Letters from Anandashram - 1993 to 1994

7. Fun with Swami Chidananda & Bus journey - March 1994

Fun with Swami Chidananda & Bus journey

March 3, 1994

Anandashram, Kerala

I have more time so am writing. Did I tell you how when Swami Chidananda was there, he would always touch Swami Satchidananda’s feet, then Swami Satchidananda would try to stop him, whilst touching Swami Chidananda’s feet! Whenever they met they did this - we saw it many times and it always made us laugh.

Also, the last day Swami Chidananda came to 12-noon arathi, and so did Swami Satchidananda. As a farewell, Swami Satchidananda came with a flower-garland and put it around Swami Chidananda’s neck (Swami Chidananda was sitting on a big platform-chair), then as Swami Satchidananda bowed at his feet, Swami Chidananda removed the garland and put it around Swami Satchidananda’s bent neck! All smiled at this.

Then an elderly devotee of Ramdas (he gives the holy water to us every day, and also does Homa Mandir arathi when Swami Satchidananda doesn’t do it) put a tulsi-garland around Swami Chidananda’s neck. Swami Chidananda put both his hands on the man’s back and stroked him, blessing him.

There was the priest of the Himalayan Badrinath temple there also (priests of that temple are traditionally from Kerala, and they return to their homes here for six months of the year when the Badrinath temple is buried in snow). This priest also garlanded Swami Chidananda, and Swami Chidananda again removed the garland and put it around the priest’s neck!

Saints seem to be like little children playing!

Well, all night I was happily in the train. About two hours before it was supposed to arrive at Kanhangad, I came down from my top-bunk perch to ask what station we had stopped in – and it was the last stop, named Ernakulam (Cochin) and hundreds of miles south of Mangalore!! I looked and on the car sign-board it said, “Bombay-Cochin” whereas when I got on the day before I had clearly read, and also asked four or five officers who all said it was the correct train, it clearly had said, “Bombay-Mangalore”. What happened? Only Swami knows!

So I had no choice but to run about on local buses and auto rickshaws, until I got to a bus stop where a bus was going north to Kannur, near to Kanhangad.

The trip lasted 10 hours, from 9:30 AM until 7:30 PM. The bus shook and bumped along at break-neck speed. As I toppled about with head aching, stomach churning, pressured winds blowing on my face, the sun in my face and of course no where to go to the bathroom (to add to the drama, my period had started when leaving Anantapur) I could only laugh at Swami’s wonderful script-writing abilities!

At Kannur I got a Kanhangad bus, and at 9 PM I triumphantly reached Anandashram - a mere 11 hours behind schedule! I could only laugh at Swami, for it was Him only who put Himself (in this form) through the adventure. At least I enjoyed seeing the entire coast-line of Kerala state, with plenty of water, holy cows and auto rickshaws.

Swami Satchidananda had arrived at 11:30 AM, they tell me. All is well here! I am settled again!

Love,

Divya