ìItís a miracleî
Valencia, Spain. Because Ananda Marga began here only two years back, our local organization is not yet strong. There is no large yoga house. Our living quarters and program facilities had to be arranged in a Catholic church on the outskirts of the city.
We arrived in the late evening. Without any experienced local group to help, the arrangements were particularly taxing for me. Baba demands maximum speed. He instructed me that all workers were to meet
in His room in one hour. Besides passing along this order, I also had
to see to the general security, the kitchen, the program plans, the darshan room, and the workersí roomsónot to mention dealing with the stream of workers and volunteers who bombarded me with questions about their respective responsibilities.
In the absence of properly experienced security volunteers, I was forced to post a guard at Babaís door who was, well shall we say, more occupied with spiritual than practical concerns.
It was almost time for the workersí meeting when a ruckus occurred.
Running to Babaís room, I saw one of the priests stalking out, swearing to God in Spanish, and saying that he would call the police; he
wouldnít be restricted within his own quarters. He was at least a bit drunk. The guard looked on helplessly. I glanced into Babaís room.
He was sitting calmly, unperturbed by the intrusion. When He saw me He instructed me to call the workers to His room immediately.
Within a few minutes everyone arrived. He said to us, ìIt is the duty of the guest to ensure the hostís comfort in every possible way.
Our presence causes some inconvenience to our host. As gentlemen 205
we are to fulfill our duty in the proper way. We should therefore leave this place immediately. We should not stay here another moment.î He turned to me and said, ìPlease thank the priests for allowing us to be here for this hour.î
I was dumbfounded. It would be difficult enough to find facilities on short notice for such a large groupóbut add to that Babaís special needs: a room with an attached bath, a nearby room for His personal assistant, a call-bell, space for darshan, a kitchen for Him plus a kitchen for the workers, etc. The challenge was mind-boggling. And it was evening.
Another priest appeared. The drunkard had been only a subordinate;
this was the head-priest. I told him we were leaving, and conveyed
Babaís thanks as directed. He pressed his palms together and said in Spanish, ìPlease, please excuse this great disturbance! Father Carlos was out of his senses. I request you to stay on!î
Hopefully, I passed his words back to Baba. He replied, ìAgain you must thank him, but we have to leave.î
O, Baba... how could You? I thought. How in the world will we immediately find another place?
Baba was already packed. He started walking with Ramanandaji toward His car. It was late night. My mind turned blank in bewilderment.
Just at that moment the Dada appeared who had made the original arrangements to stay at the church. ìPerhaps I know a house which will be adequate. Your car and Babaís should follow mine.î
I was astounded. ìBut how is it possible?î ìIíll tell you later.î
After a half hourís drive we arrived at a suburban duplex. Dada led
the way upstairs. We entered the room which would serve as His bedroom ... then the attached bathroom ... looked at the call-bell ... the
adjacent room for Ramanandaji ... the darshan hall, which was adequate, albeit small...
Baba turned to us, saying with a smile, ìItís a miracle that you could get it ready so quickly.î
Afterward I asked that Dada, ìWhatís the secret?î
ìOnly a mistake,î he replied. ìI first booked the duplex for our
program, and even prepared the call-bell. Then the church became available, so I left this place. In my haste, I simply forgot about it and neglected
to cancel it.
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206 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
ìNo, no, thatís not the secret,î he added. ìThe secret is that both problems and solutions have the same source.î59
Typical intricacies
Notes of all Babaís talks during field walks have been taken by Dr.
Patak, but this morning the doctor could not come so I was requested to do the note-taking. Though Baba always speaks informally while walking, I tried my best to transcribe word for word. So these notes are special because of their relative completeness. They cover three days. These three daysí talks were more or less typical of His ìusualî style, that is if it can be said that He has a usual style.60 Notes from the first field walk follow:
ìWhy do oranges grow here?î He asked. No one answered. ìIt is
because of the Mediterranean climate. The flora and fauna are Mediterranean here. The sweet scents here are also due to Mediterranean climate.
