November 1983
In November
1983 Babaji went on a yatra ( Spiritual trip ) to Jaddar, a small town near
Baroda in Gujarat. During the days when Babaji & devotees were there also a
Katha ( holy Book ) reading was going on by a locally, highly respected
Shastri which attracted also people from the villages around.
The small
town was packed with people. It was a very special moment for Karkhu and myself
there as we were sleeping right in front of Babaji's bedroom and were with Him
from the first bath, thru Chandan and mostly throughout the day. He made us
sing mantra's all day had conversations as a loving father would have with His
son's. On this trip He made us chant and repeat Hare Krishna Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare and also
SitaRam, SitaRam Bole pyare.
During the
day Babaji would give darshan on His asana prepared in a school building with 2
Acharya's on each side reciting and explaining the Shrimad Devi Bhagvatam.
Playfully
Babaji would throw well aimed oranges at the devotees having darshan and uplift
the energy in the long sits which were not so easy without kirtan or English
explanations of what was being spoken in Hindi.
We would
make trips around in the village visiting private houses followed by a group of
30/40 of us were people would make aarti to the Lord.
This all
took place in high speed and Baba would jump of to do the same in the next
house, all in a matter of a few minutes. These were fast, hectic and
extremely high energetic events where 12/15 houses visited in an hour.
Very crowded
and powerful havan's were performed in the courtyard.
Extremely
joyful procession through the town with thousands watching was part of the
Jaddar experience. Babaji was riding in the ox cart with Muniraj & Shastriji
and a couple of devotees from Bombay.
It went on
for hours with wild music played at times by the side of the procession. Karkhu
and myself riding on camels back and pulling up some kids for the fun.
One day we
were told to jump in a car and drove of with 2 cars out of the town. I remember
Babaji, Shastriji and Man Singh besides Karkhu & me but we were in 12 or
so. After a long ride we arrived in a tiny village were hundreds of people were
waiting playing music.
When Babaji
stepped out out the car and clicked His fingers the crowd went wild and the
drums started beating a heated rhythm. People were dancing in ecstasy. We were
trying to protect Babaji from the wild crowd but with movements and commands He
swept up the energy wilder and wilder. Two of the man dancing and jumping fell
in their ecstasy to the ground but kept dancing somehow. What our eyes saw
there was not possible for the mind to phantom. While in horizontal position
they were flying thru the air 5/6 meters again and again. Like balls of energy
bouncing around the terrace these man were flying thru the air. The ecstasy
became so wild we had to leave and protect Babaji from the wildly insane crowd
who all wanted to touch Him. We made it to the car completely in a daze of what
happened there and how we experienced it. We lost the way back and drove around
for hours to find Jaddar town again which may have been necessary for us to
calm down again after this mind altering high energetic event.
On one of
the last days there we were on a square and people crowded by the hundreds
around and kept hanging flower mala's on Babaji and giving Him prasaad. At a
certain point Babaji put Karkhu and myself on a small elevation and told
everybody to hang the mala's around our neck and told us to bless the people
with our hand and gave us a mantra to do and He jumped away.
Babaji was
standing on a balcony looking and laughing at us. In the midst of this
noisy crowd, concentrated on the words He told us to repeat and somehow
"channel" Babaji's blessings we experienced a strange mixture of
feeling ridiculous with Babaji laughing at us and a complete harmony with the
Divine being aware that we had no blessings to give but something extraordinary
was happening anyway. We just did as He told us and it became quite an
experience looking into these many eyes who come hungry for blessings in
devotion hanging a mala's around your neck and putting prasaad in your mouth
and a rupee in your hand.
I saw there
how we all come as beggars to God, asking, asking and asking and hoping to be
answered. Here the formula is with mala & sweets, somewhere else, incense
and a candle, feathers and sacred tobacco, a butter lamp and khata, a hand of
samargree, a donation etc. all in exchange for blessings in the form of health,
wealth and progress of some kind and relieve of our suffering.
We are
beggars in Gods presence and have so little to offer in reality. The Lord
accept everything what is offered in devotion and automatically gives His
blessings.
Offering
prasaad (blessed food) as service in His name in a way that feeds the poor,
heals the sick and spreads Light where there is darkness seems more an
extension of the Divine in action from what I have seen thru the years.
Thinking a
bit more about passing His blessings to others rather then asking for ourselves
may be the way to go into the new era, the new world Babaji spoke about ?
It may be a
way to invite Him to walk amongst us once again……..
Truth, Simplicity and Love
