Maharaj Nib Karori 4 महाराज निब करोरी

Maharaj ji's divine lila are so diverse that they do not readily fit into categories. Some reveal his divine attributes, some his kindness and love, and others his humour and close association with those around him. The lila in this chapter describe conversations carried on with Baba, dreams in which he appeared, and journeys taken with him. Many reflect the unpredictable nature of Baba as well as the inexpressible joy of being in his company.

1. A Journey With Baba


Once, Maharaj talked of taking some devotees to have darshan of Badrinath and Gangotri. Baba asked Tuluram Sah to go with Sri Ma to the house of Hiralal Sah "Habba" at Pauri, Garhwal, saying, "I shall meet you there." He arranged for many other devotees to gather at Habba's house as well, but he himself did not arrive. After staying for about a week, Tuluram Sah thought of leaving Pauri, partly because he felt uncomfortable staying so long at Habba's house and partly because of his disappointment that Baba had not arrived. Whenever he wanted to leave, however, a telegram would come from Baba informing them of his arrival, so nobody could go back home. One day Baba did arrive, and a bhandara was arranged. Many local people came for prasad. Basant Lal, Habba's son, said that they did not have to organize anything extra for it. The monthly provisions for his family were sufficient to meet the requirements of hospitality and the bhandara.

The next morning Baba ordered everyone to continue the journey to Badrinath. However, there was only one bus in Pauri, and it had an engine problem. Though the driver could not get permission to drive the bus for such a long distance, he agreed to take them as far as Srinigar (a small town near Pauri). When they reached Srinagar, they found that there were no buses there either. Baba stayed on the bus they had arrived in and insisted, "We will go on this bus." Though the bus was not in the proper condition and could have broken down at any time, the police gave permission for its use. In those days the buses did not go all the way to Badrinath; they went only as far as Joshimath. The bus took them safely to Joshimath, but on its return, it was damaged in an accident in Kotdwar (a town along the way). To the amazement of the driver and conductor, no one was injured.

From Joshimath the devotees arranged two dandis to go to Badrinath—one for Baba and the other for Basant Lal's two-and-a-half-year-old son, who would have been difficult to carry on the long climb ahead. The dandi bearers were frightened when they saw Baba's huge body and said, "Does this fat man also require a dandi?" The devotees did not want Baba to go on foot and were ready to give the dandi bearers whatever fare they wanted, but the men still would not agree to carry Baba. At last they reached a compromise. The cunning porters carrying the child's dandi said they would change places with those carrying Baba's dandi along the route, though they did not plan to take their turn at the agreed interchange.

The dandi in which Baba was sitting went ahead swiftly. The porters did not feel Baba's weight at all. They felt as if they were carrying an empty dandi. The porters who were carrying the dandi in which the child was sitting trailed behind as they struggled to bear the weight. They were surprised at how heavy the child was but were too ashamed to admit it and kept quiet. Eventually, when they were not able to bear the weight any further, they had to admit what was happening. The child's parents did not believe them, but they made the child walk for some distance. Baba had gone very far ahead, so he got the porters to stop and wait for the rest of the party. When the porters carrying Baba's dandi were asked to change with the other porters, they refused. Then the child insisted on sitting with Baba. Baba allowed him to sit in his dandi, which further complicated matters, as the porters refused to carry both of them on one dandi. Baba persuaded them to try, and when they lifted the dandi, they found it as light as before. They reached Badrinath easily, with the child's dandi carried there empty.

On their arrival in Badrinath, Baba got all the devotees to stay at Kali Kamli Dharamshala, and he himself stayed at Badrivan with Habba ji. There were no settlements at Badrivan in those days. It was rough, rugged, and desolate. Every morning Shrimati Munni Devi, Basant Lal's wife, used to take a bath in the hot springs with Sri Ma. Afterward Sri Ma would leave for Badrivan, and Munni Devi would return to the dharamshala to give the devotees tea. Then after having darshan of Badrivishal, she would also go to Badrivan to have Baba's darshan. Baba gave all the visitors malpua to eat.

One day when Shrimati Munni went to Baba, he said, "You did not have Badrinath's darshan today?" As she had already had darshan, she kept quiet. Baba then said, "Go and have darshan again." Due to the number of people waiting for darshan, the time that one could stay in the temple was limited. However, none of Baba's devotees was asked to move on. When Munni arrived again at the temple, instead of the Badrinath deity, she saw Baba enshrined there. She stared motionless at the spectacle. After sending her to the temple, Baba also sent her father-in-law, Habba, to have darshan. He was standing near her, and he also had Baba's darshan in place of the Badrinath murti for a long time. Tears flowed from his eyes. Sometime later both of them returned to Baba, and Habba said, "Sarkar, you have made us run there for nothing. We had your darshan in that murti as we have your darshan here."

They all left Badrinath, and on their way to Gangotri, Baba sat at a place by the Bhagirathi River. He said to Habba, "In Satyuga [the golden age] this was the Ganga of milk." Habba replied, "Sarkar, it is even now," to which Baba said, "Do you see a river of milk?" Habba answered, "Sarkar, while with you it is seen as that of milk." Baba asked him to bring a tumbler full of Ganges water and a handful of sand. Habba brought them. When he opened his hand, the particles of sand had changed into precious stones, and the water was milk. Maharaj ji told him to distribute those gems among the devotees, but Habba did not agree to this. He felt that the gems had no value in comparison to the grace of Maharaj. With Baba's permission he consigned the gems to the Ganges.

Later in the afternoon they reached Gangotri, and Maharaj made the devotees stay at a house while he stayed elsewhere with Habba ji. In the evening Sri Ma and the accompanying ladies went to the Gangotri temple for darshan. While the other ladies proceeded towards the shrine, the beauty of the Himalayas drew Sri Ma's attention, and as she turned around, she and Munni Devi had darshan of Lord Shiva. Standing with their backs towards the temple, they were enchanted by the sight. People were surprised to see them standing with their backs to the temple, and after some time Tuluram Sah joined them. However, he could not have darshan because the clouds once again covered the mountains. A man standing nearby told them that the clouds always covered the mountains. He said a saint had certainly come that day for whom the mountains had made themselves visible for darshan.

From Gangotri they traveled to Rishikesh. On their way they stopped at a place called Dharali at about eight at night. Most of the devotees stayed in a dharamshala; Umadatt Shukla spent the night in a tea shop, and Baba rested in a timber storehouse at the back of the tea stall. In the morning, when Girish went for Baba's darshan, he saw a snake and a scorpion fighting on Baba's blanket on his chest. He cried out in fear at the sight. As soon as Baba uncovered himself, the snake and the scorpion moved away.

From Dharali they arrived in Rishikesh and stayed for about fifteen days. One day Shrimati Munni was coming out of the Ganges after having a bath. She and Sri Ma were standing with their backs towards the river when Munni turned and saw that Tularam Sah was being carried away by the current. She yelled and drew Sri Ma's attention to the situation. Ma did not know how to swim, but she jumped into the fast-moving current to save her husband. Munni was frightened. She did not know how to swim either, but she decided that if the two of them drowned, she would drown herself as well. Habba was nearby but was unaware of the situation. He was in deep meditation after his bath. Baba was in his kuti at the time. Munni then saw the impossible happen. Ma pulled Tuluram Sah out of the midstream and brought him to the bank. Munni was wonderstruck. She had forgotten her resolve to drown herself and came back to join them. Tuluram Sah did not take much time to recover. Afterwards when everyone went to Baba, he said, "Three lives were saved today. Siddhi saved her husband."

