Reminiscences

A man from a village called Uksan contracted leprosy. As a matter of chance he met ShriMaharaj. ShriMaharaj got him to resolve, with a formal ritual, to chant nama three and a half crores of times, and asked him to remain in Gondavale. He completed this amount of chanting in six years. As the amount of chanting began nearing the final figure, the man's disease began abating rapidly. He began to feel that he would soon be free from the fell disease. One day he said to ShriMaharaj, 'Maharaj, I have begun to feel that by your grace I will completely recover. But I do not want my disease to be cured by using up the deserts of the three and one-half crore repetitions of nama. I am willing to bear to its end whatever is the body's lot, but let the merit of three-and-a-half crore namasmarana form the basis of further namasmarana'. ShriMaharaj was very pleased to hear this, and said, "This is a clear in­stance of namasmarana completely  annihilating the 'body-am-I feeling." Turning to that man ShriMaharaj said, "When someone serves exceedingly well, there is not only an increment in salary at diwali , but the em­ployer also gives some bonus for diwali. Rama is very pleased with your worship and is freeing you from 'the disease by way of a Diwali bonus. . Accept it heartily. Rest assured that whatever merit you have earned by namasmarana remains intact for your spiritual progress.*