Maharaj

In 1959 I went to Nainital with my wife and stayed at the India Hotel. One day Choudhry, the hotel manager, told me that Maharaj had just arrived in Bhumiadhar and that I should go and have his darshan. I was surprised to hear the word Maharaj and asked, "Maharaj who?" He told me that he was a sadhu who would know me by name. I immediately went there. I saw a big man sitting in the outer room, but he was not dressed like a sadhu. When I asked the people in the ashram about Baba, they pointed towards the man. They also expressed their surprise at my knowledge of Baba's whereabouts saying, "Baba has just arrived; how could the news have reached Nainital so quickly?" Anyway, I had Baba's darshan, and he sent me off, telling me to see him the next day at Dr. Bhandari's house in Bareilly.

I set out for Bareilly early the next morning and went straight to the doctor's house. I was surprised to see that Baba had arrived before me. He said to me, "I am going away for some time. You will see me again after five days." I told him that I also had to go away for some work and that I might not be able to have his darshan. He said, "I will wait for you."

I went to Gonda and from there to Allahabad. I had to go to Varanasi as well, but the thought of meeting Baba came to my mind. I took the night train to Bareilly instead. The train made a stop in Lucknow the next morning. When we started moving again, I saw Baba running with the train all the way to Bareilly. I was totally amazed. Whenever the train stopped at stations, Baba would disappear. On arriving in Bareilly, I went straight from my house to Dr. Bhandari's. I had Baba's darshan and came to know that he had arrived just before me. I was astounded to see him there, but I could not ask him about what I had seen on my way to Bareilly. Baba then came to my house with me and took a simple meal of dal and roti. After some time Kishan Chandra Tewari and Tularam Sah also arrived from Dr. Bhandari's house and had prasad.

-Pyarelal, Bareilly