Blind Faith and Self Belief

Pujya Bhole Babaji, a rare Aghori mystic, over a period of time shared with us his insights and perspectives on Sai Baba's life and teachings. In this film, Babaji has discussed the various aspects of faith, including blind faith, belief, self-belief and self-confidence and how these attitudes influence our actions.
He goes on to cite examples of self-belief in the greatest of leaders such as Napoleon, Alexander the Great and Hannibal, who motivated themselves and others to achieve victory.

Bhole Baba narrates a few incidents of his own self-confidence, which resulted in incredible outcomes; he also shares his unique perspectives on achieving enlightenment, discusses undocumented mythology, relates an incredible story reflecting the virtuous character of Ma Kaikeyi. Finally Babaji talks about Sairam and His asceticism, and stresses that an Incarnation is an essence, and not the Form, and what we must do if we wish to experience God beyond the concept.

What is A Yogi's Insights on Sai Baba?

Baba Bholenath, a rare enigmatic Mystic, shares insights into Sai Baba's Life and Teachings.

"Wherever you may be, whenever you
spread your hands before Me in supplication,
with faith and devotion, there I stand
behind you day and night, as steadfast as
your faith and devotion is." — Sai Baba

Baba Bholenath, a rare Aghori mystic,
speaks on the various aspects of faith.

A logical claim of metaphysical
existence is belief.

But the belief that can't be proved
due to the nature of the result of
the action is blind belief, blind faith.

This kind of faith has no logic, and its
results too are unexpected. This is blindness -
not of the eye, but blindness of logic.

Blind faith takes a man to ignorance,

and speaking of faith, here we must mention
here that Buddha stresses on balance -
balanced knowledge, balanced exercise, balanced
meditation, balanced diet... everything in one’s life
should be in balance, in equilibrium.

Not more than our desire,
nor less that our need —
that's what a balanced meal is.

So blind faith lacks
balance and equilibrium.

It is not based on reason, and also,
the outcome is always contrary to
what is expected to happen.

There are so many different sects in India
and in other parts of the world where the
custom of human sacrifice is practised.

There is no logic to the custom,
nor any positive outcome.

Blind faith is discussed more
in the realms of negative energies.

Blind means devoid of sight.
Darkness. Blackness.

Black is not a colour,
it's a static state of the cosmos.

We cannot see light, we are able to see
an object only when light falls on the object
and is reflected back to our eyes, right?

Light, itself, we can't see.

The whole cosmos is dark,
just like a black hole.

Inside this black hole, there are many
big and small planets and stars,
with different colours and sounds,
but the sound of Saturn is the best.

It roars, the sound of Saturn
is like the roar of a lion.

But, the sound of Mercury is melodious.

Our mythological stories are very
beautiful. Sometimes I read them...

My Guru who taught me everything
once said to me,

"See, Bholanath, Mercury is the son of
Sage Brihaspati and Tara, but he was fathered
by Chandra, the Moon God, who was very beautiful.

The Moon went to study under Sage Brihaspati
(Jupiter) who was the Guru of the Devas.

There, he fell in love with Tara, the sage's wife
who found him very beautiful and handsome,
and they conceived a son, Buddh (Mercury).

Buddh (Mercury) is not powerful
like Saturn, he is like a kid.

Buddhi - intelligence, the intellect,
an intuitive faculty...

This here is the mount of Mercury -
Jupiter, Saturn, Sun, and Mercury.

Mercury’s power is his intellect.

While Saturn is driven by hard work,
Mercury functions through his intellect.
Intelligence propels him, even if he is engaged
in a battle, he will fight with intelligence.

Blind faith...

It is believed that in order to become wealthy,
one should offer two packets of salt,
a hundred grams of sesame seeds, mustard oil,
and a coin — be it iron, gold, silver or any other
metal — at Lord Shani’s shrine on Saturdays.

Accepted.

But even after doing all this, if a
person still doesn't become wealthy,
then there is no logic in it.

He might claim there was an error
while performing the ritual.

It could be that someone else performing
the same ritual suddenly becomes wealthy.

