Bhikshu Rekha On The Face

Divine Life Society Publication: Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda by Swami Venkatesananda

 ‘OM Namo Narayanaya’, Siva was at the office entrance. A few of us were just then coming out of the office on our way to the Kshetra for Bhiksha.

Though we did not mention the fact, Siva somehow knew it.

‘What about the Bhiksha programme?’

‘We are just now going, Swamiji.’

‘No, no: you need not go. Your health will suffer: and consequently, the work will suffer. I see the Bhikshu-Rekha on your forehead. You need not worry now. Training or no training, you will always be prepared and capable of begging your Bhiksha.’

‘As you wish, Swamiji,’ we said and the idea dropped out of our head.

Incidentally, Siva told us a very interest anecdote of his own life.

‘When I was coming away from Malaya, bound for Banaras, someone met me on the ship and suddenly exclaimed: ‘You have got the Bhikshu Rekha on your forehead.’ Even then he could find out that I would soon beg for alms and wander about. Soon afterwards, I reached Banaras and found that the man was right in his prediction.’

Sri Swami Chidanandaji had also joined us, then.

‘Money or no money, you must take care of your body. If you are not looking after this instrument of the Lord, then you are not worshipping Durga properly. The best worship of Durga is to maintain this body in a proper condition, to enable it to work out His Will in the best manner possible.’

‘When I was at the Swarg Ashram, I never touched oil. Now, I must keep several kinds of oil. All the cells are vibrating so fast that there is intense heat in the body. When I was at the Swarg Ashram I slept on the floor. But, now I have got a nice bed: for that is essential for the work that has to be turned out. I do rough the body sometimes: and for the same of keeping up the Titiksha, I rub the body against the walls. But often I do not have time even for that. There is work to do. Service has a great and more pressing demand on our attention. All that your body needs you must give. You have practised enough Titiksha. If you go on in the same fashion, your body will break-down: you will become useless. You must take nutritious food. You are all gigantic brain-workers. You must have barrels of fruit-juices. Now, I have got twenty bottles of various medicine: some for my diabetes, some for my stomach, etc. etc. I have got different things for cleaning the teeth—tooth-paste, tooth powder, mouth gargle, etc.’

‘Nowadays we are not making any arrangement for people who would like to spend their days in exclusive meditation. Krishnanandaji, Achyutanandaji, and others like them should be at once provided with Kutirs where they can carry on their meditation in seclusion. Premanandaji should also be given a room somewhere up the hill. He is greatly overworked. He needs immediate relief and rest. Food, milk, fruits, biscuits, coffee and tea—everything that they need should automatically reach their Kutirs without their asking. We know their requirements and these should be provided.’

‘Money will come: money must come: very soon there will be crores and crores. You won’t be able even to count the money. Big Seths and Zamindars will pick up the currency notes thrown away by you. Believe me: such a time must come. You can best help that if you all work hard. Every day our work is increasing. Every day more and more people are contacted by us. The message is spreading.’

‘Previously, I myself used to keep accounts. All the first account-books are in my handwriting only. In those days, I myself used to prepare the packets of leaflets and pamphlets for dispatch. Every day we used to work far into the night, tying the packets. Now there are half a dozen people for this work. Those days if someone gave us Rs. 25 we used to sit up the whole night and prepare a pamphlet for printing. Three petromax lights were burning in the Ashram when there was hardly enough food for all the inmates, when several inmates had to take Bhiksha from the Kshetras. Paramanandaji, Narayanaswamiji, Nijabodhaswamiji, Saswatswamiji—all of us used to work the whole night: and early next morning we would post all the packets.’

‘Those days we had no accommodation either. The Dharmashala verandah was our Satsang Bhavan. One or two dilapidated Kutirs were all that we could live in. Slowly, we began to occupy the other disused rooms. It was all East India Co. business. We just got into the Kutirs and they were ours. We had then an income of about Rs. 50 a month. We had a debt of Rs. 17. When the income grew to hundreds, the debt also grew to hundreds. When the income grew to thousands, the debt-position also proportionately grew to thousands. We should not be discouraged. He is only training us. Later on, He will shower so much money on us that we will not be able to count it.’

Excerpts from: Bhikshu Rekha On The Face - Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda by Swami Venkatesananda