Swami refusing a new car and talking about need to DEMONSTRATE SACRIFICE to achieve Moksha (liberation)
Here's a great video clip, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv47mHMiqOs, 3 min. 13 secs. from a discourse of Swami on 6th May 2002. The translator is Sri B.N. Narasimhamurthy.
Terrific! I loved the way Swami refused to accept the new car offered and was offering His cars instead!
From the transcript provided in the description of the above youtube video (slightly edited):
Here is a small matter. The other day, a devotee.... Swami's cars have become very old.... Swami, I am prompted to give you a car, you should accept it he told Swami. He brought the car. Three days are over... Swami is not looking at his face also... What is the reason? I have enough number of cars... My car I can give you; you can take it.
Swami has no desire to travel in big cars....The foreign devotees sent them, therefore Swami has to keep them. Swami told him, "you can take my car." Swami will never receive anything from anyone. Never...
Even when Swami was coming here... Sreenivas came...He expressed his grief, "Swami, that person is feeling miserable. Please accept the car."
Swami told him, "Shut up. Don't enter into these things. Let him take his car. I'll give my cars; you also take one and let him take one. I don't need these."
That is not real greatness. You should develop a sense of sacrifice. You have to demonstrate sacrifice. That is what Swami has been practising even since His childhood. If you follow the footsteps of Swami you will become men of merit and fulfilment. You can even attain liberation. You should attain that liberation.
Attainment of liberation! What is moksha? It is giving up one's attachment. You have to give up Moha or attachment. That is moksha or liberation.
--- end transcript snippet ---
Ravi: Exactly what is needed for Sai devotees to follow now, IMHO. Sure, cars may be needed to fulfil transport function of going from place A to place B. But using fancy/luxury cars in India with a motive of Sathya Sai service to the poor seems quite opposite to the words spoken by Swami in Telugu and by the translator in English. Very importantly, Swami having used a BMW or Benz car himself, which was presented to him by devotees, I guess, is a different matter, in my considered opinion. Swami was the Avatar. He was adored and worshipped by lakhs [lakh: hundred thousand] of devotees in India. They very much wanted to see their Guru and their Ishta-Devata (personal god/god particularly liked by one) in a car suited to his majesty and status (in their eyes). The Avatar had no need to do sacrifice to achieve moha-kshaya, as he was above and beyond Maya/Illusion!
Now, we Sai devotees should not presume that we are also like Swami in this respect. Yes, at the essential core of each of us, Swami taught us that we are of the same essence as Bhagavan, and so all are God/divine. But then we are not Kali Yuga Avatar like Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Further, most, if not all, of us are trapped in Moha, and need to achieve Moha-kshaya (Destruction of infatuation/attachment). For that, Swami tells us above that we should not only develop a sense of sacrifice but also DEMONSTRATE SACRIFICE.
We Sai devotees using fancy/luxury cars to promote and perform Sathya Sai service to the poor, and thinking that we will be DEMONSTRATING SACRIFICE by using such a fancy car, is UTTER FOOLISHNESS and DEMONSTRATES UTTER IGNORANCE OF SAI TEACHINGS, IMHO.
[Copy-pasted from youtube video description (not verified):]
Discourse link in Sathya Sai Speaks: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume35/sss35-09.pdf
Audio of the entire discourse from Radiosai:
http://dl.radiosai.org/DD_2002_05_06_ESHWARAMBA_DAY.mp3
Terrific! I loved the way Swami refused to accept the new car offered and was offering His cars instead!
From the transcript provided in the description of the above youtube video (slightly edited):
Here is a small matter. The other day, a devotee.... Swami's cars have become very old.... Swami, I am prompted to give you a car, you should accept it he told Swami. He brought the car. Three days are over... Swami is not looking at his face also... What is the reason? I have enough number of cars... My car I can give you; you can take it.
Swami has no desire to travel in big cars....The foreign devotees sent them, therefore Swami has to keep them. Swami told him, "you can take my car." Swami will never receive anything from anyone. Never...
Even when Swami was coming here... Sreenivas came...He expressed his grief, "Swami, that person is feeling miserable. Please accept the car."
Swami told him, "Shut up. Don't enter into these things. Let him take his car. I'll give my cars; you also take one and let him take one. I don't need these."
That is not real greatness. You should develop a sense of sacrifice. You have to demonstrate sacrifice. That is what Swami has been practising even since His childhood. If you follow the footsteps of Swami you will become men of merit and fulfilment. You can even attain liberation. You should attain that liberation.
Attainment of liberation! What is moksha? It is giving up one's attachment. You have to give up Moha or attachment. That is moksha or liberation.
--- end transcript snippet ---
Ravi: Exactly what is needed for Sai devotees to follow now, IMHO. Sure, cars may be needed to fulfil transport function of going from place A to place B. But using fancy/luxury cars in India with a motive of Sathya Sai service to the poor seems quite opposite to the words spoken by Swami in Telugu and by the translator in English. Very importantly, Swami having used a BMW or Benz car himself, which was presented to him by devotees, I guess, is a different matter, in my considered opinion. Swami was the Avatar. He was adored and worshipped by lakhs [lakh: hundred thousand] of devotees in India. They very much wanted to see their Guru and their Ishta-Devata (personal god/god particularly liked by one) in a car suited to his majesty and status (in their eyes). The Avatar had no need to do sacrifice to achieve moha-kshaya, as he was above and beyond Maya/Illusion!
Now, we Sai devotees should not presume that we are also like Swami in this respect. Yes, at the essential core of each of us, Swami taught us that we are of the same essence as Bhagavan, and so all are God/divine. But then we are not Kali Yuga Avatar like Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Further, most, if not all, of us are trapped in Moha, and need to achieve Moha-kshaya (Destruction of infatuation/attachment). For that, Swami tells us above that we should not only develop a sense of sacrifice but also DEMONSTRATE SACRIFICE.
We Sai devotees using fancy/luxury cars to promote and perform Sathya Sai service to the poor, and thinking that we will be DEMONSTRATING SACRIFICE by using such a fancy car, is UTTER FOOLISHNESS and DEMONSTRATES UTTER IGNORANCE OF SAI TEACHINGS, IMHO.
[Copy-pasted from youtube video description (not verified):]
Discourse link in Sathya Sai Speaks: http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume35/sss35-09.pdf
Audio of the entire discourse from Radiosai:
http://dl.radiosai.org/DD_2002_05_06_ESHWARAMBA_DAY.mp3
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