Healing, Steffenhof 2005
Many people came for the Shivaratri ceremony. Because of the lack of space, an other devotee and I were sleeping in Swami Vishwananda’s bedroom. To make it more fun, the heating broke down in the main house. Fortunately, the heating in the temple and the other house still worked. Since my childhood I was suffering from chronic sinusitis and no remedy could ever cure it. A crisis started and I had to keep lying on my mattress in Swami’s room, swallowing salted waters through my nostrils to try and calm the sinuses. Visitors were coming in and out of his room. When dinner was ready, he told me:
- Christian, it’s time for dinner.
- You know, in this state and with my sinusitis, I’d rather stay here.
- No, you have to eat. Here – he does the cross sign on me – now you’re healed. Stand up and let’s go to eat.
I stood up and followed him to the dining room, head pounding. Sitting at the table, I felt that the pressure was diminishing and that I was feeling better. By the end of the dinner, I had no more headache. I very happily took part of the Shivaratri celebrations that lasted the whole night. However, on the last night of Shivaratri, my headache started again. In the room, Udhava spoke to Swami about a health problem. Swami took his hands and said: “it’ll be fine”.
- It’d be great if you could do something about my sinusitis…
Swami did as if he had heard nothing and went on chatting with Udhavananda. Five minutes later he turned towards me and said:
- Did you ask me something?
- Euh, yes, if you could do something for my sinusitis it would be great, because it started again tonight.
- Come here, he said, as he was placing his hands on my head. After one minute he said:
- Now, tomorrow you just have to put some of the water that poured from the Relic of St Maur.
- Thank you
The next morning, I woke up with still some pressure in my head. I kept in my head his last sentence and I thought, “let him not forget this water of St Maur! Maybe I should remind him? In any way, with or without this water he could cure me if he wants to. He doesn’t need water, it’s just an excuse not to be openly the healer of my sickness. It is mere humility.”
Swami entered the room and said: “bring me St Nectarius’ oil. He made the cross sign with the oil on my forehead and we went down for lunch. When reaching the bottom of the stairs, he held his back with both hands:
- Wow, I have such backache!
- Oh my God!
Swami entered the dining room. I was mortified. Sitting on the steps of the stairs I started crying. I understood that he took my Karma to prevent me from suffering. I couldn’t show my face because of the shame. Swami called me, I entered the dining room with somebody massaging his back. I sat and cried still.
- What’s the matter now?
- I am sure you’re suffering because of me. Because I couldn’t bear my suffering, you took it on my behalf and now your back is aching.
- I am not dying, you know!
During the following week, I was hearing cracks in my head, but I was not hurting any more. I asked him if the angels were busy repairing my sinuses, and he nodded.
Since then, I never had any sinusitis, even during the coldest winters. That’s the way I learnt that the Sat-Guru, by love, takes over the karma of his disciples. Sat-Gurus do not have karmas anymore, their illnesses are only the consequence of the karma they remove from other people. He is suffering on their behalf.
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