STORIES AS TOLD BY SWAMI RAMDAS -4

STORIES AS TOLD BY

SWAMI RAMDAS

 

91. GIVE UP PRIDE TO ATTAIN GOD

Hiranyakasipu was a king of the Asuras or

demons. At one time he was the most powerful and

proud monarch of all the worlds. Being an Asura he

was an enemy of the gods. He used to wage war with

the gods from time to time. By the great powers he

had gained by penance, he used to defeat the gods

who would flee from him because of his severe

onslaught on them. Once Hiranyakasipu thought of

taking possession completely of Devaloka, the abode

of Devas, and also of Vaikuntha where God Vishnu

lived. He started the campaign and, with a sword in

hand, fought with the Devas and drove them away

from Devaloka. Then he proceeded to Vaikuntha. The

news having reached Vishnu and his Dutas, they in a

body took to their heels and disappeared.

Hiranyakasipu entered Vaikuntha and finding the

place vacant searched for Vishnu everywhere, in all

the secret hiding places in the three worlds. But

Vishnu could not be found anywhere. He returned to

his kingdom utterly disappointed. Soon after, Vishnu

came out of His hiding place and returned to

Vaikuntha.

The news about Vishnu's flight from Vaikuntha

out of fear of the invasion of Hiranyakasipu spread

like wild fire. It reached the ears of Narada. Narada

was astonished to hear of it. He directly went to

Vaikuntha for making enquiries. After paying due

obeisance to Vishnu, Narada, with a curious smile on

his face, asked the Lord, "How is it You ran away when

Hiranyakasipu invaded Your heaven?" Vishnu

confessed that since Hiranyakasipu was gifted with

invincible powers acquired by his long continued

penance, He could not face him. Then Narada

queried, "It appears You hid yourself in such a place

that Hiranyakasipu, in spite of his combing every

possible place of hiding all over the three worlds,

could not discover You. May I know where You were

hidden when the search was going on?"

Vishnu with a wink replied, "Don't you know! I

was hiding in the heart of Hiranyakasipu himself." "Is

it so!" exclaimed Narada, "How was it Hiranyakasipu

failed to find You out while You were so near him,

hiding in his own heart?" Vishnu replied, "How could

he see me unless he bent down his head? He would

not bow down as he was sitting and walking always

with a puffed chest and upright head, with a feeling of

colossal pride that he was the suzerain of all the

worlds. So I felt safe in his heart while search for me

was going on."

The lesson we have to learn from this story is,

"Unless we bow down in all humility to God, we

cannot find Him."

92. WORLD IS GOD

A man living in the world was disgusted with

life and, renouncing it, went to a solitary spot and

dwelt in a cave praying to God to give His Darshan. He

fasted and prayed for a long period and just when he

was despairing of seeing God, He appeared before

him saying, "Lo! I am here." What did the man see

before him? God had come to him in the form of the

world itself which he had renounced in search of Him.

On having this vision the man returned to the world

and saw God everywhere in it and ever remained

filled with bliss and peace.

93. EQUAL VISION

A king of a certain State was highly spiritual in

temperament and so was a great lover of saints.

Whenever any saint or sannyasi came to his palace, he

would take him inside and treat him with great

hospitality. He would make him sit on a decorated

place in his shrine room, worship his holy feet, load

him with presents and give him a feast. This was the

usual custom with the king. The news of his high

respect for saints and the presents lavishly given to

them reached the ears of a professional juggler.

Taking advantage of the king's devotional nature, the

juggler dressed himself in the robes of a Sannyasi and

with staff and Kamandal in hand, appeared in front of

the palace and demanded Bhiksha. The Sannyasi's

arrival was reported to the king. He, at once, came out

and in all humility begged the Sannyasi to enter the

palace. He was taken to the shrine room and duly

worshipped with great reverence.

Meanwhile, an informer, knowing that the

Sannyasi was a bogus one, and was receiving honour,

worship and rich presents from the king, approached

the Prime Minister and told him the real situation. The

Prime Minister, at once, came to the palace to inform

the king about the mistake he was making. But when

he saw him engaged in the worship of the imposter

with all devotion, he dared not interfere, and so

turned back. Moreover, he was uncertain whether the

news he received about him was true or false. Hence

he kept quiet.

After Puja and feast, the Sannyasi left the palace.

The next day the juggler having divested himself of

the Sannyasi robes, announced by tom-tom that he

was going to give a performance on an open plain.

Thousands of people assembled to witness his magic

show.

The news reached the ears of the Prime Minister

through the same informer that it would now be easy

to expose the juggler and mete out proper

punishment for his deception. The Prime Minister,

going up to the king, suggested a stroll in the city so

that his subjects might see him and he too could

understand their condition. The king agreed. The

Prime Minister took him to the spot on the maidan

where the juggler's performance was going on. At the

suggestion of the Prime Minister, the king entered the

big ring of spectators to see the play.

