Letters from India - Part 2

42. Lady Crushed & Changes in PN - Feb 1992

 Lady Crushed Under Cart by Ganesha

February 3, 1992

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Venkamma sends her blessings.

Divya conveys her namaskars. Swami decamped on about 18 January. He went to Bombay for a few days, now He is in Whitefield.

I am fine and happy here. Venkamma is fine, is coming to bhajans but it’s really hard for her to get up & down from the floor (as she refuses to sit in a chair, when everyone else is sitting down).

They are fast demolishing the Canteen to build a new and improved one, so due to trouble to devotees He may stay away during the construction.

Everything is normal here – it was a few minutes before evening bhajan one day, and an old lady was sitting in the shade of a big wooden cart a few feet away from Ganesh statue, eating a snack. Next moment the cart slipped and crushed her skull and stomach into pulp. Poor Vidya was doing pradakshina and was witness to the event – it affected her deeply (I think Ganesh sent her so there would be prayers during it). As Ganesh bhajan started they were removing the body – leaving us to contemplate on God and His ways! She was an elderly Telugu devotee.

As for my visa, God has protected me yet again: a near-stranger came and helped me, taking me to the DIG of Police, Superintendent of Police assistant etc., etc., and all agreed I should be helped – this person also went to a lawyer and got me sponsorship certificate to complete procedures. They gave me one more year visa until 2 February 1993. Jai Sai Ram!

Now cold weather is decreasing very slightly

Hope all is well there.

Since you like dates, we arrived home from the hospital on 10 January evening, 11 & 12th January was Sport’s day and functions were held at the Hill View Stadium.

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya

_____________________________

Construction & Changes in Prasanthi Nilayam

February 13, 1992 

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

February 13: Although Swami went away after the last festival, the people have not dispersed and foreigners also haven’t left, in fact they almost outnumber the Indians! It is like a festival daily, there are so many people.

Swami is showering much love to all, especially to all the new doctors and nurses who have come to serve in the hospital.

A bulk of the Indian devotees has come for operations, mostly heart patients, poor villagers. It seems that lists are compiled and then all operations done on a one month on/one month off basis (as far as I can figure out). For the last three weeks about 7-10 heart operations were done daily by about 70 (they say) visiting doctors. About 240 heart operations were done this time and now it’s closed until next time, sometime in March I think.

Many other patients come also and in the ashram we see stretchers carrying out sick or dead people – one cannot avoid seeing it! The stretchers are all blood-splattered but no one seems to think it’s possible to wash them! Ugh! So the Avatar is curing people on the physical and spiritual planes, and expanding this work daily!

Now, I wanted to tell you both that I am seriously planning a vacation to Anandashram in Kerala. For the summer months they say Swami doesn’t want any foreigners staying here (due to the fact that one was murdered last year). Instead of using Amma's name and being the only white face here, I decided it would be better to go and have holiday in a true Ashram and not God's small world (here!). Amma also agrees.

Swami meanwhile has ordered a halt on canteen-destroying (1/4 of it is crushed into rubble already) until after the festival (Sivarathri on 2nd March). God of course cannot keep quiet. He must always be creating (building buildings & capturing hearts), preserving (for some time only!) and destroying (breaking hearts and destroying buildings).

Along this same line, Swami has just sent word to people who live in a few small and big rooms beside the Ganesh sheds, all of long-time devotees, that they must all vacate immediately and “go to the sheds or to anywhere else in India.” These people all had to go to the sheds, including two doctors (one with husband and two children), both serving 12-hours a day in the hospital, people serving in the shops and old ladies who have been devotees for 30 years. Also another doctor lady (Sunandamma)- the one who took care of Amma in Bangalore, who has an elderly father and a mentally not-right sister with 3-year old baby - all went to the sheds.

Next to go is the old lady’s Ganesh shed. Then there will really be a flood of tears! Most of these old ladies can hardly make it out of the shed doors, how will they walk all the way past the Round buildings and past the new West Prasanthi 7, 8 & 9 to the sheds they plan to send them to? Swami is churning a lot; He cannot rest without making us turbulent in mind & body!

Meanwhile the Old Hospital (which had been closed for several years anyway) that had been demolished a few months ago, is now fast raising into a new VVIP building which will have AC and other luxuries. The Kasturi reading Room, which was newly opened in 1990 (I think), was recently demolished and there is a building going up there too, I think it’s an extension to the VVIP building as it is on the hill right above it.

The expanded hospital is nice now, with the entire new block for gents and the old side for ladies. Plenty of new doctors and nurses have come. Many people have asked me why I didn’t apply for a post there. Well! I am not like that! I have come to work for moksha, not concentrate on sick people 24 hours a day. Around Amma I am doing some seva, she is at least is like a saint and advises constantly and (tries to!) teach me good things.

So, all for now. I hope you are all well & happy. :-) Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu!

Love,

Divya