

Sermons in the Storms

By Krishnanand

Published by Mrugank Patel at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition 
DEDICATED

TO THOSE WHO

ARE GOOD DESPITE THE

TEMPTING OPPORTUNITIES TO

BE BAD

&

TO THOSE

WHO ARE BAD

FOR WANT OF OPPORTUNITIES

TO BE GOOD,

OUT OF SINCERE APPRECIATION

AND

SYMPATHY.

Swami Krishnanand wrote this first book in 1963. Many chapters of this book were written at Galatga, village of Maharastra. The author dedicated his first publication to Shri Rang Avadhoot Maharaj of Nareshwar (Gujarat).

## Table of Contents

1. Mental Equanimity

2. Redemption

3. Matricide

4. Christian Hospitality

5. A Night with a Python

6. The Leper Saint

7. The Suspicion

8. The Barren Betrothal

9. Mount Girnar

10. Collegians' Callous Conduct

11. Suvrata's Triumph

12. The Gambling Ghosts

13. Every Grain Bears Its Eater's Name

14. Frog in Food

15. Silence Punished

16. The Arrest

17. Novel Dream

18. Novel Dream-II

19. The Beggar's Honesty

20. The False Charge

21. Lady Turns Lioness

22. Horrors of Holi

23. True Gratitude

24. The Deliverance

25. Ancient Ties

Life Sketch of Swami Krishnanand

## 1. Mental Equanimity

Some fourteen years back I was a guest at the place of an acquaintance of mine In Bombay. He was a well-to-do businessman enjoying good mercantile connections with foreign countries. He was popular in the locality where he lived and all those who knew him, most reverentially addressed him as Dadaji. Not because he was an aged old man; but because of his ripe wisdom. Because he lived an ideal and practical life - a life which was very much different from the ordinary run of people.

On a Monday afternoon his devout wife brought cocoa for us and after setting the tray on the table, she was leaving the room--all of a sudden, however, "she gave out a shrill cry of 'ahh' and fell flat fainting near the door. While I watched on Dadaji got up at once, lifted her up and laid her on the cot in the room. Thereafter, he switched on the fan, loosened her tight clothes, sprinkled water on her face and began, rubbing her soles briskly. After ten minutes or so, he got up and phoned his family physician asking him to come at once.

That done, he came up to me and said 'Swamiji, all that which I should and could have done, that I have done, what now remains to be done is in the hands of the Doctor and Lord God. While we are waiting for the Doctor, let's drink the cocoa before it gets cold."

Free from traces of any anxiety and apprehensions, Dadaji served the cocoa and we were sipping it discussing the language of birds. Just then, Dadaji's widowed sister who was also staying with him, came in to call her sister-in-law. In select sentences Dadaji told her how his wife fell unconscious, asked her not to worry and resumed his talks with me after informing her that the Doctor had been called. With visible countenance of annoyance over our seeming indifference, she went up to the bedside and began feeling the pulse of the silent figure lying on the cot. In the meantime, the Doctor came in hurried paces with an attendant close at his heels.

The Doctor examined her thoroughly, gave her a couple of injections and waited studying the reaction. We all could see her stiffening and somewhat struggling for breath and after that she became completely still. Our fears were confirmed by the Doctor who offered his condolences to Dadaji and left.

Dadaji's wife passed away and his sister at once flooded the silent apartment with her bemoaning cries interspersed with pointing accusations against our carelessness. She also questioned the wisdom of God over his having created cold-hearted people like me and Dadaji. Dadaji tried to console her saying that :--appearance of everything which we dread, disappearance of everything which we hold dear diseases, old age and death are all inevitable events in the game of life and that, human life itself is a journey from the cradle to the grave. And that, that being so, it is never productive to throw one-self to despondency, on such occasions. But, all his philosophic efforts to pacify her only made her cry more and much louder than before

Leaving his sister to herself, Dadaji busied himself sending messages to relatives and friends and making other arrangements' for the cremation of the dead body. His only son Suresh kumar who was connected with some sugar factories was then away somewhere near Sholapur. He was also informed per express telegram about the sudden demise of his mother and about the performance of the last rites that very evening.

Saying that it would serve no useful purpose except fostering the binding ignorance, Dadaji outright refused to concede to the incessant pleas of his sister that the funeral ceremony should be postponed till the arrival of Suresh kumar. By about 9 p.m. Dadaji, came home after the completion of the cremation rite.

On the following day afternoon, Dadaji was seated with several of his out-station friends who had called in to offer their condolences. At that time, Shri. Sureshkumar came in running and catching hold of and shaking his father, he brusquely demanded of him as to why he had disposed off the body of his mother without waiting for him to come. But for the timely intervention of those present, Sureshkumar would have become very violent in that unbalanced state of mind.

 Normally, the rich who are generally too egoistic can never, silently tolerate rough handling and insulting behavior - much less, when in the crowd - no matter from which party it came. But Dadaji was made of a different stuff. Addressing Sureshkumar, he very calmly said, "Suresh, my son, why all this mad excitement and nonsensical conduct? Your mother, like all the dead, was to die and she left-this world in a natural way. Your weeping and wailing can never bring her back. By sorrowing over the past event, you are only harming your own self and that's not good. Come on, now, collect your-self,..........discriminatively view the realities and serenely pray for the peace of your dead mother. By doing so, you will please both God and the departed soul".

Dadaji was always dutiful and affectionate both as a husband and father. At no time did the neighbours, relatives or servants see or hear about any difference or quarrel between Dadaji and his noble wife. Their house was a noted citadel of harmony and understanding. They were very much, in demand and useful as trustworthy mediators in diverse family disputes to many persons.

As a result of that day's emotional outburst and excitement added to the previous day's shock over the premature death of his mother, Sureshkumar developed high temperature by sun-set. The Doctor came and attended. Sometime after midnight, Suresh's condition was found to be worsening and the Doctor had to be summoned again. The Doctor and his attendant came and remained by the side of Suresh for the whole night treating him. It was a very sad surprise for everyone when at 6 a. m. on Wednesday death cut short Suresh's newly married life. He went the way of his mother. It was a lamentable day for the assembled relatives and the neighbors -- much more so, to the teen-aged wife of Suresh. The only person to remain unaffected by the incident was Dadaji. As before, the funeral ceremony etc., was gone through as per family custom.

By the force of his mental composure, he, as before, astonished many who had come to console him over the twin losses. Dadaji was of that mental mould.

As early as Sunday, we had planned to go to Lonavla on Wednesday and seats were also reserved by the Deccan Queen leaving in the evening. When Dadaji   made known of this program to his sister, she began to remonstrate and added that because of the doable death in the house, many friends and relatives were expected to call and that it was therefore desirable that Dadaji, the only male member of the house, remained present at home. When she found Dadaji adament, she sobbingly sought to go and remain with the parents-in-law of the late Shri Suresh during the absence of Dadaji. She was permitted to do so and we locked the flat and left.

On the way, we met some intimate friends of Dadaji who casually enquired   about the welfare of his family. In a tone and gestures characteristic of describing an ordinary event that death really is, Dadaji informed them all how according to God's plan both his wife and son had recently left the world with but a day's interval between them.

We reached Lonavla and spent 3 days in the soothing company of one Swami Shri Suryanandji and our other associates there and returned to Bombay on Saturday morning.

On reaching home, we found that it was sealed. Taking advantage of the owner's absence, some bad characters broke into the house and decamped with some woolen clothes, silverwares, a time piece and a small amount of cash. On Saturday morning, the neighbors and other occupants of the building noticed signs of the house having been broken into and the occurrence of theft; they informed the Police. The Police came and sealed the house and left behind a message requiring Dadaji to call at the Police Station on his return.

Accordingly, Dadaji went to the Police Station and came back with a Police Officer and a few constables. A written complaint enumerating therein the aforementioned missing articles was lodged and the Police left.

Dadaji who was a victim to triple tragedies all happening in succession, remained absolutely impervious and uperturbed. By his demeanor he proved beyond all reasonable doubt that he had attained mental equanimity. With Dadaji's type of philosophical and realistic attitude towards the imminent incidents and intricate issues of this earthly life, the tormenting pangs plus pains could be obviated and LIFE LIVED LAUGHINGLY.

Rendered into a couplet, Gita's description of the state and conduct of a man of mental poise contained in verse 56 of canto II would read as under:--

Unaffected by sorrows who does ever remain, with no thirst for worldly pleasures vain. Free from passion, anger and terrible fear, Of stable mind is he Oh! Arjuna dear.

## 2. Redemption

Once I had to go to Phandarpur, the most prominent place of pilgrimage in Maharashtra in the company of Dadaji.

We started from Bombay. As Dadaji had to make some payment in Phandarpur, he had carried Rs. 2,200/- with him. We reached Phandarpur late in the evening and straightaway went to the mutt where Dadaji usually halted during his visit to that place.

With all its popularity, even to-day Phandarpur is very dirty and there isn't sufficient and suitable lodging facilities.

Next day morning, with just sufficient clothes for bathing we went to the nearby river Chandrabhaga. Bathing over, we decided to go to the temple of Vithoba with wet clothes on. With many, it is a sanctimonious sentiment and at some places it is a general rule that one should enter the temple only with wet clothes on. We spent about half an hour in the temple and returned to our mutt.

On changing his clothes, Dadaji found his costly watch and a gold-cap Parker pen missing. They were stolen while we were away. Carefree as he was, Dadaji did not give much weight to the loss.

A little later, we went to the place of his associate. Dadaji made some payment there and we left for the station to entrain for Bombay. Somehow, on that particular day, the train was to arrive late by 2 1/2 hours. As such, we seated ourselves in the waiting room, in expectation of the train.

From the waiting room we saw a gentleman pacing up and down the verandha; he appeared to be one of the intending passengers like us. The observant eyes of Dadaji saw what looked like a gold-cap Parker pen clipped to the pocket of that gentleman. Though anyone could possess such a pen, yet, Dadaji's curiosity urged, him to make sure if it wasn't his own lost pen.

Going upto the gentleman with an outdrawn pocket-diary, Dadaji politely asked the pacing passenger to allow him the use of the pen for a while. The gentleman readily obliged. With his name over it, Dadaji found that it happened to be his own. With an unassuming surprise-- Dadaji still more politely told that gentleman that it was his lost pen and wanted to know how he came by it. 'Well, Sir,' said the gentleman, 'you may take it-- it is yours for the saying.' Dadaji- thereupon produced written references testifying to the fact that the name on the pen was verily his.

Thereafter, the gentleman informed us how he had purchased the pen for Rs. 15/- from a boy that morning. Dadaji there and then paid him three fivers. As that gentleman was also to catch the same train that we were waiting for, and with the recovery of the pen, the chances of getting back the watch also appearing to be bright, Dadaji requested the gentleman to accompany us to the mutt.

The gentleman consented and we three reached the mutt. The Manager was informed of the theft and was asked to muster all the servants of the mutt as it was suspected that it was one of them who must have done the stealing. When everyone came, the gentleman, unmistakably pointed out the boy who had sold him the pen.

Others were dispersed and the Manager handed over the boy to us for interrogation. On being told by the boy that he had sold the watch for Rs. 35/- to a Pan-wallah, we all followed him to the shop. At first, the shop-keeper outright denied having purchased any watch from the boy. But, faced with the prospects of a Police search and inquiry, he admitted having bought the watch and informed us that he had sold the same to a Hotel owner for Rs. 80/-.

All of us went to the Hotel and the watch was also got back. Dadaji paid Rs. 35/- to the Pan-wallah, who, along with the gentleman who had purchased the pen, went his way.

In reply to our question, the boy told us that his name was Dhondu, aged 18 years and that he was in the employ of that mutt since eight months. From his looks and talks, he appeared to be a boy of refined manners. On being asked as to why he did the thieving, with tears rushing in his eyes, he told us that his aged mother was dangerously ill and that fearing that the treatment of his mother would suffer a stoppage if he did not forthwith pay up the outstanding bills of the Doctor, Milkman, the Grocer and the Fruit vendor, he stole the watch and the pen with a view to raising enough money through their sale.

Having failed to secure timely help from other sources, in a desperate bid to keep his ailing mother's medical treatment in continuance, Dhondu was impelled to steal.

Wanting to check-up the correctness of what he told us, we asked to be taken to his house. On the way, the boy appealed to Dadaji not to say anything about the incident to his sick mother, as he feared that, hearing of it would immensely shock her and might even accelerate her death. We were conducted to a house and in the space beneath the staircase thereof, lying on an uneven cot, we found a frail figure of an old lady really too very sick.

We were moved by the sight. Dadaji made some casual queries about her then condition, pulled out his wallet and gave the boy a sum of Rs. 25/- and told him to take care of his mother. He was also introduced to Dadajj's friend in Phandarpur, so that ready help may be available to him whenever necessary. Finally, Dadaji gave his Bombay address to Dhondu and asked him to meet him(Dadaji) in Bombay soon after, his mother got well. Dadaji intended to employ him.

After about 3 weeks or so, Dhjondu lost his mother. Thereafter he went to Bombay and is since then one of the most trusted servants of Dadaji. Dadaji got him married and Dhondu to-day is a respectable father with two charming children and a virtuous wife.

Ordinarily, in the same situation, vast many of us would have made the  boy  face a Police prosecution and a sentence of a jail term by a Judicial Court. In consequence whereof, with a social stigma of a jail record, Dhondu wouldn't have been wanted by anyone and himself unable to do  anything honest for subsistence, he would have been forced to take to crime again only to finally become an incorrigible jail-bird.

While the Judicial Courts sentence offenders only once and only for a given period for any single offence, the society relentlessly punishes them forever by never giving them an opportunity to lead an honorable life.

Another wise attitude of the Courts that is highly worthy of emulation is that, even if the person in the docks happens to have previous crime records, yet, the Courts proceed with the case before them entirely on the assumption that the accused is as innocent as a new-born babe. Likewise, in our dealings with persons with a bad past, we should not be prejudiced or pre-conceive that they won't improve. In their place we ourselves would want to be given a chance for self-correction.

Whatever may be the use of Jail punishments as reformatives or deterrants, it is not an uncommon experience that with little magnanimity of heart and psychological tackling the society can retrieve and reclaim a very large number of our fallen brethren who are forced to take to crime.

## 3. Matricide

In this complex earthly life, many uni-magineable incidents take place and baffle us.

Here is one such true incident.

By profession, he was a popular Medico enjoying a lucrative practice in a semi-City where he lived with his devout wife and pious old mother. Because of his emulative maternal love, he could be fittingly called Dr. Mathruprem.

He was so dutiful and attached to his aged mother that he personally attended to her comforts-cum-conveniences. Every day at 8 a.m. this well-to-do car-owning Doctor personally drove his mother in a horse carriage to the local Vaishnav temple. In a horse carriage because, car drives dazed her. The way he drove her, helped her to get down and conducted her into the temple and back openly showed his natural love and affection for her.

In order to keep himself present during his mother's lunch and dinner time, the Doctor never left his head-quarters nor attended social functions. Night after nights he could be seen ushering his beloved mother to sweet sleep through songs of God's glory which he and his wife spiritedly sang.

The way he talked to her, sat or stood near her, fanned her, helped her in her works, or carried out her instructions, all of it, unmistakably pointed out the deep degree of reverential regards he had for his mother who was worthy of veneration. In these: days of waning love and respects for the elders, Doctor Mathruprem's conduct clearly portrayed practical lessons in parental love and service.

Living with such a good son--in an atmosphere so soothsome, the old lady rightly regarded her living place as a veritable heaven on earth.

Years fleeted on and her 73rd birthday was celebrated in a befitting manner. In the afternoon of that very day, the Doctor's wife accidently broke some of the rare curios received as gifts from French friends.

Dr. Mathruprem who could and did always take losses--big and small--easily and understandingly, got too wild over the breakage and was roughly scolding his wife for   her carelessness.

Unused to commotion and as also being surprised over that day's angersome attitude of her ever good-natured son, the Doctor's mother came and saw things to herself. She grasped the situation and addressing her son she said "Why son, do you give yourself to this mad fit of anger over so trifle a matter? Snehalata -- your wife, didn't break them wantonly. Just calmly reflect how you would have reacted were these curios met the fate they have, by your very hands. Nothing can be more valuable than mental peace. Erase off from your mind the notion of loss and stop hurting your wife and yourself."

Anger clouds the faculty of discrimination and as such, his mother's words of wisdom only angered the Doctor all the more. In that infuriated state, he stood up picking up a metal flower vase and yelling 'Who are you to interfere in our affairs?' forcefully flung the heavy vase at his feeble old mother. So abruptly did the Doctor act that neither his wife who stood nearby nor his mother at whom the vase was thrown could block or otherwise ward it off.

The weighty vase hit her hard. With shrieks of pain, his mother fell down with bleeding head injuries.

Doctor's wife also raised a cry of grief and ran near her unconscious mother-in-law. The Doctor stood still, stupefied and stunned.

All this hubbub mustered the neighbors to the scene of the incident and someone from them phoned for the ambulance and another summoned the Police.

The ambulance and the Police vans arrived. The unconscious mother was removed to the hospital and the weeping Doctor was gently taken to the Police station.

Whether committed knowingly or unknowingly, a crime is a crime all the same. The Police, therefore, registered a criminal case against the Doctor and enlarged him on bail.

The Repentant Mathruprem then rushed to the hospital and with remorseful tears he mutely stood beside the cot whereon lay his most beloved mother still unconscious. After some hours, she regained consciousness but could not speak because of her choked vocal chord. But, by not yielding to the administration of medicine or force-feeding, she tacitly informed the medical men attending upon her that she no more wished to live. The hospital authorities pursued their treatment without success. Apparently, they knew not that no power can keep alive one who very resolutely wills to die. Subsequently, on the fourth day Dr. Mathruprem's mother breathed her last.

A few months thereafter, the Doctor was tried by the Sessions Court on a charge of causing grievious hurt. Taking into consideration the mitigating circumstances, the fine past conduct of the Doctor and the unbalanced state of mind in which he unintentionally committed the offence, the Court took a lenient view and felt that the ends of justice would be met through a light punishment. Accordingly, the learned Judge sentenced the Doctor to 18 months' rigorous imprisonment.

The Doctor remained behind the bars for some months, got the remaining portion of his sentence remitted by the Home Department and came out of the prison.

Since his release from the prison. Dr. Mathruprem has become mentally deranged and is also unable to use the hand which dealt death to his reverend mother.

Very often, we perforce act under the irrepressible impulses born of past latencies. This is too true in the case of Doctor Mathruprcm. Because, like everyone, when under the spell of the dictates of the inexorable destiny, the Doctor also acted spontaneously and without reflection. In this interdependent life, to a very great extent it is preordained as to how, when and in the hands of whom one shall profit or perish. Excepting through this rational theory of karma, the inconceivable conduct of Dr. Mathruprem must remain unexplained.

## 4. Christian Hospitality

Once, while moving about in Bengal, I met one Mr. Sen of Darjeeling who in the course of his conversation with me spoke to me about one Swami Prakashdevji--who he said was a saint of admirable spiritual attainments, and that I should take advantage of meeting the sage.

For sundry reasons, however, I could not start right away. Before parting, therefore, Mr. Sen gave me his Darjeeling address and requested that I should meet him when convenient by previous intimation and that he would then arrange to bring about my meeting with the said Swamiji.

Sometime in the month of October, 1950, I reached Darjeeling--of course, after hearing from Mr. Sen. As chance would have it, Mr. Sen had to abruptly start on a business trip early that very day and was to be away for at least 5 days. Before leaving, he informed one of his neighbors about my expected arrival and requested him to receive and lodge me at his (Mr. Sen's) house and to look to my needs and comforts till he returned back. For reasons unknown to me, none came to receive me at the station. I walked the distance and traced Mr. Sen's house which was not far. The house was found locked. On enquiry from the neighborhood, I was told that Mr. Sen had left for out-station and that they knew not as to how long he was likely to be away. Perhaps--I tapped the wrong neighbour.

Deciding to stay till Mr. Sen came back, I went to a prominent Vaishnav temple seeking to be lodged there. As I was in ochre robes, I was bluntly refused   accommodation on the ground that I was not a Vaishnav sadhu. The caretakers of the  temple were, however, kind enough to conduct me to a local dharmashala. The old man in-charge of the choultry didn't prove wise enough for his age. For, he took me for  a villain and asked me to furnish references testifying my bona fides. Since I had none, I was curtly refused shelter even there. It was nearing sun-set and with it cold was fast gaining strength. I had to hurry and get myself accommodated somewhere before it was dark and too cold. The only place where I thought I could conveniently spend the night was the Railway station. But then, I instantly realised that excepting a small corrugated tin compartment to serve as a booking office, Darjeeling station had no regular platforms, waiting rooms or halls. Well, there was no alternative and I headed towards the station fully mindful of the physical privations I would have to face by sleeping under the open sky of the winter and that too with scanty clothing.

