BABA AND HUMOUR (5)

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BABA AND HUMOUR (5)

 

Another case of practical joke is this. This carried with it a moral

lesson also showing us the combination of the human and divine

elements in Baba. M.B. Rege was a devotee greatly attached to Baba.

Once when he sat by Baba's side, somebody brought a bunch of red

plantains to be offered to Baba. Young Rege was very fond of these

fruits. He thought that Baba would, of course, distribute these

plantains among them all, and he would have an opportunity of having

his share of fine red plantains to eat. Baba read his mind at once,

Baba then took up the plantains, and after distributing the fruits to

all, and omitting Rege, he pulled off one fruit, and, having given

the pulp to somebody else, threw the red skin alone Rege saying,

`Khav, Khav' eat, eat. It was the red exterior that had attracted

young Rege, and the kind but jovial Baba was showing him what the red

exterior was. It was no doubt unpalatable, but still Rege'' bhakti

rose equal to the occasion and he swallowed the skin as though he was

a bull. Baba took up to a second fruit and a third and went on

throwing them to Rege being in a mood for jokes. but at last, he

turned to Rege and said, `Ha! have I given you no fruit?' Then, as he

really loved Rege, and returning Rege's powerful love, he peeled of

another fruit and asked Rege to bite it off, and then he himself bit

off another portion and thus between them they finished the plantain.

This enjoying one plantain together was a sign of great love, and the

joke also had the effect of impressing on the young devotee the

important lesson that externals which attracted were not worth

having, as the attractive redness of the skin of the red plantain

would not give him joy when eaten by itself. Instances of Baba's

humour and practical jokes are many.

 

Another instance of humour is as followed. there was a Ramadasi, who

was waiting upon Baba and reading his Vishnu Sahasranama and other

holy books at the Mosque. he had the whole thing by heart and he kept

up the parayanam of Vishnu Sahasranama at the Mosque. one day Baba

wished to have some fun and teach him a lesson. Baba said he had some

stomach trouble, and told the Ramadasi left the premises, Baba pulled

out his Vishnu Sahasranama and gave to Shama telling him to keep it

and read it. Shama protested that the man would get angry. Baba said,

`Never mind. Keep it'. But soon the Ramadasi returned. Then Anna

Chinchinikar, wanting to play the role of Narada, told the Ramadasi

that his Vishnu Sahasranama had been taken by Baba and given to

Shama. Then the Ramadasi got fiery, flared up, and vituperated

against Shama for having used Baba to rob him of his sacred book.

Baba then said to the Ramadasi, `Shama is only our child. There is no

reason to get angry with him'. Baba said that as far as the Ramadasi

was concerned, no book was necessary, because he had the whole by

heart, and if he was going to get angry for the loss of a book, he

was not a Ramadasi but a Kamadasi. He was a slave to the sense of

property, attachment to earthly goods which servants of Rama ought to

avoid. So, Baba gave some very sound moral lessons to the Ramadasi.

Then Shama too mollified the Ramadasi saying that he would get fresh

book, new books – and give them to the Ramadasi. The man was partly

mollified. But Baba's practical jokes and pun were impressed on the

memory of everyone present showing how even for the possession of a

sacred book one should not lose one's temper. One should retain

equanimity under all circumstances, especially a Ramadasi, that is, a

follower of God. this is a spiritual instruction of great value not

merely to the Ramadasi but to all. Baba gave that instruction

accompanied with this practical joke so as to impress it on the mind

of every one present and every one that reads it.

 

(Courtesy: H H Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji)