Show Your True Colors

By Paramahamsa Hariharananda

The cat and the birds

This is a story derived from the Panchatantra. A cat was sitting under a tree with his eyes shut. In the tree there were birds and their young ones and they asked the cat what it was doing because they had seen it there, still, under the tree for quite some time. The cat replied in flawless Sanskrit, "aham atra Gangaatire nitya snaayi niramishaasi brahmacharyena chaandrayana vrata palayami" "Everyday I take bath in the Ganga; I do not take meat, eggs or fish. I maintain brahmacharya, chanting the name of God under this tree and observing Chandrayana Vrata, a special vow of austerity." The birds were very happy to hear this and asked the cat to look after their many eggs and young who could not yet fly. The cat agreed and settled himself down to his purpose.

The birds all flew away to gather food for the young ones, knowing that they would be safe in the care of such a spiritual creature. As soon as they left, the cat climbed up the tree and ate all the chicks and eggs. After that, he came down and sat under the tree, joyfully, because he had not had such a nice lunch for a long time.

In the evening the birds returned with plenty of food for their offspring and found the cat was still sitting perfectly still under the tree. The birds were horrified when they searched in the tree for their young - they were nowhere to be seen. They demanded of the cat to tell them where they had gone. The cat yawned, feeling a little sleepy after his meal and said, "I have been meditating very deeply and by the power of my meditation, they all flew away to another tree. I do not know where they went. I am only chanting the name of God."

And all the birds mourned their loss and cried bitterly over their foolishness.

The painted jackal

This story is also derived from the Panchatantra.

A jackal was passing near a town when some local dogs saw him and gave chase. The jackal ran and ran and eventually came to the yard of a clothing shop where large vats of different dyes stood in neat rows. The jackal leaped onto the wall behind them but, in his hurry, slipped and fell into a vat of blue dye. When he dragged himself out, he was completely blue, and the dogs ran away in fear of him.

The jackal returned to the jungle and there the animals wondered who or what he was. He declared (remembering the fear of the dogs) that he was the king of the jungle. He commanded that when an animal found flesh, they should bring it to him and then he would divide it amongst them all. The animals bowed reverently in front of this awesome-looking beast, and let him rule over them.

But, over time, the others jackals felt that this "king" was a jackal just like the rest of them. So, one full moon night, they started howling near him, "ka-wa, ka-wa!", and sure enough, the blue jackal did the same. So the other animals realized he was only a jackal, and they killed him.

These two stories point to the same moral: beware insincere spirituality.


Baba and the mysterious doctors

Now, a true story that happened four or five years into my period of seclusion and silence in the Puri Karar Ashram, when I was almost getting the stage of samadhi. A gentleman and his wife came to Puri and rented a house. They were both young doctors; he was aged between 33 and 35 and his wife around 30. They started asking who, in Puri town, was meditating very deeply.

Some people replied that Hariharananda had been observing silence, in strict seclusion, in his room for many years. So the doctor came to the ashram. It was only a twelve-minute walk from their house, and asked the monk-in-charge, Swami Sevananda, to see Hariharananda. Sevanandaji asked him what kind of meditator he was and the doctor replied that he had attained samadhi stage. Sevanandaji allowed him to come to my door.

There the doctor said, "I have attained samadhi stage, what is your meditation?"

I opened the door, let him in and told him that although I had been practicing I had not attained the samadhi stage. Then this young doctor started talking obscene, slang words and asked why I kept a beautiful lady in my room. (He was referring to the statue of Saraswati that I had made and was worshipping daily). I thought he was a madman and wondered how to remove him. Then he sat down and entered into nirvikalpa samadhi, the pulseless stage. I felt it. He had no heart beat, no breath.

When he regained consciousness he took in his right hand some kheer (an Indian sweet made of milk, nuts, spices and sugar) that I had made for the deity in my room. He took some in his right hand, stood in front of the statue, and begging like a simple child "Mother Saraswati, please eat it, eat it, make it prasad (consecrated food) then I will eat it." I saw a very light wisp of smoke coming from Saraswati's eyes and mouth, which fell on the food in his hands. She had accepted his offering. Then the doctor left after giving me his address.

Later I asked Sevanandaji to take me to his apartment in Puri by rickshaw, covered by a cloth, so that no-one would see me. I entered into his apartment and I asked him how to get the samadhi stage. He replied that even though I was doing this meditation, my defect was that I was not very deeply in the fontanel. "When, he continued, "you are very deeply there and seeing constant illumination, you will get realization."

I attained the samadhi stage in 1948. In 1953 or 1954, the ashramites decided to take me out of my room because I was constantly engrossed in meditation and extremely emaciated and they were afraid I was going to die. They took me outside and gave me some good cheese, cashew nuts, other provisions and some sunshine.


Baba's narrow escape

Around that time, a gentleman came to the ashram and said that he knew where the two doctors were, and offered to take me to them. Their place was in Orissa, in a small village, a five minute bus ride from Khurda Road train station. I went with him but when I entered the house, I did not see the doctor or his wife. Instead three young ladies were there aged between 30 and 20. They had no cloth on their breasts and they were cooking flesh. The gentleman said, "They will prepare your food and meditate with you all night."

I was extremely astonished and my face became pale. Then the youngest woman came over to me and said, "You are to enjoy sexually with me. You will do it?"

I said, "No, never. I have never enjoyed sexually in my life."

"I will help you, she responded, "to escape from this place. Pretend to go to the bathroom wearing only a short cloth around your waist, get out through the window and run."

So I did that and ran and ran, until I could not run any longer. It was night and I hid in a tree. They looked for me everywhere, but could not find me, although I could see them from my hiding place.

The following morning I ran and came to a corner shop where we had stopped the previous day. "Do you remember me from yesterday? The man I was with took me to see three women. I have no money. Please give me food and some money for the bus. I will send you double the money."

They gave me parathas (fried bread) and potato curry, and some money. I got on the bus to Khurda Road, and I went to a disciple's house there and he fed me. Later I took the train to Puri and the next day I sent some money to the kind shop owner.

You see, that gentleman had pretended to take me to the doctor, but instead took me to those women. He was a fraud.

Years later, the shopkeeper came to Karar Ashram and was astounded to see I was in charge of the ashram there, but I never saw the doctor or his wife again.