Reminiscences

The village of Naravane is about a dozen kilometres from Gondavale. ShriMaharaj wanted to go there for some business. ShriMaharaj started soon after the midday meal.

Shri. Damle and Shri Manjire were asked to accompany him. They climbed into the coach. ShriMaharaj asked ShriBrahmanandamaharaj to accompany, too. After ShriMaharaj himself climbed into the coach and the coach started on its journey, ShriBrahmanandamaharaj began running after it. As the sun was shining fiercely ShriMaharaj clearly indicated to him to sit in the coach; ShriBrahmanandamaharaj,-however, continued running after it.   ShriMaharaj threw down his slippers and told him to put them on and follow; ShriBrahmanandamaharaj held those slippers over his head and again continued running,   barefooted.   After   reaching   Naravane, ShriMaharaj finished his business and started back for Gondavale. ShriBrahmanandamaharaj followed in the same manner while returning. On reaching Gondavale a misgiving arose in the minds of Damle and Manjire that ShriBrahmanandamaharaj had disobeyed his guru's in­junction. Shri. Bhausaheb Ketkar dispelled it. He said, 'You committed a gross mistake in that you hurriedly scrambled into the coach before ShriMaharaj. The second mistake was that you sat beside him as equals. No breach of command took place on ShriBrahmananda's part. But on the other hand you lost a big opportunity.' In this matter ShriBrahmanandamaharaj said; 'It is true that I suffered from scorching of the feet till some distance had been gone. But ShriMaharaj threw down his slippers and I held them over my head, and my pain immediately dis­appeared. I began to feel as if I was walking in moonlight. I had no consciousness of myself. If you had run after the coach you too would certainly have had a similar experi­ence.'