Learning from Leela 7

Abhang 20 by Tulas Amma, pg 75

The Guru Who Completes Through Grace

O Guru, form of living wisdom,
You complete all things through grace alone.
Pure in essence, spotless in being—
You alone are our true Father.

Servant of the Divine, O Guru,
You remove the weight of suffering,
And gently awaken hope
In this weary world.

By Avadhoota’s grace,
You dissolve the triple afflictions,
And burn away the fever of ignorance
That scorches the heart.

You end the pain of countless births,
You quiet hunger and restless thirst,
Revealing deep and lasting peace
Within the indwelling Self.

You destroy manifold fears,
Dwelling silently within,
Leading devotees into
The land of fearlessness.

You conquer the six inner enemies,
You erase craving and anxious thoughts,
And take residence
In the cave of the heart.

O King of Yogis,
You lead us into Chidākāśa,
Where consciousness tastes its own bliss
Through direct experience.

Says Nirmala Anandi is absorbed in stainless joy,
Meditating on Nityānanda,
Coloured forever in divine love,
The soul has dissolved into Him.

Leelā 7: Baba’s Warning — Grace That Foresees and Protects

A devotee, along with his wife and their month-old baby daughter, visited Baba at Vaikunth Ashram. On the day they were to return to Mumbai, the mother placed the infant at Baba’s feet and prayed for her child’s well-being and long life.

At that moment, Baba opened His eyes. Looking intently at the baby, He muttered softly yet distinctly,
“Be careful! Be careful.”

Baba then rose, plucked a banana from a bunch kept in the corner, and handed it to the mother, asking her to feed it to the baby.

The mother had complete faith in Baba, yet she was troubled. How could a month-old infant be fed a banana? She therefore made a compromise—she crushed a small portion of the banana into a paste and fed that to the baby, eating the rest herself.

The next day, the mother—who suffered from asthma—experienced a severe asthmatic attack. At the same time, the baby developed a high fever. The father called their family doctor, who prescribed medicines for both mother and child.

In those days, medicines were often prepared by doctors themselves, mixed into liquid form and commonly referred to as “mixtures.” These were sometimes dispensed without labels.

By mistake, the medicines meant for the mother and the baby got mixed up. The asthma medicine prescribed for the mother was administered to the baby instead of the fever medicine.

Believing that the child had fallen asleep, the exhausted mother lay down beside her. Later in the evening, when the father checked on the baby, he found that she was cold and unresponsive.

The parents rushed the baby to the doctor immediately. After examining her, the doctor realised that the baby had been given the wrong medicine. He identified that the asthma mixture meant for the mother had been administered to the infant. An antidote was administered at once.

After some time, the baby emerged from the coma and survived.

Deeply shaken, the doctor said,
“Only by the grace of God has your child survived. By the time you brought her here, the medicine had already taken effect. Given your history of severe asthma, I usually prescribe a double dose. But something prevented me from doing so, and I gave you a mild dose instead. Had I given the full dose, it would certainly have been fatal for the child.”

Tears filled the mother’s eyes as she recalled Baba’s words when she had placed the baby at His feet—
“Be careful! Be careful.”

She then realised that Baba had forewarned her of the impending danger at the very moment she had prayed for her child’s well-being and long life. The banana Baba had given—shared between mother and child—had acted as protection and had fulfilled her prayer.

The Learning

This Leelā unfolds entirely within ordinary domestic life:

  • A young family

  • A common medical error

  • A tired, anxious mother

  • A conscientious doctor

There is no dramatic intervention, no visible miracle—yet everything turns precisely at the right moment.

1. Antarārtha – the Hidden Wisdom

a) The Guru answers prayer in advance

The mother prayed for her child’s long life. Baba did not say, “May she live long.”
Instead, He prepared protection.

True grace does not react—it anticipates.

b) Warning is also a blessing

Baba’s words were not reassurance, but alertness:

“Be careful! Be careful.”

The Guru does not always calm the mind. Sometimes, He sharpens awareness.

c) The banana as a subtle shield

The banana was not symbolic—it was practical grace.

  • Shared between mother and child

  • Taken before the crisis

  • Acting as a buffer when poison entered the system

This reflects a recurring pattern in Baba’s Leelās:

Grace is often embedded in the simplest act.

d) Grace works through many hands

Protection unfolded through:

  • Baba’s warning

  • The mother’s faith

  • The doctor’s inexplicable restraint

  • The timely antidote

No single act saved the child—alignment did.

2. Alignment with Bhagavan’s teachings

This Leelā exemplifies Bhagavan’s core teaching:

  • Ananyāśaraṇatā – reliance on the Guru without panic

  • Nirmal Maan – acceptance without blaming oneself or others

  • Sahaja Grace – intervention without display

It also reflects what you have often emphasised:
the Guru’s Kurma Drishti—watchful, quiet, constant.

3. Relevance for householders

This Leelā speaks powerfully to parents and caregivers:

  • Danger does not announce itself

  • Mistakes can occur even with good intentions

  • Protection does not mean absence of crisis—it means survival through it

The Guru safeguards not by preventing every error, but by neutralising its impact.

4. What this Leelā finally teaches

  • The Guru hears prayers before they are spoken

  • Warning is a form of compassion

  • Grace often operates invisibly

  • Life is preserved through preparation, not spectacle

The child lived not because nothing went wrong—but because something higher was already in place.

Thus,

Bhagavan Nityananda did not intervene at the hospital.
He intervened earlier, quietly, decisively.

That is the mark of a Sadguru.

गुरु कृपेचा पूर्णत्व

गुरु ज्ञानरूपा । पूर्ण करी कृपा ।
शुद्ध स्वरूपा । तूचि बापा ॥१॥

गुरु देवदासा । दूर करी त्रासा ।
नुरवीचि आशा । संसाराची ॥२॥

अवधूत कृपा । हरी त्रिविध ताप ।
अज्ञान हृत्ताप । करी नाश ॥३॥

गर्भवास दुःख । वारी तृषा भूक ।
बहु शांत सुख । अंतर्यामी ॥४॥

बहुभय नाशी । अंतर निवासी ।
अभयाची देशी । भक्तलोका ॥५॥

षड्वैर्यासी मारी । तृष्णा चिंता हरी ।
हृदयगव्हरी । वसोनि ॥६॥

योगीराज आम्हा । नेई चिदाकाशा ।
भोगवी चित्सुखा । स्वानुभवे ॥७॥

निर्मल आनंदी । नित्यानंद ध्यानी ।
नित्य प्रेमे रंगुनी । लीन झाली ॥८॥