2.  Creating Murtis


Baba once went to the house of Ram Ratan Gupta in Kanpur. Gupta's brother was there and invited Baba to his house in Bombay, making Girish, who was with Baba, note down his Prince Street address. Some years later Baba went to the South with Sri Ma, Tuluram Sah, his son Ramesh, and Girish. When they arrived in Bombay, they stayed in Gupta's house on Prince Street. Gupta told them about the miracles of a female saint who was well known in South India, and he took Baba, Ramesh, and Girish to her house in a suburb of Bombay. The lady welcomed them and asked them to sit in the room where some other visitors were sitting. Gupta asked her to give the newly arrived visitors prasad.

The lady had two bowls. There was roli (a red mixture of tumeric and lime powder) in one and sandal powder in the other. When she put roli in a person's hand, it turned into sandal powder, and when she did the same with sandal powder, it turned into roli. After this, murtis made out of an alloy of eight metals just appeared in her hand, and she gave them to the devotees as prasad. In this way she gave Girish a murti of Durga. When it was Ramesh's turn, he silently prayed to Baba that no murti would appear in the woman's hand to give to him. None appeared, and the lady fell unconscious on the floor. Her bodyguards and secretary carried her into another room, and she regained consciousness after some time. Meanwhile Ramesh became worried and told Baba everything. When the lady reappeared, Baba asked Ramesh to take prasad from her. This time a murti of Laxmi appeared in her hand, and she gave it to Ramesh. Later she gave a murti of Shiva's family to Baba at Gupta's request.

On their return to Bombay, Ramesh and Girish presented their murtis to Baba and asked him how it all happened. Baba only said, "It happens." He then tied those murtis in Sri Ma's anchal (loose end of a sari). When Ma opened it later, a fourth murti, that of Ram, had appeared inside by Baba's grace. The four murtis are still kept safely at the India Hotel in Nainital.

3.  A Pilgrimage Postponed


Seeing devotees traveling with Baba to various places, Shrimati Shakuntala Sah also had the desire to travel with him, but she was unable to do so since her children were young. Once, she met Baba in Allahabad while she was visiting her relative Jagati Babu at Colonelganj. Baba was staying nearby at Church Lane, and she humbly asked him to take her on a pilgrimage to Chitrakut. Baba tried to postpone it, but she would not hear of it. So Baba got ready and set out by car, taking Sri Ma and as many devotees as possible. The plan was to do a day trip and return to Allahabad in the evening.

Nevertheless, the car had hardly traveled four kilometers when it broke down. Baba got out and went to a small Hanuman temple situated in a nearby lentil field and sat down. All the devotees joined him there and were delighted by his conversation. Many hours passed, and Balak, the driver, could not find the problem. Baba kept calling out to him, "Hurry up or there won't be time to go to Chitrakut." The driver kept saying that everything seemed to be alright with the car, but it still would not start. He tried his best, but it was all in vain. Meanwhile back at Church Lane, Sudhir Mukerjee had become seriously ill. His aunt was very worried and remembered Baba. Baba said to the driver, "Pour a tumbler full of water into the car." As soon as the driver carried out his instructions, the car started, and everyone returned to Church Lane. Baba said to Mukerjee's aunt, "You remembered me and I have come."

4.  Travel Lila


In 1949 Baba traveled from Nainital to Kashipur via Haldwani with nine devotees. When they arrived in Kashipur, they stayed in the house of Kishan Chaube, who extended great hospitality to them. Throughout the day all the devotees in Kashipur came with offerings of food and milk for Baba. Baba ate many platefuls of food that day and drank milk in large quantities. Before evening, however, he said he was hungry. He sent his devotee Pooran Chandra Joshi to a nearby lane saying, "A woman is waiting there. She has prepared roti for me. Go and bring it." Joshi went into that narrow lane and saw an old woman sitting in an open doorway. As soon as he spoke Baba's name, she happily disappeared inside and returned bringing a thick roti and some green vegetables. At that moment Baba himself arrived and taking that roti in his hand, ate it with great relish.

Baba and the group of devotees returned to Haldwani by train from Kashipur. Chaube had purchased a second-class ticket for Baba. By mistake he bought only eight third-class tickets for the nine devotees who accompanied him and gave the tickets to one of them. All of them sat in the second-class compartment with Baba except for a pandit, who traveled in the third-class compartment of the train. Suddenly Baba asked the devotees, "How many tickets are there?" A devotee replied that Chaube bought tickets for all. Baba sternly asked, "Where is Pandit's ticket?" They counted them again and realized the mistake.

Baba took all the tickets from them and threw them out of the window of the moving train, making all of them ticketless travelers. A special checking squad was checking the train that day, and the eight devotees sitting with Baba were government servants. They worried about losing their jobs if they were caught traveling without tickets. At the next station Baba got out of the train and went to sit with Pandit in the third-class compartment, as did the devotees. Just then Baba put nine third-class tickets into the hands of a devotee.

The train arrived at the Lalkuan station late at night, after the connecting train to Haldwani had already left. There was no other train for Haldwani nor was a bus available, so they thought they would have to spend the night at the station. However, as Baba got down onto the platform, a Muslim truck driver standing nearby noticed him, wrapped in his blanket. He stared at Baba with great curiosity. Baba also looked at him and said, "Your wife is ill? You are sad? You have taken her to Bareilly, Agra, and other places and still there is no improvement? Do not worry, she will be alright." He listened to Baba in quiet amazement and then humbly asked him, "Baba, where do you want to go? My truck is standing outside." He then took everyone to Haldwani in his truck.

5.  Ram's Name Inscribed On Trees


On one occasion many devotees traveled to Chitrakut by bus. Having visited Chitrakut, Hanuman Dhara, Anusuiyya, Sphatik Shila, and other places during the day, they began their return to Allahabad. At Kamtanath, Baba sent all the devotees to see the Ramkullu trees (trees under which Lord Ram rested), and he himself stayed at the car. The devotees were surprised to see the name of Ram inscribed on the leaves and branches of those trees. On their return they expressed their amazement to Baba, who said, "I will accept it to be true if Ramesh endorses it." Sri Ma's son Ramesh was sceptical by nature. He went there and observed those trees in minute detail. He also scraped a piece of bark from one of the trees and examined it. He was surprised to see the name of Ram inscribed even underneath the peeled bark.

6.  Journey to the South


In 1973 Maharaj traveled to South India with Sri Ma, Sri Jivanti Ma, Ramesh Sah, and many other devotees. They arrived in Madras on 9 January and went to stay at the Sindhi dharamshala. The rooms that Baba pointed at were locked, so all the luggage was placed on the veranda in front of them. When the devotees met the manager and requested him to get the rooms opened, the manager refused, saying that they were already reserved for a person coming from Vrindavan. He also made it clear that the other rooms were occupied and suggested that they seek accommodation elsewhere. When the devotees explained the situation to Baba, he insisted, "I will only stay in these rooms."

