Indira and her emergency both finish
March 1977. Indira Gandhiís ìemergencyî in India ended today!
She over-estimated her popularity. She permitted elections to be held and lost by the biggest landslide in Indian history, receiving only a few percent of the vote. Already reports are coming in that all our workers and Margis are being released from jail because Ananda Marga is legal again. They tried to crush us, but our movement has only been
strengthened through facing and overcoming their persecution.
Now it only remains for Baba and a few specially accused workers to be released. With the new Janata Party government in power I am hopeful that their cases will soon come up for appeal.
...
I remember something very interesting. Over two years ago, Baba issued a warning from prison: ìAfter six months a crisis will occur in
India. All Margi families should store sufficient cereals and basic necessities to weather a period of two years.î
At the time we all thought He meant an earthquake or war was coming.
Six months later Indira Gandhi announced the emergency, and most of the fathers in Margi households throughout India were thrown in jail. The Margi mothers and children were left to fend for themselves.
Thanks to Babaís warning, however, most of them had stored sufficient food for this period, which turned out to last for nearly two years.37 ...
37 Another story was later told by Brij Bihari through Dada Pranavatmakananda. It happened in 1971, when Brij was Babaís attendant during the short time that Baba was in the hospital. While entering the bathroom, with the door still half open, Baba 131
Reykjavik, Iceland. Rainjan and Vimala have opened a health food cooperative. This country hardly knows the expression ìhealth foodî, and our shop is the first of its kind. Nevertheless, even on its first day,
the shop was already full of customers.
The bones of the immoralists will shake
Patna, India. This is now the third time that Iíve been to India since
becoming an acharya. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Margis have visited Baba in Bankipur Prison.38 Only five or six Dadas from around
the world, including me, are on a special prison black-list which does not permit us to enter His cell. Though Iíve applied many times for visiting privileges, the prison authorities always refuse. Twice Iíve met with the prison superintendent, only to receive the same reply.
For some reason we select few are considered dangerous. Itís surely due to the misinformation that commonly fills secret police files. One of our Norwegian Margis was able to gain access to Interpolís files through the help of a relative who works in Norwayís undercover agent section. When he checked my name he found numerous false statements, including one declaring that I am sending $5000 every month by bank transfer to a revolutionary fund in America. The fact is that Iíve never sent even one penny to America.
Today I decided to appeal directly to the Governor of the State of Bihar. When I arrived at the State Office, I explained that I was a Margi seeking an interview with the Governor.
ìThe Governor is now out,î the receptionist said, ìbut Iíll see if you can meet the Vice-Governor.î
She left and came back after a few minutes.
ìIím sorry, Sir. The Vice-Governor is too busy today.î ìHow about tomorrow?î
ìIt wonít be possible,î she said.
nonchalantly said, ìIn 1975 our organization will face a severe crisis. Even if you travel miles and miles, you will not meet anyone who will admit to being a Margi. It will be one of the most testing periods of the Marga.î Without further comment He closed the door. Brij mentioned the episode to several other workers and Margis then, but no one knew what to make of it.
38 Though Ananda Marga was by now legal and again functioning in India, Babaís case was still not resolved. The new Janata government ordered the courts to retry all cases decided during Gandhiís rule of martial law. This process was, of course, taking time.
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132 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
ìAlright, I can wait a few days. Just set the time.î
ìIím sorry, sir. Please donít mind, but he just doesnít want to meet you.î
I thanked her and walked out. After waiting outside for fifteen minutes, I walked in again. While the receptionist was diverted by another person, I walked by her unannounced.
Because I moved with seeming confidence through the halls of the building, no one questioned me. Having no idea where his office was, I entered one corridor after another until I finally found the proper door. Several people were sitting on a bench, waiting. I joined them without a word.
A few minutes passed, and then the door opened. Someone came out. Before the door closed, I stood up and walked inside.
It was a big room, decorated in rich aristocratic fashion. The Vice-Governor was sitting alone at his desk.
He was clearly surprised to receive a visitor without prior notification.
