← The Gospel of Swami RamdasHis talks, as recorded by Swami Satchidananda

1953-08-27

Chapter 16

Anandashram, August 27, 1953

141. Do not weaken the body

9 a.m. S had slight fever since the previous day. So Papa, followed by Subbaram, came to see S in his room. Papa sat there for some time, enquired about his health, and was about to go. S got up and prostrated before Papa.

Papa: Why do you get up? You have still temperature and pain in the back.

MRR (who just entered the room): It is something like malaria. He might have had the infection in the system. He has been weakening his body, reducing the diet. Now, when the body is weak, it attacks him.

Papa: Why should you reduce food so as to weaken your body?

S: I am taking food twice quite all right. Only in the evening I do not take anything.

Papa: You may do sadhana, but should eat well; not that you should over eat, but enough to keep your body healthy.

Subbaram: Our Rajasthan friend (Shivashanker) has started taking food in the evenings now.

Papa (laughing): He has become so weak. While singing the bhajan, sound does not come out from him. He looks very pale also. In this connection, Ramdas remembers a sadhu who was living in the Kasaragod ashram. As Ramdas was living on potatoes, he also started potato diet. He was taking four potatoes a day. The sadhu became very weak and pale. One day it began to rain heavily and he was sleeping near the window. Ramdas asked him to pull the shutters to close the window. He pulled and pulled; the shutter would not move, as it was slightly stiff. Then Ramdas went and pulled it without any difficulty. Ramdas told the sadhu, 'This is the strength you have got by your potato diet'.

We must not weaken the system. If we do so, we give room for diseases to attack our body. Then how can we do sadhana? So, be strong and resist all diseases.

August 29, 1953

142. God's Lila is wonderful – Papa's sense of humour

5.30 p.m. Papa was standing near the flower garden outside the ashram and looking at it. Swami Aghorananda and S were with him. Francis was working in the garden, spraying DDT solution on some plants which were attacked by insects. Immediately after the spraying, the insects were trying to escape one by one.

Papa: See, so many insects have been eating up these plants. The moment DDT is applied, they run away.

S: There are so many enemies to the plants.

Papa: Of course, there are enemies to everything. The insects are the enemies of the plants and we are their enemies. Once somebody asked Ramdas why God created tigers and all such wild animals. Ramdas replied him that if these animals could talk, they would ask why God created human beings who shoot, kill and destroy the animals.

Swami A: One animal lives upon the other.

Papa: If we go to the forest, we shall be fine feast to the tigers there. His lila is wonderful!

9 p.m. Bhajan-hall. Papa was sitting on his chair facing the asan. He had just finished reading ‘Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master’. In front of him a few mothers were seated. On one side were Swami Aghorananda and some visitors.

Remembering something of what he read, Papa burst into laughter. Others around were eagerly expecting him to crack a joke.

Papa: Ramdas remembers a funny incident in the Kasaragod ashram. Ramdas was alone there in those days. Visitors from the town used to come, spend some time and return. One day Ramdas was resting after his noon meal. Then some mothers from the town came, and seeing Ramdas resting, sat in the veranda.

By this time Ramdas was awake, but he was still lying down. He could hear the following conversation going on in the veranda, in a very low tone. 'He is sleeping. Let us not disturb him. Did you see the new bangles I have got? They are made of sovereigns. Yes, they are nice. Hush, hush, we may disturb him.'

Just then Ramdas got up and sat on his bed. In a few minutes the mothers entered the room and sat before him. One of them asked Ramdas, 'Will you tell us something about bhakti and how to attain God?'

Ramdas replied: 'We must have love for God, and must remember Him, as we do our gold bangles.' At this answer they were astonished. They started looking at each other's face saying: 'We thought he was sleeping and did not hear what we were talking. See how he has heard everything'!

Papa continued: "On another occasion, in Bombay at a friend's place, some mothers came and sat in front of Ramdas. A very fat mother was sitting at a distance. She got up from there and came near Ramdas. While walking, her body was swinging like a pendulum and her gait was very slow on account of the bulky body. When she came near Ramdas, she asked, 'Tell me how to cultivate vairagya, and increase our bhakti for the Lord.' Ramdas then remembered the example quoted by Sri Ramakrishna. He said, 'What is the use of hearing about all these? All come only to hear but not to put the advice into practice. The camel that eats the leaf of the thorny plant, feels the thorns prick its tongue and lips and swears every evening that it would not go and eat those leaves any more. But the next morning it goes and eats the very leaves, and then repeats the vow in the evening. So, knowing is one thing and practising is another.' As soon as the mother heard this, she turned back and went straight to her old seat with the same slow gait and her body swinging as before. She never uttered a word. She went and sat there quiet."

