Sai Baba's Thoughts on Cricket: Confrontation of the forces

Some may be wondering why Sri Sathya Sai Baba, universally recognised as the Divine incarnation and spiritual leader of mankind, is taking interest in such a mundane activity as cricket. May I point out that everything that Sai Baba takes up has a deep spiritual significance and inner meaning. Such examples are the educational, medical and water projects. The educational project's objective is to bring up the next generation in an atmosphere of spirituality, the medical project's goal, to demonstrate the power of love in treating patients and the water project's objective, to provide the drinking water necessary in a drought stricken area for life and spirituality. So, with this in mind, we should see the inner spiritual significance of the cricket match.

                                                       

The fielders on one side signify the forces of the six emotions of desire, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy, and the five senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. These are poised against the eleven batsmen signifying the five values of Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non violence, the five sheaths of food, energy, mind, wisdom, and bliss and the soul. The two sides constantly play the game of life signified by the ball.

The two fielders at the slips, signifying desire and greed, are ever on the alert to catch the ball off th and controlled by the forces of wisdom and mind signified by the batsman, by judiciously placing his shots away from the slips. There is always a strong desire on the part of the individual to secure uninterrupted happiness. As Sri Sathya Sai Baba has explained, as long as man tries to fulfil his desire from sense objects in the outside world, his attee bat of the batsman, to send him back to the pavilion. The all consuming desire and greed on the part of the slip fielders to catch every ball that comes off the bat, is to be checkedmpts are bound to fail, as they can result only in some temporary pleasure followed by disappointment, frustration, etc. Since the objects in the outside world are temporary and changing, any happiness derived from them is also bound to be temporary and changing. The onlyobject, which is permanent and unchanging, is God, who is enshrined within each individual. Therefore the individual has to direct his efforts inwards to God to secure lasting happiness.

There are three fielders on the 'on side', because that is the side on which the batsmen mostly play their shots. These fielders signify the forces of jealousy, taste and pride; jealous of the skill of the batsman to hit clear of them, hankering for the taste of a catch, and pride, if he is able to secure a catch. The batsmen signifying the forces of truth, right conduct and non violence, use their skill an to steer clear of the three fielders, so there is no chance of injury to any of the fielders from the force of their strokes, and the rules of the game are strictly followed.

                                                             

The two fielders on the 'off side', signifying the senses of smell and hearing, try to arrest the flight of the ball towards the boundary or to effect a catch. However, the batsmen by virtue of the forces of bliss and the soul on their side can easily dodge the fielders.

The wicket keeper, signified by the sense of touch, tries to stump out the batsman at every opportunity, but the equanimity and peace with which the batsman plays defeat the attempts of the wicket keeper.

The bowler, in his sense of anger and frustration, uses all means at his disposal, such as off-break, leg break, googly, speed, etc., to dislodge the batsman, but the batsman signifying love, is able to achieve his goal of scoring by conquering all such attempts.

The two fielders on the leg side (the fine leg and square leg), signifying attachment and sight, try to defeat the attempts of the batsman signifying energy and food sheaths to score. However, by virtue of the energy and strength obtained through their protective sheaths, the batsmen are able to overcome the fielders by scoring a boundary or even, a six.

In short, the game signifies a constant confrontation between the forces of the six emotions with the five senses on one side, and the forces of the five human values, the five protective sheaths, with the soul, on the other. The emotions and the senses are common to the animal world, but as Sri Sathya Sai Baba often reminds us, man is not an animal, but Divine. As Baba has explained, the human being alone, by virtue of the powers of his mind, intellect and power of discrimination has the capacity to be aware of, and give expression to, the Divinity inherent in him. That is why human birth is considered to be precious and rare.

                                                        

Divinity being perfection, with the awareness and expression of Divinity in every task he undertakes, every situation he faces, and every problem he tackles, will be invested with a new kind of dynamism, efficiency and perfection flowing from Divinity. That in itself will be a guarantee for his further progress in life, and achievement of the inescapable destiny of all creation, of merging with the Divine source. There would however be the difference that whereas for the rest of creation, the merger would be more or less automatic and unconscious, at the end of the present evolutionary phase extending over thousands and millions of years, the human being alone has the capacity to achieve that destiny. Not at the end of an infinite period of time unconsciously, but even in one's lifetime or at least in a measurable period of time, in a conscious manner, enriching and enjoying life in the process. But man has been denying himself this unique privilege by surrendering to the forces of delusion created by his false sense of ego and the emotions and sensory reactions arising from the ego.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba has therefore come as the Divine Incarnation to call upon man to arise and wake up to, the Divinity inherent in him and give expression. This is done by cultivating the spiritual and Divine dimension of the human personality through appropriate disciplines for control over the dictates of his senses, even as the batsmen are able to transcend the activities of the fielders by scoring boundaries, sixes and other runs. We hope that by looking into the inner significance of programs like the cricket match, and with the blessings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we will be able to achieve the goal of life sooner rather than later.

D. Hejmadi on 6.12.97 at the daily lecture program for overseas devotees in the EHV Hall at Prasanthi Nilayam