Passage 4

Tap any word for its meaning.

॥

In plain words

While I was in Uganda, Amin one day wanted to take Me to his house and arrange a feast. To learn what arrangements to make, he himself came to Dr Patel's house. “What should I do? How should I do it? What should I serve?” So he asked about every detail and learnt it all. For the cooking he had all new vessels brought from the bazaar. He had even the little tumblers brought new. When I went to their house, all his wives stood in rows on this side and that. He introduced them to Me. I stayed a few days in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. On the last day came Guru Pūrṇimā. I had said that I would come to Bombay for Guru Pūrṇimā. But the Africans there would not let Me move; they fell at My feet, shedding tears, and prayed, “Bhagavān! Stay only with us”. As the fruit of their prayers, I stayed right there for Guru Pūrṇimā. That day they longed to have photographs taken with Swami. ‘Pray within your minds’, I said. In everyone's pockets photographs appeared, just as if they had had them taken together with Swami. Everyone was overjoyed. The Bhakti of those Africans cannot be described as being ‘like this’ or ‘like that’. Even to this day, thinking of those devotees brings great joy.

From there I went to Tanzania. There too everyone was full of joy. Men and women, wearing dress that reflected their culture, danced as they bade us welcome. On that tour I went to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania: these three countries. They are all neighbouring countries. On the day I was to leave from there, everyone came up to the plane. When it was time for the plane to leave, they all came and stood right in front of it. “Swami, You must not move from here. You must stay right here”, they prayed. But how could it be, if I never moved from there! Then the pilots and the other officials went and reasoned with them, “It is not good of you to stand in Swami's way like this”, and so they stepped aside.