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"The best midwife in the world" - a
revelation by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on performing actions
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- We gratefully acknowledge the writer Aravind B web-design : saibabaofindia.com "SBOI" | |
What is midwifery and what makes a perfect midwife?
Midwifery today is a healthcare profession wherein the
providers offer care to the child-bearing mothers during
their pregnancy and immediately after it. Though midwifery
has progressed into a professional career, it has for long
been a service that was provided by experienced women. They
would assist the expectant mother in a physical, mental and
psychological manner in order to ensure a smooth delivery
and and a comfortable postpartum period. In the 1980s,
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba whom millions adore as God
revealed one of the most essential qualities for a midwife.
That revelation also sets the general guidelines for
performing any action in the best possible manner. A totally unexpected revelation
It was one of those days when the students had returned from
the Grama Seva (in the 1980s) and were in a very joyous
mood. The good mood was because of the fact that Swami
seemed very happy with their work and when Swami is 'happy',
things are bound to get fun and exciting. It was during such
times of being 'happy' in the past that Swami had charmed
the students with many materializations and several
revelations too. And today also, the students hoped that His
'happiness' would result in something that they would
remember all their life. Swami did not disappoint them and
they had no idea of what was coming that day.
Walking towards a group of students, Swami enquired as to how the day’s service in the village had been. (As far as I remember, the village was Jankampalli, near Puttaparthi.) As the students answered Him with great excitement on the happenings of the day, Swami stumped them with a question, “Did you meet Radhamma?” There was silence and the students looked at each other in bewilderment. The name was not even vaguely familiar but Swami was asking about the lady, Radhamma, with great familiarity and fondness. As they presented blank faces, Swami smiled and clarified, “You remember that when you went through the narrow winding streets, a lady offered you ragi cereal? You all relished eating it...” A few murmurs broke out among the students. They seemed to remember ‘Radhamma’ once Swami had given those particulars. The heart and the stomach are very close to each other and, often, filling one of them makes the other one full too! They remembered how a village woman had lovingly welcomed them and fed them all with the tastiest food that she could whip up at home. With that memory, they nodded to Swami in recollection. Swami smiled and then posed His next question, “Do you know what Radhamma is very good at?” The boys reasoned that the most probable answer to this question would be her cooking. A few students ventured to give this answer to Swami but Swami did not agree. Once again, the boys gave up and Swami answered, “Radhamma is the best midwife in the whole world!” That was a revelation for the boys. There are all sorts of champions on the face of the earth. These champs are recognised as such by various agencies, groups, events or professionals. But this was a different case. Swami was God for these students and thus it was a case of God recognising someone as being the best. They had not the slightest doubt that Radhamma was indeed the best midwife in the world. And then, came the hardest final question, “Why is she the best midwife in the world?” What changes a midwife into ‘the midwife’?
This was a question that the boys did not even hope of
answering. It was just a few minutes before that they had
discovered the existence of Radhamma. There was no chance of
them knowing that she was a midwife and an excellent one at
that. The technique of midwifery that she practiced was way
beyond anyone’s grasp. So they just looked sheepishly at
Swami and awaited His answer. The answer came quickly and
sweetly.
“Whenever she is called to assist for a childbirth, the first thing she does is to think of me. She asks me to take charge and tells me that she is only an instrument. So sincere is her prayer that I take over...” Pausing for a moment, Swami continued with a twinkle in His eyes, “And when I take over, it has to be the best right?” Do your best and let God do the rest is a sort of cliche that we pick up as children. But it is a very powerful mantra to follow in life. It takes a lot of motivation to do one’s best. For a true devotee, the best is brought out when he/she does something for his/her beloved - God. And so, the best way to do one’s best would be to do it for God! Doing something for God with all love, humility and focus makes it the best effort. And that is all God is concerned with. Did He not declare it as Lord Krishna? Karmanyevaadhikaraste Maa Phaleshu Kadachana “You have the right only to perform actions and not on the fruits thereof. Therefore, do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions. This way, you won’t be attached and will also do your duty.” The power of remembrance
Doing everything as an offering to God is the highest Karma
Yoga. It is also the best way to ensure that any action done
is perfect. The desire to please God will ensure that one
fosters and develops all the skills and expertise necessary
to perform the action. Since pleasing God is the only
objective, the satisfaction that one derives will not be
based on the results thus removing attachment too. One then
becomes the best because one has all the expertise and and
the humility to allow a higher power to flow through the
action also.
In fact, doing everything to please God (Swami in the case of us devotees) is the way we should lead our lives. Swami has emphasized on that time and again in subtle ways. On one occasion, all the students were praying to Swami to visit the hostel. They tried their best but Swami did not seem to relent. So, one day, they gathered around Him and began to plead vociferously. After a while, their pleas got desperate and everyone in the hall could hear the loud requests, “Swami... please...” “Please Swami....PLEASE SWAMI...” Swami just smiled at them and said, “Please Swami.... You should please Swami...” The Lord is easily pleased. A simple remembrance is enough. Whatever we do, can we bring our dear Lord into it? For if we can do it that way, we are much closer to being the best in the world at what we do! |
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More by Sai student Arvind
- The rainbow hues of Swami's laughter... - God's Omnipresence: Experiences of great proximity to Sri Sathya Sai -The Shivarathri of my life...Sai Experience
-The day Swami bled to see
His children smile... -An amazing experience with Sathya Sai and the Suka Naadi- Sai Baba - by Sai Devotee Arvind B -Dreams of Swami are True - by Aravin B - God has a sense of humor: Incidents with Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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If you were
God, what choices would you make - a thought experiment - by Aravin b - How Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba became my family deity - A beautiful solution which Sri Sathya Sai demonstrated in an interview to give up a bad habit - The Lord's Support - inspiring story of Krishnadasa - Pining for God is more important than experiences with God - a lesson from my Master - How Swami became my God - My childhood experiences with Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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Every word of Sathya Sai is as true as the Veda -
-"The
best midwife in the world" - a revelation by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on
performing actions" |
Text & photo source - copyrights: Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust - sssbpt.org - Radiosai.org Prasanthi Diary - Sri Sathya Sai Media Foundation - h2hsai.org . | Web layout - Photo graphic design : saibabaofindia.com "SBOI" | - We gratefully acknowledge the publishers Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust & Sri Sathya Sai Media Foundation |