones gives me great pain. The unscrupulous people at the helm of affairs have sucked the blood out of people and have amassed billions of rupees in the Swiss bank. What a great achievement it would be if the Government shows courage and brings this money back to the country. Not only will it make India debt free, the money can be used also for housing and other necessities of the poor.
Pandharpur is a famous centre of pilgrimage. Each year millions of people go there, chanting devotional songs on the way, for the darshan of Lrod Vitthala. Some people were going from Karad to participate in the fair at Pandharpur. As she saw the pilgrims, a desire arose in Sakhubai’s heart to go to Pandharpur for Lord Vitthala’s darshan. She knew her parents-in-law would never agree go such a proposal and it was futile to seek their permission. Therefore, she left the pitcher she was carrying there itself and joined the pilgrims. Her neighbour, who had come to fetch water with her, went home and reported the incident to her mother-in-law who incited her sons anger and sent him after her. He dragged her home beating her severely on the way and locked her up in a room. The trio of father, mother and son decided to keep Sakhubai locked up without food till the fair at Pandharpur ended. Did Sakhubai complain to the Lord, ‘O Lord! What have you done to me, a staunch devotee of Yours?’ her faith in the Lord remained unbroken. Even when she was lying locked up in a cell, she said, ‘Vitthala, my Lord! What should I do now? O the saviour of the poor! I don’t know the method of worship, nor do I know how to pursue devotion. I only know that now there is nobody to call my own other than you. O Lord! I am Yours and only Yours!
When one becomes calm after praying, the Antaryamin Lord comes into play. The Lord is omnipotent. He came there assuming the form of a lady and asked her, “Won’t you go to Pandharpur?” Sakhubai said, “I am very keen to go but here I am tied with ropes.” The Lord untied the knots and told her to rush to Pandharpur forthwith.
Thus the Lord sent sakhubai to Pandharpur and Himself remained tied and locked up assuming sakhubai’s form. Sakhubai arrived at Pandharpur while the Lord remained locked up in that room. This is the miracle of true faith!
When the Lord had kept Himself locked up in Sakhubai’s form, Sakhubai’s parents’in-law and her husband would come three-four times everyday and rebuke her. But the regular darshan of the Lord soon aroused the positive traits of their hearts. They felt repentant and by releasing Sakhubai (the Lord) apologized to her. A tyrant inflicts atrocities on others but experiences a change of heart when he comes in contact with man of faith.
The Lord started doing all the chores Sakhubai used to do – cooking food, offering it to the deity and serving her in-laws. Sakhubai’s husband and in-laws were very pleased. They thought, ‘We have done a great wrong by inflicting so much torture on Sakhubai.’
When the fair came to an end at Pandharpur, Sakhubai thought, ‘If I go home now, my family people will beat the hell out of me.’ She never knew that the Lord had bound Himself for her sake. She thought it was better to die at Pandharpur than to bear the torture of her in-laws. She took a vow, ‘I will not go home in this body.’ With these thoughts, Sakhubai got engrossed in meditation and departed this life. Incidentally, a Brahmin who hailed from Kiwal, a village near Karad, was passing thought that place. He recognized Sakhubai and performed her last rites.
So Sakhubai was dead but the Lord had been acting Sakhubai at her home. When a long time passed this way, Goddess Rukmini the consort of the lord was worried. She went to the cremation ground, collected Sakhubai’s ashes and using Her power infused life into Sakhubai. It was no big thing for the Supreme Creative Primordial power of the universe.
Rukminiji said to Sakhubai, “You had taken a vow not to go home in that body. That body has already been consumed by the fire. I have given you this new body you must proceed for your home now.”
Obeying the unknown goddess sakhubai arrived at Karad. There, the Lord come to the river to fetch water and seeing Sakhubai said, “Sister! You have come after a long time. Now take this pitcher and take care of your duties; I am going”, and the Lord disappeared instantly. You cannot gauge the miraculous power of faith-will become accomplished in devotion; those strengthening their faith in Knowledge. Those, engaged in rendering service with a faith, will become successful in their respective fields. This story is blessed. Whatever be gets objects of faith of different please, it invariably leads one to the supreme benediction.
