Universal Brotherhood

Until some time ago, the evening Veda Parayana, (chanting of the scriptures), was held in the little hall, but for some time past, many people, for lack of space, have had to sit outside.

Until some time ago, the evening Veda Parayana, (chanting of the scriptures), was held in the little hall, but for some time past, many people, for lack of space, have had to sit outside. Now that the Golden Jubilee Hall* has been

*A great ridge-roofed and thatched verandah abutting on to the old hall facing the hill. Bhagavan sat on a stone couch at its western end, head to the north.

constructed, the evening Veda Parayana has been shifted there. It was after this change that the Maharani of Baroda presented a white peacock to the Ashram.

During the early days after its arrival, Bhagavan watched over it with great care, for it was very young. It slept at night in Bhagavan’s old hall; being summer time, Bhagavan himself slept out in the Jubilee Hall at night, and hence, the morning scripture chanting (the Upanishad parayana) was held there. But now, with the onset of winter, the attendants moved Bhagavan back into the old hall at nights. The peacock at night rested on a beam in the hall with the consequence that the floor underneath it became very dirty by the morning and much inconvenience was felt at the early morning parayana, some people being actually obliged to sit outside. This disgusted the attendants, and on expressing their disgust, Bhagavan said, “Why are you disgusted? Why not get a cage made and keep the peacock in it in the Jubilee Hall?” Taking the hint, a devotee immediately had a cage made.

The cage was placed in the Jubilee Hall next to the stone couch of Bhagavan, and this automatically became the home of the peacock. The day it was moved out to the Jubilee Hall, Bhagavan who had been sleeping in the old hall until then, insisted on his bed too being shifted outside to the Jubilee Hall. But, as it was now very cold at night, it was feared that sleeping in the open hall would adversely affect Bhagavan’s health. On the devotees expressing their fears, Bhagavan laughed and said, “The peacock came to us from somewhere. What respect is it to that guest if we make him sleep outside while we sleep inside? If a relative comes to your house, is it proper to make him sleep on the verandha while you sleep inside the house? If possible, we have to take him inside, or else, we too should sleep outside on the

verandah.” Turning to his attendants, he said, “If you are afraid of the cold outside, you can sleep inside.”

The attendants said, “Sleeping outside will be bad for Bhagavan’s health. If necessary, one of us will sleep there to keep the peacock company.”

“Enough, enough of this!” said Bhagavan. “Will that not affect your health? If you want to, you can sleep inside.”

However much they pleaded, Bhagavan was adamant and slept that night out in the Jubilee Hall.

Next afternoon, as soon as Bhagavan went out for his walk at about 4-45, his attendant Krishnaswami removed Bhagavan’s things from the Jubilee Hall back into the old hall and arranged for the Veda Parayana to be held there. Seeing this, on his return, Bhagavan said, “This is what I don’t like, keeping the peacock a prisoner in its cage and leaving it there outside, while we are all here inside. Not only that, it was because this hall was found to be insufficiently small for the Veda Parayana that we shifted outside to the Jubilee Hall. Has this hall then grown any bigger? Are we again to allow some people into this hall while others are forced to be outside? Why is all this? If everything is done there in the Jubilee Hall, the peacock will not feel lonely and we shall have ample space. From tomorrow arrangements should be made accordingly. If you shift my seat here, I will not sit here, so take care!” Having spoken thus, Bhagavan had his bed transferred after food to the Jubilee Hall and slept there keeping the peacock company.

The next day, Bhagavan went back to sit in the old hall but on going out in the afternoon, Bhagavan looked at the peacock’s cage and again said, “It is all right if, by the time I return, you have arranged for the Veda Parayana to be held in the Jubilee Hall; otherwise I will spread my towel

and sit here alone. If you find it difficult to change my seat from one hall to the other, I will stay all day long in this Jubilee Hall only. It is just as you please. After all, what do I need? This towel is enough for me.”

By the time Bhagavan returned from his walk, his seat was shifted into the Jubilee Hall. It was after this incident that the old hall was extended and that Bhagavan continued to stay there all the time. Treating all living beings that come into his presence as near and dear relatives is possible for Bhagavan alone. Is it possible for us?