Day -71. “Om Shri Sai Sulabha Durlabhaya Namaha.”

          Shirdi Sai Ashtotramala –Meaning, Meditation and Miracle

              Day -71. “Om Shri Sai Sulabha Durlabhaya Namaha.”

Meaning:

Humble salutation to the one who is easy to reach, yet difficult to attain. (Shirdi Sai Trust).

 

Meditation: 

A Mother goes to the super market with an inquisitive and active child. The child is so excited, wants to see everything, touch everything independently. Gets off from mother, runs through different alleys and suddenly misses something. Where is my mother? Sees another beautiful toy, plays with it for a while again, forgetting mother. A few minutes later the toy seems to be no more interesting   and the child realizes that the mother is not around, searches and cries calling the mother. Hearing its cries, the mother rushes, takes the child and moves away. 

 The Self which comes to experience the world form the universal Self goes through the experiences of the world again and again and only when it feels no more experience is needed or desired it wants to go back. It is so easy to leave, but yet it is so difficult for the insatiated. What happens to empire, name, pride, power, ideals, relations, which one builds nourishes, cherishes and lives for, when suddenly the self decides to leave the body? They are all so easy to leave in principle and yet it appear so difficult and nigh impossible to leave in practice!  In the continuum of birth and death the Self goes back to its original state of being one with Brahmam, God or Guru only when its  desire to experience the alleys of the “ super market” is satiated   and it suddenly remembers, craves , searches, cries and calls Brahmam, God or Guru with anxiety. Brahmam, God or Guru is just waiting for the sincere call of the devotee, no, in fact He is searching for the devotee like a mother whose child ran away to see the alleys. And the blessed one is back in the mother’s fold!

“Tatyasaheb was a sub- judge at Pandharpur in 1909, when Nanasaheb Chandorkar was Mamalatdar there. Both met often and exchanged words. Tatyasaheb did not believe in saints, while Nanasaheb respected them. Nanasaheb often told him the Leelas of Sai Baba and pressed him to go to Shirdi and see Baba. Noolkar finally agreed to go to Shirdi on two conditionsL1) he must get a Brahmin cook and (2) he must get good Nagpur oranges for presentation. Bothe these conditions were providentially fulfilled. A Brahmin came to Nanasaheb for service and he was sent to Tatyasaheb, and a fruit parcel containing 100 beautiful oranges was received by Tatyasaheb, the consigner being unknown. As the conditions were fulfilled Tatya saheb had to go to Shirdi. At first Baba was much enraged with him. But by and by Tatyasaheb got such experience that he was convinced that Baba was God Incarnate. So he was enamored of Baba and stayed there till his death. As his end was approaching sacred literature was read out to him, and at the last hour Baba’s Pada- tirth was brought and given to him for drinking. Baba on Hearing of his dead said,” Oh, Tatya went ahead of us, he won’t be reborn”. (Shri Sai Satcharita-Ch: 31). 

Attracted by the experiences of this infinite cycle, one goes through the joys, sorrows, pleasures and pains of lives, again and again.  He waits there, at Shirdi and anywhere and everywhere, just waiting for the devotee to leave the attachments, call and surrender. It is so easy and yet so difficult.  He comes, takes care like a mother.  He is Sulabha Durlabhaya.