Roses and sweet peas are only scenting in the north. It may be that there are some medicinal herbs growing here because the climate is so hot. All of them belong to the Calendula family, having yellow flowers....
ìThe name of a small stone or pebble in old Latin is rockin. Similarly a small man is mankin in English.î
He requested us to search for a particular herb. It was difficult for Him to look for it because His vision was impaired by the poisoning in prison. One Dada picked up a leafy plant. ìIs this it, Baba?î
59 The next day Baba mentioned that something similar had happened to Him twice before in India. On one of those occasions, He was brought to the home of an extremely wealthy man. As He entered the house, the owner himself was cooking food
for Baba. Baba refused to stay, however, saying the man had earned all of his money
by immoral means.
60 Just near the time of publication, I saw a manuscript for another soon-to-be printed book called ìShri PR Sarkar on Historyóa Guidebook for Future Historiansî. It is based on notes compiled by Acharya Ragunath during the field walks of Babaís two-month tour of northeast India in 1984. Those informal talks were even more complex and academic than the ones He gave in Europe. By the word ìinformalî I do not mean talks which were given without prior research or systematic preparationóbecause Baba gave all of His talks without the slightest preparation. The only characteristic of His so-called formal speeches was in His method of giving a series of speeches on related subjects over a period of days, weeks or months. On the other hand, His informal talks followed no rule.
207ìNo, this is not the herb which I requested. Nevertheless, this also
is a valuable herb. It cures liver problems, dysentery, and other digestive ailments.î
He told the herbís name in old Latin, Sanskrit, Russian, modern
Latin, old Hebrew, and several other languages. One Spanish sister then asked, ìAnd in Spanish, Baba?î He looked at her, laughed, and told its name inóArabic! I knew that the motivation of this sister was only to test Baba.
...
Babaís bedroom and the darshan room are on the second floor. The weather is hot, so the windows are left open.
Throughout the entire darshan we could hear the singing of Baba Nam Kevalam coming from the street outside. After Baba finished darshan and was returning to His room, He asked us, ìWho was that singing?î Bodhishvar stepped forward. ìIt was my wife Anchala and four other sisters.î
ìHuh, what do you say?î
ìIt is their way of protesting, Baba. Only brothers can receive Personal Contact from You. They feel that sisters also should be able to
receive Personal Contact.î
Babaís face suddenly lost its softness. ìNo one has the right to make demands on me regarding Personal Contact. It is my personal matter.
Neither can the organization dictate to me, nor can any individual or individuals force me to give Personal Contact except as I so please.î He raised His voice slightly. ìDo they have any idea of the inner meaning of Personal Contact? I assure you, they cannot understand it. There is good reason why I give Personal Contact to some and not to others.
Do you know that Shri Aurobindo gave such Personal Contact only
one time in his life? And that too was while he was standing on a balcony, and the individual was down below. No, they do not and cannot
understand the significance of Personal Contact.î
Without waiting for any reply from our side, He turned and walked into His room. Just as we were wondering what to say to each other, the door opened and Baba reappeared.
ìTell those five ladies that they are henceforth permanently expelled from the organization. This is my strict order. No one should make any representation on their behalf. If any Dada or Didi appeals for AS PER SYSTEM
208 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
them, then that very Dada or that very Didi will likewise be expelled.î Again He disappeared.
We were shocked. Bodhishvar said, ìOh, no!î Others said, ìIt is too extreme!î ìHow could He do this?î Yet there was nothing to do
but accept it. He left no room for any sort of initiative from our side.
The girls were still singing kiirtan. Someone approached them, and they stopped singing, keen and hopeful to hear Babaís comment. When they heard His order, they swooned and wept pitifully.
How could Baba be so cruel?
For the rest of the day and much of the night the five of them sat silently on the steps outside.
...
More notes from this eveningís field walk. It was dusk and we were walking on a beach outside the city.
