From Leela to Learning 5

Tulas amma Abhang 27 pg 145

The Avatar of Silence

Why has Vithu-Mauli taken this vow of silence?
Without Your voice, the world feels hollow and vacant.

Tears flow unceasingly from every devotee’s eyes—
Has compassion, O Knower of hearts, truly withdrawn?

Speak now, O Lord of the universe,
For confusion churns within the devotees’ hearts.

This silence is no samādhi for us—
Speak, speak now, with mindful care.

You took form, You descended as Avatar,
Only to reveal the formless truth through words.

Māyā knows no mercy of its own;
Only You can question and dissolve it.

Fear has entered every heart—
Show grace, O Murāri, to the helpless.

So many hardships were borne for You, time and again,
Yet even now, O Nityananda, You remain silent.

 

Leelā 6: Prasād and the Tiger Cub — Grace, Play, and Precision

1. Refined narration (faithful, uncluttered)

It was Ganesh Chaturthi. Late at night, devotees had gathered around Baba. The atmosphere was relaxed, and Baba was in a talkative mood, sharing various experiences. Devotees participated freely in the discussion.

When someone mentioned that it was Ganesh Chaturthi, Baba naturally shifted the topic to Lord Ganapati. A devotee asked Baba which flowers were appropriate for the worship of different deities.

Baba replied:

  • “Offer Sonchafa to Devi,

  • Tulsi to Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna,

  • Durva grass to Lord Ganapati.”

He then added,
“Lord Ganesh is the chief of all sects. He is the God of all. He is the embodiment of all virtues. He has a big stomach because He absorbs the sins of devotees and redeems them.”

Hearing this, one devotee remarked playfully,
“Baba, you are our Ganesh too—you also have a big stomach! Today is Ganesh Chaturthi, and Lord Ganesh gives sweets to devotees. What will you give us?”

Baba laughed and asked him to look for a box beneath the wooden bench nearby. In the dim light, the devotee searched and found a large tin. When it was opened, everyone was astonished to see that it contained all kinds of sweets dear to Lord Ganesh—laddoos, modaks, panchakadai, gud-pohe, pedas, and more.

No one could understand how these sweets had appeared there, especially at such a late hour.

Baba asked the devotees to distribute the prasād immediately and eat it there, in His presence.

Among the devotees was an advocate. As it was already very late, he decided not to eat the sweet at that time and instead keep it for the next morning. He carefully wrapped his share of prasād in an old newspaper.

After the gathering dispersed, he returned to his room. He placed the prasād on a small bench, turned off the light, and sat in Siddhāsana, praying to Baba for His grace.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed two bright lights glowing on the bench where he had kept the prasād. Startled, he switched on the light—and to his utter shock, he saw a tiger cub sitting on the bench.

Terrified, he cried out loudly. Other devotees rushed in. When he pointed to the bench, the cub had vanished.

The next morning, when Baba was informed of the incident, He laughed and said,
“You did not eat your share of prasād, so Lord Ganesh sent a baby tiger to eat it.”

This Leelā takes place:

  • In an informal, intimate gathering

  • Late at night, when vigilance is low

  • In an atmosphere of humour and ease

The miracle is not introduced with solemnity—it erupts naturally out of play. This is crucial. Bhagavan’s grace often manifests when the mind is least guarded.

3. Antarārtha – Hidden Wisdom

a) Prasād is not food—it is a command

The advocate’s mistake was not postponement, but selective obedience. Baba’s instruction was explicit:

“Eat it now, here, in My presence.”

By choosing convenience over obedience, the devotee introduced his will into an act that demanded complete surrender.

b) Grace becomes fierce when resisted

The tiger cub is not a threat—it is a symbolic correction.

In Indic symbolism:

  • The tiger represents raw, untamed power

  • A cub indicates controlled force, not destruction

Baba did not punish. He demonstrated consequence—swiftly, vividly, and memorably.

c) Humour does not dilute authority

Baba’s laughter the next morning is important. There is:

  • No anger

  • No rebuke

  • No moral lecture

The teaching is delivered entirely through experience.

