Dripping Sweat and Water & Electricity Woes

May 19, 2000

Dear Parents,

Namaskars, Hari Om! Sorry I didn’t write upon arriving. So busy. First, organizing, then I had to finish four different books (from writings of Omkar Swami) that were all half finished. Jnaneswari dictated some letters – then, Kumari had to be shown how to do the Telugu program (I had to learn it myself!). already I had to slowly type two pages of Telugu matter for the magazine – plus more on its way!

Right after I arrived (next day), the motor broke so no water supply. Lots of time needed to lug buckets from the well. Over a week – water again for two days only – and again the water motor burned out! No one will buy a new one – they just keep having the old one repaired. Now again this is the 3rd day with no water.

Then, the electrical line including my house and the other three houses nearby, burned out. So this is the 4th day – no lights, no fan, no electricity. Can you imagine – in summer! I can hardly spend 3 hours out of 24 in my nice, quiet room – it’s so hot! To do computer I have to work in the noisy kitchen. To print I have to carry the printer and heavy stabilizer machine to the kitchen are. The office said only the lineman could repair the electricity and he’ll come “tomorrow” – whenever that is!

Here sweat is pouring down constantly, all over all of our bodies, from early morning to late at night. No temperature report – thermometer fell & broke.

Love,

Divya

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Dog & Cat Stories: The Gang of Four

June 16, 2000

Dear Parents,

Namaskars! Here all is well, by Swami's Grace. Hope same with you all!

I have been busy with three projects, one finishing a long book, ‘Messages for Special Occasions’ by Swami Omkar, a collection of published and unpublished articles. Already over 90 pages and only about 20 articles to go before it’s finished!

Then, Vinamra has been giving me Telugu articles to type, for practice on the Telugu program. It's going slowly but I just started to pick up speed. All the Telugu letters are compounds of consonants and vowels, so it takes some time to arrange each letter. If two consonants come together, we have to press an extra key so there's no vowel in-between.

Next, I have been working on the pile of Summer Course discourses sent by Sundaram, about 16 cassettes total! Six down and the rest to go. I'm sending excerpts to you - maybe you can read them in leisure moments on your Colorado expedition!

The discourse on the 18th is the best so far, with all sorts of personal, juicy, interesting details, like how Swami sleeps with the lights on because He hates the dark! (Darkness is only dear to demons, He says!!) So much for energy conservation, tell the electricity companies! (Hee Hee, just a joke, Swami!) It seems from His stories that He also gets up in the night to go to the bathroom (excuse me Swami!).

The dog Rangappa (Vijay's daddy) sucked out the blood of another kitten recently, brought here as the rats began biting people at night (like the girl Kumari and Vinamra). So they asked me to help me cart him away.

I felt very bad, like I was deceiving a good friend, but what to do? Rangappa was a terror around here - eating cats, terrorizing his own elder son Vijay and frightening children. So one day after a lot of effort I got him into the Ashram Van, along with his wife Mangamma (I thought it would not be Dharmic to separate husband and wife, especially seeing how totally attached they were to each other) and their two younger children, Rammy and Omy. Their daughter Janaki had died some time ago.

Vijay liked to play with Omy, but he used to try to attack the weakling Rammy, finding it the one and only dog he could frighten.

Anyway, we dropped them off near Pithapuram (yep, my bank town!), over one hour away from the Ashram. Rangappa didn't take the journey well - he kept pressing his head against my arm and trying to jump out. Mangamma just kept staring deep into my eyes, as if to say, "Did I ever kill a cat? Why are you taking me also?" The kids were only confused and worried, but had their parents for support.

Well, on the third day I woke up in the morning with a dream of Rangappa returning! But it wasn't Rangappa who came, it was his wife Mangamma who came direct to my house that morning! She gave a long yelp as if to say "I'm back! And oh! How many troubles I found on the way!" After eating and drinking, and saying she forgave me, she settled to sleep on my doorstep along with Vijay.

I guess Rangappa and the two boys (kids) won't return, as dogs won't allow other male dogs to go through towns and villages. They seem to let lady dogs through OK! Creation is great, eh?!

Vijay was exempted from being thrown out, because he was brought up with kittens and doesn't do anything harmful to cats. He's such a good votary of Ahimsa, just like me!

As soon as Rangappa left, we got a new kitten, a female named Sruti (from names of scriptures, included in the Vedas). Vijay is her friend, and he gently plays with her sometimes. She grabs his nose with both paws and he tries to knock her gently over with his nose. She is smaller than my hand! A small kitten but way too frisky. She goes long distances - she almost reached the canal the other day, when a devotee brought her home. So we have to lock her up in a room sometimes to control her. What if other dogs got ahold of her, Swami forbid?

