Month: June 2020

By Rajesh Kamath

Mohanji informed us yesterday (22nd June 2020) about the news of Chandu Kutty Swami’s mahasamadhi (a saint’s conscious exit from the body). My mind flashed back to our meetings with this powerful saint from Mookambika during Mohanji’s isolation period between December 2019 to January, 2020 and then again with Mohanji, Mila, Devi and a different group in March 2020.

Except for the early morning temple visits and some visitors, Mohanji would mostly keep to himself in his room, during his isolation time. A devotee of Mother Mookambika got acquainted with Mohanji during those early morning temple visits and mentioned about two powerful saints in the vicinity. He offered to take Mohanji to visit them and to guide him to those locations. Mohanji agreed. One of the saints was Chandu Kutty Swamy, a 122 year old direct disciple of Bhagavan Nityananda, the sixth avatar of Lord Dattatreya. We were told that Swamiji had high profile followers including a leading movie star from Kerala.

The following day, we walked past the back of the temple up a winding earthy road that went steeply uphill and then plateaued. Out of breath and with sore legs, we sauntered and came close to the makeshift wooden gate (sticks of wood tied together with a rope). We heard a low whistle as we approached the gate – a constant soft but clear sound that came through the bushes close to the other side of gate.

We opened the gate which opened into an open space in the middle with unkempt trees and shrubbery on both sides of the field. There were two small houses – one to the left of the open space and the other slightly bigger one at the far end of the open space. The house at the far end was his residence. It had a makeshift entrance with a roof made of corrugated tin sheets and blue and yellow plastic hanging off the roof and draped all around. As we entered, we saw a few chairs spread around the entrance with a short, stocky but very old Swami seated on one of the plastic chairs that may have been as old as him. Beyond the chairs was a small house which had only two rooms. One of the rooms served as the kitchen and store as well as the bedroom for the Swami and the second room was for visitors.

Our guide introduced Mohanji and the group to the Swami. His name was Chandu Kutty Swami. His eyesight was poor and so was his hearing. Though he was short, his body showed signs of a powerful, muscular and athletic past. He only understood Malayalam and Mohanji later said that his Malayalam was also not very easy to understand. Our guide gave Swamiji details about Mohanji by shouting at an angle into his left ear. Eventually, Mohanji mimicked the technique as well and resorted to increasing his decibel levels and directing his voice close to Swamiji’s ears. Mohanji introduced the group to Swamiji who spoke to us warmly. However, he would get pensive during any lull in the conversation and stare outside the entrance in the distance towards the faraway mountains. Mohanji later said that he was in constant communion with the Mother and was probably going within and connecting to the Mother, during such times.

He gave us some details about himself. As a teenager, Chandu Kutty Swami met Bhagavan Nityananda at Kanhangad who told him, “Why do you stand here? Go to the forest.” Bhagavan did not elaborate further nor provide any more clarifications. With no clue about the destination, the young boy took to staying in forests and eventually landed up in the forests around Mookambika. He ceased his wandering and stayed there for twelve years performing extreme penance and austerities. As a result, he was blessed with a vision of goddess Mookambika who told him that she could make him very wealthy, powerful and famous. He refused her offer fearing that this would affect his connection with the Mother. Instead, he requested her vision and appearance when he wanted. Goddess Mookambika agreed. He cooks for her and she stays with him at his temple which was the room on the left of the open space. He is closely connected with goddess Mookambika and people have sighted him with goddess Mookambika. He told us that he had a darshan of Divine Mother in the Chitramoola cave at the top of the Kudajadri mountains close by. He smirked and without looking, pointed his hand behind his chair and said, “That guy Shankara also had a darshan of the Divine Mother in the same cave.”

We looked behind him to see who Shankara was. There was no one behind him. At that moment, we noticed that there was a small picture of Adi Shankara pasted on the door  to his room which was behind his chair. This Swamiji had a wicked sense of humour. His comment had us in splits. By Shankara, he meant Adi Shankaracharya, the towering Master who had pleased the Divine Mother with his penance in the Chitramoola cave and got the boon that she would follow him to Kerala and take up residence there at this chosen spot. However, she set a condition that she would follow as long as Adi Shankaracharya walked with full faith that she was following him and would not look back. If he looked back, she would take up residence at that very spot where he turned to see her. Adi Shankaracharya agreed to her condition. Long story short, Adi Shankaracharya looked back when he did not hear the sound of anklets for some time and the Divine Mother took up residence at the current location of the Mookambika temple.

