Fw: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS BY PROF ANIL KUMAR...SAIWISDOM

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Sunday, October 26, 2008, 4:43 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions and Comments Are Welcome 220 At Prashanti Nilayam, when people gather for darshan, almost all blocks are reserved, either for VIPs, students, ex-students, special foreigners, old people, etc., and hardly one block is left for the general public. People coming from far off places, with so many difficulties, hardly even get to see Swami properly. Is it not unfair to reserve these blocks always for VIP people, students etc., who also get easy darshan, sparshan, and sambharshan on a regular basis?

(311005)

Yes. To speak from the point of view that this gentleman has expressed, it is a very genuine question. Coming from a long distance, with lots and lots of expectations, when all the front rows are reserved by people for various reasons, naturally we will feel very annoyed. We will be very angry about it. It is quite natural to feel so.

BHAGAVAN IS THE ONLY TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WITH DEVOTEES

I request you to look at the other side of the coin, dispassionately. I am not supporting anybody. Even in my wildest dreams, I never feel that I am special. Up to this day, I have never felt that I am special. No! On the other hand, I feel very happy to be amongst all my friends, to feel that I am a common man, that I am ordinary. That is my genuine feeling now (because I cannot give a guarantee for the future)! I feel very happy when I feel that I am ordinary. I feel very happy when I am a common man. And I think of those days, sitting in the fourteenth row, fifteenth row, talking with other devotees, sharing Swami’s experiences and His messages on the ‘Golden Era’.

The so-called preferential treatment, the so-called VIP line, the so-called first line has not given me as much happiness as I had in the past. In the past, when I was just sitting in the twentieth or twenty-fifth row, the only topic of talk while sitting in the company of devotees was about Bhagavan only. No other talk. People spoke of Bhagavan only.

THE WEARER KNOWS WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES

Those people sitting in the front row have got certain preferences, certain personal agenda. Each one might have a letter of request, a letter of prayer or at least a letter of complaint. Therefore, it is not such a beautiful thing to be seated in the front row. You find more comparison and more competition among those who are seated in the front row.

If a person always sits in the front row, when he finds that seat occupied by someone else, you will see how disturbed he is, though he has been here for the last twenty-five years. He is the only one sitting there right from the inception of Prashanti Nilayam. Poor man! People may leave their property, their relations and their position, but they hold on to the ‘Cuddapah slab’, the stone on which they sit. It is a pity, a real pity!

This is something to be sympathised with and even pitied. There is nothing to feel envious or jealous about. That kind of holding on to a particular seat, ‘Only I should sit here’, is irreligious and non-spiritual, by any standard. No one can defend it. Even if someone defends it, you can tell him straight-away, “You sit by my side in the fifteenth row and you will understand the beauty of it.” The wearer knows where the shoe pinches. I certainly understand.

THOSE IN THE FRONT ROWS ARE THERE FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES

I would like to draw your attention to a naked truth. The officials, the staff members or doctors are heads of different wings in the ashram. Whosoever sits in the front, they don’t sit comfortably. Please watch them. They are not sitting comfortably. You don’t find them relaxed. Why? Swami may call anybody and bang them heavily. Blast them heavily! Yes!

“Where are you? Come here! Ever since you joined the college, you have spoiled the college.”

Would you like to take my place? (Laughter)

“Come here. You brought a bad name to the hospital. I have been watching you and you are not mending your ways.”

Heavy blasting! Would you like to take the doctor’s role? No. He will call some principal or head of the department and say, “There are more failures ever since you have come here.” (Laughter)

Would you like to have it? And then He will call some head and say, “You are shouting there. That is not good. You fellows, who are heads here, are behaving like Pomeranians, bulldogs and Alsatians!”

He said openly on the dais, “You fellows are behaving like Alsatians, bulldogs, Pomeranians. You don’t mend your ways!” That’s what He said openly. It’s on the record! In public, He said it. So would you like to follow the same? (Laughter) Please tell me.

And not only that, suppose He wants to give some instructions to the college principal. If he sits in the fiftieth row, should He wait until he comes forward? If He wants to give some instructions to office people or hospital people, should He search for them? Should He locate them? Most of the people are there for official purposes; most of the time, to stand corrected. They have to be ready to be banged anytime, and heavily.

TRUTH IS ALWAYS BITTER

There is another thing with the Divine Master. This is something which I am not able to digest until today. Something goes wrong with you, but I will get the heavy blast. I don’t understand why! (Laughter) He will blast me heavily. I don’t understand why! After Arathi, I will come to know that the culprit is some other fellow. (Laughter) It is very difficult to digest that. Truth is always bitter. When one student is irregular, all the other fellows will get it -- a mouthful! It is very difficult to accept. If something wrong happens elsewhere, you get a heavy blast! How are you accountable?

And when this question was put to Swami, Bhagavan said, “One mosquito may bite you, but you will kill all the mosquitoes in the room. After all, only one mosquito bites you; why should you kill all the mosquitoes?”

That is the law (Laughter) of our God right now. We are all mosquitoes in His hands! He has got enough spray. (Laughter) Oh yes! (Laughter) Those who sit in the front, they are more accountable, more responsible. They are on official duties. There is nothing special about it.

GOD’S UNSEEN HAND IS EXPERIENCED WHEN WE FEEL NEGLECTED

Before I go to the next question, I should tell you the truth of truths. For seven years, I was always getting fifteenth row or twentieth row, more often it was the thirtieth row, or something like that. During those seven years, I had many beautiful experiences which were never repeated. That period of silence, that period when I was totally ignored, God granted me many, many beautiful experiences. I will tell you about these later.

During that period, I also had some accomplishments and achievements in my life which I never had in the later period. So, God’s unseen hand is present when we feel we are neglected. This is also true at the family level. When there is a small tiff in the family, when a husband fights with his wife or a wife fights with her husband, whatever it may be, they will be thinking more of each other than before! (Laughter)

ENJOY THE DIVINE ROMANCE

This is the Divine romance. If we get used to the Divine romance, we will enjoy it. Of course, it can be a painful enjoyment, sometimes a miserable pleasure, if I can put it that way. Yet, when you think about those past years, you will smile and enjoy. What a lot of fun it has been!

Once the children are away from us, they think of us more than when they were with us. When you are away from your family, you think of your wife right from breakfast time. When you are there with your family, it follows a mechanical routine. So Swami’s outward silence, apparently neglecting us, is establishing a wider, thicker contact than otherwise.

SWAMI IS ALWAYS THINKING OF US

The bottom line is this: Those who are called for interviews, the VIPs, the ministers or President of India, whomsoever it may be, Swami talks about us only. Take it from me; this occurs with the President of India, the Prime Minister or whoever it may be.

“You see My devotees are waiting. They are My devotees. They sit far behind, but they always think of Me. They stay under the trees and they bear all kinds of inconveniences. They are My true devotees.”

Swami speaks about us only to those people who are called for an interview. What more do we want? We are the subject of discussion inside! On the outside, we feel that we are neglected, but inside we are V-V-VIPs! There is no doubt about it. This has happened a million times. I can tell you out of my own experience.

Once it happened like this: “Has prasadam been distributed?” That was the question from Swami.

Then I said, “Swami, Yes, yes.

“Keep quiet! I am not speaking of you fellows seated in the front row. I am speaking of those who are sitting there (in the back). Have they received prasadam?”

“Swami, I think they have received prasadam.”

“Why do you think? You go and check it out!”

When I went, only two rows were left. Distribution was almost over. I thought the boy will complete it quickly. After all, boys are young. They can jump; they don’t walk. ‘They can easily complete it,’ I thought. So I went and reported to Swami. “It is over.”

Swami said, “No! Two more rows are left. Why do you bluff? I know.” (Laughter)

On another occasion, I said, “Swami, the buses are on strike. Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses are on strike. Buses are not plying to this place!”

He said, “Old news! The strike was called off this morning. Buses are running just as before.” (Laughter)

He even mentioned the name of a person who arrived that morning, sitting in the fiftieth row in Poornachandra Auditorium. “See that man has come here. He is the RTC depot manager. He is sitting in Poornachandra Auditorium, behind.” But Swami had never been to that side.

My friends, these are not stories. I will give you his house number and if you are so particular, his identification (a mole on the hand, a mole on the cheek), his ID, address and all that. Yet, physically we feel so badly when Swami doesn’t look at us. However, contrary to how one might feel, all of us are ‘registered’ here (known and noticed by Swami).

PHYSICAL, OUTWARD CONTACT IS NOT REAL

There were many instances when He said, “This is your fourth visit. You are feeling that I have not looked at you. I know. This is your fourth visit, I know.”

How does He know that this is your fourth visit if He has not looked at you? So, let us be convinced that the physical, outward contact is not the real one. It does not represent the reality, what Swami truly is.

Sometimes, He will turn His head away like that, as if I have done something wrong. Immediately a thought comes to me: ‘Because You have seen me first, You have turned Your head to that side. Or else You would not have turned it! (Laughter) You want to put me to a test; You want to avoid me. Therefore, You have first seen me and then turned Your head like that. I am glad.’

I think like this: ‘If You want to talk to a person, You have to wait, go to him, see him and call him. Because You want to avoid me, You have seen me first, while You have to see the person of Your choice later. He is on the waiting list as ‘number two’! I am in waiting list as ‘number one’. Fine! Why not?’ So, all of Swami’s actions are really very interesting; we should not take it from the outward, external point of view.

I have another question, covering the same issue: “Why is Swami not looking at me? When the car came close to me, He ordered the car to be turned in the other direction.” I think same answer applies to this question also.Ram ChuganiKobe, Japan