Letters from Shanti Ashram, India

61. Dog Killing Stories & Differences with NS

Dog Killing Stories & Differences with NS

August 13, 2000

Dear Parents,

Namaskars and Sai Ram! By Swami’s Grace here all is fine. Pray that all is well with you also.

Can you believe I was robbed on the bus returning to the ashram, from my monthly shopping trip to Kakinada? This is the first time. It happened like this: I had bought four bags of stuff. Three were at my feet and another bag, open cloth-type with wooden handles, was on the isle. I was by the window seat.

The bus was full to overflowing, all lady villagers in that area. I kept seeing the open bag on the isle, with the Rs 650 tape recorder which I had bought a year ago, right on top. That was the one I was using for all the discourse translations, and I took it to buy a new wire for it. The bags with me were full to overflowing and I couldn’t squeeze in the recorder.

A couple of times, the villagers lady next to me, I felt her hand weave down brushing my leg, and it seemed to me into the other wooden-handle open bag at my feet! I kept shifting conspicuously but she just smiled, removed her hand and tried again after some time!

By Swami’s Grace, al my money was in a safe place in my choli. But after I reached the ashram and unpacked properly only the next day (as I had arrived so late at night), I found that the tape recorder had vanished as well as a half-kilo bag of roasted peanuts for snacking, that I'm pretty sure was right at the top of the bag at my feet, as I had bought it just at the bus station.

Now, I don’t know what to write about my life since I last wrote you. It’s pretty gory. Not anything to me personally but it’s been gore around me all right, especially the hearing sort. It will probably make your stomach churn also but I'm into the habit of writing my life so......

It is about all those troublesome Kaurava dogs. If only the ashram authorities had some common sense and efficiently! But alas, it pretty hard to find that in this country. Another thing is they simply can't take good advice unless it comes from some VERY high up, in a top position of power.

The murderous dogs, with Romeo as the leader (a big brown, evil-looking one – the girl Meera who always sat in her room doing Ram Name, gave him that name years ago). I mentioned how Romeo and his gang of four killed a sheep. You know that calf I mentioned that was mangled by them and got stitched up? Well, it didn’t last 24 hours. It died off. Only then did the ashram authorities get upset.

In the meantime, while they were talking, planning and making phone calls, the Kauravas killed off 4 or 5 cats in the down part of the ashram, clearing out the cat population entirely. They also fell on our cat Sruti, the reincarnation of Susheela, but can you believe? It’s not time for her to go. Its two legs were immobile for a few days and she didn’t speak for nearly a week, but the thing has survived, strong cat! We also gave medicines and ointments. Now she’s nearly normal.

Next, the Kauravas fell on Vijaya a few times but he escaped with minor abrasions, mostly because he runs away like a bullet train whenever the Kauravas come near. But poor Mangamma, if she’s attacked she just hovels shaking in one place and they corner and fall on her. Even though we are there to protect, they just won't give up even when beaten with big sticks.

Mangamma received a few deep wounds, the ugliest being a huge gash right under her neck. What a horrible sight! Maybe in the army and wars things like that are seen, but us civilians don’t see such gore often. It made us all sick but we had to see it daily, as Mangamma tromped around.

That gash must have been about 3 or 4 inches deep, and nearly two inches deep. UCK! Everyone was concerned and kept applying different medicines to heal it. Vinamra (whose father is a homeopathic doctor) mixed up a potion in coconut oil and homeo powders, and we poured it on the wound regularly. (Her wound has healed up now.)