Day by Day with Bhagavan 18-3-45

[Guest guest]

On or about 15-3-45 Bhagavan had asked someone in the hall to read

aloud Bhakta Vijayam, to illustrate from the story of Tulasi Das how

one totally immersed in sensual life suddenly recoils and goes to the

other extreme of a highly religious life. In the story, Tulasi Das

runs away from wife and home and is mad after Hari at Banaras. The

wife and mother go and entreat him to come back, reminding him of his

great love for them all. He takes no notice of them at all, but asks

them, "Has my Hari come? Yes. He is coming there! etc." He was mad

after Hari alone and took interest in nothing else. When this portion

was being read out, Bhagavan said, "I was somewhat like this at

Madura. Going to school, books in hand, I would be eagerly desiring

and expecting that God would suddenly appear before me in the sky; and

so I would be looking up at the sky. What sort of progress could such

a one make in his studies at school!"

 

[This was apparently shortly before he left Madura. I have never heard

before, either from Bhagavan or from others, that he was so God-mad at

Madura. So I record it here.]