BABA AND HUMOUR (3)
We shall mention another occasion when Baba conferred the remarkable power of production or materialisation upon Kusa Bhav while having some fun at his expense. Kusa Bhav had developed his mantric side with the help of a low species of mantras, which resulted in the production of articles belonging to various persons and their transfer to his hands. Baba, when Kusa Bhav came to his feet,directed him to refrain from such sinful practices, and the poor man was regretting that the glorious powers which he had and the fame, which he obtained thereby, were all lost. One day when he approached Baba, Baba asked him, `What did you eat to-day?' Kusa Bhav said, `Nothing, because it is Ekadasi today'. Baba pretended not to know what Ekadasi was, and asked, `What does Ekadasi mean?' Kusa Bhav said, `It is a day for Upavasa'.
Baba again pretended not to know: What is Upavasa?
Kusa Bhav seriously in Hindustani: Rojas, Upavasa is like Rojas.
Baba: What is Rojas?
Kusa Bhav: We fast, that is, we do not eat anything except Kanda Moola. By Kanda Moola, Kusa Bhav meant Ratalai, that is sweet potatoes.
Baba here played a joke. Kanda if slightly lengthened in the first vowel, will become Kaanda, which means onion. Baba then said, `Oh! It is Kaanda you are eating'. Baba, taking a piece of onion gave it toKusa Bhav, saying, `Eat it'. Orthodox people have strong objection to eating onions; especially on an Ekadasi day. Kusa Bhav, finding that Baba was forcing on him unorthodox food, said, Baba, if you eat it, Iwill'. Baba had no orthodoxy and no heterodoxy. So, he ate some. Kusa Bhav also therefore ate some. By this time visitors were arriving. Baba wanted to have some fun, and said, `Look at this Bamnia, he eats onion on Ekadasi day'. Kusa Bhav explained, `Baba himself ate it and so I did'. But Baba said, `No I ate Kanda, that is, sweet potatoes, Ratalai. then Baba vomited Ratalai. Here was the wonder. What had been eaten by Baba was onion, and he was surprised to see that Baba vomited Ratalai. this again is Yatha sankalpa samsiddhi, a very high yogic power which is part of Baba divine equipment of powers. KusaBhav was surprised to see Baba's vomiting Ratanlai, and he fell upon it and the vomit. Baba beat him, saying, `Why do you eat the vomit?' But Kusa Bhav did not mind it. Baba's heart then melted and He wasanxious to give a blessing that would please Kusa Bhav. What Kusa Bhav wanted was power to produce materials. So, Baba said, `I hereby give you my blessings, I give you this power. think of me and hold forth your palm, and in your palm you will have my prasad, that is, warm udhi from the dhuni. Give it, and it will help all the people who receive it, being blessings from me'. It was a very valuable power, which did not require repetition of any mantra, but merely that he should think of Baba and hold forth his palm. but while conferring such a grand benefit on Kusa Bhav and upon others dealing with him. Baba employed his practical joke and played a pun upon the word Kanda and next vomited one thing when he had eaten another, all for the purpose of a practical joke. The end of all the humour and joke was the conferment on Kusa Bhav of a very valuable power, which he exercised right up to the end of his life. Here again, we see the human and the divine feature of Baba, especially the kindness which gave power to a devotee, so closely intermixed with pun and playing tricks. At meal time, it appears, he would often be joking with people and making them eat more and eat heartily. For instance, he might say to one , `Are you afraid you will be impoverishing Baba's Sansthan?' Eat heartily.
We shall mention another occasion when Baba conferred the remarkable power of production or materialisation upon Kusa Bhav while having some fun at his expense. Kusa Bhav had developed his mantric side with the help of a low species of mantras, which resulted in the production of articles belonging to various persons and their transfer to his hands. Baba, when Kusa Bhav came to his feet,directed him to refrain from such sinful practices, and the poor man was regretting that the glorious powers which he had and the fame, which he obtained thereby, were all lost. One day when he approached Baba, Baba asked him, `What did you eat to-day?' Kusa Bhav said, `Nothing, because it is Ekadasi today'. Baba pretended not to know what Ekadasi was, and asked, `What does Ekadasi mean?' Kusa Bhav said, `It is a day for Upavasa'.
Baba again pretended not to know: What is Upavasa?
Kusa Bhav seriously in Hindustani: Rojas, Upavasa is like Rojas.
Baba: What is Rojas?
Kusa Bhav: We fast, that is, we do not eat anything except Kanda Moola. By Kanda Moola, Kusa Bhav meant Ratalai, that is sweet potatoes.
Baba here played a joke. Kanda if slightly lengthened in the first vowel, will become Kaanda, which means onion. Baba then said, `Oh! It is Kaanda you are eating'. Baba, taking a piece of onion gave it toKusa Bhav, saying, `Eat it'. Orthodox people have strong objection to eating onions; especially on an Ekadasi day. Kusa Bhav, finding that Baba was forcing on him unorthodox food, said, Baba, if you eat it, Iwill'. Baba had no orthodoxy and no heterodoxy. So, he ate some. Kusa Bhav also therefore ate some. By this time visitors were arriving. Baba wanted to have some fun, and said, `Look at this Bamnia, he eats onion on Ekadasi day'. Kusa Bhav explained, `Baba himself ate it and so I did'. But Baba said, `No I ate Kanda, that is, sweet potatoes, Ratalai. then Baba vomited Ratalai. Here was the wonder. What had been eaten by Baba was onion, and he was surprised to see that Baba vomited Ratalai. this again is Yatha sankalpa samsiddhi, a very high yogic power which is part of Baba divine equipment of powers. KusaBhav was surprised to see Baba's vomiting Ratanlai, and he fell upon it and the vomit. Baba beat him, saying, `Why do you eat the vomit?' But Kusa Bhav did not mind it. Baba's heart then melted and He wasanxious to give a blessing that would please Kusa Bhav. What Kusa Bhav wanted was power to produce materials. So, Baba said, `I hereby give you my blessings, I give you this power. think of me and hold forth your palm, and in your palm you will have my prasad, that is, warm udhi from the dhuni. Give it, and it will help all the people who receive it, being blessings from me'. It was a very valuable power, which did not require repetition of any mantra, but merely that he should think of Baba and hold forth his palm. but while conferring such a grand benefit on Kusa Bhav and upon others dealing with him. Baba employed his practical joke and played a pun upon the word Kanda and next vomited one thing when he had eaten another, all for the purpose of a practical joke. The end of all the humour and joke was the conferment on Kusa Bhav of a very valuable power, which he exercised right up to the end of his life. Here again, we see the human and the divine feature of Baba, especially the kindness which gave power to a devotee, so closely intermixed with pun and playing tricks. At meal time, it appears, he would often be joking with people and making them eat more and eat heartily. For instance, he might say to one , `Are you afraid you will be impoverishing Baba's Sansthan?' Eat heartily.
(Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B.V. Narasimha Swamiji)
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