Mangamma doesn't look like she'll harm the kitten, she just looks sort of confused at it from afar, but I wouldn't trust her with it unguarded.

Now that Rangappa has gone, the dogs from down-side want this up-side kingdom for themselves. They even come as far as the well - a big ugly batch of 5 rowdy dogs. Then Vijay, Mangamma and me have to go yelling and chase them away. You should see me yielding my 7-foot stick, waving it yelling "HEY! HEY!" chasing the dogs all the way to the canal. Vijay and Mangamma run with me yelping in glee, anger, fear, courage and so many other emotions! Then I slam the canal gate as the frightened rowdies run away, and walk home warning everyone in my path to shut the gate after them, and to chase away the dogs if they ever see them this side again. Time pass!

Don't worry, I take frequent rests from the computer. When I do a discourse from a cassette, I look at the trees outside while listening to the next sentence, and look again outside in the distance while typing it. Every 15 or 30 minutes I get up for something or the other, and often the current goes off so I have breaks! Also after typing for some time I have to do a lot of proof-reading, which is more rest for the hands.

I understand why you are hesitant to do individual interpretation of horoscopes. I laughed to read how, 'One needs memory to keep in mind past history of experience, but the past is blank, what to do!' Stick to research, that's what! We each have our own roads in life, why jump onto a parallel road we aren't familiar with?!

I am just like you, with no strong desire in any direction. Yet like you, I have motivation to stay in clean places. (My interpretation of clean may be a bit different than yours...! Yet it’s there, all the same.) I also like to be in quite places of nature, with no bothersome people coming about. Shanti Ashram might be the most ideal place in India for this, who knows? For those in my meager salary-range, that is!!

So now I've answered your letter and gave my news! See ya for now! LOKA SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTU!

Love,

Divya

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Time is Flying – Typing Books & Discourse Translations

July 06, 2000

Dear Parents,

Namaskars! Time is flying. Sorry, I think I am late in my letter-writing. And I don't know where you two are! Maybe by the time this arrives, you'll be off gallivanting in Colorado mountains, hee hee! Yes, yes, I know that it will be hard work going about all the places, searching and sniffing around for the right vibes and outer situations, for a possible new home. MAY HIS WILL BE DONE!

Here all is going on well, not much news. Just the other day I finished the Swami Omkar book, 108 pages exactly (I didn't plan it like that!). The Telugu book is also at a standstill, as I typed the 30 pages or so Vinamra gave, and she still has to write more. Now it's only discourses and occasional letters for Jnaneswari.

Yep, still there are Summer Course Discourses! Only 3½ to go. I will enclose ecerpts in this letter also. I'll probably complete them just in time for Guru Purnima discourse! Then where is the break? Still I have 10 to do from Padmanabhan shop. I keep receiving gushing thank you letters from the translators, who now translate the discourse into 13 different languages. The translation that I'm sending to SH is even on the Internet now, along with the other languages (no names of who is doing the translations).

I received a letter from Padmamma (Kasturi's daughter) saying that she had talked to Vidya. It seems Vidya is 'very happy' (I can't see how this is so, as I never saw her very happy in all the years I've known her!!) and is coming in the wheelchair to evening bhajan. I wrote to her twice but no answer, of course.

The kitten Sruti is doing fine. She is so daring and frisky! She acts as if the Ashram is her own, going regularly to the canal so someone or the other brings her home. And also to Maitry Ashram, where the younger and stronger Mataji (Sanyasi) lives. She is also a healthy and plump weight. All these things make me suspicious that she may be the reincarnation of Susheela! Just look at her eyes - that look strangely like hers.

Rangappa and the puppies never came back, but the rowdy dogs from down keep coming and causing trouble daily. Twice they fell upon Mangamma and Vijay, both have sustained injuries that have not yet healed. I had to give up running after them with a stick, as they started to growl at me. Again, better safe than sorry!

So, nothing else to report. All is going on smoothly here. Both the water motors are again in repair as of yesterday, so no running water again. I hear it will be ten days or more before the motors are repaired. They'd rather dish out Rs. 4,000 or Rs. 5,000 once or twice a month for repairs, instead of buy a new motor! Now NS (New Secretary) is planning to buy a new one, but his philosophy is 'Slow and steady wins the race.' Only he doesn't know the difference between 'slow and steady' and inefficiency! God's Will.

I was waiting for a letter from Dad telling of his experiences with Big Uncle, everyone else here is also very interested! But no news from his side yet. Hey Dad! Pretty busy lately huh? Time flies doesn't it! Never mind, slow and steady wins the race! (My philosophy repeated often is 'Today is ours not tomorrow!’) With those parting thoughts, LOKA SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTU! Stay Well All!

Love,

Divya