August 30, 1953

143. Change in building plan

3.30 p.m. Mataji, carpenter Viswakarma and Keshav Bhatt were standing on the newly constructed plinth for the kitchen and dining hall building on the southern side of the bhajan-hall. Mataji was explaining to the carpenter some changes she had made in the plan. Then Papa was coming from ‘The Vision’ office. Mataji called Papa and told him that a change in the plan was necessary and gave reasons for it. Papa laughed heartily.

Mataji: Why are you laughing? Are you laughing at me?

Papa: Ramdas simply laughed, that is all.

Mataji: Even big engineers and contractors make changes in their plans when the buildings are in progress, and what is the wonder in our making changes? We are, after all, their children.

Papa again laughed, and agreed that the change might be made, and left.

144. Mataji's Miracle – Mataji and her talk about economy

5 p.m. Papa started for the Udyog Shala followed by S and a couple of others. The paddy crop in front of and behind Udyog Shala had come up very nicely and had flowered uniformly. Later, due to late rains and also white ants trouble, it looked as if the crop had almost failed, but by the prompt care and attention of Mataji, the crop not only did not die but grew up with greater vigour and strength. Papa was extremely pleased to see the crop and remarked: "Mataji is a miracle worker. These plants were about to die. See how beautifully they have come up now!"

After going round the fields, Papa was returning to the ashram. He met Mataji on the way. She enquired if Papa had been to the fields. "Yes", he replied, "Ramdas saw the fields. They are so nice. It is a great pleasure to see them."

Arriving at the ashram, instead of sitting as usual on the cement bench, he turned towards the west saying, "We must now go to Ramana Rao house and see how the marble slab has been fixed. But Ramdas is so tired; he is simply dragging his legs."

After spending a few minutes seeing how the marble slab had been fixed, Papa came and sat on the cement bench. S brought and placed the foot-rest in front of Papa and gently stroked his legs.

Papa: Ramana Rao came just in time to purchase that house. He came and saved the situation. Yes. Ram knows how to arrange things. He is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Every minute, nay, every second, He is watching the situation.

S: But He waits till the last moment, to come forward.

Papa: Now every moment is the last moment for us. First and last moments are the same.

Tomorrow, being the payment day, Mataji will have a funny time with only five hundred rupees we have. But she is courageous. She is brave enough to face any situation. She knows her banker has infinite wealth.

This sort of life seems to be good. We shall be able to control our expenses. If we have enough money in the bank, we will be expanding our activities without any limit.

This morning, standing on the plinth, when Ramdas laughed, she was touched. Mataji asked, "Why are you laughing at me?" Ramdas quietly said he simply laughed. He in fact laughed, seeing the way things are going on, and her talk about economy.

"Take the case of the septic tank. We have now to do the whole thing again."

S: Whatever Mataji does is all right, but her talk about economy is contrary to what she does.

Papa: Still she talks so much about economy and goes on spending in her own way. Ramdas had half a mind to see what she is doing behind the goshala near the cow-dung pits, and to crack jokes with her. But he is tired now.

August 31, 1953

145. Venomous Snake killed. A Cat saved

1.30 p.m. After the evening bhajan was over, almost all the devotees in the ashram had assembled for Papa's signature on their Ram Nam note-books. A few had already left. A snake was seen passing across the front courtyard of the bhajan-hall. Some children reported that to Papa. Immediately Papa himself came out and saw the snake. Some said that it should be killed. Papa stopped them from doing any harm to it; he did not want it to be killed unless it was a poisonous one. He asked a workman to see carefully what type of snake it was. He came and reported that it was a very venomous type. Papa then, in the interests of all those moving about in the ashram, instructed that the snake might be killed and removed. It was done.

Half an hour later Swami Aghorananda was talking to S about the snake, when Papa intervened and said, "It was a very poisonous snake called 'mandali' in these parts. It was well we despatched it to the other world. Otherwise it would have hid itself in the shrubs in the garden and been a source of worry to all."

Gopal (who was then preparing Papa's bed): It has gone to Vaikuntha.

Papa: Did it tell you where it was going?

Ramkishor came and sat near Papa with a long face and anxious look. Papa asked him to go to sleep.

Ramkishor: Papa, that cat, that cat.

