Bayazid Bastami

Bayzid had lost his father in his childhood. His mother was forced to work hard to feed her child. When Bayzid grew up a little, he started mixing up and playing with fellow children. This worried his mother, as she was concerned that her child should not get into bad company and become a spoiled kid. Being a godly and very high-minded woman, she used to take great care of her son's upbringing. She always remembered what his father used to say : "My son will grow up to become God's Child. He will show people the reality and the way to reach that purpose".

In the same village, there lived a saint Fakir who used to provide education to the children in his school, and also took care of them. Any child who trained under him in his school, returned as a capable and noble person.

When Bayzid's mother came to know about this, she quickly took her child and went to meet that saint. She placed her request to the saint : "I am a widow. I have heard a lot about you and your school, and that's why I have come to you. This is my child. His father really wished from his heart, that his son would grow up to become God's servant and show people the real purpose of their life. Please give him a place in your school, take him up as your child, raise him as your own and make him what a human being should be. I'll leave him with you." 

The fakir said, "Alright sister, today onwards this child will stay with me, and I will try my best to do as you have asked."

At the same time, the mother also had a strange condition. She said, "As he is a child and will be leaving his mother for the first time, he will surely miss me a lot and soon he will demand to leave and insist on going home. I beg you not to leave him because if he comes to me, then mother's affection will become a hindrance in this pious work. You send him to me only when he becomes a true child of Allah."

The Fakir was surprised to hear the mother make such a strange request. He realised that she was a god-serving person. He assured her, "Sister, what you have said is a great thing. Pray to Allah to aid me in this noble task, and I will also try my best. If Allah wills, your wish will come true."

The woman handed her child over to the fakir and left. Bayazid also started studying at the school with the other children. A few months later, the child started missing his mother very badly. When his patience gave up, he went to his master one day and cried out, "I must go to my mother, I miss her so much. Please give me one day off and I'll be back the very next day!"

The master was now in a grave dilemma. If he allowed the child to leave, then the promise made to the mother would be broken. If he refused him to go, the heart of the innocent child would be hurt. Master thought deeply, but could not comprehend any solution to the problem. He prayed to Allah, "now You yourself should find a solution. Please guide me, what should I do?" This prayer inspired him to the solution, that why not give the child a difficult lesson to remember! 

Then he called the child and said, "Son, I'll give you a lesson. You have to learn it by tomorrow and recite to me, and then you can go." The child was delighted on this offer. He took the lesson from his master, and went home to read the lesson carefully. But he realized immediately that he would not be able to memorize such a difficult lesson until evening. 

Being in trouble, the child thought why not ask the master to shorten the lesson, it is a little too much. But then he realized that doing so would not be appropriate, and he also knew that the master would not like it. He then remembered his mother's words, that Allah can do anything if he wants to, and that is what his master also said. 

So he put the book aside and read the Namaaz twice. Then he began praying, "I've heard Allah can do anything. 'Allah! Please make me remember this lesson by evening, so that I can go to see my mother. I know it can happen if you want it to!" And after saying these prayers, he began to learn the lesson. As soon as he was sure that he remembered the lesson well, he went to his master, and asked him to listen to it. When the master heard the lesson, he was astonished, as he knew it could not be learnt so soon. The child had recited the lesson verbatim. For one thing, the master now understood that there was something different about this child, something beyond comprehension. He allowed the child to leave and said, "Go son; come back tomorrow."

The child took blessings from his master, and happily walked towards his home to see his mother. But when he reached home, the door of the house was closed. He knocked on the door, hoping to get an answer, but there was no response. He kept knocking and also called out to his mother, but he still did not hear an answer. Troubled, the child finally knocked on the door and shouted, "Mother, I am your Bayazid, open the door." The mother replied, "It is impossible for you to be my Bayazid. The master promised me, he cannot change his mind. My Bayazid will only come when he becomes the true child of Allah." The child was wise, he understood that his mother didn't want him to enter the house. So he stood outside the house and wept, and returned back to school. 

When the master saw the child back so soon, he was surprised. He asked, "Is everything alright at home, son? Why did you come back?" 

In great sorrow and tears, the child told his master the whole story. "When I reached home, the door was closed. Despite knocking a lot, mother did not open the door, and said that you cannot be my Bayazid. My Bayazid will come only when he becomes the child of Allah. Perhaps mother does not want me to come home." The child added, "although my heart hurts on not being able to meet mother, but I do not have any complaints against her; I understand that she wants my best and wants me to achieve something. Please pray to Allah that see is able to see me having achieved something. May all the hopes she has placed in me be fulfilled, because my mother is old and often ill due to work. Please pray to Allah for her health." Master said, "Son, I will pray to Allah every day."