Chandu Kutty Swami said that he wanted a person whom he could train under him with exacting discipline without question. He said if the trainee followed his instructions without question, he would make him a great Siddha. However, he ruefully remarked that none so far had the tenacity to stay there and undergo the training. Most came and left because they weren’t prepared to shed their comfort zones that were being shaken loose in the presence of this powerful Master. He had a helper called Ragesh who had joined him very recently. Ragesh joked that even though he had come there to take care of Swami, it was the other way around. Swami did not allow him to do anything. Swamiji cooked the food himself and took care of most things around the house. Mohanji later told us that Swamiji cooked the food himself because it was consumed by the Mother, Veerbhadra Swami (an intense form of Lord Shiva who is the kshetrapalaka – the protector deity of the Mookambika temple) and other celestial beings.

Ragesh was more chatty and gave us more details about the Swami. Ragesh told us that there was a huge snake guarding these premises, who whistled to warn strangers coming into this place. That explained the whistling sound when we entered. Swamiji later showed the moulted skin of the snake on one of the shrubs. Going by the length of the skin, it could have been twelve to fifteen feet long and very stout as well. Shuddered to think what would have happened to us if the snake had made his physical presence felt. A surprising fact was that there were no animals in that place, not even dogs. This was due to the presence of the snake which prevented even animals from coming in. Ragesh said that Swamiji doesn’t allow people to stay beyond sunset due to the snake. Ragesh also mentioned that Swamiji used to earlier carry bags, refreshments, and so on for tourists who wanted to hike up the nearby Kudajadri mountains. No wonder he had such a powerful physical frame. Ragesh told us that he had himself seen Chandu Kutty Swami walking around with Mother Mookambika and Veerbhadra Swami.

After our discussions, Swamiji asked us to have our lunch and come back at 4pm for the puja and aarati. We returned to our hotel, had food and reached his place at 4pm. Swamiji was sitting on the chair with the same pensive look. He acknowledged our presence and enquired if we had eaten and rested. Under the hot afternoon sun, the space was getting hot and sweaty. We wondered why he wasn’t ready for the puja and aarati. Mohanji asked him if we were on time. He informed us that Mother was held up at Chottanikara (a powerful Goddess temple in Kerala) and it would take her another hour or so to come there.  Mother Mookambika kept him posted about delays in her journey! Mohanji and Swamiji chatted for a while. Mohanji told him that his chairs were very old. He asked him if he could buy him some new chairs. Swamiji said that he would accept if Mohanji wanted to purchase for him. He then got up to get ready for the puja. He did not allow anybody to help him even though every movement caused him considerable pain and evoked from him a painful call to the Mother every now and then.

He took a bath by pouring water over his entire body and then after wiping himself clean got into a change of clothes and applied sacred ash all over his body. He then took his walking stick and walked out of the house towards the temple. The temple door was locked which he opened with the bunch of keys tied to his short loincloth. The altar in the temple was a wall with many pictures on the walls. He briefly paused to tell us  about the various deities and Masters in his altar. He pointed to a picture of Bhagavan Nityananda that was old and wrinkled and had folded by itself. He laughed at the state of the picture and said that Baba was present but hidden in that picture. He sat down at the altar to perform a puja. We sat near the walls around the room. I took up a spot close to the door where a white plastic gunny bag was laid out. He immediately asked me not to sit there. As i got up, he informed us that the Goddess slept at that spot.

He then arranged the materials for the puja. The puja and aarati were fairly simple without much fanfare. He chanted what could have been some mantras or a devotional song. His voice was unclear. As he sang, he was beating a steel plate on the ground for musical accompaniment. A very interesting and low key puja. Though it may have been simplistic and not the most melodious of chants or music, I am sure that the Mother must have loved it since she looked at his devotion rather than his expression. Attending his aarati was akin to being in Mother Mookambika’s physical presence. He offered us prasad (consecrated offerings) and gave us most of the fruits that we had given him as an offering. We prostrated at his feet and took his blessings. He blessed Mohanji by placing his hands on his head and invoking the blessings of the Mother. He then locked the temple and we then took his leave as well.

