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The Transformation of a Heart |
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by Al Drucker |
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10I settled down in my luxurious room, complete with fan, shelves filled with books, closets, everything. At three in the morning I was awakened by the beautiful, heavenly sound of veena strummings. It went on without pause for many hours, coming from the room next door. Later in the day, I had a chance to meet the old gentleman who lived in that room, who, as it turned out, had not stirred out of that room for 20 years. His whole life had become filled with the Gita, and he offered to instruct me in the deeper meaning of its verses. For the next fortnight I became immersed in Gita. It was Swami's gift to satisfy a longing that had arisen a year earlier, and that was to fructify still further years later, when I was blessed to be present when Swami gave his direct teaching of the Bhagavad Gita in the temple at Prashanti Nilayam. Later, I had a chance to pass on these Gita teachings in lectures to foreign devotees at the ashram and then compile and publish the book of Swami's discourses on the Gita, which has been giving so much joy to devotees. Like that, he looks after us, and guides us and takes care of us, and makes his presence constantly known to us, until we realize that there is no longer a separate entity feeling his presence. It becomes just like icecream of two different flavors melting together on the tongue, until all there is is just the exquisite taste of the one sweetness, melting into the one joyous feeling of pure delight...pure goodness. That is Swami's love which becomes our love, and soon envelops our whole world. Dearest Reader. Have I been able to give you some taste of the inner
movement that takes place when Baba comes into our life? Have you caught
the flavor? Let me share one more incident with you. I was sitting on
the verandah of the temple at Prashanti Nilayam, lost within myself, when
suddenly I opened my eyes and found Swami standing in front of me. With
a twinkle in his eye, he said, "Drunker, what do you want?" I held his hand for a few seconds. I hardly registered the great wisdom contained in his words, I was so struck with his love. As if to puncutate the complete naturalness and connectedness of the moment, when he turned to speak to someone else sitting nearby, I noticed a spider entrapped in his hair. I reached up to take it out. He looked at me for a just a second and then continued his conversation with the other man, but at the same time he bent his head down ever so slightly to let me extricate the little thing, which was desperately tangled in the kinks and curls. Then, without turning his head, he said to me, "Be careful, it may be a scorpion. It may sting." But it came out quite peacefully and there was no sting. In this way, life goes on, heart to heart, bathed in the continuous presence
of the ever-loving mother... the stern father... delightful friend...
divine teacher... beloved Self. |
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