The devotees arranged some bedding on the veranda so that Baba could rest, but the manager arrived and expressed his displeasure. He asked them to vacate the veranda and then left. Still, Baba did not leave. He said, "Nobody will come for these rooms. Pay no heed to the manager." The day was drawing to a close, so the devotees once again requested the manager to open the rooms. At that very moment a telegram arrived from the person in Vrindavan requesting the manager to cancel his reservations. The manager then opened the rooms for Baba with pleasure.

While in Madras, Baba took the devotees to visit the Vaishnavi Devi temple, which is located about twenty-three kilometers away from the city. Two taxis were taken. Baba got into one taxi, and the devotees got into the second one. Baba's car usually led the others, but this time the devotees' car led. Consequently they passed the temple and drove on about nine kilometers further. Baba followed them until he reached a vast, barren, and desolate place and then stopped. The other taxi stopped too. Walking around, Baba said, "I did not realize, but we have passed the temple." In actuality Baba sanctified that piece of land by stopping there. They all got into the taxis again and drove back to the Vaishnavi Devi temple with Baba's taxi in the lead.

On 19 January 1984 Hukum Chand had Baba's murti installed on the very piece of land at which Baba and the devotees had stopped all those years before. Hukum Chand had not been with Maharaj when he and the devotees stopped there, nor had he heard about the trip. Still, he unknowingly chose the same site that Maharaj had sanctified years before to build the Veerapuram ashram and temples.

7.  Meeting Baba


Hukum Chand had been a resident of Sindh (Pakistan), but after the partition of India in 1947, he left Pakistan and set up his business in Madras. He often visited the Vaishnavi Devi temple and met a sage there. When Baba took his devotees to have Vaishnavi Devi's darshan, he also graced the sage by his presence. After Baba left, Hukum Chand arrived at the temple. The sage told him about Baba and asked Hukum Chand to go and have his darshan. Hukum Chand went to the dharamshala but could not find Baba, so he left without meeting him. He went again the next day and was about to leave for the second time without meeting Baba when he met Ramesh, who Baba had sent to call him.

When Hukum Chand went into Baba's room, he saw a few women devotees massaging Baba's feet. Hukum Chand felt uncomfortable with what he saw and hesitated to go into the room. Nevertheless, when he looked into Baba's smiling face, his feelings became pure, and he remained standing with his hands folded in reverence. Baba asked him to come again the next morning. The next day Hukum Chand went to meet Baba and asked him, "Why is maya [illusion]? How can one disentangle oneself from maya?" Baba asked him, "What is this maya? Where is it?" and then he himself answered, "There is no maya." After this he said, "Who is the best eye doctor here?" Hukum suggested two names, Dr. Aggarwal and Dr. Abraham.

Baba asked, "Who is Abraham?"

"A Christian," was the reply.

"Abraham is good, Abraham is good. I will consult him," Baba said.

Baba then told Hukum Chand to come visit him again after two days. Hukum Chand tried to contact the doctor and found out that he had gone to Bangalore for a couple of days. He went back to Baba, who said that he would see the doctor on his return from Rameshwaram, where he and the devotees were about to go.

After Baba left, Hukum Chand went to Bombay and broke his glasses on the way. He got a new pair made in Bombay but was not comfortable with them and thought of getting a new pair from Dr. Abraham when he returned to Madras. Upon his return, he was about to go to the clinic when his son asked if he could go with him to get his eyes tested. His exams were near, and he was having trouble with his eyesight. They went together, and after getting his glasses changed, Hukum Chand felt relieved. After examining his son's eyes, the doctor advised an immediate operation, for there was a risk of losing his sight. Hukum Chand acted upon the doctor's advise and got the operation performed immediately. In this way Abraham relieved both father and son of their ailments. Hukum Chand later realized that Baba was not in need of a doctor for his own eyes. He had recommended Dr. Abraham to him for their benefit.


8.  A Suggestion Is Sufficient


Baba stayed at the Sindhi Dharamshala from the 9th to the 23rd of January 1973. One day he said to Hukum Chand, "You should buy a good house for yourself." Hukum Chand replied that he had been trying to find a flat for the last two years, but he had not found any to his liking. The conversation ended there. Within a week after Baba left Madras, Hukum Chand found a flat. He then realized that Baba had bestowed his grace on him by way of his suggestion.


9.  A Journey to Chitrakut


Baba went to Dixit ji's place from Church Lane, Allahabad, and asked him to go to Chitrakut with him the next day. Many other devotees were also going with Baba on the pilgrimage. Dixit ji arrived at Church Lane early the next morning. The door of Baba's kuti was closed, and he could be heard reprimanding someone inside. After a short while the door opened and Baba's devotee Girish came out. Dixit ji asked him the reason for Baba's anger. Girish said, "Yesterday Baba asked me to order fresh jalebis (a kind of Indian sweet) for the devotees today. I was busy attending to him and only remembered about it when I went to bed at midnight. What could I do at that time? When I woke up in the morning, I was called and scolded." When Dixit ji got into the room, Baba was sitting calmly. Baba again sent for Girish and pointing to a large packet under his takhat said, "Take it out." The packet was full of hot, fresh jalebis. Baba made everyone eat the jalebis, and then proceeded to Chitrakut.

10.  Gopal


One day Baba was on the bank of the Mandakini calling loudly for Gopal on the other side of the river. Dixit ji went across to the village to enquire about Gopal. He was amazed when a man told him there had been a cowherd named Gopal about four generations before. Members of his family still lived in the village. The man went on to tell Dixit ji that Gopal had been a devotee of a saint named Baba Neeb Karori and had always attended to him. How could one ever know Baba's age?

11.  Bhagwan Singh's Dream

On one occasion Sri Ma and Sri Jivanti Ma were staying at Chattisgarh, Vrindavan, and Bhagwan Singh, who was a young boy then, was in attendance. The construction of Baba's Vrindavan ashram was in progress, and Baba occasionally visited the place. One day both the Mothers were going to the ashram by rickshaw, thinking that Baba may have come. Bhagwan Singh was sitting at their feet on board, telling them about the dream he had had the previous night. He said that Baba had made him wear the sacred thread with his own hands, and another man was standing there holding Baba's long hair, which looked like the matted locks of a hermit.

When they arrived at the ashram, the Mothers went in by the back door and sat in the corridor near Baba's room to wait for him. Bhagwan Singh went to where Baba was sitting outside and bowed before him. Baba made him wear the sacred thread, and the pandits present recited sacred hymns from the Vedas. After that Bhagwan Singh went to the Mothers to receive their blessing. That was the fulfilment of the first part of Bhagwan Singh's dream.

Later Maharaj got up and went back to his room. From the corridor, the Mothers overheard the conversation between Baba and a devotee who was with him. The devotee was saying to Baba that he remembered very well the time when Baba's appearance was different; he had long, matted hair, and his body was bare except for the strip of bark from a banana tree. Baba was heard saying to him, "The Mothers already bother me for no reason and by saying this you are creating more problems for me." He then asked, "What was your age at that time?"

The man replied, "I was sixty years old then."

"What is your age now?"

"It is ninety-four years."

Thus, the second part of Bhagwan Singh's dream was clarified.

