Evolution of Love 2

My Recollection

I was born in 1933 and I don't remember when I became aware of Ma. Ma said. "Those who are unable to do anything, who have nothing dependable in life, for them I have special concern". I hope and pray to Mother that Her devotees may find some glimpses in this

play of Her which I have tried to recollect from my memory. I pray "Ma's" wish be accomplished through this unworthy child of Her's I pray "Ma, grant me some of your patience and composure" O Ma. Let my

doubts be set at rest. May Ma bless us with her bounty and grace 1. Jai Ma. Doonga is a small village situated at the bottom of Bhadraj Hill in Mussoorie range of the Himalayas. It is about 25 km from Dehra Dun. Doonga was a Zamindari Estate during British rule India.

The ruler of this Zamindari Rai Bahadur Choudhuri Sher Singh was a Kshatriya by caste. Parasar Gotra. Doonga "Kothi" was the residence of Ch. Sher Singh, which actually was a Haveli with modern guest house for the British Governor's stay.

There were stables and garages for pheatons and cars and encloser for cows. Godown big enough for storing grains for years, servant quarters, offices etc. Orchards with different varieties of fruits spread out on north, west and southern side in almost seven eight acres, but the main house was called "Kothi". Two temples were also built by him, one of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmiji and the other of Lord Shiva and Dharam Raj. There was also a Shiva linga under the peepal tree which was very ancient. Some 30 feet below the Shiva linga is the source of a stream which is still there. Sher Singhji built an ashram for Ma on top of the hillock over looking the temples on one side and Badhraj hill on the other side.

Ma used to send devotees to Doonga and my grand father and grand mother used to look after them. They stayed for long periods. I remember a Sanyasani. Ruma Devi (Deviji) of Tibet, old but very fit. She was the disciple of Sharada Ma w/o Bhagawan Rama Krishna Paramhansa. She was always busy working. At that time two boys also came from Bengal, Sanku and Rajen. Deviji used to look after them. We used to play together. A Muslim gentleman who had a carpet shop on Chakrata Road, Dehradun was a regular devotee of Shri Ma. Whenever he visited Ma he would stand far behind other devotees, and would keep on crying looking at Mother. I was too young to understand all this, but I saw this happen, Elders used to say that he had mentioned to them that whenever he performed namaz he used to see Mother standing in front of him.

In 1949 we were in Solan as guest of Raja of Solan, now in Himachal. Haribaba was also there with his Rasa Mandali. It was great with Harababa participating in the Rasa Lila in the evening. Haribaba with his "ghanta". Ma was always present. We went by cars from Dehradun to Solan, one belonged to my Nanaji and the other was my father's Pontaic, one driven by my elder brother and the other driven by driver.

Our stay there was for about ten days. From there we drove back to Delhi,
Haribaba was also with us. In the front seat with my elder brother driving and I
sitting next to Haribaba. Haribaba sang Kirtan, right from Solan upto Kalka, We all participated in the Kirtan.

Reached Delhi, stayed in Delhi for a couple of days. My result of Matriculation exam. came out. I had passed, so it was decided that I should leave and reach Dehradun and get admission in the D.A. V. College. So I was sent by train, the rest of the party stayed as Ma was there. As told to me by my mother. Nanaji and the party went to Ma to obtain. permission to leave. Ma enquired, who is driving and who all are in which car"?

Ma was informed about the seating arrangement and the drivers of the different cars. Ma said, "Kabhi Kabhi aisa hota hai do gaadi ki savari ek gaadi me Hai"

"Sometimes it so happens that passengers of two cars have to sit in one". They left in the evening. My father and mother shifted to my elder brother's car as my father was feeling feverish. In the other car was my "Buaji", cousin sister of my father and a servant and the driver.

At Meerut it became dark, lights were switched on. My brother told the other car driver to keep in view the tail lights of the front car. And my elder brother was keeping an eye. the mirror of the head lights of the following car. Near Muzaffar Nagar the head lights of the following car were not to be seen so my brother. stopped the car and waited for a few minutes, but there was no sign of the car that followed. So he turned his car and drove back for about five-six kilometers. His light fell upon the upturned car with wheels still running in the ploughed fields. On focusing the beams of his car and taking it nearer he stopped his car and got out to see the passengers of the other car. Buaji sitting on the side of a ploughed field, shivering, the driver totally shaken and dazed, the boy servant still inside the car.
They were all taken out to the road near the side of the other car. By Ma's grace, believe it, there wasn't even a scratch on anyone. Even the surahi (water bottle of mud clay) was intact.

