| "Siddha" means the one with "siddhis," or yogic powers. | | | | But when it came to moving the train forward, the |
| Bhagavan Nityananda was one such great Siddha. | | | | machinist discovered that the train would not move for |
| Although I've never met him in person, I had the good | | | | some strange reason. No matter what they did, the |
| fortune of meeting his equally great disciple Baba | | | | train would not budge an inch as if nailed down by an |
| Muktananda in America and it's through Baba that I got | | | | invisible force. |
| to know this truly fascinating mystic and master yogi. | | | | After some time the passengers who knew |
| There are three stories about the taciturn Nityananda | | | | Bhagavan understood what was going on and |
| that for some reason made a deep impression on me. | | | | immediately recommended the conductor to invite |
| In the first story, Indian tax collectors approach | | | | Nityananda back onto the train. |
| Nityananda and start to harass him about his taxes. | | | | Running out of all other options and having a train load |
| Although well-known for roaming the countryside | | | | of people to deliver to the next station, the conductor |
| non-stop with just a loincloth to his name and having no | | | | gave in and invited the holly yogi back on the train. |
| material possessions whatsoever, Nityananda was still | | | | And as soon as Nityananda climbed back, the train |
| squeezed by the tax collectors for hiding his wealth. | | | | shivered back to life and started to chug along |
| Perhaps enjoying their power over this shy yogi who | | | | towards its next stop on the route. |
| hid his powers from the outside world, they bothered | | | | # # # |
| him with insistent demands to reveal where he was | | | | The third story is the most lyrical of all and it's an |
| hiding his "treasure chest." | | | | eye-witness story. |
| Sick and tired of his tormentors, Nityananda at long last | | | | One dark night Bhagavan was drinking his cup of |
| caved in and told the taxmen to follow him to a swap. | | | | coffee sitting on the low wall in the back of his hut. |
| And when they reached the crocodile infested | | | | His back was turned to the jungle. While they were |
| swamp, Niyananda dived straight into the water and | | | | watching their master in awe as most disciples do |
| disappeared from their sight. | | | | whenever they get the chance (another name for |
| And according to the legend, when the Nityananda | | | | "guru watching" is called "satsang" and is supposed to |
| surfaced again, he was holding in both of his fists | | | | bestow numerous benefits on a disciple even if |
| brand new gold coins and precious jewels. | | | | nobody talks anything) they noticed a huge tiger |
| "Do you now understand where I'm hiding my treasure | | | | approaching Bhagavan from the jungle. |
| at?" Nityananda asked them. Throwing the gold coins | | | | Since they were seeing the ferocious animal but |
| and jewelry on their heads, Nityananda admonished | | | | Bhagavan, who was sitting with his back to the dark |
| the taxmen not to bother him again. | | | | forest, could not, they grew very apprehensive. |
| Shocked and horrified by what they have just | | | | Some of them tried to "warn" the great yogi about the |
| witnessed, the government official disappeared in a | | | | "impending disaster" but Nityananda very calmly |
| hurry and never came back. | | | | continued to sip his coffee (his favorite drink). |
| # # # | | | | And when the tiger reached Nityananda, he stood up |
| Another sweet story again involves the consequences | | | | on his rear legs and placed his massive paws on the |
| of harassing Nityananda. | | | | Bhagavan's shoulders and just stood there, as if |
| Bhagavan, never staying at any one spot for too long, | | | | listening to the heart beat of the great illuminated |
| used to travel a lot on trains crisscrossing the Indian | | | | master. After staying in that position for a while, the |
| continent. Since most of the conductors were familiar | | | | tiger quietly returned to the jungle. |
| with the strange blessings that visited those who | | | | His disciples interpreted this experience as the need |
| treated the famous yogi well, they did not bother him | | | | for the tiger to get the Master's "darshan," or blessings. |
| and allowed him to travel without a ticket. | | | | In India, such animals which manage to get the |
| But one day a diligent conductor who did not know | | | | blessings of a great yogi like Bhagavan Nityananda are |
| Nityananda asked him either to produce a ticket or get | | | | believed to be destined to reborn in their next life as a |
| off the train. | | | | human being and that represents a great |
| Nityananda obediently got off and just squatted next | | | | advancement on the ladder of spiritual evolution in the |
| to the tracks. | | | | yogic tradition. |