A couple of months later, we had another opportunity to meet Chandu Kutty Swami in March when Mohanji came to Mookambika again along with Devi, Mila and a small group for Mila’s vidyarambham (initiation ceremony into learning). Before Mohanji’s visit, Preeti Duggal and I went to inform Swamiji that Mohanji would come to meet him the following day. We had planned a short visit to quickly update him and head out from there. We opened the gate with trepidation praying to the snake guarding the place, with a few mental “Jai Mohanji”‘s. Swamiji was alone in the house. We had a communication issue – he spoke and understood only Malayalam and neither of us could speak or understand that language. We figured from his conversation that Ragesh had left a while back. He had been staying there alone since.

We tried to tell Swamiji that Mohanji would visit him tomorrow. Swamiji couldn’t understand a word. We asked one of Mohanji’s followers who understands Malayalam to type out this message on Whatsapp which we could show Swamiji. Unfortunately, Swamiji’s eyesight was weak and he couldn’t read the small letters. We then called the follower and asked her to speak out the message to Swamiji. Swamiji finally understood. He then asked us to sit down and wait. At first, we couldn’t understand but then we figured that he was making lunch for us. We tried telling him that we did not want to disturb him or trouble him. Of course, he didn’t understand a word and kept waving his hand telling us to sit down. Finally, we decided to let it go and prayed to Mother and Mohanji to forgive us for troubling him. We helped him with whatever tasks he let us do. For the most part, he did everything himself. Given that he can barely see or hear, it was a wonder how he managed to cook at all. Probably relied on touch to feel the ingredients and on past experience. He made rice and a delicious potato curry. Finger licking good. To be fed by Swamiji was the same as being fed by Mother Mookambika. Pure grace from Mohanji! We will never know how many lifetimes of karma may have been cleansed by consuming that consecrated offering from the beloved Swami. After lunch, we prostrated at his feet and took his leave. He understood that Mohanji was coming the following day. Thus, our task was done.

The following day, Mohanji came with Devi, Mila and a few members of the group. This time, Swamiji was in a chatty mood and was more engaged in the discussion. He was sitting on the new chair that Mohanji had purchased for him and was visibly happy. Mohanji had ensured that the chairs were delivered to Swamiji the day after we had last met him. Swamiji related his experiences with people who offered to help him with maintenance work. He said, “Many people took money for building materials, services, and so on. It has been a few years and none of them have returned. I am still waiting for them.” Then he started laughing loudly and sarcastically said that it took a “lot of time” to get building material in these parts! I was the designated photographer for this event. He looked at me with curiosity and asked Mohanji why I was taking so many pictures. Mohanji informed him that these are precious moments that we capture for posterity and share with our community. He said, “Oh… Really! So my pictures will go all over the world. I will then sit here with all my pictures around me and look at myself.” Saying this, he started laughing loudly. He laughed like an innocent child and his laughter was very infectious. Mohanji added that I take thousands of pictures but very few, if any, are actually usable. He found this statement very funny and was roaring with laughter, slapping his hands on the armrests as his whole body shook while he laughed. We had the grace of attending his aarati again and he lovingly posed for pictures.

While we were leaving, he casually mentioned that the neighbours were troubling him. They had encroached into his space and wanted him to leave the land. They had tried everything from physical intimidation to black magic. They even bribed the local police to put pressure on him. He said, “I am staying here (on earth) because Mother has asked me to stay. I don’t know how long she wants me here.. Only she knows the purpose behind this insistence. ” Mohanji asked him if there was anything that he wanted Mohanji to do in this matter. He asked Mohanji to write an application on his behalf and send it to the local police station to seek their intervention. We were supposed to leave Mookambika, immediately after meeting Swamiji . Mohanji insisted that we get the document written and signed by him before we left the place. It took us a few hours to get the document written in the local language and signed by him. Mohanji then used his personal connects to have it sent to the police station. Finally, with heavy hearts, we left Swamiji. It was particularly sad to leave him all alone without any help, especially after finding out the issues he was facing with the neighbours.

