Life After Death

 

Om Sai Ram !

 

Was reading Shri Sai SatCharitra chapter 5. Last 3 parayans of Sai SatCharitra are left to complete the 108 Parayans, how it started is mentioned in Dig for the wealth and carry it away by cart-loads. It has been a great voyage going through these parayans of Shri Sai SatCharitra. An entire new post might be dedicated to the same.

 

Last 3 parayans of Sai SatCharitra are going real slow. The heart captures each image of what happens. The mention of  Sai Baba’s earlier years in Shirdi, comes in Chapter 5. The heart was capturing the scenes when Sai Baba used to plant the flower plants, draw water from well, and carry the pots on His shoulder and water the plants. This he used to do on a barren land near Dwarkamai, were now countless of His devotee flowers are drawn and receive the essential water for souls, His divine love and grace. The place is known as Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir, Shirdi.

 

The watering was done by unbaked clay pots ( Some more details on the same on Sai Baba curing ailments). As the heart was watching and capturing the scenes, Baba after watering the plants puts the clay pots. Being unbaked they break.

 

As they break the mind remembers a very good example of baked and unbaked pots, given by Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, In The Gospel of Ramakrishna Chapter 34.

 

The discussion was about life after death. Below we can enjoy the example give by Thakur.

 

"I said the same thing to Keshab. He asked me, 'Sir, is there an after-life?' I didn't commit myself either way. I said that the potters put their pots in the sun to bake. Among them you see both baked and soft pots. Sometimes cattle trample over them. When the baked pots are broken, the potters throw them away; but when the soft ones are broken they keep them. They mix them with water and put the clay on the wheel and make new pots. They don't throwaway the unbaked pots. So I said to Keshab: 'The Potter won't let you go as long as you are unbaked. He will put you on the wheel of the world as long as you have not attained Knowledge, as long as you have not realized Him. He won't let you go. You will have to return to the earth again and again; there is no escape. You will be liberated only when you realize God. Then alone will the Potter let you go. It is because then you won't serve any purpose in this world of māyā.' The  Jnāni has gone beyond māyā. What will he do in this world of māyā?”

"But God keeps some  jnanis in the world of māyā to be teachers of men. In order to teach others the  Jnāni lives in the world with the help of Vidyā-māyā. It is God Himself who keeps the  Jnāni in the world for His work. Such was the case with Sukadeva and Sankaracharya.