Tale 49 ~ 100 Tales for 10,000 Buddhas

After lunch Osho is resting in His room and I am sitting on the verandah guarding. Three elderly Muslims walk in and say, " We want to see 'Peer-baba'." Peer-baba is an Urdu word which Muslims use for their masters. I tell them, "He is resting now" ; they could come back at 3:00pm.

They are just curious to know about Osho. To start with, one of them asks me if I am His daughter. Just to avoid unnecessary talk I simply say, "Yes." But I am wrong. It is not so simple as I thought. The other person asks, "Where is your mother?" Now I am in a dilemma, I don't know what to say. My real mother is no longer alive. Thinking of her, I say, "My mother has died." Feeling uneasy with them, I get up to go in and one of those three says, " Please, one more question. Do you have more sisters and brothers?" I take a deep breath. Things are going too far now. I feel stupid to start with a lie,
and look at them in silence.

To my great relief they leave and I hear one of them saying, "Poor girl, her mother has died and she is taking care of her father."

When I tell Osho the whole dialogue, He laughs and says, "So now you know how
one lie leads to others. It is good to be aware of it from the very beginning."

Tale 48 ~ 100 Tales for 10,000 Buddhas

It is very hard to burn this kerosene stove. It is giving lots of trouble. I have to clean its nipple with a pin very often and pump it for a while and somehow miraculously it burns up.

First I prepare tea and then keep the lid directly on the stove to make toast. Osho is having His breakfast on a little rectangular table placed in one corner of the kitchen. I keep the kitchen door open to keep the kerosene smell out. Today the watchman, who is a young handsome Muslim, comes to the door and bowing down towards Osho says, “Aleikum Salaam.” Osho greets him with His big heavenly smile and asks me to give him toast and tea.

But to my surprise the next day also this watchman comes at the same time and the whole incident is repeated again. Now I am sure it will repeat every day while we are there.

My intuition is not wrong, he comes every day for his tea and toast and I observe Osho is enjoying it. I feel Osho must be knowing my inner turmoil and anger against this man and is trying to bring it to the surface without saying a single word to me directly. Today I hear Him talking in discourse about unconditional love, loving strangers without any motive. Hearing this, I feel myself utterly stupid remembering the morning incident, and something clicks.

Next morning for the first time I receive the watchman with a open heart and give him toast and tea with love. Osho is watching it and when I look at Him, He gives me a sweet smile, acknowledging the change in my attitude towards the watchman.

Tale 47 ~ 100 Tales for 10,000 Buddhas

In the morning at 8:00am, Osho is having His breakfast of toast and tea. Sheelu is helping me prepare the toast on the aluminum lid. Sheelu is a very quiet person, she hardly speaks.

While eating the toast, Osho says, “Sheelu hardly speaks, she is very quiet.” I tell Osho, “Sheelu’s mother calls her devita (which means angel) because of her silent nature.”

Osho laughs and says, “When my history gets written, don’t forget to mention that angels used to prepare toast for me.”

Sheelu, me and friends who are present there all laugh at this remark of Osho’s, but inside I remind myself to remember what Osho has said.

Tale 46 ~ 100 Tales for 10,000 Buddhas

Kashmiri people wear a typical type of dress which Osho likes very much. He tells us to go to the studio and get our photos taken in Kashmiri dress. We are excited with His idea and go for it.

After our photos are taken, we ask the cameraman if he can come with us to take a photo of Osho on a horse wearing the Kashmiri dress. He agrees to it.

Osho is sitting on the verandah with some friends. Seeing us coming with a horse and cameraman, He understands our intention and says, “Here comes the trouble.”

Hearing this I tell Him, “You have troubled us all. Now please get dressed in this Kashmiri dress. We want your picture on the horse.” Other friends are surprised with my remarks but Osho smiles and gets up from the chair and says, “Okay, as you wish.” Kranti takes the package of the dress and goes with Him into the room.