Swamiji shed his mortal coils on the auspicious first day of Gupt Navaratri – the festival of nine nights dedicated to the Divine Mother. A little while ago, Swamiji had enquired about Mohanji and fondly remembered Mohanji. Swamiji had mentioned that of all the people who came to visit him recently, only Mohanji had been helpful and helped him in whatever way he could. in the end, We have been told that Swamiji was cremated and buried in the same land where he lived. We also heard that his local acquaintances were planning to make a memorial at that place in his memory. Mohanji also said, “Mortal eyes may see his residence as a dilapidated and worn down place but in divine vision, this could be a huge, beautiful and priceless palace fit for the Goddess because Mother lived there with him. That is why it was guarded by that huge snake which may have been a divine being too. Mortal eyes may see him as an old withering 122 year old man but divine eyes see an immortal giant. Do not perceive these saints and judge them with your mortal vision. There is much more than human eyes can see.”

Posted above a photograph of Swamiji’s feet for those who would like to pay their last respects to this beloved Master. Our humble and heartfelt obeisances to this adorable saint whose diminutive size belied his true power and stature. As always, deep gratitude to Mohanji for the grace to connect us with this great Master and receive his powerful blessings.

 

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— Mohanji Testimonials Team

By Rajesh Kamath

Mohanji informed us yesterday about the news of Gopala Baba’s mahasamadhi (a saint’s conscious exit from the body). It was shocking and unexpected because neither were there any ominous health factors nor was there an indication from Babaji. In a way, his exit had the signature of his life – unassuming, quiet and without fanfare yet powerful (merging with the Supreme Consciousness). When Mohanji saw our consolation messages to Gopala Baba’s devotees,  he objected to the use of the word “condolence”. He said, “The departure of a saint of Babaji’s stature may be sorrowful for his devotees, but it can never be a cause for condolence. The Master has merely dropped his physical form and will continue working for the world in his subtle form with more renewed vigour, free from the limitations of the physical body, In his subtle form, he will be more easily available to be with those who are deeply connected to him or wish to deeply connect to him. His physical form was merely a shell that could hardly contain the vast consciousness that Babaji was.”

I was told by a long time Sathya Sai devotee that Bhagavan Sathya Sai had said to one of his close confidants in a personal interview that there were three people who had attained such a high level of purity that they could be his extensions in the world. Gopala Baba, Devi Amma and a third person (don’t remember his name). A recognition of the stature of the Master from the Avatar himself. I later found this article on a Sathya Sai Baba website attesting to that fact. His devotees believed him to be an reincarnation of Maa Sharda Devi (wife of Ramakrishna Paramahansa). To the uninitiated, he was a soft spoken, gentle and kind soul whose unbounded love poured continuously and limitlessly across species (human beings,  animals and plants).

Around September 2018, we had a request that a person wanted to connect with Mohanji and convey a personal message. He had tried several avenues for almost 6 months but had been unable to connect with Mohanji. His name was Dinesh Rathod and he was a disciple of Gopala Baba. One of his brother disciples, Somashekhar, had participated in the Kailash with Mohanji pilgrimage and he managed to get a connect to Mohanji’s personal office team. He told the team that he had a video of Gopala Baba’s message to Mohanji and he wanted to deliver it to someone who could reach Mohanji directly rather than send it to an email. In the video message, Gopala Baba said that he sees the shakti (power) of Mother Kamakshi and Devi (the Divine Mother) inside Mohanji. Dinesh mentioned that Gopala Baba had invited Mohanji to come and visit him at his ashram, Sai Soma Skanda Ashram, which was about 2-3 hours from our location in Bangalore.

Dinesh asked to coordinate the logistics with his brother disciple, Somashekhar, who lived in Bangalore. Mohanji agreed to visit Gopala Baba the Sunday of the same week. Somashekhar conveyed that Gopala Baba said,  “I am very happy that my son (Mohanji) is coming to meet his mother (Gopala Baba).  I am eagerly waiting for my son. My ashram is Mohanji’s house and he can come whenever he wants. Mohanji should take lunch at the ashram. Ask Mohanji what he likes to have for lunch so that we can have it prepared.” The immense love of the Master for Mohanji was very touching. It is amazing how Masters who have never met each other (on the physical plane at least) have such amazingly pure and unconditional love for each other. One can feel and get a taste of the unity of consciousness from their mutual interactions.

