Cherished Memoirs 14 – The Ghosts of the World

This series chronicles interesting experiences recounted by the devotees of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji as well as certain divine experiences of Sri Swamiji himself. These articles are  translations from the series, “Madhuramaana Mahaneeyar” by Dr. A Bhagyanathan, personal secretary to Sri Swamiji, that is published every month in Madhuramurali Tamil monthly magazine.

The Ghosts of the World

One day, we were all chanting Nama (the Divine Name) at Bhagavata Bhavanam (the main prayer hall at Sri Swamiji’s Madhurapuri Ashram).  Sri Swamiji came and sat there. We all sat down around “Namam ketkum Perumal” (the Perumal who stands in the center of the hall listening to the devotees who constantly chant Nama in the hall). Sri Swamiji also began chanting Nama along with us.

Sri Swamiji_chinmudraSuddenly, Sri Swamiji’s facial expression changed.

We all continued to watch Sri Swamiji’s face. Sri Swamiji then asked, “Why are all of you staring at me?” We remained silent.

“I look afraid and worried. Wondering what could be the reason for that, you are worried. Isn’t that right?” he said. We all nodded our heads.

“Many ghosts have come and are sitting around me. They are all scaring me in different ways. What shall I do?” said Sri Swamiji, with eyes filled with tears.

We asked, “Have ghosts come here right now, in this place?” Sri Swamiji said, “Yes.”

We asked, “Are you seeing them right now?”

“Yes, I am seeing them,” he replied.

Immediately, one devotee said, “Sri Premika Varadhan truly lives here. This place constantly reverberates with the sacred sound of the Vedas and of Nama. How can ghosts be here?”

Sri Swamiji said, “It is here that those ghosts will come.”

We did not understand anything. “Perhaps a dead person has come here as a ghost in order to attain salvation?” we ventured.

Sri Swamiji said, “No. These ghosts come often in front of me and scare me.” We still did not understand anything.

Sri Swamiji pointed one by one to many spots around him and said, “The name of the ghost that is sitting here is Jara (old age). This ghost is scaring me by saying, ‘Old age will descend upon you quickly. See Bhagavan before then.’

“There is another ghost here. That one is called Vyaadhi (disease). That one too is scaring me. Another ghost is called Dhukkam (sorrow). Similarly the ghosts called Death, Accident, Hunger, Thirst, Sleep – all continue to frighten me.”

“We have to somehow attain Mukti in this birth. If we don’t attain Liberation in this birth, we don’t know if we will get a human birth next time. Also, we don’t know after how many years we will be reborn, or what the situation of the world will be at that time,” saying this he walked out of the hall.

Ever since we listened to these words of his, those ghosts frighten us also now and then!

From May 2014 issue of Madhuramurali
Translated by Viji Ramakrishnan, Dallas TX
 

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