On the way I sighted a Church and a graceful figure of a Father in white robes standing in its portico. I felt I should approach him with my problem. I entered the Church premises and saluted the Father who after a formal reciprocal very patiently heard me: I told him nothing about the Vaishnav denial--but only entreated him to provide me shelter for the night. He summoned Rodrigues - one of his attendants--and ordered him to suitably lodge me.

On the following morning I felt that I should leave for Calcutta and return back later--if everything went well--after again hearing from Mr. Sen. With that thought in my mind, I went to the Rector (Head of the Church) - thanked him for the night's hospitality and begged leave of him. 'No'--he said. "'YOU CAN'T GO-- atleast not before the successful conclusion of the purpose with which you have come to Darjeeling." Proceeding further, he said "dismissing all feelings of estrangement and conventional reserves PLEASE STAY BACK." Every word he uttered was overflowing with sincere and selfless love. I had to yield.

Even after Mr. Sen came back, I was allowed to go and dine with him but twice, When thereafter I planned to leave for Shillong on my way to Swamiji's hermitage, the Rector put in a long distance phone call to the Pastor of the Church there asking him to receive me, lodge me at the Church and to provide me with necessary facilities to reach Swami Prakashdevji's Ashram which was 28 miles from there and access to which could only be had either through walking or riding on a pony.

On reaching Shillong I was received by a representative of the Church there and by one Mr. Banerjee, a friend of Mr. Sen. Once again I found myself lodged in the Church.

Since I wanted to go to the saint all alone, I politely declined acceptance of a pony and a guide so pressingly offered by the Church. All the same, as I had to start very early from my halting place so as to conveniently cover the 28 hill-track miles by the same evening, a brand new 6 cell torch was got for me by the charitable pastor. That was really necessary to guide one through the dark and usual misty October mornings of Shillong.

On my return to Shillong after the memorable 18 hours blissful stay with the mysterious Maharaj, I stayed for 3 days in the Church under the fondful care of its virtuous votaries.

When finally I returned to Darjeeling, I went to my benefactors in the Church there to thank them for all that they did to make my stay at Darjeeling and Shillong   comfortable and  my  trip to Swami Prakashdevji's Ashram easy and tensionless,   I was  greeted  by  them with  broad  and  meaningful smiles of delight. You guessed it right--I was not allowed to leave that day. Next morning seven of them including the pious pastor came to the station to see me off. Parting was   inevitable--and during those heavy moments, from the winsome glow on their faces, I could clearly sense them experiencing the ecstasy springing from the feeling of having properly acted their parts as human beings--the pride of God's creation.

Will our Hindu brethren EVER cross the shameful boundaries of sectarian feelings and freely practice the uplifting Universal virtue of FELLOW FEELING?

## 5. A Night with a Python

Kishkindha-popularly otherwise called Humpi in Karnatak- is one of the prominent places of pilgrimage and is 8 miles from Hospet station which falls on the branch line between Guntakal and Hubli of Southern Railway.

Legend has it that it was this place in a spacious and darksome cave that Shri Hanumanji of Ramayana fame was born to the pious Anjana Devi. The holy cave from thence onwards came to be known as Anjaneya Gupha.

I can excusably pride myself of having been privileged to start my spiritual career from there.

Soon after reaching Humpi, I went round the temples and caves there. On the following day I visited the famous Pampa Sarovar some miles away from Kishkanda. On the third day, I retired to bed somewhat early due to fatigue. But sleep wouldn't come. All of a sudden strong urge to go to the Anjaneya cave and spend the night there in unceasing repetition of japa till morning, soon took me captive. I always believed that good thoughts should be put to speedy action. And so, I made for the sanctifying cave with a pair of dhoti to cover myself with -- to ward off the mosquito bites there. It was a fine moonlit night and I had no difficulty in reaching the precincts of the giant cave and with considerable efforts I groped my way in and seated myself at a point which I felt was central.

Immediately thereafter, I began to feel the frightsome loneliness of a pitch dark cave quite distant from human habitation. I was very much susceptible to nervous fears in those days, and hence, the situation in which I had unconsciously put myself was singularly strange and tension some. Somehow,  'I fought for and mustered courage in the soothsome feeling  that I was in a most holy spot of Humpi and that a lonely night prayerfully spent there would have a cleansing and purifying  effect -- so necessary for a spiritual novice like me. With such inward preparedness,  I began chanting mentally my personal japa.  With the passage of some time, I was completely free from fear and was even experiencing the inexplicable ecstasy which springs from chanting the japa by simultaneously contemplating upon its esoteric meaning with an absolute fixity of mind. Never before then, did I experience such  blissful poise-though I regularly spent some time in devotional practices. Surely this was due to the spontaneous influence of the potential and elevating atmosphere of the cave. I knew not as to how long I remained in that way, when abruptly I became conscious of some movement inside the cave.

But for reptiles, what else could be in the cave, thought I; and that very thought of reptiles seized me with fear. Now there was no mistaking-the sound was of something crawling over tiny chunks of wood that were lying scattered in the cave. A race of negative thoughts of sorts was going on in my mind which was yet too weak and immature to boldly and serenely front the odd happenings of life. As I sensed the thing heading towards where I was seated, tears began to flow from my eyes, my heart was beating very fast and in that startling and spiritless state, I soiled my under-wear. When some time later, I felt that my unknown but dreadful co-occupant of the cave was resting on my legs, a severe -shiver of shocking fright shot forth from my body and the serpent swiftly scaled straight over my chest, and face and made a downward climb by my back. I must have taken quite some time to recover myself from the indescribable daze of unconsciousness into which I was thrown. The cave was then wholly quiet--but my mind wasn't.

Much as I wanted to quit the cave at once, I then had no guts to put that liberating thought to quick action; for, the fear of something untoward happening kept me back. I resumed chanting japa but could not do it with steadiness and continuity. The terrible thought of the possible reappearance of the recumbent reptile was still haunting me. As I was thus whiling away the time with mixed feelings and expectancy of release from the tight fix, I could see day-break light falling from some small crevices in the farthest end of the cave. Crow cries, chirpings of birds and cock-crows were also heard by me. True to my earlier apprehensions, however, the heart-raking movement of the snake was once again heard and with that whisked away all the courage which I had gathered from the sight of the light and the music of the birds announcing the dawn. After another hour or so spent with closed eyes in such suspense and mental agitation, turning back I saw day-light penetrating the cave from the passage about 20 feet away. With hesitance I rose up, tip-toed upto the entrance and bolted from there in the direction of habitation. After bathing and washing in the wayside pond, I reached my apartment.

Regular morning prayers etc., over, I went to an old resident saint of Kishkindha and narrated to him the entire incident of the night. After a patient hearing, the Mahatmaji told me that I had done the right tiling in going to the cave with the honourable purpose of spending the night in the rich spiritual atmosphere there where Hanumanji, the savant of saintliness was born. But, he quickly added, "You did it in a wrong way--and that's why you suffered so much." He further said, "You ought to have consulted someone about the place and its surroundings, or atleast carried a torch--the ever ready companion which guides one in darkness''. How could I convince him that I went to the cave propelled exclusively by a peculiar impulse ! ! ! As for the snake, the Maharajshri told me that a small baby Python was staying in the vicinity of the cave and rejoined coolly that it was a harmless creature.

Later, that old saint of charming countenance, conducted me to the cave and from somewhere adjacent to the southern end of the gupha pointed out to me the tiny python which was then lying there coiled-up and basking in the wintry sun. Since snakes seldom hear with eyes shut, I could not renew my acquaintance with it. So, I respectfully paid my best regards and bade adieu to it from a respectable distance.

## 6. The Leper Saint

We of the world who are more used to see things and persons externally and purely from the worldly point of view are generally deprived of the elevating privilege of having a glimpse of the inner evolution of many souls who are leading a detached and dispassionate life.

From Rishikesh in U.P. I was once going to Laxman Jhoola-- some 3 miles away. Near the jhoola were many hutments where lepers live and subsist on alms which they receive from the passing pilgrims.

On the roadside near the dwellings was a vendor selling parched rice, fried grams, groundnuts and cheap fruits.

I felt like providing some eatables to those leper brethren of ours. So, I asked the vendor to give an anna worth of grams to each of those lepers--they were 28 of them. Adjacent to the bridge was also a hut and from it emerged another leper. As he was farther off and as I had to go that way, I got a packet for him also, paid up the yonder and proceeded ahead.

On reaching the hut, I found there a dirt coated and emaciated figure of a leper having sun bath. The disease had made way so deep into his body that many parts of it were eaten up.

I went up to him and gave that packet of grams. Accepting the packet, he greeted me with winning smiles and in a sweet tone bade me to sit. I could not decline - I seated myself on a wooden case and was feeling bad.

The leper went into his hut and came out with little jaggery in his disfigured hand and offered that to me. I could not bring myself to accept it from his hands. So I politely said that I didn't want it. The leper thereupon rejoined, 'you have not as yet overcome the fear of infection,

how then can you make any progress in the spiritual field ?

The way he uttered the Sentence was enough to make me know that he was no common leper but one who was highly learned and was fulfilling his destiny as a cripple.

Yes, he was right - FEAR IS THE ROAD TO REGRESS. Aren't our multiple miseries mainly due to the fear complex? In this life, fear of diseases, fear of thefts, fear of separation, fear of starvation, fear of insult, fear of ghosts, fear of famine, fear of floods etc. not excluding the great fear of death keep us so much obsessed that what to speak of spiritual progress, even the ordinary worldly happiness is beyond our easy reach.

Few minutes later, he told me that might be I was getting late and that I may go. When I rose to go, extending his hand which held the jiggery he softly interjected 'at least now take this jaggery and go.' That is, as much to say that, now that you know that making headway in life is not possible without first ousting the fear instinct, why not make a start right from here?. His appeal was direct and alluring

I accepted it and seated myself once again - now oblivious of the contagious surroundings and began conversing with him. We talked and talked on many subjects of interest -- now and then switching on to many different lingos. He proved to be a seeded linguist with a commendable mastery over several languages including English, French and Persian.

Having enjoyed both quantitatively and qualitatively the peace which he radiated, by the end of that unforgettable meeting. I couldn't but conclude that there lay a great Saint--as a mere leper to the outer world-- deeply immersed in philosophical piety.

When I had to leave him, I found that even during that short association with him, I had gained in knowledge and change, in mental spirit which was so essential for a growing monk like me.

## 7. The Suspicion

People acting under the impulses of blind suspicion and gross misunderstanding generally create troubles for themselves and for others.

Here's a pathetic case which recorded three suicides and the death of a babe in the womb-- all because of a hasty husband's suspicion.

Having lost their parents, Kumari Bharati-ben aged 12 and Sharadkumar her 8 year old young brother were living with their uncle and aunt in a small town.

One day, her brother was lost. Sufficient searches were made all over but he could not be traced.

Years rolled on and due to various reasons of safety and right succour, Bharatiben was admitted into an orphanage of a nearest city.

One Chandreshkumar, a graduate son of a wealthy brahmin family, associated himself with the humanitarian work of doing his mite for the welfare and rehabilitation of the deserted, the destitutes and the delinquents. He was loved by all for his generous services.

With a view to breaking the miscarrying caste prejudices prevalent in the society and also to infuse new light of happiness into the lives of orphan girls, he prevailed upon truly cultured boys to marry outside their castes and to select brides from amongst the inmates of the orphanages. He also promised to follow suit at a proper time.

One day, when he met my friend Shri. Girish, he made known his desire to marry a non-brahmin orphan girl.

Girishkumar approached the Orphanage authorities and sought matrimonial alliance for Chandresh with a suitable girl. The matter went up to the board of- trustees and it was ordered that should the girl chosen by the applicant wholly agree, she should be given away in marriage to Shri. Chandreshkumar as per rules and regulations of the Institution.

Thus came that, against the wishes of his father and flourishing friends that Chandresh Kumar married Bharatiben a bania girl who was then 22 years. The new couple boldly faced storms of social criticism which lasted for some time.

Some well-meaning sympathizers helped Chandresh to enter the cotton business and at the end of their two years' married life, he was faring well with his pregnant wife.

One day, he proceeded on tour and was likely to be away for about a week.

It was during that time that Sharadkumar who was lost twelve years back came to his town enquiring about his uncle, aunt and Bharati--his sister. The town people sorrowfully informed him about the death of his uncle and aunt and giving him the address of Bharatiben acquainted him with everything that followed from the time of his missing.

Sharadkumar went to the city and locating his sister's house walked right into it. Bharatiben was then performing pooja. Though at times she used to remember her lost brother, yet, the lapse of those twelve long years had exhausted all her hopes about the possibility of his ever returning. As such, when on that day she saw a young man prostrating at her feet, her feelings rose high and she was somewhat taken aback when she observed thick tears trickling from the eyes of the youth whom she at once recognized as her lost brother. With simultaneous and ejaculatory cries of O' sister and O' brother, both of them embraced each other. With past memories racing in their heads, and hearts heaving in raptures of joy, they remained locked in that way for quite a while.

After that, each of them narrated to the other how the twelve years' period of separation had treated them. They did a good deal of asking and answering. Recapitulating some sweet seconds of their young days, they threw themselves into mutual clasps of natural affection--now and then.

Only late in the evening did Bharatiben rise to cook. Shri. Sharadkumar went to the bazaar and brought some handsome wedding gifts for his sister and brother-in-law. He put -off the presentation till the  arrival of Chandreshkumar. After their night meals, both the sister and the brother retired to bed.

On the next day afternoon, seated on a swing, Bharatiben was reading aloud some humorous portion from a book of jokes and her beloved brother  Sharadkumar was seriously listening with his head resting on her left lap.

Shri Chandresh abruptly returned at that very time. The loud laughters which came from his house set him thinking in askance. He approached the door with cat pace and through a half-open window he saw his pregnant wife with an unknown youth in that position. They were so deeply engrossed in that reading of absorbing interest that they, were completely unaware of Chandresh's peeps.

That sight made Chandresh's head reel with crowded emotions of anger and anguish. He left the place and walked on the road with no destination jn view. Girishkumar met him on the way in that changed countenance of chagrin. Before his questioning, Chandresh, himself informed Girishkumar how Bharatiben was caught red-handed in an amorous pose with a stranger.

Because of that direct accusation and also-because he was in a particular hurry, Girishkumar couldn't wait for details. Hence, promising to meet him in the evening he went his way and Chandresh proceeded on.

After dining with me that night, Girishkumar, my host, went out telling, me that, he was going to meet Chandresh. I knew not when he returned.

Next morning. Girish divulged to me what Chandresh had told him on the way and that Bharatiben was not aware of her husband's presence in the city. He also informed me that Sharadkumar --the lost brother had come back to his sister and that he was then with her.

As we were engaged in other talks about Chandresh, an attendant from the City Morgue who knew Both Girish and Chandreshkumar came and informed us that a mutilated body of a young man who answered to the identity of Chandresh was found on the Railway tracks of a suburban station. Both of us went with the attendant to the morgue and we were shocked to see the dead Chandresh. He was run over by a train.

We quickly deduced that Chandreshbhai who sacrificed patrimony and other social benefits to marry Bharatiben, an orphan girl, must have been resentfully annoyed when he found her in the company of a stranger. As it couldn't have struck him that the stranger happened to be her own lost brother, he must have hurriedly mistook Sharadkumar for a questionable visitor. In that hasty, taken-for-granted disgraceful conduct of Bharatiben, therefore, he had cause to feel that his ideals were defeated. So, out of utter dejection, he courted death.

We went and brought Bharatiben and Sharadkumar. The dead-body was handed over to them. Through proper rites the body was disposed off..

In the baggage of the dead Chandreshkumar-- which was handed over with the body--was found a note addressed to Bharatiben and it read : --

'O you shameless sinful soul--In the court of the Lord thou shalt meet the right penalty for thy unfair secret love affairs.'-- Chandresh.

When on the previous night Girishbhai had been to meet Chandreshkumar, he had informed Bharatiben that he had meet her husband in the city on that afternoon. So, the presence of Sharadkumar at her house since two davs this accusory note was enough for her to surmise and sum up how she came to be suspected by her husband.

Now, in her own feminine way, she began to feel that but for her brother's presence in the house during the absence of her husband, she wouldn't have been prematurely widowed. She sobbed whole of that night. Sharadkumar who was branded as an instrument to the whole tragedy was so very much distressed that he couldn't console his sister.

The accusation in the note was more than what her innocent heart could bear. So, as though to prove her purity to her husband who did not exhibit manly wisdom in his thoughtless action, next morning she caused kerosene flames to consume her body and the babe in it--to go to the realm where her hasty husband had already reached.

The suicide of his sister aggravated the already abnormal mental state of Sharadkumar and turned him mad. He was profusely penitent over his having returned to his sister. For two days he was found moving about in the streets of the city with the wedding gifts which he could not present to his sister and brother-in-law. He was heard incessantly shouting at the top of his voice 'Oh what a downgrade sinner am I to have been responsible for three deaths. What right have I to live? etc."

On the third day, Sharadkumar jumped into a deep dry well. He was brought out dead and that was the third body which Shri Girishkumar cremated during that week.

Just a little patient search for the facts by Chandreshkumar would have not only allowed them all and the unborn baby to enjoy this world of truth, bliss and beauty, but it would have at the same time taught him that all that we see with the eyes need not necessarily be true.

## 8. The Barren Betrothal

Unless they are in absolute conformity with God's scheme which we can't know except under special conditions, all our plans plus programs--howsoever meticulously chalked out, simply go to winds.

Here's an odd but true and complex incident proving the above axiomatic truth.

In the year 1952, one Rasikbhai, a son of Surendranagar Lawyer was betrothed to one Ranjanaben of Amreli and the marriage was fixed for 25th of May that year.

One Kumari Hamsaben daughter of a Surendranagar grocer was engaged to one Harendrabhai, son of a growing businessman of Rajkot. This marriage was also to take place on the same day.

On 22nd May, the father of Rasikbhai approached Kumari Ranjana's father; with just few days' time left for the marriage, that day appeared opportune to him to press for increment in dowry through indirect threats of cancellation of the marriage. When faced with the prospects of detrimental consequences, springing from non-compliance, the brides' parties generally concede to the depressing demands at such times. For, rejection of a bride at the eleventh hour creates all sorts of doubts in the minds of the society and the chances of her absorption through marriage in a class family diminishes.

Due to this type of trampling tactics of the many, the domestic lot of numerous women become unbearable.

It is too well-known a fact that in a society where dowry occupies the principal place in marriages, the household happiness of its members can only be compared to imaginary dreams.

The ravages of the dowry system prevalent in Gujarat--more particularly in the Patel community of Charoatar, isn't unknown and therefore needs no elaboration.

The saying that 'a son is a son only till he gets a wife--but a daughter is a daughter all her life', when applied to the Patel community would aptly mean the marriage, a son eases to be a burden to the family. Whereas, in the case of daughters, however, even after their marriage they remain a recur-ring burden on their parents right till their march either to pyre or poverty.

Fearful of the likely throttling liabilities, therefore, the Patels of Gujarat consider female issues as a dreadful curse to the family.

Ranjana's father didn't accede and Ranjana herself expressed her disinterest to enter into a family which wanted to make money through the marriage. The betrothal was nullified.

When Rasikbhai learnt about it, he braved to point out to his father the cheapness of the dowry system and boldly told him that his ruse was dirty and condemnable. The situation hottened and the turn of the arguments forced Rasik to desert his house.

On the evening of 23rd May, Kumari Hamsa who was to marry one Harendrabhai had to fill few pails of water from the tap at the back of her house. She was there all alone. It was about 5 p.m. then. Some three persons of Muslim looks neared the water tap, stood there for a while and walked away. Hamsaben followed them. Evidently, she was subjugated by some magical spell. They reached the station and boarded a train which was bound for Rajkot. The train left.

At little past 8 p.m., as the train was entering the platform of Wankaner Junction, Hamsaben regained self-awareness and finding herself in a moving train, terrifiedly raised cries of 'save me's'. The sorcerers who scented trouble made themselves scarce. Hamsaben's cries attracted the attention of the passengers and amongst others, an old man who was to alight at Wankaner station went up to her and enquired as to what was the matter.

In non-plussed tones, Hamsaben informed the old man how that evening when she was filling water from the tap near the back yard of her house, three persons came near the tap and stood a while with their gaze fixed at her. She thought, said she, that they might be wanting to drink water and so she said nothing to them. After that, she said, she could only recall that she followed them and was then presently in the train. Thereafter, she gave her identity and completed her whole saying by making known that her marriage was to take place on 25th of that month.

The old gentleman of Wankaner had heard about her father. So, he said to the girl that he knew her father impersonally and that he would inform him about her safety through an immediate telegram. He asked her to accompany him to his house and stay there till her dad came. The girl agreed to do so. On the way home, that gentleman sent an express telegram summoning her father.

