Maharaj

In January 1966 preparations were being made for the Kumbha Mela at Prayag, Allahabad. Maharaj got a camp pitched on the bank of the Ganges, towards Jhusi, so that his devotees could stay there and bhandara could be held every day. Baba would spend the day at the mela grounds and then return to Church Lane, where visitors would be waiting for him every evening.

One day a high government official and some other important people arrived at Church Lane by car. They waited for Baba until 8:30 p.m., and then becoming disappointed, they thought of going back. When the official asked me how much longer they should wait, I told them that there was no fixed time for Baba's return. I suggested they stay for another half an hour. They agreed to stay until 9 p.m., and in the meantime I asked them when they first had Baba's darshan. In reply, the official told me he first had Baba's darshan at the invitation of the civil surgeon of Jhansi, who was one of Baba's devotees. He then related one of the experiences the civil surgeon shared with him.

During the Second World War, Baba arrived at the civil surgeon's house one day. The surgeon welcomed Baba and later that night, made a bed for him on a takhat. He thought he himself would sleep on the floor so that he would be able to attend to Baba should he need anything. Both of them went to sleep at 11 p.m., and at about 1 a.m., the sound of someone restlessly tossing and turning woke the surgeon. He switched on the light and saw that it was Baba. When he asked Baba why he was so restless, Baba gave him his blanket and said, "You go and throw it in the water." The surgeon asked Baba if the task could wait until morning, but Baba insisted that he go straightaway.

It was a dark night, and there was no road to get to the lake by car. He woke up servants and after completing the task, arrived back before dawn. When the civil surgeon asked him the reason for throwing his blanket in the lake, Baba said, "Your son [an army officer] was not able to face the German attack. A stampede was caused among his troops and he also ran away, but the German soldiers followed him. He jumped off the top of a ridge and got stuck in a marsh. The soldiers fired on him from above, and taking him to be dead, they left. All those bullets got stuck in my blanket and their heat made me uneasy. When you threw the blanket in the lake, I was relieved of my discomfort."

The blanket was new, and there were no holes to be seen in it. The surgeon could not really comprehend what Baba had said, but he was more at ease knowing that his son was safe. Baba went away the next day. Many days after this incident the surgeon's wife received a letter from their son. In it, he told them all the same details but expressed his surprise at some unknown power that had saved him from a rain of bullets. There was no possibility of his being saved otherwise. After reading their son's letter, the civil surgeon realized Baba's great blessing.

By the time the official had finished telling the story, it was 9 p.m. Just then Baba returned.

-Rajida