Qualifications of Sishyas
The qualities, discipline and attitude expected of a sincere disciple.
Sai BabaSpiritual studyVolume 1
The chapter
The Guru may be qualified, but the disciple must also be prepared. The chapter lists the attitudes that make instruction fruitful: faith, humility, steadiness, self-control, service, truthfulness and the willingness to surrender the habits that keep the mind attached to money, pride and pleasure. A person who seeks spiritual teaching while refusing correction has not yet become receptive.
What makes a disciple unready
The text warns against greed, miserliness, fickle faith, impatience, lack of devotion and unwillingness to serve. It also names deeper obstacles: lust, crookedness, lying, pride, cruelty, bad company, scandal, doubt, lack of discipline and attachment to worldly enjoyment. These are not labels for judging other people; they are signs by which a seeker can examine the condition of his or her own mind.
Baba tests the desire for knowledge
A wealthy visitor came to Sai Baba carrying more than two hundred and fifty rupees and asked for Brahma Jnana immediately, treating realisation as something that could be handed over in a few minutes. Baba repeatedly sent a boy to borrow five rupees from different moneylenders. The visitor had enough money to help, but would not risk lending even that small amount.
Baba then explained the lesson. The five things that had to be surrendered were the mind, intellect, ego, memory and attachment to worldly objects. The visitor wanted the highest knowledge without surrendering his love of money. His impatience and fear revealed that he was not yet ready for the gift he requested.
Nishta and Saburi
Baba summarised the disciple’s essential offering as two pice: Nishta, or steadfast faith, and Saburi, or patience. He used the impatient Mrs. Khaparde’s situation to show that spiritual progress cannot be forced according to one’s preferred timetable. Faith enables a disciple to receive instruction; patience allows the instruction to work through conduct and experience.
What this account invites us to reflect on
The chapter turns the question inward. The important issue is not whether one has found a powerful Guru, but whether one is becoming humble, steady, truthful, serviceable and free enough to receive guidance. Baba’s two pice remain a concise measure of discipleship: faith joined with patience.
Editorial note: This page is a concise paraphrase for web presentation and does not reproduce the complete chapter. Please consult the original PDF for the full account and wording.