4. Alignment with Bhagavan’s teachings

This Leelā directly illustrates Bhagavan’s insistence on:

  • Ananyāśaraṇatā – no second thoughts once the Guru has spoken

  • Nirmal Maan – no “I know better”

  • Sahaja obedience – not mechanical, but wholehearted

It also echoes the deeper Vedantic truth:

Grace flows only when the ego does not interfere with timing, method, or form.

5. Why Ganesh symbolism matters here

This Leelā is not incidental to Ganesh Chaturthi.

  • Ganesh is the Lord of thresholds. He is between the Sunya and Mahasunya. When the Sadhak stabilises in the space of I and You, the Sunya State, he tends to remain stagnant in that space. To go across this space to Mahasunya, where neither I nor You exists, He is guided by Guru Ganesha at this threshold. This transition is most difficult and only by Guru’s Grace it becomes possible. 

  • Prasād marks completion of worship

  • To postpone prasād is to delay acceptance

The tiger cub, appearing precisely at that threshold—between prayer and sleep—signals interrupted surrender.

6. For today’s seeker

  • Partial obedience is a subtle ego

  • Spiritual discipline fails not due to rejection, but adjustment

  • The Guru’s instruction is not advisory—it is exact

Modern seekers often interpret flexibility as maturity. This Leelā reminds us:

With a Sadguru, precision is compassion.

7. What this Leelā finally teaches

  • Grace can smile—or grow claws

  • Playfulness and power are not opposites

  • The Guru tolerates ignorance, not negotiation

The advocate was not harmed—but he was taught.

Thus,

Bhagavan Nityananda revealed here that:

  • Prasād must be received, not stored

  • Instructions must be lived, not modified

  • Grace does not wait for convenience

This Leelā is unforgettable precisely because it is joyful, terrifying, and compassionate—all at once.

मौनावतार

28 Pad

विठू माऊलीने का धरिले मौन ।
वाचेविण शून्य दिसे स्थान ॥१॥

अश्रू वाहताती सकळ भक्तजन ।
न उपजे की दया जाणदाना ॥२॥

बोल सुच गोष्टी आता जगजेठी ।
गोंधळ झाला असे भक्तपोटी ॥३॥

घेतलिया मौन नाही समाधा ।
बोल बोल आता सावधान ॥४॥

घेउनि आकार आला तू अवतार ।
सांगावया विचार निराकार ॥५॥

मायेसी न येत दया बळावरी ।
कोणी विचारी तैशापरी ॥६॥

झालीसे घाबरी सर्वांच्या अंतरी ।
कृपा करी मुरारी दीनावरी ॥७॥

तुझ्यासाठी होती वेळोवेळी कष्टे ।
बोलावया नाही नित्यानंदी ॥८॥

अंतरार्थ (Antarārtha)

This abhang is the cry of a devotee confronted with divine silence. It is not rebellion, nor doubt, but the aching intimacy that arises when the Guru, who once spoke, now withdraws into Mauna.

“Why has Vithu-Mauli embraced silence?”
This is the devotee’s first shock. When the Guru’s voice disappears, the world itself feels empty. The outer silence mirrors an inner void, and devotion momentarily loses its familiar anchor.

Tears of the devotees reflect helpless love. The question is not whether the Lord is compassionate, but whether compassion can still be felt when words are absent. Silence tests bhakti more severely than speech.

When the devotee says, “This silence is not samādhi for us”, it reveals a deep truth:
Silence that is not understood feels like abandonment. The heart longs not for philosophy, but for reassurance.

Yet the poem turns subtly inward.
“You took form to express the formless.”
The Avatar does not come merely to remain silent, but to lead the seeker from dependence on words to direct perception.

Māyā thrives where guidance seems withdrawn. Fear spreads when the mind loses its reference point. Hence the plea: “Show grace to the helpless.”

The final line is the most intimate of all. It is not an accusation—it is remembrance.
“We have endured everything for You.”
The devotee is saying: Even now, we remain Yours.

Thus, the Antarārtha reveals that Mauna is not absence.
It is the Guru’s final teaching—forcing the devotee to listen within.

When words fall silent,
Grace begins to speak from the heart.

Note:

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