12.  Saxena's Own Tale

Mohan Lal Saxena, a devotee of Maharaj, worked in the Sessions Court in Nainital and lived nearby in Chinakhan Lane. He had four sons who were studying in school. Whenever Baba came and stayed, be it in Gathia, Bhumiadhar, Hanumanghar, or elsewhere, Saxena sent one of his sons with food every day. Whenever Saxena attended Baba's gatherings, Baba always asked him to tell the devotees about his life. Saxena said, "When my father died, my mother was only twenty, and I was a small child. Some of our relatives wanted us to leave our village so that they could take our land. A sadhu arrived and stayed at our house, cultivated our land, and looked after us. He got me educated and making us stand on our own two feet in life, got me married. By the time the marriage party had returned after the three days of ceremony at the bride's house, he had disappeared." Hearing all that, Baba used to say with surprise, "Look, being a sadhu, he stayed at his house, took care of them and their crops, and then disappeared." Years later Saxena told the devotees that the sadhu was none other than their beloved Baba.

13.  Baba's Age

One day in Allahabad a woman who had heard of Baba came to see him for the first time. She bowed before him and sat there, but she seemed to be a little confused. After a short while, she told Baba that a ninety-year-old woman who loved her dearly had come to her house. She wanted to bring the woman with her to meet Baba, but she was surprised when the woman refused saying, "To see Baba Neeb Karori? He is no more now. The man you are going to see may be his disciple. When I was nine years old, he came to our house to give darshan. He was quite old then. My father was his devotee." When the woman finished telling this story, Baba laughed loudly. She asked him what the matter was, but he did not reply and just laughed again. He made her retell the story several times while he continued laughing. The devotees present laughed with him.

14.  Shiva's Darshan

Maharaj brought Devkamta Dixit ji with him from Kanpur to Varanasi and assured him that he would take him to have Vishwanath's (Lord Shiva's) darshan. Coming out of the Vijaynagaram Palace at Varanasi, Baba changed his mind, and instead of taking him to the Vishwanath temple, he took him to Gyanvapi Lane. Baba met a sanyasi (an initiated renunciant) there and talked to him for some time. Dixit ji did not understand the topic of conversation or the language they were speaking. Baba asked Dixit ji to give him four annas (Indian coins) and then asked him to fetch a particular person. No sooner did Dixit ji turn to go than he saw that person coming towards him. Dixit ji at once turned back towards Baba, but he saw neither Baba nor the sanyasi there. Then he witnessed a strange sight. It looked as if Baba was emerging from the earth.

About two years after this incident, a Bengali named Guha came to Kainchi ashram. He told Baba he had spent the nights of the last month reciting hymns to the goddess Chandi (Durga) and wanted Maharaj's permission to go to Varanasi. Baba asked him, "What will you do at Kashi?"

"I will have Vishwanath's darshan, and I will give as much alms as possible to sanyasis at Gyanvapi."

"Why?"

"It is mentioned in the scriptures that Lord Shiva wanders about at Gyanvapi in the guise of a sanyasi. I cannot recognize him, so I will give something to all the sanyasis."

Baba looked at Dixit ji, who was also present, as if he was reminding him of the incident that had happened two years before. He asked Dixit ji to give some money to Guha. Dixit ji realized that Baba had made him have Lord Shiva's darshan in the guise of that sanyasi and thus had fulfilled his promise.

15.  A Crack In the Murti

The Hanuman temple at Vrindavan ashram was built by Mangturam Jaipuria, and the murti for the temple was brought from Jaipur. When it arrived and the packing case was opened, Prem Dass Baba, the ashram caretaker at the time, found a crack across it. He would not allow the defective murti to be installed, which created a problem. Shortly thereafter Maharaj arrived in Vrindavan with some devotees and said to them, "Examine the murti to see whether it is defective or not and inform me." Baba also said, "Prem Dass Baba told lies that the murti is defective. That's why he would not let it be installed." The devotees examined the murti in minute detail but could not find any defects or cracks. Baba then asked Prem Dass Baba to examine it again. Prem Dass Baba was surprised to see that the crack he had seen the previous day had disappeared. Baba got the murti installed the same day, and the devotees came to understand the purpose of his having traveled to Vrindavan all through the night.

16.  A Strange Incident

One day at Church Lane, Maharaj suddenly became quiet and motionless. His eyes were half-open and still, and it seemed as if he was engrossed in deep thought. It was a state of Chaitanaya samadhi (a state in which consciousness transcends the self). Baba was not at all aware of himself. The palms of his hands and the soles of his feet slowly became red, and an intense fragrance filled the atmosphere. It permeated not only the house, but also the road outside for quite some distance. It lasted for about twenty minutes. The devotees present sat there quietly watching him. After some time Baba became normal and everything was as before.

17.  The Darshan of Ram Naam

One day in 1962 Mohini Sah, a dear devotee of Maharaj since childhood, found out that Baba was in Kainchi. Since she never missed a chance to experience the joy of being with him, she bought some fruit to offer to him, tied it in the corner of her sari, and went to Kainchi. The ashram was still being built, and only the construction of Baba's kuti was complete. While Sri Ma, K.C. Tewari, and some other devotees were in Kainchi, Baba had left for Nainital before Mohini arrived. Mohini was deeply upset that she could not meet Baba after having traveled the nineteen kilometers from Nainital to Kainchi. Forgetting to take her sandals off, she went to Baba's takhat, scattered the fruit all over it, and pummeled the seat with her fists, giving vent to her anger. Afterwards she went to the rock where Baba often sat, and sitting there, she sang many beautiful devotional songs. In the end she chanted "Jai Ram, Jai Ram" [Glory to Ram] and became so overwhelmed that she fainted and lay unconscious.

Baba returned about midnight. When she got up the next morning, Mohini had Baba's darshan and pummeled his feet in the same manner that she had pummeled his seat the previous day. When the people in the ashram asked her the reason for chanting so many hymns without a break, she said that she had seen the name of Ram illuminated in stars on each leaf of the tree near the rock, and the grandeur of the sight had immersed her in joy.

18.  Absence From Baba's Durbar

Even after the construction of Hanumanghar in Nainital, Baba often stayed at the small ashram in Bhumiadhar when he came to the hills. Devotees gathered there day and night to see him. Nandan Mai used to go from Nainital to Bhumiadhar to see Baba every day. At one point she could not go for three consecutive days. When she arrived at Bhumiadhar on the fourth day, she saw Baba surrounded by a large crowd of devotees. She silently greeted him in her heart from a distance. He said, "I have got your three days absence marked in the attendance register of God in heaven above. I cannot have pity on you and mark you present when you have been absent for three days." She was speechless when she heard these words and was surprised to know that in spite of a busy routine, Baba was aware of a devotee's absence. Then she realized that there is no difference between a saint and God. If a person is absent from a saint's durbar, they are absent from God's durbar as well.

19.  The Meeting of Two Great Saints

Yogeshwar Pande from New Hyderabad, Lucknow, had the good fortune to witness Baba's meeting with Swami Ramanand. It was the meeting of two great saints. After extending the usual hospitality, Baba said to Swami ji that he should give him his Kashmiri shawl. Swami ji at once removed his shawl and gave it to Baba. Swami ji also humbly asked for Baba's permission to request something from him. Swami ji asked Baba to give him the blanket he was wearing. Baba gave it to him in the same manner that Swami ji had given him the shawl.

