Posted on: 29 Sep 2015
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
Shri Ajay asked: Shri Shirdi Sai Baba is not liked by some traditional Hindu priests for His non-vegetarian food and the habit of smoking through the pipe called Hukka. Please explain this point.
Shri Swami Replied: The habit of non-vegetarian food was a created story by non-vegetarians to have the support from Baba for their sin. Of course, the divinity has no link with the food habits and external culture. Shri Rama, the Lord in human form, was also a non-vegetarian. Shri Baba used to supply the non-vegetarian food for the non-vegetarian guests. Even Jesus and Mohammed were non-vegetarians. Buddha and Mahavir Jain totally opposed this non-vegetarian food to avoid killing the animals and birds for food. The point here is that when God comes in human form to an area, He follows the culture and food habits of that area to freely mingle with the people present in that area. After becoming friendly with them, He will preach the divine knowledge and slowly bring them down to the path of non-violence. A person trying to lift another person by sinking in the mud pond is also marked with the mud. Similar is the case with human incarnation, which is God in human form that comes down to the earth to uplift the people. He will be also associated with the negative culture and food habits of that group of people. After reforming them in certain concepts, neglecting the other concepts, the human incarnation will slowly come to the neglected aspects also. The total reformation of the soul is the final goal whether the reformation is done from this side or that side. Shri Satya Sai Baba, Who is the re-incarnation of Shirdi Baba was not only pure vegetarian but also preached for it from His childhood. Shri Shirdi Baba also did not preach for non-vegetarian food, but kept silent on it not to hurt the non-vegetarians and also supplied the non-vegetarian food. The rush of devotees to Shirdi Baba was less where as the rush to Shri Satya Sai Baba was tremendous. Therefore, there was no need to respect the feelings of coming devotees in the case of Shri Satya Sai Baba, Who preached the truth with frankness. In the case of Shri Shirdi Baba, there was need to attract the people towards Him since it is the starting stage of the programme. Hence, Shirdi Baba respected the feelings of non-vegetarians and also supplied the non-vegetarian food so that they will also frequently visit Him and receive the divine knowledge from Him in the first stage and slowly transform to the ultimate stage where the non-violence also can be introduced. God in human form is the preacher and follows the psychology of the other side during the propagation of His divine knowledge. Teaching is always linked to the psychology of the students without which the very fundamental basis of the teaching programme fails in the beginning itself. The scripture also says that the eligibility of the student to grasp the concept (Adhikari) should be understood by the teacher before starting the subject. According to the palatability of the eligibility of the student, the subject should be moulded in such a style so that it is conveniently received and grasped by the student.
Coming to the point of smoking, this aspect also can be treated in the line of the above aspect so that the human incarnation can mingle with such smokers before preaching the divine knowledge. Apart from this angle of this aspect, there is another angle also. The human body of the human incarnation follows the principles of its own nature similar to other human bodies. The properties of God will not interfere with the properties of the human body taken by Him. When the current enters the metallic wire, the properties of the metallic wire are not affected at all by the properties of the current. The property of the current, which is to give shock, is attained by the metallic wire also, but, its inherent property like lean form is not changed. Hence, the divine properties of God are certainly exhibited by the medium, but, the properties of the medium are not lost at all. The birth, growth, hunger, thirst, sleep, disease, death etc., are the common properties of the human body, which do not disappear or even get affected by the entry of the God into it. This basic point should be always kept in mind while dealing with the human incarnation. A devotee broke coconut on the feet of Shri Satya Sai Baba thinking that nothing will happen to Baba due to His divine nature! The leg of Baba was terribly swollen and Baba suffered from the pain for many days. This incident happened because the devotee does not have the knowledge of the above point. Therefore, the body of Shirdi Baba was also a human body following its own natural properties like any other human body. He stayed in an old condemned construction into which the cold wind blew severely. Besides this, the smoke from the fire lit and maintained by Baba always affected the respiratory system of the body of Baba, which was seen as severe cough in the final end (death) of His body also. His body was frequently subjected to illness based on allergy, which is serious cough. Baba will not cure this allergy based illness by using His divine powers because God does not like to interfere with the properties of external nature as a good administrator. Hence, the human body of Baba needs a medicine, which is required to cure the allergy based disease. Generally, a sedative drug like Citrazin, Uni-carbozon, Avil etc., is used in such case so that the strained nervous system gets a perfect rest. In those days, the medicine was not available in the form of tablet in such petty village. Hence, Baba used to inhale a few smokes using the leaves of a sedative plant (called as Bhang), which supplies the medicine mentioned in the above tablets. The number of smokes was very few, just for the medicinal purpose only. Extreme smoking will damage the lungs. Anything in limited dosage as a medicine is not to be condemned. Foreigners drink little wine, which helps their digestion and subsequent generation of heat needed in such extreme cold countries. The same in excess dose harms the lever and leads to death. Alcohol (wine) is present in several liquid medicines also used by us. Even several food items prepared from the soaked flour of grains on fermentation generates alcohol. Anything limited to serve the purpose of a medicine is always essential to control the illness. From this angle if you see the smoking of Baba in the circumstances of non-availability of sedative tablets, you cannot and should not misunderstand Baba. When you use these sedative tablets for your illness, you are as good as such a smoker.
