The Medicine Itself Has Arrived
About a week back, a letter was received by post from Madhavi Amma. In it was written as follows: “I hear that Bhagavan is growing weaker and weaker. My prayer is that you should take tomato juice or orange juice.
About a week back, a letter was received by post from Madhavi Amma. In it was written as follows:
“I hear that Bhagavan is growing weaker and weaker. My prayer is that you should take tomato juice or orange juice.”
Reading the letter and telling us about it, Bhagavan said, “What a suggestion! She is a rich lady. She can afford to take anything she likes. How can I do that? Even so, how strong and healthy is she by eating them all? She always
complains of this pain and that. And her height is just about one foot! Why does she not herself take all those drinks?”
The same evening, Ayuvedic Doctor Ramachandra Rao came here from Bangalore. Noticing his arrival at the hall, Bhagavan said to people near him, “Look! Ramachandra Rao is coming in. He must have brought some medicines with him. When I see him I do not feel that I am seeing a human being. I feel that I am seeing the medicines themselves.” In the meanwhile, Ramachandra Rao came in, placed before Bhagavan a big bottle of medicine and prostrated. No sooner did he get up, than Bhagavan said with a laugh, “Did I not tell you all that the medicine itself has arrived?” With folded hands and in a prayerful attitude, Ramachandra Rao said, “It is not a medicine, Bhagavan. It is an Arishtam (a distilled mixture; a tonic). Bhagavan’s body is very much emaciated. If you take this tonic it will give you strength. Please use it.”
Bhagavan said, “That is all right. If, by taking this, a person gets sturdy, why do you not try it on yourself? See how lean and weak you are! First take it yourself and become sturdy and strong. After that we shall think of my case.” Turning towards us, he jocularly said, “See how he is! He is not able to improve his own health, and he says he will improve mine!” The doctor could not say anything and so went away to the office. The next day Bhagavan arranged to give an ounce of the Arishtam to each and everyone of those sitting near him and, taking one ounce himself, said, “Look. That Ramachandra Rao is leaner than any one of us. So give him one more ounce. We will see if he becomes stout thereby.”
Four or five days after that, contractor Satagopa Naidu came from Bangalore. He brought with him some bottles containing sherbet and sent them to Bhagavan through one of the people who usually sit near Bhagavan, saying that the sherbet should be given to Bhagavan every day in summer
as it would help in giving some strength to the body. Satagopan comes to the Ashram, stays for months together, spends thousands of rupees and contributes a lot of money for the Asramam’s working but never comes into the presence of Bhagavan. If you ask why it is so, there is nothing to say. That is one type of devotion.
As soon as he saw the sherbet bottles, Bhagavan laughed and said, “Ramachandra Rao and he must have consulted each other. Why all these things for us? He is a rich man and so can afford to drink any number of bottles of sherbet. Please tell him to keep these bottles in his room and take the sherbet himself in small quantities every day.”
“It seems he brought them for Bhagavan’s use only,” said a gentleman.
“I see,” said Bhagavan. “We shall then do one thing.” So saying, he had a big vessel brought, had it filled up with drinking water, poured all the sherbet into the water and then asked that one glassful each be given to everyone of the people assembled there. He moreover directed that one extra glassful should be given to Satagopan so that he could recover from exhaustion. The remaining sherbet was subsequently given to all the other Asramites.
In 1948, a devotee from Kanpur, by name Khanna, sent by parcel post some tins containing Chyavanaprash, saying that it was prepared by himself specially for Bhagavan’s use and that it would give some strength to Bhagavan’s body if he took it. Saying that if it gave him strength it should give strength to others also, Bhagavan had it served to all people in the Ashram along with their early morning breakfast and himself took along with the others a similar quantity and nothing more.
If there is anything that is not wanted by others such as kanji or cold rice, Bhagavan takes the major portion of it
himself. If it is a delicacy like sweetmeats which everybody likes, he gives away the major portion to others and takes a small portion himself. Who is there comparable to him in this feeling of equality? He can be compared to himself only.