ìThe old Atlantis is now underwater except for parts of Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Iceland.î
Baba suddenly stopped walking, and asked, ìWhat was that?î I directed my torch light at our feet. Due to the dark I had not seen it, but a small animal had run in front of Baba and now sat in front of Him.
I said, ìA small mouse, Baba. No. A shrew.î
Baba laughed. I felt that Baba knew exactly who that shrew had been in a past life, and that the shrew had wanted Baba to touch it, or even kill it by stepping on it. Though He refused to do so, I felt He still blessed it. We side-stepped the shrew and walked on.
ìDharmavedananda, what is the name of this sea?î ìMediterranean, Baba.î
ìWhy is it called that?î
ìIt means middle-earth, Baba.î ìAnd is it the middle of the earth?î
ìIt depends how you look,î I said, ìsince the earth is pear-shaped.î ìCan there be a middle?î
ìNo, I donít think so, Baba.î
ìYes. There can be no middle. But the ancient people thought this
was the middle of the earth because for them the earth was only Semitic and Alpine. There are big waves. Why is that? The Arabian Sea does not have big waves.î
209
ìBecause the Mediterranean is deep, Baba?î ìNo. Because it is shallow.î
Next day. Notes from this morningís walk:
ìThis hillock is not an ordinary place. What is the direction of the sea? Is it not east?î
ìYes, Baba,î replied a Spanish Margi.
ìI remember one old story,î Baba said. ìIn the Medieval stage when the Romansóthis means over 2000 years agoówhen the Roman empire was on its pinnacle of glory, they came here crossing the Mediterranean on the east to conquer Iberia. A fierce battle was fought.î
He pointed to a concrete slab about 150 meters away. ìPerhaps this is the place, and that monument commemorates the battle.î
One Margi ran over to the slab, looked at it and ran back.
ìItís true!î he said. ìItís a monument about the Roman battle!î Though we were all impressed with Babaís omniscience, He didnít
pay attention to our astonishment and went on speaking like a professor.
[Authorís note: From this point Baba explained at some length about the history of the Arab and Moslem movement throughout the world.
For readers who are interested, this piece may be found in the appendix
Technical Talks by Baba or with Baba; the article is titled ìOn the history of the Arab and Moslem movement throughout the worldî.
At the end of that explanation He said:]
ìStrengthen yourselves in north Africa. We will attack from Spain
with love. But we shall say to them we are not your born enemies. They will say, ëWe hate you.í We will say, ëWe love you.í
ìFrom Gibraltar move southward. Gibraltar is actually Spain, but it was given to England as part of a dowry. Historically, ethnologically, culturally and economically Gibraltar is a part of Spain. Now, know a little history. Here also the Romans attacked Iberia in the B.C. period.
But at that time there was little difference between Italy and Iberia.
The Iberian language is also a part of the Latin language, which died out 500 years ago. (I am not sure He said ë500í years ago.) Regarding Oriental-demi Latin and Occidental-demi Latin: 1300 to 1400 years ago Oriental-demi Latin became French and Italian; Occidental-demi Latin became Portuguese and Spanish. Portuguese is just like a dia-AS PER SYSTEM
210 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
lect. Spanish and Portuguese people each may think, ëThe other is
speaking a dialect of my language.í In the future, Spanish and Portuguese will come closer together and both will be benefited for proper
development. Forget the last 700 years of historyóthey come from the same stock. The old land of Basque, i.e. Spain and Portugal, were a single people....
ìRoman pirates came from that part. What is the meaning of pirates?
Sea robbers.î
He started talking about agriculture.
ìWhat are the main vegetables here?î
I missed writing a few vegetables that He said. Then He continued ì...potatoes, beans, brinjals, and onion of white color or gray color?
Garlic has no seed. But in the case of onion, the seed or root will work.
This land is of what sort?î No one knew.
ìYou are cultivators and you do not know? The land is green, and
thus fit for cultivation of vegetables and fruits of Mediterranean culture.
