Press Conference II

The silence hung heavy on the Ashram. . It was accentuated by the clearness with which we could hear the birds at this time of the day. Somewhere in the distance a vehicle backfired. It sounded like the harsh sound of a rifle firing a single shot. The question posed by the lady reporter hung like the Sword of Damocles over the gathering. Then the Swamiji got up from his seat and walked to the front edge of the podium. This movement caused the tension to break like a dam under intense pressure of water. The noise rose in crescendo. Now that the question had been asked , every reporter added his/her own twist to the question-
"Swamiji how did you come in contact with Maya?"
"Is it true you knew her from before your move to the spiritual realm?"
"Were you and Maya lovers earlier?"
"Why has Maya chosen your Ashram of all those available?"
"Which Political Party are you associated with?"
"Do you support abortion?"
"What are you doing for the underprivileged people of this country?"
"Is it true that the Americans are funding your Ashram?"
"Why is it that you are not Married?"
"Is it true that your Parents are still alive?"
The questions went from sublime to ridiculous. My mind was in a turmoil.How would the Swamiji survive this verbal onslaught? Was it time to put an end to the press conference? My heart went out to the Swamiji.All through this, the Swamiji was quite and composed. When the reporters ran out of questions he started to speak.
"When I was young " he said " I was playing outside in the garden. I found a bird in the garden, on the ground . It's wing was broken and it was making pitiful attempts to fly.  My heart went out to the bird. My life's ambition at that moment was to help the bird recover from it's injury and see it fly again. Every waking moment of mine was spent in administering to the bird. I assiduously worked on making sure that the bird was taken care of. My exertions paid off when one day the bird was healed. It started flying - first in short bursts and  when it was totally healed it flew away. While the heart grieved at the loss of the bird as a companion, my mind was filled with joy in the knowledge that the bird finally was able to fly away to it's independence. This gave me a lot of peace of mind. At that point of time I found my calling."
The Swamiji paused and surveyed the gathering with eyes full of compassion. " At some point of time - like the bird with the broken wing, we are beset with difficulties in our life. We need an external force - a guidance - to help us overcome these difficulties. When we are willing to look outside ourselves to get help, we are accepting the fact that we are at our wits' end. When Maya came to me she was on the verge of a total breakdown. Circumstances and to a large extent her own doings were responsible for her breakdown. She rejected love from her near and dear ones and found solace in acting out her rebellions.The time had came for her to set right the wrongs in her life.. As was the case with everyone else who came to the ashram for help, I started taking care of her . Further interaction made me realise that she required extra attention. She was at that vulnerable stage where she had to be handled very delicately. And so I began spending more time with her . Trying to help her break out of her depression and start living a normal life. While I could not certainly bring back her father I could help her accept the loss and get on with her life. The Idea being that like the bird that flew away after being healed she would get back to her life and live it more meaningfully. This was not the case.
Maya, in spite of gaining peace wanted to do more. She realised that there were many people in this world who would require someone to hold her hand much the same as she was guided in time of crisis.She should also help other people . And this was possible only by becoming a part of the ashram.  Initially I tried to dissuade her saying that she was young and had a career to look forward to. But when she was strong in her desire to help people I started spending time with her to help her smooth transition from a person of the world to a Sanyasin. I am happy to say that she has completely assimilated my teachings and is now in a position to work on others. She is a dedicated to the service of humanity and in the short time she has spent here she has done a lot of good to a lot of people.
With that the Swamiji got up and made to leave the Podium. Immediately there were protests about his leaving but the Swamiji raised his arms for silence and said " I have answered your questions to the best of my ability and have nothing further to say". I would like to request you to kindly leave the Ashram peacefully. Trust has to be developed among human beings and I hope that you will entrust me with your belief....
The Swamiji left the stage. The press reporters took this as a signal for the end of the conference. However a few persistent ones tried to question me. My stand was already clarified by my Swamiji, when he left. I declined to answer any questions and followed the Swamiji.
Did the allegations have any impact on the Swamiji? I was not sure...