protection of future devotees

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[sacredLifeOfSwamiji] Life History of H.H. Sri Swamiji 213

 

 

 

 

> The adults were at a loss to know as what to make of his actions. They did

> feel happy on seeing his mischievous acts and said, “He has not lost his

> childhood pranks.†But, as they had feared, one day when Swamiji was sitting

on

> the branch of a tree, he went into samadhi and in that state the branch broke

> down and he fell down with a big thud. Luckily he did not break any bones, he

> received a number of bruises but still was in the state of samadhi. Jayamma

> heard the noise and came out running to see what had happened. She had the

> shock of her life on seeing her dear Swamiji in that state. Several other

> devotees also came out and saw what had happened. They carried him inside but

did

> not know what to do next. The nearest medical facility was nearly 4 km away

> and there were no vehicles to shift Swamiji. After a while Swamiji got up.

> Seeing the others sitting round and crying he also started crying. At the end

he

> had to console the others. They asked, “Why were you so silly Swamiji? What

> would have been our fate if something serious had happened?†Swamiji

replied,

> “We can still live with broken bones. But, if the one on the other side,

> fell under the lorry, he would not survive.†“Who is that person

Swamiji,†they

> enquired. “A devotee.†“Anybody from our circle of devotees?†“He is

not a

> devotee yet, you do not know him. It may be another 15 years before he becom

> es our devotee.†Why did you have to take so much trouble for saving the

> person who is not a devotee yet? There was no need for all the trouble you

> underwent for someone who will become a devotee 15 years later. “If I do not

> struggle, your problems will not be cleared. 15 years may appear a long time

for

> you all. I have been guiding you all for several births. It is not in your

> hands to become my bhaktas. The time taken to become a bhakta is also not in

your

> hands. You have to mature a lot before you can understand the logic of my

> statement.†Probably this argument would have gone on for a long time. when

> Swamiji was in that mood, it would have been possible to extract many secrets.

> But, he was still bleeding from the injuries received. Jayamma put a stop to

> the philosophical discussion, applied butter to the bruises on Swamiji, took

> him inside and made him lie down. It was not the first time that Swamiji had

> injured himself while in samadhi but the first time when he fell off a tree.

> He had gone into samadhi often when he was in the underground hall. When he

> was not in deep state of samadhi, he was known to wander off into the forest

> around the Chamundi hills towards the east. There were many thorny bushes on

> the hill. He had received scratches on his body when he wandered off like this

> but he would not be aware of those injuries sustained. On occasions his

> devotees found him in the bushes in an unconscious state. Many times, he would

> walk back to the ashrama with bruises all over the body. That is why whenever

he

> went into samadhi, Jayamma kept extra vigil on him so that he would not

> wander off or get hurt. Many devotees wanted to ask him, “What is all this?

What

> is this samadhi state you are going into?†they did not have the courage to

> put the question. Once, Swamiji was conducting the “Poornima Homaâ€, the

> devotees were fully absorbed in the pooja. It was the time for the

“Poornahutiâ€.

> Suddenly they realised that Swamiji was not there. It was dark and the

> surrounding areas were known to be abundant with scorpions and snakes. It was

going

> to be impossible to search for him among the bushes. The devotees were

> frightened and did not know what to do next. Some of the devotees took the

bold

> step of going out in search of him. Luckily the light from the full moon

> assisted in their task. They were unable to find him. Just then, a puppy dog,

a

> favourite of Swamiji came near them and started barking. It was a special

> favourite of Swamiji. It would not eat any food and be prepared to remain

hungry

> unless Swamiji fed her personally. The devotees did not take notice of its

> barking, they thought it was missing its master. They tried to shoot it away

but

> it did not move. It is not unusual to see the dogs barking more during full

> moon period. That was why the devotees did not take its bark seriously.

> Bhagawat, a devotee of Swamiji, Anjaneya Upasaka, had received “Alingana

Dikshaâ€

> from Swamiji. He was getting adept at receiving the intellectual waves from

> Swamiji. He realised that there was something special in the bark of that

puppy

> and decided to follow it. Other devotees followed them. The puppy crossed

> the main road and led them up the Chamundi hills. After going through many

> thorny bushes and stone boulders, half way up the hill, it stopped at a place

and

> started to wag its tail. The devotees found Swamiji unconscious at that

> spot. He was bleeding from his wounds. The devotees physically lifted him and

> carried him down the dangerous downhill path. Any slight error and slip of the

> foot would have resulted in danger to Swamiji and themselves too. Anyway, they

> succeeded in bringing Swamiji to the ashrama. The homa was completed in his

> absence and after a while Swamiji woke up. Bhagawat who was a bit more

> intimate with Swamiji put forward a question. He asked, “Swamiji, why all

this

> injuries? Why enter into this state of samadhi an get yourself hurt?â€

Swamiji

> replied, “I had to save a devotee in very unusual circumstances. It is hard

to

> withstand such suffering. That is why events like this happen often.â€

Bhagawat

> was not one of those who would believe such explanations. He gave a

> sarcastic smile. Swamiji remained silent.

>