In Maui, we went to visit Ramdas, a disciple of Nam Kaoli Baba. As we followed the sea, Swami Vishwananda looked at it and said: “Maybe we’ll see whales!” - “Really?” I asked and then remembered that an afternoon in 2005, when we were in the garden that Yogananda planted on top of a cliff, above the sea in Encinitas. Swami Vishwananda also had told me that dolphins were nearby and a few minutes later we had seen dolphins jump and disappear again.
- “Look at the whales, there!” He exclaimed.
- “I have never seen whales jumping like that!” I said.
- “They gather to breed,” He told me.
After following a winding road in the hills, we eventually reached Ramdas’ villa, in Hawaii’s countryside.
- “Tell me, was Nam Kaoli Baba an Avatar?” I asked.
- “Yes, he was an incarnation of Hanuman. In fact he was an incarnation of Shiva. Shiva very rarely incarnates directly on earth. When he incarnates, he does so under the face of Hanuman. When Rama came on earth, Shiva incarnated as Hanuman to be the greatest of all his devotees, “ He said.
After a warm welcome, Ramdas asked Swami to speak about His youth and about Babaji. We then sang Bhajans in front of his altar. In front of the picture of Nam Kaoli Baba, Ramdas then told us the following story:
- On a trip with Nam Kaoli baba and other devotees, they had a car accident. Passengers of the car then saw a huge hairy hand protecting them. The car was no longer of use after the accident, but none of the passengers got hurt.
On the altar were a lot of photos of Saints and deities. Swami asked Him :
- “You have a lovely altar, but tell me why do you have the photo of George Bush on your altar? Are you worshiping him?”
- “No, but you know, to all these saints and deities I can say I love you. The day I can say to George Bush, I love you, I know that I will be a good person.”
The day after Swami Vishwananda gave a Darshan where Ramdas and his family came. We went back to his place afterwards.
When Ramdas arrived on his wheelchair, the little group of devotees greeted him. Then they saw the altar with pictures of gurus, saints, and deities. Ramdas followed and we sang the Hanuman Chalisa and some Bhajans.
It was a Divine moment. The presence of Hanuman was very strong when Swami Vishwananda and Ramdas were together.
