The Turning Of The Key
De Simple Silence.
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[modifier] Tukaram
As with all periods of absence from Baba, during these years we each day waited with longing for His call. I often remember this story of the Perfect Master Tukaram’s longing to be with his Lord :
Twice a year, in July and November, Tukaram always made a pilgrimage to Pandharpur. But at one time, suddenly ill with fever and too weak to go, his heart filled with sadness. It happened that some pilgrims who greatly revered Tukaram came to Dehu where he lived, asking him to go with them to Pandharpur. Being unable to travel, he wrote twenty-four hymns of praise to God and sent them as a letter with the pilgrims. Choked with emotion, he very slowly walked a short way with them, saying, « O God, why hast Thou become weary of me ? » Weak and ill, he felt God was abandoning him, preventing him from making this pilgrimage.
Reaching Pandharpur, the pilgrims, full of joy, made their way to the temple. Taking Tukaram’s hymns of praise into the inner sanctuary, they saw Lord Krishna standing there, His lotus hands on His hips, making a charming sight. They placed their heads at His feet, laid the letter before Him, and read it to Him.
Krishna was very touched. He called His wife, Rukmini, and told her about Tukaram and the letter, saying, « Let us go to him. » But Rukmini reminded Krishna, the Lord of the Universe, that all the people who had come to visit Him would be troubled if He were not there. She suggested sending the great Eagle, Krishna’s vehicle, to bring Tukaram to Pandharpur, and this was done.
Taking only a moment, the Eagle arrived at Dehu and saw Tukaram still standing outside the town at the place where he had said farewell to the pilgrims, steadfastly waiting for their return. Unconscious of himself and everything about him, he thought only of the Lord with love.
The Eagle spoke gently and gave Tukaram the letter sent by Krishna : « You are unable to bear separation from Me, and it is the same with Me. Therefore I have sent the Eagle to bring you, so sit on its back and come to Pandharpur. It will make Me happy ; do not refuse. »
But Tukaram wept, saying it was improper for him to use the Lord’s noble vehicle, and sent a message asking that the Lord come to Dehu.
So the Eagle flew back and told Krishna why Tukaram would not come. « He is still standing outside the town waiting for Thee. »
After a few days the ceremonies at Pandharpur were over, and the pilgrims pleaded with Krishna to visit Tukaram. Reaching Dehu, they found Tukaram in the very same spot where they had left him, his hand on his forehead shading his eyes, constantly watching for their return.
Astonished, they exclaimed, « In performing his songs of praise for God, his whole body has become God, and still he does not let go his feeling of love for God. »
They gave him some items brought from Pandharpur, which delighted Tukaram, but he asked, « Is all well with Krishna ? He has abandoned me here far from Himself. »
They said, « Krishna is coming today to visit you. »
Tukaram’s desire to meet God there was very great, and placing his hand on his forehead, he waited with courage, continually pleading with the Lord in many loving words to appease his longing.
Suddenly the Eagle’s wings flashed in the sky, bringing Lord Krishna ; His delicate form and face were so beautiful : jewels and garlands adorned His neck, peacock feathers decorated His crown. Krishna stood before Tukaram and caressed him and embraced him with love. Their joy in being together knew no bounds.
Soon Krishna took Tukaram’s hand, and they walked to the old dilapidated hut where Tukaram lived. Krishna asked for a meal to be prepared quickly, and Tukaram’s wife, Avali, cooked some grains, greens, and bread. Krishna sat down and satisfied His hunger. Tukaram lovingly offered tulsi leaves for cleansing His mouth, and then Lord Krishna vanished out of sight. Thus was Tukaram’s longing to be with his Beloved Lord fulfilled.[1]
[modifier] Unless One Seeks With All One's Heart
Meher Baba
[In an interview in London on 3 or 4 August, 1952 :]
« What else is life meant for but to love God and become one with Him ? God is the Only Reality ; we have to go on and on until we arrive at a stage, when we must love God, because we know all life leads to Him.
When one loves God, one is eternally young, because God is eternally young, infinite, and everlasting, and to love Him and know Him as He is is the goal of life. To love God, to feel God, to know God, to be one with God, is the only thing that matters in life.