Bayazid thus lived far away from his mother for sixteen years. One night, his master heard a voice after his prayers, saying that Bayazid's training was now complete. 'Allow him now to return home to his mother.' When he went to Bayazid, he found him praying to Allah. He hugged him, kissed him on the forehead and blessed him, saying, "Son, today your education is complete; your mother's prayers and sacrifice have raised your level of spirituality. You don't have to stay here any more. You can go home now."

Bayazid touched his master's feet, took his blessings, and went home to meet his mother. When he reached home, the door to the house was closed just like that day. But when Bayazid called out, his mother ran and opened the door in the first instance and saw that the light of God was visible in her son's eyes. 

"Son, sit down, I will bring you hot milk, and then I will feed you." Praying to Allah, the mother said "Son, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, so that I can see my child. I thank Allah many many times, that finally this day has come. Today, your father's wish has been fulfilled, and now Allah can call me whenever he wants."

It is for such Mothers, that great sufis like Bayazid Bastami are born!

The only way to free ourselves from desires is to divert our attention from them and fix our eyes on the very Real thing.

Once a Crow, holding on to a piece of meat was flying to a place to sit and eat peacefully. 

However, a flock of eagles who were flying nearby started chasing it. The crow became scared and anxious. It started flying higher and higher, yet the much stronger eagles were after the poor crow. 

Just then Garuda saw the plight and pain in the eyes of the crow. Coming closer to the crow, he asked, "What's wrong, dear? You seem to be very disturbed and in terrible stress?"

The crow cried, "Look at these eagles! They are after me to kill me".

Garuda being the bird of wisdom spoke, "Oh my friend! They are not after you to kill you! In fact, they are after that piece of meat that you are holding tightly in your beak. Just drop it and see what happens."

The crow followed the advice of Garuda and dropped the piece of meat, and behold, all the eagles in a mad rush flew towards the falling meat.

Garuda smiled and said, "The pain is only till you hold on to it. Just drop it and release the pain."

The crow just bowed and said "Thank you for your wise advice. I dropped this piece of meat and now, I can fly even higher without tension."

We carry a huge burden called 'Ego', which creates a false identity about oneself, like - "I am so and so, I should be loved, I need to be respected, I need to be invited, etc."

Let's Just Drop - this silly 'Ego' and 'assumption about ourselves' and see what happens.

We have risen from the dust and will merge back into the dust.

The vast ocean of love exists in your heart. The key is in your hands.

 "I"

Once, Socrates was walking on a beach. He noticed a weeping child standing on the shore. He went to him, put his hand lovingly on the boy's head and asked, "Why are you crying?"

The boy said, "I want to fill this ocean in the cup, but it does not fit in my cup." 

Hearing the child's words, Socrates went into dismay and started crying himself. Now it was the child's turn to ask : "You're crying too, but where's your cup?" 

Socrates replied, "My child, you want to fill the entire ocean in a small cup, and I want to fill the knowledge of the whole world in my small mind. Today you have taught me that the sea cannot fit in a cup, I was getting restless in vain."  

Upon hearing this, the child paused for a moment, then threw the cup away into the sea and said, "O ocean, if you cannot fit in my cup, then my cup can fit in you."

Socrates fell at the child's feet and exclaimed, "thanks to you, I have now received such precious pearls of wisdom!"

"O Master!

You cannot be completely absorbed in me, but I can be absorbed completely in you."

When God had to give knowledge to the wandering Socrates, He absorbed himself in that child and diluted all the pride of Socrates. Socrates, who was respectable for even the great emperors, had fallen at the feet of a child.

When God takes us in His refuge, then first, the "I" inside us disappears.

 

Or in other words, when the "I" inside us disappears, it is then that God's grace flows to us.

The "I" is actually "our ego," which prevents our consciousness from expanding.

Do we recognize ourselves for what we truly are?

Do we recognize ourselves for what we truly are?

The son of an emperor had become spoilt. He had fallen in the wrong company. The father was upset. One day the father became very angry and in a fit of rage he said to the son, "You will be thrown out of the palace. Either rectify yourself or leave my palace."

The emperor had not thought that the prince would actually leave the palace. But the prince left the palace in his fury.

The emperor's son was as stubborn as emperor. The father searched a lot, but could not find him. Years passed by. The old father's eyes had blurred now, as he wept so much. He had only one son. The entire empire was for him. The father used to repent a lot, that in what unfortunate moment did I uttere such words that I will throw you out!

Nearly 20 years passed waiting like this.