The Prime Minister, pointing at the juggler, told

the king, "Oh, Maharaja, look at him. Is he not the

same person who came to you yesterday pretending

to be a Sannyasi and received worship and rich

presents from you? He can be easily recognised and

punished." The king intently looked at the juggler and

the light of recognition dawned on him. Without a

second's delay, the king, with a delighted exclamation,

rushed to the juggler and prostrated with all

reverence before him. Standing before the juggler

with folded hands, he addressed him thus, "O

Supreme Lord, Your Lila is simply wonderful.

Yesterday You came to me at the palace dressed as a

Sannyasi and today I find You in the garb of a juggler

exhibiting Your powers - Your Lila is simply

wonderful!"

This is the equal vision or samadarshan described

in the Bhagavad Gita.

94. YOU ARE A PART OF THE UNIVERSAL BODY

Swami Rama Tirtha had been to Japan, America

and other places. On his return to India his wife went

to meet him. In the course of the talk, the wife

questioned him, "During the tour in foreign countries

far away from me, did you at any time remember

me?" To this the great Swami gave the characteristic

reply, "Is it necessary to remember my nose? Since it

forms a part of my body I need not think of it now and

then. So also, since you are a part of my universal

body, there is no need for me to think of you as some

one separate from me."

95. GOD EVER PROTECTS THOSE WHO RELY ON

HIM

One day a man, who had not much faith in

God, heard from the lips of a saint that God always

protects his devotees when they are absorbed in His

remembrance and meditation. This protection comes

to them in all respects. The man became curious and

wanted to test the assurance given by the saint. So,

one day, he went to a forest some miles away from

the town in which he lived and sat in the midst of a

cluster of trees. He had gone to the forest in the

morning and continued to stay there till midday. All

the while, he was unceasingly repeating God's name

with mind fixed on Him. When he was thus engaged, a

man passed through this forest intending to visit a

neighbouring village by a short cut. He was carrying

his meal tied up in a bundle. When the traveler saw

the man sitting alone by himself, it evoked sympathy

and he thought he could offer him the food he was

carrying with him. Accordingly, going up to the man,

he gave the food to him. The man accepted the offer

and ate the meal.

A question arose in his mind whether it was God

who fed him at the proper time or whether it was a

coincidence. He felt that the test that he made was

not a proper one. His mistake, he thought, was in

having selected a spot frequented by human beings.

So he planned to take himself off the next day to a

distant place where no human beings would go.

Next day, he started early from home and walking

a distance of about 4 or 5 miles and crossing a river,

he saw a pretty tall hill which he climbed up looking

out for a suitable lonely place for his prayers. To his

pleasant surprise, he saw a hollow on the top of the

hill and thought that if he sat in it, nobody would be

able to find him out. He descended into it and, sitting

in the middle of it, started chanting God's name with

great devotion. Hours passed.

Meanwhile, from the town in which this man

lived, a party of ten to fifteen youngsters started on a

picnic. They travelled on a boat to the appointed place

up the river referred to above. Merrily the boatman

rowed the boat and the young men were quite happy.

But when they neared the place, where on the top of

the hill the devotee was sitting, a strong breeze blew

from the opposite direction and the boat would not

move in spite of the strenuous efforts of the boatman.

Then the boatman suggested that the party might halt

at that place and finish up the picnic programme. The

party had no other alternative. Getting down from the

boat, they proceeded to the base of the hill. They

proposed to spread a cloth on the sands and, sitting

on it, make a good picnic repast of the many fine

eatables they had brought with them.

One wise young man of the party warned that it

would not be possible for them to eat there since the

strong wind would sprinkle sand on their

refreshments. Then another suggested that they

might go to the top of the hill and find a suitable place

there. Soon all of them, with their picnic articles, went

up the hill. In their search for a place, they came

across the devotee seated in the hollow of the hill.

They were all delighted to see him. They, with one

voice, declared that the man should be fed first from

the food they had brought with them. Accordingly,

they placed before the devotee a plate containing the

most delicious preparations. The devotee had a

hearty meal of the tasteful dishes. Now he fell to

thinking seriously as to who fed him in that unknown

and deserted place. It clearly dawned in his mind that

God alone provided him with food as he had

depended entirely on Him. 'God ever protects those

who rely on Him', is an incontestable truth

96. GOD AND GURU ARE ONE

The method by which a parrot is taught to speak

is unique. The trainer places a big mirror in front of

the newly caught parrot and talks to it from behind

the mirror. The parrot thinks that another parrot is

teaching it to talk and imitates the voice of the

trainer. Trained in this manner, the parrot, picking up

the language of the trainer, begins to talk fluently in

the human language.

This is how a saint teaches his disciples.

