BABA AND HUMOUR (2)

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BABA AND HUMOUR (2)

 

 

On one occasion, when Shama was bitten by a serpent, he was advised

to go to the Bairoba temple to which people usually resorted to when

bitten by cobras. But he said that his temple was Baba's place, and

he ran up to Baba. Baba had wonderful powers of curing cobra bite and

other poisons. But when Shama came and climbed up the steps of the

Dwarakamayee, Baba said, `Do not get up, Brahmin Get back. Descend.'

Hatmage, Hatmage. Shama was shocked. Here was his hope in Baba, and

Baba was asking him not to get up but to get down. Baba enjoyed his

confusion for a moment and then asked him to get up. Baba said, `Come

up. The fakir is kind. You will be cured'. He then told people to

take Shama home and see that he did not go to sleep, but was kept

awake for 24 hours till the poison should be completely absorbed in

or expelled from the system. The humour in Baba's words was in the

fact of the words. Do not get up Brahmin, which appeared to be

addressed to the Brahmin Shama, when Brahmin was used in vocative

case. But that word was used by Baba in the accusative case. The

words addressed were not to the Brahmin but to the cobra poison, and

the cobra poison was directed by the command of Baba not to go up the

Brahmin, that is, go up Shama's body. Get down, Get down, were

addressed similarly to the poison and not the Brahmin. So, the poison

had to get down his body and get away.

 

This siddhi is referred to in the Srimad Bhagavata in the verse, Yata

Sankalpa Samsiddhih, and in the Upanishadic phrase, Satyavak

Satyasankalpa as the attributes of divinity and denote the fact that

words or ideas expressed by a person in the divine state, in which

Baba was, would have immediate effect and so the poison did no

further injury to Shama's body. But while such a potent mantra was

being uttered by Baba, which is a divine characteristic, there was

also human characteristic of humour combined with it. This was

peculiar to Baba.

 

(Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji)