Theosophical Society,
H P Blavatsky
Interview with a Mahatma
By
Rajani Kant Brahmachari
At
the time I left home for the Himalayas in search of the SupremeBeing,
having adopted Brahmacharyashrama (religious
mendicancy), I was quite ignorant of the fact that there was any such
philosophical sect as the Theosophists existing in India, who believed in the
existence of the Mahatmas or "superior persons." This and other facts connected with my
journey are perfectly correct as already published, and so need not be repeated
or contradicted. Now I beg to give a
fuller account of my interview with the Mahatmas.
Before
and after I met the so-called Mahatma Koothum-pa, I
had the good
fortune
of seeing in person several other Mahatmas of note, a detailed account of whom,
I hope, should time allow, to write to you by-and-by. Here I wish to say
something about Koothum-pa only.
When
I was on my way to Almora from Mansarowar
and
nothing with me to eat. I was quite at a loss how to get on without
food. There being no human habitation in that part
of the country, I
could
expect no help, but pray to God, and take my way patiently on.
Between
Mansarowar and Taklakhal,
by the side of a road, I observed a
tent
pitched and several Sadhus (holy men), called Chohans,
sitting
outside
it who numbered about seventeen in all.
As to their dress, &c.,
what
Babu M.M. Chatterji says is
quite correct. When I went to them
they
entertained me very kindly, and saluted me by uttering, "Ram Ram."
Returning
their salutations, I sat down with them, and they entered upon
conversation
with me on different subjects, asking me first the place I
was
coming from and whither I was going.
There was a chief of them
sitting
inside the tent, and engaged in reading a book.
I inquired
about
his name and the book he was reading from, one of his Chelas, who
answered
me in rather a serious tone, saying that his name was Guru
Koothum-pa, and the book he was reading was Rig
Veda. Long before, I
had
been told by some Pundits of Bengal that the Tibetan Lamas were
well-acquainted
with the Rig Veda. This proved what they
had told me.
After
a short time, when his reading was over, he called me in by one of
his
Chelas, and I went to him. He, also
bidding me "Ram Ram," received
me
very gently and courteously, and began to talk with me mildly in pure
Hindi. He addressed me in words such as
follows:--"You should remain
here
for some time and see the fair at Mansarowar, which
is to come off
shortly.
Here you will have plenty of time and suitable retreats for
meditation,
&c. I will help you in whatever I
can." He spoke as above
for
some time, and I replied that what he said was right, and that I
would
gladly have stayed, but there was some reason which prevented me.
He
understood my object immediately, and then, having given me some
private
advice as to my spiritual progress, bade me farewell. Before
this
he had come to know that I was hungry, and so wished me to take
some
food. He ordered one of his Chelas to
supply me with food, which
he
did immediately. In order to get hot water ready for my ablutions, he
prepared
fire by blowing into a cow-dung cake, which burst into flames
at
once. This is a common practice among
the Himalayan Lamas. It is
also
fully explained by M.M. Chatterji, and so need not be
repeated.
As
long as I was there with the said Lama, he never persuaded me to
accept
Buddhism or any other religion, but only said, "Hinduism is the
best
religion; you should believe in the Lord
Mahadeva--he will do good
to
you. You are still quite a young man--do
not be enticed away by the
necromancy
of anybody." Having had a conversation with the Mahatma as
described
above for about three hours, I at last took leave and resumed
my
journey.
I
am neither a Theosophist nor a sectarian, but am the worshipper of the
only
a great Mahatma.
By the fulfilment of certain of his
prophecies, I am
quite
convinced of his excellence. Of all the
Himalayan Mahatmas with
whom
I had an interview, I never met a better Hindi speaker than he. As
to
his birth-place and the place of his residence, I did not ask him any
question. Neither can I say if he is the Mahatma of the
Theosophists.
As
to the age of the Mahatma Koothum-pa, as I told Babu M. M. Chatterji
and
others, he was an elderly looking man.
Rajani Kant Brahmachari
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