Letters from India - Part 2

60. The Aftermath Continues - July 1993

A Lot of Security

July 3, 1993

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Divya conveys her namaskars. Everything is going on fine in this Military Fort. Hope you are all well there!

Here there continues to be a lot of security, and many new rules are being enforced - some of them seem very absurd. We can't walk in certain places, we can't sit or stand at certain times, we can't sit on or near the low walls around the compound, and of course the entire area around the Poornachandra (and the whole ashram) is guarded by police, plainclothes policemen and CBI investigators.

Swami has not moved back into the Mandir, although He continues to give interviews to devotees in the interview room in the mornings. There are rumors that He will settle permanently in the Poornachandra hall, and that construction will be done to build an upstairs bedroom for Him and a kitchen downstairs. Only time can tell.

Still the Telugu papers have daily front page articles on whatever they can think up to write. One day a letter supposedly sent by the escaped man Ravi, was published. Two days later a secret interview with the two escaped men Ravi and Prabhu, was published. It mostly had them revealing secrets like the dishonesty in Swami’s Central Trust. But they claimed they didn’t know why people broke into Swami’s Mandir that night! Prabhu was, after all, the mastermind of it, and it was in his vocational training shed in the ashram, where bombs, land mines and cyanide were found. Was the interview true? Who can say, in a country like India where everything is upside-down! Truth or lies, work done or undone, everything seems to be based on a flexible system of “adjust,” where anything goes!

Now that Swami is in the Poornachandra, our room is in direct line with His downstairs bedroom! It seems far away, but no other rooms are in the way and I can see into the window when the shutters aren’t closed. The windows are too high to see Him, just to see if the light is on or off. During the night there is a soft glow of a nightlight, usually. Sometimes the tube light is on all night long!

The entire area in front of the Poornachandra and Sarva Dharma Stupa is patrolled by police and completely off-limits to anyone. So everyone walks on our South Prasanthi walkway! From 3 AM till 10 PM we hear the “shuffle-shuffle” of feet, and loud talking, past our door.

Now it is Guru Purnima day and thousands of people have come. But it seems to me that the crowd is less than in previous years. People have to fit in a much smaller area, because of the off-limits zone in front of the Poornachandra. People used to sleep, cook and dry clothes in this area, during festivals.

As for the Lord, he is happier and more unattached than ever. A few days ago He threw candies but no candy fell near me (it seemed!). I remember how I have received no sweets for almost a year, even though He throws them almost every day! Then when I got up, I picked up the big Telugu book on my lap and there was a sweet underneath! Only Swami could say how it appeared there!

This morning there were songs and bhajans on the verandah by the students, while Swami wandered around, giving Darshan. He came twice to our section (I was faaar back) and looked with utter compassion and love at us – the Shining, Graceful Glance of the Lord!

Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu.

Love,

Divya

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Escapees Caught

July 9, 1993

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Recent news, reported in today’s paper, is that they have caught the two escaped people who were involved in the planning of the ‘event,’ named Ravi and Prabhu. In the next few days we’ll learn what they have to say about it!