The Secret of the Chickpeas: Mastering the Senses through Remembrance
The Leela
It was a bustling Sunday in Shirdi, the day of the weekly market. Hemadpant, wearing a traditional shirt and a coat with deep folds, returned from the market to attend Baba's noon Aarti. He sat near Baba, absorbed in the atmosphere, unaware of the divine play about to unfold.
A fellow devotee suddenly noticed chickpeas stuck in the folds of Hemadpant's sleeve. Surprised, Baba asked him to open the folds. To everyone's astonishment, 20 to 25 chickpeas tumbled out. It was physically impossible for so many chickpeas to be lodged there without causing discomfort, yet Hemadpant had felt nothing. This was Baba’s Leela—a miracle designed to impart a profound lesson.
Observers mocked Hemadpant, suggesting he had been secretly eating alone and dropped them. Hemadpant, distressed, defended his values: 'I never eat without offering to others first.'
Baba, seizing the moment, smiled and pierced through the surface logic with a deeper spiritual truth:
"Hemadpant, it is true that you do not eat without offering to those present before you. But am I not always in front of you? Do you offer it to Me first, before eating?"
? The Conflict / Doubt
How can a spiritual seeker overcome the overwhelming pull of the Vishayas (objects of the senses)—such as taste, lust, or sudden anger—when the impulse to indulge is instant and powerful?
The Revelation
Baba used the chickpeas to illustrate that the senses (taste, touch, sight, sound, smell) are dangerous traps if enjoyed without the Guru's remembrance. The path to mastering them lies not in suppression, but in Surrender.
- The Power of Pause: Baba teaches that whenever a desire arises—be it for delicious food, music, or even intimacy—one must not indulge immediately. One must first remember the Guru.
- The '18 Times' Practice: The speaker suggests a practical discipline: Before engaging with any sense object or reacting in anger, chant Baba’s name eighteen times. This delay breaks the immediate impulse and diminishes the intensity of the desire.
- Mastery of the Tongue: The tongue is the gateway. It controls both taste and speech. If the tongue is conquered, the other four senses naturally fall into line.
- Transformation: By offering the sensory experience to Baba first, the act changes from mere indulgence into an act of devotion (Bhakti). Even negative emotions like anger should be offered to Him before they are acted upon.
As stated in the Sai Satcharitra:
"If my senses are running towards this subject... first I have to remember Baba. Baba has said that I do not have to consume that subject of senses directly."
"When tendencies like lust, anger, ego, pride arise... deviate that intensity towards Me."
Scriptural References
📖 Sai Satcharitra Chapter 24 (Verses 42, 43, 46-50)
Watch the Discourse
It was a bustling Sunday in Shirdi, the day of the weekly market. Hemadpant, wearing a traditional shirt and a coat with deep folds, returned from the market to attend Baba's noon Aarti. He sat near B...
Leela Narration
It was a bustling Sunday in Shirdi, the day of the weekly market. Hemadpant, wearing a traditional shirt and a coat with deep folds, returned from the market to attend Baba's noon Aarti. He sat near B...