13 Sept 2010

In a French Bakery

Pritalananda tells:
Swami Vishwananda like to visit holy places. One day, we went to visit Our Lady of Liesse in France, a black Madona representation of the Mother of God. Many great people have come to pay homage to this church, including Joan of Arc. Inside the church Swami Vishwananda told me:
- “There is a nice energy in this church!”

- “It’s almost dark and there is hardly any light, the only thing I can see is the Statue of Our Lady of Liesse, high up,” I said. We knelt and prayed in front of the statue.
As we went out, in the church’s entrance, little brochures were available. Swami bought one and started reading the story. He went on reading as we walked out of the church.
- “Look, there is a bakery; we could buy something to eat,” He said.
- “With pleasure, breakfast was long ago and we had nothing for lunch,” I said.

We entered the bakery while Swami was still reading aloud the story of Our Lady of Liesse. The seller at the bakery was busy serving us when all of a sudden Swami voiced out: Look what they say: “During the French Revolution, they burnt the statue in the bakery’s oven!” It was silent in the Bakery. When it was our turn, he asked the lady:
- “Is it in this bakery’s oven that the miraculous statue was burnt?”
- “Well, yes. It was my great–great-great grandfather” the lady behind the counter said with shame.
Swami paid and we got out of the bakery.
- “Tell me, is there family karmas as well as country karmas or race karmas?” I asked.
- “Of course, you can feel it on all the following generations,” He replied.
- “And you have just removed this family’s karma at once?” I asked.
Swami Vishwananda nodded, as we reached the car with our little spinach tartlets.