The female members in the house of that old man, kept on soothing her with encouraging talks. When till midnight none came, the old man promised the girl that he would send her to Surendranagar in the company of his wife; by the first train after sunrise the next day. All of them went to bed.

Hamsaben who couldn't sleep began to ruminate over the possible after-effects of her missing from home and thought that the news might have by then travelled far and fast and reached even her prospective in-laws.

Assuming that nothing happened immediately, yet, the chances of this news erupting at a later stage to mar her married-life can't be ruled out--she felt. 'Would the society believe her story? She asked herself.

After all those inner queries, she could only infer that she wouldn't be accepted; and as such, that she should put an end to her life by jumping from a running train.

Having braced up her mind that way, she got out of the house and took to the road leading to the station. That being the train time, there were tongas plying to take people from the town to the far off Railway Station. Hamsaben had some cash with her and part payment took her and 3 other passengers to the station.

She had nowhere to go--she only "wanted to kill herself by jumping from a fast-moving train. Yet, she thought fit to possess a ticket and so, she bought one for Rajkot. There was still another' half an hour for the train to come. In order that she may not be spotted by anyone who might be searching for her, she went to the dark end of the platform and sat on a bench there. Only after seating herself did she notice someone lying asleep not far from the bench. About ten minutes later, that person rose and up rubbing his eyes and presuming peoples' presence asked as to when the train for Rajkot was likely to come.

Hamsaben freely told him that in about 20 minutes or so the train was expected to arrive. Somehow, both of them got to talking and Hamsaben laid bare before that stranger-- who was none other than Shri. Rasikbhai--her problem, Shri. Rasikbhai gave out his tale to her. Though they both belonged to Surendranagar and had heard about each other's parents, yet, they themselves had never met. That was their first meeting and it culminated in their jointly deciding to become life partners through Civil Marriage with the permission plus patronage of Rasik's uncle who was in Porebunder, the birth-place of Mahatma Gandhi.

The train came, they reached Porebunder and with the blessings of Rasik's paternal uncle their wedding was registered.

Ranjana's father had been to Rajkot City on some work and per chance met Harendrabhai's father in a park there. They knew each before. Ranjana's father informed his friend how the bridegroom's party tried to squeeze out more money from him at the last moment and how on that score he was obliged to cancel the marriage of his daughter.

Because of the sudden disappearance of Hamsaben with whom his son was to marry, Harendrabhai's father informed in turn the fate of his son's proposed wedding. Simultaneously it struck both of them that Harendrabhai and Ranjana could be married. They agreed to each other's proposal.

So it came that the strange and unexpected circumstance which propped up, made Rasikbhai who was to marry Rajanaben to wed Hamsaben and Harendrabhai who was engaged to Hamsaben, to be united in wedlock with Rajanaben on 25th of May that very year.

Experiences compel us to indubitably believe that there are higher powers which steer the course of our lives.

## 9. Mount Girnar

Like electricity and sound, thoughts are also creative energy.

When we think, we let out subtle magnetic waves known as aura. Identical thought-waves collect together and form an atmosphere fine or foul.

The places where people with common object inhabit, the collective exhalations of thought-waves from their bodies spread themselves and create an influential atmosphere of high potency.

Akin to sounds, thought-waves also remain in the outer space for quite some time. For sus-tenance and permanent preservation, they need to be fed by similar thought-waves. Counter-thoughts can and do pollute, neutralize or even destroy the atmospheric vibrations.

Every place has its own atmosphere --depending upon the surroundings and type of thought-waves released there.

Sick persons' hopeful thoughts of full restoration to health augmented with the Doctors' feelings of sure, speedy and successful cure of their patients, surcharge the outer-space in the hospitals with the curative vibrations--making them the most suitable places for medical treatment.

Because of the melancholic thought-wave deposits, the atmosphere in the cemeteries-cum-cremation yards is depressing; and the forests where fierce animals live, the atmosphere is panicky and terrorizing. Places of worship or pilgrimage where mass people regularly congregate with the common purpose of meditating, praying etc., are conducible spots for peace-promoting pursuits. The places where great saints have lived performing passive penances enjoy that unique atmosphere where spiritual practices prove productive.

While it is certainly true that a pure hearted person of a strong will-power can create requisite atmosphere at any time and place through his rich thought currents, vast majority of we immature beings need ready grounds for inner evolution and for the fructification of our undertakings.

Ordinarily, the atmospheric influence reacts upon us in the measure of our receptivity. But, in certain places, however, the spatial vibrations are so powerful that those coming in its proximity are at once overwhelmed and subjugated.

In the following account is my miraculous experience of such a place.

Mount Girnar also known as Raivanthagiri and Ujjayanthagiri is not only credited with the permanent habitation of great yogis but is also associated with the lives of the Pandavas and the Yadavas. Lord Dattatreya is believed to be residing incognito in Girnar. Amongst the five mountains held most sacred by the Jains, Girnar happens to be one.

Because of the inexplicable and wondrous experience of many visitors, it is rightly rated as a mysterious mountain.

My first visit to Girnar was on a Wednesday of a wintry month in 1952. By about 5.30 that morning, I reached the foot of Girnar and like others waited for the day-break. Soon there was sufficient light to make our ascend feasible and fear-free. As usual, there were hundreds of pilgrims that day also. I commenced climbing.

At a point about 3000 steps high comes the Sorat's Palace. It is around here that there are several Jain temples--the principal one being the Naiminath's. I reached there and rested for a while.

From there, I must have covered about 500 more steps leading to the Ambaji's shrine. On the way, I was accosted by a person who appeared to be a laborer of the Forest Department. He showed me a curved track near there and said that if I went that way about two furlongs that I would come by a little Shiva's temple situated under the clusters of trees--with a small brook running near it. Saying that that place was a serene one, he recommended me to go there.

I was tempted. I side-tracked and trudged on the slippery and serpentine path. Truly, at a distance a little over hundred fifty yards, was a tiny and tidy temple. The tall thick trees around it presented a view of a fine formative fort impenetrable by the sun's whole heat or rays. The small brook-like water spring which was passing near the temple was so matching and natural that anyone would have felt the exceeding beauty and calmness of that place.

I bathed there and with a view to spending a little time in that sedative solitude, seated myself in a comfortable posture and began to chant my personal japa with eyes shut. When my eyes opened. I was exuberantly buoyant and felt that I should get oing.

So, I got up and by the same way walked back to the steps and continued going up. After about an hour or so. I reached Ambaji's temple. I offered my prayers and sat there. The priest was talking with his guests. From their conversation. I neared them mistaking that day for Thursday. With polite interruption, I pointed out that, that day was WEDNESDAY and not Thursday as had been supposed by them. With mockful gestures all of them blinked at me and one amongst them said to the others, 'This maharaj appears to be one day behind the calendar."

I simply mused at their error. I walked out of the temple. There were streams of pilgrims moving to and coming from the farther off Goraknath's Fire Pit. Though I had no doubt about that day being Wednesday, yet, I asked a group outside as to what day it was. 'TODAY IS THURSDAY' came the quick reply. That puzzled me--I asked a few others. 'Well, it is Thursday today' said they too. How is it, all say it is Thursday today, thought I. Not before I had asked another handful of persons, was I convinced that it could be so ; and it immediately struck me that, in that case, that I must have spent over 24 hours in that Shiva's shrine--seated in self-forgetfulness. That amazing knowledge chased me back and I tried to locate that mystical place. I COULD NOT.

When I enquired from several coolies about that place, to my supplemental surprise everyone only told me that none of them had even seen or heard about that spot. When I told them that just a few hours back I was in that place, they teasingly termed my claim as fantastic.

By about sunset, I descended and reached Junagadh town. My friends and the Mahatmaji of Boothnath Mahadev were all expecting me from the evening of the previous day and had even sent someone to look for me.

Before and after my that visit to Girnar, I have heard many wonderful experiences of several saints and strenuous searchers.

Though it is very difficult to explain the mystery of that place which is untraced till date and also to say as to who that seeming laborer of the Forest Department could have been, yet, my experience of that glorious atmosphere around that Shiva's temple leaves me doubtless about the existence and extraordinary effect of the aerial vibrations upon us !

## 10. Collegians' Callous Conduct

Once while I was camping in a village of Gujarat during the summer, I went to a fine small orchard there for the purpose of washing and bathing. At that time, four aged boys dressed in western style were there playing cards.

The wells in any orchard or agricultural farm of any village are free, common and open bathing places for all and more so of the passing strangers. As such, it isn't customary to obtain anyone's permission to use them.

I had carried with me my water-pot and rope, but as there was a bucket and a rope near the well already, and that too, of a bigger size than what was with me, I soon became busy with bathing. One point which escaped my notice at the outset was, the withered state of the rope at the end by which it was fastened to the bucket. The pressure of about half a dozen draws by me must have added to its -earlier weak condition and brought it to the verge of breaking point. And so, when after my bath I drew the last bucketful to wash my towel and the loin cloth--no more able to bear the weight--the rope snapped and the waterful bucket went down from high-up making a boisterous noise of splash.

The youths rushed to the well--they had not to be told anything. The clamorous sound announcing the fall of something heavy into the well which was heard by them and the snapped end of the rope hanging down the pulley which they saw on reaching the well made them aware of the occurrence. One of them cast a meaningful glance at me as though to ask if that was how I had learned to make use of others things. 'Bring the bucket from the bottom or from the bazaar' said the other of a more practical bent of mind--in a tone not unmixed with blunt brusqueness. The third youth babbled basely and I felt that, left to himself, he would have taken the stern step of charging me with trespass and loss to property. With a great philosophical attitude, the fourth just looked on. I could well imagine anyone of common stratum treating the faulty with the demeanor of the first three youths. Had I checked the rope and its fastening, before usage, I would have saved myself from the awkward situation and at the same time obviated the fairly new bucket dashing down to kiss and cleave to the marshy bed of the well. Of course, I had blundered and I sincerely felt that I should do something to set things right.

Since I happen to be good at swimming and diving, I chose the easy way and asked them to lower me into the large well which was diametrically very wide and with about 18 feet of water. They did so. In about three attempts, I managed to get hold of the bucket, bring it up and tie it tightly to the rope. That done, I got into and stood in it holding to the rope. Unaware of what more I had yet to bear by way of penalty for having wrongly used that bucket that day, I was feeling joyous over my successful feat as I was being pulled up by the boys. I must have been about well over half the way up--when all of a sudden, I went down forcefully with the bucket into the water. Before the fall could take me too deep, however, I let go the bucket and swiftly swam upwards and reached the surface of the water. In that quick and rash effort, I dashed against the wall which had sharp, layers of protruding stones and sustained minor bruises on my left hand, hip and elbow. My knee-caps which banged with the clamped handle of the bucket when I shot out upwards were also giving me pain. When I looked up, I found the literate lads laughing loosely. After some time, I was informed by one of them that their grip gave way, that they were sorry for what had happened and also that they would be more cautious next time. Coaxed that way, I got into the bucket as before and was drawn up almost upto the upper-end of the well and they then wantonly let go the rope with an outburst of jubilant laughter. By the grace of God, nothing happened to me this time and I some-how came up above the water. But for the width and depth of the well, the writer wouldn't have lived to narrate this terrible incident.

As the deft boys were in a funny mood, I was not inclined to remonstrate. I remained in the well hanging by holding on to some holes inside. When somewhat tired, I swam across and in that way passed about twenty minutes. I then heard one of them telling the others that the time of their grandpa's arrival was nearing and that the game should be put to an end by finally drawing me up. In unison and assuring words, therefore, they appealed to me. But I remained silent to signify my rejection.

I could see their eagerness to get me out before the old man came and since I did not budge from my decision, they began to hit me by throwing small stones. In order to ward off the hits, I had to do a good deal of dodging by ducking myself under the water each time the stones came. As they were four, my strategy failed and some stones did hit me though without hurting my head which was then bushy with matted locks. The stone-throws stopped and one of them was heard! Saying, 'grandpa is coming'. That soothed me a bit. Their guilt was pinching them and they appeared to be puzzled. All the same, they once again renewed their entreaty but I only nodded my head to notify a no. Two of them were biting their lips out of annoyance and all of them seemed to be in a great fix than myself. The next moment I saw one of them with a hopeful glow over his face bringing the other three close to him and telling them something with his arms thrown around their shoulders. Later, that very youth bawled out, 'grandpa, come soon. A mad sadhu has jumped into the well and does not come up. We would be put to trouble if he dies within.' What brains! What dexterous tact!. Oh--yes, they were current century's CUNNING-- collegians, who, above all other things, true to their breed, were very slick in scandalous scheming and sordid squabbles.

The old man peeped into the well and with folded hands begged me to come up. I quickly got into the bucket and was pulled up by them all. Hardly had I set my feet on the ground, one of them told to the old man, "Good, you came in time, or else, this fellow would have definitely drowned and died inside, and consequently, the police plus post-mortem proceedings would have dragged us all to the Police Station and to the Coroner's Court. Branded insane as I was, the chances were that I would not have been heard. Yet, before I could say anything, the old man who was by then visibly very vexed, all too suddenly gave me one hard kick in my abdomen. I wasn't prepared for it, and hence, unable to withstand the force of that farmer's firm feet, I fell down. I did not take long to rise up and I was instantly signaled to Ieave the orchard. I gathered my clothing and without even donning them, left the place. In that haste, I forgot my water-carrier and rope there. I put on my clothes on the way and reached the temple where I was halting.

Later, I believe, that the one who happened to be the friend of the other three brothers, repenting for his joint ruthless conduct towards me and being also moved by the silent manner in which I suffered their cruelty, divulged to the old man the truth behind the whole incident.

That had a humane reaction upon the old man who there and then verbally chastised his guilty grandsons and came running to me with about fifteen others following him. Excepting the one who subsequently became remorseful and who was then standing before me with my water-pot and rope in his hands, his other three colleagues were conspicuously absent in the crowd. The old man fell prostrate over my feet and I felt "them moistened with his tears. The sight was very much touching and all stood in rapt quietude. I raised the old man and asked him to forget the whole event. He wanted to say something but his voice was choked with sons and perhaps also, he did not know how to begin. "I am a great sinner - Sir, do please forgive me" said he at last. Then, the repentant collegian came forward and apologetically asked "Won't you forgive me?"

Inspite of my repeated requests to desist, the old man who must have seen seventy simple summers, imposed upon himself a forty eight hours' fast by way of self-mortification. I myself had to stay back to give him company. After all, the Illiterate old man's fault, if any, was negligible. For, didn't he act solely under the guileful information and inducive impulse?.

Minus Humane Feelings, Education is of No Value.

## 11. Suvrata's Triumph

He was a Government Officer living in a big City with his cultured wife and children. His wife's laudable traits and temperament prompted me to address her as "SUVRATABEN" and I do so even now.

Because of his official power plus position, members of the public used to shower upon this officer gifts in kind and cash for the illegal benefits which they received through him. Many cinema houses in the City used to send him complimentary tickets and the well-to-do people always invited him and his family members for dinners and outings. Many car-owners allowed him the use of their cars whenever and for whatever duration he required them. He was wanted everywhere and entertainments of sorts were always on the wait for him.

Since he could not help others without harming many, there were also numerous persons who suffered undue injustice in his hands. At times, his ways of extortion used to be too exacting and inhuman. Inspite of their concealed hatred for him, none dared to incur his displeasure for fear of more harassment.

His back-door income very often swelled to about ten times his monthly salary which was around Rs. 500/-. With that much easy earnings, he was enjoying life. Things went on well for a year or so.

Generally money got through easy and foul means is squandered after drinks, dices, dances and debauchery. But somehow, this officer was an exemplary exception.

His education and intelligent wife gradually came to know about the corrupt practice of her husband. That knowledge pricked Suvrataben with shame and sorrow. Because, she knew with fixity of understanding that 'repercussion of evil is always misery'. She pledged to bring her husband round, make him realize the futility and dangers of his questionable and unlawful ways.

With this in mind, she appealed to him several times to give up the sort of cheap conduct he got used to. She also cited to him the cases of many officers and their innocent kindered who suffered the ruinous effects of crime. Suvrataben implored her husband in the name of God and his children whom he dearly loved to take a solemn vow thence onwards not to accept hush money and taint his hands and home.

Her husband only argued that receiving gifts of money and the like was not anything wrongful, for, he said, that people were paying him for the extra interest he took in their affairs outside office hours, and as such, that it was as legitimate an income as his meager salary. He was laboring that way, he said, to cater to her comforts and for the future well-being of his children. She was also told in a conveying sense that woman as she was, matters of the outside world cannot be too intelligible to her and her class and that, as such, it would be in the fitness of the situation that she confined her interests exclusively to the kitchen, home and her children.

Suvrataben well knew that undertakings leading to auspicious results were always beset with seeming failures and various obstacles. She decided to tackle her husband in a more effective way. Though it was somewhat risky and demanded too much of moral courage, yet, she was bent upon putting into operation all her resources to open the eyes of her husband who was totally blind to ethical living.

Accordingly, from a fine morning she and her obedient children resolutely refrained from making personal use of any gifts which came home and from partaking of any comforts which her husband's salary couldn't afford. Some unpleasant consequences followed. Still, with rigid insistence she, outright, refused to associate herself or her children with the sinful ways of her husband. Like great souls who can unremittingly suffer for a good cause, when necessary, she went through the ordeal gracefully in the firm faith that her sincere efforts would be productive.

Any good work patiently plus perseveringly pursued, never goes in vain and the tactful technique of Suvrataben worked wondrously and turned the thickset corrupt officer into an honest and dutiful one that he is to-day.

To uproot the growing corruption, the country very badly needs, more Suvrata's to turn their husbands from sinful deeds.

## 12. The Gambling Ghosts

Temples dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva in the villages and towns are usually situated far off from habitation. During the Course of my wanderings in Saurashtra, I happened to come one night in one such temple in a village of Halar District.

The shrine was quite big, attractive and of massive built. Around it were some dilapidated huts, a fine well, a vacant shed and the remains of what must have at one time been a fine little garden. The inside portion of the temple was full of dust and dirt. Apparently, it was one of the numerous neglected and abandoned temples of our country.

As it was winter, to keep myself warm, I cleaned a little portion of the inside, spread my bed-sheets there, closed the half-broken door and went to sleep.

When I was a wakened by some buzzing noise outside, from the then position of the moon, which I could see through an open window, I felt that it must have been well past 2 a.m. I got up and looked out; there were six men in the adjacent shed seated round on a carpet and playing cards. The place was lit by a small size petromax. Some distance away from them were two women frying something in a large pan over a stove. It was one of those night gambling parties not uncommon in these days of ethical emptiness.

I quietly went back and lay down. After some time, the buzzing noise of the burning stove stopped and clinks of cups and saucers were heard. They were taking tea and refreshments and arguing over the disputation of stakes. All at once, however, it flared up into free fisty fight and heated exchange of terms unfit for print. Only after the incessant intervention by the women did they cool down. Thereafter, there were all preparing to leave.

Of aIl the time, just then, my metal mug which I had placed over a shelf inside was pushed down by the rats which were wriggling over there. The jingling noise made by its fall made one of the men outside to remark "It appears someone is inside." 'Let's go and see' said someone else and two of them came inside the temple stealthily. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. They lighted matchsticks and saw me; and going out told their companions 'one sadhu is there sleeping'. One of the women thereupon ejaculating said 'my! my ! frighten him-- so that, he may forget coming over here again."

In obedience to that suggestion they began throwing water and slinging moist mud through the window. They then jointly made peculiar and frightful cries generally resorted to by the forest dwellers while wading their way through thick woods infested by dangerous animals. But for my prior knowledge of their scheming, I would have, like anyone else in my place, been very much terrified by the odd chorus of their cries. It all lasted for about 5/7 minutes only 2nd they were all gone.

I then recalled an, incident where, in a similar situation, an old sadhu was gagged and belabored by a group of gamblers in an abandoned temple of Cutch. I thanked my stars for having escaped that sort of treatment in the hands of those dangerous batch of libertines.

When it became dawn, after ablutions, etc., I proceeded towards the village. On the way I met some peasants who were going to the bus-stand which was about five furlongs away from the temple. On their enquiring, I told them that I had reached there the previous evening from a distant village and that I had spent the night in the temple. At the outset they wouldn't believe me ; but, as I was not in their village the night before and as the next nearest village was as far as twelve miles, away from there, my Immediate presence in the vicinity of the temple early that morning convinced them of the fact that I had really passed the night there. They all looked at me in wonderment. Then, one of them told me that since about four or five years that temple had become a permanent abode of ghosts who slept there during the day and at night worshipped in their own way dancing and singing the glory of Lord shiva ; and that, apart from many previous shockful happenings there, that place had registered the death of a brahmin youth and a shepherd couple who were believed to have been strangulated by the ghosts when they passed that side some three years back. From that time, I was told, none dared to pass that side alone even during the day-time and that from night-fall to dawn, however, no one not even armed police-ventured going there. I was also told that at times they in the village used to hear strange cries coming from that direction, see bon-fire and radiant light near the temple.