Apparently, it is a human being who is instructing

them, but, verily, it is God hidden in the Guru that

gives the illuminating advice to the disciples. So,

whenever the aspirant receives instructions from the

Guru, he should consider that such instructions come

from God Himself. Truly, God and Guru are one.

97. THE ASPIRANT MUST STRUGGLE

A monkey was tied to a peg fixed on the floor

near the wall of a small room. A few feet above this

peg there was a small niche like hole on the wall. The

monkey was so much neglected that it had to remain

at the same place for days together. So it was feeling

uncomfortable not only on account of loss of liberty,

but also because of having to lie and sit in the dirt and

urine passed by it. Its condition was very miserable.

Besides, a big stone was hanging down its back from a

rope tied round its waist. It was seeking some relief. It

looked up and saw the niche-hole on the wall.

Suddenly it took a leap to the hole, even though the

stone offered some resistance. But it could find only a

small space in the hole for sitting. The big stone was

hanging down its waist. The down-pulling force of the

stone soon brought the monkey back to its place on

the floor. Again it took a leap to the hole but with the

same result. After a long struggle in going up and

down, the rope tied round the stone got loosened

gradually until at last the stone fell down. Thereafter,

the monkey could securely sit in the hole without the

risk of falling again.

The above story illustrates the struggle of the

aspirant to concentrate his mind on God during

meditation. The attachment to worldly things is the

stone that exerts a force to drag down the mind again

and again from a state of communion with God to the

desires of the world. The mind, before meditation, is

weltering in the various low and grovelling desires

which make it perfectly restless and unhappy. But, by

constant effort at concentration and meditation,

attachment to worldly pleasures, which are

accompanied by pain and sorrow, gets loosened and,

eventually, having become free from its clutches, the

mind gets settled in a calm and steady meditation

which leads to the realisation of the divine Self.

98. RELIANCE ON GOD

In the olden days, a wealthy youth was once passing

along a public road, when he heard sounds of sobbing

and crying proceeding from a house nearby. He

stopped and listened to the pitiable cry of a small girl

in the following terms, "O father! how long have we

to suffer the pangs of hunger? Let us go from here.

We can eke out our livelihood by begging alms in the

bazaar." The child was sobbing as she uttered the

words.

"It is true that all our wealth is gone," replied the

father, consoling his child, "There is not a single pie

left with us. But be sure that it is God who has

manifested Himself in our house in the form of this

poverty. We have to depend upon God alone. He will

fulfill our wants."

Standing outside the window, the rich young man

heard the talk going on in the house. He was touched

by what he heard. He came home directly. From his

treasury, he took out a bar of gold and in the darkness

of the night, unnoticed, he dropped it in the poor

man's house through the window. The poor man and

his daughter took it as a gift from heaven and glorified

God for having heard their prayers. The following

night also the youth dropped into the house another

gold bar. On the third night, again, as he was throwing

a bar of gold into their house, the poor man happened

to see him. At once, the poor man fell at his feet and

cried, "O brother, what is this you are doing?"

The youth replied, "You got the gold bars only by

the favour of God. If God had not directed me

towards your house on the first day and prompted me

from within to help you, how could I have given the

gold to you?"

Saying this, St. Nicholas, for that was his name,

embraced the poor man with all love and humility.

99. QUALITIES OF A TRUE SADHU

A Sadhu, having finished his ablutions in a river,

stood in a state of meditation, upon a stone by the

river, which was used by a Dhobi (washerman) for

washing his clothes.

The Dhobi came there in due course with his

donkey laden with clothes for wash. He lowered his

bundle of clothes and waited for the Sadhu to leave

the stone so that he could commence his work. After

waiting for some time, the washerman prayed to him,

"Mahatmaji! if you kindly leave the stone and come to

the bank, I can start my work. It is getting late for

me."

The Sadhu did not care to take notice of the

Dhobi. The Dhobi waited for a still longer time and

then again he appealed to the Sadhu but in vain. As

he was in a hurry, he slowly took hold of the Sadhu's

hand and tried to take him down the stone.

The Sadhu felt that he was disgraced by the Dhobi

holding his hand and pushed him away. The Dhobi

had by this time lost all his faith in the Sadhu and

seeing him angry, he forcibly pushed him away from

the stone.

The Sadhu quarrelled with the Dhobi and words

led to blows. The Dhobi was a strong man and he

soon felled the Sadhu to the ground and sat on his

chest.

The Sadhu, being pressed down hard, prayed, "O

my worshipful Lord! I have been doing Your Puja with

all faith and devotion. Yet, you do not come to free

me from the hands of the Dhobi."

The Sadhu, that very instant, heard a voice

coming from the heavens, "What you say is right. I

wish to free you. But, the difficulty is that I cannot

make out who between you is the Sadhu and who is

the Dhobi."

Hearing the voice, the pride of the Sadhu melted

away. He sued pardon of the Dhobi and from that

time he cultivated truthfulness, forgiveness and

compassion and became a true Sadhu.

