Sairam friends,
Yesturday, I kept myself happy at work. I was little bothered about something and started to retrospect asking Baba “Why all this happened?”. I must have minded my life and lived peacefully in office. Anyway, I realized Sai will answer me when he wants to and kept myself happy. One of my cousin is getting married in Chidambaram and we have to go for wedding during this month end.
I was frustrated and asked my Mom “Why do people keep weddings so far? Why not in Coimbatore? Why not in Chennai where we have Aunt and can stay in their home?”
I struggled so much to find the right hotel to stay. We will be visiting few temples too.
Further, what ever I do, I do it with heart and soul. Attending a wedding for formality doesn’t go with my values. Be it friends or relatives, I be with them only if they are down to earth to me. Some of my cousins are disconnected from our family for reasons I can’t guess. But there are few who are affectionate as before and I really want them to grow ahead in their career.
Anyway, this formality trip isn’t easy as my Mom is so weak that I have to take immense care of her.
Food is God
I told you that I had been chanting about saints in Datta lineage. One of them is “Gajanan Maharaj” who lived in Shegaon, Maharastra. It must be sometime in Feb 1878. A man who looked saintly was having food from the place where villagers drop their left overs. Some food left overs were on the ground and Gajanan Maharaj was eating it with satisfaction.
Two wealthy men from the village were surprised that they never saw this saintly person before and told him ” Please don’t have food scattered here. Please come to our house. We will serve you good food”
Gajanan Maharaj said “Annam Brahmete”
Which translates to “Food is God”
Even if food is among all other dirt, its still divine and God lives in it.
I remember this story how Gajanan maharaj first appeared in Shegoan.
My habit
Over these years, I make sure that I never waste cooked rice and have it completely even if I am full. When ever I go alone to have food in canteen, I ask them to reduce the rice quantity since I can’t have the full plate. When my friends join me, I have the full plate and give little for my friend who likes to have it. Couple of weeks back, I kept little for him and he dropped it in dustbin.
I told him that “Since you are having it regularly, I bought it in full. Here after, If you don’t need it, let me know so that I will ask them to reduce the rice”
Yesturday, one of my friend told me that he wants to have meals in a different hotel. I must have guessed it won’t be good. Somehow, we got meals and can’t have it peacefully. It wasn’t good at all. I tried my best to have all the rice but had to drop little left over rice in the dust bin.
It made me upset because I do keep food left overs but make sure the rice is never dropped in dust bin. It hurts me since I must have dropped it atleast near the grass as some insects would have fed. I am not saying you must have food you don’t like but try your best to find alternative ways where some other life can have it.
In the Saibaba temple I visit regularly, I have seen people get biscuits and other stuff they don’t like as prasad, walk ahead and drop in dustbin. If they don’t like these stuff, they better don’t get it at all. Why should they get something and drop in dustbin?
Make sure you thank God and Sai for the food you have.
I am getting late for work now
Tata
Om Sai Ram
Venkat
