Darshan of Swami Krishnananda in 1998

by Swami Krishnananda

38. The Story of Bharadvaja

(Darshan given in November 1998)

Swamiji: When you are alone sitting somewhere without anybody seeing you and without your seeing anybody – for 50 miles around there is no single human being – what will you feel at that time? “Oh, poor me. Only birds are chirping. I have nobody. I have lost everything. I have nothing. I have nothing even to eat.” Will you feel like that when you are alone? Or you will say, “Oh, what a joy! The trees are speaking to me, the sun is speaking to me, the moon and the stars are my friends. If I want anything, the stars will come and help me.” The Yoga Vasishtha says Indra will come and sweep your floor; Varuna will wash your plates. It is not a joke. These are all omnipresent beings.

You know the story of Bharadvaja Maharishi who gave wonderful hospitality to Bharata, who was going in search of Rama in the forest. Bharata passed through the ashram of the great sage Bharadvaja, who had nothing, only some kutir, a thatched hut, and a yajnashala where he was pouring some ghee. Bharata asked his army to stay behind: “Don't disturb this ashram.” And he himself removed his royal dress and walked barefoot to the ashram with one dhoti.

“Who are you?” asked Bharadvaja.

“Bharata.”

“Oh, you are the brother of Rama. Have you come to harm him? Already he has been driven out. Now again you have come here. Do you have any bad intention?”

Then Bharata said, “Maharaj, if you great people think that I am such a bad man, then I should not exist in this world. I have not come to harm him. I want to touch his feet and take him back to Ayodhya.”

“Ah, I see. You have come alone?”

“No, I have got ten thousand people. The whole army I have brought.”

“Ah, I see. Where are they? Call them here. Today they will have dinner here,” he said.

Bharata thought, What dinner he will give? He has nothing – a little kamandal and a little water. I understand. He is testing me.

Bharata said, “Maharaj, we don't want any dinner. I am very happy. I am going with your blessing.”

“No, no, no. I will not allow you to go like that. All of you should come – all the horses and elephants – and the entire army will dine today.”

Bharata could not understand what is this. Thick forest with thorns, bushes everywhere, no place to sit.

This maharaj went to the yajnashala, poured some ghee: Indra swaha, Varuna swaha. “Indra come, Varuna come. Indra and all his retinue must come now. Bring everything.”

Celestials started dropping from the skies. The thick forest vanished completely. It was all glowing with light, sunlight-like, and there were thousands of celestials, suddenly as if rainfall comes. And there was no forest or anything – all beautiful palaces everywhere. Ganga was flowing, Yamuna was flowing on another side. He simply said, “Ganga, come here. Yamuna must come here. Saraswati, come.”

What power he had! And everywhere were palaces. For everyone there was a beautiful, independent palace. Dishes were coming. On golden plates, dishes descended.

They were wondering, are we dreaming or what? They couldn't understand this.

Such delicious food came from heaven. They had not tasted it in their life. And servants came to shampoo their feet: “Oh, he must be tired from walking from Ayodhya.” And beautiful tanks for bathing, with celestial waters.

The soldiers could not understand. “Are we going mad or something? How is it possible? What are we seeing?” The deliciousness of the food, no human being can imagine because it came from Indra's heaven.

Some of the soldiers murmured, “We shall stay here only. Let Bharata go anywhere. Bharata's palace is no good. He cannot give food like this.” And Bharata was also wonderstruck. What is this maharaj's power? Go and sleep everywhere, nice palaces. Everywhere peacocks were singing, musicians were dancing, and celestial beds were there. They were all aghast.

They slept in the night beautifully. In the morning, there was forest only, like before. All this vanished completely. Then the saint came. “How was the night, Bharata? Are you satisfied?”

He said, “Maharaj, I can't say anything. I have no words.”

Bharadvaja said, “Now you can go. Your brother Rama is nearby somewhere, and you can speak to him, and do whatever you like.”

What is the power of this sage? He was a fakir in a thatched hut. He was a contented person. He himself was Indra, he himself was Varuna, he himself was all the gods. Like Visvarupa – every God is in that Visvarupa, everything. The sage was not a fakir. It was only an outer form. He was God Himself operating.

Such confidence if you have, then why should you become mad by meditating? But confidence is necessary: “I am pukka. I have no defect. I have not harmed anybody. I am affectionate to everything. I have everything. Things are flowing to me from all sides.” Then you will summon, like this, as this maharaj did: “Come Indra.”

The Yoga Vasishtha says all the quarters of heaven will fall at your feet. All the quarters – east and west and south and above and below, they will all rise up as your vassals, as if you are emperor of the whole world.

All this may look like a story, but it is not a story. This is what you are heading to. Your future is glory, not misery, and God is calling you. If God calls you, what will you do? Now we are devotees. We call God. But the other way, God is calling. What will you say? Every tree, every leaf, every branch of the tree will call you: Come on, come, come, come! Such glories are existing in this world, but people have no time even to think in a proper way.