Shri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter VIII - Part II

Add as a preferred source on Google

And the kind Master has already shown that after uprooting, the tree and the roots must suffer total destruction by burning to ashes. The resulting Vibhuti, Udhi is pure Bliss. Sai Ram. That is what Shri Hemadpant tried to convey in a cryptic remark: Ultimately when their merits and demerits both drop down (are got rid of) completely, they get their deliverance and become free. Free to serve the Lord without the need to be chained to the wheel of birth-and-death.

In Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna almost towards the end: Let go of all Dharmas, and surrender to Me, I will take care of you. Dharma, right or wrong is the ego's reaction to a thought, which comes up due to desire. So, if being surrendered to the Lord destroys the ego, and if the only thought the ego entertains is the one: Lord, let thy will be done! Then where is punya (merit) and where is paapa (demerit)? How do the merits and demerits drop down completely? They are the shackles, which bind the man to the cycle of birth and death. Shackles need something concrete to tie down and when the ego is reduced to zero, the shackles automatically drop off.

Sai performs this miracle in one of the later chapters to redeem one of His devotees, as we shall see. When the balloon of the individual 'I' is pricked with the needle of Brahma Jnan, it collapses and the shackles then have nothing to hold on. When one stops struggling the ropes or shackles stop biting into the flesh and when one is sufficiently emancipated, they drop off. Water or mud etc. stick to a surface, which is a little rough and not so clean. When the surface is super smooth and when it is absolutely clean, water and mud etc. can't stick. That is why Lotus is portrayed as the symbol for purity. While being in the middle of this pond of Samsara, the Lotus remains untainted and always looks towards her husband, the Sun God. Thus the ego, which is cleaned by understanding the real purpose of its existence, is untouched and untainted by the surroundings, and is always tuned to Pure Knowledge. Sai Ram.

Importance of Human Birth

In this wonderful universe, God has created billions (84 lacs according to Hindusastra calculation) of creatures or beings (including Gods, demigods, insects, beasts and men) inhabiting heaven, hell, earth, ocean, sky and other intermediate regions. Of these, those creatures or souls, whose merits preponderate, go to heaven and live there till they enjoy the fruits of their actions, and when this is done, they are cast down while those souls, whose sins or demerits preponderate, go down to hell, and suffer the consequences of their misdeeds for so long a time as they deserve. When their merits and demerits balance each other, they are born on earth as human beings, and are given a chance to work out their salvation. Ultimately when their merits and demerits both drop down (are got rid of) completely, they get their deliverance and become free. To put the matter in a nutshell, souls get their births or transmigrations according to their deeds and intelligence (development of their minds).