ìHow can I help you, sir?î Perhaps because I was a foreigner his tone was respectful.
ìI am sorry to disturb you,î I said softly. ìI am a Margi seeking permission to visit my Guru, Shri P.R. Sarkar, who is presently in Bankipur Jail.î
He started shaking slightly.
ìYou should follow the normal channels with the prison authorities, î he said.
ìI have already exhausted those. Thatís why I came to you.î
ìOnly the Governor himself can deal with your case. Heís in Delhi, so you can contact him there, please. Thank you, and good bye.î
ìIn this situation, sir,î I said, ìit is you that should call him. Besides, I have information indicating that you have full power in his
absence to take such minor decisions.î
ìI cannot tolerate your indiscretions,î he said, trembling a bit more.
ìI absolutely will not make any such decision on your behalf. So please leave.î He pushed twice or thrice a button on his desk.
ìSir, I remind you of the law of karma,î I said. ìFor every action
there is a resulting reaction. So you should be very careful in your dealings regarding Shri Sarkar.î
133
Now he was shaking with abandon. ìGet out! Get out!î Though he
pushed repeatedly on the button, no one disturbed our pleasant conversation.
ìAre you familiar, sir, with Ananda Margaís philosophy and dynamic social work? I think not, and I believe they demand your attention.
î
By now he was unable to think rationally. Rather, he was sweating, shivering and madly swatting the button.
The door opened with a bang. Two men rushed in.
ìGrab him! Grab him!î the Vice-Governor yelled.
I was standing still, but they jumped on me like I was wild coyote, each one grasping an arm of my dangerous body.
ìTake him out! Take him away!î
In a few minutes the three of us arrived at the nearby police station.
I sat down while my two captors talked with the police for a minute and then left.
ìYouíre under arrest,î a policeman said.
ìWhatís the charge?î
They talked between themselves. Then the same man, clearly the officer in-charge said, ìWe donít know.î
ìWell, if you canít tell me, then Iíll just be leaving.î I stood up.
ìNo, please, sir. Wait. We shortly find out charge.î One man went out the door.
After ten minutes he came back, saying, ìYou charged with attacking Vice-Governor.î
ìThatís unmitigated poppycock.î I know that Indians who are uneducated bow their heads to such language. ìI didnít even touch him.
Iím going.î I moved toward the door.
ìWait, please wait, sir!î Again the man ran out.
On returning, he said, ìVice-Governor changed charge to threatening attack.î
ìTommyrot and claptrap,î I said. ìI was merely discussing philosophy with him. I canít waste any more time here.î Again I started to leave.
ìWait, sir! Just a minute, please!î
They talked among themselves.
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134 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
The officer in-charge gave me a feeble smile. ìCharges dropped, sir.
Please no mention anyone.î ...
Just after returning to our Central Office, I ran into three Margi
brothers on their way for a visit with Baba. Without mentioning what had just happened to me, I asked them to please pass my namaskar39
to Him.
Later, coming out of the jail, they told me their story.
They took the trouble to express my regards to Baba, and on doing so, Baba Himself namaskared with His hands, and then said,
ìHmm, Dharmapala... Just see, just see. Though my boys and my
girls are not yet perfectly following 16 Points, the immoralists are afraid of them, and literally shake in fear.40
ìBut when my boys and my girls really adhere to 16 Points,î He continued, ìthe bones of the immoralists will shake. You understand?î
He jabbed at His own thigh, smiling broadly, saying, ìThe very bone will shake.î
Samadhi or not?
Having gone to all possible lengths to gain permission from the authorities to meet Baba, I set upon a new plan, a violent one. This time I was determined that nothing would stop me.
Taking permission from the guards, I entered the office of the prison warden. I was well known to him due to my numerous attempts in the past to gain permission. He politely invited me to be seated. One other man was also sitting there.