On their return from having Baba's darshan, Pande, expressing his inner curiosity, asked Swami ji, "How can the exchange of a shawl for a blanket be fair?" At this Swami Ramanand said, "Baba Neeb Karori is a saint of the highest order. Of course he wanders in this world in a physical body, but he is not at all conscious of the environment around him. He lives in the state of the highest samadhi. His laughter, his shedding of tears are not at all influenced by the situations prevailing at the time. He is in constant communion with God, and all his actions are performed accordingly. It is not desirable to consider his blanket as an ordinary one. It is his great prasad."

20.  A Mother Feeds Baba

Baba held a huge bhandara on the occasion of the Kumbha Mela at Prayag. While thousands were being fed, he himself chose to go to a hut in which an old woman was cooking a meal. Baba stood in front of the hut and said, "Mother, I would like to have food." The old woman said, "Baba, I have prepared dal and roti. You fetch your utensils, and I shall serve you food in them." Baba suggested she put the dal on the roti and give it to him. The old woman put two rotis in Baba's hand and poured some dal onto them. Baba sat by her and lovingly ate the food. In this manner he showered his grace on the old woman.

21.  The Desire for God's Darshan

A lecturer from Allahabad University asked Baba, "How can I have God's darshan?" Baba immediately replied, "Go to a forest in search of God on a dark night without a light or weapon. You will meet God." The lecturer was puzzled and said, "I will not be able to undertake this difficult task. Tell me a simpler method." Baba said, "Man is very selfish. Do not see anyone's face. Live in total solitude and you will have his darshan." The lecturer said, "I have to live in society. How can I isolate myself? So tell me a method easier than this." Baba said, "Well, while living among people, do not speak to anyone. Observe silence." Baba then suggested to him that he could speak while teaching and observe silence at all other times. At this he said, "It is not possible, as I have to seek guidance from my seniors at the university." At last, telling him about the simplest method, Baba said, "Speak to everyone, but do not greet anyone, and if someone greets you, go on your way without looking at him." The lecturer, explaining his difficulty again said, "It would be bad manners and people would form a bad opinion of me." At this Baba said, "You concern yourself with the opinions of others and forget about your desire to have God's darshan."

22.  Nobody Will Retire You

The late Devi Prasad Pande was working as an electrician on daily wages at Government House, Nainital, when the Public Works Department offered him a contract on a monthly salary. He was asked to submit his CV, some documents from a recognized institution, and authentic proof of age. He had not taken the matriculation exam, which mentions the date of birth and is considered correct for all official purposes. He submitted his horoscope instead, which showed that only two years remained before he was fifty-eight, the age of retirement. He was very worried, thinking he would get a reduced pension and have to leave his government accommodation. He could see no solution to the problem. Baba came to his house, and when Pande told him about the problem, Baba said to him, "Do not worry. Nobody will retire you." The CV and documents were accepted, but his horoscope was not accepted as proof of his age. Instead, he was asked to submit a certificate of age from the civil surgeon. The civil surgeon assessed his age as forty-two years. Consequently he worked up to the age of seventy-two and died before his retirement.

23.  A Pilgrimage to Amarnath

Devi Prasad Pande was seventy years old, his body had become weak, and he was suffering from a cough and fever. In spite of this, he was observing a fast for Chaturdashi. After worshipping Lord Shiva, he went to Kainchi to see Baba. As soon as he bowed before him, Baba touched him on his forehead with his foot and said, "You have to take the mothers from the hills on a pilgrimage to Amarnath." Although he felt helpless due to his ill health, he obeyed Baba and set out on the hazardous journey to Amarnath with the devotees. From Pahalgaon, they went to Amarnath, where Pande recited hymns in worship to Rudra (Shiva). It was the effect of Baba's touch that in spite of his bad health, made him able to undertake the difficult journey.

24.  Just In Time

Indradev Narayan Sahi came to Kainchi with his wife to spend some time in Baba's presence. He was delighted to have Baba's darshan, but after having prasad at the bhandara, Baba told him to return to Delhi at once. Sahi was stunned and at the same time hurt by Baba's indifferent attitude. In spite of his repeated requests, Baba did not allow him to stay saying, "Who is looking after your house? You would say later that you went to see Baba and you were robbed." Sahi explained that he had left his house in the care of his trusted servant. Baba, however, would not listen to him, and eventually he had to leave for Delhi. On arriving at his house in Delhi, he was surprised to find that his servant, who they trusted so much, had packed up all the valuables and was about to take them away. They caught him red-handed. This incident opened Sahi's eyes and moved him deeply. He realized what the lila was about and was sorry he had felt hurt when Baba told him to go.

25.  One Bangle Less

My mother-in-law had brought seven silver bangles for me from Mexico. Taking them off at night, I would keep them in the drawer of my dressing table near my bed. The next morning I would put them back on after having counted them. One night I saw Maharaj ji in a dream. I was very happy to see him, and after offering pranaam to him, I asked him what I could do for him. He looked at my bangles, which I was wearing in my dream, and said, "I want to take them." I immediately took them off and put them at his feet. He said, "Not all, I will take only one." I picked up one bangle and gave it to him. Then I woke up. There were only six. This incident had such an effect on me that I could not talk about it to anyone for a long time.

-Radha Baum, USA

26.  Mantra Initiation

One snowy night in Shimla, in January 1955, Rani Girija Devi was very perturbed, for her husband, Raja Bhadri, was down with a fever. She had a vision that night in which she saw a shadow entering the house through a window. It changed itself into the form of Maharaj, who looked the same as when she had first seen him at Ramgarh, Nainital. Baba wanted to give a mantra, and she was saying that she would forget what it was if she was initiated in a dream. Then Baba woke her up and told her the mantra. She again expressed her inability to remember it because she felt sleepy. The third time Baba made her sit on the bed and giving her a pen and paper picked up from the table nearby, asked her to write down the mantra. Still very drowsy, she wrote it down and then went back to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, she saw the pen, paper, and the mantra written down in her own handwriting. Still she chants that mantra.

27.  Changing Hearts

One night Shrimati Kamla Pande had a dream in which she saw Maharaj sitting on a takhat in the front room of a house on the roadside. He was looking outside through the door, and some young men were passing by singing obscene film songs. Kamla ji, Sri Ma, and Sri Jivanti Ma were also in the room and appeared disturbed by the young men's indecent behavior before Maharaj. Next she saw that Baba called those young men and asked them to sing a song. They came and sang many devotional songs of Kabir, Mira, and other saints. Baba said to them, "I called you to sing the same songs that you were singing in the street." They appeared ashamed and joining their hands in respect said, "Baba, we have forgotten those songs and we know only these devotional songs." Baba turned his face towards Shrimati Kamla and whispered in her ear, "I do not know anything. I just know how to change hearts."

28.  Will Power

Shrimati Kamla struggled with serious diseases throughout her life. On one occasion when she went to Lucknow for the marriages of her two nieces, she contracted a fever and her body weakened. She was sad because she could not help share the burden of all the household chores on such a festive occasion. Baba appeared in her dream that night and said, "Increase your will power." The next day, without paying much attention to her weakness, she started working as much as she could, which gave her a lot satisfaction. After the marriages at Lucknow, she had to go to Meerut for the marriage of her son. There she had to shoulder all the responsibilities by herself. By following Baba's instruction, she was able to perform the tasks well.

