The Merchant and the Mare: A Parable of Nav Vidha Bhakti

The Cryptic Parable of Humility and Devotion

In Chapter 21 of the Sai Satcharitra, Sai Baba narrates a profound yet cryptic parable to his devotee, Anantrao Patankar, who was desperately seeking peace of mind (Shanti).

1. The Story: Baba told Patankar of a merchant who, during his journey, found peace only after he gathered nine balls of horse dung dropped by a mare and kept them safely.
2. The Symbolism:
   • The Mare: Represents the swift Divine Grace or the Guru's immense compassion, which is freely offered.
   • The Nine Dung Balls: These symbolize the Nav Vidha Bhakti (the nine forms of devotion: Shravana, Kirtana, Smarana, etc.).
   • The Act of Gathering: This is the most critical element. It represents absolute humility and the complete crushing of the ego. To attain the fruits of devotion, one must be willing to bend low and accept even the humblest, most outwardly unpleasant offering from the Divine.

The Core Teaching: The Bodhakatha emphasizes that spiritual peace is not attained through intellectual seeking or bookish knowledge alone. It is achieved only through the sincere, ego-less practice of the nine forms of devotion. One must cultivate the humility to receive God's grace in whatever form it manifests.