So when logic is applied, how can
one explain why one person
became wealthy, while the other didn't?

What is the difference here?
Blind faith and faith.

So who is right, the one who became
wealthy, or the one who didn't?

The results are not accurate,
the outcomes are different.

Today, man demands proof and evidence.

Where there is logic in the outcome,
it can no longer be termed as blind faith.

I heard someone say that Americans
are feeding crows their leftovers.

What is happening? I see people from all parts
of the world in Gokarna and some of them
behave very strangely. They adopt stray dogs,
they pet them and pick them up in their arms.

This could have a spiritual angle. Maybe their
hearts are filled with love and compassion,
which is why they care for the street dogs,
or there could be some another reason.

But they never offer anything
to fellow humans.

Sometimes they offer one or two
rupees to beggars, if at all.

Blind faith is something that is based
on foolishness, and illogical reasoning,

for instance, waiting a few moments
if a black cat crosses one's path...

But Napoleon Bonaparte's army
would certainly not have waited..!

Legend has it that when he was told there was
no victory line on his palm, he promptly carved
one with his sword and asked, "Is this it?"
He then went on to win the battle.

On the eve of Alexander's battle with Darius,

the priests sacrificed a buffalo and
looked for some specific signs that
would indicate victory or defeat.

They predicted that Alexander
would lose, but he won.

During the battle of Gaugamela, which
took place between Alexander and Darius III,

When Alexander's cavalry saw the
Indian war elephants of the enemy troops,
they began retreating in fear, but
he himself advanced fearlessly.

Astride his black horse, he went forward
and stood right before Porus.

He aimed his spear at Porus,
but could not hit him.

Then Porus aimed his spear at Alexander;
it hit Alexander, who fell off his horse.

As soon as he fell to the ground
he looked up towards the sun.
Now what did he see up there in the sky?

When Alexander was on the battleground
fighting Darius, his horse was being guided
by an enormous eagle who was showing it
the exact route straight to the enemy.

The horse took him to Darius. When
Alexander reached there and defeated him,
Darius had no other option but
to escape from the battlefield.

Alexander’s life was in danger,
none of his bodyguards was near him,
he was quite alone.

Therefore things such as faith or blind faith
do not apply to people like Alexander;
they have a strong grip over their own lives.

All that matters is belief
in oneself and in God.

In the absence of belief in
oneself and one's capabilities,
nothing can be achieved.

Before engaging in a battle, if a King
affirms to himself that he has to
win the war, he will certainly win it.

By being defensive, one can never win,
one can only manage to escape
and save one's life.

Alexander’s mother used to tell him
that in order to win,
one should always attack.

Shani (Saturn) advises us to face our fears, and
not retreat. We must believe that if we take one
step forward, our fear will go five steps backward.

This cannot be categorised as blind faith,
because the fearless and the
courageous have actually done this.

Where there was blind faith,
they converted it into faith.
So which is greater - faith or blind faith?
Neither. Self-confidence is the greatest!

If one has faith and confidence in oneself,
even blind faith will be converted into faith.

(Bhole Baba is talking here about Hannibal)
The Commander said these are not the Alps...
His troops were unsure of
crossing the mighty Alps on foot...

The marching army had lost 14,000 horses,
morale was low, and their commander
was saying that the Alps were still
further away, in the distance.

Everyone believed him; they were sure
that the Alps were still far away, and
they wound up crossing the range.

So what kind of faith was this?

If you have this confidence that
you can make better films than
Hollywood, you definitely will.

What one man can do, anybody can do...
with the same intensity of learning.

Here, most important is
the the intensity of faith.

Should I cite an example from my own life?
(laughter...) Okay, I shall narrate an incident.

I had a devotee called Girish who
lived in Nasik. He looked very sad
and I asked him what was wrong.

He said his daughter was being
tortured by her in-laws because
she hadn't yet conceived.

Girish had brought his new car and
I asked him to take me for a spin.

We drove straight to his daughter’s home.

I spoke to his daughter’s
father-in-law and told him,

"Listen, don't harass this girl hereafter;
exactly twelve months from now,
she will give birth to a child."

