Q: What lessons can a Sai devotee derive from the story of two lizards in Sri Sai Satcharita?”

A. by Rama Maddipatla

Let us analyze the episode of two lizards referred to in the question. One of the two lizards was already at Dwarakamayi, the abode of Bhagawan Sainath. It was indeed her (the first lizard’s) abundant fortune and privilege that she was living with Paramaguru Sainath, who is compassionate and benevolent to all creatures. She must have been a dedicated devotee of Baba in her previous life. Baba knows the aspirations and thinking of every jeeva as He is not only Parama guru; but also Vidhaata. Studying Sri SaiSatCharita, we realize that she (the first Lizard) was separated from her sister due to quirk of fate as it happens with many of us. Nevertheless, enjoying the grace of the Paramaguru and the Master, she understood that the benevolent Baba was very kindly facilitating the re-union with her sister who was very far off. Hence, she was rejoicing the arrival of her sister making interesting sounds. We human beings are in the habit of associating sounds made by lizards to certain happenings with us and around us. Thus, a human devotee sitting with Baba asked Him as to the significance of sounds made by the lizard at Dwarakamayi. Baba replied, “She is happy that her sister is coming here from Aurangabad to meet her”. As ignorant he was, the devotee was surprised at the reply of Baba. He thought that it was something very weird. No sooner Baba uttered the above words, than reached a person on his horse traveling all the way from Aurangabad. From the empty gunny bag, he took out and dusted came out the second lizard, which was the sister of the first one at Dwarakamayi. Both the sister-lizards had a wonderful union. They kissed and danced together to the utter surprise of the human spectator at Dwarakamayi. All this was nothing new to Baba. He had saved a village bull from being slaughtered by a butcher. He listened to the prayer of an ailing circus tiger and endowed her with ‘sadgathi’. He saved the horse ‘Shyamakarna’ from being thrashed by the merciless caretaker. He comforted two goats that were his human acquaintances in their previous lives. He saved the frog, Channa Basappa in the previous life from being devoured by the snake, Veerabhadrappa in the earlier birth. For Him all jeevas are equal, as they represent ‘Atma’ which runs through all living beings irrespective of their body-masks that make them superficially different. He is Paramaatma the Doyen of the entire Universe who is Father, Mother, Guru and Benefactor to all Jeevas. This episode opens up a great Treasure of Knowledge for us. Baba teaches us through this story the principle “ATMA VAT SARVA BHOOTANI”; that is, Atma pervades all jeevas and thus connecting them. Once we understand this, we develop compassion, love and generosity for all Jeevas and treat them as our own. We thus understand that each and every Jeeva has its own thinking and aspirations irrespective of the bodily differences. Such a person, who imbibes this principle, lives in “Sai-tattwa”. Did Baba not tell us to eliminate the barriers separating one from the other?