Let Me tell you this fact. There is nothing to worry about, nothing to be disheartened about. We are all, each of us, meant to be happy. Our life is by God’s Grace, and happiness is that which makes us feel that we are one with God. Know that all else is illusion.
I am really happy to see you today, and God, Who is within us all, is to be experienced as Infinite Happiness, and that can be done only through love for Him.
Look for God. God loves those who seek Him, and when we seek Him with all our hearts, we find Him in ourselves. Baba give you His love, that love which will eventually help you to find God.
To find the Truth, one has to depend not only upon analysis and intellect, but on the heart. Intellectual understanding is not so important as experience through the heart. God is the only Reality, and He cannot be analysed. Reason cannot reach Him. When one finds Him through Love, one finds Him in everyone. We must seek God in everyday life. The goal of life is to know God, the Infinite One, in everyday life. My love will help you to love God as He ought to be loved.
Do your work selflessly, and you will be doing it for God — God will have you very dear to Him if you serve your pupils, knowing that God is within them, as within you. I will help you with My love, so that you can do this perfectly.
Don’t worry. My love will give you that strength and conviction which makes you feel that you belong to God. Seek Truth with all your heart and Baba will help, because God alone is real. I am in the world to help people to love God, to find Him, and to see Him.
I have been repeatedly telling people for ages that only love can bring us near to God. God, Who is within us, can be realised only through love, and I give you both My love. I am very happy with your understanding it, and Baba gives you His love.
Truth, when it comes, comes in a flash within. When knowledge comes, one knows everything, but Truth and its Knowledge are not found unless one seeks with all one’s heart, and when one feels that one cannot live without it, then one finds it within the self. I give you My love, and this love will help you find the Truth. »
[modifier] The Young Sufi's Love For God
Three young Sufis were condemned to death by the Sultan for heresy. One stepped forward, asking to be beheaded first. The Sultan was amazed, and asked why a man in the prime of life should seek death so eagerly.
The Sufi replied that every moment in life is precious because it can be spent in remembrance of the Beloved, and he wished to give his brothers the extra moments of life by dying first. « One moment of this world is better than a thousand years of the next world, because this is the place of service and that is the place of proximity, and proximity is gained by service. »
The Sultan was so impressed by the young Sufi’s love for God that he pardoned all three and said, « Ask a boon. »
They replied, « The only boon we ask of you is that you should forget us, and neither make us your favourites nor banish us from your court, for your favour and displeasure are alike to us. »
The Sultan wept, and dismissed them with honour.
[modifier] With Your Heart Predominating
I wish every Baba lover the opportunity of being at Meherabad on Amartithi Day at least once. In the early years the line for darshan was not very long, and the crowd was such that one could spend ample time with each one of Beloved Baba's precious family from around the world. Sometimes it was the only time when one met some members of the family. Now, as Beloved Baba's Manifestation grows, the numbers are sharply increasing, but still not to such an extent that one loses that extraordinary feeling of openness that prevails amongst all. Such is the force of Beloved Baba's presence that it seems impossible for one to come and remain closed, or for one to bring continued thoughts and feelings of grudges and resentments. At other times, perhaps, these take longer to dissolve, but in the magic of that one day all is left aside and one dives happily into that pool of love which exists because He said, "I love you."
This reminds me of some words of Eruch. In recalling what he has gathered at the feet of Beloved Baba, Eruch said: "Baba often brought home to us that we should all come together and be one heart in His Presence. But then Baba would point out that it is impossible for you to cut yourself off from the mind. "It is the mind that creates divisions, that creates separateness, confusion, and limitation. Mind is at the root of all these things; and to annihilate the mind His Grace is essential. But you can remember to do one thing: when you gather together in His love and in His Name, enter the gathering place leaving the mind outside. You should enter with the heart only; that would make Him very happy. "If you bring your differences into His Presence, then you will not be there with Him. You can witness His Presence, or be a witness to your presence near Him, only when you are there with your heart predominating."
Bill Le Page. Published by Sheriar Press. © 1993 Bill Le Page
- ↑ Tukaram, Translated by Justin E. Abbott, pp. 250-259
