Meetings with Maharaj #11

[Guest guest]

Bombay has many beggars. We would see many children beggars when we

took walks on Marine Drive. People would flaunt their deformity and

make our western minds swoon. Some days I would be giving money to

anyone who asked. The next day I would refuse everyone. No matter

what

I did, I didn't feel comfortable. I was impressed with one young

beggar who had a deformed lower leg. He would come up to our taxi as we

were sitting in traffic and lift his leg and show us his deformity. We

would keep running into him.After awhile, we would all be laughing,

" You again! " One day in particular we ran into him in the area where

Maharaj lived and then shortly afterwards in an another part of town. I

was impress that he was so mobile. That night I sat in my hotel room

thinking about our beggar friend. He seemed bright and full of energy.

I thought, I could give him all the money in the world but it would

not be the same as bringing him to truth. After all, he lived in the

same town as Maharaj. I talked to my friend Rick about this.After

thinking about it some more, I decided I would invite my beggar to

Satsang. I felt I could never really help the beggars of Bombay in a

real way except in this fashion. I decided the next time I ran into him

(and I knew I would!) that I would give him the address. The next day

that happened. We laughed as usual, I think I gave him some money and a

piece of paper with Maharaj's address written on it. Then we left him

and went off to Satsang. Satsang was full underway. Then somehow we

came to the point of the condition of a lame man. I had not

instigated the current topic of conversation, it was a complete

coincidence, when there was a knock on the door. Then the announcement

that there was a lame man at the door.With great effort, people were

able to get my beggar up the steep ladder stairs to Maharaj's loft.

Once there, the beggar friend sat down. I remember he looked all around

the room, blinking his eyes. It occurred to me at that moment that he

had never been in a satsang kind of situation. I don't think I

considered the fact that he came with out any clue as to what awaited

him, but I hadn't given much of an explanation with the address.

The dialog with Maharaj continued, however, I could see that Maharaj

was much annoyed by the appearance of my beggar. After admitting that

I was the one who had invited this man and being scowled at, I realized

that I had made a faux pax. I guess inviting in local beggars was

something that just wasn't done and Maharaj made no effort to hide

his annoyance. I became more upset because I had never had Maharaj

annoyed with me and I had all these noble ideas that were shattered.

The beggar just looked astonished. He was quiet. At the end of the

session Maharaj said to my translator " He is here just to feed his

belly, give him twenty rupees! " Mr. Mullarpattan nodded his assent. We

all got down from the loft and out on to the street. I stood quietly

weeping. I went up to Mr. Mullarpattan who repeated what Maharaj had

said to him. But Mr. Mullarpattan told me that when he went up to the

beggar to give him the twenty rupees the beggar refused to take it! I

thought, Wow! the beggar must have at least felt my love, even if he

didn't quite get everything else! Twenty rupees is nothing to sneeze at

when you you are poor. I felt wrung out feeling Maharaj's annoyment and

my own ambivalant feelings about what I had done. Yet Mr. Mullarpattan

was showering me with love and support and that let me feel that it was

going to be all right!

[Guest guest]

Very interesting.

 

Thanks, Cathy.

 

-mort