Master Disciple Stories

Swami Vivekananda and Pavhari Baba

Swami Vivekananda was traveling around the India as an unknown monk as he was keeping his identity secret. On the way to Varanasi he came to know that Swami Yogananda, one of his brother disciples, was lying ill in Allahabad. He wanted to meet Yogananda. So he started moving towards Varanasi. On his way he came to know about the Saint Pavhari Baba, the 'air-eating holy man.'

Pavhari Baba practiced the disciplines of Yoga and Vedanta and was a Gyani. At this time Swami Vivekananda was tremendously in pain mentally as well physically. He was suffering from the sever pain of lumbago which had made it almost impossible for Swami Vivekananda either to move about or to sit in meditation. Swami Vivekananda was further mentally distressed, for the illness of Abhedananda and Swami Yogananda, his brother disciples. In reality Swami Vivekananda was very soft-natured man but outwardly he seems to be very stern because of his Vedantic views.

Swami Vivekananda wanted to forget the world and his own body through Yoga practices and he was looking at Pavhari Baba for the instructions, thus intending to make the saint his guru. But the Pavhari Baba, with characteristic humility, put him off from day to day.

One night when Swami Vivekananda was lying in bed thinking of Pavhari Baba, Sri Ramakrishna appeared to him and stood silently near the door, looking intently into Swami Vivekananda eyes. This vision of Sri Ramakrishna repeated for twenty-one days. Swami Vivekananda understood and he reproached himself bitterly for his lack of complete faith in Sri Ramakrishna. Tearfully he recalled how Sri Ramakrishna had fulfilled all his prayers and had forgiven his offences by the million and removed his afflictions.

Swami Vivekananda faith in Sri Ramakrishna was restored. But as long as Swami Vivekananda lived he cherished sincere affection and reverence for Pavhari Baba and one of the instructions of Pavhari baba which Swami Vivekananda cherished most was: 'Live in the house of your Master like a cow,' which emphasizes the spirit of service and humility in the relationship between the Master and the disciple.