day by day.pdf

ground, with one leg cocked over the other and laughing away,
apparently supremely happy and contented with himself and
all the world. The king was struck with the man’s happy state
and sent for him. But when the king’s men approached the
nude ascetic and delivered the king’s message, he took
absolutely no notice and continued in his ascetic bliss. On
being told of this, the king himself went to the man and even
then the man took no notice. Thereupon it struck the king that
this must be no common man, and said: ‘Swami, you are
evidently supremely happy. May we know what is the secret
of such happiness and from which Guru you learnt it?’
Thereupon the ascetic told the king: ‘I have had twenty-four
Gurus. Everything, this body, the earth, the birds, some
instruments, some persons all have taught me.’ All the things
in the world may be classed as either good or bad. The good
taught him what he must seek. Similarly, the bad taught him
what he must avoid. The ascetic was Dattatreya, the avadhuta.”
After Bhagavan returned from his morning stroll about
8 a.m., some visitor prostrating himself seems to have spilled
out his entire stock — a good quantity — of snuff. Attendant
Krishnaswami noticed it and collected the snuff and threw it out.
This reminded Bhagavan of some incidents in his life. He said,
“Tobacco is a germicide. When I was in Virupakshi Cave, one
day I suddenly found one tooth gave sharp pain when the cold
rice came in contact with it and I could eat no more. I stopped
eating and thought I would have to die of starvation. Vasudeva
Sastri was then living with me. He had gone out at the time.
When he returned to the cave I told him of my toothache. He
said it was nothing and that a little tobacco would cure it, killing
the germs. As we had no tobacco with us, somebody who had
snuff with him gave me a little snuff and advised me to press it
against the tooth and it gave immediate relief, so much so that I
was able to eat my next meal. When I examined the tooth there
appeared to be something like a dot on it. Gradually it became a
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