Arthur Osborne - Tribulation #2

[Guest guest]

 

TRIBULATION

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For her this was the time of grace and wonder, as the

first reading of Guenon had been for me, only far more

vivid, having the living Master before her. She felt his power

and guidance constantly. During the years of our separation

— most of those four years with no news of one another —

she did not worry, although by temperament prone to

worrying. When offered a job she did not accept it, although

by nature provident. The time to go out into the world would

come later; this was the time to be with Bhagavan. Once,

when she wanted to take leave of him before taking the

children to the hills for the hot weather, she met him alone

as he was returning from his daily walk on Arunachala and

said to him: “Bhagavan, I understand that all I have to do is

to keep quiet and everything will be alright”. And he

confirmed it, his eyes shining with approval.

 

He has been known to say: “Only keep quiet and I will do

the rest”. But how hard it is to keep the mind quiet!

He was very gracious during these years both to her and

the children. They would come and show him their toys and

tell their secrets. At one of the big annual festivals his couch was

roped round with a sort of fence to keep the crowds from

pressing too close, and Adam scrambled through to tell him

something. He laughed and said to the attendants: “See how

much use your fence is!” In general he avoided touching people

or being touched by them, but each cool season when my wife

brought the children back from the hills, he touched Frania the

youngest at some time or other, and once he picked her up and

carried her. He was always very gracious to her.

 

My wife was receptive also to the spiritual power of

Arunachala. Before even she knew that it was a sacred

mountain, she dreamed one night of a terrific storm, when

the thunder crashed overhead, the wind uprooted ancient trees

and the rain beat down on the roof, that opened and revealed

a majestic figure, its personification, who summoned her

imperiously to the hill. Almost daily she walked there, feeling

its power of love and protection. Much of her meditation she

did on the hill. Lying on a sun-warmed rock one evening, she

had a vision of the whole world with its cities and men drawn

into her mouth as she inhaled.

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taken from Arthur Osborne's MY LIFE & QUEST