29.  The Face of Hanuman

The large cement murti of Hanuman for the temple at Hanumangarh in Nainital was almost complete, but the making of the face was creating a problem. In spite of all his efforts, the mason could not get it right. The construction work, which was taking place at Hanumangarh, had to be postponed, and the murti was draped with a cloth. The mason and all the devotees were very disappointed. Maharaj was not in Nainital at the time, but one night Munni, Shivdutt Joshi ji's daughter, saw Baba in her dream. He said, "Organize non-stop recitation of Ramayana and read each stanza ending with the line, 'In the reign of Ram, there were no physical, divine, or wordly sufferings.' Write the name of Ram innumerable times and mix it with mortar. Only with that mixture can the face be completed." The recitation of the Ramayana started, and the mason worked in accordance with Baba's instructions. In this way the murti was completed in no time.

30.  Mahasamadhi Lila

On 11 September 1973 Maharaj ji ended his physical existence in a hospital in Vrindavan, apparently leaving his body like an ordinary man. The implications of Baba's Mahasamadhi are still a mystery. In many ways there seemed to be no break in his lila. Even though he stopped using his form in the manner to which his devotees had become accustomed, people continued to have his darshan and experience his presence and grace.

In hindsight Baba gave certain hints and indications about his Mahasamadhi during his last two years in physical form. The devotees, however, were so engrossed in his darshan that none seemed to have understood them.

31.  INDICATIONS OF THE CHANGE TO COME

In 1971 a devotee asked Baba for permission to record his voice. Maharaj agreed but at the same time, ordered him not to play the tape for anyone for two years. Though he did not give any reason for saying so, it became apparent two years later.

One day in 1972, about a year before his Mahasamadhi, Baba suddenly asked K.K. Sah, "Where should I leave my body?" K.K. was startled and rendered speechless by Baba's question.

On a cold day in Agra at the end of 1972, Maharaj was sitting covered with a blanket at the house of Thakur Mahavir Singh. He wanted to have a bath, so a servant got water and a lota ready. Afterwards Thakur's son Karanvir brought another dhoti for Baba to change into. Seeing Baba's body wet but his dhoti dry, he said, "Haven't you taken a bath?"

"I have."

"How is it that your dhoti is not wet?"

"This is one of the unusual things about me."

Karanvir asked Baba to change his dhoti, but he did not, saying, "I shall not change it today." Then in a distant way he said, "I do not know when I may leave, I have a long way to go." This was the family's last darshan of Baba.

In another instance a physician from Delhi came to Kainchi with two others to see Baba at the suggestion of R.S. Yadav. Although the doctor had treated many patients sent to him by Baba, he had never met him. Shortly after they arrived, Baba sent them off, giving each of them a pack of apples. The physician expressed his desire to stay at the ashram for some time longer, but Baba asked him to go and stay in Nainital and then go straight back to Delhi the next morning. When he was about to leave, Baba said, "You will not see me again." The physician misunderstood Baba's meaning and thought that his own time was coming to an end. On his return to Delhi, he put his affairs in order, completed pilgrimages in time, and then waited for the last day of his life. When he got the news of Baba's Mahasamadhi, he was stunned and then understood the actual meaning of Baba's last words to him.

As described earlier, two months before his Mahasamadhi, Baba got Purnanand Tewari transferred. Tewari was hurt since he did not want to be transferred, but Baba called Tewari to him and said, "It is I who has been transferred, not you. Now I shall go to Amarkantak and you will not be able to meet me." Then he smilingly recited the following verse, "I have to leave this fort and rampart, I am transferred to another place. I have received an urgent call, so I must go." Tewari understood the true meaning of Baba's words two months later.

I went to Kainchi in the last week of August 1973 and had to return to Allahabad on 1 September. When only one day remained, I asked Baba's permission to leave, for I had to go to Nainital. Baba glanced at me lovingly and enquired, "When will you come again?" It somehow made me feel like I belonged to him. Deeply touched, I replied, "Baba, I will come whenever you ask me to come." In a sweet voice Baba said, "Come tomorrow."

I returned the next morning, offered pranaam to him, and then had prasad in the bhandara. After spending some time with him, I asked for his permission to go, but his brief answer was "Sit now." It was about two in the afternoon, and many cars of devotees stopped by the ashram gate. After sending them off, Baba bade us farewell in a way he had never done before. His eyes were moist with tears of love. Major Pramod Chandra Joshi was with me. The emotions that overwhelmed us cannot be described in words. It was Baba's farewell to us.

-Rajida

32.  About a week before Baba's final departure, he got certain things done which were to serve great needs in the time to come. He had a post office and a bus stop opened a long time before, but there was no telephone in the valley. One day a high official in the telephone department came for Baba's blessings for his son's mental health problems. Baba asked the official to get a telephone installed in the Kainchi post office within twenty-four hours and assured him that, "By this service rendered by you, Hanumanji will fulfil your wish." By Baba's grace the difficult task of installing a telephone in the foothill region was completed.

Until 1973 the yagnas in Kainchi were performed every year in a makeshift yagnashala. Baba wanted to make it a permanent structure before his Mahasamadhi, so he got it constructed under the supervision of Inder ji. Its roof was being laid on 9 September, when Baba set out on his last journey.

33.  FINAL DAYS

In the beginning of September 1973 it was getting cold in Kainchi and the surrounding hills. Nevertheless, the ashram was full of devotees. Every morning many visitors, including many westerners, came from Nainital and returned there every evening. Baba met everyone very lovingly, and in this way one day passed into another. Baba appeared healthy in all respects. He was cheerful while meeting people and talked humorously. His kindness, generosity, and love were so intense that it created a feeling of oneness between him and the people around him. He enquired from everyone of their welfare and gave prasad and blessings to all.

Some devotees did detect a perceptible change in his behavior during his last days. It seemed that his affection for people was interspersed with moments of detachment. Though he still loved the gatherings of devotees, he spent his time in solitude between midday and four o'clock. If someone went to him during that period, they found Baba immersed in deep thoughts. Those who noticed the change in him were surprised but were unable to infer anything from it. One or two days before his final departure, he began counting days on his fingers.

Occasionally Baba's happy mood was interspersed with references to serious topics such as mortality. At times he said, "We meet only those people with whom our meeting is predestined. Duration of association with each person is also preordained. One should not grieve if one is separated or if the association does not last long." About the body he said, "Everyone has to die. We weep because of our attachment and desires," and "Whoever comes into this world will have to leave it. Nobody can stay here. I will also go and will not give darshan to anyone." When asked where he would go, he replied, "Far away to the bank of the Narmada River." Once, he said to Sri Ma, "What can I do when God is calling me?" About the funeral rites he once said, "Having been cremated, the longing of the soul to come to bodily form is lessened." He also said, "When a guru leaves his mortal form, his ashram becomes his form." And during one conversation he said, "I will not die."

On 7 September Jagannath Anand's daughter Sarla came to see Baba. She said to him, "Baba, I am worried because I am on the retrenchment list of the Food Corporation of India, where you got me temporarily posted." Sarla had suffered from polio in her childhood and was unable to walk. This, however, did not stop her from moving around with the help of her hands. Baba gave her and her father sweets to eat and made them have prasad at the bhandara. Then Baba asked Sarla, "Do you want to marry?" When she replied in the negative, Baba was pleased, and he reassured her saying, "Nobody will retrench you from service. They will have to confirm your post." Baba also said to her, "I am very happy with you. Today you may ask for anything you like." In reply she said, "Baba, I only want your blessings." At this Baba looked at her with eyes filled with tears, and in a voice full of emotion, he said, "From now on I will have to do all your work." Sarla felt contented upon receiving Baba's blessing. A few days later the whole retrenchment list was cancelled, and all the posts were confirmed.

