God-mad at Madura

[Guest guest]

Day by Day with Bhagavan________18-3-45On or about 15-3-45 Bhagavan had asked someone in thehall to read aloud Bhakta Vijayam, to illustrate from the storyof Tulasi Das, how one totally immersed in sensual life,suddenly recoils and goes to the other extreme of a highlyreligious life. In the story, Tulasi Das runs away from wife andhome and is mad after Hari at Banaras. The wife and mothergo and entreat him to come back, reminding him of his greatlove for them all. He takes no notice of them at all, but asksthem, "Has my Hari come? Yes. He is coming there!" etc. Hewas mad after Hari alone and took interest in nothing else. Whenthis portion was being read out, Bhagavan said, "I was somewhatlike this at Madura. Going to school, books in hand, I would beeagerly desiring and expecting that God would suddenly appearbefore 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 atschool!"[This was apparently shortly before he left Madura. Ihave never heard before, either from Bhagavan or from others,that he was so God-mad at Madura. So I record it here.]