Spiritual Gems from sai satcharitra Chapter - 1, Part 4

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Philosophical Significance of Grinding

Apart from the meaning, which the people of Shirdi put on this incident of grinding wheat, there is, we think, a philosophical significance too. Sai Baba lived in Shirdi for about sixty years and during this long period; He did the business of grinding almost every day - not, however, the wheat alone; but the sins, the mental and physical afflictions and the miseries of His innumerable devotees. The two stones of His mill consisted of Karma and Bhakti, the former being the lower and the latter the upper one. The handle with which Baba worked the mill consisted of Jnana. It was the firm conviction of Baba that Knowledge or Self-realization is not possible, unless there is the prior act of grinding of all our impulses, desires, sins; and of the three gunas, viz. Sattva, Raja and Tama; and the Ahamkara, which is so subtle and therefore so difficult to be got rid of.

Sai Ram. In extraction of metals, the raw materials that are in the form of ores, minerals need to be ground before they can be processed further. The law of comminuting states that the finer something is, the more energy is needed to grind it to a finer state. Only Bhakti can provide that infinite energy to grind the subtle Ahankar and dissipate it into the five elments, pancha bhutas!

This reminds us of a similar story of Kabir who seeing a woman grinding corn said to his Guru, Nipathiranjana, "I am weeping because I feel the agony of being crushed in this wheel of wordly existence like the corn in the hand-mill." Nipathiranjana replied, "Do not be afraid; hold fast to the handle of knowledge of this mill, as I do, and do not wander far away from the same but turn inward to the Centre, and you are sure to be saved."

Sai Ram. The corn may feel the pain while being ground, but as flour, it is useful, to appease the hunger, as food for ants etc., and as roti or bread, to other animals including humans. Similarly, we should not mind the troubles coming to us because we, like the corn get refined or transformed into flour and thus serve the purpose of our being created in this world. Sri Nipatiranjan, Kabir's guru, is advising him, not to wander from the path of knowledge, and to remain introverted. For the disciple, Guru is the axis, so if he does not wander far from Him, he need not fear being crushed by the wheel of Karma, which crushes only those who out of their spiritual ignorance, ajnan, are troubled by Kama, Moha etc., but does not touch those who know their true nature.