The 8th of September passed like other days. There was a great rush of visitors in the ashram. The western devotees were chanting songs in front of Baba's kuti, and inside, people were having his darshan. Baba expressed his concern about Hukum Chand and Kishan Lal Arora, both of whom were sick in the ashram. Baba sent for a doctor from Bhowali twice in the morning. The third time he sent Inder to call the civil surgeon from Nainital with a message that Baba himself was suffering from heart trouble and that the doctor should bring along the electrocardiograph machine. Although Inder ji looked for the civil surgeon until eleven that night, he could neither meet him nor get the machine. At last he returned to Kainchi.

Meanwhile Kishan Chandra Tewari had come from Nainital to see Baba at about 3 p.m. Baba also asked him to call the doctor from Bhowali for the patients. Tewari humbly told him that the doctor would not want to come again so soon and would say that the medicine he prescribed would take some time to have the desired effect. Baba said, "Tell the doctor that I also have heart trouble." Eventually the doctor did come again and found Baba in sound health. He said that Baba felt uncomfortable because of acidity. He wrote a prescription and advised light food and rest. Baba then asked the doctor to examine the patients once again. He also sent someone to ask the patients if they had informed their family members that they were ill. He was pleased to hear Hukum Chand's negative reply and praised him again and again, saying that he was a good man. Sending for the doctor several times was Baba's lila since a mere glance from him would have cured the two devotees. They next day at the time of Baba's departure, the patients lay unconscious and were not able to have his darshan. After Baba's departure their condition improved and they fully recuperated.

Baba did not want food the night before he left. After a lot of persuasion he agreed to have ramdana (amaranth). It was eleven at night and Sri Ma and a few devotees were sitting with him in his kuti when Baba began telling a story. He said, "There was a saint and he left his body. His devotees and the members of his family cremated his body. After some time the saint came back." Then he turned to Sri Ma and said, "Tell me, how did he come back?" Sri Ma kept quiet, and he did not give any answer. The devotees present were not able to understand this enigma.

The 9th of September dawned. Baba was in a happy mood, and the devotees in the ashram had his darshan. He talked to Sri Ma briefly about some of his close devotees who were not present at the time. The western devotees were singing and chanting devotional songs in front of his kuti, as they did every day, and there was an endless flow of visitors. Baba laughed and talked to everyone with great affection, and the visitors were contented with his darshan. The westerners interrupted their chanting and called out loudly, "Baba Neeb Karori ki Jai!" (Glory to Baba Neeb Karori!) On hearing this invocation, Baba called out from his room, "Neeb Karori is dead." They did not take him seriously, and Baba continued conversing humorously. At ten in the morning he went to Radha kuti.

Sri Ma and the few devotees inside Radha kuti gave him a bath, and Shri K.C. Tewari chanted mantras dedicated to Lord Shiva. The scene was similar to that of a temple where devotees offer water and milk to a Shivling. Baba's eyes reflected deep love. There was a unique charm in his face, and a gentle, joyful smile pervaded it. The devotees drank the water in which his feet were washed, and by an inspiration they preserved the rest for future use. After that they worshipped Baba with sandalwood paste and incense and then performed aarti. Baba had sago (arrowroot) to eat and happily talked with everyone. In the midst of all this, he kept on saying, "I have to go today."

At about 1 p.m. Baba suddenly said, "I am going now." He asked Kishan Chandra Tewari to tell Inder ji to have his car brought to the ashram gate. Tewari went to pass on the message to Inder ji, and Baba bade Sri Ma farewell at Radha kuti. During the course of his conversation with Ma, he said to her several times, "Ma, the way you have served me, none has ever served nor will anyone be able to do so in the future. When I will leave, I shall weep before you, but I shall laugh before the world." That day had come. With tears in his eyes, he blessed Sri Ma and said, "Wherever you may be all that is auspicious will be with you." When Sri Ma earnestly insisted that she accompany him, he said "I am going to a doctor devotee in Agra. He will look after me and examine me with his new machine that he has imported from America. After getting myself examined by him, I shall return the next day." Reassuring her, he said, "If need be, I shall send a telegram. You come with Ramesh." Baba's words proved true.

After bidding farewell to Sri Ma, Baba came out of Radha kuti, and two people offered pranaam to him. Holding their hands, Baba went towards the Hanuman temple, talking and laughing. Many devotees present in the temple premises came running up to him and bowed at his feet. Some walked on either side of him and others followed. Baba said, "I am going to be released from Central Jail today." Baba's very significant words, said in an affectionate manner, were taken lightly. In the past, whenever Baba left a place, his manner was completely detached towards his attendants, and he never looked back at them. But that day his unprecedented behavior naturally attracted the devotees' attention.

When Baba reached the Hanuman temple, he joined his hands together in salutation and stood there for some time. This was perhaps the second time that he was seen to do this, the first time being when the murti was consecrated. Then Baba's blanket, which was regarded as symbolic of him, slipped from his shoulders onto the ground. Though Baba did not seem to want it, people picked it up and covered him with it. After this he had darshan at the Laxmi Narayan and Shiva temples, standing silently at each for some time. Then he walked towards the entrance gate taking long strides. At the gate a devotee took his photograph—the last one. Once again the blanket slipped off his shoulders. Devotees picked it up and tried to put it on him again, but he refused. So they folded it and put it in the car.

Before getting into the car, Baba gave instructions for the closing of the kitchen and asked the organizers of the ashram to make arrangements for sending the women devotees home. Many devotees asked Baba's permission to go with him, but Baba asked a young man named Ravi Khanna, who had come into his service only a few days before, to sit in the car. When Baba got in, all the devotees touched his feet for the last time. The car was about to leave when a woman who Maharaj called Kachauri Mai came just in time to lovingly place her head on his feet. Baba sat quietly for some time and then said, "Mother, I was waiting for you." She had walked the eight kilometers from Bhowali to see him.

As soon as Baba left, a peculiar silence and gloom descended on that crowded and lively place as had never been felt before. All the devotees became silent and sought solitude. Some started making preparations to go home, whereas others sat in their rooms. Only laborers worked in the yagnashala, and the two patients were asleep on their wooden beds.

When Inder ji started the car, a rainbow appeared and radiated all its colors in the silent sky. Appreciating the scenic beauty, Baba said, "Inder, look at this beautiful creation of God. Man cannot create this." The spectacle lasted for about an hour and a half until the car reached Kathgodam. On the way Baba talked to him about destiny and the future. All of a sudden Inder ji's eyes fell on Baba's feet. He was puzzled to see that they had enlarged to about one and a half times their normal size. Upon reaching Kathgodam, they became normal and Baba got out of the car and boarded the Agra Fort Express with Ravi Khanna. Inder asked Baba's permission to accompany him, but Baba very affectionately told him, "You have to get the roof of the yagnashala completed, but I shall call you soon." Just as Sumant (Lord Ram's charioteer) left Ram and returned to Ayodhya, Inder, taking his vacant car, returned to the ashram in the dark.