That Sunday, we drove down to Gopala Baba’s ashram which is right on the highway to Mysore. The ashram was a short hundred meter off-road drive from the highway. The beautiful arch of the ashram welcomed us and a short concrete road lined with coconut trees led us into the ashram premises. There was an open ground to the left and a huge temple complex on the right. The place was dotted with coconut trees. Beyond the temple at the far end were Babaji’s residence, the living quarters, the kitchen and the office spaces. A big statue of a waist high Sathya Sai Baba welcomed us to Babaji’s beautiful and impressive abode. As we entered the ashram, we could feel the divine presence immediately. There were statues of Bhagavan Sathya Sai, Sai Baba and other Masters of the Tradition everywhere, watching over us and greeting us from the arches, the junctions, rooftops,  and so on.

Mohanji was taken straight to Gopala Baba’s residence where the gentle Master was eagerly awaiting Mohanji’s arrival. His residence was very simple. The door opened into his meeting room. Baba sat on a small bed on the right while there were chairs for visitors to sit in front of him. A short distance further away from his bed was his beautiful personal altar. To the left was a small kitchen and his bedroom and to the right was a store room. The first thing one would notice around his residence both on the benches outside the door as well as in his house were the cats, bowls full of milk and bowls full of cat food. Even on his bed as well as in his meeting room. Babaji’s love for cats was legendary. At any point in time, he had at least fifty cats in the ashram and he personally took care of them. He would boil the milk for the cats in his kitchen which would then be distributed into the many bowls in and around his residence. I was told that Gopala Baba would get furious if there was even a slight delay in their feeding. The cats were allowed free access to every part of his residence and the cats, in turn, took this privilege boldly. They were in various states of inaction all over the house, the benches outside as well as on the ground soaking under the warm sun. All of them were basking in the warm love of the Master. I felt that these cats may possibly be his divine companions who had taken the form of a cat to be in his powerful, loving presence.

Babaji had a beautiful picture of Bhagavan Sathya Sai pasted behind his back as if to say that Bhagavan had his back. Bhagavan would be peeking at us every now and then when Babaji moved.  Upon entering the room, Mohanji prostrated at Gopala Baba’s feet. Baba blessed Mohanji while caressing his head lovingly. He offered Mohanji several gifts – books, clothes and prasad (consecrated offering) and also to the other members of the group. Mohanji also offered his books – the Power of Purity, Kailash with Mohanji – the Inner Kora and Kriya Yoga – to Babaji. Baba was an ocean of compassion receiving Mohanji like a loving mother. Mohanji played the role of a humble son or disciple and Babaji as the mother or Master showered limitless love and unbounded affection on him. Babaji enquired about us and our travels and Mohanji introduced our group to Babaji. Babaji understood English and also spoke English haltingly but he was more comfortable in his local language Kannada. A gentleman named Venkat was there along with Somashekhar to specifically help with the translations.

Babaji shared a brief overview of his life journey. He spoke with high regard about his parents who demonstrated with their life, the principles of compassion, discipline and hard work. He specifically spoke about his mother as being a saint – simple yet highly spiritually evolved – who showed him an example of exceptional dedication to one’s duties and responsibilities. He said, “The scriptures say, ‘Pitru Devo Bhava’ (rever your parents as God). I always urge my devotees to follow this scriptural injunction. One’s responsibilities towards one’s parents are more important than even those towards God and Guru. If one lovingly performs one’s duty towards one’s parents, then they need not do any spiritual practices, perform rituals or visit temples. I lovingly served both my parents wholeheartedly and and considered them my first Gurus. Until she attained samadhi two and a half years ago, I always considered my primary duty was to take care of my mother.”  He had a picture of his parents prominently placed by his bedside which he worshipped daily. In the ashram, he also had a small temple dedicated to his parents.

