Four years ago, Abedan told me these following stories, during that year’s April Celebrations, at Circus.
In the early Seventies, the daily newspaper known as The Village Voice used to keep Ananda Mayi Ma’s photograph on its front page every day. The image was of the Master in samadhi. One night Abedan had a dream that Ananda Mayi Ma told him to become Sri Chinmoy’s disciple. Abedan immediately obeyed Ananda Mayi Ma’s request.
During a bus ride around 1972, somebody asked Guru something about Sri Aurobindo, maybe who Sri Aurobindo had been in his past life. Guru smiled and said with great affection, “Why are you asking about him? I realised God long before that old man!”
Of course Guru always referred to Sri Aurobindo as a great Avatar! Here he was just having a little fun.
During a private function around 1973, Guru was speaking about Swami Vivekananda. Apparently, before Guru took birth, he had asked Swami Vivekananda to come down to earth with him, to assist him in his manifestation. Swami Vivekananda refused, indicating he would prefer to stay in Nirvana. Guru has written so many songs, poems and plays about the great Swami Vivekananda, but that night Guru expressed sadness and disappointment that Vivekananda did not consent to accompany him on his earthly manifestation. He said that “Vivekananda could have done so much for me, and I could have helped him so much.”
What I think this means is that God-realisation has no end. Even though Vivekananda is a God-realised soul, had he agreed to come down and serve Guru, our Master could have helped him go far, far beyond his current height.
—
It’s funny- during our last Celebrations, I kept seeing some of my friends who have passed on. They were walking around Aspiration-Ground. I spoke to another disciple about what I was seeing and he told me that he has also seen them. He said there are some souls who have tremendous love for the Center, for Guru and also for the disciples. They maintain this bond.
I told this friend that when I returned home from the hospital after having broken my foot, I went home and just started singing gratitude songs, for I knew it could have been infinitely worse. My friend told me that he had recently fallen in the bathroom, dislocating his hip and twisting his ankle. He told me that when he got up he also started singing gratitude songs to Guru. It is good to keep this attitude of offering thanks to Guru and to God when bad things happen. Because of our spiritual life, and the Master’s intervention, our suffering is minimal.
Thank you! 🙂