Later, they wanted to know my experiences of that dangerous place. I told them all that i had seen and added that their fears were only fanciful and that some unscrupulous men of their own village spread such false rumors of ghosts and their horrid doings with a view to shielding their shady and criminal activities.

Immediately, one in the crowd asked me if I could recognize any of those whom I had seen gambling there the night before. As I had only a passing glimpse at the so-called ghosts, I would not have recognized any of them, if I had met them again. And hence, I replied to him in me negative. Seconded by others, another thereupon said "Maharaj, due to the powerful merits of your past lives, you escaped from the clutches of those ghosts. The bold and the fearless even shudder with coldness with the cry mention of this place's name."

They went their way and I reached the 'Village which was about a mile away. This affair of the gamblers and their demoniacal tactics had taken such strong roots in the minds of one and all in that village, that I was laughed out when I had to tell them about my personal experience of the temple. Who can convince those simpletons?

It was with delight that I learnt some years back that, that temple is now under the care and charge of few Marwari brahmins and that they have generated new life and look to that temple by their continued stay there.

For want of proper care and management, many of our places of worship are degenerating and falling into the hands of vile people who make use of them for the furtherance of their nefarious activities. IT IS A SHAMEFUL BLOT ON OUR RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL SUPREMACY.

Another very common feature of our places of pilgrimage is that a vast majority of the visitors to those sanctifying places, particularly the EDUCATED and the ARISTOCRATS frequent them solely with the code 'We shall play there rummy-cook and fill our tummy," Such indulgences amount to misuse of the sacred spots and they defile and pollute the holy atmosphere there.

Will we ever learn from other sects not to build too many temples and abandon them: to venerably care for and preserve the existing shrines and to honor all the places of pilgrimage by never making use of them for disruptive puerile pleasures???

## 13. Every Grain Bears Its Eater's Name

During my wanderings in Saurashtra, late one day evening I reached a village and lodged myself in a temple which was in the outskirts. The priest of the temple who was just then leaving after his night-fall pooja, made casual enquiries and asked me if I needed anything to eat. I then required nothing, and so, I thankfully said 'no' and he left for the village.

Within an hour or so, the poojari brought hot milk for me and said that the landlord on whose behalf he did the pooja in the temple had sent the milk and that he (landlord) requests that I should lunch at his place on the next day. I accepted the invitation. In the meantime, the landlord himself came and personally expressed his desire. We talked for some time and at his request I agreed to stay in that village for some days. Before he left, he told me that he had to attend to some important work in his farm the next day and that in the event of his being unable to turn up in time, Harshad, his son, would be sent at 12 a.m. to take me to his house and that unmindful of his possible absence I should finish my meals.

On the next day, at about 11 a.m. or so though unusual, however, I had to go to the river-side to answer nature's call. That over, I bathed in the river and came back. On my reaching the temple I found a baggage-apparently of a sadhu-then lying there. A little later, a monk came and told me that he had come from a nearby town an hour back and that he was taken by someone from the village for meals. We talked little and true to the saying that "water is best flowing and saints are best moving", he picked up his baggage and left.

When quite some time passed away and yet none came to call me, I looked up the sky and found the sun well past its mid-way course. It must have been nearing 2 p.m. then. The simple village folks don't rigidly believe that everything they do must necessarily keep pace with the arms of the clock. For them, a few hours here or there makes very little or no difference. At last, I sighted the landlord coming. After salutations, he asked me to pardon him for not being present at the time of my meals at his house and very lovingly enquired if the cooking at his place was to my liking. I immediately surmised the incidental error. (The other sadhu must have been taken home. and fed in my place). I felt that it wouldn't be proper to tell him anything at that time and bother his people to re-cook for me at that part of the day. So, instead of directly answering his question, I told him not to feel upset over his absence which was unavoidable and that everything verily went well. Shortly thereafter he went home promising to call on me again in the evening and added that since I did not take meals at nights, he would send me milk as he did the previous day.

While I was away on the riverside, as per his father's instructions, Harshadkumar came to call me. As he knew me not, and as also a Maharaj was then seated in the temple, he took him for the one invited by his father; going up to him, therefore, he told him "Please come for meals-Sir". It is almost customary with many in the villages to go to the temples before their meals to pay their obeisance to the gracious Giver of food and take home for feeding any stranger or sadhus who may be then halting there. As such, there was nothing Singular about the Maharaj having silently accompanied Harshad, taking his meals and coming away. In the evening, the landlord came to me with some of his friends for talks. We talked on with growing interest. By sunset Harshad-kumar came with a small jugful of milk and placing it before me he stepped back and seated himself in a corner. His father, by then asked him if he had served me suitably when I had gone,to their home for lunch. Though with a confused countenance, but yet with emphasis the boy rejoined, 'This Maharaj isn't the one who came to our house'. Facing me with surprise lit large on his face, the land lord asked me if I had not gone to his house for meals. I had to tell him what I thought must have happened when I went to the river side. Whereupon, he said, 'You wronged, Sir why didn't you tell me the whole thing when I came to you in the afternoon? We are house-holders-our kitchens are ever at work, and that apart, where comes the question of inconvenience to cook for you and your like?" He looked pained. "In quarter of an hour the food will come to you from my house" said he to me finally, asked his son to carry back the jug of milk and they left. Half an hour later his other friends also left.

As I was without anything from the morning, I ought to have as a matter of course been asked to take the milk as a support before the full meal came. That did not strike them. Space and time being the principal fields of activities of we embodied beings, they play an auxiliary role in divine dispensations also and perhaps the time was not then ripe yet for me to get anything to eat.

As the landlord and his son were nearing the village, they were informed by someone that their six year old Yashoda, the only sister of Harshad, was stung by a scorpion and that unable to bear the agonizing pain she was screamingly sobbing. They ran home, sent her to the adjoining village on a horseback with the Police Patel of their village for hypnotic treatment by a fakir who was then staying there. They themselves anxiously followed on foot. The fakir was there and the little girl regained normalcy within a short time.

On that very evening, .there was some religious function and dinner party in the village where they had gone. Though the landlord under some pretexts excused himself when he was formally invited in the morning that day, he had to remain back with all the members of his family. The food and water destined for them, which they tried to avoid early that morning, dragged every one of them under peculiar circumstances. After the function and feast they returned to their home around 'midnight. From grief to glee is a pleasant change and in that gay mood they completely forgot me and were preparing to retire to bed.

As usual, before going to bed, Harshad's mother went into the kitchen to mix-up the day's remaining milk to make curds for the next morning. After that, as she stepped out her leg unawares hit a jug lying thereabout; the jug rolled over and all the milk therein spilt out. That was the milk which that evening was brought to me and taken back for being sent again' reheated with food. In the commotion which followed Yashoda being stung by the scorpion, Harshadkumar care-lessly left the jug in the kitchen and neither he nor his father told anyone anything about it. Naturally, therefore, Harshad's mother wanted to know as to wherefrom came that milk. She asked her son who told her everything connected with it. The landlord who was by then beneath his cozy quilt heard this all. He got up at once and made the females at home to embark upon quick cooking for me-he himself helping hurriedly.

After waiting for food quite long from night-fall, I dismissed outright the possibility of my getting anything at all to eat that night. Sleep wouldn't come and I began saying my rosary. A few hours passed that way and when I rose up to urinate, I saw someone coming towards the temple with a lantern. Harshad and his father were soon before me with food.

The landlord said, "Lord God's ways are odd indeed. From morning you have not taken anything. Please take the food first, we shall talk afterwards." Better late than never is a good old saying and without myself asking them anything about the delay, I hurried through the long-awaited meal. Thereafter, the landlord narrated to me the aforesaid chains of strange coincidents which that day kept me without food till midnight.

If we cared to search with a rational mind, we would be certainly convinced that every- thing here and in realms elsewhere belongs to the Lord and that it is He and His alone that sustains every one of us in a most wondrous way.

This incident at least adequately amplifies the axiomatic adage that "EVERY GRAIN BEARS ITS EATER'S NAME."

## 14. Frog in Food

One day during the closing period of my monsoon halt in a small town of Gujarat's Kaira District, three gentlemen came to extend advance invitation to me for lunch at their respective homes.

I was to remain in that town only for a further nine days and of that, seven days were already booked. Just two days, a Wednesday and a Thursday remained. Wednesday was allotted to one Shri Amarbhai and Thursday to Shri Bhanubhai. The third Shri Chimanbhai who could not be given any day offered to stay as a reserve.

Now on my part, I informed them all to come to call me at the ashram at 10-45 a.m. on the appointed day and also told them that in case none turned up in time, that I would go to the town and fetch food from five families as is incumbent upon the monks.

They left, agreeing to comply. Days passed on and when Wednesday came, Shri Amarbhai at whose house I was to lunch that day didn't come to call me thinking that Thursday was his turn. Shri Bhanubhai forgot not that his day was Thursday. As for Shri Chimanbhai who chose to act as a reserve, he was so sure about the impossibility of his getting an opportunity to act as host in place of Shri Amarbhai, that he left for the nearby City to make some household purchases.

So, when by 10-45a.m. neither Shri Amarbhai nor Chimanbhai came, as decided earlier I went to the town and collected food from some houses and come back to the ashram.

After some minutes' rest as usual, I bathed and sat to eat. The Gujaratis use good deal of dried tamarind in vegetable curry and dhal. Before starting my meals, I put my hand to remove what appeared to be a piece of dried tamarind. It was somewhat sticky and when I removed it, a dead little frog was in my hand. The food was thrown away.

Normally, between the hours of 11a.m. and 3 p.m., I have no visitors. Somehow at about 11.45 a.m. that day, the local Station Master whose quarters is near the ashram came to me I for some private consultations. Before stating his business, he first casually enquired if I had had my lunch. When I told him that neither the host nor the reserve came to call me and also how a dead frog was found in the food which I brought from the town, with concern he hurried back--informing that he would bring food for me.

Unusual though in that hour, no sooner he came to see me, his wife and children left for the town to meet some friends. There was no food at home. He didn't know cooking. So, he entered the house - of the A.S.M. who was then fast asleep. There were no female members there either. He went to the kitchen and in a tiffin box he found some chapatties, curry and curd. Without waking the A.S.M, he brought me that food and I ate them all, mentally admiring the culinary talents of the Station Master's wife. It was only a few days later that I came to know of the above details and that the food which was brought to me was in fact kept aside for the A.S.M.'s daughter who was to come from out-station.

If this is not another solid case pointing to the golden truth that 'EVERY GRAIN BEARS THE NAME OF ITS EATER', 'what else is it ???

## 15. Silence Punished

In our day-to-day life, we very often see someone or the other slyly wronging someone, designing harm and committing such offences. as : - pilfering, picking pockets, picking locks, cheating, cutting the pigtail of women, someone detraining with another's luggage, someone emptying other's tiffin box, someone planning a murder, a hold-up, robbery, someone behaving unjustly or many other such acts of social evil.

On all such occasions, a vast many of us remain indifferent; viewing them all in a 'WHAT'S IT TO ME' attitude. Is this proper? Would we like others to act that much indifferently were we ourselves the likely victims to such outrageous acts? In this interdependent life, it is our moral and social duty to promptly check such vile deeds of indiscipline elements by bringing them to the - immediate notice of the selected victims or to the authorities without any fear or favor. For, otherwise, we would not only taint our souls with the stigma of silent connivance, encouraging the mischief-minded and promoting crime but also bring upon our unaware brethren many miseries. That aside, there's also the great risk of our having to pay the penalty for the offences of others should we be caught silently sleeping over what we witnessed.

In the following narration you will see how much I suffered over a similar lapse of mine.

I was once bound for Rajkot. I boarded Somnath Mail from Ahmedabad. The third -class compartment in which I was travelling was over-crowded. A few persons were also making use of the space inside the lavatory for standing therein. Yes, you are right-it was the peak period of the annual marriage season of Great Gujarat. Somehow, I got enough place to sit. The luggage rack above me was full with baggage's and on the opposite one lay a gentleman who was going to Surendranagar.

The train started and began to gain speed. A little later, one of the passengers who was seated facing me, rose and placed an empty pot in the vacant space in the upper rack, on the head side of the gentleman who was lying on it.

While the train was nearing Lakhtar, the passenger who was lying on the upper rack stealthily removed the pot and covered a sheet over himself. His intention was plain. As said earlier, the compartment was over-crowded and to go to the occupied lavatory from the farthest end of that long bogie was almost impossible. As such, no more able to control the urge to urinate, the said passenger hit upon the master plan of making use of the pot. After urinating in it, he placed it where it was.

I had been seeing him do all this: when he noticed me doing so, through the language of the eye he entreated me to keep quiet. In view of the tight circumstances which compelled him to take that undesirable step, I chose to remain silent.

At Surrendranagar station this gentleman got down majestically and I occupied the upper rack. The first thing that I did on getting on to the rack was to remove that stinking urine pot and place it on the opposite rack. The owner of that pot saw me transferring it and he did not object.

Not knowing to what use his pot was put to, when the owner gentleman took it with a light hand, the urine in it spilled on him and on others who were seated below. As he had seen me removing the pot and taking me for the one who must have urinated in it, with both his hefty hands he forcefully pulled me down temper fully shouting 'You villain--thinking what did you urinate in my pot?' One intelligent fellow among the passengers suggested that the urine should be drained into my mouth. I came crashing down and sustained severe sprain in the neck and a slight one on my right hand.

When I politely informed them that it was the mischief of the passenger who was previously on the rack and who subsequently got down at Surendranagar; and also asked them to reflect on the fact that as I removed the pot from the rack immediately on my getting on to it, I couldn't have had time to make use of it to urinate, the owner, and his wife simply counter-questioned me as to why I, did not inform them then and there.

Faced with that poser, I could tell them nothing and felt that I had certainly erred in as much as I had not brought that matter to their knowledge at once.

Certain lessons of life are too very expensive and I paid a heavy price to learn that:- not only the commission of an offence is punishable but that SILENT SEEING IS ALSO RIGOROUSLY PUNISHED.

## 16. The Arrest

Just as in monsoon we can never say as to when the rains will come, even so, in this fast life, it can't be said as to when, wherefrom and what type of troubles will befall and harass us. Like rains, troubles too, in a fair measure, are however, necessary.

Some years back I reached Bombay on a Saturday evening. I had earlier informed my host through a letter about my arrival. But it didn't reach him. As such, none came to receive me and when I reached his bungalow in Malabar Hill, I found my host-- a barrister, getting ready to proceed to Lonavla by the Deccan Queen that very evening.

My host asked me to join him and his family in the trip. But, as I had other engagements in Bombay, I thankfully declined to accompany them. Due to many years of association, I was always treated as a family member in their house. So, they asked me to stay, made arrangements for my meals with a mutual friend in Colaba and giving me the lock and the big bunch of keys they left.

That night I took milk and retired to bed. Early morning next day I locked the bungalow and went out for the twin purpose of open air walk and easing myself. The sea being so near to Malabar Hill, I went that side and returned back after enjoying the refreshening cool breeze of the sea and answering nature's call.

In the slot of the lock which my host had given me for use when going out, was its key and so i hadn't any difficulty while locking. But because that key got mixed-up in the big bunch, I had to labor on my return trying to open the lock. Before I could lay hold on the right key, light flashed on me from a distance.

Soon a Policeman came before me and authoritatively asked as to what I was about. I told him that I was a guest in that bungalow, my host and his family members were away in Lonavla, I had gone out to the sea-side for a walk and to ease myself and that I was just then trying to open the lock- but couldn't yet get the right key from the bunch.

The Policeman restrained me from opening the lock, made me ,answer several .other questions and the last one was :- "Does anyone here know you?" Yes, the chowkidar does, said i and pointed out his room which was in the farthest end of the compound. The Police man hailed him and the chowkidar composedly came close to us.

I was a bit gabrified when in him I saw a new face.  When I asked him if he was the chowkidar of the bunglow, he rudely reiterated "What then, is your father .the chowkidar here?" As I had prepared the milk and drank the same before sun-set, I hadn't the need to make use .of the lights that night. As such, my presence in the bungalow was not noticed by the .chowkidar. And that apart, as the door was fitted with a latch-lock and as that was also very often used, the absence of the lock on the outer door did not make the chowkidar feel odd about it. Above it all, none of the house hold members informed the chowkidar about my arrival - before they left. When, therefore, this new chowkidar was asked by the Policeman if I was a guest at his master's place, he naturally negatived it and from his side added a fast one that his master never had sadhus as guests.

AII this strengthened the suspicion of the Policeman who took. passession of the key bunch from me, asked the chowkidar to follow and marched me off to the Police Station. A jamadar was there on duty then and he was informed of the case. Without asking me anything and without even allowing me to say anything, he gave me some severe slaps admixed with ruthless reviIes.

In the meantime, the Inspector on duty who was out on rounds came and it was reported to him how in the early hours that morning I was arrested by Police Constable No. 666 while attempting to pick the lock of a Barrister's bungalow. He was also told that the chowkidar who I had claimed knew me, outright denied it adding that his master never indulged in the company of the sadhu.

When I began - "Sir, do please Hear me,'" the burly Officer-stepped near- me and silenced me by baton beats and a good hard upward punch on my chin. That was my first encounter with the Police as an accused. Never before that experience did i Know that cops were cruel creatures. Much less did I believe that literate Officers could be so hard and horribly harsh.

On reflective rumination I came to the conclusion that because of their continual association with anti-social elements and illiterate Policemen who generally spring from cultureless class, literate Officers also become hard headed and haughty. So much so, that, in the detection of crime and interrogation of those rightly or wrongly accused of it, they usually employ bullying batons and brutal brusqueness. All their successes, are more attributable to their above blunt behavior rather than brainy brilliance which they very much lack.

Instances of the Police Department being censured by the Judiciary especially for their uncivil behavior towards the public aren't infrequent. The recent condemnation of the Police by one of popular High Court Judges was the sharpest ever made and it not only evoked public indignation but also made the Police to make a mock run to the Supreme Court without success. This and the fresh case of some popular Doctors of Delhi who were cruelly man-handled by the Police in Musoori is still green in the memory of the public.

The statement of the Policeman who arrested me and that of the chowkidar was recorded and the house of the Barrister was ordered to be sealed, Just then, another Officer came and took charge from the former who was on night duty. My fears rose high, for I felt that he would also warm up his palms by hammering me. Lord God graciously answered my prayers and this Officer treated me with due sympathy. At my request, he informed my friend in Colaba over the phone about my arrest and on my behalf asked him to come to get me out.

My friend--a businessman-came within an hour and told the officer all about me and my many years old friendship with my host and him. With the Police I was sent to the quarters of the Police Officer during whose duty hours I was arrested. When my friend informed him also, all about me and my very good relations with the host and many other dignitaries of the City, the Officer turned trifle tremulous and indirectly apologized for handling me roughly. Later, he came to the Police Station and let me out on bail, provisionally, on cash security pending the arrival of my host from Lonavla.

On the following day, we went to the V. T. station to meet my host who was to come by the Deccan Queen that morning. He did not turn up. Perhaps, we thought, they might have motored to Bombay. That turned true and on the way somewhere near his home my host got down to meet someone. Others when they reached home found the door locked and the chowkidar absent. The lock, as told before, was sealed by the Police. But this did not strike them and thinking that it was me who had done all that sticking of adhesive tapes and waxing on the lock, and not knowing when exactly I would come back, broke open the Police sealed lock.

After some time, I reached the bungalow with my friend and my host also came in. Everything was narrated to him. He went to the Police Station, made a statement and got back the bunch of keys.

The chatty chowkidar cajoled me and that's how this episode of arrest came to all end.

Rough handling, howsoever undesirable, may be necessary for tackling the thick-skinned criminals. It may be resorted to with discrimination as a cloak for the occasion. But when it comes to the major society, the Police should resolve to treat them all gently and with sympathetic love. To achieve this end, the Government should educate the existing lower ranks in Civil Conduct and through suitable incentives induce well-educated hands to join the organization. Only through these measures can the most dreaded Police Department win back public love and confidence and also raise itself to the laudable standards of the British Police who are well-known for their high degree of TALENT, TACT, TENDERNESS, THOUGHTFULNESS & TAINTLESSNESS.

## 17. Novel Dream

Dream is a state of experience in which our subtle bodies fully function while the physical frame is asleep.

As is our physical or wakeful state, our dream life is also a mixture of pleasures plus plains-depending upon the nature of our activities in that subtle state.

The how and why of the sub-conscious mind's operations during sleep is difficult to explain.