His devotion and deep connection with Bhagavan Sathya Sai was the cornerstone of his life and his spiritual journey. His journey with Bhagavan began when he accompanied his father to Puttaparthi and Brindavan (Whitefield, Bangalore) for the divine darshan of Bhagavan. Slowly but surely, his devotion and dedication to Baba increased to the point where he chose to dedicate his life to the service of Baba and to live and propagate his teachings. In later years, he had regular communions with as well as physical visitations by Baba. In one such physical visitation, Bhagavan appeared on November 23rd,  1991 (Bhagavan’s birthday) and materialized his atma lingam (a part of his soul in the form of a lingam – an smooth elliptical stone) – the Chandra Moulishwara lingam – and gave it to Gopala Baba. He also instructed Gopala Baba to perform the rudrabhishekam (ritual bathing) to the sacred linga on every Monday and distribute the tirtham (holy consecrated sacred water) to the people.

I have read that this incident has been narrated by Prof. Anil Kumar (Bhagavan Sathya Sai’s official translator) in the divine presence of Bhagavan Sathya Sai which is  published in the July 1992 issue of the Sanathana Sarathi (official magazine of the Sri Sathya Sai organisation).The rudrabhishekam ritual was done continuously from 1991 to 2015 without a break. Many people have been healed by the tirtham. Gopala Baba also gave vibhuti which is blessed by the lingam to his followers. There are innumerable instances of people who have been cured of mental and physical ailments by partaking of the tirtham. Gopala Baba also mentioned that the mantra he gave to devotees was “Sai Chandramoulishwara Pahi Mam Raksha Mam“.Though he never allows anyone to touch the lingam, he allowed Mohanji to touch it and feel it’s energy.

Mohanji also shared his experiences and communions with Bhagavan. Since the details are available in this blog post “Miraculous Days with Mohanji – Part 3”, I am not sharing them here again. Mohanji also informed Babaji about his spiritual and seva (selfless service) activities and his travel experiences around the world. Babaji was deeply appreciative and gave his wholehearted approval for Mohanji’s work. When Mohanji mentioned that he wanted to build an ashram in India, Babaji said, “Don’t build any ashrams. You can have my ashrams.” Babaji is in such a high state of detachment that he has absolutely no attachment whatsoever to anything material including his ashrams.

Babaji mentioned that he had earlier started a center in Girinagar which soon grew into a big temple with an outpatient clinic (dispensary) which experienced massive crowds who flocked to Baba to get a cure for their myriad terrestrial problems in life. Eventually, he built this ashram in 2015 and managed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds. However, he lamented that the ashram suffered from a chronic lack of support in terms of staff. He said that the local people were seldom reliable and it was hard to maintain the sprawling grounds and the many buildings and temples that were in need of constant upkeep. We were introduced to Babaji’s man Friday – his attendant, Ravi. Ravi lived in the ashram with Babaji and took care of his needs as well as the maintenance of the ashram. Needless to stay that he was stretched, given that volunteers were in short supply and staff hard to retain. His blood shot eyes indicated a chronic lack of sleep. However, he was the proverbial work horse – engaged in constant activity and always on the move. We were told that his aged parents stayed in the city but he mostly stayed in the ashram to take care of Babaji and was like Babaji’s shadow.

Babaji asked us to take a darshan of the main temple in the ashram. We took Babaji’s leave and headed out to to the temple complex. The temple complex had a dwajasthamba (flagstaff) a few meters from the entrance along with an idol of Lord Nandi looking at the idol of Lord Shiva inside. Lord Nandi is the supreme devotee of Lord Shiva, his vehicle and the chief of the Shiva Ganas (Lord Shiva’s army). The temple has smaller spaces dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Goddess Kamakshi, Lord Chandramoulesshwara, Shirdi  Sai Baba, Bhagwan Bhagavan Sathya Sai, Swami Samarth and Gopala Baba. The temple is beautiful built using a south Indian architecture an painted in varied, beautiful bright colours, with numerous statues on the walls, arches and in the temple structures. We had an amazing darshan. Babaji’s devotee explained the background significance of the different places.

