A group of Sai devotees once requested Bhagawan to inaugurate
a new temple in their town. But Bhagawan refused to comply with their request
on the ground that black market cement was used for constructing the temple.
When the devotees pleaded not guilty, Bhagawan revealed to them that the so
called Sai devotee who had donated some cement bags for the construction of the
temple had illegally saved them from out of the cement allotted to him as a
contractor for constructing a dam. Hence Bhagawan's refusal.
A Vedic scholar was asked by Bhagawan to get out of His
presence when he was seated in the midst of some students and other devotees at
Whitefield. When the pundit showed signs of bewilderment as to why Bhagawan was
so harsh to him, he admonished the latter, saying that it was a crime for a
Vedic pundit to profess to be a Sai devotee and at the same time to indulge in
illegal malpractices by way of lending money to poor and illiterate villagers
without proper licence from the Government, and that too, at exorbitant rates
of interest.
The third incident relates to a Commercial Tax Officer in
Orissa, who once made use of his official jeep to take his family and a few
neighbours to visit a cave temple of Shiva in the interior of a dense forest on
a 3000 feet high mountain. On their way back the jeep got stuck in a hill
stream and refused to budge an inch. The dark night was gathering fast. An
hour's struggle to extricate the jeep was in vain. The officer was terribly
scared, because the jungle was known to be infested with wild animals as well
as dacoits, and his party consisted mostly of women and children. As he
happened to be a Sai devotee, he fervently prayed to Bhagawan in utter
desperation. Lo and behold! There appeared on the spot four Sathya Sai Seva Dal
volunteers who rescued the party by pulling out the jeep, and then vanished in
a second. Thus by Bhagawan's grace, the officer and the party reached home
safely. However, Bhagawan taught him a lesson not to misuse the Government
vehicle for private purposes, by immobilising his jeep and thereby creating
panic in him and his party.
About a decade ago, a recluse of forty-five summers by name
Kalpagiri came to Prasanthi Nilayam. No one could guess that this so called
"monk" was a wolf in the garb of a sheep. Four years earlier, he committed a
ghastly murder and to escape from punishment by the due process of law, he made
good his escape by donning the saffron robe and wandering in the Himalayas and
other places of pilgrimage. As soon as the Omniscient Baba saw Kalpagiri in the
Darshan line, He called him inside and told him during the interview: "My dear
Kalpagiri! How can the saffron robe or visits to Rishikesh and other holy
places rid you of the sin of murder? Enough of your roaming in the guise of a
Sanyasi for the last four years. Go now to the Police station and surrender
yourself there. Experience your Karma by receiving the punishment due to you
according to the laws of the land. When the death sentence is declared, file
your clemency petition to the President. I will save you. You will not be
hanged. You have my protection to atone for your heinous sin, through devotion,
in this very birth. Come on, this sacred saffron robe does not befit you. Take
this white cloth." Saying so in a tone that combined love and sternness,
Bhagawan gave Kalpagiri a white dhoti.
Accordingly, Kalpagiri surrendered himself to the Police. The
case was taken up. Though he confessed his guilt, the judge awarded him the
capital punishment, as the crime was of a heinous nature. In line with
Bhagawan's direction, a clemency petition was submitted to the President of the
Indian Union. Eventually, Kalpagiri received the President's pardon. Death
sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and Kalpagiri became an ardent
devotee of Bhagavan, spreading his beneficial influence on the other convicts
too.
In conclusion, it may be seen from what is stated above that
where there is a will, there is a way either to scrupulously abide by the
Governmental rules and regulations or to violate them for selfish reasons, in
disregard of the common good for which such laws are made by Government.
The Grace of God cannot be won through the gymnastics of
reason, the contortions of Yoga or the denials of asceticism. Love alone can
win it, Love that needs no requital, Love that knows no bargaining, Love that
is paid gladly, as tribute to the All Loving, Love that is unwavering. Love
alone can overcome obstacles however many and mighty. There is no strength more
effective than Purity, no bliss more satisfying than Love, no joy more
restoring than Bhakthi, no triumph more praiseworthy than Surrender. The Gita
says, you must be "adweshtaa sarva bhoothaanaam", without hatred to all beings;
but, that is not enough. A wall has no hatred towards any being! But is that
the ideal? No, you must positively Love all beings, actively Love, actively
engage yourself in acts of Love. That alone wins the Grace you crave for.