This happened on the 15th of August (2016).
I then went off to Ahmedabad and soon
forgot all about this conversation.

Twelve months from that day,
i.e., on the15th of August, 2017,
I received a phone call from Girish.

"Babaji, my daughter Vishakha has
given birth to a daughter today.

Do you recall, exactly a year ago, you
had made this prophecy at 12 noon..?
And the baby was born today exactly at 12 noon..!

Exactly a year later, exactly at noon,
not a minute earlier nor later... how did
this happen?” Girish asked me in wonder.

I said, "Oh, well, even I wouldn't know that."

At that moment, I was deeply saddened by the
misery of my devotee, and whatever I uttered
spontaneously stemmed from self-confidence.

Similarly, I told the childless Vice President
of Axis Bank in Mumbai, that after
14 months he would be blessed with a son.

It so happened that exactly 14 months
later, a son was born unto them.

He called to ask, "How did this happen?”
"I have no idea," I told him. (He is in touch
with me these days on WhatsApp.

I really have no idea.

There is also due allegiance
to the limits set by the Almighty.

Nobody can cross those boundaries
nor dissolve them; in Islam it is
referred to as the Meem Ka Parda,
the veil behind which God resides.

In the Qawwalis, they sing:
"When the Veil of Meem is cast aside,
and even if a very beautiful woman is seen,

I pray that I may continue to
worship and praise the Almighty."

This is the prayer of a Fakir...
I pray to the Almighty that when
the veil of Meem is cast aside

(the darkness we experience when we
close our eyes is the Veil of Meem),

beyond that veil is a dimension of light,
millions of fragrant flowers in full bloom,
and the feeling we experience is akin
to floating on a perfumed lake.

When someone achieves this level of
realisation, this is how he feels, constantly
immersed in the ocean of enlightenment,
constantly engaged in the remembrance of God.

This is what Sairam refers to when He says
that this is the backward journey (introversion).

The journey begins as soon as the Veil of Meem
is lifted, the journey to the Universe, to the
Creator of the Universe. The rhythm is set.

Like a drop of water rises from the ocean
to form a cloud, it then comes back to earth
as snow over the Himalayas, melts, becomes
part of the Ganges, travels to its final
destination, and merges back into the ocean.

This is a continuous cycle, the end of
one form and the beginning of another.
Destruction, creation and protection.

The entire Cosmos is irrevocably
dependent on these three principles.

There is destruction at some places,
and volcanic eruptions at others,

huge celestial bodies, billions
of times larger than the earth,
are shattering into pieces.

Now fire cannot exist without air,
so where there is fire, there is air,
there is soil as well.

I have heard that when an atom bomb explodes,
it can melt soil and bricks. That is because
of the heat it produces. But there is a
million times more heat in the cosmos.

God is the sum total of all the
energy present in the cosmos.

It is not that this energy cannot be
contained in a form. This energy manifests
as Ram, taking the form of a human being.

If He is formless, it is because the concept
of duality is prevalent in the entire cosmos.

If the formless energy is present,
then the one adorning the form
is evidently present, too.

In the absence of the form,
the formless would not exist.

People keep squabbling over this...

According to followers of
Islam, God is formless.

Kabir also says the same thing, that
God is formless, but he also says that
God assumes form as well.

It is such a simple thing.

The form which we see outside,
we make space for it in the heart.

Or if the formless already resides
in the heart, we make paintings
and sketches and give it a form.

God cannot be seen with physical eyes,
but only through the eyes of the heart.
That is why the Anahata (heart) Chakra
is also known as the Chakra of love.

This is where Lord Ram and Devi Sita
reside. Didn't Hanuman tear open
his chest to reveal their presence?

Lord Ram and Devi Sita do not reside just
in Hanuman's heart, they live in all of us.

But we don't have that kind of self-confidence
to split open our chest to offer a glimpse
of Sita and Ram residing there;
Hanuman-ji had it, but we lack it.

Only if we have full devotion can we achieve
this level of confidence. And we often have.

Even Surdas tore out his eyes after getting
Darshan of Lord Krishna, saying,
"After having seen God, what is left
in this world for me to see?"

