The trouble is mutual

His responsibility beyond the earth

Today while I was sitting outside Baba’s door, I asked a senior Indian worker, Dada Shubbhabodhananda, to tell me the most special experience he’d had of Baba. This was his story:

“It was one year ago during a DMC tour in India. As the secretary general of the Service Department, it was my duty to oversee the security arrangements. One morning, at 3:00,1 woke up and decided to check everything.

First I made sure that the two guards were both vigilant. Then I walked around to the rear of the house. Baba’s room was there, and the window looking into His room had the curtains drawn back somewhat.

I looked in, but He wasn’t there. Hmmm. Perhaps He had gone to the bathroom? I walked over to the bathroom window and listened. Nothing. Very peculiar. Where could Baba have gone? I walked back to the big window of His bedroom, but He still was not there. For some minutes I stood there gazing in the window, wondering and wondering.

Suddenly I became aware of the slight shadow of a figure in the center of the room.

As I watched, the vague shape became more and more definite. It was a man sitting in meditation. Finally I realized it was Baba. Where there had previously been nothing, He materialized.

The next morning I was full of curiosity, hoping for some opportunity to ask Baba about the night before. Baba called me in alone to perform massage. Shortly after I began, He asked, “Do you have some question?”

“Baba, last night, You know I was there. What was that?” He smiled and said, “Do you think I only have responsibility on this one planet?”

The trouble is mutual

Ananda Nagar. Today Dada Svarupanandaji (the principal of our college here and one of our most senior Dadas) told me a couple of stories from his early days in Ananda Marga:

After my initiation, but before I became an acharya, I visited the yoga center of the famous elderly lady saint Ananda Mayi Ma. At that time, Baba was not well known, so I did not inform anyone there that I was a Margi.

I sat together with the other devotees in front of Ma. She called me forward, and said, “You are very lucky. Anandamurti is the greatest guru. As for me, I will not be able to go to Him for a long long time.”

I was shocked by her psychic ability to know my guru, and thrilled by her praise of Baba. “I can convey your namaskar to Him if you wish,” I said.

“Thank you. It is my wish.”

Later, when I met Baba, and passed Ananda Mayi Ma’s namaskar.

He returned the namaskar, and commented, “Yes. She is a good girl.”

Another occasion, also before I was an acharya, I was together with Baba at night. Though we were walking, His mind was obviously far away. Taking advantage of His transcendental state, I stole two rupees from His pocket. Afterward, I used that money to buy sweets and brought them to the tiger’s grave where three of us sat with Baba. We all enjoyed the sweets. Then Baba said to me, “You are only a student, and couldn’t afford these sweets. I’ll give you the money.” I replied, “No, Baba, it wasn’t my money… I stole it from You.” Baba looked at me sternly and said, “From Guru you stole? You must be punished…. But I cannot give you punishment because I also indulged in the stolen goods.”

During those early years, (Svarupanandaji continued) one could often see Him enter into trances and different special states of being, just like other highly elevated spiritualists.

But He is not like others, because He never studied under any guru, and He passed through all His personal realizations as a youth. After that, I mean for the last thirty years or so, He always appeared in total control of Himself-even though He’s busy raising the kundalini force (spiritual energy) of so many other people. And busy making trouble for us. Well, of course, we’re also nicely skilled in making trouble for Him.

Microvita demo

Exactly seventeen years ago I first came to this spiritual paradise. I have to use the adjective spiritual because it is certainly not a physical paradise. Nevertheless, even physically it is far better off than when I first saw it. At that time it was a near-desert, without electricity or running water, and almost devoid of buildings. Now it is crawling with schools, welfare homes, dormitories, medical centers, small industrial plants, farm buildings, and offices. Most of these buildings have elec¬ tricity and running water—all provided by our own power plants, damns, bio-gas systems and solar cells. About 3000 of the local tribal people participate or are employed in construction, cottage industry or agricultural development projects in Ananda Nagar. And yet, so far, the government has not helped us in the slightest.

The most impressive change, however, is in the natural environment.

As I said, it used to be a near-desert. Its small streams would run dry in the summer. Now, even in the driest time of the sweltering summer, the river is not only running, its water is deep enough for swimming.

Although in this very moment a severe drought affects all of northern India, Ananda Nagar is an oasis, full of green-leafed trees and bushes.

Rain falls at least on a semi-regular basis.

Is it because the special trees and plants here, which Baba specified for attracting rain clouds? Or the system of rivers and drainage which catches rainwater to avoid its running into the ground? Or is it some sort of special spiritual grace?

(During a reporting session:)

BABA: Any effect may be achieved by causing a concentration of the relevant microvita. And those microvita may be transported by any of a number of different means. For example … my boy, step forward.

(A Dada walks close to Baba.) The microvita causing thermal generation may be conveyed by the tactual factor.

(Baba uses one finger to touch the Dada’s anahata chakra or chest.) Now how do you feel, my boy? DADA: Very hot, Baba. There are waves of heat. BABA: Acha. (Baba touches him again.)

And now?

DADA: My body’s coming back to normal, Baba.

BABA: These microvita may also be conveyed by the ocular faculty. (As usual, throughout the last few minutes, Baba was hardly looking at anyone, even while speaking with particular persons. Now he looks very specifically at the Dada.) How do you feel now?

DADA: I feel super hot, Baba.

BABA: Do you want to go on enjoying this state?

DADA: Ah (he smiles, though clearly very uncomfortable)… what¬ ever Baba likes.

BABA (again looking in an obvious way at the Dada): It would be dangerous for your cells to remain in this agitated condition for long. That is why I am now withdrawing the microvita. Well?

DADA: Thank you, Baba.

BABA: No, no. It was done by your grace alone.

Jumping cure

The Central Secretary of the Education, Relief and Welfare Section, Dada Paripurnananda, is a good friend of mine. Recently, Baba has been very hard on him. I feel proud of Paripurnanandaji, because no matter what sort of clash Baba gives him, he seems to take it nicely. Now in the middle of a scolding, Baba’s mood suddenly shifted.

BABA: I believe you have some problem with your knee. Is it so? PARIPURNANANDA (smiles sweetly, enjoying this change in Baba’s attitude): Yes, Baba.

BABA: GS Da, apply your hands to his left knee, massaging gently. (The General Secretary does so.) Is it somewhat cured now?

PARIPURNANANDA: Yes, Baba. It is maybe thirty percent better. BABA: Now you should leap in the air as high as possible. (Paripurnanandaji hesitates a moment, wondering if he understood cor¬ rectly, as it seems a strange way to cure a knee problem. Then, shrugging his shoulders in surrender, he jumps almost one meter up.) Jump again. And again. Now, describe the condition.

PARIPURNANANDA (with an enormous smile): I believe it is one hundred percent cured, Baba.

BABA: Just see, just see. But do I remember hearing one little boy thinking, “Baba loves those two other Dadas. He doesn’t love me.?” Hmmm, did anyone think that?

PARIPURNANANDA (softly): Yes, Baba, I was thinking so… but…

BABA: But what? Is it so that Baba does not love the little boy who was thinking so?

PARIPURNANANDA (looking affectionately at Baba): No. Baba loves him very much.

BABA: Perhaps your assumption is correct. Yes, I think it may be correct.