We were introduced to the priest of the temple. He used to be an engineer working for one of the leading information technology services companies in India. He was a follower of Babaji and found the internal calling to quit his job and join Babaji full-time. In addition to the duties in the temple, he also helped with the upkeep of the ashram. He told us about the different ceremonies conducted at the ashram including the regular yagams (elaborate fire ceremonies) that were conducted a few times a year. He also explained the different deities in the temple. An aarati (ritual waving of lamp) and archana (offering of flowers, etc) was performed during our visit. The priest took Mohanji’s blessings and we took his leave after our detailed discussion.

Babaji had asked his people  to take us for lunch after the temple visit. Baba rarely had food. He had given up solid food after Bhagavan Sathya Sai had taken mahasamadhi. On rare occasions, he had prasad from a nearby temple – maybe a few morsels or even just a morsel. Sometimes, he had a coffee in the morning, coconut water in the afternoon and a glass of milk in the evening. Barring the above, he avoided all intake of food. His devotees believed that he had closed his annamaya kosha (the food sheath) a while back. There was a bit of wait for the food but it was well worth it. It was simple food but very delicious. We wholeheartedly partook of this prasad to our full satisfaction.

After lunch, we went to the temple of Lord Dattatreya. It was at the end of the open field in front of the main temple. There were two very rare and special trees next to this temple. One was the holy Audambar tree that was grown using a branch from the holy Audumbar tree in Ganagapur (the seat of Lord Narsimha Saraswathi – the second incarnation of Lord Dattatreya) and a banyan tree that was grown using a branch from the banyan tree in Akkalkot that was the samadhi of Lord Swami Samarth. To read more about the samadhi tree of Lord Swami Samarth, please read the following blog post – Back from the dead – A tryst with Swami Samarth of Akkalkot. A rarest of the rare opportunities to connect with such powerful divine beings. Mohanji touched each of the trees with his third eye, circumambulated the trees as a mark of respect and also poured water to both the trees.

Then we headed back to the residence of Gopala Babaji. Mohanji mentioned about his initiatives on veganism and the extreme cruelty practised at animal farms and dairies. Babaji expressed deep anguish and angst at the senseless slaughter of animals especially cows, just for the satisfaction of the human palate. He said that we should never harm any being since they are all part of God’s creation. Especially the helpless animals. He would get so moved at times that he wished to implore Bhagavan to end the world and rid it of all humans. Babaji said that his only prayer was that people should inculcate the following values in their lives – peace, devotion, faith, righteousness, truth,  ahimsa (non violence) and proper respect in the world for parents and teachers, These are the teachings of the Dattatreya Tradition that he followed. He said that following these time tested principles would not only bring greater peace and equilibrium in our lives but also make the world a better place. Though different in outward expression, their (Babaji’s and Mohanji’s) teachings resonated perfectly and were in unison.

Finally, it was time for us to say goodbye. Babaji showered blessings on Mohanji and then the rest of the group. There was an outpouring of affection for Mohanji as he kissed him, caressed him and held him close. Love was pouring through his very being. Verily, God’s own child greeting another! More than what was spoken and exchanged, the silent communion between the Masters was a real treat as they expressed their unconditional love recognising each other as two branches of the same tree of God Consciousness. We were truly blessed to meet this incarnation of pure love. With heavy hearts, we said our goodbyes and started our journey back home. Babaji left an indelible print on our mind, heart and soul. We salute this living embodiment of Bhagavan Sathya Sai’s teachings, viz. Love all, Serve all.

Please find below a video tribute to Gopala Krishna Swami (fondly called Gopala Baba) from the Mohanji Community. We relive our fond memories of this gentle yet powerful Master and his interactions with Mohanji as well as share a few glimpses of his samadhi ceremony to allow our community a last darshan (holy vision) of the beloved Master.

Posted below a photograph of Babaji at the samadhi ceremony conducted yesterday (12th June 2020) for those who would like to pay their last respects to this beloved Master. I am deeply grateful to Mohanji for the grace to meet this wonderful, kind-hearted and amazing Master and offer my deepest obeisances at the feet of Gopala Baba knowing fully well that he watches over and blesses us all, as he continues to work for the welfare of the world in his subtle form for decades and centuries to come.

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