46. I plucked up courage and went to Maheshwarananda’s house in the hope of finding out about the mysterious cave in the Himalayas
In the early ‘90s, I came across a book called Sathya Sai Baba and the Nara Narayana Guha Ashram. As soon as I started reading this book, I immediately realized I was holding something absolutely amazing and precious in my hands. This book tells the story of how Sathya Sai Baba founded a secret ashram in the Himalayas and sent a small group of his disciples there.
The book left an ambivalent impression on me. On the one hand, I experienced tremendous inspiration from the fact that such unique events took place in our time. However, I wondered if this was really a true story? Could I believe that such events were taking place today? If something happened many centuries and even millennia ago, then it is easier for people to believe in the authenticity of the events described. When something amazing happens in our time, doubts sometimes creep in about the extent to which it is authentic.
The name of the author of the book was Maheshwarananda. I tried to find out who he was, where he lived, and if it was possible to meet him. To my great delight, I found out he was a permanent resident of Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram.
Maheshwarananda devoted all his time to the practice of meditation and mantra, and he did not strive to communicate with people; least of all, he wanted to attract the attention of the audience. His book very quickly became extremely famous, and as a consequence of this, he also became famous, which was not part of his plans, because he strove for a solitary lifestyle.
I saw him quite often in the ashram, but I did not know this man was the same Maheshwarananda. Directly opposite the main entrance to the ashram stands a statue of Lord Ganesha. Visitors to the ashram noticed long ago this was no ordinary statue. Prayers and worship that were performed in front of the statue received the answer of the Deity. Many people who came to the ashram prayed next to the wonderful statue of Ganesha.
One of the traditional rituals performed at this statue is called «pradakshina» in Sanskrit. This practice is as follows: you need to walk around the altar or statue in a clockwise direction and repeat the mantra. When doing this practice, it is necessary to create a positive intention and keep it while repeating the mantra.
Often, I would notice that every morning and every evening, an elderly man with a surprisingly spiritual face, dressed in orange clothes, with a quick walk, literally, in circles, lapped the statue of Ganesha umpteen times. He held a rosary in his hands, his lips were constantly moving, and it was clear he was repeating a mantra to himself.
I was once told that this is Maheshwarananda. I was also told where he lived. His little house was not far from the main gate, and I plucked up the courage and decided to try to get to know him.