Living with Baba

I developed an eye problem sometime in 1983. Baba was then at His Lake Gardens residence in Calcutta. As my eye problem was accompanied by a severe headache, I thought that it would be better to see a doctor. Before leaving, I had to get His permission. When I went to get the permission, He asked me what the problem was. I replied that I had an eye problem and that I was going to consult a doctor.

Baba then told me to apply in each eye two drops of the juice of the 'hati shurd' (elephant tusk), a common shrub found in the paddy fields of Bengal. The top of the plant was shaped like the tusk of an elephant, hence its name. If it solved the problem, then the cause of the eye problem was a type of virus. If the problem still continued, He advised me to consult an eye specialist.

After a week of this treatment, I reported to Baba that the eye problem still existed. He replied that I could now be sure that the cause of my eye problem was not viral, but rather the need for eye glasses due to advancing age.

Although this story derives from a common incident, it reveals a hitherto unknown medicine for viral eye infections from a commonly-found herb. Indeed, there is the potential of treating poor patients with eye disease in an inexpensive way by using this plant-based medicine.