ChaptersChapter 23Page 3,257

Chapter 23: Fiery Free Life

1953Page 3,257 of 5,444
Dr. Deshmukh joined the group at Rajahmundry. In addition, Baba had kept a few select boys along with him on the journey. One boy was Murlidhar, as already mentioned. Another was V. R. Jagat Kumar, fifteen, the son of the Collector V. V. Narayana Rao. During the journey, every day for a week, Baba would wash the feet of these two boys, and after drying them, touch his forehead to them and hand the boys a one-rupee note, which he told them to preserve. Dhanapathy's two sons were also with them, and Pukar had brought two boys from Hamirpur, named Sharma and Singh, who likewise stayed with the group.
More than 3,000 attended the 9:00 A.M. darshan program in Rajahmundry. As usual, the crowd had been instructed not to touch Baba's feet. While taking darshan, one teenaged boy could not stop crying and caught hold of Baba. The boy said, "If you will not allow me to touch your feet, I will not take prasad from you." Baba gestured for him to sit near his feet, and Baba put the prasad into his mouth. The boy continued to weep as Baba distributed the prasad. Finally, Baba motioned to Pukar to take the boy away. He picked him up like a child and put him on his shoulders, but the boy kept struggling. Aloba told Pukar to let him go and he fell at Baba's feet. Baba held him in his embrace for quite some time. The boy was crying so much, Pukar thought he would die on the spot!
Finally, Pukar led him away and began massaging him lightly to calm him down. In the evening Baba asked about the boy, and Pukar assured him that he was quite all right.
"What did you do to him?" Baba asked.
Pukar replied, "I massaged him, and he came to his senses." Baba called Gadekar and asked Pukar to demonstrate. But when Pukar tried to show Baba, Gadekar, who was extremely ticklish, could not stop laughing. Baba himself laughed so much at this that his face turned red.
Baba visited the homes of Dharmarao, Jyoti Prakash, Gautamai Jeevak Arunga and Gurrala Krishna Rao (Dharmarao's father-in-law) in Rajahmundry. At Dharmarao's, his daughters performed a dance for Baba.
Baba then went to the train station to leave for Eluru. The place was packed with lovers and devotees shouting Baba's Jai and heaping garland after garland upon him.
Baba left by the 3:30 P.M. train, which stopped en route at several places where thousands had gathered for a brief glimpse of him. At every station, the train was delayed for quite some time until the crowd was satisfied. "He had entered the hearts of thousands in just a few days!" noted Age. "His one glance had been enough to light a fire in their hearts and answer all their questions of ages!"
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