This Atman has the power to manifest itself in various forms. It manifests itself variously in dreams anyway. Even in the waking state it does so by virtue of faith. This Divine Self of yours can become Sakhu, Narasimha or even Rama or Krishna. O man! You are simply ignorant about the power of your Real Self, the Supreme Soul. Our Truth-consciousness-Bliss Absolute Self is a reservoir of power, prowess, beauty and bliss. By nurturing love for that and remembering That time and again just find repose Therein to be free from the bondages of ego, attachments and misery.
Sakhubai, a devotee, lived in the Karad village of Maharashtra. She was very chaste, polite and sincere but her parents-in –law were diagonally opposite to her in nature wicked, harsh and hard-hearted. They inflicted a lot of torture on Sakhubai.
One’s firm resolve can change even the most trying circumstances. Howsoever harshly the people may treat you in the world, if you do not mistreat yourself, their oppression cannot destroy you. You should but be firm in your faith and conviction. A wife has faith in her husband and has resolved to depend on him alone. But if her Sari is torn and she goes to beg for it at the neighbour’s house, this amounts to a breach of devotion to her husband. If a devotee happens to kill an insect, he should remember the Lord Achyuta. This is in tune with his faith that by remembering the Lord all sins are destroyed. But if he takes recourse to rituals and goes to bathe in the holy Ganga and observe fasts in order to get absolved of his sin, his faith is thereby distorted. If a yogi happens to kill an insect, it will suffice for him to do pranayama and think that the insect has only changed its body, while its soul is anyway immortal and also that he has not killed the insect intentionally. But if the yogi goes to take a bath in the holy Gange or observes fasts for redemption, his such faith in yoga can’t bring him success. If a Knower of the Ultimate Truth happens to kill an insect, for Him even resorting to pranayama and Self inquiry would mean that he doesn’t really have faith in the philosophy of Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth. He should have the firm conviction, ‘The Absolute Being is ever unchanged; only the form of he insect is subject to change OM.OM that’s all.
One’s own faith is sufficient for one’s deliverance. All kinds of torture were inflicted on Sakhubai but it could not shake her faith; for her conviction was, ‘The Lord is my very own and He fashions all these favourable and adverse circumstances for my progress. All these pleasures and pains are gifts from the Lord.’
Prahlad’s faith was unwavering too. His father inflicted all kinds of atrocities on him; but he was firm in his conviction, ‘My Lord is everywhere. He is there to save me from all harm.’ Fire didn’t burn Prahlad but all harm.’ Fire didn’t burn Prahlad but Holika, who had been endowed with a boon not to be burnt by fire, was reduced to ashes.
‘I have faith in Gandhiji; I am a follower of Gandhiji. He is the tower of inspiration for me.’ There is a difference between just saying these and actually acting accordingly. If one has real faith in Gandhiji, one should practice at least a single Gandhian principle in one’s own life. How wedded to truth Gandhiji was!
The Exemplary was the faith of Shabari, the Bhila woman. Her Guru told her, “You won’t have to go searching for Lord Rama. Just keep serving at the ashram and Lord Rama will Himself come to you.” Shavbari was sixteen years old when she come to the Guru’s ashram. She grew up to become an old woman of eighty years. People called her mad and said other derogatory things, but Shabari’s unwavering faith brought Lord Rama to her door; and also made Him eat plums first tasted by her. This is the miracle of faith. The real faith is defined in the following by Tulsidasji:
‘I rely only on the One; I am strong by the strength of that one; I am strong by the strength of that one; all may hopes are centered on that one and I trust the one alone.’
Prahlad’s faith made Lord Narasimha appear from the iron pillar. Again it was faith that brought the Lord before Dhruva when he was just five years old. Once Samantha Ramdas’ mother told her younger child Rami Ramdas, “Dear son! Look at Hanumanji with a fixed gaze and faithfully do japa of his name; then Hanumanji will appear before you.” Rami Ramadas placed faith in his mother’s words and at the age of just eight years, he made Hanumanji appear before him. Shivaji had a great faith in his dharma, in his Guru. He was also highly faithful towards his subjects.
When I go for a walk in the morning, I find poor people lying on the road for they can’t afford even small bamboo huts. The sight of mothers of India lying on the roadside with their young ones gives me great pain. The unscrupulous people at the helm of affairs have sucked the blood out of people and have amassed billions of rupees in the Swiss bank. What a great achievement it would be if the Government shows courage and brings this money back to the country. Not only will it make India debt free, the money can be used also for housing and other necessities of the poor.
