Kalinath Baba's clairvoyance, intuitive foresight, and advanced yogic attainment through Khechari Vidya, as well as the importance of faith and humility in spiritual transmission.
WE HAD KALINATH Babaji's darshan occasionally.
Once, while staying in Kashi, he suffered from carbuncle. Arrangements were made for his treatment by keeping him for a few days in the Ramakrishna Sevashram. I used to get food prepared at my home and send it to the hospital. Usually, Makhan (Jitendra) or some student would deliver the food. I also visited occasionally to take care of him. This was around the end of 1935 or the beginning of 1936.
One day, my son Makhan arrived with the food and presented himself before him. Baba knew that Makhan was my son. He asked him to sit down. But Makhan said, "I won't sit just yet; my mind is not at peace. May I ask you a question?"
Baba replied, "Of course you can ask. But you won't need to ask. I am giving the answer. The answer is that there is no cause for fear. At this time, Gurudev is protecting you.”
The meaning was that Makhan's one child had been lost during the first delivery. Now there was again the possibility of another child. There was apprehension that something might go wrong again. Understanding this, Baba said there was no fear because Gurudev had taken the responsibility of protection.
In reality, that is what happened: that very child is the present Shashishekhar.
Then Makhan said, "I want to ask one more question."
As soon as he heard this, Baba said, "There is no need to ask. There is no possibility of a job right now; there will be a delay."
During the time Baba stayed in the hospital, another incident occurred. For all the days he was there, a young attendant served him very devotedly and attentively. The young man had witnessed Baba's extraordinary powers on many occasions.
The youth wished to please Baba through his service and thereby receive some spiritual power from him.
One day, while the young man was giving Baba an oil massage, Baba asked, “You are well-educated. Why have you come to the Sevashram instead of taking up a job? Did you come here with your father's permission? What is your father's name? Where is your native place? Who all are there in your family?” and so on.
Hearing these questions, the young man became annoyed and angry. He said, “You are the patient, and I am the servant. It is my duty to ensure there is no shortcoming in your service. Why are you asking all these irrelevant personal questions? I believe serving you is my rightful duty, and you don’t need to inquire about my family matters.”
The attendant spoke these words somewhat harshly.
Listening to him, Baba said, “Brother, why are you getting upset? You haven't even answered my questions. Very well, listen: I myself will give the answers.”
Saying this, Baba proceeded to recount all the details about the young man's family. He even revealed some confidential matters that no one except the youth knew.
The young man was stunned. He said, “How do you know all these details so precisely? No one knows these things. You can see everything!”
Baba replied, “Yes, I can see everything. Even if you don't speak, everything is visible before my vision. Still, in keeping with worldly courtesy, I had asked you, but you did not answer — instead, you spoke harsh words. Yet you desired to receive some powers from me and make them your own. I tested you only to see how much faith you truly had in me. You are unworthy of receiving such powers!”
The young man remained silent.
Here is another incident from another day: My Gurubhai Satishda (Shri Satish Chandra Dey) came to meet Baba. I was not there at the time.
In the course of conversation, Baba said to him, “You are certainly a lawyer, but why don’t you go to court? You were a student of Queen’s College, weren’t you? In the law examination, you got somewhat low marks in Hindu Law.” In reality, Satish had passed that paper only with grace marks, but he had forgotten it. And now, upon hearing this, it came back to his memory.
I had heard from Baba that many years earlier, Satishda had gone to Gurudev (Swami Vishuddhananda Ji) at Gyankara to receive initiation into the Bhagavat-tattva (the principle of the Divine). The village is near Shantiniketan. At that time, Gurudev was staying in Chongdar’s house.
Back then, the future Kalinath Baba was a seeker; he had not yet become “Baba.” He had gone as a supplicant seeking instruction on the Bhagavat-tattva.
Gurudev had told him: “First, through the power of Khechari Vidya, become free from or transcend the field of influence of gravitational attraction (madhyakarshan). Come back after that; then I will teach you further. As long as the identification with the body (dehatmabodh) remains, one has no authority or access to transactions on the higher (urdhva) planes.”
I heard of this incident directly from the mouth of Shri Gurudev.
Series concluded
The Dharma Dispatch is now available on Telegram! For original and insightful narratives on Indian Culture and History, subscribe to us on Telegram.