All of us get dreams. Their frequency, duration and numbers may differ from person to person. The claim of total dreamlessness of some is mainly attributable to their being unable to recapitulate them after waking up.

On the basis of what we hear and personally experience, dreams can be classified into five distinct categories:- (1) dead dreams, (2) predictive dreams, (3) advisory dreams, (4) communicative dreams and (5) novel dreams.

DEAD DREAMS relate to the vision of the past events -very often in a jumbled or distorted manner-- on the memory curtain of our sub-conscious minds. These are the most ordinary type of dreams.

PREDICTIVE DREAMS are those which too very clearly intimate to us the incidents to come. This and the 'ADVISORY' type of dreams demand a fine degree of a care-free mental mould. The heavy and hard-hearted people don't get them.

ADVISORY DREAMS present us with super solutions to our knotty problems which drain and defy our brain-power during the wakeful state.

COM1fCNICATIVE DREAMS- the common cognizance of any event by any or many set of people at one and the same time and as also the inter-communion during sleep between one another here of this world between other beings or spirits of the invisible regions are the types which can be grouped in this category.

NOVEL DREAMS bring before our mental eyes the immediate happenings and make it possible for to witness them as and when they are in motion. This grade of dreams come to pious persons only.

Narrated here below is a true case of a NOVEL DREAM.

Once in 1952 I was camping with a Judge at his residence in Bombay. Judicial Officers--big and small-possess penetrative minds and as such are temperamentally mystic. My host, a thinker and writer of merit, happens to be religious to the core, and so, all the saints in whose touch he has come, call him Dharmaraj.

Shri Dharmaraj was then living with his wife and his youngest college-going son named Aniruddha. True to his name, Aniruddha was self-willed and ungovernable.

Whenever i happened to be his guest in Bombay, Sri Dharmaraj always lodged me in his meditation room on the second floor of his bungalow and as a rule he shared the room with me to sleep at nights.

As was usual with us, on the third night of my stay with him also, we went to bed early and fell asleep. By gentle pats Shri Dharmaraj awakened me that night. When I got up, he said that in dream he saw his son Aniruddha I go up to his mother's bed, remove the keys kept beneath her pillow, open the almirah and take all the money and valuables from it. There after he said, that Aniruddha changed into muslim looks with a fez cap -and false moustache and reached: V.T Station with a suit case. The dream came to a close, he said, after he saw Aniruddha sitting in the upper class waiting room of the Station with a girl whom be recognized as Kumari Chanchala.

We went down and first reached the room where the aimirah was. Really, it was ransacked. Next, we went to the ground floor-Aniruddha wasn't in his room. The clock there chimed thrice to announce that it was 3 a.m.

Thereafter, Shri Dharmaraj woke up Jayaben - his wife-and told her everything.

Because his driver was staying in the City and also because Shri Dhatmaraj knew no motoring, Jayaben drove us to the V.T. Station. We parked the car and went up to the upper class waiting room.

Shri Aniruddha was there in muslim attire wearing a fez cap plus a make-up moustache. With him was a lass in a velvet veil. Had not Shri Dharmaraj seen in the dream, his son changing into Mohamedan dress, it would have been well-nigh impossible for him or anyone to recognize Aniruddha.

When we entered the waiting room, we found only two passengers sleeping there. Aniruddha did see us enter. But, in his certainty that his make-up was of dramatic perfection, he and the girl in veil remained rooted to their seats absolutely unconcerned-hoping to pass off for a young Khoja couple. It didn't work. Shri Dharmaraj went straight to Aniruddha and addressing both of them by their names said, "Your step is unwise and would have mixed with dust the fair name and prestige of your parents." Both of them rose up immediately and stood apart in a pose of the penitent. We took them home. The young lady in that make-up mask was Kumari Chanchala--Aniruddha's fiancée. In her bag we, found Rs.15,000/- and some jewelries which she had stolen from her house.

Later, Shri Dharmaraj called her father an Industrialist-and everything was squared-up in a spirit of forgive and forget.

That's how the NOVEL DREAM of Shri Dharmaraj nipped in the bud the defaming escapade of the blooming "lovers and put them back to their unfinished college education.

Consenting to their marriage, the understanding parents of Shri Aniruddha and Kumari Chanchala, united them in wed-lock in the year 1956. Aniruddha is now a progressive Business Executive of honorable principles and his dutiful wife Chanchalabenji is an active and love able social worker.

## 18. Novel Dream-II

A mile and a half away from Sihor--a town in Saurashtra--is a fine Shiva's temple known as Gouthameshwar Mahadev situated on a hillock.

During the non-monsoon seasons, particularly on Sundays and holidays, the educated and the rich class of people visit that place for picnics.

In 1954, one such party from Bhavnagar visited Sihor. The party was made up of a couple, their eight children and three other ladies.

They had 'carried with them cooked food, and so, as soon as they reached the place, the adults immediately settled to play bridge leaving the 'children to their funful pranks.

At mid-day, they took their meals and plunged into siesta. They resumed their game after rising. .Just as their play was gaining momentum, Patikaj-- aged three years--began to be troublesome. His mother silenced him by transferring a five-tola gold chain with a bejeweled pendant in it--from her neck to that of his.

By about 4 p.m., the party packed their things and left for the station and reached Bhavnagar by the train which left Sihor at 5-30 p.m.

After their dinner, they were preparing to go to bed. Only then, did Pankaj's mother find her chain missing. She looked for it in Pankaj's neck--it wasn't there. When she asked him, the little tot only-waved his hands and prattled to say that he didn't know. She then asked other children and her husband. None knew anything about it.

They could only conjecture the possibility of where it could have fallen from or placed by Pankaj's hands. The field of possibilities were enormous, searches appeared difficult, and its find almost impossible.

Yet, Pankaj's father left for Sihor by the 2 a.m. train for searching for that costly chain at Goutameshwar Mahadev--taking it to be the most probable place where Pankaj could have lost it.

He reached Sihor in an hour. As many parts around the Goutameshwar Mahadev are wrongly believed to be infested with ghosts, it was considered dangerous for night visits. Hence, Pankaj's father spent the night in the station deciding to go there after dawn.

In the outer part of Sihor town is a temple of Pragateshwar Mahadev and when its priest is in good mood, he would permit the touring sadhus to make use of the many rooms built and reserved for them. Otherwise, the non-complaining sadhus lodge themselves in one of the many Shiva's temples behind Pragateshwar Mahadev.

At the time of the incident under narration, I happened to be in one of those Shiva's shrines with one Swami Shri Poornanandji. Like me, he was also a temporary visitor to Sihor. He daily went to Goutameshwar Mahadev at about 9 p.m. for his mid-night meditations and used to return back early in the morning and sleep till about 10-30 a.m. Those managing that temple had allowed the Swamiji to use a small room in the temple premises and this he kept locked.

On that particular night also, the Swamjii went to Goutameshwar Mahadev's temple and engaged himself in his practices. As usual, when before leaving he was sweeping the room, he found a gold chain with a bejeweled pendant in it.

When he returned, the Swamiji informed me about his find. I examined the chain and found its jewel-bedded pendant bearing die name 'SAROJ' in English letters. I told Swamiji that either it belonged to someone named Saroj or it was a present to someone from some Saroj. I agreed with him that it should be forthwith handed over to the Police.

The Swamiji went to the Police Station, handed over the chain and brought a receipt with him.

Now, in that early hour when Swamiji was sweeping his room in Goutameshwar, Pankaj's pio'us grand-mother saw the Swamiji in DREAM picking up the gold chain, giving it a look over and over again and placing it in his pocket. Later, she saw swamiji walking towards the town and entering the Shiva's temple where I was camping. The dream ended there. As she had been in Sihor for good many years previously, in that vivid dream it was clear to her that the temple in which the Swamiji had entered lay immediately behind that of the Pragateshwar Mahadev.

She woke up with all the details of that clairvoyant dream still fresh in her memory, got ready to reach Sihor and came straight to us in a car. First, she told us everything about the loss of the chain and then her wonderful dream. Proving the truthfulness of her visions in dream, to our utter surprise she demonstrated before us the immediate reactions of the Swamiji when he found that chain and even pointed out the right pocket wherein he had placed it thereafter.

From what she said, we easily guessed how the little Pankaj could have dropped the chain into the locked room' through its low and open ventilator by climbing on the bench which was lying outside there.

At dawn Pankaj's father went to Goutameshwar Mahadev and searched everywhere there for the valuable adornment--but in vain. Before leaving, he prayed to Lord Goutameshwar for the restoration of his wife's lost ornament and pledged that, in the event of its fulfillment, that he would perform special poojas there.

Swamiji took the old lady to the Police Station. Her son, Pankaj's father who had gone to report the loss to the Police, was there. The chain was made over to them. They left for Bhavnagar.

As Pankaj's father was preparing for the special poojas to be offered to Goutameshwar Mahadev as per his pledge, it is reported that one of the Shiva's divine messengers told him in dream that the Lord would consider it thousand-folds more than the special pooja if only he and his like refrained from polluting the pure atmosphere of the places of worship and pilgrimage by not going there for cheap pleasures.

## 19. The Beggar's Honesty

This happened while I was once travelling to Delhi some years back. In the gangway of the compartment which was overcrowded was a crippled beggar in dirty tattered rags.

In the morning while the train was nearing Ratlam, I went to make use of the lavatory. As it was then engaged, I waited on. Just then, a Travelling Ticket Examiner came from the next compartment. As my ticket was being checked, the above said beggar handed over to the T.T.E., a money purse which he said, he had found on his bed and added that it contained lot of money. He asked the T.T.E. to find out the owner and make it over to-him.

It was a big size green purse with an attractive picture of Lord Shiva in a dancing pose embossed on it.

The T.T.E., weighingly gave the purse a look over, put it into his bag and informed the beggar that the same would be handed over to the owner. After that, he left the compartment without checking.

When I returned to my seat, I asked some of those who were seated near me if anyone of them had lost a purse. The question passed on from bench to bench and none in the compartment complained of any loss.

In the meantime, the train Reached Ratlam Junction and the beggar detrained there with out any airs of having done a great deed and disappeared in the crowd.

When little over an hour later the train reached Nagda station, a gentleman who was sleeping on the luggage rack facing my seat, got down and was hurriedly rummaging his bed and baggage and searchingly looking about hers and there with an apprehensive countenance. Obviously, he had lost something.

When asked, he informed us that he had lost his purse containing Rs. 860/- and some important documents. Describing the purse, he said that it was a light green leather one with, a picture of Shiva in a dancing pose on it. He also said that it was likely that the purse fell off from his pocket while he was boarding the train at Godhra in the early hours that day.

 After informing him how his purse had made way into the hands of a T.T.E., I took him with me and moved from one end of the platform to the other searching for that T.T.E., in the train and in the offices. I found only new faces. As was usual, the batch to which that T.T.E. belonged had changed at Ratlam.

Though Ratlam was only about 25 miles from Nagda, yet, the chances of our being immediately connected to that place either by train or by bus were nil. And that apart, we wouldn't have got back the money from that Travelling Ticket Examiner who had deliberately pocketed the purse with dishonest intentions.

Enduring the loss by overcoming his earlier feelings, that gentleman who was bound for Kotah Junction noted down from me the identity of that crippled beggar and I could see that he wanted to pay in person his hearty homages to HONESTY which was moving about in rags.

The educated and the moneyed one very OFTEN finds, Are generally very selfish, sinful and of perverted minds. The uneducated and the poor-on the other hand, are more humane and worthy sons of the God's land.

## 20. The False Charge

Whenever something good or bad is to happen, all the incidental and relative circumstances somehow present themselves and the event comes to pass.

Here is a true incident which depicts the above truth.

Once I was going to Agra by train and accommodation was reserved for me in the sleeping coach. The journey commenced from Bombay after sunset.

Generally, the space between two berths in three tier sleeping coaches is so low that upright sitting is not possible when the upper berth is in use; and since the third class compartments are very seldom treated with insecticides, bugs were plentiful in our coach. As such, I could neither sit nor recline on my berth. That apart, that night's stomach disorder also kept me awake-- making me pace up-down the compartment. As for the others who were fast asleep by the time the train reached Bulsar, either they were used to bug-bites or the bugs weren't used to bad blood.

On the following morning, the train was nearing Ratlam station. Most of the passengers woke up and were getting ready for tea and breakfast. A gentleman occupying the lower berth facing that of mine, also got up. After some time, he announced that his money was lost.

On being asked by some passengers, the gentleman informed that Rs. 14/- made up of two fivers and four one rupee notes which he had kept in the left pocket of his pyjama was missing and that he suspected me of the theft. Continuing further, he truthfully said that I was the lone passenger who did not sleep that night but was found moving about in the compartment many a time. He also suggested that other passengers may as well make sure that none of their things were missing.

 Some handful of passengers thronged near me and wanted to know what I had to say to the charge. I plainly told them that I knew nothing about the amount and the theft. Explaining my voluntary wakefulness during the night, I told them that fear of bug-bites and bad belly kept me out of my berth and moving about.

With fixed certitude, that gentleman maintained that by no other way but through my stealing alone could he have lost his money and demanded to search me.

Some passengers asked me as to how much money I had on my person. I did not know how much exactly I had, but felt that I might be having about Rs. 20/- or so in my pockets and another Rs. 300/- in hundred-rupee notes placed elsewhere in my baggage. Telling them so, unhesitatingly I offered myself to be searched.

Thereupon, one among the passengers searched me thoroughly and to the surprise and annoyance of everyone, two five-rupee notes and four one rupee notes plus a little change was brought out of my pocket.

To my good fortune, however, I was not roughly handled. All the passengers in one voice asked the gentleman to hand me over to the Police at the Ratlam station which we were then nearing.

With my baggage, I was taken to the Railway Police Station at the Ratlam station by four passengers among whom were the gentleman who had lost his money and the person who searched me.

The Police Officer-in-Charge there calmly heard the case of the complainant and civilly interrogated me with his head held high. From my statement, general demeanor and the indubitable references which I furnished, the Police Officer was satisfied of my innocence. But in the face of the strong circumstantial evidence, he could himself do nothing. Ultimately he asked the complainant if he wished to pursue the case. On being told in the affirmative, the Police Officer asked the complainant and his witnesses to break their journey at that station and submit a formal written complaint and statements. He also told them that, the amount found on my person would be retained by the Police as an exhibit to be produced in the Judicial Court when the case came up for hearing.

The complainant informed the Officer that he was on an urgent business trip and that it was necessary that he went by that very train. Because he had none, he also wanted the money for his immediate use.

Informing me that I could obviate the privations of a protracted police prosecution. The Police Officer advised me to forego the amount of Rs. 14/-. Feeling that it would be prudent to do so. I readily agreed to the money being given away to the complainant and we resumed the journey.

On the way, many passengers joined the complainant in calling me names and saying so many things full of slander, satire and sarcasm -with shameful satiety.

On reaching Mathura, I changed the train for Agra, The complainant also did the same. He got down at Agra City. My host received me at Agra Cantonment and motored me home.

That complainant--I previously knew not -happened to be a good friend of my host and on the following day he casually called on him. In the course of their talks, my host said to him "we have a Swamiji at our place as a guest; it would delight you to meet him." In a contemptuous tone that complainant gentleman narrated his bad experience of the journey and said that he was not interested in meeting any Sadhu. Whereupon, my host, not knowing that I was the very Sadhu whom his friend had just referred to, persuasively said, 'Now friend, look, just because a Sadhu turned out to be bad, to hold on that flimsy grounds that all Sadhus are so, isn't a wise view. Come with me, you will presently see for yourself that this Swamiji at our place belongs to a honorable and venerable class." With reluctance that gentleman consented to come.

At that time, I was conversing with some devotees in a closed room. There was a knock on the door just then and I caused it to be opened. On its threshold stood my host and the complainant. No sooner he saw me, with his face turned towards my host he bawled out in exasperation 'THIS IS THE VERY SCOUNDREL'. This rash remark riddled all and my host who was obviously hurt asked me as to what had happened. Excepting the theft which was wrongly pinned on to me, the strange incident of the train was true in every detail, said I. After everyone dispersed, I joined my host for lunch.

Now, the actual facts of the case as they later turned out to be, as, the gentleman in question had changed his pyjama in the train before its departure from Bombay. While doing so, he forgot to remove the fourteen rupees which was in its pockets. But even then, he somehow mentally maintained that he had taken out and placed the amount in one of the pockets of the pyjama which he had changed into.

So, naturally, when in the morning he put his hands in the pockets, the money was not found. He searched the small hold-all--his only luggage but cared not to re-search, the pyjama as he was cocksure of having removed the cash from it.

Though the complainant had no cause for grudge or animosity with me, yet, the seemingly suspicious behavior of mine made him accuse me. The most wondrous part of it all was, by a slip of tongue he claimed to have lost two fivers and four one rupee notes and that in exactitude was found from me. In truth, however, the fourteen rupees in the pyjama happened to be in the denomination of 2 fivers and 2 two rupee notes.

On reaching home, he sent his dirty clothes for washing. Normally, before the clothes are clipped into the water, the dhobies search all the pieces having pockets to make sure that nothing is therein. In case they find small items like buttons, buckles, bows, pins, combs, handkerchiefs and such other cheap things, they make a note of them and honestly return them to the respective owners at the time of delivering the clothes. But should they find money or valuables, they slyly pocket them. This is the popular honesty of the dhobies.

To my good luck and perhaps also to teach a good lesson to the complainant, the pyjama containing the money was straightaway washed, dried and subsequently pressed also without being searched and delivered to the gentleman on the third day.

On wearing that pyjama, the complainant found some crumpled bits of paper which when he pulled, out turned out to be the remains of the washed out and ironed 2 five-rupee notes and 2 two-rupee notes which he had wrongly supposed were stolen by me. The whole truth flashed to him.

Immediately he called on my host, told him the whole thing, came to me and entreated me to forgive him for his hasty and thoughtless action.

Best of us at times act in haste and thereafter reap worry and waste. But what particularly pleased me was the praiseworthy fair-play and moral courage of the complainant gentleman who openly revealed the entire truth and admitted his lapse ruefully at the cost of sharp rebukes from my host and others.

## 21. Lady Turns Lioness!

Once I had to accompany a party of Revenue Officials who were to visit several villages of Zalawad District in Saurashtra to supervise 'shrama yagna'. We reached a village and some villagers there told us that there dwelt a mataji who was a gifted person, that she remained in trance for indefinite periods and that from time to time gods and goddesses manifested in her. We were also told that once she fully fed the inhabitants of seven villages with but a meager quantity of 40 pounds of pudding.

In our company of six was a pious Deputy Collector who is well noted for his honest and upright disposition. Deservedly, he has been elevated now to the position of District Development Officer. At his instance all of us went to meet the mataji.

In the hall of her cottage which was called madhi, the mataji was seated on a raised cushion seat arranged on a pile carpet. With sunken eyes and cheeks, her slim form was somewhat emaciated. She was gorgeously dressed and appeared to be about 20 years old. Amongst others seated near the mataji was a young man fanning her. Salutations and respects over, we took our seats in front of her. One of the local men introduced the Deputy Collector Sahib to the mataji and the sahib in turn made me known as a wandering sadhu. Thereafter, we were treated with milk and tea and a little later we left for elsewhere.

On the way, the Deputy Collector Sahib, remonstrating against my silence before the mataji said to me that they all had expected me to get into conversation with her and that in my presence they themselves could not take a lead as that, according to them, would have been something contrary to ethical expectations.

After meeting the said mataji, I somehow began to feel that she must be one of those pitiable women who have fallen in the hands of spiritual quacks who live on by spreading false stories of divine incarnations, manifestations and occult powers of their mediums. The type of religious fervour obtaining in Gujarat, Kutch, Saurashtra, Malwa, Mewar, Marwar, Maharashtra and Karnatak make their operations easy and effective. Like elsewhere, in our Country too, seekers of worldly objects and perishable pleasures predominate and it is they who foster fanaticism and add to the false spiritual reputation of such parties by indulging in fanciful and coincidental inferences.

We went to many other villages and on our return, somehow, we had to cross that same village once again and hence it was proposed in advance that in case we got another opportunity to meet the mataji that I should get to talking with her with a view to eliciting information about her daily routine life and spiritual experiences.

On reaching the village, we were again received by the village headman. Just then, one of the attendants of mataji came to us and informed that her holiness desired to meet the Deputy Collector Sahib. The Mamlatdar Sahib who was also with us, treated the message as a happy windfall. All of us went and as before seated ourselves in front of her. A Chief of another village who was with the mataji at that time, on her behalf complained to the Deputy Collector Sahib that the uncle of mataji was trying to take over the lands which were in her name and that it was to bring that matter to his notice that she had called him. The Deputy Collector Sahib instructed the Mamlatdar to look into the matter, take suitable action and report to him.

