It was in Kerala and Mangalore in South India where Bhagawan Nityananda enacted many of his lilas, or divine plays, and performed many of his miracles. He travelled on foot, roaming freely in Dharmasthala, Kapu, Mulki, Udipi, Padubidri, Kanhangad, Kasargod, Bantwal, Gokarna, and various other places. During his travels he freed many people from illness, sorrow, pain, and poverty. Even today people of that area remember him with tears of gratitude, and sometimes they come to Ganeshpuri to have a darshan of his samadhi shrine.
Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri
Shri Gurudev loved solitude, and he lived alone. He usually travelled on foot, moving through the woods and mountains with lightning speed. People say he could move from one place to another with a speed of thought. He never stayed anywhere for long. He would travel from one village to another in a state of total bliss; for him, divine joy existed everywhere. He accepted food and water only if they were offered to him, since he never felt their want. He lived in a state of childlike innocence.
There were many stories of miracles from this period. As the accounts of his miraculous powers were told, more and more people followed him. To avoid the crowds, he kept on the move. Sometimes he even climbed trees and from there he would casually toss down leaves as medicine to people who were sick. Devotees would accept the gift and become well again. Sometimes his mere presence would heal people.
Stories are told of other kinds of miracles too. He built many caves and rest houses without taking money from anyone. He would tell the workers to take their wages from under any stone in the jungle, and they used to get the right amount. Or he would put his hand in his loincloth and take out the right amount without even counting.
When the ashram was being built in Kanhangad, the police came to investigate. They wanted to know where Gurudev was getting the money. He led the police through the wild jungle to a lake full of crocodiles, jumped into the water, and pulled out bundle after bundle of brand-new rupee notes, which he tossed to the police. Frightened and astonished, the police bowed to him and ran away.
One day a government official put Gurudev in jail, thinking he was some crazy vagrant. But when Bhagawan was seen on the road outside the jail – at the same time that he was seen inside the jail – the official realized he was dealing with a great being, and he released him immediately.
Occasionally Gurudev would get on a train. If he was asked for a ticket, he would produce thousands of tickets from his loincloth. If he was asked to get off, the train would stop and not run anymore.
Local people saw him walking on the waters of the Pavanja river. Many times he fed thousands of people with sweets, and no one had the slightest idea where the sweets came from.
Shree Gurudev was the object of envy and jealousy from people who did not understand his state. They thought he was stupid and crazy, and they used to abuse him, not only insulting him with words but even throwing things at his bare body: lumps of clay, cow dung, and stones. He was never the least bit bothered by this.
Once a malicious man named Apayya, who knew some black magic, offered Gurudev poisoned tobacco. Gurudev swallowed it. Nothing happened to him, but Apayya began to writhe in agony from the pain in his stomach, and he soon died.
Similarly, someone from Malibar in South India caught hold of Gurudev, tied up his hands with rags soaked in kerosene, and set him on fire. But it was the Malbari who died in agony from the flames. Gurudev was untouched.
On one of his travels through various villages, Gurudev came to a village named Bantwal on the bank of the Netravati River. Here again, ignorant people harassed him as they had done elsewhere. Suddenly, Shree Gurudev disappeared and went into the jungle; where he could be in solitude, far away from the duplicity and scheming of the people.
Then a remarkable thing happened. It was as if the Netravati River herself could no longer bear the insults given o a great being like Gurudev Nityananda, and she decided to punish the foolish villagers. The river in her fury took on the fierce aspect of the Lord. Unexpectedly, the Netravati rose and began to flood the village. Many houses and people and animals were in danger, and some were carried away by the flood waters. The frightened villagers ran helter-skelter to save their lives.
With danger so near, they remembered God and dharma. They also remembered Shree Gurudev. The wiser ones saw the connection between his disappearance and the flood. They searched for him but could not find him. In fear they prayed to him. Feeling compassion for the suffering people, Gurudev appeared on the opposite bank of the swollen river. At the sight of him, the river became calm, and gradually the waters subsided.
Many such stories are heard about Shree Gurudev.
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The above story is an excerpt from the book Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri by Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa
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