100. JUSTICE AND DHARMA

The Hindu kings of Kashmir were famous for

their generosity, learning and justice. Maharaja

Chandrapeed was one of them. He made a resolution

to build a temple. He invited architects and ordered

his ministers to provide the architects with the

necessary materials for carrying out the task.

The architects selected a place for the temple.

When they were measuring that ground, a cobbler

raised an objection and stopped them. In one part of

the land, there stood the hut of the cobbler. To leave

out that part of the land would make the position of

the temple awkward. The ministers tried to buy the

land from the cobbler at a higher price than usual.

But, the cobbler was not willing to part with the land

on which his house stood, for any price.

The matter reached the ears of the Maharaja. The

Maharaja who was just and righteous, said, "You

cannot take by force the land of a person against his

will. The temple may be built in some other place."

The chief among the architects said, "The

resolution has been made already that the temple

should be built on this spot. A temple which is a place

of worship, should be built on a sacred place and for

us there is no place as holy as the one already

selected."

At the order of the Maharaja, the cobbler was

called. The Maharaja told him, "Whatever price you

wish to have for your land, it will be given to you.

Whatever other land you wish to have in exchange

will also be granted to you. If you agree, a beautiful

house will also be constructed for you on that land.

Why do you put an obstacle to the sacred work we

have undertaken? To obstruct the construction of a

temple is considered to be a sin. This fact you know

very well."

The cobbler replied in all humility, "Maharaja! It is

not a question of the hut or the land. In this hut lived

my father, my grandfather and other ancestors. So, as

it is a place where they lived, this land is as a mother

to me. Just as for any price you will not part with your

palace, so also I am not going to sell my hut."

The Maharaja was disappointed. The cobbler was

silent for an instant and then again said, "You have

placed me in a dilemma. By my coming in the way of

the construction of the temple, there will no doubt be

sin which will affect me and also my ancestors. You

are a king who follows the path of Dharma. You are

generous while I am a poor low-caste man. But, if you

come to my hut and then beg of me for the land and

hut for building a temple in its place, I will give it to

you as an act of charity. By this, there will be merit for

me as well as for my forefathers."

"A Maharaja receiving as charity a piece of land

from a cobbler!" this thought ran in the minds of the

assembled ministers and courtiers. They started

whispering among themselves.

The Maharaja said to the cobbler, "Well, you can

go." He sent him away without telling him anything

further. The next day, this great and righteous

Maharaja of Kashmir went to the hut of the cobbler

and accepted as charity the cobbler's land.

101. A SAINT IS ALL FORGIVENESS

Eknath was a great saint of Maharashtra. He lived

in Paithan. He was married and had a wife and a son.

He had gained fame for his extremely patient and

forgiving nature. He was kindness, mercy and peace

personified.

Once it happened, a poor Brahmin who wanted

to give his daughter in marriage was wandering from

place to place for getting monetary help from wealthy

people. He came to Paithan and went to a rich man of

the place. The rich man had no respect for saints. He

had heard that saint Eknath never got angry. He was

on the lookout for an occasion to make him angry and

falsify the report about his patient and forgiving

nature.

He told the poor Brahmin, "Go to saint Eknath

and provoke him to anger. If you do so, I will gladly

give you Rs.200 for the marriage expenses." The

avaricious Brahmin undertook to fulfil the wish of the

rich man and directly proceeded to the saint's house.

When he approached the house, he found the saint

seated on the verandah chanting God's name. The

Brahmin, as he ascended the steps of the house,

started abusing the saint. The saint was unperturbed.

He led the Brahmin guest inside the house and giving

him a proper seat, asked him what he wanted.

The Brahmin, without giving any reply, continued

to hurl abusive epithets at the saint. It was nearing

time for the midday meal. So the saint requested the

Brahmin to have his bath and then partake of the

humble meal which was being prepared for him.

Eknath's wife was his ideal partner. She was also

devout and very good-natured. Eknath took the guest

to the bathroom and gave him a clean wash and

brought him to the dining room for taking food. The

Brahmin had tried his best to provoke the saint to

anger but so far he had failed completely. When he

and the saint sat for meals, a new thought struck the

Brahmin. He got up from the seat and, as the saint's

wife was bending to serve food, sat on her back as on

horse-back. Now, he fully expected that the saint

would fly into a temper. On the contrary, calmly

looking on the scene, he warned his wife not to stand

erect lest the honoured guest should topple down.

Then the wife replied, "Certainly I shall see to it that

the Brahmin does not fall down. I know how since I

balanced our son when he used to climb on my back."

When the Brahmin heard this conversation

between the saint and his wife, he was stung with

remorse. He got down from her back and, falling

prostrate before both of them, sobbing with grief,

prayed for their forgiveness.

