The Captain Confirms…

Human mind has a naive apprehension to rely on sheer faith than to go by its own logic which has often been mistaken to be ‘Right’…Prof. N. Kasturi wote an article in contention to an incredible happening, that had an impact on His Divine Advent, which was recorded in the first volume of Sathyam Sivam Sundaram…Read on a narratioin from Prof. Kasturi that vouches authenticity of that rare happening that had a bearing on The Divine Advent!

“Sathyam Sivam Sundaram” (Volume I) which is the authentic account of the Divine Life of Bhagawan gives, in the opening pages, a description of the holy village where the Incarnation happened, and relates some of the `legends’ which popular memory has retained about the origin and antiquity of the place and its landmarks. One story among these has attracted considerable attention and even scepticism from the readers—the story of the cobra and the cow, which explains the origin of the Gopala­krishna Temple at Puttaparthi. The Book says, “One day, a cowherd noticed that his favourite cow had no milk in its udder; she secretly watched her movements; he followed her about; he noticed that she went to an ant‑hill. There, a cobra issued from out of the mound, raised itself on its tail and applying its lips gently to her teats, drank the milk in glee.”

Could this ever happen? Was it merely hallucination or exaggeration or sheer fiction? Many dismissed the story, as clever but false, fixed in folk‑imagination but essentially a fib! But, it was not only the simple cow‑herd of Puttaparthi who saw such an astounding spectacle! Captain Freddie Guest of the Indian Cavalry saw the same spectacle in 1944, at Bangalore. In his Autobiography, he describes the scene thus, “After breakfast, we would have trick riding, or musical chairs on horseback, which is wonderful fun, and, then, when it was over; we made our way back, in our own time. It was on one of these mornings when I was riding out alone to the rendezvous that I saw one of the strangest sights imaginable.

I had started early as I wanted to see that everything was in order because the party was larger than usual. I was passing on the outskirts of a small village when I heard the mooing of a crow, which sounded rather distres­sing.

I turned my horse and cantered over to the animal and there in the early morning light—the dawn had just broken—I saw a cow in milk, transfixed to the ground by the efforts of a full sized cobra which had wound its body around the two hind legs of the cow, making it completely immobile and with one of the udders in the mouth, was sucking the cow of its milk.

My horse suddenly became aware of the snake and immediately went into the most awful fit of trembling and I could feel its knees sagging beneath me. If ever a horse was near fainting, this was the time. I always carried a stock whip with lash when riding. As soon as I recovered from my astonishment, I gave a crack of the whip which went off like a pistol shot. It startled the snake, which unwound itself in a second and was away in a flash.

The cow ran off towards the village; but, strangely enough, I had a feeling that IT WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS KIND OF THING HAD HAP­PENED TO HER I WAS QUITE CERTAIN BY THE SIZE OF THE COBRA THAT IT WAS NOT ITS FIRST MILK FOOD!

It took some time to pacify my horse and I had rough riding for the remainder of the morning as it shied at everything and anything which even reminded a snake such as twigs, branches or cracks in the hard ground.

The story certainly enlivened the breakfast party that morning at which there were some Americans. Every one thought it a tall story which I put on especially for the visitors (just as readers of Sathyam Sivam Sundaram have felt!) but, I CAN VOUCH FOR THE TRUTH OF IT.”

There are more things in earth and heaven than our petty puny reason can measure and make its own.