Baba Angry

When I met him the next day, he told me that when Baba was returning from His office he told Him about the onion incident and Baba told him in angry mood: “Are you not ashamed, why do you take your food there?”

Now he was-not at all prepared to take his food with me under any circumstances.

He once more began his old routine. He would take his food once and then he would not take anything for many days. So one day I again asked Baba about him, but this time also, Baba rebuked me. In spite of His rebuke I went on insisting that this time I shall make arrangement for his food somewhere outside, but Baba was not ready to listen to anything. Then I kept quiet.

But while returning from the field I again requested Baba that I may be allowed to make arrangements for Harisadhanji’s food. Baba didn’t say anything. After some time Baba agreed to my request with the proviso, “If you can arrange for his food without much difficulty somewhere outside, you may do so.”

The very next day I pleaded with Harisadhanji to name any place and I would make arrangements for his food, there. I only wanted him to indicate the place of his choice.

I promised that I would make all arrangements and he would not have to bother about anything. Somehow he was persuaded to agree and named a hotel that was supplying vegetarian food. I sent one of my local friends to the place and made all the necessary arrangements.

This went well for some time until Baba ordered me to go home and my return was delayed. During my prolonged absence this arrangement also broke down. I did not talk to Baba about this matter again, but continued to think how much this person was suffering due to lack of proper food arrangements.

One day Baba was explaining ‘reactive momenta’ or ‘samskara’, and said that the force of samskaras creates a mentality which enables the consummation of these unspent reactions. I was already thinking about y disciple brother Harisadhanji, now it became quite clear that he was having this trouble because of his accumulated unspent reactions. That is why all my efforts to ease his circumstances had come to naught.

Baba always encourages his disciples to tolerate and bravely exhaust the force of the samskaras.

On my insistence on behalf of Harisadhanji Baba had been agreeing to my efforts to assist him, but at the same time He was discouraging this tendency also. On one side was the force of samskaras, and on the other side this discouragement by Baba to relieve him from this troubles, would created a formidable situation.

His liila is really wonderful! As long as the disciple has the capacity, Baba does not take the samskaras. In all circumstances He makes one go through the process of exhausting ones samskaras. He is greatly moved by the sight of suffering person enduring the consequences of their samskara, but He does not relent in their going through the necessary cleaning process.

This is a good place to mention how my child-hood friend, Vishvanathji, suddenly agreed to be initiated.

VISHVANATHJI

We were educated together, studying in the same school and living in the same hostel for 5 years. Since childhood he was fond of simplicity and purity and away from modern fashions. From his very school days, he had a special interest in puja and reading of holy books. This continued to grow steadily. His daily routine included kiirtan, signing the praises of the Lord, reading the Ramayana and practicing pranayama.

I was at the other extreme - fond of modern things - and liked to tease such a friend with what I considered such old-fashioned habits. Sometimes when he would close his eyes and do pranayama, I would mischievously close the other nostril through which he was breathing with my finger. I would run away when he opened his eyes.

Even so I never found him becoming angry. He had conquered anger right from the days of his childhood. Although there was great difference in modes of living and thinking I had great intimacy with him. Those days also his speciality was his simplicity and pure sentient habits of life.

After we left school, we met rarely. By God’s grace during our service period I had the good fortune to be again with him in Mahua. As a doctor he was quite well to do and rich, yet his life continued to be simple and pure. He was constantly in search of the company of saints and sages and this was becoming an essential trait of his personality.

We lost contact after Mahua, but some three years later in the rainy season of 1954, I met him all of a sudden at the Samastipur station. After preliminary courtesies, I informed him that I had become vegetarian. At first he did not believe me, but when I informed him that I had even given up onions and garlic, he immediately tried to touch my feet in token of respect to me. But the one who has converted me from a sinner to a pious man, he is worthy of all respect - and you should also take shelter at His feet.

He said, “He is great. He has converted you into a vegetarian.”

Thereafter, I informed him that I had started practicing yoga and that requires a vegetarian diet. He was very happy to hear this and began to insist that he should also be taken to Baba. In informed him that it is not possible to do so without His prior permission. At this, he gave me his address and requested me to inform him after I had obtained Baba’s permission. When after some days I went to Jamalpur to see Baba, I mentioned Vishvanathji’s request to Him.

Baba instructed me, “His time has not yet come.”

Vishvanathji was enquiring from me almost every week and I was informing him according to Baba’s instructions. When Baba had turned down the request two or three times, I asked Him how I should reply to Vishvanathji now.

Baba said, “There is no need to send any reply as yet; now when his next letter arrives, write him that he has got permission and he should come and take initiation”.I was happy to hear this and began to wait for Vishvanathji’s letter.

Formerly I was getting his letter of enquiry every week, but since Baba had told me to inform him on receipt of his next letter I did not receive any letter from him. I finally received a letter after about a month-and-a-half later and I wrote informing him that he had Baba’s permission. He received my letter at the end of November or the beginning of December 1954, and met me at Begusarai. Then he explained that he had been sent on deputation to Sonpur and was so busy he had not been able to write for a long time. The next day we went to Jamalpur and Baba initiated him.

Perhaps the time for guru darshan for Vishvanathji had not arrived earlier and I was insisting on his being initiated. Therefore, Baba gave me a formula that solved the problem, and there was nothing further to say. Vishvanathji stopped writing letters and resumed only when Baba’s grace was directed towards him. Therefore in these matters Baba’s wish is supreme.

Vishvanathji got initiation at a time when all the sadhakas were doing individual pracar. I therefore requested him that he should also in his spare time help in this pracar work. But his reply was not encouraging.

He said, “The time I will waste in making others understand can better be spent on my own, doing sadhana a little longer.”

I told him that perhaps after some days of sadhana he would think differently.

“You will not be able to rest without pracar”, I said.

And this very thing happened. To do pracar work his blanket and bag were ever ready to travel anywhere at short notice. At the time of initiation he was posted at Narkatiaganj in Champaran District. He did pracar work with great enthusiasm in the whole of this district. After initiation he would go to Jamalpur at least twice a month without fail, and every time some people would accompany him to take initiation.

The climax arrived when once he brought a sadhu with flowing matted hair and a small loin-cloth for initiation. I was also in Jamalpur at that time, and I had not seen Baba initiating a sannyasi or one in the garb of a sadhu.

I asked Vishvanathji, “From where have you caught hold of him!”

The sannyasi informed me that he wanted to take initiation but I expressed my doubt whether Baba would initiate such a person. His reply was very simple, that he was very keen on initiation and if necessary was prepared to give up his garb of a sadhu.

This is what happened. He was initiated, not as a sadhu, but as a family man and later on it was discovered that he was in fact a married person and lived in this garb at his own residence in a separate cottage.

The way Vishvanathji did pracar in Champaran, Darbhanga and Purnea Districts was incomparable. After becoming Acarya, he perhaps initiated the largest number of people. This was my great fortune, that after a childhood spent together, I became his disciple brother again in the school of Ananda Marga and we both became acarya and tattvika together also.