Seeing Sai in the world means being with Him all the time and offering everything to him. By always asking, "Is this what Swami wants?" he becomes a constant companion and closest friend.
To accomplish this closeness, our efforts must be intense,sincere, and steady even through adversity. Dr. Hislop once asked Swami, "Why, after many years of sadhna (Spiritual discipline) have I not yet attained self-realization?
Swami answered with one word, "Intensity".
Sai Baba spoke about an unusual incident that happened about one hundred years ago in India. It illustrates the fact that all consuming closeness with God can actually make us one with Him. This closeness is achieved when we offer everything to God with no other thought and with renunciation of all attachments. It also cautions us that the path can be trying.
Swami then spoke of a poor woman who took to the task of cleaning her humble abode in a disciplined manner everyday. She would sweep the floor of her house with a dung ball, which had antiseptic properties. When she was finished, she took the remaining ball of dung in her hand and threw it out of the back door with a prayer on her lips,offering it to Lord Krishna with all love.
She thanked Him for giving her strength to clean her house, for the cleanliness in her house, and for the means by which she could clean her house.
At the same time that the woman offered the dung ball to Krishna in this manner, a strange event occurred in the temple in the middle of the town. In this temple, there was a small statue of Krishna hanging on the wall. The priest was amazed to see that each day at the same time, out of thin air, a dung ball mysteriously flew through the air and splattered all over the statue of Krishna.
The priest was incensed by such an occurrence and could not understand from where the dung ball came. Thinking that someone in the village must be behind this incident, he searched the village night and day for the culprit.
He heard of a woman living nearby who threw a dung ball out of the back door of her home at the same moment the dung splattered on the Krishna statue.
The priest hid behind tree and watched the woman's home for few days. Sure enough, each day he saw her sweep her home with the dung ball and throw it out of her back door into the yard. He concluded that she must be the culprit.
Infuriated, he picked up a stick, jumped over the fence of the yard, and fell upon the woman, beating her badly. The woman's arm was broken and bleeding and she wept in pain. The priest satisfied that he had protected Krishna, proudly walked back to the temple.
He was sure that the statue would be clean this day. However, to his surprise, the arm of Lord Krishna had been broken and appeared to be bleeding. This was in reciprocation to the brutal treatment of the woman by the priest. Her selfless and holy offering to Krishna made her one with Him. Not understanding this, the priest has actually attacked his Lord. Aware of the fact and repenting for his brutal behaviour, the priest fell at the statue's feet and prayed for forgiveness. He learned that any offering done with a pure heart reached the Lord and the selfless act ultimately result in merging the two thereby abolishing duality. He also learned that God resides in the hearts of all.
With Love,
Ganesh Baba
http://kriyababa.blogspot.com/
To get spiritual mails
http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/spiritual_inspiration