Saints are so kind and gracious that they do not

recognise any harm or insult from anybody. The saint

assured the Brahmin that he had done nothing wrong.

They somehow persuaded him to take his food.

After the meals, when they sat together, the saint

asked the Brahmin why he had been so highly

disturbed. Now the Brahmin told the entire story -

how a rich man had promised to give him a sum of

Rs.200 provided he provoked Eknath to anger. But

fool as he was in trying to make the saint angry by the

use of abuses against him, once more he fell at the

feet of the saint and sought pardon for his bad

behaviour.

Then the saint, with great love and compassion,

said, "O, if only you had told me earlier, I would have

got angry so that you might get the generous gift from

the rich man."

102. WHAT IS TRUE CHARITY

Soon after the Mahabharat war, King Yudhishtira

proposed to perform a big Yagna called Rajasuya

Yagna in commemoration of the Pandava victory. The

Yagna was attended by thousands of Rishis, Munis,

Brahmins, besides innumerable subjects and poor

people. Lord Krishna, of course, graced the occasion

with His presence.

After the Yagna, all the assembled people were

sumptuously fed. All the poor in the land also feasted

and in serving them all Lord Krishna actively helped.

Witnessing the feast provided to thousands of poor

people, Yudhishtira became proud. Lord Krishna came

to know what was passing in the mind of Yudhishtira.

Soon to the surprise of Yudhishtira and others, a

mongoose with half its body shining like gold, was

found rolling on the plantain leaves on which the

people had taken their meals. At this sight,

Yudhishtira felt curious and called the mongoose to

explain its strange behaviour. The mongoose then told

the following story:

"I belong to a place far away from here. I lived in

the house of a poor man with a wife and a son. Owing

to drought, that part of the country was stricken with

famine. People in thousands were dying of starvation.

The poor man and his family were also in great

distress. Days passed without their having any food,

with the result that they became weaker and weaker

every day. When they were about to collapse, a

strange man entered the house and placing before

them a pot of cooked rice, left immediately. Glad to

get the food when they were about to die, the poor

man and his wife divided it into three parts and were

about to take it."

"Suddenly, a hungry man passing in front of their

house saw the food and rushed in and prayed to the

poor man to give him a portion of the food. The poor

man offered his entire share to the guest who ate it

with great relish. But his hunger was not appeased. He

looked at the share of the poor man's wife with

hungry eyes. Then the wife handed over her share of

the food to the hungry man. He finished this food also

quickly and looked at the share of the son. The worthy

son of the parents also gave his share to the man who

finished it in no time. The man left the house soon

after. The three starving ones, who had given their

food, laid themselves down through utter exhaustion

and died. I was witnessing the phenomenon and was

amazed at the charitable nature of the family. Seeing

a few grains of cooked rice on the floor, I rolled on

them and, to my surprise, half my body which had

touched the rice shone like gold. I departed from the

house and wandered from place to place and

attended small and great functions where the poor

were fed. I rolled on the leavings left on the leaves

used for eating. In spite of going to hundreds of

places, where such feeding went on, I could not

succeed in getting the other half of my body turned

into the colour of gold."

"Then, I heard that King Yudhishtira was

performing a Yagna where millions of poor people

would be fed. I came here and saw a huge number of

people lavishly fed. Turn by turn thousands were

being fed and I have been rolling on the leaves after

the meals but, to my great disappointment, the other

half of my body remains the same as before."

Yudhishtira heard the story of the mongoose and

turned to Lord Krishna, who stood near him, His face

suffused with smiles. Meanwhile the mongoose had

disappeared. Yudhishtira understood that all this was

the Lila of Lord Krishna performed to teach him a

lesson and begged pardon for his pride and conceit.

103. POWER OF THE NAME

A famous saint of Maharashtra once paid a visit

to place called Mangalwedha, about eight miles from

Pandharpur. At that time a huge fort was under

construction at Mangalwedha. While the saint was

passing by the side of a high wall of the fort, where

hundreds of labourers were working, the wall

collapsed and many including the saint were killed,

crushed by the fall of the wall. The devotees of the

saint missed him and started a search. After a long

and arduous search, they could not find him. Some

people of Mangalwedha reported that in all

probability the saint must have been crushed to death

beneath the fallen wall of the fort.

Accordingly, a large number of devotees joined

together in the work of removing the fallen wall.

When they did so, they found a number of skeletons

of people who had died in the accident. The devotees

of the saint wished to single out his bones so that they

could raise a tomb over them. The difficulty, however,

was that the bones of the people killed were mixed up

and they did not know which were the bones of the

saint.

Now a great devotee of Pandharpur Vithoba - the

Deity of the great temple there - happened to pass

that way. He understood the perplexity of the

devotees and said, "I shall be able to pick out the

bones of the saint." So saying, he took out the bones

that were lying helter-skelter and holding them one

by one to his ear, he was able to separate the saint's

bones from those of others. Such of the bones as

were ringing with the name of the Pandharpur deity -

Vithal - he separated from others. The sound of the

name of God had entered into the very marrow of the

saint's bones by his unceasing practice of chanting the

Name. Such is the power of the Name.

