A group of Sai devotees once
requested Bhagwan to inaugurate a new temple in their town. But Bhagawan
refused to comply with the 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
Bhagwan 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 exhorbitant 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 neighbors’ 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. Being a Sai devotee, he fervently prayed to Bhagavan 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 immobilizing 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 Rhishikesh 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 Bhagavan'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 Bhagwan, 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. Bhagawan's stand on this is extremely clear.
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