Reminiscences

While residing in Ayodhya, in 1905, in the course of a casual talk, ShriMaharaj remarked that the precincts are additionally hallowed by the actual presence of Maruti. KrishnashastriUppinbetigiri's imagination was fired with a keen desire for a darshan   of the Chiranjeeva ( Ever-living ) Maruti, and implored ShriMaharaj repeatedly to arrange it. The latter put it off from one day to another. One day the Shastri implored so insistently that ShriMaharaj had to agree, and took him to the other bank of the river Sharayu. There the two sat under a tree, fac­ing each other. The Shastri was asked to close his eyes. When, after a few moments he was asked to open them,he saw the huge figure of Maruti, whose resplendence dazzled his eyes. In a flash the vision vanished and he saw the usual mild figure of ShriMaharaj, who said, "Shastriji, this vision is not lasting. The true sight is the inner vision, the spiritual realization." On returning home, the Shastri remarked to Shri. Bhausaheb Ketkar, " Bhausaheb, ShriMaharaj is not just the simple, attrac­tive human we commonly see as him ."