104. THE TWO SADHUS

Once two Sadhus came to a town from

different directions. One settled down beneath the

shade of a peepal tree and the other under a banyan

tree. Hearing of their arrival a Bania householder first

went to the Sadhu of the peepal tree and prostrated

before him.

"Maharaj," said the devotee, "It appears another

Mahatma has come to our town. Do you know him?"

"Yes," returned the Sadhu contemptuously, "I

know him; he is a buffalo."

Soon after, the devotee arming himself with a

bunch of hay visited the Sadhu of the banyan tree

and, placing the hay before him, prostrated.

"Well," cried out the Sadhu, "What do you mean

by this? Why this hay?"

"It is an offering, Maharaj; deign to feed upon it

and bless your devotee," appealed the Bania with

folded hands.

"What! are you mad? - eat hay!" flared up the

Sadhu.

"Maharaj, a Sadhu below the peepal tree, at the

other corner of the town, was good enough to inform

me that you were a buffalo. So I thought I could bring

you a fitting present," said the devotee coolly.

194

"How could you believe him? Have you no

sense?" asked the Sadhu reprovingly.

"Maharaj, how could a poor and ignorant man

like your slave hope to understand Sadhus? A

Mahatma alone can know a Mahatma," returned the

devotee.

"Go then and tell him he is an ass," said the

Sadhu.

The Bania devotee left the place, and directly

going to the bazaar, purchased a seer of cotton seeds

and making a bundle of it, proceeded to the first

Sadhu of the peepal tree. Untying the bundle he

poured out the contents in front of the Sadhu and

prostrated before him.

"How now," asked the Sadhu with a surprised

look, "what is this for? - it is cotton seeds!"

"Right, Maharaj - a stuff so dear to you. Do accept

the humble present and making a full meal of it

shower your grace upon your slave," prayed the

Bania.

"Is anything wrong with you? - what do you

mean, eat cotton seeds?" uttered the Sadhu in

consternation.

"Why not? Maharaj, a Sadhu over there, beneath

the banyan tree, told me that you are an ass. An ass

has a great partiality for cotton seeds."

"You fool," he roared in rage, "don't you see that I

am not an ass?"

"How should I know, Maharaj - a poor man like

me caught in the meshes of Maya! It is said: a

Mahatma alone can recognize a Mahatma," replied

the devotee with a sly twitch at the corner of his thin

lips.

The Sadhu was by this time thoroughly roused

and, rising to his feet, said in an imperious voice:

"Bhaktraj, take me to the place where the other

Mahatma is; I should like to teach him how to speak

of his betters."

They went. It appears there was a terrible fight

between the two Mahatmas, the Bania devotee

witnessing the fun from a distance. The affair ended in

the Sadhus going without food for the day!

105. THE TAIL IS OUT

Once a Guru was teaching his disciple about

the highest Truth; but the disciple was not, in fact, a

proper Adhikari, prepared to listen to or understand

him. The Guru was seated leaning against a wall and

the disciple was facing him. In the wall there was a rat

hole. When the teaching was going on, a rat was

slowly proceeding towards the hole and all the

attention of the disciple was fixed on the rat; he was

watching keenly what the rat was doing. It had almost

entered the hole and its tail only was seen outside.

The Guru, coming to know that the disciple was not

attending to him, asked, "Do you listen to what I say?

Has what I told you entered your head?" Suddenly the

answer came from the disciple, "Yes, only the tail is

out." Many disciples are of this type. So, Adhikara or

preparedness to imbibe spiritual teachings is

necessary and that can be only through purification of

the mind.

106. A LESSON LEARNT

In a village there lived a couple. The husband was

often given to quarrelling with his wife. Whenever

they quarrelled the husband would hold out a threat

to his wife that he would renounce his home and

become a Sadhu. On the outskirts of the village a

Sadhu lived in his hut engaged in meditation and in

imparting spiritual advice to aspirants who went to

him in the evenings. Among them, this young man

was one. Every time he quarrelled with his wife he

used to warn her that if she did not obey him in all

respects he would give up home and join the Sadhu.

The wife led a miserable life owing to her husband's

behaviour.

One day when the husband was away at a

neighbouring village on some business, the wife paid a

visit to the Sadhu and complained to him about how

her husband threatened her that he would run away

from home, and become a Sadhu. The Sadhu advised

her that when her husband next held out the threat,

she should tell him to go away and do what he liked.