This incident is a testimony to man's capacity
to achieve this level of intense faith,

and when he does achieve it,
he slips into a mystical world where
there is no cognisance of the body.

Surdas gouged out his own eyes and
blinded himself. After setting his eyes
on the Creator of the Universe,
there was no desire to see anything else.

"What should I see? That which is non-existent?
That which is an illusion? What is there to see?
Krishna, after having a glimpse of You,
I have no use for these eyes now."

He destroyed his eyes, and came to be known
as Surdas. He composed the famous devotional
song, "Maiya Mori, Mein Nahin Maakhan Khayo".

When he was sightless,
how did he visualise it?

(laughter)

Because the Veil of Meem was lifted,
and he was able to see
that what everyone yearns to see.

He who does not know Lord Krishna
would never be interested in seeing Him.

The desire for something will arise
only after the senses send out a signal,
that there is something here, so
there will be a perception around it.

People in the west are more likely to see
Jesus Christ, for they have been seeing His
depictions and hearing about Him since childhood.

When Sri Prabhupada went to America (to present
spiritual knowledge of the Vedas to Western society),
dejected and tired, he sat under a tree and wondered
what he should do, with just three days left.

He started chanting Krishna’s name.

Isn't it strange that a young lad who loves
so many young girls and women and girls
suddenly starts the discourse on the Gita..?
Kills Kansa..? Isn't it astonishing?

The Gopis had this doubt once...
(Gopi = female cowherds of Brindavan,
beloveds of Krishna, with whom He danced)

By the way, we all are Gopis - remember this.

The Earth is Yoni (womb, symbol of
divine procreative energy). Everyone
born from the Earth is a woman, feminine.

All of Earth is feminine; there is no masculine
here. And if there is a male, he is present
in every particle, in every molecule.

We saw Him as God, He came before us with
a peacock-feather ornament upon His head,
an incarnation with all the 16 sublime qualities.

Lord Krishna was the epitome of love
who established Bhakti (devotion).

When the battle of Mahabharata took place,
He taught us the path of Dharma
while playing His flute.

He kept His ideals intact and let
nothing tarnish his righteous image.

He then performed the Ashvamedha Yagna
in order to unify the entire Aryavart
(the Indian sub-continent),
the same thing that Chanakya had done.

That same ideology of Krishna was
detected once again in Chanakya,
and Chanakya was successful, too.

Under Chanakya’s guidance, King Chandragupta
of Pataliputra established the Aryavart kingdom;
it was an illustrious empire, and Chandragupta
was the ruler of half of the world.

Once the glorious capital of the Aryavart Kingdom,
Pataliputra today is an economically backward
region, dominated by goons with no guiding principles.

It is the cycle of time, it was
meant to happen like this.

Sai Ram went beyond all these things.

If people refer to Him as Brahmand Nayak
(Controller of the cosmos), it is
quite justified, in my understanding.

There cannot be a more appropriate word to
describe that Supreme Energy - Brahmand Nayak -
for He had control and command over the
Pancha Bhutas, or the five great elements.

Sai Ram started a fire wherever He wished,
He created a water source wherever he wanted...
just like Lord Ram, who started a spring of
water by aiming his arrow into the ground,
and Sai Ram did it like this..!

He even lit earthen lamps
using water, right?

These are not miracles; for such personalities,
these things are routine and commonplace,
everything is possible merely by their resolve.

I received a phone call from
a woman residing in Madras.

She said the college where her son
wished to study didn't admit Brahmin students,
but the boy had set his heart on studying
there. She asked me for a solution.

I asked her to write a letter to Sai Ram,
as she would to her father, assuring Him
of her well-being and enquiring about His.
I asked her to put down her wish
in that letter, and she did so.

I then advised her to first dip that letter in
mustard oil and then set fire to it. She did so.

I asked her to apply the ash of that burnt letter
as Tilak to her son’s forehead, and she did so.

He then went to the Loyola College with
his father for admission, and was
the first candidate to be interviewed.