Later, the Mamlatdar Sahib said to mataji, 'Sawamiji desires to ask your venerable-self some questions.' She was pleased and with visible eagerness consented to hear me. I asked her, "If we may know, do please tell us some-thing about trance and the nature of celestial manifestations-- of which, we are informed your holiness has super-abundant experiences of sorts." My question was quite pertinent and it was motivated purely from an honest desire to know all about such abstruse spiritual matters from one who claimed knowledge and experiences. All the same, I was aware that certain spiritual experiences of transcendental order are indescribable and also that spiritual gain and progress are not to be divulged to or demonstrated before one and all. Hence, if she chose, she could have very well declined to answer my questions and none of us would have felt odd about her refusal. But she flared up and with suppressed anger retorted with animation. "What do you think--could such things be asked?". An old lady who was also with her then, poking her nose in, said, "This mataji is verily the Universal Mother and by merely sitting serenely in her presence everything is got. What then is the sense in bothering her with such testing questions. In the-past four to five hundred years we have not heard of so exalted an incarnation of Divine Mother as she. She is the living and wakeful Creatrix of the world." It all ended in our leaving for another nearby village.

In that village, through most reliable sources, we came to learn the shocking details of how she was pinned-up as a Goddess overnight. Our authentic informants told us that she belonged to a family of 'Barots' and that she was betrothed to one Ganpatbhai of Rajkot. The parents of Ganpatbhai were advanced on different occasions different sums of money collectively totalling to about Rs. 4,000/- or so for the purpose of their son's education, upkeep and house repairs etc. It was later agreed to be treated as a gift in the event of the marriage materializing and as a loan repayable with ordinary interest should for any reason whatever the marriage fail. With the passage of some years, Ganpatbhai completed his education and his parents decided to unite him in wedlock with the girl to whom he was betrothed. Accordingly, they began to make requisite arrangements and in consultation with the bride's party the date for the marriage was also fixed.

In the meantime, however, this Ganpatbhai got entangled in a love affair with another girl. So much so, that he wanted to avoid marrying the girl of his parental choice. But at the same time, he did not want that his love affairs should drive his parents to suffer any economic liability whatever. For if he did not marry that girl, his parents would have had to defray to the bride's party over Rs.4,000/- and that they were not in a position to do all at once. It was a matter of family prestige and life's delicate problem. He was in a dilemma. He met his fiancée and talked over the matter with her; and in collaboration with a mutual friend they hit upon a plan.

As per their pernicious plan, he went through the marriage ceremony and the bride was brought to Rajkot. That very night, he put into action the other half of the plan. Leaving the bride in the bedroom, he went down running to where his parents and other relatives were and with a tone and gestures to suit the occasion, (generally, Barots are born actors and composers) told them that his wife had turned into LIONESS and was lying on the cot.

With mixed feelings of awe and astonishment all of them ran up to the room where she was, but they found her in the original human form seated on the edge of the bedstead. With their approach, she got up --pulled down her veil, covered her face and stood still with her head hung down.

As though he could not contain the amazement of her prowess to change forms at will, Ganpatbhai burst out reciting -- extempore verses eulogizing the might and glory of the lioness which in Hindu scriptures is portrayed as a divine vehicle of the Goddess--the omnipotent Creatrix of the Universe. Later, he ordered for ghee lights, incense sticks, vermillion and flowers. When they were brought, he showered the flowers on her. sprinkled the vermilion over her body --anointed a little on her forehead, waved the lighted incense sticks and the ghee lights for some time, fell prostrate at her feet and begged her to forgive him and his family members who in ignorance of her celestial status took her who is worthy of worship by all creatures--into their domestic fold as a wife.

The bride, in her innocence at first viewed the whole thing as an after-marriage ceremony; but when her husband fell prostrate at her feet praying for her forgiveness and addressed her as mother, to her young mind which was then full of high expectations of a primary matrimonial life, the strange conduct of her husband appeared to her as acts of a mentally deranged person. To add to her predicament plus perplexity, all those who had assembled there also fell prostrate greeting her with shouts of 'AMBE MATA KI JAI' (glory be unto Mother Divine). Her upper garment was already drenched with tears and with prospects of being discarded by her husband becoming clear to her, she fell flat fainting. Her swoon was interpreted as trance and when after regaining consciousness she began crying, that was explained away as tears of divine separation and ecstasy.

The news of descent of the Goddess was announced in the neighborhood and some devout people came to pay their respects. All of them spent a wakeful night singing the glory of the Goddess. The reverential attitude of the crowd had a transforming effect upon the bride, who, feeling that the opinion and the experience of the audience can't be wrong, resigned to the situation and began taking part in chanting hymns.

On the following day she was taken to her parental village with great pomp and show. On the way, curious crowds of miracle mongers thronged to have a glimpse of her. Finally, a hermitage was raised for her from funds collected by donations. Thenceonwards, she began staying in that village enjoying the worship and veneration of the peasant population of Saurashtra.

My contacts in Saurashtra now inform me that after the recent exposure of Devuba's dupes, this mataji like many of her other contemporaries, has also lost her hold on her one time blind followers.

The same sources inform me also that Ganpatbhai--the creator of a fake lioness -- has since been deserted by the blonde to marry whom he had thrust false and misleading greatness upon the girl who was formally betrothed to him. It is believed that he is also showing signs of low lunacy. Evil-doers always suffer and our guilty Ganpat who ruined the life of an innocent girl didn't escape the penalty.

FALSE FAITH AND FANATICISM arising out of gross misconception of religion, renunciation, realization, blessings, miracles etc., need to be resolutely uprooted and the sooner we do, the better for us and our country which throughout the world is known as a land of RELENTLESS TRUTH SEEKERS.

## 22. Horrors of Holi

Amongst the diverse legends that are current about the spring-time festival of Holi which is celebrated throughout our country, the life of the teen-aged devotee Prahlada is also associated with it.

The demon King Hiranyakashipu had a sister named Holika and it is believed that when Gods pleased with her penance appeared before her and asked her to choose a boon, Holika is said to have desired to become fireproof. Gods granted it--but decreed her that immunity would get transferred into any person allowed by her to sit on her laps. The presence of the Gods and the fructification of her austerities made her so jubilant that this specific condition escaped her hearing.

Once, the atheist monarch Hiranyakashipu ordered that his disobedient saintly son be made to sit on the laps of his sister Holika and fire be set around her--so that, he may be consumed by the flames.

But to the king's dismay and to the delight of Prahlad's devotees, the devilish plan misfired. For, no sooner Holika who sat in the midst of the unlit pyre made Prahlada to sit on her laps, her power of fire-proofness got transferred to him and she was instantly consumed by the raging fire of the pile of woods when it was lit. Prahlada walked out unharmed.

That miraculous escapade of pious Prahlada was then celebrated bv his votaries by sprinkling on one another coloured powder known as 'abhil and gulal' and by burning mock images of Holika and through other types of healthy fun and frolics marking the triumph of virtue over evil.

From thenceonwards, the festival came to be celebrated annually all over the country during the close of the first half of the Hindu month 'Phalgun'.

Since the last century, however, the laudable traditions of commemorating that sacred and significant event were dismissed and replete dirty and despicable practices introduced into it. These days, vast majority of Hindus with the exception of class families celebrate Holi in the following indecent ways and it has therefore become to be regarded as the festival of the 'Sudras' -- the low caste.

A giant size mock image of Holika is installed in different localities of the towns and cities by different groups of people and the same is set to fire by various pilfered items like shaky doors, logs, cow-dung cakes, quilts and clothes, etc. Crowds break into different houses -- drench the inmates with colored water and besmear them with sticky pastes and paints and even with fecal matter in some extreme cases. It has also become customary to freely exchange vulgar abuses by both the sexes in common circles. Sights of care and stray carts being reduced to ashes are not wholly uncommon. Then, there are people who throw their Holi victims into the dirty gutters. Cases of people being tied-up in a bundle and left to hang by the branches of far off trees aren't rare either. Holi also records instances of sleeping people being tightly bound to their cots and left off in the distant roads to block vehicular traffic. Setting of fire to haystacks and grain fields are also heard of. These and numerous other modes of foolery and vengeance are employed during the Holi with a view to cheaply enjoying at the cost of others.

Here's a typical way in which about a score of Brahmin and Jain Collegians celebrated the Holi festival this year at Jamnagar in Saurashtra. The locality was Bhidbanjan Khadki near Moti Nivas and Krishna Bhuvan.

From 6th to 12th March of this year I was halting in Jamnagar at the place of one Seth Shri. Pushkarbhai A. Nagori. I used to go out for my morning walks towards Bedi Bunder side daily via Bhidbanjan Khadki.

On the morning of 10th March also, I went out for the usual walk and as I approached the Bhidbanjan Khadki, I saw about 20 youths around a bon-fire of about 5 feet spread and 4 feet high. It was about 5.30 a. m. then. Some were sipping some hot beaverage, some brushing their teeth and some of them were watching the rising flames and the flying sparks.

In that group was a boy pacing here and there with a small dog in his arms. All of a sudden, he rushed towards the fire and threw the dog into it with a pressing force. So quickly did he do so that none could do anything.

The fire piles with a big cavity in the centre were too high and the fire itself was so thick and blazing that the oblated dog which must have been overtaken by instantaneous suffocation, could neither jump out nor raise as much as a faint cry even. Foul smell of burning flesh soon enveloped the place and a little later a cracking noise was heard. Whereon, one of the youths shouted 'see, its brain has burst'.

Excepting a young lad who unable to stand the sight and who broke into tears, all others were as unmindful as all of us who DAILY kill hundreds of mosquitos or bugs without the least feeling of pain or concern.

Considerable Josser to properties and persons are perpetrated every year by the Hindus celebrating the Holi festival even inspite of routine warning from the Government.

When people revel in dangerous and despicable acts in the name of religious traditions and customs, our high cultural heritage can list nothing but CONTEMPT from other sects and nationals.

Can't the Government ban this Horrible Holi???

## 23. True Gratitude

Feelingful remembrance of reliefs received at the time of dire need till the very last breath is the trait which the great classify as true gratitude.

Original True gratitude does not stop at just verbal thanks and outward acknowledgment of the help received. But goes ahead and when possible liberally repays without show and without being calculative about the measure.

The truly grateful don't treat help received as loans to be forgotten after repayment with interest. But in the right understanding that timely help can never be fully repaid even during one's whole life-time, exhibit their indebtedness by ever remembering their benefactors and serving them in a spirit of moral duty.

A Sanskrit verse rates the cocoanut tree as a model in high gratitude. The verse which is given below says that :--"The coccanut tree which drinks little water from the hands of man-kind through its roots, in grateful remembrance of that help bears over its head the weighty load of cocoanuts and gives back to them abundant sweet water and its energizing kernel for a life-time over and over again. Even so, the wise also act says the verse--by not forgetting till the end of living the assistance received.

 Here is a true case of a person who proved truly grateful to the very end.

Arvindkumar was orphaned at the age of 18 when he was studying in Matriculation at Calcutta. He was the only son of his well-to-do parents. But, diseases, doctors and drugs drained all their properties and they both died one after the other of heart and lung disease. And hence, after their sudden death with none to help him and with nothing to fall back upon, Arvind was stranded and in the streets.

The Head-Master of the Institution where he was studying allowed him to sleep in the school during the nights. Arvind who was free from false airs of ostentation, valued the dignity of labor and as such did not go about knocking the doors of Institutes of rich people for scholarships or financial assistance. He wanted to earn a living and get through his education. So, he took up some piece jobs outside his school hours and in return received ready meals twice and Rs.6/- p.m.

He passed the Matriculation Examination with distinction and joined a commercial college to study Short-hand, Type-writing, Book keeping & Accountancy.

It was during that time one day, while he was having bath in the Hooghly river that his foot-hold gave way and he was carried away by the fast water-currents. There were several bathers there then and amongst them, only one Shri. Sunil Babu an owner of a Chemist shop in the city rescued Arvind who knew no swimming.

Like the noble who help or serve the distressed and the needy in a non-patronizing spirit, Shri. Suil left the place after making sure that the boy would come round.

Being of cultural breed, Arvindkumar made prompt enquiries immediately he was on his feet -- got the address of his rescuer and reached his house to tender thanks. Shri. Sunil Babu was at home. He met Arvind and told him that God alone sustains, succours and saves all and that He alone need be thanked.

Shri Sunilji didn't want to know who and what was Arvind. As do real karma yogis, having been privileged to do something good with the God-given strength, he wanted to forget the whole incident including its dedication to the Divine Director.

In 2□(1/2) years Arvindkumar had mastered the commercial subjects and secured part-time typing and clerical work in three firms. Working that way for three years he enlisted enough experience. Later, he joined a leading business house as a Steno-Typist-cum-Accountant. His intelligence, efficiency and diligence pleased his employers and he was given a responsible post by the end of his five years' service there and his salary was raised to Rs.450/ - per mensem. He served in that capacity for five years.

As he had seen hard days, he well knew the worth of money and so, he began investing Rs.200/- every month in sale and paying shares. When Lady Fortune chooses to favor her favorites, She heaps upon them gains, from all sides ; and thus, Shri. Arvind won a five figure prize in Derby Lottery, received a legacy of Rs.7,000/- and a house from one of his school days employers for special services rendered. His different investments also began to pay handsome dividends. No more needing the job, therefore, he gave it up and entered the share business and engaged needy students as part-time workers with a view to helping them in the prosecution of their studies.

Now, the first thing he did immediately after getting the Derby Prize, was to send 50% of it to Shri. Sunil Babu anonymously.

The secret present came to Sunilji as a pleasant surprise. He could not place anyone helping him that way. After that event of rescue, Sunilji and Arvindkumar never met and that aside, Sunil Babu had clean forgotten having saved anyone some thirteen years back.

Because of the hereditary heart and lung troubles which began to lay roots in him, the Doctors advised Arvindji against marriage. So, he led an unmarried life.

We see in this world variegated and successive changes preponderant in all aspects of life and activities. It is a repeat performance of the saying 'old order changes yielding place to the new' etc. So, according to this law of nature, the shining sun of Sunilji's happiness was setting. Troubles after troubles began to visit him. Sales showed slackness. Sickness assailed family members in succession. His eldest son was dismissed from a progressive post. One of his daughters became a widow. Debts mounted. Creditors started to press for immediate payments and the final blow came in the form of a Court decree attaching his properties. His state was awfully bad and pitiable.

Shri. Arvind came to learn about his benefactor's perilous pecuniary plight. It was now his turn to rise to the occasion and do everything he could to tide over the difficulties of a person who had risked his life to save him. Arvind took Rs. 25.000/- with him on the very night he learnt the state of Shri. Sunil Babu and somehow managed to plant the amount in a conspicuous place in Sunilji's house and leave unnoticed.

Next morning, when Sunilji woke up and was rummaging his problems, his eyes sighted a small cloth bound packet with sonic roses placed on it. When he opened it. he found 250 one hundred-rupee notes and a chit which read :--

"I have been directed by God to hand over this to you. Please accept it without any misgivings. 'Sevak'."

Shri. Sunilji called his wife and showed her the pseudonymous chit and cash. Both of them knelt there and voiced their heartfelt thanksgiving to the Redeemer of the distressed and deemed that amount as an oasis in the desert of their depressed days. Sunilji got the attachment order quashed, paid up the debts and won back the goodwill of his creditors. It was while he was looking for some opening in a new line of business that all of a sudden he fell seriously ill and died of cerebral meningitis.

During the sickness of Sunil Babu, Arvindji was shadowing and serving him to his very best. He did not anticipate Sunilji's death. He participated in the after-death ceremony and was engulfed in sincere sorrow.

After the shradda rituals etc., Shri. Arvindkumar presented himself before Shri. Sunil's wife and eldest son and told them that he owed Shri. Sunil Babu Rs.30,000 -  and that he would defray the amount in easy payments. The money which he thereafter began paying them and the affectionate interest which he took in their affairs kept Sunil's dear ones happy. With the passage of time, the payment of his self-imposed debt enabled Sunil Babu's two daughters and a son to get married. Arvndji also saw to it that Sunji's eldest son got a footing in the share business.

Shri. Arvindji served the Sunil family in that devoted manner and at the age of 42 died of cancer of the lungs after having lived in this world purposefully plus productively.

In his will Arvindji named all the members of Shri. Sunii's family as beneficiaries.

Many great souls come into this world of laughs and laments without drum beats and depart unknown after having usefully lived in it. Without doubt, Shri Arvindji was one such soul.

## 24. The Deliverance

Whatever might have been the treatment accorded to our Hindu women in the past millennium., the period from Moghul rule has been witnessing them being treated most ironically in general and as resourceful plus responsive sexual toys in particular.

With a view to tightening the bondages of dependence and ensuring an unabating hold on women, men closed for them all the doors of education leading to higher knowledge and other reasonable freedom so necessary for greater participation in life and for fullness of an all-round happiness. Consequently, women lagged behind physically, mentally and intellectually -- a pre-requisite for an effective masculine domination. With the advent of Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayanand Saraswati and Dr. Karve, however, there has been some welcome concessions in the direction of women education.

Male births are heralded with the distribution of sweets. Whereas, the incoming of female issues is frowned upon with resentment. Unjust treatment to women begins right from their birth itself. With an assertive supremacy of masculine birth men legislated liberal laws of marriage for themselves and framed rigid and repulsive regulations for women.

Women are treated with scorn, scourge and suspicion. Exacting demands are made, of them. Their voices must be in absolute conformity with their husbands' choices. Their rejoices must be in tune with their male partners' noises. Women are hunted and haunted by sex crazy scoundrels. Loneliness is a constant threat to them. A thoughtless slip on her part or a finger falsely accusing her purity is enough to "set flames to her home, hopes, and happiness. Theirs is an insecure life strewn with thorns, thorns and thorns. Yet, by the grace of nature, even with all these odds they come out triumphantly as good, noble and beauteous mothers making the earth and earthly living lovelier and lively.

Women might pass it off as a purely personal affair of Ram who relentlessly externed the glorious Sita even after she emerged unscathed from the fire test -- proving her purity. But understanding women will always harbor grouse and indignance against Shankaracharya, Ramkrishna Paramahamsa, Tulsidas, Kabir and their like who in their literary works have branded women condemning them as agents leading to hell and bondage. This is something unfair and makes a very hurtful reading. Instead of wrongly stigmatizing women as devilish lots, they could have plainy used the term LUST which in truth is to be eschewed.

All of us are feminine products and we must readily admit that in our day-to-day temporal and spiritual lives they play influential and contributory roles. The extent of profit gained by the aforementioned great saints from women in the form of their mothers, wives or both isn't unknown to the society.

In God's creation women's place is atop and without them the world would become wholly empty of the following alphabetical qualities of elevating nature : AFFECTION, BENEVOLENCE, COMPASSION, DEVOTION, EARNESTNESS, FORTITUDE, GENTLENESS, HARMONY, IMPETUS, JOVIALITY, KINSHIP, LIVELINESS, MODESTY, NEATNESS, OBEDIENCE, PATIENCE, QUICKNESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANC-TITY, TALENT, UNIQUENESS, VIRTUES, WIT, XENODOCHY (hospitality), YOGA, AND ZEALOUSNESS.

To write on the raw deal that is generally meted out to our women-folk would surely tire any HONEST writer.

Here below is a shocking case of a literate and noble lady who was subjected to shameful and sorrowful sufferings all because she wanted to be faithful to her husband.

Some years back, I was waiting at a city station to catch a long-distance train. Just then, a passing train arrived in the adjoining platform and streams of passengers detrained there and good many boarded the same and within quarter of an hour or so, it left. On the empty rail-tracks I sighted a young lady picking-up thrown away eatables and stuffing them into her mouth and licking the liquid remains from the discarded food-packets.

In the course of my wanderings which extends to over a decade and a half. I have witnessed many such sights in our poor country where poverty rules. As such, I felt nothing odd about it. But, a close look at the lady whose face was scarred in few places and the tip of her nose missing, from my fair knowledge of character-reading, I saw in her a person of a good breed and home who must have seen much better days.

I wanted to know her life. I went up to her and said In Hindi. "Sister, do please permit me to talk with you about yourself." She cast a raised glance at me, instantly lowered her head and picking-up some crumbs of bread, unconcernedly asked me to leave her to herself. I said nothing more to her and went back to my seat on the bench.

Experience teaches people that sorrows shared is sorrows lost. Said otherwise, mental monotony whisks away immediately it is transferred to sympathetic ears. As though to confirm this psychological truth, the seeming beggar lady came to me and sitting on the ground near the bench began recounting with tears flowing from her grief-swollen eyes, the woes to which she was subjected to by the society.

