Letters from India - Part 2

46. Daily Schedule, Bland Diet - June & July 1992

Venkamma Prowling About

June 28, 1992

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Swami came here on Saturday afternoon 6 June and left on Monday morning 8 June! Yes, He came for a mere two days. He checked construction and left.

Now monsoons have come but not much rain, only overcast skies and much wind. There in Whitefield the ashram is a muddy wet mass, they say!

I am fine. I caught a common cold last week, my first illness since Typhoid! But it was cured quickly with Ayur Vedic medicine.

Amma (Venkamma) is fine; she is feeling better & prowling about like a lion lately. She has shakti but so often it is covered in maya! She is also a slave-driver like Swami is. Be well and at peace.

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya

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Daily Schedule

July 11, 1992

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Divya conveys her namaskars. Swami suddenly arrived here on 2 July – and stayed! Now Swami is here and things are very busy again. Many, many people are coming for Guru Purnima - I think it’s the 2nd biggest festival here next to Birthday.

On 1st July I was coming out from Omkar and going towards Ganesha for Nagarsankirtin when I suddenly remembered it was Dad’s Birthday! So I prayed to Ganesha to bless him. In case you wonder here is my daily schedule!

3 – 5 AM Sadhana, bath

5 – 6 AM Work

6 – 7 AM Darshan

7 – 8:30 AM Work, breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 AM Bhajan

9:30 – 12:30 AM Work

12:30 – 2:30 PM Rest

2:30 – 3:30 PM Bath, flower work, lunch

3:30 – 4:30 PM Darshan

4:30 – 5:15 PM Flowers

5:15 – 6 PM Bhajan

6 – 9:30 PM Work

9:30 – 10:30 PM Rest and small jobs

10:30 PM – 3 AM rest (usually interrupted for 1-2 hours giving Amma coffee, medicines, etc.)

Also the afternoon rest time is usually interrupted by people wanting to see Venkamma; I have to jump up and beg them to come later, when she’s not asleep. It’s a tiring life but Swami gives the strength. If one has inner peace and experience of God, then one can do everything. Dad,I think you have experience of this.

Guru Purnima 4 PM (in Poornachandra hall before function): Well here I am sitting in a full hall surrounded on all sides by sweaty, eager sardine-packed devotees! This morning there was music by the students and afterwards laddu prasad was distributed to all. Swami gave a really nice Darshan. He stared long at me and seemed to give nice looks to every single one assembled. He walked around several times. It was one of the nicest festival-Darshans I remember.

The canteen is already painted and they’re putting in windows now. However the inside looks empty so far. Now all food is served in the sheds behind the Round Buildings – two are especially set apart. They serve off old wooden tables and people sit on the floor to eat.

Right now there is a constant rumbling sound of devotees talking and volunteers shouting, trying to organize them. Swami will come in about 15 minutes to give discourse.

Amma is fine, some usual aches & pains and digestion problems, but mostly the same as she was before illness: taking control in her own way; testing me regularly. Be well all!

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya

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Bland Diet

July 20-21 1992

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Divya conveys her namaskars. People say that the whole area of Whitefield is a big construction site, some huge hall is being built from the tree all the way up to the gate (leading to Swami’s house).

I am back on a bland diet because I still can't digest food (since Typhoid)! This body refuses to digest any flavors, even innocent non-spicy ones like mustard seed and curry leaves. Even a sprinkling of oil or butter is out of the question. So I am on a satwic diet of watery milk, curd-rice, pulped veggies and fruits. Nuts and cheese are not digesting. Things that don’t digest sit like lumps of rock in the stomach for at least 12 hours and make concentration on God less than one-pointed. So I am being careful. Also to eat any food at all after 5 PM will not digest (even though I only go to bed at 10:30 PM!). So I have lunch-dinner combination at 4 PM or so. Though I am dragged from deep sleep every night, this body still gets tired if it has less than 6 hours of sleep. (That’s in a 24-hour day, since to have more than four hours of sleep at night is impossible in my situation). Every one or two hours I am awakened by Amma’s painful burps, and on goes the lights and I make her hot milk, give medicines and massage her aching muscles.

23 July: Well, Swami is giving usual Darshan & interviews and coming to bhajan. He’s still throwing candies - a few days ago I caught one – right from His hand to mine! Yesterday I had front row and namaskar. At first, though, He was standing in front of me and His feet were piled with hands from those around me! But He waited long enough until they removed their hands and I could have. Since He came three weeks ago I’ve had several front lines but this was the first time He stopped near & long, so I was happy.

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya