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Discipline
There was a sheristadhaar by
name Thakad. His wife and 16-year old son were ardent
devotees of Shridi Baba. Tharkad did not object to their
worship of Baba. One day when they wanted to go to Shridi,
he gave them his consent. But Tharkad himself did not go
to any shrine as he was a Brahmo Samajist. He did not to
go to Shridi despite many appeals from his wife.
Tharkad's son told his
father that he would not go to Shridi because he was
performing regular worship to Shridi Baba in their house.
This worship would be affected if he went to Shridi. The
lad told his father that every day he was making an
offering of sugar candy to Baba and he was partaking part
of the candy as prasaadh (blessed offering) out of the
conviction that Baba was receiving the candy. He declared:
"I do not want any break in this practice. Hence I do not
want to go to Shridi." The father had great affection to
the son. He told the son: "Babu, I shall perform that duty.
You better go to Shridi."....
"Will you offer worship to
Baba as I have been doing? Will you offer candy to him and
later eat part of it as prasaadh?" The father gave promise
to carry on the worship during his absence. The mother and
her son left for Shridi.
The father performed the
worship in the manner of the son for a few days. Offering
a candy to Baba, he took a part of it after the forship
before taking his meal. On a Thursday, Tharkad had some
urgent business in the court and left the house in a hurry
after performing puuja (worship). Returning for his meal,
he asked the cook to bring the prasaadh. The cook informed
him that he had not offered any offering of candy that
day. Tharkad was sorry that he had failed to make the
offering to Baba.
At Shridi, when the mother
and the son went to see Baba on the following Friday, Baba
told the son: "Babu, yesterday I had been to Bangra, but
no one gave me any food. Even the candy which you use to
offer daily was not available. I have come back very
hungry. Will you give me something to eat?" The boy was
shocked on listening the Baba's words. He wept in his
mother's lap. "I cannot stay here any longer. I must
adhere to my daily routine." At that time, Baba sent a
chit to the boy through one dog. In his message, Baba said:
"There is no need for you to go now. Your father failed to
keep his word, but you have not failed in your duty. You
have all my Grace. You can stay here as long as you wish."
Source:
(Excerpts from details of short compilation: Sathya Sai
Baba. SSS. Vol. 29. Chapter 21)
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