The turned car's tyrod was broken. It had gone into the ploughed field, hit the stump of a tree and took three somersaults with wheels up and roof down. All the passengers of the two cars were adjusted into one car, as Ma had announced earlier before their departure. By Ma's Kripa everyone was saved.

The girls of the Ma Anandamayee Kanyapeeth used to stay those days in the area of Doonga. Many Bengali sadhus and devotees of Ma also used to come there. The temple is at a very scenic location surrounded by jungles full of wildlife.. Tigers, leopards roamed the jungle, sometimes roaring in the late evening and night. Other wildlife also abounded, many varieties of antelopes, birds and pheasants used to be seen in great numbers. Doonga jungle was the private preserve

of the zamindar. Some one from the Kanyapeeth told Ma that they could hear 'tiger' roaring in the night. As my nanaji and naniji always used to visit the ashram with all of us, Ma asked nana ji, "Pitaji Doonga me Bagh hai Keya ?" (Father, are there tigers in Doonga ?) My Nanaji joked and with a hand on his whiskers replied, "There cannot be two tigers in one jungle." Nanaji's neme was Sher Singh, meaning "Tiger", Everything was forgotten.

Ma left Dehradun. After a few days a messenger came from Doonga to Dehradun reporting to my grandfather that a cow had been killed by a tiger and was lying in a "nala" (dry stream bed) on the slope of a hillock.

Nanaji instructed the messenger to go back to Doonga and tell the head Shikari "Monha" of Doonga Estate to build a "machan", finding a suitable spot on the cow's kill location and also to bring his DBBL Rifle 500 with other accessories like torch etc. and to wait at the road side for his car.

Nanaji, his driver and orderly "Bhotu" reached the spot at about four in the evening, where Mona Shikari with other servants was waiting for him. Car was parked on the road side. Nanaji and his orderly walked to the site with Mona leading. Sher Singhji on examining the spot, the dead cow & the built machan, noticed that it was built wrongly. It was on the slope hardly three feet high from the ground and facing the kill lying in the "Nala" about 16 feet down. Sher SinghJi asked the shikuri that if the tiger approaches the kill from the top side of the hill my machan will be in the way and hardly 3 feet from the back side. Shikari replied, 'No sir, it will come to the kill by the dry stream Nálä)". Sher Singhji said, "Fool", had the tiger asked permission to approach as you say ?" Anyhow, Sher Singhji settled facing the kill on the machan with his 12 DBBL Gun laid on his right & DBBL 500 Rifle on the left side. He sat folding his legs on the blanket with other accessories kept at the right spot.

Sher Singhji's silence "mauna" time was approaching, with hands in his lap he sat there in dhyana. After sometime he heard the sound of twig breaking in the rear. On hearing the sound he turned his head over his right shoulder and there he saw a huge tiger, his face hardly 3 feet from his face, snarling, with whiskers moving forward & backwards looking directly into the eyes of Sher Singhji. He could see the rough tongue & large teeth in the tiger's mouth and even feel hot breath of the tiger.

Sher Singhji thought-"This is the end". After a few minutes the tiger moved to the rear of Sher Singhji. Sher Singhji's second thought was that the tiger would now give one blow with his paw and all would be over. Collecting his courage and with Ma in his mind he took the last chance. He snatched up the right side gun and turning left, half reclining, pointed the gun to the rear with his finger on the trigger. "Oh Ma/" no tiger: the tiger was gone. It vanished into the air. Clutter of wild fowls was heard in the distance. He whistled to the servants. They came and picked up the guns and other items and walked back to the car. On reaching Doonga he himself narrated the incident to all of us. After a few days Ma was at Kishenpur ashram. Sher Singhji went with naniji and others. Ma, on seeing Sher Singhji, asked with a smile, "Pitaji, you said that two tigers do not live in one jungle, how is this ?" Nana ji, with wet eyes and chocked throat bowed at her feat and uttered, "APKI LILA HAI" ALL IS YOUR PLAY