One day a beggar was begging outside the emperor's palace. The king looked at him, and he felt that it was a familiar face. The old father's heart immediately recognized him. There was light in his eyes again. His heart said, "This is my son!!"

But in twenty years, the son had completely forgotten that he was the son of the emperor. Who will not forget that in twenty years of poverty! For twenty years, he went from door to door, village to village asking for pieces of bread. Twenty years of beggary! The layers piled up over and over, and he forgot that he was once the son of the emperor.

To go from place to place and be reprimanded everywhere; people behaving badly; being told at every door, "move ahead” – if the inner emperor had remained aware, he would have pulled out the sword. So the inner emperor had to fade away, he had to be forgotten. That was the right thing, it was practical to forget about him. And how could he remember? When twenty-four hours he was being reminded of only one thing from all sides, that you are a beggar. No one allowed him to stay at the door, no one let him sit under a tree, no one let him stay – “Take the bread, and move ahead” – hardly he would get some bread. 

Broken pot! Torn clothes! Couldn't even buy new clothes in twenty years. His body smelled foul. Forgotten were the days - of fragrance, of the palace, of pride, of comfort, of glory and dignity. They were all forgotten. Twenty years of dust settled so much on the mirror that now no image could be formed in the mirror.

So the son did not know anything, he came to this village begging in the same way as he had gone to other villages. This too is a village like other villages. But when the father's eyes saw him, he recognized that this was his son.

The features, the face are all recognizable. No matter how much dust settles, the eyes of the parents cannot be deceived. The son may forget, but the father cannot. The original source cannot forget.

Seeing this condition of the son, the king seemed to go numb and lifeless. He called his vizier and asked, "What should I do?" The vizier said, "Be careful and act wisely. If at once you say that you are a prince, then it will be so big for him that he will not believe it. He will doubt you. So you have to move slowly. He has really forgotten everything, otherwise he would not even have come to this door to beg. He doesn't remember anything."

When the emperor called him inside the palace, he started running outside the palace. When the servant ran after him, he said, "No brother, I don't want go inside. Leave me, I am a poor man. It was a mistake that I came to the palace, to the king's court. I just beg. I don't need to go inside." 

 

He was so scared that he thought that he might get punished, that he might get jailed, he did not know what problems would arise if he went inside. But the servants explained that the master wants to give you a job, he feels pitiful. So he went inside. The king hired him for sweeping there.

Then gradually when he started doing sweeping and getting a little familiar with the palace, then he was promoted a little, and then later a little more promotion was done. Then he started coming inside the palace as well. Soon his clothes were also changed. Then he was also given a bath. And slowly he started agreeing.

In such a way, as the years went by, he was brought to the post of vizier. And when he came to the position of vizier, then one day the emperor called and said, "You are my son." And he agreed. Then he was convinced, since he had to climb so many stairs. This could have been said on the first day as well, but then he would not have been able to accept it!

If somebody tells us that we are God, we can't believe it. We say that it may be a matter of principle; but me and God!!! That is why it is said that meditate, be engrossed in devotion. Come on, start with the sweeping and cleaning. Although it can be done right now, but we will not agree to that. Although there is no need to lose a single moment, there is no need for gradual development. It can happen in one leap. But we do not believe, so let's do the sweeping and cleaning. So, gradually there will be promotion. And we have to progress slowly, gradually. 

Then one day, when the last moment comes, we will come to the position of the vizier, when a little glimpse of samadhi starts coming near, meditation starts sparking, then in a single moment we will accept the same thing. Then we will have faith in this.

                        

Growth, change and transformation is evolution.

Real satisfaction comes when we help someone and make their life better

*THE FALLEN FLOWERS*🌸🌸

Every morning I saw an elderly gentlemen picking up flowers fallen under the tree and keeping neatly in a basket , meant for temple visits. His activity was making me curious.

 

One fine morning I saw him again, and decided to quench my curiosity.

 

I asked him, "Uncle, I always see you picking up these freshly fallen flowers from the ground. What do you do with them?"

 

"I use it to worship deities and gods in my house," he replied calmly.

 

Now this was new. Haven’t heard anything like this before. So, I asked him again, “Why will you put fallen flowers, when there are plenty on the plant itself?”

 

"I am helping the flowers fulfil their purpose, to be with the God in their last days. They also have life, they also want to be with God like you and me in our last days, isn’t it" he asked me. 

I just nodded and he continued. "People pluck the buds which have not even bloomed, and some only pluck the one’s which have just bloomed, not even letting them release their fragrance. Everyone takes what’s beautiful and leaves the plant stripped off its beauty. "See, how these plants look, stripped and bare."

 

He continued, "Every flower has a purpose, to be with the God. While everyone takes away what’s there on the plant, I choose to pick them up. It’s not their fault that they fell down. They also deserve to be with God."

 "You also try it, you will find peace and happiness in doing it. I found it, that’s why I do it. I am too old to support anyone, but I can help these flowers meet their destiny."

 

I could just nod and smile.

 

With this new inspiration and thought, I decided that let me also try picking up fallen flowers for worshipping.

 

I crossed a hibiscus tree and saw few flowers fallen under the tree. As I bent down to pick them up, I heard a voice ...

 

“You don’t offer fallen flowers to God”, it was my Mom speaking to me in my head, and then I stopped for a second.

 

“God is only looking for your emotion & devotion towards him, so go ahead and pick them up”, it was again my Mom speaking to me in my head.

 

After much deliberation and looking at both sides, I picked the flowers and put them in my palms. I could feel goose bumps and my heart started racing. It was a very different kind of love I was feeling inside my body for these flowers.

 

I got them home, washed them and placed them where they deserved to be, at the feet of God.

 

This entire experience was overwhelming. I felt good and nice about myself. I felt as if I have saved someone’s life or helped someone come out of misery. I had never felt this level of contentment before with flowers at least. And I feel, I will continue to do this. Pick up who has fallen down.

 

In life, we always want to be around nice and beautiful people. We want to see ourselves with people who belong to our stature, and look down on people below our status.

 

But, the real satisfaction comes when we help someone and make their life better. Be it a human, animal, bird or any other form of life.

A seeker should also carry on his Seva, Sadhna, Satsang and Chanting daily to keep the mind shining

A Saint had the practise of cleaning his Lota( an indian pot for storing water) daily.One day his curious disciple asked him "O! My master why do you clean the pot daily? Is'nt it enough to clean it once a week? The Saint replied " Yes my dear , you are right , I shall clean it once a week hereafter. 

From that day he stopped cleaning the pot. The shining pot was getting duller and duller day by day.One day the saint called the disciple and asked him to clean the pot. The pot was difficult to clean, it took a long time to clean. The disciple had to work harder to make the pot shining like before.

The saint told his disciple , as long as the pot was cleaned daily it was shining. Like wise a seeker should also carry on his Seva, Sadhna, Satsang and Chanting daily to keep the mind shining. Even if it is not practised for single day it will dull the mind.

Moral: Practise makes man perfect!!

When your whole being is burning with the single intense desire to realize the Ultimate, you will simply absorb the master’s instructions. The magic of transformation is bound to happen

A student approached a Zen teacher to

learn Zen. The teacher told him, ‘Hear

the sound of one hand clapping.’

The student tried for three years and

did not succeed. He was depressed that

he could not do what his teacher had

told him. He came in tears to the teacher

saying he had to leave because he could

not do what he had been told.

The teacher said, ‘Wait for one more

week. Meditate constantly.’ The student

stayed for one more week and

meditated. Nothing happened. The

teacher said, ‘Try for five more days.’

The student stayed further, yet nothing

happened. The student came in despair 

begging to be

released. Then

the teacher

said, ‘Meditate

for three more

days. If you don’t get enlightened, you

had better kill yourself.’

The second day, the student was

enlightened.

When your whole being is burning with the

single intense desire to realize the

Ultimate, you will simply absorb the

master’s instructions. The magic of

transformation is bound to happen. Only

then will you be open to receive him. Till

then it is just an interest.

Lord Krishna: "What You Can't Do, I Will Do"

Lord Krishna: "What You Can't Do, I Will Do" - A Story from Mahabharata.

A night before the day of the Matsya Vedh (Piercing Fisheye) competition, Krishna and Arjuna are conversing.

Arjuna says, "If I have to do everything, then what will you do?"

Arjuna asks, "And what is it that I can't do?"

What did I learn from this story?

But we must remember that if we don't do our part and only trust God to take care of everything then we will achieve nothing.

Krishna says, "Arjuna, take care, put your step forward and concentrate on the eye of the fish".

Krishna in a very soft tone tells him, "What you can't do, I will do".

Krishna answers, "I will keep the water steady..."

No matter how much work we do for our goals, we are not the creator here. We are the co-creator of our life. We must perform our karma and trust that everything beyond our control will be taken care of by God or The Universe or the Higher Power or any other name you believe in. We are in a partnership with God to achieve our goals and live our purpose of life.

To achieve our goals, we must do what we can to the best of our abilities. If we don't prepare ourselves and if we don't master our craft (like Arjuna has mastered Archery with years of practice) then even if God will hold the water what will you do if you are not good in Archery?