 She began am a lone daughter of my Brahmin father who was a small-scale store owner. You may call me Dharmishta. Some years back I was given away in marriage to a good man who was looking after the thriving timber trade of his father. My domestic life began with comforts and happiness. Few years passed that way and one day the dirty scheming of a family member whose questionable approaches I did not condescend to, turned the table and made false accusation of shifting morals against me, to my husband. Somehow, that had a convincing effect on my husband and he began to be sullen and from thence onwards treated me with contempt and suspicion. The matter was reported to my parents. My noble father asked his son-in-law not to rely on hear- say but to take up a personal probe into my conduct. Few days thereafter, my parents came to me and directly questioned me about the reported secret relations. I truthfully negatived the charge of my husband. As I did not think it proper, I told them not anything about the nasty expectations of one of my husband's near ones. For, I rightly thought that such a revelation would come In the way of my future domestic happiness. My parents mildly cautioned me to be careful and behave in a suspicion less manner. One day, after a few weeks my husband straight-away imputed me with illative and  illicit indulgences and imprudently plus unjustly drove me away from home. All my solicitations and arguments consisting of many propositions for a thorough search into my character was turned down and mv husband only remained implacable totally void of feelings and emotions. I would have and could have lingered on if I had just been asked to leave, but, I was pushed out of the house. Good many neighbors gathered to see me being shunted out. Their tongues remained locked in their mouths and they played the role of the neutrals like the famous Kumbakarna though with this much difference that during the Ram - Ravana scuffle, Kumbakarna went in for a lone silent sleep far far away from the scene of the battle, while those neighbors were witnessing the whole show impassively from close quarter. Perhaps, they deemed it disgraceful to side me who in the eyes of her husband was polluted. With hurtful feelings of humiliation I left the crowded locality and the mute crowds there reminded me also of the wise assemblage in the Court of the Kaurava King which silently watched the outrage perpetrated on the helpless and innocent Draupadi.

Darkness had well set in and I headed on with unfixed thoughts over the destination. I must have covered about two miles and wanting to rest and also plan the next move, I sat on a roadside bench. My parents were not many stations away from the town of my in-laws. But I could not bring myself to go to them with the ignominy which was maliciously pinned on to me. I made a quick decision to go and stay for the time being at the place of one Kanchan Devi under whom I had learnt sewing, embroidery and knitting work. I went to the station--a down train was due in halfan hour. From the money which I had, I purchased a ticket for the town where she lived. The train arrived and boarding it. I alighted at the third station. It didn't take me long to reach Kanchan Devi's house which I knew. Kanchan Devi, an aged widow, received me with visible delight and surprise. I told her how I came to be ousted from the house by my husband and begged her to grant me refuge under her roof. She caressed and consoled me. At that time, she had a middle-aged lady guest from Bombay and her name was Kamini Devi. After a few days, Kanchan Devi advised me to go to Bombay with Kamini Devi and stay in her employ helping her in the sewing classes which she ran there. We both left for Bombay. Kancha Devi who provided me with a ticket and Rs.50/- in cash saw us off. I mentally resolved to repay her favors from my future earnings. We reached Bombay.

Kamini Devi's house was decent and she appeared to be staying alone. To ease my mental tensions, she took me out to several places of interest in the City. One Friday evening three young ladies came to meet Kamini Devi and they were introduced to me as College girls doing graduation courses and for a change I was asked to go and stay with them for a few days. I agreed and with a few new sets of clothing which Kamini Devi got for me, I left with the girls in a taxi to their house. There were two other teen-aged girls and an old lady. All the apartments were well kept with double beds in each of them. What startled me was that all the walls were full of nude portraits of foreign figures in erotic poses. Book-shelves were laden with hot sex literature in all languages. Strangely enough, the house ran no kitchen. The whole atmosphere of the house appeared to me gloomy and guileful. When my countenance began to sink in horror, two ladies came up to me and stroking my hairs told me that I should rejoice over my good luck for having been admitted as an inmate of a first-class public house. They also told me that each of them felt out of place in the beginning and that I would soon get used to the things like them. Their talks made no sense to me. Late in the evening the girls left me with the old lady. There were many male visitors to the house but all coming singly and hurriedly leaving after a brief stay. Everything appeared unusual to me. Sometime later, half a dozen tiffin boxes of food was brought by a man who appeared to be a Mohamedan. I refused to eat. My doubts were allayed by the old woman who falsely told me that he was a Brahmin like them all. We all dined and I retired to bed with the old lady.

Hiding my feelings of uneasiness I requested the old lady and others the next morning to take me back to Kamini Devi. They told me that Kamini Devi had left for Ooty and that she was not likely to return for another six months. That news chilled my spine and heightened my fears and apprehensions. In that state, I demanded them to plainly tell me who and what they were and what they intended doing with me. The old lady openly told me that I was purchased by them for Rs.3,500/ - and that they would make money from rich persons who would be canvassed to visit me periodically-- hurriedly. I was promised a top class living and ample allowances. The impact which this hearing made on my head and heart I would leave it for your rational imagination. My remonstrations and protests had no effect on them. They appeared to be past adepts in dealing with unwilling persons like me. All the girls held me tight making my struggles impossible and I was injected with something. I began losing consciousness. When I regained my senses, I found myself in an under-ground cellar beneath the house --and I saw signs of my body having been abused. I cursed my sex and spent two days in that cell without food and sleep. More than immediate release from their net, I desired instant death.

For release from worldly pains, women generally resort to the painful means of jumping into the wells, setting kerosene fire to their bodies and sometimes self-poisoning. None of these modes were in my immediate reach.

There was a bucket full of water in the cell and the ceiling was only seven feet high I removed my saree, fastened it to one of the hooks on the ceiling beam. I twisted a nice noose at the other end of it. Then, keeping the bucket well in position-upside down. I stood on it and putting on the nose in my neck, I tightened it well and fastly kicked the bucket praying and willing to die by that masculine method of suicide. The sudden jolt shrinked the noose and the gripping squeeze which my neck received choked my wind-pipe. For want of oxygenation my face began to swell. My eyeballs, I felt, were rushing out of their sockets and sensed the tongue shooting out of my mouth. The pulse beats became faster and my heart thudded. Froth oozed out from my nostrils. The parts below waist-line became benumbed. The glandular nervous structure known as pineal gland which is centrally situated in the brain and is the seat of all sensations and emotions became unbearably hot and heavy-and all my senses became silent. I didn't know what happened thereafter-and how long I remained in that suspended and and suffocated state wanting to die. Slowly however, to mv utter consternation, I was returning to consciousness and began feeling human presence and the softness of the mattress on which I was lain. At last, when my eyes opened, I saw the old lady massaging me all over with cologne water. All the girls and two whiskered men of villainy looks were tacitly looking on. With, wet eyes I beseeched them to forthwith kill me. ''We have brought you here to make you live so that we may realize with dividends our monetary investment on you. So, forget all about dying and leaving," said one of the men. Thereafter, I was taken upstairs and kept there. Next day, I renewed my attempt to reach the kingdom of death by taking 11/2 tola of opium which I happened to find in one of the cupboards. Immediate emesis followed and I was promptly treated with strong antidotes. My attempt was that way foiled. A few days passed without events. The one thought that was uppermost in my mind was to enlist an early death from this embroiling earthly existence. While people are strenuously striving to live, I was seriously struggling to die. One morning, I saw a bottle containing twenty-three sleeping tablets placed on one of the side tables of the bed. I swallowed them in one gulp. That time also I began vomiting all at once and the inmates of the house requisitioned the services of a neighborly Doctor who administered into me few potent injections to neutralize the poisoning effect. I remained in a semi-coma for many hours then and became alright again. I was severely chastised and they sharply threatened to sell me off to some other ruffians in that line.

After failing in my third attempt to quit this world of woes and wails, I began to feel within that we come here to pay off past debts and to recover ancient credits and that they are inescapable. That apart, I also felt that this invaluable life has a definite purpose and that to cut it short would be most sinful.

With the passage of days, I resigned to the sinful situation which was masterly forced on to me and thus spent four months in that house of ill-fame. Numerous visitors from all walks of life came to me and I had to allow them to quench their sexual thirst for monetary consideration. There was a Sindhi man amongst the many who came to feed upon my fleshy beauty. This person began to take a singular interest in me. We came very close to each other and on an opportune day he took me out and we escaped to Calcutta. I was earlier promised to be taken and admitted into an ashram for widows. This knave, like Kanchan Devi, double-crossed and sold me to a Chinese brothel there for Rs.2,000/-. For one month prostitution was thrust upon me. By the grace of God I managed to desert that house of shame and went to Benares with a view to cleansing my inner and outer-self of the sinful past-- through Ganges bath and Bhagwan's bhakli.

Thenceonwards. I moved from place to place in search of service and shelter. Many willing doors opened to me. But only because of my bewitching form. Persons young and old of different means volunteered to help and harbor me. But their offers were also not unmixed with devilish designs. Wherever I went, covetous eyes hovered on me. I was not allowed to peacefully sit or sleep anywhere. Very often, I had to seek the help of the Police to ward-off the intolerable approaches of the notorious. To my painful grief, most of the Policemen and junior officials came to my succour only to pierce me with embarrassing questions and pinch my parts with their corrupt fingers.

Inspite of all these despicable treatment which I suffered wherever I went. I always felt and feel that this God-created world is not as yet wholly empty of noble beings. But, sorting them out and growing in nobility under their subservient shadows appears to be beyond the reach of my ill-fate and I haven't as yet chanced to serve and salute them or stay and sanctify my life with them.

At last, I reached a city in Gujarat and gained an easy admission in an institution which in unknowledgeable circles enjoys good reputation of being a real and respectful house for women welfare In order to swell the funds of the Institute and a gay life for herself, the Lady-in-Charge, I observed, was playing the role of a prevailing procuress. Many inmates are lured or forced to act as temporary bed-mates to select rich men. That libellous lady had in her secret service some Lady Doctors who helped her in obviating pregnancy in the participating destitute women and at times in feticides. Unwilling Inmates of that hellish ashram, i found, were dealt with roughly and expelled from the institution adroitly. As I refused to dance to their debasing dictates, I was denied decent care and designedly driven away. Her nefarious activities reminds me of one of the ancient Kerala poets who illustrated in the following couplet the corrupt conduct of the social care-takers:

If the fence itself is to eat away the corn, Why should the cattle roam about the barn.

As before, I was again in the shunless streets and open sky. My past sufferings had reached a climax--for, with the eye of my exuberant and endangering experiences, I clearly saw the impossibility of my being able to pursue the path of personal purity with my beau-ideal bodily built amidst the morbid masculine society which is blank even in the elementary sense of self-restraint. So, I wantonly cut-off with a razor the tip of mv nose and inflicted more than few deep cuts on my cheeks, chin and forehead. Next, by permanently changing into tattered dirty clothes, I looked very ugly. To my relief and liking, excepting the deformed, everyone else abhorred my presence and appearance. With my switching on to eating food-finds from filthy dust-bins, road-sides and rail-tracks, even, the worst type chronic lepers now hate me. Beginning was too difficult--but with passive persistence I stuck on and am now able to go about this way treating the daily disease which hunger is. For the last two years I am fully free from fears and frets; and with the compassionate care of sun, moon, mother earth, air and aqua, I am faring well by the grace of nature--mentally chanting the blissful name of Lord God.

Some three years back I learnt that my father had passed away and that some professional pastors post haste exploited my widowed mother's religious sentiments and relieved her of Rs.10,000/-, a major portion of what my late father had left behind. My noble mother, I now learn is presently living in her new small house maintaining herself by running a small shop selling condiments, pickles, dehydrated vegetables, etc.

My voluntary wanderings brought my in touch with hundreds of young women of diverse social grades --thrown out in the streets like me. All of them told me that they suffered unbearable mental agony as married members under the arbitrary governance of misbehaving males. Their factual conclusion was that all codes of a harmonious married life and solemn sex standards were bygone songs in the present society. All the ideal vows which thousands of bride-grooms pretend to sincerely take before the holy-fire, Moulvis, or Pastors soon turn out to be meaningless affirmations reducing the sacred and expensive marriage ceremony to a daily mock-show--said they.

I am of the opinion that in communities which encourage and exact dowry, females are usually harassed, killed, thrown out or driven to commit suicide.

Even on a modest estimation 700 harassed house-wives commit suicide every year in United Gujarat alone --where the THROTTLING DOWRY system rules all matrimonial alliances.

Some time ago, Mrs. Pushpaben Mehta, Chairman, Gujarat Social Board revealed that over 70% of suicide cases in Gujarat are in truth PLANNED MURDERS.

Such being the general plight of Hindu women, if all of them--particularly the Gujaratis were to be given a free choice to choose their next birth, all of them would in unison opt for masculine birth. Yet, if in the God's order of rebirth, feminine frame is imperative, in that case, THEY WOULD ARDENTLY PRAY FOR BEING REBORN ANYWHERE BUT IN THE HINDU SOCIETY."

Her heart-rending story ended and I could see her feeling very much light. I then asked her to consider the desirability and usefulness of her going back to her mother who might be needing affectionate assistance--aged as she must be. Dharmishta Devi brushed aside the proposal on the plea that she might not be owned. As an alternative, I advised her to agree to stay in a family who valued aesthetic principles of life and I offered to take and place her in the soothing care of one such family -- who I assured her would treat her kindly and that there she would be able to live with felicity and progressive purpose. She remained silent weighing my honorable hints. At last, she half-heartedly agreed to the latter.

By a short distance train travel I took her to the residence of a Town Officer whom I knew since long as a good-natured man of philanthropic disposition. The Officer readily consented to shelter and treat her as his sister. I left her there and went away. A week later, I had to pass that very town. I broke my journey there for fuelling and finding out as to how Dharmishta Devi fared. Just as I reached her foster brother's house, to my bewilderment, I found her almost leaving. When she saw me, with her head hanging low, she greeted me with folded hands. Before I could ask her. She herself told me that after the second day of her entry into that house, the Officer had to send away his ailing wife to her parent's place. She then told me in a conveying way how that Officer who could not control his bestial cravings pressed her beggingly to share his bed on the previous night. Luckily for her, she said, that the presence of his grown-up daughter at home had saved her. When I asked the Officer to explain himself, he simply kept quiet and his face became small and shrunken -- lit with shame. A little later, he appeared to feel genuinely sorry and fell prostrate at the feet of Dharmishta Devi imploring her forgiveness.

Her case was reminiscent of the Sanskrit saying that a bald man who to save his head from the scorching heat of the sun took refuge under a cocoanut tree's shade only to be hit hard on the barren surface of his head by the fall of a weighty cocoanut. That is, troubles follow and haunt the unfortunate wherever they go.

Later, I persuaded her to agree to be taken to her mother. She hesitantly consented. We caught a train and as the train was taking us to her mother's place, she told me that her one fervent prayer to 'Lord God was that, that if according to His scheme of things she is to be reborn as a human being, then, that she should be granted masculine birth plus all the requisite resources to effectively work for women's highest welfare.

We reached the town where Kalyani Devi, her mother lived. As arranged, I left Dharmishta Devi in the station and went to the house of her old mother. The house was locked I waited on till she returned from the Shiva's shrine. The old Kalyani Devi whose facial features were aglow with piety returned and received me respectfully and requested me to step into her house. The house was poor in mundane materials but rich in calm atmosphere. With an expedient ability, I explained to her the purpose of my visit. Irrepressible joy rose on her wrinkled face and she asked me to instantly take her to Dharmishta, her dear and discarded daughter.

I took her to the station. As we were nearing it, the sight of her mother enveloped Dharmishta Devi with glee springing out of the feeling of dependable deliverance from the Kanavish Kanchan and Kamini. She came running with outstretched hands and movingly merged herself in the protective plus peaceful embrace of Kalyani.

Helpless as she was, her silent sufferings and the most painful methods which she employed to keep herself pure--barring, of course, her triple attempts to commit suicide, was undoubtedly a sane course and in absolute accordance with the belaudable Buddhistic biddings.

When with substantial satisfaction I left that holy place of re-union of those two souls, I could not dismiss the opinion gathered from my observation in the society and summed up from Dharmishta Devi tragic and TOTALLY TRUTHFUL experiences of MASCULINE MALTREATMENT, that a great majority of MEN STAND TODAY EXEMPLIFIED IN CARNAL CRAVINGS SOAKING THEIR SOULS IN SULLYING SEXUAL SINS OF SHAME.

It has to be admitted that only those opulent persons who have suffered the pangs of poverty and who care to remember it, they alone can suitably serve the poor. Only the healthy Doctors can serve the sick--the literate alone can teach the illiterate and the happy alone can console the despondent. So also, IT IS BUT REASONABLE THAT ONLY A LADY WHO HAS SUFFERED ABUNDANTLY SERVE THE FEMININE FOLKS AND WORK FOR THEIR RENAISSANCE THROUGH A MALE PHYSICAL FRAME. AS SUCH, I EARNESTLY PRAY THAT THE ALL-MERCIFUL GOD BE PLEASED TO GRANT DHARMISHTA DEVI'S IDEAL ASPIRATION TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY, SO THAT SHE MAY LIVE AND UPLIFT THE LOT OF THE HINDU WOMEN AS DID SWAMI VIYEKANANDA, SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI AND DR. DARVE.  Amen

## 25. Ancient Ties

Those who believe in the factual theory of rebirth will readily believe also in past relationship with other souls here on this earth, with souls promoted to celestial status and / or with souls who have been demoted to satanic planes.

Because it is not given to every one of us to remember, recall or recapitulate our past lives -- neither the immediate nor the distant ones, we are prone to attribute many day-to-day happenings to fanciful causes when in fact they are the effects of our past karmas. Our present lives would become a bundle of chaos if we knew all the details of our past lives.

Life here, as is elsewhere, is a series of give and take in the form of pain or pleasures depending upon the nature of our past plus present dealings with the living beings or with the reborn--irrespective of their species.

The following true experience of mine will clarify and prove beyond a!! reasonable doubts the operations of the ancient ties according to our karmas.

Sometime during the close of 1960. one Seth Pushkarbhai A. Nagori of Jamnagar (Saurashtra). wrote to me about a dream in which he saw himself and me doing japa in a Goddess's temple of Orissa and the dream ended in his being directed to visit that place.

Giving me the following details of his dream, he asked me--a wanderer that I am, if I had come by that temple during my extensive peregrination in the country. The name of the Goddess's temple, I was informed, began with the letter 'ga' of Hindi consonants. I was given to understand that it was a popular shrine and that facing that temple is a fine lotus tank and at the back of the temple is a place of worship dedicated to the great Lord Shiva in a  dilapidated condition.

Even before this letter came to me, as is my wont, my annual Jour program was chalked out on 1st October of that year also and the itinerary included a visit to the famous Jagannath Puri. Yet, feeling that it would be no easy task for me to trace the temple in Orissa, and that apart, not knowing whether the period allotted for the visit to and stay at Jagannath Puri would be sufficient enough for me to freely move about there and locate that temple, I brushed aside Pushkarbhai's peculiar dream.

As planned, I left for Puri from the residence of my very good friend Shri Manibhai K. Amin of Bombay and reached Puri on 13th December, 1960. While there, I made casual queries regarding that Goddess's temple only to learn from the local Brahmins that there was no such shrine anywhere around Puri.

From there I next visited Bhubaneshwar-- another important place of pilgrimage and made enquiries about the temple. There also, none seemed to have heard of it.

I returned back to Puri next morning and went to the Jagannathji's temple, worshipped there and later leaving the temple I was descending its steps. When I reached a point not many steps left to the last one, a middle-aged man stopped me and demanded eleven and a half annas from me. That made me feel odd. For, well-dressed as he was, beggary couldn't be his profession, thought I. Nor was he one of the Pandas (religious guides), most of whom harass, hurt and horrify pilgrims. When he found me silent, waving his hands to express unconcern, he said to me, "If you don't want, you need not pay. It is your last birth's debt." How come you know so ?--interjected I. Whereupon, that person, whom, for the convenience of my narration I shall hereafter refer to as Punarjanma said, "First half of every year I spend in Puri--practicing Yoga. I am used to doing my yogic exercises from midnight to sunrise and from 16.00 to 21.00 hours daily. I rest through sleep from sunrise to noon everyday. Today, while asleep, I received the following command in dream. I woke up immediately and came running here."

"Meet a sadhu at 11.20 a.m. on the eighth step of Sri Jagannathji's temple and collect from him 11 1/2  annas. You both were Muslims in your last birth - jointly doing cooly work in Burma. Both of you died when you were still .in teens. The sadhu owes you the said amount as a result of his last birth's transactions with you. He is now in search of a Goddess's temple about which a friend of his had written to him. The name of the temple is Raag Devi and it lies 8 miles south of Bhubaneshwar. In the front portion of the temple is an old lotus tank and on the rear of the shrine is a Shiva's temple in a ruined state. Take him there. At 11-48 a.m. you are to step into the shop of one Pooriamchand whose cloth store is on the temple road here in Puri. No sooner you do so, you will be given a sum of Rs.7/13/- to meet the expenses of the trip to Raag Devi's temple and back to here."

