Mohanji speaks on how desirelessness can lead us to true freedom.
I’ve seen that many people go to a temple, go to a Guru or go to any places of power with a very deep expectation. This place will transform me, or this place will deliver what I’m looking for. And most of the things which they ask for are of terrestrial nature, which means material gains, or positions or some kind of possessions; these kinds of things. So people come to Baba as well, asking for various things.
I remember one story; this is a real story somebody had told me many years ago.
The story of a priest
There was a priest who worshipped Lord Ganapati or Ganesha. He worshipped with such intensity that Lord Ganesha appeared. He was a bit jealous about his neighbour, who was very rich, had all the richness, all the things that money can buy. He was deeply jealous, but actually, he thought that with the presence of Lord Ganesha in his life, he could get more than what the other guy has.
So he brought Lord Ganesha, who came and told him, “I will not be your servant. I will stay with you; I have no problem, and because of my energy and my presence, many things will happen in your house positively. But don’t ask me to do things; I’m not your servant.” Then he said, “No, no, I will not ask you anything. Please stay.”
Then he arranged the pratishtha – the energy installation of the idol, and Lord Ganesha started living in his house as a deep presence. Time went by, and at one point in time, his jealousy overtook him because his neighbour has brought something unignorable. So he told Lord Ganesha, “Can you please get me something bigger or brighter than that thing?”
Lord Ganesha said, “That’s not my kind of job. I don’t do these things. But, in any case, since you have asked, I’ll get you.” So that competition was continuing, so he got that.
On another occasion, again, he requested Lord Ganesha, “Please, can you help me with this? Because I can’t sleep, because this is happening – that guy is getting richer and richer. I am not feeling that way. Even with your presence, I am not really in comparison with my neighbour.”
Lord Ganesha said, “I told you in the beginning itself, I am not your servant, and it’s not my job to keep giving you things.” So, he said, “One more time”. Lord Ganesha said, “Tathastu!” (So be it), and he got that.
Then the third time, after a few months, another occasion happened, and this guy could not sleep. He again went in front of Lord Ganesha. He only remembered requesting something, and his whole house caught fire. The house was burnt down; the people inside the house died, even this man died. The whole thing was burnt.
I was told that this is a true story. But there is a clear message in here.
How to approach a Master?
We should not approach any Master or any deity or any God whom we worship or whom we regard or who we are connected to, with selfish interest. We should not approach like that. What should we go for? Why should we connect? We should connect to them, for our sake, that means we should feel them within us.
We should connect to them to discard all these desires, to dilute and dissolve these desires.
“Please take these desires away from me; I don’t need them. Even if I have lots of things materially, I have to leave everything and go. All my possessions will go, my positions will go, my qualifications will go at the time of death. Everything will go.”
Unshakeable Faith
That awareness will ground you, and when you go to a Master or when you go to a great samadhi or a great place like Shirdi, you would just go there to say, “Thank you, I’m grateful.”
All the people, all of us, who keep requesting Baba, “Can you do this for me? Can you do that for me?” Please remember – we are stretching our connection. We are actually putting this connection with a kind of thread that can break anytime.
I am not saying that Baba will burn your house; he will not do something like that. They are all very benevolent. The connection with them is always available. Like I said about the Sun: The Sun is always there- you open the curtains, then sunlight will come in.
But a connection to a Master should be based on extreme faith, unshakeable faith. That faith should be very strong, that you don’t need anything from them. Instead, you know they are with you. Just like Arjuna told Krishna, at the time when Duryodhana asked for the Yadava army (a huge army), Arjuna said: “I just need you,” to Krishna. “Your presence is much bigger than the whole army.”
Connect within
The presence of Sai Baba in your life is your trump card. That is not for use, but to be sure that you will not fall. He will take care. He protects, he nourishes; he nurtures, and he empowers. He walks with you. But if you keep asking something- do not keep that distance.
When you are asking something, you are seeing him outside of you. Instead, you see him inside of you – as pure energy, pure consciousness, the ultimate truth, the permanent companion, even beyond that. Connect to that consciousness within, and you will feel that you need nothing from Earth.
You have no desires. You do not need to ask anything from him and you will be free. Freedom. That is the highest that Baba gives everybody – total freedom.
Transcribed by Nada Raković
Proofread by Padmini Ravikumar and Seema Jamakhandi