Chapter IX
'Darshana' to People

From 1947 AD onwards to the day he gave up the gross body, a large number of people of diverse creeds used to come to Bhagawaan Ji's place, wherever he might be living, for his darshana everyday, from early morning till late in the night. He was accessible to all. The room at Chondapora (20'x12'), where he lived for the last eleven years of his life, was always full of people. Quite often, the room overflowed with people, some of whom had to accommodate themselves outside on the stairs. People of all kinds of faith and opinion held him in high esteem and felt peace in his presence, forgetting their woes and worries. As already reported, he was an introvert, talked very little and remained always absorbed in communion with the Infinite. He would generally reply to questions indirectly and seldom directly, even without people ex- pressing themselves openly. He was very compassionate and helped all those in trouble. If requested, he gave them a little Or the ashes from his dhooni to cure them of their ailments. He is known to have cured blood cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, internal hemorrhages and brain disorders by his spiritual power. He sometimes asked those afflicted with malignant diseases to be brought to him. The patients, who were fortunate enough to come to him, got cured completely, to the surprise of all. Bhagawaan Ji never asked anybody for money or anything else, but people on their own offered him money, fruits, flowers, rice, sugar and sweets. He never refused to accept whatever was offered but distributed it among those present. Once, he told me (pointing towards the fruits, sweets, etc. lying before him), 'This is all blood.' But he took the evil attached to such offerings upon himself, and distributed them as prashaada, duly sanctified by his touch.

Bhagawaan Ji was sometimes offered currency notes of Rupees hundred, ten, five or two denominations. He got these exchanged for one-rupee notes. This money he would distribute among the saadhus who came to Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra or just to spend the summer in the Valley. The saadhus living in Kashmir also came to him. On each occasion he would give each saadhu Re. 1/- only. If a saadhu pressed for more, he would send him away unceremoniously. Thousands of saadhus normally come to Kashmir every year and no day would pass without saadhus calling for dakshinaa. Sometimes, more than a hundred saadhus would call on a single day before the Amarnath Ji Yatra in the month of Saawan (July-August). He would offer his chillum to some of them. Even on 20th of May, 1968, the day of his passing away, he paid three saadhus Re. 1/- each.

During the last few years of his life, a large number of small children would call on him. He gave them toffees or something else suitable that was handy. He, however, gave priority to putting aahuties into his dhooni. A large number of students also would come and entreat him for help in passing their examinations.

Bhagawaan Ji would chase away ill-charactered people, beating them with the iron spoon with which he offered aahuties into his dhooni or with iron pincers. But none of them suffered any serious injury. On some occasions, without any apparent cause, he became very cross and everyone present shuddered. But after a few moments, he would be his genial self again and smile (he was never seen laughing). He subsequently gave prashaada even to those who had suffered a beating at his hands. He treated saints and the devotees of God with great reverence. About some saadhus he would say that they were merely jugglers; he nevertheless gave them a dakshinaa of a rupee each.