ìI want to tell you, sir,î I said, ìthat this week I met the Vice-Governor, and he also refused my request to meet Baba. So Iíve decided that
if your response to my last-ditch request is negative, then I shall physically thrust you people aside and enter His cell by brute force.î I knew
that Babaís cell was only a few meters away, and that no locked door stood in-between. Out of respect they never locked the door of His cell.
ìSir, sir, you must not think such things. You know I am deeply sorry that I cannot allow you to enter. I would lose my job. I, too, am a devotee of Baba, so please believe me about my limitations.î
39Namaskar is a hand gesture which means ìI respect the divinity within you with my mind and heartî.
40 16 Points is a summary of the most important practices suggested for all Margis.
135
ìHow can you say youíre devoted to Baba? If it were so, then you wouldnít be afraid to take such a minor risk. You know my heart is breaking to see Him.î
ìWe here know all too well about Babaís power and omniscience.
But I am helpless due to my duty.î
ìThis is just a load of nonsense. I am going to break through now.î I started to get up.
ìWait! You donít understand our realization of Baba.î He turned
to the other man. ìDoctor, please tell this gentleman about the experience you had the other day.î
The doctor cleared his throat. ìUsually, I attend Baba every morning at 11:00. But three days ago I was busy all morning and had to
delay my visit until 3:00 in the afternoon. When I approached the cell, I got a shock. Baba was sitting in meditation, but He was not sitting on the cot. He was floating about three feet above it! I couldnít believe my eyes. All my thoughts disappeared, and I stood there, simply staring at him. How much time passed I donít know. But I slowly became
aware that His face was changing. He had become Lord Shiva! Trembling with fear, I ran back to this office.î
ìI can attest that he was shaking like a leaf when he dashed in here that day,î said the warden. ìI thought he was having an epileptic fit.î ìWell, I donít care for your explanations or your experiences,î I said. ìIf you wonít give me permission to enter Babaís room, then I shall proceed there in my own way.î
Just as I started to rise again, a third man entered the room. The warden turned to me, saying, ìPlease! Wait at least a moment while I speak to this officer.î
While the warden was occupied, I closed my eyes. Without the slightest effort I dropped into deep meditation. Losing awareness of surroundings, I saw Baba smiling sweetly. He was holding me in His lap. Stroking my head repeatedly, He said, ìMy dear Dharmapala. There is a very good reason why I am not allowing you to meet Me ... a very good reason.î
I became lost in His smile ... His voice ... the feeling of His soft hand.
The next thing I knew, I heard a voice saying, ìHeís in samadhi.î I thought, ìWho is that? And who is he talking about?î
Gradually I remembered where I was. Ah, itís the warden speaking ... speaking about me, I thought.
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136 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
I parted my lips, thinking I would say, ìNo, Iím not in samadhi.î
But instead of these words, only incoherent mumbles issued from my mouth. I opened my eyes, and tears fell out.
ìWait until you come into normal mood,î the warden said softly.
He looked at me with a new gentleness.
A few moments passed while the warden was speaking to the third man. I stood up, and all three of them clearly became apprehensiveó on their guard as to what I would do.
ìPlease reconsider...î the warden started saying to me.
I cut him off by doing namaskar with my hands, and said in a breaking, feathery voice, ìItís...alright...now.î
Almost simultaneously, all three of them dropped their jaws in surprise.
They were speechless as I walked out of the office into the outer courtyard.
There in the sunlight stood Babaís personal assistant together with another Dada. They knew of my intention to somehow get into Babaís cell today. On seeing my shining, tearful face, they exclaimed, ìYouíve seen Baba!î
I didnít know whether to say ìyesî or ìno.î Transcending drugs
Huskvarna, Sweden. Our first three residents moved into our new
rehabilitation project today. They are all drug addicts. The city government has given us a free lease on the building with an understanding
that we would establish a halfway-house for drug addicts.
We only accept young men who demonstrate an interest to improve
themselves. In that case, it is not overly difficult to cure them. Our staff joins them in practicing meditation to gain inspiration and will-power, vegetarianism and fasting to eliminate body toxins, yoga postures to balance the hormones, and social work to provide a sense of personal value. The system appears sound, but the most important ingredient is loving care. Enforcing external discipline has little worth in itself.