After some days the husband again had sharp

differences with his wife and as was his vogue, said

that he would assume Sannyas and run away from

home. The wife retorted that he might do as he

pleased. The husband, in a huff, left home and went

straight to the Sadhu in the hut. The man told the

Sadhu that he had cut off all relationship with his

home and the world and would spend the rest of his

life in the service of the Sadhu. The Sadhu welcomed

him and asked him to be seated.

Lunch time was approaching. The Sadhu

instructed one of his disciples to bring a good quantity

of margosa (Neem) leaves. These leaves are very

bitter. He was asked to grind them and have Laddus

made out of them. The disciple did not take much

time to get the Laddus ready. The man who had

quarrelled with his wife was closely watching the

situation.

Meanwhile, the Sadhu held a discourse on the

efficacy of margosa leaves. He said for improving

health and observing Brahmacharya, Neem leaves are

most efficacious, and added that he had decided to

have for food that day and the next day the diet of

Laddus made of Neem leaves. At the suggestion of

the Guru, Laddus were at once served to the devotees

who were present in the hut at that time. A big Laddu

fell to the share of the irascible visitor. The visitor had

no other go than to eat the Laddu with a wry face. The

same food was served also in the evening, and the

next morning. Before noon next day the visitor

strangely disappeared and found himself at his home,

as quiet and tame as one could be under the

circumstances. From that time onwards he neither

quarrelled with his wife nor threatened her as he did

before.

107. SAINTS VERSUS PLANETS

An itinerant Sadhu came to a certain place along

with his young disciple. The routine was that the

disciple should go for alms, and after collecting

sufficient provisions, come back to the Guru. Both

would then cook food from the provisions thus

secured and satisfy their hunger.

As usual, the disciple, who was yet a boy, started

in the morning on his daily Bhiksha. When he was

passing through a lane he was called by an astrologer

who sat on the verandah of his house waiting for

customers. Having had no customers till then and

finding no work to do he asked the boy to sit by his

side. Taking that moment as the basis, the astrologer

studied the planets governing the life of the boy and

found out that the boy, according to his reading,

should die the next day. The astrologer told this

anticipated event to the boy.

The boy hearing the prediction of the astrologer

was thoroughly frightened. He could not collect the

Bhiksha for the day, but hurriedly went back to his

Guru. With tears in his eyes he told his Master about

the dire prediction of the astrologer. Then the Guru

calmly replied, "Look here my boy, nothing is going to

happen to you tomorrow. You will be all right."

200

Next day, the Guru, lest the boy should be scared

at the thought of the predicted death, kept the boy

with him the whole day. The boy was safe and sound.

The day passed. On the following day the boy was

asked to go for Bhiksha in the usual course. The boy

again happened to pass through the same lane in

which the astrologer lived. The astrologer was

astounded to find him alive, contrary to his prediction.

He called the boy, asked him who his Guru was, and

expressed a wish to have his Darshan.

Accordingly, led by the boy, the astrologer went

to the Sadhu whose disciple the boy was. The boy

introduced the astrologer to his Guru. The Sadhu

looked at the astrologer and said, "You frightened my

disciple unnecessarily. Do you think he will meet with

any harm so long as he is under my protection? It was

unwise of you to have upset the mind of the boy by

saying that he would die yesterday."

Such is the power of saints.

108. SADHUS DO NOT TOIL FOR FOOD

There was a Sadhu in Malabar, a tall and stout

person. He was in the police service before he became

a Sadhu. He used to wear only a small towel round his

waist. Once when he was going for his Bhiksha, a

householder, seeing his good physique, asked him

why he should not work and earn his bread, instead of

begging for it. The Sadhu was told that he would be

given a meal if he was prepared to cut a few logs of

firewood that were lying in the householder's

courtyard. The Sadhu, without uttering a word,

started splitting the firewood with an axe given to him

and, within a short time, cut the whole lot and

stacked the pieces in the proper place. Then, leaving

the axe near the stack, the Sadhu simply walked away.

The householder saw the Sadhu going without taking

food. He called him back and asked him why he was

going before taking his meal. The Sadhu then replied,

"I do not take my food where I work, and I do not

work where I take my food!" This means Sadhus

subsist only upon alms offered to them with love.

GLOSSARY

Adhikari ..... One who is fit to imbibe

spiritual teachings

Aghori ..... A cult of Yogis

Annakshetra ..... Free feeding house

Ashram ..... Abode of a saint or

hermitage

Asura ..... Enemy of the gods; demon

Atman ..... The Self; Supreme Soul

Bania ..... A Hindu trader

Bhagavad Gita ..... Lord Krishna’s teaching to

Arjuna on the battlefield

Bhagwan ..... God; Lord

Bhakta ..... Devotee of God

Bhiksha ..... Alms

Bhimasena ..... One of the Pandava brothers

Brahmacharya ..... A spiritual discipline involving

strict continence; celibacy

Brahman ..... Impersonal God, the

Absolute

Brahmin ..... A member belonging to the

priestly Hindu Caste

Darshan ..... Visit; Divine Vision

Dehapuri ..... Body

Deva ..... God; celestial being

Devaloka ..... World of gods

203

Dharma ..... Righteousness; duty

Dharmashala ..... Rest-house

Dhobi ..... Washerman

Durvasa ..... A great sage; he was known

for being easily angered

Duta ..... Attendant or servant,

messenger

Gerrua ..... Ochre

Gopis ..... Milkmaids of Vrindavan, playmates

of Sri Krishna

Gunas ..... Three qualities - Sattwa

(harmony), Rajas (activity),

and Tamas (torpor)