Papa: That cat will be all right. You go to bed.

Ramkishor: Papa, that cat, that cat.

Papa laughed and made him go to bed.

There was a small cat in one of the buildings in the ashram. The poor weakling happened to come out, though it was unusual. The ashram dogs, the enemies of cats, saw and chased it. The cat ran for its life, found a wooden electric-light pole and quickly climbed it and sat quietly on its top. The dogs barked from below, going round the pole, expected that the cat would come down.

It was to this cat that Ramkishor was referring. It was feared that the cat might die of electric shock if its body happened to touch the wires. Papa was also anxious about it. Then he instructed the engine to be stopped in order to save the cat from the danger. The engine was stopped. Lingappa was asked to get the two dogs shut up in a room for the night, so that the cat could come down and get away. Lingappa returned a few minutes later and reported that he had locked up the dogs in a room. Papa said, "Ah! Now it is all right. The cat will find its way home."

September 1, 1953

146. Make an honest living

9 a.m. After replying to a few letters, Papa and S went to the bhajan-hall. A young man was waiting to see Papa there.

Papa (to the young man): It seems you are expecting some money by way of help from us.

Young man: I shall return the money when I go home.

Papa: Returning or not returning, we have no money to give you. You are a young man, quite strong and healthy. That you should go about doing nothing and asking for money is a matter for shame.

Young man: No, Swamiji, I was working. I did not receive money, that is all. I was giving tuition. I wanted to do it free.

Papa: Oh! That is a very nice type of philanthropy. You want to give free tuition and come to a charitable institution like this asking for help! It is wonderful. From whatever work you do, you must earn your maintenance and live a simple life. Coming to ask for money from such institutions as ours is no good. You can have meal here once or twice and go.

Young man: If I have Swamiji's blessings I can reach home all right.

Papa: Yes. Blessings are there. You may go.

Young man: Swamiji may please bless me so that I may get some work and I may be steady in it.

Papa: Yes. You have Ramdas’ blessings. Have faith and put your shoulder to the wheel. Make an honest living.

Young man: May I take leave then? Please touch me and bless me.

He prostrated before Papa. Papa patted him on the back and blessed him. Then the young man left with his things.

147. Inner attachment hard to give up

1 p.m. Dining-hall. Mataji was standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She had just finished her meal. Subramania Iyer was coming towards her after washing his hands. S was behind him. Subramania Iyer took an envelope and gave it to Mataji.

Subramania Iyer (who had gone in the morning to get his pension): There is one hundred and thirty rupees in it. I purchased a bottle of Horlicks. This is the balance.

S smiled looked at both of them, one giving and the other taking the money.

Subramania Iyer: S asked me long, long ago – some three years ago – why I should take the trouble of drawing my pension, and not endorse the pension slips and hand them over to Papa authorising him to draw the same for the rest of my life.

Mataji: Who will part with money like that so easily? It is difficult for one to give away money or land. One may talk about giving them up, presenting them and so on, but in the heart, one will still be clinging to them. The inner attachment for these things is so strong that it is very hard for us to give them up totally.

S: Is it the strength of our inner attachment, or is it the attractive power of money and land?

Mataji: It is only what is within us, that is our attachment for them. In the chalana swarupa (dynamic aspect of God) we get whatever we desire. It is only when we desire these things they attract us.

148. Sri Ramakrishna's concern for his devotee

Something in the kitchen drew her attention and after a couple of minutes she continued:

"I remember now what we read about Sri Ramakrishna yesterday. It is seems everyday they sent him from the temple, as prasad, a plate full of fruits and another of rice and curry. One day it so happened that the poojari forgot to send the prasad to Sri Ramakrishna. When he did not receive it in time, he was enquiring why it did not come. In a few minutes he was restless. He was walking up and down his room saying to himself why the prasad had not come. One of his disciples there wondered why Sri Ramakrishna should be disturbed over the two plates of Kali's prasad. He was God Himself. Why should he pay so much attention to the temple prasad? But Sri Ramakrishna was becoming more restless. He put on his slippers and went to the temple manager to enquire about the prasad, as all the prasad plates were generally shown to the manager before they were distributed.

