Tropical Fever

An epidemic is sweeping the island.

Dinkar (our local full-timer) has caught it. The symptoms are high fever and acute body pain.

Many have died, and everyone requires hospitalization for at least a couple of weeks.

I suggested to Dinkar that he try to cure it in a yogic way.

From today he will follow a fruits-only diet, and practice certain yoga postures. Otherwise he is resting in our hut.

In only 5 days Dinkar was cured. I believe it could have been quicker except that he broke his diet once by eating a few biscuits.

The Margis and other friends are very surprised he could overcome the disease without medicine and in such a short time.

Nandi. Now I’ve got the sickness!

Today I ate only papaya. Though bed rest is recommended, I am practicing yoga postures in double quantity, and keeping up with all my normal work.

Of course I keep my face far away from anyone else’s to avoid contaminating them. Being continually on the move makes me sometimes feel very weak, but at least it keep my mind high.

19 years later: The most interesting thing is that for many years after that not a single mosquito bit me on my face. In the last few years perhaps four or five mosquitoes have nibbled my face a little, but none have yet dared to prick my nose.

Two days later. Lataoka. Yesterday I stopped eating and only drank lemon-water.

Today I observed full fast without water. I almost fainted several times while working but my mind was unaffected. Tonight the fever left me. Though I am still weak, I am sure the virus is out of my system.

One of the Margis is a newspaper editor, and he wanted to print an article about my overcoming the disease in only three days. I told him I didn’t want any publicity until my residence visa was secured.

Indira Gandhi plays her role in the cosmic drama

27 June. Recently there have been ominous developments in India.

Two weeks ago the High Court in Allahabad found Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of election fraud. Because it was just a matter of time before she would have been impeached and lost her Prime Ministership, yesterday she declared a federal state of emergency. Martial law was imposed. I fear the worst.

4 July. Today I received a phone call from Sydney.

Yesterday Ananda Marga was banned in India. Mrs Gandhi declared 26 organizations to be illegal.

Of these, one was Ananda Marga and 12 others were organizations directly and indirectly related to Ananda Marga, such as Renaissance Universal (a club for intellectuals) and various Prout groups.

All of our institutions in India were closed. All of our Dadas, Didis and well-known Margis have been arrested. Our Central Office is being shifted to Katmandu, Nepal, with an assistant Central Office in Denver, USA.

On one hand I’m horrified. Many of my brothers and sisters may have to suffer severely.

Perhaps some will even die before this episode is finished.

But at the same time I feel the banning was inevitable, and will eventually turn to our advantage. Surely it is a part of Baba’s planning. Ananda Marga is a revolutionary movement, albeit a peaceful one and the corrupt will not give up their power without a fight.

Furthermore, Tantrics must be able to undergo any sort of trial. And nothing teaches better than direct experience.

That’s why I remain not only optimistic, but am, indeed, positively inspired by these events.

Money: a mere game for Him

Nandi. No matter what happens in India, our normal work everywhere else must continue.

Whenever Dinkar and I run out of money here, we are unable to look to the Margis for assistance because most of them are very poor.

So we resort to taking the rounds of the shops, requesting donations. The shopkeepers usually each give a dollar or so.

Today when we entered the city center, imagining how our piggy bank would soon be bulging, a shopkeeper approached and said:

Both Dinkar and I were stunned.

“The last thing we want to do is offend them,” he said.

“Sure. From this moment we won’t ask a dime from them.”

“Then how will we exist?”

Half an hour later when we got to the post office and Dinkar added $2.5 and we sent the whole $5.

We have $4.20 remaining which we’ve decided to use only on bus fares and other organizational expenses.

There is no food in our little hut, isolated halfway between Nandi and Lataoka.

2 days later. Having not eaten since yesterday noon, we visited our only relatively wealthy supporter, Senator Sharma.

He was kind enough to donate large sacks of rice and potatoes.

4 days later. In our hut in the countryside between Nandi and Lataoka.

I was working on an article for our first newsletter when Dinkar interrupted me. “Dadaji, do you expect the money to simply fall from the sky?” He was feeling desperate, with only $2.60 in the cigar box.

“Maybe. It’s up to Baba how He wants to solve this problem. I’m not worried.” The truth was, I was also getting pretty tired of our starchy diet. When would this test end?

Ten minutes passed as we worked in silence. My mind drifted to Baba.

Suddenly a thought entered: Sell advertising in the newsletter.

I told Dinkar. He was skeptical. I said, “It was not my idea. I’m sure Baba put this thought in my head, so I’m sure it will work.”

Within 5 minutes we made the plan: first we’ll quickly finish and print 10 sample copies.

These will be shown to prospective advertisers. The ads will be in their own separate section at the end. Dinkar can also draw illustrations upon order. We’ll tell our clients that five hundred copies will be printed.

Five days later. Baba’s advertising scheme was successful far beyond our expectations. We made enough money to fully support us for the next few months and even pay for our plane tickets back to New Zealand when our visas expire.