A Solution to Raja Bhadri’s Problem

a  blanket is a blanketDuring the beginning of Raja Bhadri's term of office as the lieutenant governor of Himachal Pradesh, the Central Government wanted his response to a certain problem. He did not want to give it, for it would have hurt the feelings of his friend Jawahar Lal Nehru. He could not put off replying because he had already received several letters from the Central Government on the matter.

One day Raja Bhadri called his officials and advisors to Government House with the purpose of drafting a reply, but he could not go ahead with the meeting since he himself was not sure what to do. It was nine o'clock in the evening, food was laid out on a side table, the officials were waiting for him in an outer room, and he had not yet briefed them on the purpose of the meeting. He was sitting alone, deep in thought, when suddenly he remembered Maharaj.

He told me that Baba would solve his problem by giving him sound advice if he could be contacted. Knowing the whereabouts of Baba Neeb Karori was very difficult because he was always wandering. The Raja wanted to seek help from an I.A.S. (Indian Administrative Service) officer he knew who lived in Lucknow. He asked his officials to locate the officer's residence phone number and then agreed to my request to have dinner.

While the officer's phone number was being tried in the outer room and the Raja was having dinner, the telephone rang. The secretary answered the phone, and saying that it was Baba Neeb Karori calling from Agra, passed the telephone over to the Raja at the dining table. The Raja was pleased and said, "Baba, I was looking for you." Baba at once asked, "Well, what's the problem?" The Raja quickly explained the whole problem. Baba said, "Do what I say. Do not reply to any of the letters. Keep all the letters with you." Baba then stopped the communication. The Raja wanted to ask him something else and immediately tried to phone Baba back, but nobody could discover the origin of the call. He gathered all the letters and put them in an envelope, which he kept with him. He asked everyone to go home, and the need for a reply never arose again throughout his long term of office.

by Rani Bhadri

from Ravi Prakash Pande (Rajida), ed., “The Divine Reality,” 2nd Ed. (2005), pp. 181-182.