Is All the Work for Which You Have Come Over?

Sometime during the year 1943-44, a young Andhra lady by name Alamelu came here from Coimbatore. As it was during the early days of her husband’s demise, she brought her brother with her for company. She had no children.

Sometime during the year 1943-44, a young Andhra lady by name Alamelu came here from Coimbatore. As it was during the early days of her husband’s demise, she brought her brother with her for company. She had no children. She and her mother had been coming to the Ashram even before this. Whenever they came, they used to stay for about ten to fifteen days, bring some sweetmeats every afternoon at 2 o’clock and give them to Bhagavan and to the devotees. Bhagavan told them several times not to do so. They would not listen, but continued to bring something everyday, saying “this preparation was liked by my mother, that is very much to my liking, and this had been done because my brother had come.” This time also they rented a house in the town, stayed for about a month and continued to bring sweetmeats as usual. Perhaps because they were in difficulties, Bhagavan did not say anything this time. Taking advantage of that and thinking Bhagavan liked it, they began to prepare more edibles. At last, the day before they left the

Ashram, they approached Bhagavan and said, “We are going away tomorrow.”

Laughing to himself, Bhagavan said, “Oh, is that so? Is the work for which you have come over?” Unable to understand what exactly was meant by the question, they said, “There is some work at home for us. Our people have written to us to come back.”

Bhagavan said, “That is all right. Is all the work for which you came here, over? Is there anything remaining?” Unable to say anything, they stood confused.

Bhagavan then said, “That is not it. You say you will go. Have you finished preparing all the varieties of sweetmeats, or is there anything left? That is what I am asking.” All of us laughed. Unable to say anything in reply, the mother and the daughter stood there with folded hands. Bhagavan said with a laugh, “That is all right. You can go.” As soon as they left after prostrating before Bhagavan, he looked at Ramachandra Iyer and said, “When I tell them to look to the purpose for which they came, they do not listen to me. I said to them several times, why all this? What is the use? Everyday they think of preparing only this or that sweetmeat and also of what is liked by Bhagavan. Is it for this they come? Is that the thing that pleases Bhagavan? Many people do the same thing. They forget the purpose for which they come. What to do?”

14h December, 1949

(263) FLOOR DECORATION WITH

LIME POWDER

On a festival day in 1944, some ladies were decorating the floor of the Ashram with rice paste prepared by soaking rice in water and then grinding it. While returning from the cowshed, Bhagavan remarked to the people following him, “Look at those people. See what they are doing. They concentrate their mind on that sort of work. What to do? Let them carry on. Be careful not to step on the drawings. Why should we step on them when they are doing it with such great devotion?” So saying, he walked carefully without disturbing the designs and sat in the hall.

Immediately after that, Bhagavan noticed an old lady of the Ashram carefully drawing designs with dry lime powder on the floor below the steps opposite to the hall. Bhagavan called her by the familiar name, Granny, and when she came with great expectations, he said, “Look here, Granny. You are taking so much trouble for decorating the floor with that powder, but is it rice flour?” When she replied that it was powdered lime only, Bhagavan said, “What a pity! It will not be useful even for the ants. The ladies there are also doing the same thing. It is mere waste of time. Their work is of no use whatsoever. The paste they are using is made of rice dough which sticks to the ground and so the ants cannot eat it. Decorating the floor really means feeding the ants. If that dharma is given up and powdered lime is used not only the ants cannot eat it but if, by mistake, they come anywhere near, they die because of the strong pungent smell. Why all that? Please add at least some rice flour to it.”

An Andhra gentleman enquired, “Is it for feeding the ants that in the dhanurmasa, i.e., in the month of December- January, that floors are decorated with rice powder?”

“Yes, of course!” said Bhagavan. “Out of their feelings of happiness and joy at the receipt of the fresh crop of rice, they decorate the floor with rice powder thus feeding the ants. Practices laid down by elders are always based on kindness to living creatures. But who cares for those traditions now? They do most things just for the sake of beauty only.”