Letters from India - Part 2

55. Summer in Prasanthi - March 1993

Swami Leaves for ‘Summer Vacation’

March 10, 1993

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Mom & Dad,

Yesterday (March 9th) Swami left for long “summer vacation.”

In the “old days” three years ago, many residents liked to stay here for the summer. It was hot, but there was Omkar and bhajans and the vibration was really high and nice. But since the new administration stepped in, no one wants to stay! Even many of the office staff and elderly people are packing their bags to leave. So I guess it will be really empty here.

Amma is OK lately. Her breathlessness has greatly improved by taking one or two “lasix” a day (removes excess body water) but it makes her weak. Still, she entertains people constantly over 12 hours a day, goes to bhajan, and wonders outside now and then (holding someone’s hand for support).

I am fine – healthy, reading Swami’s ‘Rama Katha,’ doing sadhana, on-call working 20 hours a day, going to bhajan & Omkar. Not much news in empty, Avatar-less Prasanthi Nilayam. :-)

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Love,

Divya

_________________

Summer in Prasanthi

March 13-15, 1993

Prasanthi Nilayam

March 13: Here all is fine. I hope you are all well there. As for Prasanthi Nilayam, the entire month of February was full of first-line reservations. The new administration gave permission to every rich person and they all filled up first line. In the first week of February, there were still about 10 places that us “public” could sit in. I only got first line by being in the front of line 1 and running full speed! Then from the second week of February, not even a few places were free for the public. Getting first line meant sitting in 2nd or 3rd row back! Getting 3rd row meant 6th row back, seems like faaar Darshan - but I guess it’s not more than 100 feet away from God, evening in last line. So He’s not “a spot on the horizon” yet, although He seems far away from what we had before.

At the moment I'm writing this, deafening cinema music is being played on loud speakers. It’s been on since 1 PM (now it’s 8 PM) and it will go on till 6 AM at least. It gives me a headache! But what to do? Every week or so we have to suffer. When there’s a wedding or drama in Puttaparthi village, they put it on. They even put it on when Swami is here! I often wonder how they can have such disrespect for ashram peace. The Indians don’t seem to mind, they just sleep through it. At least I have the earplugs you sent, to save me!

Well, in these four pages of writing, I’ve been interrupted no less than 10 times. Sometimes I feel like that person who was kept busy making then breaking a wall, and couldn’t stop or would face dire consequences. Like this, somehow or the other Amma keeps me busy constantly, wanting me to do something or the other!

March 15: Glad that my brother (Gabe Weed) is helping you to clean house. When I clean, it has to be ‘on the sly,’ when Amma isn't home or is in another room. Or else, she wants to keep everything! The problem, also, is that things keep arriving. Someone brought 5,000 booklets to be distributed free – there are bucketfuls of home-made pickles, a big roll of unused, rat-eaten straw mats, about 5 huge storage suitcases, 7 buckets, three beds, 100 kgs of rice in big bags (Swami sent them), baskets full of empty bags and gunnysacks, the list goes on endlessly! And if I only told you the piles and bagfuls, boxfuls of junk that I've thrown away, full of cockroaches and rats (one big drum, filled with old pairs of shoes, had a family of rats living inside), you might not believe it!

Amma seems quite content to live with the bugs and mold & musty environs. Habits are like this, I suppose. They’d rather have the junk then go to the trouble of cleaning it up. Amma tells me that when she was small, they were really clean and kept everything spic and span. But nowadays, even if I want to clean she refuses to let me! That’s why I have to do it sneakily. It took months before she stopped trying to convince me not to mop the floor daily! She said sweeping was enough! As you know, everything is done on the floor here (eating, sleeping, spilling, cleaning rice, etc., etc.) so every day the floor can get really sticky and dirty.

Now you CAN still have the quiet Prasanthi – but only when Swami isn’t here! In the evenings I can see the purple sunset from our window – in the mornings I am picking flowers as the sun comes out and the sky is beautifully pink in the sunrise - quiet and peaceful. But I don’t see all this when Swami is here! During sunrise all we see is dust from thousands of running people.

In answer to your question, what do we know of the significance of touching God’s feet?! We can only guess! We can only enjoy the experience – then try to enjoy the bad karma that may come afterwards! I got all bad lines up until Swami left (or, even with good lines, was far back) – since He gave me Namaskar before and after the Anantapur visa trip. I hope this means that visa will work out without trouble!

In a recent Telugu issue of Sanathana Sarathi, they made a special announcement that when Swami comes in dreams it is 100% true and just as if Swami was there Himself. Did they also announce in English edition?

Just this afternoon I had a strange Swami dream – Swami was giving a discourse to thousands of people and the translator wasn’t doing a proper job. I found myself on the stage and Swami wanted me to translate! I was writing the translation in Telugu quickly, but Swami was going so fast that I missed some words. Then, in front of everyone, He stopped and took my paper and read it then said, “You’ve missed some words!” Then to the audience He said, “I won't give the discourse now, so many teachers and lectures are unable to come. I will give the discourse in the evening when everyone is here.” Then I left the stage. Amma met me and said, “Don’t worry, Swami always first publicly scolds people whom He intends to bring very close to Himself later. First He always scolds.”

Amma asks how you are, and conveys her Blessings.

Here it is not really hot yet – no sweating but air is warm I guess. All the shed ladies sleep outside by Ganesh!

Love,

Divya