Pandharpur is a famous centre of pilgrimage. Each year millions of people go there, chanting devotional songs on the way, for the darshan of Lrod Vitthala. Some people were going from Karad to participate in the fair at Pandharpur. As she saw the pilgrims, a desire arose in Sakhubai’s heart to go to Pandharpur for Lord Vitthala’s darshan. She knew her parents-in-law would never agree go such a proposal and it was futile to seek their permission. Therefore, she left the pitcher she was carrying there itself and joined the pilgrims. Her neighbour, who had come to fetch water with her, went home and reported the incident to her mother-in-law who incited her sons anger and sent him after her. He dragged her home beating her severely on the way and locked her up in a room. The trio of father, mother and son decided to keep Sakhubai locked up without food till the fair at Pandharpur ended. Did Sakhubai complain to the Lord, ‘O Lord! What have you done to me, a staunch devotee of Yours?’ her faith in the Lord remained unbroken. Even when she was lying locked up in a cell, she said, ‘Vitthala, my Lord! What should I do now? O the saviour of the poor! I don’t know the method of worship, nor do I know how to pursue devotion. I only know that now there is nobody to call my own other than you. O Lord! I am Yours and only Yours!
When one becomes calm after praying, the Antaryamin Lord comes into play. The Lord is omnipotent. He came there assuming the form of a lady and asked her, “Won’t you go to Pandharpur?” Sakhubai said, “I am very keen to go but here I am tied with ropes.” The Lord untied the knots and told her to rush to Pandharpur forthwith.
Thus the Lord sent sakhubai to Pandharpur and Himself remained tied and locked up assuming sakhubai’s form. Sakhubai arrived at Pandharpur while the Lord remained locked up in that room. This is the miracle of true faith!
When the Lord had kept Himself locked up in Sakhubai’s form, Sakhubai’s parents’in-law and her husband would come three-four times everyday and rebuke her. But the regular darshan of the Lord soon aroused the positive traits of their hearts. They felt repentant and by releasing Sakhubai (the Lord) apologized to her. A tyrant inflicts atrocities on others but experiences a change of heart when he comes in contact with man of faith.
The Lord started doing all the chores Sakhubai used to do – cooking food, offering it to the deity and serving her in-laws. Sakhubai’s husband and in-laws were very pleased. They thought, ‘We have done a great wrong by inflicting so much torture on Sakhubai.’
When the fair came to an end at Pandharpur, Sakhubai thought, ‘If I go home now, my family people will beat the hell out of me.’ She never knew that the Lord had bound Himself for her sake. She thought it was better to die at Pandharpur than to bear the torture of her in-laws. She took a vow, ‘I will not go home in this body.’ With these thoughts, Sakhubai got engrossed in meditation and departed this life. Incidentally, a Brahmin who hailed from Kiwal, a village near Karad, was passing thought that place. He recognized Sakhubai and performed her last rites.
So Sakhubai was dead but the Lord had been acting Sakhubai at her home. When a long time passed this way, Goddess Rukmini the consort of the lord was worried. She went to the cremation ground, collected Sakhubai’s ashes and using Her power infused life into Sakhubai. It was no big thing for the Supreme Creative Primordial power of the universe.
Rukminiji said to Sakhubai, “You had taken a vow not to go home in that body. That body has already been consumed by the fire. I have given you this new body you must proceed for your home now.”
Obeying the unknown goddess sakhubai arrived at Karad. There, the Lord come to the river to fetch water and seeing Sakhubai said, “Sister! You have come after a long time. Now take this pitcher and take care of your duties; I am going”, and the Lord disappeared instantly. You cannot gauge the miraculous power of faith-will become accomplished in devotion; those strengthening their faith in Knowledge. Those, engaged in rendering service with a faith, will become successful in their respective fields. This story is blessed. Whatever be gets objects of faith of different please, it invariably leads one to the supreme benediction.
This Atman has the power to manifest itself in various forms. It manifests itself variously in dreams anyway. Even in the waking state it does so by virtue of faith. This Divine Self of yours can become Sakhu, Narasimha or even Rama or Krishna. O man! You are simply ignorant about the power of your Real Self, the Supreme Soul. Our Truth-consciousness-Bliss Absolute Self is a reservoir of power, prowess, beauty and bliss. By nurturing love for that and remembering That time and again just find repose Therein to be free from the bondages of ego, attachments and misery.
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