So, as we continue our story, we were walking the long and winding path up the hill to the Shriji Mandir where Baba takes darshan every day after parikrama. Have I mentioned the very sharp stones? We had gone off the path about twenty feet and Baba was looking around him. Left and right he was searching the scrub and bushes with a quizzical look on his face. He looked at Nitai Das (who btw looks like a younger version of Baba) who looked just as puzzled. Nitai Das began making strange guttural noises at regular intervals like a shouted grunt at the diaphragm level. Then it happened.
While walking up the path we had seen many signs informing pilgrims to beware of aggressive monkeys. We had seen a few monkeys loitering about, but no marauding troops of simian perfidy. However, after Nitai Das uttered his noises, there came a wave of fur and glimmering eyes up the ridge where we stood headed straight at Baba!
I instinctively looked at Baba and Nitai Das. They looked pleased and excited. The wave of monkeys ran at full clip up the hill and stooped just short of baba. Baba took the burlap sack from Nitai Das and gave each monkey a piece of dried capati. Each monkey happily took their piece and moved aside for the next. This went on with great zest by the monkeys when a large male grabbed the piece meant for another after he had finished his. Baba gave the monkey a gentle but firm push and fulfilled the almost victim's desire for bread. After the pieces had been distributed and the whole troop (around one hundred to one hundred and fifty monkeys) had been fed, Baba turned the bag upside down, shook it out and wrapped it up looking very satisfied.
Madhavananda and I looked at each other with some amazement.
We continued along the parikrama marg and came to a lila stali where the super-excellent devotees of Sri Sri Vallabhacarya ji were setting up a double throne and flower swings and rugs where pilgrims could come and take the blessings of sweet children dressed up as the Yugala Kishora. Baba took the blessings of the little RadhaKrishna and we all followed suit.
We arrived at Shriji Mandir (second time that day for me ) and we got in the darshan line. Baba made dandavat pranaams for a very long time, perhaps one and a half minutes and rose to take long darshan of Shriji. He then moved to the back where he could see but allow others look as well. Baba began muttering prayers too quietly to be audible. In a very short time tears were gently tracing the line from the outside corner of each eye and down his cheeks. He conscientiously wiped them away with his cadar as I stood amazed and humbled.
Humbled primarily because I had no eyes to see the form he was obviously beholding. I was simply being jostled by the crush of pilgrims and made my escape to the stone steps of the inner courtyard and watching the Sakhi Maharajas and pilgrims of various kinds including many babajis I had never seen before and all the while watching the back of Baba's head as he stood observing his heart's desire, Radha carana padma.
He then, after many minutes made pranams again and moved to the front of the outer courtyard facing Shriji's mandir door. He and many other babajis were making their japa and sitting closely with each other.