Chapter 1 - A Deeper Understanding - a podcast by Sai Babas Devotee Speaks

Chapter 1- Gautam Sachdeva's Commentary
Baba Sai and The Wheat Grinding Story Significance

Coming to this first story in the Sri Sai Satcharita, I think it is no coincidence that this story is the first. There's a reason for everything, there are no coincidences, especially when it comes to messages from Spiritual Masters. You see, this story sets the stage for understanding all the stories which are to come. And the reason is this- in this story itself, we are shown how limited is the thinking by the individual, by the me (ego).

In this case, the four women thought that the wheat (being grinded by Baba) was for them. They assumed this without asking Baba, not realizing that the Guru functions on a completely different dimension, and always for the benefit of all. So at a gross level of understanding, we can see that- Oh! these four women were taught the lesson of not to be selfish. But actually, this is for us as readers, that when we go forward on this journey together, of reading and going through the commentaries on the Satcharita, we should not look at it from the perspective of an individual. And that is why the great Gyani Nisargadatta Maharaj, used to tell His devotees, that when you read the Bhagavad Gita, read it from the point of view of Lord Krishna and not of Arjuna which means that read it from the point of view of the Universal Consciousness, not the small identified consciousness. And therefore, as I said in the beginning, this sets the tone for the entire Satcharita and has been placed as the first story for a reason. So, let's take this journey together and see that whenever we think with our limited intellect, and that too for our own gain as in this case of the ladies in the wheat grinding story, our perspective does not take into consideration of our brothers and sisters and humanity as a whole.

Now, we will never understand what is the connection between the ground wheat and the cholera epidemic being eradicated from Shirdi. It is only the Absolute, the Source represented by Baba who knows the leela behind that. But the story is loud and clear. He was concerned about the welfare of all. And when He realized that some of His disciples were usurping that for themselves, that they were only concerned about themselves, Baba admonished them. And most likely, they did not make this mistake ever again- the mistake of taking the Guru for granted and thinking that He is only working for certain individuals' benefit. So, friends, let's move on this journey together, a journey of deep understanding which will most certainly impact our daily living.

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