29 Jul 2007
Omshanti.
A PBK who accompanied ShivBaba (in Baba Virendra Dev Dixit) on a tour to various mini-Madhubans and Gitapathshalas a few months ago, narrated some of his experiences to me.
He said that Baba and he was supposed to travel by a cheap airlines from one city to another, but due to reasons not known, the Airline cancelled the flight and Baba had to travel by rail as per a revised programme. Since the reservation of seats for the train journey was made at a short notice and it being a holiday season, the reservation was not confirmed. In one such journey by train, there was a mother and a Brother with Baba and they had only half a sleeper berth for all the three. Those who have travelled by second class in the trains in India would be able to understand what I say. Actually, those who are issued tickes with 'RAC' (reservation against cancellation) are given half seat on the lower side berth, which he/she has to share with another person until one of them gets a full berth during the journey.
So, out of the three persons, there was only one RAC ticket, the other two being unconfirmed tickets. Luckily, the mother accompanying Baba was offered a seat by another co-passenger which was booked for her little daugter. The Brother accompanying Baba sat on the upper berth which was in the name of another passenger. Baba chose to sit with another passenger in the shared berth. Since the train was packed beyond capacity that day, the RAC ticket could not be converted to a full berth ticket and Baba had to spend the whole night sitting with the other passenger while the Brother sitting on the seat above him spent the night waiting for the passenger to come and claim his seat, but he never turned up.
Early in the morning while everyone was fast asleep and it was very dark, Baba saw a lady vacate her seat. She did not return for a long time. So, Baba thought that the seat must have been vacated by the passenger to get down at the next station, so, let me flex my legs on the vacant seat. He went and lied down on the seat. Meanwhile the lady, who might have gone to attend the nature's call returned in the dark, but could not locate her seat. When she could locate her seat, she found Baba relaxing on her seat. She started shouting at him. Baba immediately got up and said, 'Mataji (mother), I thought the seat had been vacated so I came to relax on this seat as my seat is on sharing basis." The lady was further infuriated on being addressed as a mother because she was much younger to Baba in age. Meanwhile the PBK mother accompanying Baba, who was sleeping woke up and pacified that passenger and Baba went back to his seat.
Baba had already spent the whole day at a place taking Murli class and discussion. The whole night he could not sleep because of lack of reservation. The next day the train was late and at the next destination Baba hardly had any time (to bathe and eat) before starting the next class. As the train was late, the PBKs had already arrived and were waiting since a long time for Baba to arrive. When Baba reached the Gitapathshala after taking bath and lunch at a PBK's house, there was no electricity and the weather was hot and humid. Despite no electricity Baba gave drishti (during meditation) for more than a hour and narrated Murli and answered questions during the discussion class for the next two hours. And all through that three hour period the electricity supply was not restored. But Baba was his usual self, entertaining the children with drishti, Murli and discussion.
The Brother who accompanied Baba for about ten days, told me that througout the tour, they used to travel by train in the night and Baba used to meet PBKs during the day (one hour drishti, one hour class and about one hour discussion). Even during the remaining time, Baba used to be generally busy calling up all those PBKs (including surrendered Sisters living in various mini-Madhubans) who wished to talk to him about their personal problems, Godly service, or Yagya affairs. So, there was hardly any rest for Baba. Although Baba travelled so many places during the tour, but Baba never purchased a mineral water bottle and preferred to carry water from the mini-Madhubans/Gitapathshala or from the Railway station. All the journeys were performed by second class sleeper category (non-AC).
Regards,
OGS,
Arjun
