Wednesday, Dec 25 2024
SWAMI
IN MY LIFE
Each year as fall approaches, bringing with it the
celebration of Swami's birthday, devotees are often
prone to spending even more time than usual thinking
of Sai Baba and meditating on both His form and His
presence in their lives. I did the same used the time
to reflect on my experiences with Sai Baba. It was very
comforting to realize all the little ways that He makes
His presence known to me throughout my daily life. On
all occasions, when we make the right decisions and
perform our duties well, and even on those occasions
when we do not, Swami inevitably reveals to us His omnipresence
in subtle and charming ways, encouraging us to stick
to the right paths of duty and dharma. I can recall
many such incidences, of which I will relate a few,
when Swami has acted in His different roles of mother,
comforter, and even at times, disciplinarian!
A few years back, I worked part-time as a cashier at
a café, and while the work environment was friendly,
the job was such that one shift took up a good chunk
of time and one could not really study during this time.
There was one particular week during the winter when
I was extremely busy, with little sleep and lots of
assignments to do. Yet it did not occur to me to skip
work. On the day I was to go in to work, I was extremely
tired and had an important assignment due the following
day, and my friends suggested that I skip work at the
last minute. Now, while I was busy, I knew that with
proper time management I could complete all my work.
For this reason, and also because I did not feel it
was right to skip at the last minute, I merely replied
that it was my duty to go to work and that I would do
so.
During a slow period at work when there weren't any
customers around, a woman who I have never seen before,
approached me. She came me with a broad smile and handed
me a fresh, fragrant jasmine in full bloom, simply saying
that she "felt I would appreciate it." Jasmine
is considered to be one of Swami's favorite flowers
and is not common in this part of the State. Her simple
spontaneous gesture of kindness left me with a very
happy feeling the entire rest of that evening, and I
finished all my work in high spirits. I have not seen
this woman since that one winter night! I believe this
little act was Swami's way of rewarding me for acting
according to the dictates of dharma and to let me know
He is ever watching our every single act.
Another such instance occurred just this past summer,
when Swami chose to reinforce in me the importance of
selfless service and sacrifice. I was in need of a small
bag to essentially serve as my purse when I went out.
I had a particular type of backpack-like bag in mind
and happened to see one in a store display window one
Thursday. At that time, I was very much tempted to buy
the bag right away. However, the thought suddenly came
to me that I ought to use my salary for a better purpose
(which I was planning on earlier) and that I could get
my bag at a later time. Thus, instead of spending the
money on the bag, I decided to use it for a higher purpose
and made a charitable donation. That Thursday evening,
as usual, I went to attend our Sai Center in Cambridge.
Afterwards, an amazing coincidence occurred. One of
our members had recently moved from Massachusetts to
another state, and for some reason, though we had never
even brought up this topic, before she left she thought
that I might find her little black backpack useful.
She was leaving a few of her things behind and she felt
this particular item would suit me. She sent this bag
along to the Center through another member and when
I saw it, I was totally amazed because it was exactly
the same type of bag that I had envisioned as ideal
and wanted to buy earlier that day! I could hardly believe
it and I admit, I was overjoyed to see my wish fulfilled
in the presence of Sai in such an unexpected manner.
Considering that all this happened on the same day,
I view this incident as a strong and clear message from
Swami reinforcing the ideals of selfless service and
sacrifice that He encourages in us and rewards with
His instant Grace.
Of course, in addition to simply rewarding good actions,
Swami plays many other roles, one of which is a motherly,
protective role. My first dream of Sai was of Him fussing
over me as a concerned mother with a tender loving touch
on my forehead, chiding me for staying up late and insisting
that I go to sleep (this was the night before my trip
to Puttaparthi).
At another time, I had a very tough exam coming up,
and although I knew I had studied a great deal and had
done my best, I could not help but feel very nervous
the night before the exam given that there was a lot
of material to be included on the exam. I was reviewing
with a friend and remarked how I was feeling afraid
though I knew I had no reason to feel that way. At that
very moment, I checked my email. The very first thing
I read when I opened my email was the line, "Do
Not Fear!"
Finally, Swami does also take up that other role of
a… disciplinarian! I only became a vegetarian
during college, and a few years ago, while I was 95%
vegetarian, occasionally I would eat non-vegetarian
food when I went out with my friends. On one such occasion,
Swami certainly prevented me from eating non-vegetarian
food, in a very direct manner. It was a friend's birthday
party and I was the only vegetarian going. As my friends
knew I sometimes rarely would forgo vegetarianism. On
the way to the restaurant they were all teasing me about
what delicious dishes they were going to order. As a
result, on the way to the restaurant I started to think
that maybe I would eat non-vegetarian food. As it turns
out, I never had any choice in the matter. When I sat
down in the restaurant, preparing to thumb through the
menu to the non-vegetarian selections, I was surprised
to see on the wall in front of me a huge picture of
Swami! Needless to say, I felt very embarrassed about
my thoughts and was suitably chastised.
Looking back at these instances, I find it truly amazing
how subtly He can pervade life's daily activities with
His loving touch. Recently, during the Christmas 2002
Divine Discourse, Swami said, "I do not attach
much importance to the work. What is important to Me
are your qualities…" He has taught me that
it is not how many years we have known Him, but rather
how well we apply His teachings in our everyday lives
that is truly important.
Sis Arya Soman
Massachusetts, USA
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