with Sri Ganesh

So fine and knowing, You are like an anchor Of true science And safety…

- 01-07-09:

… More ripples of disturbance are coming from M.: early this morning Raju came to relate to me the harangue M. forced on him yesterday evening on the road, recounting to him in a boasting manner how he had contemptuously dropped the keys in my hand and ranting on how bad a person I was and how he, Raju, should stop being my friend… And right after this report, I got a phone call from M. himself asking very civilly to borrow the wheel-barrow for his team work at Myriam’s…! I could not believe it! I just hung up. What strikes me most is that there does not seem to be even the minimum of decency and honor left in him…! And I also got a call from a lady in the Ashram who wanted to visit the temple with a group of friends but could only do so in the afternoon – they also wished to visit other neighboring temples such as the new temple to Kali -; I think I was not very accommodating: I merely indicated to her that I would be there on Monday afternoon and that should do, as it clearly was not a matter of emergency but more of curiosity… This made me think that perhaps I have generally acted too roughly for all these “devotees” connected to the Ashram who used to take Kusum’s goodwill for granted… And then, as if to complement this tasteful combination, Seven came to visit the temple this morning: a brief visit – he just stood before Sri Ganesh for a minute or so -, but it was long enough for him to form his opinion and inflict his judgment on me regarding the rules to be observed for the worship of Lord Ganesha: that it is wrong to place peacock feathers in the shrine as they are meant for Karthik only; that I should only give the flowers and grasses prescribed; that Nandi must be placed directly in front of Sri Ganesh, instead of facing both Sri Ganesh’s shrine and the Shiva lingam that is situated to its left in the garden; and that I should have respected the Vastu Shastra, instead of following my own ideas… And all this was served to me with sweet goodwill and he left…!

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