Self Awakening Institution ( SAI)

(Shri Saileela December 1984)

Swami Vivekananda says "Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal." Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says, "those who search God outside will never find Him." Sai Baba says, you need not go far or anywhere in search of Me. Barring your name and form, there exists in you as well as in all beings a sense of being or consciousness of existence. That is myself. Knowing this you see me inside yourself as well as in all beings' (Chap XLIV of Sai Satcharita).

Human birth is the best of all the 84 Lakh creatures. It is said that Devas also will have to come down to attain salvation through human body. The only difference between a human being and other creatures is that the former is endowed with knowledge, which helps him in discriminating the real and the unreal. It is also amply confirmed in all scriptures that Moksha (liberation) is not to be sought in heaven or on earth. It is synonymous with self-realisation.

We believe in the existence of God; but we do not sincerely try to experience Him within us, as we are more conscious of the body than self. Every human being is a moving temple of God. Our body is a temple of our 'self’. We do not go to a place of worship to see the structure or the architectural beauty of the place. We go to worship or to pray the presiding deity of the temple. Similarly we have to give more importance to the self than the body. Sai Baba had advised Shri Vijayanand "Wealth-and prosperity are transient and the body is subject to decay and death." No doubt the Soul is immortal.

The author of Sai Satcharita has rightly put that one must be a saint to understand another saint, He further adds that one can measure the depth of seven seas or enclose the sky with cloth trapping but one cannot understand a saint. Such being the case any attempt to define Sai shows our egoism. Hence we surrender it at His feet and venture to share the following views (inspiration of Sai) with devotee-readers.

It is indisputable truth that Sai is not three and a half cubit*' long but an institution which is invaluable immeasurable, immortal, and beyond all limitations. Sai brother Krishna Kumarji of Hyderabad, views Sai as Self Analysis Institution. He conducts weekly satsang for parayana of Sai Satcharita, Sai Bhajan and meditation under the auspices of Self Analysis Institution. I wish to view Sai as Self Awakening Institution. The latent powers of the self are awakened in this Institution, so that the 'Real' can be realised within ourselves. Thus *s' stands for Self, 'a* for Awakening and I for Institution. It is learnt from Sai Satcharita, "The body, composed of five elements, is perishable and transcient but the self within is the Absolute Reality, which is immortal and intranscient. This pure being, consciousness or Brahman, the Ruler and controller of the senses and mind is 'Sai'.

Now let us analyse what has been taught in this institution and what are the qualifications prescribed for admission into it. First and foremost thing to be done is to erase our 'ego*. When once it is annihilated without any trace of it, as assured by Sai, He Himself will enter into us and do every service. We should forget I and never take the credit of authorship for anything. We should always remember that the doer is Sai and we are only instruments in His holy hands. We will have to resort to the holy feet of a Realised Soul, who will be acting as a 'guide' in our efforts to reach the destination. The perfect guide as stated in Sai Satcharita. takes us safely avoiding wolves, tigers on the way. The possibility of losing the track in the Jungle or falling into ditches can be avoided with the help of a guide.

A Sadguru only can be a perfect guide. He will naturally be well conversant with the route we have to go. He can shower his grace by mere glance or by touch or by thought. He awakens in us 'I am He (Brahman) consciousness, manifests the joy of Self Realisation’.

For seeing Brahman, we have to surrender at His feet five pranas, five senses, mind, intellect and ego. The author of Sai Satcharita states (Chap XVI) that Chintamani, Kamadhenu and Kalpataru can only give what we desire; but a Sadguiu gives us the most precious thing that is inconceivable and inscrutable. (The Reality).

Certain qualifications are prescribed for admission into the Self Awakening Institution as detailed in Chapter XVI of Sai Satcharita. They are intense desire to get free from bondage, disgust with worldly objects, Antarmukhata, purging away of Sins, Right conduct, preferring good things to pleasant things, control of the mind, purification of the mind, the necessity of a Guru and above all Lord's grace. We need not be frightened by all the unalloyed love towards Baba.- He takes care of the above requirements. We should make Him the sole object of our thoughts and actions.

Let us recapitulate Baba's nector like words, "Meditate on my formless nature which is knowledge, incarnate consciousness and bliss. If you cannot do this, meditate on ray form from top to bottom as you see. If you go on doing this, your vrittis (thoughts) Will concentrate at one point and the distinction between the Dhyata (Meditator), Dhyana (act of meditation) and Dhyeya (thing meditated upon) will be lost and [the meditator will be one with the consciousness and be merged in the Brahman¹ (Chap XVIII) we learn from Chap VI of Sai Satcharita, 'If anyone prostrates before Sai and surrenders heart and soul to Him, then unsolicited all the chief objects of life viz., Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are easily attained". Sai further assured, 'If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you day and night”.

We do not know anything. What we know is nothing unless it is implemented and experienced. Reading cannot be believing. Seeing only is believing. Let us dedicate our body and soul to Sai who can awaken our self by His grace. We know that Sai watches all our actions and movements wherever we may be yet we become slaves to the senses and act against the interest of our Self Realisation. Adi Sankara preached that Sat sang ultimately leads to Jivan Mukti. It may not be possible for most of us to be in the company of pious souls. Does not matter. We can take our mind to Sai, Shirdi, Samadhi Mandir Dwaraka Mayi, Chavadi. We can recollect Sai Leelas or any holy scripture. This act also forms part of Satsang. Devotion means unwavering love towards God. Peerless faith in Sai coupled with utmost patience is sufficient to attain salvation.

Let us all become students of this Institution, learn what is taught through Sai Satcbarita and other sacred Sai literature and seek His invisible grace to see Him within us. Let us give serious thought to Vivekanda's words, " If there is a God we must see Him, if there is a soul we must perceive it, otherwise it is better not to believe. It is better to be an out-spoken atheist than a hypocrite". Let us see Sai in us and in every creature and prove to ourselves that we are neither out-spoken atheists nor hypocrites. This proof is required for our own conscience only not for the oustide world

D. Sankaraiah

Hyderabad