The Sadhu
so let it be'. The disciple who had been milking the she-goat now prepared tea and offered it to the Baba. After he had had his tea, we took the holy leavings.[1]
The bhang was still in course of preparation for the evening. As it was yet daylight, the Baba bethought himself of bliss[2] of a different nature, and directed a second disciple's attention to the ganja-pipe, giving special instructions so that there might be no unnecessary delay.
Half an hour passed. The omniscient Baba was highly pleased with me and said, 'Yes, my son, I find many virtuous qualities in thy nature. Thou art fit to be my disciple.'
In the excess of my joy I conveyed the dust of his feet a second time to my head.
Next day, on my coming back to the ashram from my bath, I found that, through the grace of my guru,[3] I lacked nothing. The head disciple brought out a brand new suit of gerua[4] clothes, about a dozen rosaries, strings of rudraksha[5] beads, large and small, and a pair of brass armlets. After donning the spiritual garb, I took some ashes from the dhuni, the sacred fire which burnt night and day in our camp, and smeared my face and head with
- ↑ Holy leavings: called prasad, or grace; it is the privilege of a disciple to get his master's leavings which are considered sacred.
- ↑ Bliss (Ananda) is a word that bulks largely in the vocabulary of the sannyasis; and their disciples often use euphemistic words of this nature to cover the vices of their masters. It is a word borrowed from the Vedanta philosophy.
- ↑ Guru: the appellation applied by disciples to their spiritual masters.
- ↑ Gerua: coloured with red ochre.
- ↑ Rudraksha: a kind of dried berry.
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