Incidentally, I must here narrate also another incident in which I happened to casually meet a Mahatmaji in C.P., as early as in 1946. That Mahatmaji whom I had never met before, gave me the following astonishing facts of my past two births.

I was told that in the birth before ia.st I was born in a family of basket makers in EGYPT. When I was about 8 years or so, my parents died. Thereafter, I was taken charge by a Muslim saint who took me to some place near Basra and looked after me. After about 4-5 years stay there, I also died and was reborn somewhere around there itself in a Muslim family again. My parents were farm hands. A businessman from Burma who had gone to Mecca - Madma came over to where we were and bought my parents as slaves and took us all to Burma. I was a babe of four months then. There I grew up into a little lad. Adjacent to our Master's bungalow was a Buddhist monastery and I used to go there to play about. The inmates of that hermitage used to treat me with affection because of my charming Arabian looks and tender age. When I was about 8 years old, my mother passed away and my father became mad. He went away somewhere and a few months later news reached us that he died due to starvation in a far off town.

. In the meantime, our master suffered heavy losses in business and he had to perforce quit the place of his residence. He left me in the monastery. I was with the monks for a fairly good period when all at once, I was driven out of the monastery because of my mischievous conduct. With no shelter and sympathizers, I as a boy of nine began earning my livelihood by carrying loads of people and doing other domestic jobs. At the age of 14 or so, I died.

The place of my present birth is Burma and my Egyptian father of my birth before the last one happened to be my mother this time also born in Barma.

The astounding Samhitas--branch of higher astrological science--have fully corroborated all the foregoing past details about me and they also contain some nice predictions about my future. All of them will certainly come to pass.

Since the time I first came to know about my birth in Egypt, I have been cherishing a deep fancy to visit that country. Next year will see the fulfillment of my vow to spend twelve monsoon seasons in Bhadran, a small town in the rich Kaira District of Gujarat, and God granting, it is my plan to commence my study tour on 19th March, 1965 and walk the distance from Delhi to Cairo. According to my working, it will take me 16 months to reach the beautiful chief city of Egypt. As for my return trip, I shall be making use of conveyances.

Now, coming to our original narration, I paid 111/2 annas to Shri. Punarjanma. From near the temple, he hired a rickshaw for Bhubaneshwar. On the way, he stopped the rickshaw near a road-side cloth shop and entered into it. On the cash counter was seated a gentleman and with the entry of Shri. Punarjanma, that gentleman got up, referred to his watch and without saying anything gave him Rs. 7/13/- which he had kept ready.

Punarjanma said nothing either. He took the amount and we left. We reached Bhubaneshwar and a bus which we boarded from there dropped us near the temple of Raag Devi. Truly, the small temple appeared ancient-there was in front of it what must have been a lotus pond. On the rear end of the temple was also a Shiva's shrine in a ruinous state. We spent some time there and before leaving learnt that, that place was very popular some six decades back and that it used to attract good crowds of devotees. But, with the passage of time, our very old informant told us, it came to be neglected and is now one of the many abandoned temples of our over-religious country.

On the way to Ragg Devi and on reaching back Jagannathji's temple, I asked Shri. Punarjanma to tell me something connected with his present birth. But, he declined to say anything. Explaining his refusal, he said, "by the plan of nature, we met and now that the purpose of our meeting is over, why try to load your head with unproductive information about me?" I did not press further.

He left and I straight away went to Poonamchand-the cloth merchant and asked him to tell me everything about that Rs. 7/13/-. He told me that on the previous night he was directed in his dream to pay that amount to the person who called on him at 11.48 a.m.

I had sufficient money with me and so did, I am sure, Shri. Punarjanma. Any of us could have afforded to spend that little amount. But, the enigmatic entry of Poonamchand in this incident to pay us Rs.7/13/ - towards the expenses of the trip to Raag Devi is nothing but a clear case of his having been our past debtor.

As for the name of the temple which turned out to be Raag Devi instead of it beginning with the letter 'ga' as informed by Pushkarbhai, it is to be understood that the letter 'Ra' before the cga' didn't receive a proper impress on the memory curtain of Pushkarbhai and, as such, he only remembered the last letter 'ga' on waking.

I left Puri and went to several other places as per my chalked out program and reached Jamnagar on 27th March, 1961. In the meantime, I didn't inform or write to anyone about this wonderful incident. Only on reaching Pushkarbhai's house did I tell him all about it. That didn't surprise him. An entry of March 1961 in his diary contained the details of his wife's trance during which his wife informed him that I had located that temple and that I would myself be speaking to him about it, within an hour of my visit to their house. This feat of Mrs. Pushkarbhai is another proof of the marvelous functioning of the inner mind.

Does not this entire remarkable incident reveal that our lives are most mysteriously inter-woven by karmic relations of both the unknown past and the unintelligible present and that we come here to fulfill the calls of our past commitments and to evolve spiritually???

## Life Sketch of Swami Krishnanand

Man is the superb and supreme creation of God. Among all the animals, he has distinguished himself by his sense, intelligence and awakening to the highest level of life. Even among all the human beings, there are very few who have devoted their lives for others by offering them peace, happiness and mental satisfaction. Though few in number, such Saints are welcomed and worshiped by people. Among such saints the name of Swami Krishnani is glorious, unique and worth to be proud of. Despite having a common name "Krishnanand" he was a very unique and charismatic human being. This is only life sketch of Swami Krishnanand of Shanti Ashram, Bhadran.

Biography or Autobiography is a description of man's life right from his birth till the end, in chronological order. Swamjii never wrote or allowed anyone to write about his life. He very firmly believed that his life was not meant to get exposed in words as he didn't want publicity. Long back in 1980 I very humbly tried to get his consent to write about him, but very quietly and peacefully he denied my request. Every person's spiritual progress is really a personal process.  Swamiji believed, when right maturity is achieved by a human being, he does find a Guru [a pathfinder, guide and teacher] who shows path to the follower. It is now for the follower to go ahead on the path. He firmly believed, one person's life and progress cannot lead or encourage other person to live such life. This personal belief did not allow him to write his own autobiography or allowed others to write his biography. Now that he is not with us, I try to write his life sketch for the followers and friends to quench their thirst, to know him a little bit better.

He has never written detailed accounts of his life events but sometimes he described them during conversations and lectures. There were some who used to note down this events. Of those members, Dr. C.P.Goswmi - a pathologist from Ahmedabad, used to keep notes of his lectures. During my 20 years of his company I noted some events of his life, so in this attempt of drawing his life sketch I have taken help of Swamiji's books, Dr. Goswami's notes and my own notes.

Swamiji was Born on 26th August, 1920 at 12.18 p.m. at Maymyo (now Pyin Oo Lwin) in Burma a country near North-East of India. This birth date is confirmed in 'Pathik-na-Anubhavo' (Episodes & Experiences), where a ghost tells Swamiji his birth date during their conversation. Despite being born overseas Swamiji's background was of an Indian family. The family migrated from India some three or four generations back and settled in Burma.

Swamiji enjoyed his childhood in a very rich and happy family. His father was Director in a bank and also a partner in Indo-Burma Petroleum (I.B.P) Company. Though a bit religious, his father was more conservative, well-disciplined and under the Western influence, while his mother was totally religious, having firm faith in God and well cultured. Because his father was busy in business, service and day-to-day affairs, Swamiji like other children, did spend most of the time with his mother. Other members in the family were a maternal uncle, six sisters, and a cousin brother. After five daughters, the family got twins - a daughter and a son. This son was he himself-the Swamiji. Swamiji had most affection with his twin-sister from all the family members; till he took Sanyas (renounce worldly and materialistic pursuits and dedicate life to spiritual pursuits).

During the childhood Swamiji was very influenced by his mama-the maternal uncle. After death of his wife [Mami - wife of his maternal uncle] at young age, mama left everything and became a Sanyasi. Mama used to live on the top floor of the house and his visitors were mostly Saints. His father did not like this group of Saints in his house and Mama was also aware of this dislike. But for the child this presence of Saints, religion, God, the talk and discussion-became the foundation for his future. In 1940 Ma Anandamayi conducted a yagya (an ancient ritual of offering and sublimating the havana sámagri (herbal preparations) in the fire) at a waterfall known as Aniskhan and Mama went there to attend and remained there till he died. Swamiji used to re-collect this incident interestingly and talked in details.

Born with a very high sense of understanding, this intelligent child started his primary education at home. Then passed his competitive test and straightway entered in fourth grade. Studying in an English medium school of Maymyo, this child cleared all his exams with very good result and used to keep his rank in between first and seventh in the class. He became one of the favorite students of his Principal. He appeared for the 1st year of College test but to the surprise and shock of all, was declared 'Fail'. The Principal himself, along with Swamiji went to the university and on re-checking found the mistake in the total of marks, he was declared pass with 1st class. In 1940, he cleared his graduation with English Literature as special subject and General subjects as subsidiary once. He secured First Class and as a result a Gold Medal. He joined M.A. degree and kept English and History as his primary subjects. But unfortunately before the result was declared, the Second World War broke out. Along with many Indian, Families, this family also left Burma to migrate back to India. So naturally his study for M.A. was left unfinished and reminded so till the end.

Though he was a bright student with an excellent progress, he was a bit timid. Not to get harassed by the co-students, Swamiji used to keep his pockets full of chocolates to please them, he gave them generously. This gave him a nickname of 'Sweety'. Although he was timid by nature, he did play mischief at times. It happened once that he slapped a co-student so hard that the glasses of that boy got broken. The result was obviously punishment. The teacher beat him with a wooden stick in front of the class. Swamiji used to narrate this uncommon-event in his lectures often. He was always quiet eager to learn something. Because of this nature he was loved by the wife of the principal. She compensated the absence of love from his mother who was busy with family duties. Apart from the motherly love from her, he learnt the manners of western life, western education and its impact on human nature. He never went to foreign countries after his arrival in India, but Swamiji was well versed in western manners of life due to the contact with principle's wife.

Generally the studious students are not much interested in sports, but to the contrary Swamiji was taking part in Table-Tennis, Billiard and chess in his college days. He participated in Table-Tennis tournaments and won a Gold Medal, not only this he was also selected at the National Level. Though he remained aloof in other sports in his later age, but he had soft corner for chess. He had very good knowledge of chess; he read many books on it and even used electronic chess. He organized a State Level tournament for chess players at Bhadran. He organized it so nicely that some of the participants remember it even today. He had no interest in cricket and he did not miss a chance to narrate these in his lectures and books.

Due to the Second World War many Indian families left Burma for their home country India. Swamiji's family was one of them. They, with a desire to go to Nagpur, their native place, left Burma. Four married and one unmarried sister left Burma by plane. Before Swamiji, his twin sister and parents reached the airport, the airport got destroyed by bombs during the war. Due to the collapse of air services they were forced to walk to Calcutta. Deserted areas, full of dead-bodies, absence of all the necessities like food and water, no shelter, pools of blood, limbs scattered all over was the picture he saw. Migrants were playing with the ornaments of gold and silver as none was needed, all they needed was food and water. People living nearby exploited the people and charged insanely for water and food. It was very tough to survive on with what little they had or found from empty houses on the way. He used to survive for 5-6 days from small amount of rice by adding water in it. Swamiji helped a rich man by risking his own life to get little rice for him. They reached Calcutta after three months. Swamiji was all with tears in his eyes whenever he used to narrate this horrific journey from Burma to Calcutta in his lectures.

At Calcutta they got shelter at a refugee camp. Now it was time to think about missing sisters who left by plane and about monetary conditions. During this tough time, fortunately they met his father's friend Mr. Bashir who was one of the directors of Indo-Burma Petroleum Company. He helped them a lot, made arrangements for stay in a well-furnished hotel and in search of the sisters who were missing. Mr.Bashir helped to get the family money from the Burmese government, cash for the family's shares in IBP Company and Insurance Company. The family got well-established again after receiving the financial aid.

At the end of 1942 the family shifted to Nagpur and settled there. Next year in 1943, his mother died and at the end of the same year his father died, that left both Swamiji and his twin-sister without family. He got a message informing that the missing sisters were in Manipur, Assam. Both Mr. Bashir and Swamiji left for Manipur to meet the sisters. On way Mr. Bashir got injured in an accident and was admitted to a hospital. Luckily they met the sisters and all came to Nagpur where they lived happily and peacefully. In 1944 Swamiji distributed the family property among sisters. His own part of around Rs. 1,00,000/- gave to his twin-sister. With this carefree position Swamiji left the house and opted for Sanyas.

 "I used to be timid from childhood and also was not fully devoted in god, so I took money enough to survive for almost a year. With one pair of clothe I left the house", Swamiji used to tell his followers about his immature state when he took Sanyas. An Astrologer has forecasted when he was in Burma that three of his relatives would adopt Sanyas and so it did get materialized. First it was his maternal uncle, then a cousin brother and then he, himself.  There was no intention to seek enlightenment (ultimate spiritual state) nor did he have any childhood dreams of becoming a saint.

By leaving your home you don't become a saint, it was just the beginning of his preparation to become a Sanyasi. He left his home-town and came to Nagpur where he purchased a ticket for Hubli, Karnataka. He reached to Kishkindhaa, a famous holy place. During his stay at Kishkindhaa, he roamed and visited many temples and caves. Then he went to Pampa Sarovar [a lake] where a carefree saint asked him to go to Anjanay cave and pray and visit Kartik Swami's place. On third day he went and spent the whole night of non-stop prayer and meditation but to his surprise his co-partner in that Anjanay Cave was none other than a huge python. Swamiji has described this event in one of his books. He believed his journey to self-realization started from here.

In 1948, he came back to Nagpur from Hubli and officially adopted Sanyas. He was given the official name "Krishnanand" after that. He then started his long-journey on foot. The first long distance journey was from Nagpur to Karachi. Then it was from Surat to Pondicherry. At Karachi he met Capitan Ramdas. After Karachi he went to Sakkar, there he met a saint known as Aghori Mastram and served him well. Aghori Mastram sent him to Mirpurkhas where one Shri Makrana gave him proper guidance to become fearless. He went to Saurashtra where in Adityana in Ranavav he came in touch with Yogini Devi. He also met Vishwapremji and Shantipuriji while somewhere near Shillong he met a well-versed Yogi known as "Punarjanma". In 1946 in Madhya Pradesh he met a great saint who described in detail Swamiji's two former births before this one. All this helped him to learn and increase his own knowledge about spiritual-progress. He ended up in Bhadran first time in 1952.

On the cross roads near Ananand, without any reason Swamiji stared walking towards Borsad and was directed to go to Napa village. He stayed in a Shiv temple for three days. On fourth day when Swamiji started his journey to Petlad the Pujari of temple requested him to spend Chaturmas' [a period of 4 months in monsoon during which the Saints don't travel fearing to crush insects] in Bhadran. Swamiji took the path to Bhadran.

'Shanti Ashram' is located in the west of Bhadran near the narrow-gauge railway station. A Patel built the ashram in memory of his young son's death. The ashram was built in 1925, for any Saints to stay there for few days. When Swamiji came to this Ashram he was given welcome by a blind saint named Shri Gyaniji. Initially he was treated by the local devotees and trustees as an ordinary saint. After a month or so, one of the trustees came across an English book lying by the side of Swamiji, which was biography of Shri Ram Krishna Paramhans. He then realized that Swamiji was a learned one. Slowly Swamiji attracted some old aged and educated people from the town. He was given some facilities, especially that of water by the Late Chunibhai F. Patel and also invited him for the next 'Chatur Mas'. Swamiji liked this quiet, lonely and peaceful place so he decides to spend next twelve Chatur Mas in Bhadran. In 1965, after the 12th Chaturmas Swamiji wanted to visit Cairo, Egypt which was his birth place in previous birth, but he did not get visa as war between India and Pakistan broke out.

After fulfilling his desire to complete 12 Chaturmas, he continued to do Chaturmas in Bhadran. He lived in Bhadran for 37 years more than half of his 69 years life.

In the beginning Swamiji's daily schedule was different, most of the time was spent in prayer, meditation and reading. In the evening he would talk about his own experience from his travels. He was requested to write his experiences in a book to spread the true and inspiring stories. Due to his poor writing skills in Gujarati he started writing in English, which was translated in Gujarati. He was regarded as a very good writer by many, despite him being a saint.

Until 1975, Swamiji used to beg from houses for his food. It was mentioned by an astrologer that Swamiji reached highest pick of his 'sadhana' and achieved the supreme stage of self-realization and enlightenment during 1974-75.

After 1975, Swamiji's daily routine changed. Instead of going to beg for food, he got a kitchen constructed in the Ashram. He also constructed a spacious bathroom near his prayer-room. He made some facilities for the guests also. During 1975 electricity was connected in the Ashram, till then he was using kerosene lamps.

Suitable to the nature of a spiritually devoted person, his schedule of the entire day was very perfect. He used to get up at 2.30 am in the morning every day in Bhadran or while travelling. He never altered this mid-night wake up time. After taking tea, he used to perform prayer and meditation between 3 am to 5.30 am. 5.30 am to 6.30 am for bath and other activities, 6.30 am to 7.30 am morning payers. 8 am to 9.30 am meeting with his devotees. 9.30 am to 10 am lunch, 10 am to 12 pm in the prayer room for meditation and rest. 12 pm to 2 pm was spent reading and responding to letters. 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm was spent for the mid-day bath. He used to meet people from outside of Bhadran in between 4 pm and 5 pm. 5 pm to 7 pm was spent again with the local devotees. Dinner at 7.30 pm and sleep from 8.15 pm was his unbroken daily schedule.

He never missed three occasions to visit Saurashtra.

1)To attend a mela (fair) at Mount Girnar on Maha Sivaratri (Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva)

2)He would go to Savarkundla on the occasion of Jalzilana Ekadashi in the month of Bhadarva (11th month according to Gujarati calendar)

3)He would go to Bhavnagar in the month of January-Maha Shud Bij for a week.

When came in contact with the followers of Rajkot and Bhavnagar, it was learnt that Swamiji who used to keep his schedule tight and without a little change at the Ashram, he was not very strict follower of it in Saurashtra.

Guru Purnima is the unique celebration where and when a guru - a teacher is worshiped by all of his students and followers. Since his arrival in 1952, Guru Purnima was celebrated without a break.

Despite being a saint he was very proficient in social aspects of the world. He will advise his hosts well in advance of his intention of arrival. He never would use his host's phone or vehicle. He was a very good person to manage long travels. He used to say 'I never forget the person who has invited me for a dinner". He served one of his host's wife in the Ashram with same words and tone, he was served 22 years ago.

As mentioned earlier, Swamiji used to do very long distance travel by foot. He travelled to Badri-Kedar on foot three times, twice from Haridwar and once from Rudra Prayag. Due to extensive travel on foot his health deteriorated and he was unable to perform long travels. Then he started travelling in train, he preferred first class or A.C. Chair car. During his life time he visited Amarnath 5 times and Badri-Kedar 36 times. He has travelled roughly around 24,000 kms by foot and around 29,000 kms in train/car/plane.

Due to his difficult travels by foot his health got affected. First time in 1979 he got mild heart-attack. He needed to stay in Lady Pillar Hospital of Baroda for one and half month when he got the second heart-attack in 1980. In 1981, coronary bypass surgery operation was performed on him at the CMC hospital in Velor. Due to the dust of tobacco near the Ashram, Swamiji was having difficulty breathing. One of the devotee started building new Ashram for Swamiji in Dandi but due to legal issues the work was stopped. In the February of 1988 he underwent surgery for prostate gland, where he lost a lot of blood and experienced significant pain. His health was not very well in the last 10 years of his life. On 3rd August, 1989, while sleeping in his prayer room, in between 11 and 11.30 am he got a severe heart attack and he left us.

The medical students hardly get good bodies for study, which was known to Swamiji. So after the 1981 operation in Velor he decided that he would give his body to a Medical College. He arranged donation of his body to Karamsad Medical Hospital. He strongly recommended not starting any religion or fellowship after his death. He strongly stated that Shanti Ashram is a public place for saints and should not become a private property of his followers.

Swamiji created his own personality by learning and staying in touch with great soul and personalities like J. Krishnamurti, Dada Lekhraj, Shri Pandurang Athwale, Shri Mataji of Pondicherry, Dongreji Maharaj, Shambhu Maharaj and Acharya Rajnish. He accepted Shri Mota of Hariom Ashram as his guru and took deep interest in the activities of Hariom Ashram. Born in Burma, migrated to India and eventually made Bhadran his karmabhoomi (the land where one works). This soul was very unique and a privilege for the human kind.

May God Bless Us All.

Originally written in Gujarati by - N.N.Trivedi.

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