A few years ago one of our workers first demonstrated this process by curing some heroin-addicts in Berlin.
Playing with danger ó an unsolved riddle
This is my first visit to Bergen, Norway. Last night I stayed in the flat of a brother named Trond, a friend of a friend. He turned out to be 137
a bit ëdifferentí. It was late when I arrived and he was keen to go to bed, so he showed me a couch where I could sleep. Since I never sleep on a soft bed, I instead arranged my blankets on the floor in the corner of his bedroom.
I was sleeping deeply with a cover pulled over my head when something woke me up.
What is this? I thought. I felt a pressure on my leg, but could not identify its source. Instantly I regained full alertness. Now I was both curious and anxious.
The pressure was relieved, only to be felt again a moment later on my waist.
The oddest thing! I thought. Is it that fellow up to no good? Then, the pressure still against my waist, a second unstable pressure came directly on top of my body.
Thereís no mistaking itósurely itís a person. At first he was walking around me, and now heís walking on top of me! Whoever it was must not have been expecting anybody to be lying on the floor.
Though it may be my host simply sleep-walking, I thought, itís more likely a thief moving in the dark. He took another step, this time on my shoulder. I lay there, unmoving, and thought out a quick plan.
Now! I thought, my heartbeat quickening. Quick as a flash, I sat up, simultaneously thrusting the blanket off.
ìUhh!î he exclaimed, clearly shocked that he had been walking on a person. He bucked off of me. I saw his eyes widen in fright as he ran toward the door. Without losing a second, I grabbed my pocket knife from my nearby shoulder bag and dashed after him into the adjacent room.
Our scuffle created quite a noise. My host sat up in his bed. ìHey!
Whatís this? Whatíre you doing?î
Instead of replying, I shouted to the thief in the most threatening tone I could muster, ìCome out! I know youíre here!î I couldnít see anyone in the darkness.
ìWhat?î Trond yelled. ìWho is it?î
I turned on the light and looked all around. Nobody. But there were only the two rooms. And there was no way he could have gone out the door of the flat.
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138 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
ìItís a thief, or something!î I said to Trond who was still sitting in bed.
Holding the knife tightly in my fist, I threw aside the curtains, the
chairs, tables, everything the thief might use for cover. Nothing. Nobody.
I was dumbfounded. By now Trond had come into the room. I told him in detail what had happened.
ìDo you have any explanation?î I said.
ìNo. Itís pretty strange. Maybe you imagined it all.î
ìImpossible. After feeling his first step, I was wide awake.î ìOdd...î
ìWhat? Did you ever experience something like this before?î ìNo, no. Surely not.î
With nothing further to speak about, we awkwardly went back to our respective sleeping places. A few minutes passed.
ìAh, Dada,î he said softly. ìIn fact something out of the ordinary did happen to me a few nights ago.î
ìTell me.î
ìI was fast asleep when I was awakened by someone pressing my body in different places. I threw my blanket off, and saw someone jump away and run into the other room.î
ìBut thatís exactly what happened to me!î ìWell...I...I donít know...î
ìWhat do you think it was?î ìNo, no, no...î
ìWhat?î
ìNo. Nothing to speak about. Letís go to sleep.î He refused to talk any more.
...
This morning, while I was doing meditation, Trond left the house.
After meditation I walked into the second room and looked around.
Middle-class conservative furniture...a small orderly collection of books...a few slightly gaudy decorative items...andówait a momentóI looked at the titles of his books: History of the Occult, Science of Magic, Psychic Power Unleashed, Hitler and the Spear of Destiny, Dictionary of Necromancy, and many more titles referring to the black arts. What kind of a person...?
139
Surely the fellow was dabbling in occult power. That might explain last nightís phenomena. The being who walked on me last night was not human, not even physical. Thatís why he could disappear when I chased him.
It seems my host may have developed some psychic power, though
It seems my host may have developed some psychic power, though