Living with Baba

I was working in the province of Orissa, next to Bengal in 1969. One day, I went to the main city of the district of Kalahandi. The name of the town was Bhavanipatna. There was a big high school in that town. I met the headmaster of the school and requested him to give me a chance to talk about meditation to the teachers and students.

The headmaster was a very good man. He told me to come at seven in the morning the next day. It was summer time then. The headmaster asked me in which language I would speak. I told him that I would talk in English. But I was very poor in English. I had never given a public talk in English before. That night I could hardly sleep due to the mounting tension. I was just thinking, how was I going to give a talk in the English language!

The next day I reached the school at the appointed time. The headmaster and his staff members waited at the gate with flowers to receive me. They took me to a part of the school where all the staff members and students had assembled, just after their morning prayers. I was mentally crying and praying to Baba to save me from this embarrassing situation. I stood in front of the assembly, and just closed my eyes thinking of Him, and then spoke. I spoke for nearly forty-five minutes.

When I finished my talk, both the staff and the students of the higher classes came to me and asked me the meaning of some of the words and sentences in my presentation. I just could not believe how I was able to speak in such good English! I can never forget that day in my life.

About two months after that incident, I stood before Baba to give Him the report. After I finished reporting, Baba said smilingly, "Now Tapeshvarananda can give a nice lecture in English. Is it not?"

I could not reply. I was choked with emotion and my eyes were filled with blissful tears, feeling His infinite love and care for His small child. How He takes care of His children!