I wonder how sometimes I talk with Osho so intimately like a friend. I realize it is because of His love that we never feel Him as separate and far above us. He allows us to open our hearts towards Him without any pretension.

In a few minutes He comes out dressed in Kashmiri dress looking like a Mughal emperor with mischievous smile on His face. The cameraman is waiting with his horse on the ground near our cottage.

Osho walks gracefully and slowly to the horse and pats Him. He rides on the horse, looks at us smilingly and the camera clicks. Next day, we get this beautiful picture of Osho sitting on the horse like the emperor of Kashmir.

Tale 45 ~ 100 Tales for 10,000 Buddhas

After staying in Srinagar for a week it is decided to go to Pahalgaon. Pahalgaon is the most beautiful valley in Kashmir surrounded by mountains all around. I decide to go to Pahalgaon on horse with some friends through the mountains.

Osho will be going by road in a car. It is a very tedious journey by horse, especially when one does not know horse riding. Anyhow, totally exhausted we reach Pahalgaon. A few friends who have already reached are waiting to receive us. To my surprise, I am taken to the cottage where Osho is sitting in the verandah with some friends. I touch His feet and sit nearby on the floor. He enjoys listening to our tedious journey on horseback.

In a few minutes, Kranti comes out of the room and gives me a gesture to come. I get up and she takes me around to show the cottage. It has only one bedroom with attached bathroom, a little dining room and a big living room. At the back side of the cottage is a little room which is connected with the main cottage by a little pathway. I look in this room. There are two single beds kept near the side walls. There is a big window opening towards the mountains. It is quite neat and has a bathroom outside. Kranti asks me if I would like to stay there. Without any hesitation, I reply, “I will love to stay here, it is so close to Osho’s room.” I bring my suitcase and occupy that room with my girlfriend Sheelu from Bombay. Other cottages are quite at a distance from this cottage. The kitchen is also at quite a distance and it is decided the food will be sent in a tiffin for Osho and Kranti; Sheelu and I will walk to the kitchen to have our meals

A stove and a pot to prepare tea in the morning at our cottage is arranged. Osho likes to have toast and tea in the morning. No toaster is available. I find an aluminum lid of a pot to make toast on it. In the night I make sure that bread, butter, milk, sugar and tea leaves are kept ready for breakfast.

Osho looks very happy going around the cottage and decides to speak in the living room every morning and evening.

Tale 44 ~ 100 Tales for 10,000 Buddha

Today Laxmi has arranged to go boating on Dal Lake. Osho, Sheelu and I arrive at the lake, where Laxmi is waiting for us. One shikara (little boat) is tied to a motor boat by a thick long rope. Laxmi, Sheelu and I get into the motor boat and Osho, with Kranti, sits in the shikara.

The motor boat is driven by a young Muslim boy who looks very excited to see his passengers. The motor boat goes fast pulling the shikara by a rope.

After a few minutes we hear Kranti calling us to stop. the motor boat stops and the Muslim boy pulls the rope of the shikara. When the shikara touches our boat, to our surprise, Osho gets up and jumps in the motor boat and Sheelu jumps in the shikara to be with Kranti.

Osho tells the driver that He wants to drive the boat. The driver gets up from the seat which Osho occupies and here we go. Osho drives so fast and zigzags away that the knot of the rope opens up and the shikara is left behind. I hear Kranti shouting, “Bhaiya, bhaiya” (which means big brother) -- but “Bhaiya” does not listen to her!

I am holding my breath, the boat could turn upside down any moment. The whole lake is in turmoil. I look at Laxmi and she smiles at me.

I think Osho is doing it purposely to give us this experience of being in danger and bringing our fear of death to the surface. I am sure I am going to drown any moment. Feeling helpless I close my eyes.

Finally the boat has slowed down and has touched the shore. I take a deep breath and wonder if I am still alive. Looking at us Osho gives us His heavenly mischievous smile.