That night Baba conversed with Ravi Khanna in the train. Sri Ma had put milk in a thermos and Ganges water in a bucket for Baba. Khanna wanted him to have some milk, but he refused. Khanna earnestly insisted again and again and even poured some milk into a tumbler only to find that it had turned sour. Baba was looking at him smilingly. Baba asked him to throw the thermos out of the train, but Khanna did not think it proper to do so. Taking the thermos in his hand, Baba threw it out and said to Khanna, "One should not be attached."

The next morning, on 10 September, Baba reached Agra and went to Jagmohan Sharma's house at about 6 a.m. Sharma welcomed him and came to know that Baba had a return ticket on the night train to Kathgodam the same day. Baba called a barber and got his beard and hair shaved. He ate only ramdana saying, "Now, cereal and fruit are less nourishing. Prepare ramdana, I shall have it today." Then he told Sharma, "Bad time is ahead. Do not live in big houses. There will be a lot of plundering and killing. Live in a small house." He talked in this way throughout the day. He told Sharma's father, "When the body gets old, it becomes useless. One should have no attachment for it." Baba was in a very jovial mood. Seeing him like that, Sharma's mother-in-law asked him, "Are you the same Baba who once stopped a train?" Baba laughed at this and said, "You also have come to know about it."

From there Baba visited his devotee Dr. Mathur, who was a heart specialist. Baba told him about his cardiac symptoms and asked him to examine him. The doctor took Baba's cardiogram and found him healthy. He said that the blood becomes a bit thicker in old age, which can cause anxiety. He gave him many tablets, saying that the medicine would stop the anxiety if taken from time to time. Baba was unshaken and said, "You are wrong. I am suffering from heart disease." The doctor replied that he had a new machine imported from America and that it did not go wrong. Baba said, "Is your machine God that it cannot be wrong?" Though Baba kept the medicine given to him by Dr. Mathur, he did not use it. It cannot be said with certainty what ailment Baba had or whose illness he had taken upon himself.

That evening Baba took Dharma Narain and Ravi Khanna with him to the Agra station and arrived in time for the night train. Baba already had the tickets with him, and they took their seats in the first-class compartment of the train leaving for Kathgodam. By Baba's order they all got off the train when it stopped at Mathura. Some devotees at the station touched Baba's feet. After some time Baba closed his eyes and his body began to perspire. He asked for water, and after having it, he asked them to take him to Vrindavan. By the time a taxi was arranged, Baba was unconscious. Instead of taking him to the ashram, they took him to the Ramakrishna Mission Hospital in Vrindavan where he was given oxygen. While preparations were being made to check his blood pressure, Baba pulled the oxygen tube out of his nose and pushing the blood pressure instrument aside whispered, "It is all useless." Immediately after this, he repeated the name of God, "Jagdish, Jagdish, Jagdish," three times, and then his body became still. It was 1:15 a.m. in the middle of the night on the 11th, the sacred day of Anant Chaturdashi, when Baba merged himself with infinity by cardiac arrest. While the whole of India was sound asleep, Baba ended his physical lila away from his devotees.

Baba's body was taken to the ashram where Trilok Singh, the night watchman, sat with him. Trilok held Baba's hand in his own. Sitting with his eyes closed, he felt Baba's pulse beating. However, when he opened his eyes and checked it again, it was still. In this way Baba's divine play continued.

Banwari Lal Pathak, a priest in Vrindavan and a devotee of Baba, had arrived at the hospital as Maharaj was about to be taken to the ashram. He started informing people in Agra, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Nainital, and other cities either by phone or by telegram. All India Radio also broadcast the news all over the country in their morning and evening news bulletins.

The next morning devotees left for Vrindavan from everywhere without having food or water. Devotees from the nearby towns and surrounding areas arrived early in the morning, and people from distant places trickled in all day. Sri Ma and Sri Jivanti Ma traveled with Ramesh by taxi from Kainchi ashram. The western devotees who were in India came, but those who were in their own countries were helpless. However, a group of thirty American devotees did manage to arrive by plane. Many renowned persons and high officials also came to pay homage to Maharaj. By his grace the news reached everyone. I got the sad news in Allahabad, which I then conveyed to other devotees in town. Within moments we left for Vrindavan. Wherever the news was received and whoever received it, all were dumbfounded and had no idea as to what had happened to Baba.

At Vrindavan ashram devotees were not able to decide how to perform Baba's last rites. Some were in favor of immersing him in water, but others wanted a burial and a monument raised. (According to Hindu custom, a saint or sanyasi is not cremated. Either they are immersed in flowing water or they are buried.) Just then a renowned sage of Vrindavan, Baba Leelanand Thakur, also known as Pagal Baba, arrived. Pagal Baba finally decided that Maharaj should be cremated and that it should be done inside the ashram at the place where yagna was usually performed. The place for yagna had been constructed for the Navaratra in April of that year. The residual yagna material had been immersed in water after the puja was performed, and a small stone wall was erected all around the place. It was maintained as if it were prepared for this very purpose.

By 2 p.m. Sri Ma had not yet arrived. People were hungry and thirsty. A majority of them did not want to delay the cremation any longer, whereas others were of the opinion that they should wait for Sri Ma. When the opinion of the majority held complete sway, Baba's body was brought out into the courtyard of the ashram. Suddenly a terrible storm arose out of nowhere. It rained so heavily that nothing was visible to people beyond ten paces. Clouds darkened the atmosphere, and even the beams of the headlights of passing cars seemed dim. As a result the bier had to be placed on the veranda on the other side of the courtyard, and the cremation got delayed. Sri Ma arrived a little later. The moment she stepped out of the car, the storm ceased. There was an atmosphere of immense grief on her arrival.

A sandalwood pyre was arranged, and people had the last darshan of their beloved guru. Baba looked as if he were in deep sleep. His face was as radiant as before. At about six in the evening, Baba's body was put on a beautiful bier decorated with flowers. He was then placed on a carriage and carried in a procession all around Vrindavan, accompanied by devotional music, as is traditionally done for saints. A large crowd of devotees followed him, and people showered flowers on him from temples and houses. People stopped the carriage at every step and performed aarti. The journey took a long time. The carriage came back to the ashram at about nine at night, and in an atmosphere burdened with the grief of separation, Baba's pyre was lit with deep devotion. Everyone had different experiences at that moment. For one, Jagmohan Sharma saw Baba standing in between Ram and Lakshman amidst the flames of the pyre and Hanuman ji doing parikrama (walking in a clockwise direction around someone or something sacred) around them.

When the pyre had cooled, devotees collected the ashes in many kalash (pitchers). Some kalash were taken to Varanasi, Haridwar, Prayag, and other holy places of pilgrimage, where the ashes were immersed in the sacred waters of Ganga. Others were sent to Baba's ashrams, where his murti was later installed over them. Seeing Kehar Singh ji collecting Baba's remains, Devkamta Dixit ji remembered something Baba had once said. He told the other devotees that he had heard Baba say, "Kehar Singh will collect my mortal remains." At the time Baba's words seemed inappropriate, but that day those words came true.

On the thirteenth day after Mahasamadhi, a grand bhandara was held at Vrindavan ashram. Kainchi ashram held a bhandara the previous day, according to the custom in the hills. The devotees who had not been able to pay homage to Baba earlier felt grateful to have his prasad on the twelfth and thirteenth days after his Mahasamadhi.

राम