î
One Margi said, ìBaba, do you know that here they use more organic and natural fertilizers than artificial?î
ìI know the entire agricultural history of Spain.
ìSweet lemons can grow on the rocky soil here, not oranges. What is the difference between the two? The skin and grain of the orange are loose. But you cannot easily remove the skin of the lemon. Amongst lemons are sweet lemons as big as oranges, which can be conveniently grown on rocky soil. The lower portion (He pointed downhill) is suitable for oranges. Up here is good for sweet lemon.
ìIs the ground black or a bit red? It is latterite, a bit redólooking like brick. There is much calcium in it. It is suitable for sweet lemons and grapes. Vineyards are good in the hill area because of the latterite soil. Is this area more engaged in agriculture or horticulture? Horticulture.
You may get proper saplings from Israel of sweet lemons. Are there any pineapples grown here?î
ìNo, Baba,î someone said.
ìPineapples may also be successfully grown here in the summer
season. The winter variety may not grow well here because pineapples can not stand chilly climate. There is a ready market for these fruits in 211
north Europe. Now they are imported from far away. In the winter also you can grow them in glass houses. This is particularly applicable in southern and eastern Spain, and southern Portugalótaking advantage of the fine weather during the summer.î
...
Later in the morning, Baba announced that the expulsion of three of the sisters was withdrawn, and that they should be accepted back unconditionally. Anchala and one other sister were, however, ìto remain indefinitely outside of Ananda Marga.î Hearing this, Anchala
fell into deep despair. She and the other sister cried loudly, and tears fell profusely from their eyes.
...
Just before evening darshan, Baba asked Ramanandaji, ìHave those girls properly learned their lesson?î
ìYes, Baba. They will never again repeat such a mistake. And everyone else clearly understands that Personal Contact is your personal
affair.î
ìYesss. Then the sentence against the last two is also to be lifted.
They may again rejoin the organization, if they so wish.î
This evening the five protesters were all on their best behavior:
sweet and polite to their utmost. Their eyes shone like those of small girls.
...
[Authorís note: Many years later I heard of an incident witnessed by Dada Yatishvarananda. It occurred in India preceding the time when Baba started to give Personal Contact to women in small groups. All the members of one family were devoted Margis. The daughter was adamant that she must get Personal Contact from Baba. She sat outside Babaís room performing long meditation. Dada said he never saw
any Indian sister with such determination and fighting spirit. Several brothers were called for Personal Contact. Of course she was not called.
She continued doing meditation. The Personal Contacts finished, and it was announced that all should proceed for Babaís darshan in the adjacent hall. Though everyone else left, she refused to go for darshan, and instead continued meditation. In the darshan Baba said, ìFor
Parama Purusha [Cosmic Consciousness] boys and girls are exactly the same. In the case of Personal Contact, however, I give it to the AS PER SYSTEM
212 TRAVELS WITH THE MYSTIC MASTER
boys directly. For the girls I use a different style.î At that moment, everyone heard the sister scream ìBaba!î Her parents jumped up and ran out of the hall, anxious for their daughter. They found her lying on the floor, with a blissful expression on her face. Not knowing what to do, they again entered the hall. Baba said, ìSocial conditions compel me to use this style when dealing with the girls. When she regains normal awareness, you should massage the joints of her body, and then give her hot milk to drink.î
A few hours later, Dada Yatishvarananda asked her what she had experienced. She said, ìI was very angry with Baba. Due to anger I
became fully concentrated in thinking about Him. Suddenly my mind soared out of this world, and through the Cosmos. I saw all the stars
and galaxies, and finally entered into ecstasy beyond description. I became one with Baba. So I donít want Personal Contact anymore.î]
...
Next day. Valencia airport. My note-taking continued even without request:
While waiting for the flight, Baba said, ìThe Bay of Basque was
While waiting for the flight, Baba said, ìThe Bay of Basque was