"The manager also could not explain why they were missing. But he promised to enquire and do what was necessary. Sri Ramakrishna told him that it was bad if the prasad was purposely not sent to him and he went back to his room. A young disciple who was watching the whole scene was assuming that Sri Ramakrishna, who was a poojari once, had still traces of the poojari mentality (the desire for taking prasad home), and that was the reason for the restlessness. Apparently he had a poor opinion of poojaris. Sri Ramakrishna went to him and said, "Do you know why I am so anxious for the prasad? It is not that I am craving for it. Rani Rasmani, who has built this temple, has spent so much money on it and she has also donated a large sum for pooja and so on. If she is to be benefited by what she has done by way of these charitable acts, good souls should partake of them. The present poojari and others, who take the prasad and make money out it, spend it in bad ways like womanizing, drinking and so forth. I am anxious that at least a small portion should come here, so that earnest sadhakas and good souls may partake of it, by which alone Rani Rasmani will get any spiritual benefit."

"This was an eye-opener to that young man; how deep Sri Ramakrishna's love was for the Rani, and how anxious he was to see that proper use was made of her charities."

S: It is difficult for ordinary people to understand saints. When Sri Ramakrishna was restless for prasad, the young man thought only of the common poojari mentality. But the actual fact, how different and how glorious! It revealed his great love for the Rani.

Mataji: Only sadhakas may understand such attitudes of saints. Not all sadhakas. In this particular case, only those on the bhakti path and who had known the value of prasad could have appreciated his attitude. When rich people come here, I ask them for old clothes for distribution to the needy ones. The so-called old clothes of theirs could be used by a poor man for months. But when I take old clothes from them, others make fun of me. The intention is that though the rich people may not give away new clothes in charity, let them at least be benefited by giving their old clothes to the poor. Others laugh at me, but I ask for more old clothes, if they could spare.

149. Funny Interlude

9.30 p.m. Ashram bhajan-hall. Papa was lying on his bed. Motiben and Mataji were massaging his body. S came in five minutes and stood near Mataji, who gave place to him and went to rest.

In the course of her talk, Mataji said, "Papa, I noticed there are worms in my stomach. Two have gone out already."

Papa: Then it is better you take medicine and purgative tomorrow itself. We have Chinnapodium oil in the hospital. Gopal, go and tell our doctor to bring a dose of Chinnapodium oil and castor oil for Mataji early morning.

Gopal went immediately to the doctor's house. It started raining in a few minutes. CR who was fanning Papa said, "It is raining. Gopal has not taken his umbrella."

Papa: Let the rain not stop for Gopal's sake. He can take the doctor's umbrella and return. Rain is badly needed.

Gopal returned in fifteen minutes or so.

Papa: What were you doing there all this time?

Gopal: Doctor was talking about many other things; something about the sick sadhu also.

Mataji: Gopal, you must get a pair of clothes for that sadhu.

Papa: Get him married also, Gopal.

Gopal: He is an old man.

All laughed, but Gopal remained calm. He never laughed though all others laughed at his funny remark.

Papa: If he were a young man, perhaps you would have arranged for it!

150. Belated Pada-Pooja

It was about to strike ten. Papa sat up, S went to the shelf, took his letter pad, referred to something for a while, and returned.

Mataji (to S): What were you looking for there?

S: A pada-pooja ought to have been done today. Two devotees have sent money for that. I forgot to instruct the girls about it.

Mataji (to Papa): Will it not do if it is done early tomorrow morning? Today you have thought of them. Will it do or shall I perform it now?

Papa: Yes, that will be a nice idea. When they wanted it to be performed today, it is no good postponing to tomorrow when two of them have specially made the request. They are lucky you are performing it on their behalf. Ramdas will write to them that you did the pada-pooja yourself.

Mataji went inside the room to collect the pooja materials. In the meantime Papa was yawning. He said, "Ramdas is sleepy. You will take a long time for the Pooja. For a namaskara itself you will take ten minutes."

Mataji: No, Papa, I will do it quickly now.

Mataji performed the pada-pooja quickly. She handed over the flower prasad to S to be sent to the parties, and after distributing the pada-tirtha to those present there she drank the same from a cup. Seeing her drink the tirtha as if she drank water, Papa laughingly said, "All right, drink enough and fill your belly. Those worms that are going out tomorrow may have mukti now itself."

Mataji: Yes, Papa. Let them have mukti. Perhaps it is for their sake that the pada-pooja was forgotten during the day and specially done now.

She then distributed the lozenges (prasad), one each. There were two lozenges left. She gave one extra to CR Rao, and before she gave the other to somebody else, Papa said to her: "Now give that one to those chaps in your stomach who are going away tomorrow." Mataji took it.

Papa: Now they can go away peacefully. They had tirtha and also prasad.

Papa went to bed and others also retired.