In Paithana, there was a sannyasin whose
habit it was to prosĂtrate before everybody. He
was a slightly eccentric devotee of God who
liked to salute God in the form of whoever he
met on the road. They called him Dandavat
Baba.
As he passed one day by the carĂcass of a donkey, some children asked him:
“Dandavat Baba, why don’t you also prostrate to the dead donkey?” Obliging them, the Baba did so and to everyone’s amazement, the animal came back to life, got up and romped away.
The news of it reached Eknath who felt concern for the sannyasin. He went and asked the old Baba why he had revived the donkey. “I don’t know,” said the Baba helplessly, “I didn’t do anything.” “Do you realize,” said Eknath, “how people are going to exploit you and trouble you to revive their dead? What are you going to do about it?” “I wish I knew,” he answered and looked up to Eknath, spreading his hands and asked:
“Please tell me what you think is best.” Eknath then spoke about the ideal of sannyasins who have no ties in this world and for whom life and death are the same since they are identified with the soul which lives in its infiĂnite state and suggested he give up his own body, by taking Mahasamadhi.
This suited the Dandavat Baba well and he accepted his idea with great relief.
As he passed one day by the carĂcass of a donkey, some children asked him:
“Dandavat Baba, why don’t you also prostrate to the dead donkey?” Obliging them, the Baba did so and to everyone’s amazement, the animal came back to life, got up and romped away.
The news of it reached Eknath who felt concern for the sannyasin. He went and asked the old Baba why he had revived the donkey. “I don’t know,” said the Baba helplessly, “I didn’t do anything.” “Do you realize,” said Eknath, “how people are going to exploit you and trouble you to revive their dead? What are you going to do about it?” “I wish I knew,” he answered and looked up to Eknath, spreading his hands and asked:
“Please tell me what you think is best.” Eknath then spoke about the ideal of sannyasins who have no ties in this world and for whom life and death are the same since they are identified with the soul which lives in its infiĂnite state and suggested he give up his own body, by taking Mahasamadhi.
This suited the Dandavat Baba well and he accepted his idea with great relief.
No comments:
Post a Comment