Mahasiddha  Baba Balaknath

Pranams at the lotus feet of Baba Balaknath Maharaj!

Chapter - 2

Balaknath arrived in a village seeking for alms, he approached a widow who has no one to take care of her, she was managing her livelihood with a few of her cows, Balaknath said “ Matha, I don’t want any alms from you, let me take the opportunity to serve you, and will remain as a Yogi, you have addressed me as your son, it is my responsibility to take care of your cows and helping you in your chores. You need not pay anything for this service.” The widow said “ Son, I am a childless woman, God has sent you as my son. You can live with me and take care of my cows at one condition; you should not let my cows destroy the agricultural field of the peasants.”  On that day onwards they both started living together, Balaknath take care of the cows and grazing etc.. She will provide regular meals for him.  Balaknath does not require  consuming meal for his survival, he spends hours and hours in meditation, whenever he gets out of the meditation he keeps the meals provided inside the hollow of the tree and the buttermilk pour on the ground,  this widow would bring meals dutifully and keep in front of Balaknath and leaves,  this practice continued for several days.  He wanders fearlessly through the forest of wild animals.  One morning few of the prominent members of the village arrived at the door of the widow and said “ Rathna, your cows made a huge loss to the peasant in our village, your boy will be produced before the village assembly and we will impose punishment upon him. You have to repay all the debts due to the peasants for the loss of  the produce, ”  The villagers blamed Balaknath for his carelessness in his work, Rathna tried her best to protect Balaknath from their harsh words, they said “ A Sanyasin cannot take care of cows, you will lose the possession of your house to repay the debt.” Rathna pleaded the men to go with her to inquire child about this matter.   Rathna said “Child, what did you do? These men putting blame on me for the loss in their fields, I have fed you twelve years, and you have given me the fruit of it. While you were practicing meditation the cows destroyed the agricultural field, now I have to sell my house and repay the debt.”  Balaknath remembered the conditions he put forward while accepting the chores of Rathna that he will leave her work if she put blame on him. Balaknath said “The cow did not destroy the agricultural field, and these people have no right to punish me without committing any crime, I will pay off all your debts if the cows destroyed their field.  Therefore ask them to check their agricultural field and come back to me.”  The peasants poured out harsh words on him and returned to check their field.  Balaknath kept one person with him to clear their suspicion that he would run away from the place.  When the peasants came to check their field, they were amazed at the sight, it was all fresh and green as ever, they got confused, and could not trust their eyes, they believed that something miraculous happened in their field.  The peasants came rushing to Balaknath and fallen at his feet saying “Kindly forgive us, we have made a mistake.  Our agricultural field is fresh and green as ever”.  Rathna was baffled and asked the reason to the peasants; they said that nothing has happened to their agricultural field, it was fresh and green as ever.  Balaknath blessed the peasants of the village, and said to Rathna “ Matha, you have mentioned the food you have fed me on all these days, I will show you the buttermilk and Roti you have given to me.” saying so he thrust his sword on the Earth, soon the buttermilk gushed out like watercourse, he took Rathna to show  the Roti she had given him all these days.  Rathna was shocked to see a heap of Rotis on the hollow of the tree.  Rathna said “Son, kindly forgives me, I could not understand your divinity, I have treated you as an ordinary child and considered myself as a mother of you, Son, I have poured harsh words on you after hearing the complaints of peasants.  You are Baba Balaknath, kindly forgive me.”  Balaknath said “ Matha, do not worry, I shall always remain as your son.  But I cannot serve you anymore. Our relationship will remain as son and mother forever.  Kindly give me permission to precede my spiritual journey.”  Rathna said, “Child, you can do your spiritual practice in this village, kindly do not leave me or my cows, we both cannot live without you.”  Balaknath said “ Then, I shall remain in this village, but do not bring any meals now onwards. I will take care of your cows, I shall take them for grazing in the morning and leave them back at the time of dusk.”