Guru ..... Spiritual preceptor

Indra ..... Chief of the celestials

lshta ..... Chosen deity

Jhula ..... A type of swing

Jnana ..... Wisdom; Absolute

knowledge

Kailas ..... Mount Kailas - abode of Lord

Shiva

Kali ..... Divine Mother; Goddess

Kama ..... Lust; desire

Kamandal ..... The water-pot of a Hindu

monk

Kambal ..... Woollen blanket

Kirtan ..... Devotional music; singing the

Lord's Name

204

Krishna ..... Incarnation of Vishnu, who

gave the Bhagavad Gita

Krishnarpanam ..... Dedication or offering to Sri

Krishna

Krodha ..... Anger; wrath

Laddu ..... A sweetmeat in the shape of

a ball

Lila ..... Play of the Divine

Lobha ..... Greed

Loka Sangraha ..... Welfare of the world

Lota ..... Tumbler, a small hand watervessel

Mada ..... Pride

Maharaj ..... Noble or great person, King

Mahatma ..... Saintly soul; noble person;

Sage

Mala ..... Rosary

Mantra ..... Sacred syllable or set of

words of mystic import

Masjid ..... A Muslim place of worship

Matsarya ..... Jealousy

Maya ..... Illusive power of God

Moha ..... Infatuation; attachment

Muni ..... Austere person

Naivedyam ..... Food-offering to God

Narada ..... The celestial Rishi with the

lute

Nirvana ..... Liberation

Parabrahman ..... The Supreme Brahman

Paramahamsa ..... A sage; a category of Hindu

Sannyasins

Paramatma ..... Supreme Soul

Parvati ..... Spouse of Lord Shiva

Puja ..... Worship

Pujari ..... One whose profession is to

perform puja, priest

Rajas ..... One of the three qualities -

passion; activity

Rajasuya Yagna ..... A great sacrifice that can be

performed only by Emperors

Rakshasa ..... Evil minded strong being;

demon

Rama ..... Avatar or incarnation of

Vishnu; the hero of the

Ramayana

Ramnam

or Ram Mantra ..... God's name

Ravana ..... Ten-headed king of the

Rakshasas, vanquished in

battle by Rama

Rishi ..... Sage; seer of Truth

Roti ..... Home-made bread

Sadhaka ..... Spiritual aspirant

Sadhana ..... Spiritual practice

Sadhu ..... Pious or holy person;

Sannyasi

Salagram ..... Stone emblem of God

Sama-darshan ..... Equal Vision

Samadhi ..... Super-conscious state; (also)

the final resting place or

tomb of a saint

Sannyasi ..... Hindu monk; one who has

renounced worldly ties

Satsang ..... Association of saints;

company of the holy

Sattwa ..... One of the three qualities -

harmony, purity

Shastra ..... Scripture

Shiva ..... God of the Hindu Trinity

Siddha ..... Yogi, perfected being,

realised person

Sloka ..... Scriptural Verse

Srimad Bhagavat ..... Sacred book of the Hindus

dealing with avatars of the

Lord

Sudra ..... The servant class

Swami ..... Form of addressing a

Sannyasi, Ascetic, Lord

Taluka ..... Division of a province

Tamas ..... One of the three qualities -

torpor; darkness

Tapaswin ..... Ascetic

Tulsi ..... A plant sacred to Vishnu

Tulsipuja ..... Worship of Tulsi

Upanayanam ..... Initiation with the sacred

thread into Brahmacharya

Upanishad ..... Ultimate part of the Vedas

dealing with attainment of

Wisdom, Knowledge

Vaikuntha ..... Abode of Vishnu

Valmiki ..... Author of the Ramayana

Veda ..... The most ancient authentic

scriptures of the Hindus

Vedanta ..... Philosophy of the

Upanishads; end of the Vedas

Vishnu ..... One of the Hindu Trinity; his

role is one of protection

Vivek ..... Power of discrimination

between the Real and unreal,

right & wrong

Yagna ..... Sacrifice

Yogi ..... Practitioner of yoga; also one

who has realised the Self

Yogini ..... Feminine for a Yogi

Yudhishtira ..... Eldest of Pandava brothers

 

Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(End) 

(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of H H Swami Ramadas ji  for the collection)