Shri Satya Sai Baba lived in good constructed building and several doctors with medicines were available for His service. The conditions were totally different in His case. Hence, He did not use this type of smoking. The prevailing conditions and the stage of the receivers of knowledge are very important to be understood thoroughly before you find fault with an action observed in the human incarnation. Unless you understand the background through sharp and patient analysis, you cannot appreciate its merit. If anybody claims to be a scholar, it is said that he should be tested in the knowledge of the sacred book called the Bhagavatam, which alone gave salvation to king Parikshit in seven days. On hearing this, you try to approach this sacred book with very high expectations of purity and justice. But, you are shocked to find the secret dance of Gopikas in the mid night with the young boy, Who is the Lord Krishna. This is the reason to say that a scholar should be tested in the subject of this Bhagavatam (Vidyaavataam Bhagavate Parikshaa). You will immediately think that Brindavanam is just like the present club in a metro city in which boys and girls dance freely drinking the wine (even married people attend it!). Gopikas were married ladies and due to this, the stature of Brindavanam in your eyes falls down very much even to be compared to such clubs! Before you proceed into such state of misunderstanding the scripture, you should put some questions like what is the character of Gopikas? Did Krishna repeat such thing in the rest of His life anywhere after leaving Brindavanam? The answers for these questions will make you to understand the true background. Gopikas were very chaste ladies totally dedicated to their husbands in the normal life. They were the sacred sages from millions of births, who never thought of such sins that straightly lead to the hell. Lord Krishna was the complete God called 'Paripurna Tama' and there is nothing leftover to be obtained by Him or not obtained by Him as said by Him in the Gita (Nanavaaptamavaaptavyam...). The Veda says the same thing: “where is the desire in God, Who is completely fulfilled with everything (Apta Kamasya Ka Spruhaa?)?” These answers will remove the two layers of ignorance that covered your both eyes like cataracts by operation.
The true background is that God wanted to test these sages finally like in the annual examination of a student. The three strongest bonds (Ishanaas) are with husband or wife, with children and with money. These sages passed all the tests in the previous births regarding all other minor worldly bonds. These strongest bonds are tested in this final birth. Their dance with the Lord Krishna was regarding the bond with the husband (Ramanuja was tested in his bond with his pretty young wife by God and Ramanuja left her for the sake of God). Their bond with the children and bond with the wealth (butter) were simultaneously tested (double examination) when the Lord stole the butter from their houses, which was meant for their children. This test is the most powerful test than the above mentioned dance-test because you can see divorce between husband and wife but never a divorce with children and wealth. The first test is very weak test and second test is very powerful. But, people are always more attracted to the dance of Krishna only and do not understand the background essence in the theft of the butter. This test becomes more serious because Krishna stole the butter especially when He has plenty of butter in His house itself and that He is not a poor boy with hunger to be sympathized! The whole essence of this sacred scripture lies in this clue only and not in the above weak dance. Perhaps, people attach more importance to the dance only because they want to divert your attention from the more powerful test in which everybody fails to a weaker test in which there is plenty of chance for several to succeed, which is not felt as a test at all, but, felt as a new opportunity obtained after a long time of waiting!!