He was called into the Principal's office,
I don't know what was discussed,
but the boy got his admission.

Talking about blind faith... that boy was very
weak in his studies. When I first met him,
he never scored more than 40 or 42 percent...

A traveller I met in the mountains
of Bijagad Mahadev once told me this,

that if a Siddha Purush recites a special mantra
and offers Brahma Ras (herbal jam preparation)
and ginger, wrapped in a sweet Paan
during a solar eclipse to someone,

and asks him to take a dip in the river
and consume it underwater, ensuring
that water doesn't enter the mouth,

if the person does that,
he becomes a genius..!

If he spews it out, he may become a singer;
and if he digests it, he may become a Brahma Gyani.

This was the outcome:

They had come here to Gokarna... I took the boy
to Koti Teertha, where I gave him all those items
to eat that morning during the solar eclipse.

The boy then went back home with his parents,
and scored 94 percent in his next exams..!

He topped in rank in his college, and also
went on to complete his MBA degree. Now he
works at a high position and is well settled in life.

How do I explain this?
No one had told me that
my action would lead to this..!

The thought came to my mind,
and I just conveyed it to them.
The result is there for anyone to see.
If I call him, he will speak to us.

He set a new record for himself, for until then,
no Brahmin student had studied in that college.
He was the first... we saw it happen...

I shall narrate a personal anecdote now.
I once went to Shirdi, accompanied by
two of my disciples.

They went to a hotel to book a room for us.
The person at the counter jested,

"Why does a Sadhu need a room..?
Go..! Go and sleep under a tree..!"

My disciple took great offense at the
remark. He came and told me that
we were being refused a room.
He took it personally, his ego was bruised.

"The man is not wrong," I explained.

"The Sadhu who settled here lived under a tree.
It's that same Sadhu who has given us this message.
You are a fool, you haven't understood it."

— "Ohhhh... you mean, Sai Ram
Himself uttered those words..?"
— "Of course, He did," I replied.

"The man at the counter is only
concerned with money, go give him a
thousand rupees and then see what he says."

When he went and gave him the money,
the man allotted us a room.

They asked me to join them but I said,
"No, I shall obey Sai Ram’s command.
The two of you go and stay in the room."

I spread a blanket under a tree
and seated myself upon it.

I don’t know what came over me, I spread
a cloth in before me for receiving Bhiksha.
In my pocket was some loose change...
a few coins... and I kept those on the cloth.

What do I see? People are coming towards
me and putting money on the Bhiksha cloth,
a tenner... a fiver... whatever they wish...
and I begin to think...

"Yes, You are here, You certainly are.

While You are providing so much proof of
Your existence, please also tell me what
would be the best thing to do... the holy period
of Chaturmas will begin after three days..."

I was immediately inspired to visit
Kishkindha where Lord Rama
had observed His 14th Chaturmas…

I felt I ought to observe Chaturmas there,
and find out which rituals were performed
by Lord Ram there during this time.

I got my disciples ready and we immediately
left. After travelling all night by car,
we reached the Malyavat Mountains.

After two days I asked my disciples to leave.
"Take away the car, take away everything," I said.

Not wishing to leave me like that, the boys began
to cry... but I was firm and insisted they go.
I can be very hard-hearted in these matters.

They took everything and left, except for
just one cloth bag that I kept with me. I started
my Fakiri, asking for Bhiksha, living on alms.

During that time I tried to find out more about
the places that Lord Ram visited, the people
who He met, what He did... not by reading
books and getting information, but by
talking to the local villagers...

Undocumented mythology is passed on
from generation to generation, and
all those tales are rooted in truth. The old
men there related some strange stories.

Believing or not believing something you hear
is one thing, but this particular tale I heard
left me stunned and flabbergasted.

It is prevalent in the villages there,
I shall narrate it to you.

When King Dashrath was returning to his kingdom
along with Queen Kaikeyi (after a fierce battle
between the Gods and the demons), on the way,
they felt like bathing in the Pampa Sarovar lake.

After bathing, just as they were all set to
leave for Ayodhya, King Bali arrived there.

