the flooding ocean of divine bliss

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Day by Day with Bhagavan________22-11-45 MorningBhagavan explained how it is said in books that thehighest possible happiness, which a human being can attainor which the ten grades of beings higher than man, endingwith gods like Brahma can attain, is like foam in the delugingflood of the bliss of the Self.Imagine a man in robust health; of vigorous adult age,endowed with unsurpassed wealth and power, with intellectand all other resources, and married to a fair and faithful wife,and conceive of his happiness.Each higher grade of being above man is capable of ahundred-fold greater happiness than that of the grade below.But the highest happiness of all the eleven grades of being isonly the foam in the flooding ocean of divine bliss.In this connection Bhagavan narrated the following story:"A king was passing through a forest in all his pomp andpageantry, with his army and retinue behind him. He cameacross a man with not even a cod-piece on him, lying on theground, with one leg cocked over the other and laughing away,apparently supremely happy and contented with himself andall the world. The king was struck with the man's happy stateand sent for him. But when the king's men approached thenude ascetic and delivered the king's message, he tookabsolutely no notice and continued in his ascetic bliss. Onbeing told of this, the king himself went to the man and eventhen the man took no notice. Thereupon it struck the king thatthis must be no common man, and said: `Swami, you areevidently supremely happy. May we know what is the secretof such happiness and from which Guru you learnt it?'Thereupon the ascetic told the king: `I have had twenty-fourGurus. Everything, this body, the earth, the birds, someinstruments, some persons all have taught me.' All the thingsin the world may be classed as either good or bad. The goodtaught him what he must seek. Similarly, the bad taught himwhat he must avoid. The ascetic was Dattatreya, the avadhuta."After Bhagavan returned from his morning stroll about8 a.m., some visitor prostrating himself seems to have spilledout his entire stock — a good quantity — of snuff. AttendantKrishnaswami noticed it and collected the snuff and threw it out.This reminded Bhagavan of some incidents in his life. He said,"Tobacco is a germicide. When I was in Virupakshi Cave, oneday I suddenly found one tooth gave sharp pain when the coldrice came in contact with it and I could eat no more. I stoppedeating and thought I would have to die of starvation. VasudevaSastri was then living with me. He had gone out at the time.When he returned to the cave I told him of my toothache. Hesaid it was nothing and that a little tobacco would cure it, killingthe germs. As we had no tobacco with us, somebody who hadsnuff with him gave me a little snuff and advised me to press itagainst the tooth and it gave immediate relief, so much so that Iwas able to eat my next meal. When I examined the tooth thereappeared to be something like a dot on it. Gradually it became ahole. Later on a gentleman who was a District Munsiff atTirukoilur and visiting me came to know of it, and sent a dentistfrom Madras. The dentist came, stayed here three days, chargingRs.300-0-0 for his stay and did nothing substantial, exceptcleaning my teeth, pulling out one tooth and a part of another.(to be concluded)