Maya Memsahib

I have spent some time at the Ashram now. During this period I have wholeheartedly thrown myself into the Seva of the Guruji and of the tortured souls who came in great numbers to the Ashram seeking solace. On some days I found myself restless - and it was during this period that I extended myself much more than necessary to look after the Ashram and the inmates. I got closer to the Guruji through my work. So much so that he started leaning on me heavily for various duties. I reveled in his trust in me. It gave me a new purpose in life. Material thoughts never came to mind.
I was happiest when the Guruji communicated to us about the rights and wrongs in the world. One day he was in a reflective mood and told us this story. " You all know that that in the second half of the year that there are a number of festivals. Shops around the country come alive with decorations and in the evenings , they are lit up with colourful lights to entice customers to buy stuff from them. All Indians celebrate festivals - in fact all round the world festivals are celebrated with new clothes/ presents etc. Whether it is a Hindu Festival . Muslim Id or Christmas for the Christians - the mode of celebration is not much different. We all go to the same shops to buy our requirements. There is no differentiation in these shops based on religion or caste.A backward class or any other person goes to the same shop. The only religion here is money/currency.But when it comes to religion there is a lot of   nitpicking. You have different places of for worship. It is sacrilege for a (for example) Hindu/Christian to enter a Masjid or for that matter anyone to enter a place of worship of a religion that he does not belong to. The goal is to attain God. It is better to have prayer places which are not based on religion/ caste/creed.It is at these places that a man can strive to attain peace and tranquility without any ulterior motives disturbing him...
As the time passed I became closer to the Guruji. And in turn he started depending on me for almost everything. Soon the time came when I used to be in attendance when he went to discourse to the masses. I could almost read his thoughts... Of late I have found a certain amount of restlessness on part of the Guruji. I did not know what was bothering him and did not dare to ask him the reason for this disquietude. It was as if he was preoccupied with something monumental.My suspicions proved right when he started depending more and more on me to conduct the daily prayers . On most days the devotees left disappointed without the Darshan of the Guruji. I knew that the Gruji desired peace and solitude for meditation. But I ensured that he did not go hungry or thirsty during this time.
It was time to analyse the Guruji's retraction into his shell. I thought about it long and hard and also consulted some of my fellow inmates the reason for this . After much thought I came to the conclusion that it all started off the day Maya came to the Ashram for the Guruji's Darshan. On that day like any other day thousands of devotees thronged the Ashram. Among them - many celebrities. Maya was unlike the other celebrities. From my earlier life I knew that she was a world famous model. It was hard to believe that so famous a person was seeking blessings of Guruji , in this remote hamlet of dehradun. I could not help but feel a little bit excited at seeing so beautiful a woman coming for the Guruji's Ashirvad. Also her celebrity status turned the heads of many who were present that day when she visited the ashram the first time. She had many private audiences with the Guruji. And then the withdrawal of the Guruji into his shell.
Days passed with the Guruji rarely visiting the congregation during that time. It was also the time when Maya stopped coming to the Ashram. One could not help but make a connection between the two events. Since I was the only one in touch with the Guruji I delicately tried to broach the subject of his laxity in looking after his disciples. I was always answered with an enigmatic smile - which discouraged me from asking questions and at the same time also signaled dismissal from his presence. And then ...
And then things changed. One fine morning as I awoke with the burden of running the Ashram still heavy on my shoulders, things started changing all of a sudden. That morning as we prepared for the morning prayers, I heard a sudden hubbub . I opened my eyes and saw that the Swamiji had entered the congregation hall. He was smiling and moving among the devotees. It took some time for him to reach the pulpit as he was stopping among the devotees to bless them and converse with them. For me it was as if a load was lifted from my shoulders. I joyfully rose up from my seat to greet the Guruji and then prostrated myself at the Guruji's feet. That was also the day Maya came back to join the Ashram . She soon became a fixture at the Ashram. Some of the duties of the Ashram started to devolve round her. I somehow could not accept this with equanimity. I tried to broach this with the Guruji. He smiled and said "Guruvananda it is time for you to drop your prejudices and start looking into other people's problems. I want you to speak to Maya and ask her her to tell her story. After you listen to her story I am sure that a lot of your doubts will be cleared and I am sure that it will be a life changing experience for you too...