Someone had alerted Bali that a King
and a Queen were bathing in his lake.

Now, King Bali had got that lake built
for his own exclusive use; it was for him and
his queen to bathe in. So he was outraged.

Therefore he came and asked
King Dashrath to introduce himself.

Dashrath replied that he was the
undisputed King of Ayodhya,

to which Bali responded by saying, "This lake
is for me and my Queen to use. Why didn't
you seek my permission before bathing in it?

Now you will have to fight
a battle against me."

King Dashrath agreed.

Bali said, "If I lose, my Kingdom will be yours,
and if I win, your Queen will be mine."

King Dashrath agreed.

The battle took place and
King Dashrath was defeated.

But then Bali felt that asking for the Queen
was not morally right, so he asked King
Dashrath to give him his crown instead.

This is something that
only Kaikeyi was aware of.

When the time came for Ram to be
crowned King, Kaikeyi did not want her son
to wear a false crown and become King,

she knew that Ram was the only one
who could defeat King Bali.

In her heart, Kaikeyi still carried the pain
of her husband's defeat at Bali's hands,

which is why Queen Kaikeyi had
Ram banished to the forest for 14 years.

Ram then went into exile, and what
Kaikeyi had hoped for actually happened —
eventually, Ram killed Kishkindha's Bali.

These stories are not mentioned
in the Ramcharitmanas. They are
recounted by the old villagers there...

Which Ramayana is this now?
This is the undocumented, unrecorded Ramayana...
it is passed down and preserved verbally from one
generation to another... no one writes down all this…

To deepen our faith and belief in Sai Ram,
we will have to strengthen our devotion.

We should always extend our hands
towards Him, ask Him, share our problems
with Him... remember, discussing problems
with the Guru is also a type of Tantra Kriya.

"I am facing this problem,
please resolve it for me..."

We must keep praying, whether He
answers our prayers or not.
Even He is not the Doer, the Guru is not
the Doer, there is a Guru above the Guru, too.
The body is the Guru of the Guru.

So we must tell Sai Ram, "Oh Lord,
You are the controller of the entire universe,"

(Even I am sitting here and saying it...)

"Allah... either put me on the gallows,
or show me a glimpse of Heaven."

( laughter )

"Either put me on the gallows,
or show me a glimpse of Heaven."

Why? Because only after being hanged
to death can one reach Heaven..!

Whoever chose to be hanged
has had a glimpse of Heaven.

What did Mirabai say?
"सूली ऊपर सेज पिया की,
किस विधि मिलना होय..."

What is the process, where is the
path leading to the gallows?
The Beloved is waiting there, but only if
you are ready to be hanged, will you
experience the union with the Beloved.

Guru Nanak Dev has said the same thing:
"शीश दियो जो गुरु मिले, तो भी सस्ता सौदा …।"
Giving up one's own head in exchange for
a true Guru would be a true bargain.

Ravan did that, didn't he?

He cut off nine of his ten heads and
consigned them one by one to the sacred
fire, chanting, "Shivaya namah swaha…"

and when he was left with just the last one,
the Supreme Power, Lord Ram,
appeared before Ravan,

and he was granted the
boon that he asked for.

The powers that Ravan was gifted with
were not granted to him out of kindness
(he had done a lot of penance for them),

whereas Lord Ram had requested saints
to grant Him special powers, and
they had done so out of benevolence.

In order to acquire those powers, Lord Ram
had not done any vigorous penance... right?

He did no penance...

Was Sai Ram a Tapasvi, an ascetic? Yes.

Don't shower for five days
and see what happens...

you won’t even feel like having
a thin piece of cloth over your body.

Don't shower for fifteen days and see what happens...
don't shower for six months and see what happens...

Just hold on to one thought, one idea,
and it will lead you to the Source
where all ideas are generated.

Combine the teaching of all four Vedas and
summarise it in just one word — it is 'Ram’,

and if you want to spread all this
teaching around the world — it is ‘Sai Ram’.

(laughter)

I would say that Lord Ram incarnated as
Sai Ram and lived as a Bhikshu (mendicant).

