Baba’s Prescriptions Are Different for Each Devotee (take Smoking for example) ॐ ♥ राम राम ♥ ॐ Maharajji said that smoking charas (hashish) or ganja (marijuana) or eating bhang (ingested marijuana) was okay. There is a story told by a Westerner that is not in any of the books about Maharajji. It tells of a day when there were lots of young Westerners in the ashram. Maharajji called from His tucket to have everyone bring ALL the hashish they had to Him. They dared not hold back or hide any of it because Maharajji knows everything. They brought a huge amount – several softball size balls, thumb size, little finger size, little strands like spaghetti, as well as patties, etc. Wow, kids will be kids. Maharajji then redistributed these saying to some people “do not smoke” anymore. To some people He said, you should try smoking a little of this. He gave the softball size pieces to some old chillum baba sadhus there. He was like a doctor dispensing herbal medicines. The following is [one] Indian’s perspective on the ancient use of Marijuana as a sacrament: “[It is] because of its association with the religious life of the country that bhang is so extolled and glorified. The stupefaction produced by the plant’s resin is greatly valued by the fakirs and ascetics, the holy men of India, because they believe that communication with their deities is greatly facilitated during intoxication with bhang. (According to one legend, the Buddha subsisted on a daily ration of one cannabis seed, and nothing else, during his six years of asceticism.) Taken early in the morning, the drug is believed to cleanse the body of sin. Like the communion of Christianity, the devotee who partakes of bhang partakes of the god Siva.” [- from Jai Ram Ransom, “It All Abides in Love,” pp. 80-81.] * He’d start off a conversation saying one thing, and then by the end of the conversation he’d be making the opposite point. He once told one Western devotee about smoking dope. He said to him, “You like smoking charas (hashish)? That’s good. Shiva smoked charas. That means you like Shiva.” We were all really thrilled to hear this, but then he started to turn it around, saying, “What’s better that you do, smoke charas or eat food?” About five minutes later he said, “Don’t smoke.” [- from Ram Dass, ed., “Miracle of Love,” p. 107.] * Our morning sitting with Babaji was interrupted by the visit of an old devotee. He wanted to say something in the presence of all of us, but Babaji prevented this, and took him alone to his room. After some time, Babaji asked me to give him prasad and arrange for a rickshaw. While I was going with him to the rickshaw, the man said he was from Madhya Pradesh. When he was young and working under a forest contractor, he had known Baba. Many miracles happened there at that time. He had been cut off from Babaji for all these years until some people said Babaji visited this place in winter, so he had come in search of him. He had wanted to talk before us all, but Babaji took him to his room and told him that he should not talk about those things. Babaji said that when people who had known him for so many years did not believe these legendary miracles, how could these people believe? It would be better if he did not talk at all. We had been standing before the rickshaw talking for some time when Babaji shouted for me. He had shifted to the study room and was lying silently on the mat laid on the floor. There were several others with him—Tularam [Sah], Siddhi [Ma] [Sah], Girish, and a few more of the house. Babaji asked Tularam to hand over his packet of cigarettes to a young man standing nearby. When that had been done, he said smoking was kharabhar (bad); Tularam must not smoke anymore. He asked the boy to destroy the cigarettes and throw them in the nearby basket. Then he pointed to Ram Prakash to bring his packet of cigarettes from the pocket of his silk kurta and to throw it in the basket. Then the boy came with my packet of cigarettes. Holding it in his hand, he said that this was Dadas packet and he should destroy that also. Babaji stopped him saying, Give Dada his cigarettes back. Let Dada smoke. No one could understand what he meant by allowing me to continue smoking. It was a mystery. Was it because smoking was not harmful for me? We were all left guessing. But when I was sitting with Tularam he said, Did you understand what he meant? Smoking is not bad for you—at least not now. Babaji knows this, and there must be something deeper behind it. He went on, saying that he knew that smoking was not good for him; everyone in his family also knew it, but they had not been able to stop him. Babaji knew how much we enjoyed our smoke when we were sitting together—it was actually the lubrication in our unceasing talks, and he would not stop that. But now because he (Tularam) was to go away, his smoking could be stopped. It was grace coming all the time, but in different forms. I did not understand him fully then, but after going over it for all these years, now I do. * Once, Barman, who was an old devotee and close to me, came from Delhi when Baba was here in the winter. He relished his tea and smoke as much as I did, so we took the first opportunity after Babaji had taken to his room. While we were busy in the hall, we heard some laughter coming from Babas room. When the mothers came out afterwards, they told us how Babaji had described to them our tea and smoke ceremony. He had said, Dada is with his Bhagwan (God) today. Then he made the gesture of lifting the cup to the mouth with the left hand to show our way of drinking, and with the palm of the right hand open with two fingers close together, he showed our way of smoking. To give a very realistic touch to our smoking, he drew his fingers near his mouth and made the appropriate movements with his lips. This was the cause of the peals of laughter coming out of his room. While we were busy in the hall with our pleasures, they were not denied their share. After Barmans visit, there was no one left either here or in Kainchi or Vrindavan with whom I could enjoy my smoke. In Kainchi I was busy all the time and could never go out to collect any cigarettes, but friends were advised to bring cigarettes for Dada. Whether I could smoke or not, they were lit for me when I had moved a little away from him. Of course the cigarettes would be thrown away when Babaji called for me. In Vrindavan, everything was in the open and before Babajis eyes, so there was no question of making any effort to try and snatch a puff or two. But he never forgot that I enjoyed my smoke. One day, I was with him for the whole day with no chance of smoking, so he created the situation for me. He was sitting on the verandah with a large number of persons all around. He asked me to take my two minutes off, and with his two closed fingers and the movements of his lips, he indicated my standing and smoking nearby. He pressed me to enjoy my smoke. Everyone burst into laughter, taking this to be a good joke at the cost of Dada. I could not join with them in their laughter. It was too deep and meaningful for me. I had all the joy that no cigarette alone could give, so I did not go for one. I stood before Baba as before, and he understood why I had not moved. In Kainchi, there was one shop nearby from which my cigarettes came. In 1972 when I reached there, I saw a new shop on wooden legs near the gate on the road. Siddhi narrated how two days back, Babaji had told the shopkeeper that Dada was coming, and he should get a big carton of Scissors cigarettes. This is the Baba I know—providing everything you need after it has been considered whether its harmful to you in any way. [- from Sudhir [Dada] Mukerjee, “The Near and The Dear,” pp. 96-99.]
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 21:28:08 +0000
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