The Best Guide

By Br. Ramkumar

Farsightedness and equal vision are two noble qualities that manifest in a Master. Vedanta calls them deergha drishti and sama drishti respectively. Deergha drishti is not superb eyesight or long range vision. According to the scriptures, the farsighted person is one who has transcended the three times, viz. past, present and future, and thus knows the outcome of all things. Equal vision arises when one has transcended identification with all names and forms. Such a person sees only the Self in all things and beings, in the same way that a goldsmith sees only gold in all golden ornaments.

Once there lived a sannyasi[monk] in a forest. He spent all his time in meditation. One day, a traveler passing through the forest saw this sannyasi meditating. The traveler thought, "The sannyasi must be hungry." He waited for the sannyasi to open his eyes. When the monk opened his eyes, the traveler prostrated and worshipfully offered him his food packet. The sannyasi ate the food gratefully, for he was hungry. As an expression of gratitude, the sannyasi offered the traveler a boon. The traveler said, "Please grant me the boon of fulfilling all my desires."

The sannyasi, who was far sighted, was aware of the danger that would befall the traveler if he got the boon. "That boon will harm you. Ask for something else."

But the traveler insisted. "I do not want any other boon."

The sannyasi did not want to go back on his word. He relented and bestowed upon the traveler the boon he sought.

When the traveler reached home, he thought, "It is so hot! How nice it would be if I got a cup of ice cream." Lo and behold! There appeared a cup of ice cream before him. After relishing the ice cream, the man began thinking about pizza. No sooner did the thought arise in his mind, he got the pizza. Having satiated his hunger, he thought, "If only this room were air-conditioned..." His wish came true. "All I need now is the company of a heavenly beauty." Much to his amazement, a woman of breathtaking beauty materialized before him! He couldn't help thinking, "May I become the object of her single minded devotion." The next moment, the traveler was transformed into a diamond necklace around the lady's neck!

We are really no different from the traveler. As long as we are under the sway of our minds, no boon can really be of lasting benefit to us. What seems good today may not seem so tomorrow. Most of us do not know what is best for us.

But a mahatma [great soul] knows clearly what is best for us. An incident that illustrates Amma's farsightedness comes to mind.

It happened seven years ago. I was sitting next to Amma during a Devi Bhava darshan, when a businessman from Mumbai came for darshan. He complained to Amma about how his business was failing, and requested Amma to make a sankalpa [divine resolve] to make his business flourish. Instead of consoling him, Amma asked about his wife and children. I thought Amma did not understand what he had just said, and so, translated his words into Malayalam for Amma. Amma heard me out patiently, then said, "What he is going through now is for his own good."

When I translated Amma's reply to the businessman, he became desperate. He began pleading with Amma. "No, Amma! Don't say that. Please help me. Only if my business picks up can I be happy and successful."

To my surprise, Amma began laughing. Why wasn't She showing compassion to this man, as She usually does to those who are distressed? I understood the meaning of Her laughter only much later.

One evening, just before the evening bhajans, I heard some one crying loudly in one of the swami's rooms. When I peered in to see who it was, I saw the businessman. He was crying his heart out, and the swami was trying to pacify him.

Later, I learnt what happened. After the businessman returned to Mumbai, his business began flourishing. Fortune seemed to be smiling at him. He started making huge profits. At round the same time, him younger brother joined the Mumbai underworld. Soon after that, he started demanding huge sums of money from time to time. Initially, the businessman yielded to his brother, but when the extortion bids continued increasing, he stopped obliging. Relations between the brothers soured, and the younger brother walked out of the house.

Things took a turn for the worse. When the businessman was not at home, the younger brother would go there and threaten his sister-in-law. She did not disclose this to anyone, as she feared the repercussions. The strain became too much for her, and she succumbed to depression.

The elation the businessman felt over the success of his business was dampened by the situation at home. The happiness he thought he would enjoy if his business prospered eluded him. In desperation, he returned to Amma.

During darshan, he pleaded, "Amma! Please take away all my wealth. I don't mind being a pauper. But give me peace of mind. It has been almost a week since I had slept. Please, Amma, save my brother and heal my wife!" Amma was very loving towards him. She placed him on Her lap and caressed him lovingly.

A few months later, he sent a letter to Amritapuri. In the letter, he thanked Amma for having restored peace and harmony in his personal and family life. His brother and wife also became devotees of Amma.

In his case, what is considered "good" for him kept changing. First, he thought success in business would be good for him. Later, he realized that peace of mind was more important than money. But Amma, with Her deergha drishti, knew what was best for him all along.

While the story of the Mumbai businessman reveals Amma's farsightedness, the story of Ramdas shows Her equal vision.

Ramdas is a squirrel. Once, while sitting next to Amma, someone passed it to me and asked me to show it to Amma. Amma took it from my hands and put it on Her right shoulder. The squirrel jumped from Amma's shoulder to Her hand, then landed on Her left palm. Amma lovingly kissed it. She asked me, "Is it male or female?" I said that I did not know. She then said, "Oh it's a boy!" and laughed. She asked, "What name should we give him?"

"Amma, please name him," I said to Her.

She thought for a moment before saying, "Ramdas!" It struck me as being a perfect name: "Ramdas" means "servant of Rama." While Amma was lovingly gazing on the lines on Ramdas' back, I imagined that She was reminiscing about what She had done centuries ago, as Lord Rama.

Amma started talking to him. "Hey, where are your parents? You look sad. When did you last see your mother?" Turning to us Amma said, "His mother is equally sad. She must have searched frantically for him. She must be thinking that he is dead."

Amma looked sad. She must have been reflecting upon the anguish of the squirrel's mother. "To become orphaned at such a tender age is cruel indeed." As Amma said this, Her eyes became moist. She wiped away Her tears and addressed the squirrel. "Ramdas, don't go outside the ashram gate. There are many cats on the southern side. They may harm you."

Amma tole me to put him in a small box, make some air holes on the side and look after him for at least 10 days. "After that he will be able to take care of himself," She added.

A few days later, Amma asked for Ramdas. Someone brought the box and Amma took it to Her room. We learnt that Amma had personally fed him with grains and cereals. To me, this episode was proof of He sama drishti. Amma did not regard the squirrel as a lesser being than the businessman in any way. She loved both equally, and to each, She did what was necessary for its well-being. Amma knows the hearts of all beings. The language of the heart is love, and Amma is the embodiment of divine love. She will do only what is for our ultimate good. We may think we know what's best for us. But time often proves us wrong.

Amma often reminds us, "The manufacturer of a car knows the car much better than its owner or driver." We are mere caretakers of the vehicle that is the body; we have our limitations. But a being like Amma is beyond all limitations and therefore the best guide who can lead us towards the goal of human life.

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