In His previous Avatar as Lord Ram
He lived the life of a king,
and in this Avatar as Sai Ram,
He lived the life of a Fakir.

If we also argue that Sai Ram was
the incarnation of Hanuman,

then trust me, when we talk about these
Incarnations, we refer only to the Tattva,
the element and the essence, not the form.

Doesn't Hanuman have the powers
of Shri Ram within Him?
Doesn't Ram have the powers of
Hanuman within Him?

Is Ram powerless without Hanuman?
Or is Hanuman powerless without Ram?

Then why do we say this about Hanuman,
"तिनके काज सकल तुम साजा..."
(All those who worship Shri Ram,)
You make difficult tasks very easy for them.

"और मनोरथ जो कोई लावे,
सोई अमित जीवन फल पावे..."

That means whoever discharges his
duties as per the wishes of Lord Ram
shall have all his desires fulfilled.

Although the colours of the rainbow seem different,
the rainbow is one. When all the colours
are merged together, we call it a rainbow.

When seen separately, we assign them names -
red, yellow, pink, this, that, and the other...

When nature displays them together, we say
it is the Indra Dhanush (the bow of Lord Indra,
the king of Gods). There is no mention of arrows.

Sai Ram was beyond all these things.

"मोह से अधिक संत कर लेखा…" says Lord Ram,
which means that saints are greater
than all His incarnations.

and "बिन हरि कृपा मिले नहीं संता…"
which means, without God’s grace,
it is not possible to meet saints.
Please take note of both these statements.

Hari (God) says that a Sadhu
is greater than Him.. a Sadhu..!

I went to a village and asked the people there
to give me some bottle gourd… this was near the
ghats on the banks of the Narmada at Jabalpur...

Most of the locals there are Muslims and Hindus
who live in harmony, without harbouring
nonsensical notions of community.

One Muslim brother said, "We will give you
bottle gourd if you answer our question:
Who came first, was it God, or was it the Fakir?"

I said, "You moron, it was the Fakir
who came first, he's the one who
told you there is God… (laughter)

You tell me, if the Fakir hadn't arrived,
how would you have known
if God exists or not?

So it was the Fakir who came first...
followed by God...

Now will you give me
some bottle gourd or not?"

"Maharaj, you go back to your cave,
I shall bring it there for you," he replied.
(laughter)

All the villagers came with bottle gourds…
half a kilo, one kilo, varying quantities...
they got us forty kilos in all..!

My mentor who was with me, said,
"How ridiculous is the question..!
Who arrived first — the Fakir or God?
You fool..! Neither the Fakir, nor God arrived...
it was the bottle gourds that arrived..!

(laughter)

We barely needed three or four kilos,
and we have received over forty..!"

Then he asked that Muslim brother
the same question, "So now, you tell me…
who arrived first… the Fakir or God?
We required just four and you got us forty..! Why?

Eighty percent of your village is Muslim,
and a Hindu Fakir came up to you
and asked for bottle gourds...

you could have angrily driven him away, saying,
"Get lost, there is no bottle gourd here!"

Not only did you engage with him
in a spiritual discussion,
but you have also come here.

So now, let's hear it from you,
who came first — God or the Fakir?"

"Guruji, I promise I shall never
ask anyone this question again. I agree,
it was the Fakir who came first."

(laughter)

For most people, God is
merely a word, a concept.

An 8th grade student also will declare
that he knows the meaning ofGod.

We all know God conceptually,

but if a man truly wants to realise God,
he should worship Sai.

For He is a Fakir, truly a Fakir.

Have you ever seen Him with a
fancy turban on His head like me?

Or wearing fine clothes like these...
adorned with decorative trimmings...?

No… He wore torn garments
that hung loosely about Him,

Anything wrong in wearing beautiful
clothes? Nothing wrong. Everyone likes
to wear beautiful clothes. In fact, I seem to
have a penchant for wearing beautiful clothes...

(You may pause the recording here;
we shall resume later... )

In loving memory of Pujya Bhole Babaji
who lives forever in our hearts

Gratitude to all our Patrons,
supporters and volunteers

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www.MySaiBaba.com