From Leela to Learning 5

Abhang 1 by Tulas Amma pg 116

Salutations to You, O Nityananda
O All-Powerful Lord,
I bow, to my Guru I bow, I place at Your Feet.

Countless may be my faults—
Forgive them, O Compassionate One.
Grant me Your vision,
So the burning restlessness within
May finally find peace.

Let me serve You without pause.
What worldly worry remains for me?
You are God Himself—
Let Your living form
Abide ever near my heart.

This world appears in countless ways,
Fierce and unsettling to the mind.
Without You, tell me—
Who can rescue me from this whirl?

Friends and kin, mother and brother,
Press upon me for Your sake.
Honour and insult,
The burden of worldly life—
All this I surrender unto You.

Come soon, O Guru, grant me Your meeting,
O Mother Guru—yet I confess,
I am still unjust, still unworthy.

Nityananda, Avadhuta Lord,
Once again, I bow—
O Master, my endless salutations to You.

Leelā 5: Lost Son Found — The Guru Who Hears All

The Mother from Mangalore

One early morning, a Konkani-speaking woman arrived at Vaikunth Ashram, Ganeshpuri, in a state of utter distress. Her son had disappeared from her village and had not returned for several days. Overcome by fear and grief, she had travelled all the way from Mangalore to seek Baba’s refuge.

The moment she entered the Ashram, she broke down completely—wailing loudly, beating her breast, and crying uncontrollably. Devotees gathered around, watching in silence, unsure of what would unfold.

After some time, Baba came out. Seeing her condition, He addressed her sternly:

“Why are you crying like a cow? What sense is there in wailing so loudly and disturbing everyone?”

Through her sobs, the woman managed to explain that her son had gone missing and that she feared he might be dead.

Baba replied calmly, yet with unmistakable authority:

“Why have you come all the way from Mangalore to tell This One? Even the footsteps of ants walking on the floor are heard here. You could have conveyed this from Mangalore itself. Now return home. Everything will be all right.”

At once, the woman stopped crying. Without another word, she prostrated at Baba’s feet and returned to her village.

A few days later, early one morning, there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, she found her son standing before her—safe and unharmed.

This incident reveals several striking elements:

A mother’s grief in its raw, unfiltered form
Baba’s apparently harsh response, which immediately arrests emotional collapse
A restoration that occurs without pursuit, investigation, or instruction

Notably, Baba:

Asked no questions
Demanded no rituals
Accepted no offerings

The intervention was complete at the moment of utterance.

Antarārtha – The Hidden Wisdom

a) The Guru halts emotional collapse first

Baba’s sharp words were not cruelty; they were decisive intervention. Unchecked grief paralyses faith. Baba first stilled the mind, for only a quiet mind can receive grace.

b) Omniscience without exhibition

The statement about hearing even the footsteps of ants is not a display of power. It is a declaration of all-pervading awareness, not personal agency.

c) Faith completes the circuit

The woman’s crying stopped the moment Baba spoke. That inner stillness allowed grace to operate without obstruction.

A Parallel Leelā: The Kidnapped Child

In another incident, a couple arrived at Ganeshpuri in utter desperation. Their young son had been kidnapped from his school. The police had been informed, searches were underway, but there was no trace of the child.

The mother collapsed before Baba, pleading for her son’s safety.

Baba listened quietly and said simply:

“Oh, your son? Just go beyond the Ashram. You will find him safe.”

The couple rushed behind the Ashram. To their astonishment, they found their son fast asleep on a gunny bag—healthy and unharmed. The mother gathered him into her arms, overwhelmed with relief.

When asked what had happened, the child explained:

“As I was leaving school, four men pulled me into their car. They drove fast, taking me outside Bombay, up to Thane.I was crying loudly and calling out to Baba. When we reached Bhiwandi, suddenly two of the men became frightened. They insisted we should not take me further and decided to drop me at Ganeshpuri.”

Devotees present added:

“We found the child crying on the road and brought him to Baba. Baba told us to feed him and put him to sleep.”

This Leela is striking because:

Baba did not go searching
Baba did not alert authorities
Baba did not question the child

Everything was already resolved before the parents arrived.

a) Protection precedes prayer

The child was already under Baba’s care even before the parents reached Ganeshpuri.

b) Remembrance dissolves fear

The turning point came when the child called out to Baba. That remembrance itself became protection.

c) Instruments act unknowingly

The kidnappers’ sudden fear was not moral awakening—it was interruption of will. They became instruments of the same force that brought the child safely home.

Alignment with Bhagavan’s Nature

Both incidents reflect Bhagavan’s Kurma Drishti—
like a tortoise that watches over its young from afar, the Guru safeguards without physical presence, intervenes without announcement.

This directly echoes the understanding of what is often emphasised:
Bhagavan protects without hovering, acts without display.

What These Two Leelās Together Teach

Distance does not dilute grace
Panic does not hasten results
The Guru hears even the unspoken cry
Baba restores not only the lost child, but also the devotee’s shattered trust in life

In both cases: