Jagaswami dons the Magic Turban

Jagaswami had been turned into a gorilla by the magic turban. He then managed to get it back from Spotty a moment ago. He raced from tree top to tree-top holding the turban on his head with one paw.

Then he felt funny ... wierd. Was it dangerous to wear this turban? It might have the powers of you-know-who in it? He took up his hand to take it off. As his hand reached his forehead he felt a pain in his neck and temple. The image of Krackiswami came in his mind. He felt pain for Krackiswami stuck in the doorway in the mansion.



He reached the mansion quickly, the only thought in his mind being the pain that Krackiswami was in. Krackiswami was angry, calling him all kinds of names behind his back. "Lord of the Apes, where did you go for so long?"
"Look i brought back the turban!"
"My lord, I would look, if I could turn my head. You may have noticed it is stuck in the doorway!"

As he said that Krackiswami managed to pry himself loose. He lay down on the floor exhausted. Jags went out and got him some grass to chew. Krackiswami was quite surprised at this behaviour. But you never knew what to expect with Jags.

Then Jags felt pain in his chest. He suddenly thought of Spotty. Spotty seemed to be sad due to some loss. But then Jagaswamy immediately tried to remove the thought of Spotty's pain from his mind. He did not want to feel Spotty's pain. As he tried to fight the thought of Spotty, he felt unrest, his mind felt disturbed, angry, unhappy.

He could not decide which thought was worse, feeling the pain of Spotty and wanting to help him, or feeling this mental anguish. This turban is controlling my thoughts, he thought. I must get rid of it. Then he thought of Spotty and felt like returning the turban. He was unable to decide.

He took the turban off, and ran out, and kept running. The thoughts alternating in his mind were driving him crazy. Presently, he saw a group of monkeys. He stopped. Let me give them this turban. Let them take on this trouble.

And so saying he thrust the turban into the hands of the leader of the startled monkeys. Now he felt much better.

aah, I feel lighter

Back at the ashram, Bhagavan was sitting, surrounded by a throng of devotees. He sensed someone far behind in pain. He looked carefully and called out to Spotty. A kind lady picked up Spotty, who was sobbing with his head bent, and deposited him in front of Bhagavan.
"Why are you so sad Spotty?"
Spotty didn't know what to say. Would Bhagavan be angry?

Then he lost his fear and spoke: today i felt naughty and picked up Arunacub's turban while they were sleeping. i wore it thinking i would get some new siddhis. I went out of the cave and then fell asleep. When i awoke the turban was gone. The troublesome swamis had stolen it. I managed to get it back from them, but they outwitted me again. Now when Arunacub comes to know its gone, he will never speak with me again!
So saying Spotty burst into a fresh round of tears. Bhagavan held Spotty and comforted him.

At that moment, the three cub brudders came running in. Spotty saw them and hid himself in Bhagavan's lap wishing he could just melt away or disappear!
"Bhagavan, we could not find Spotty! We were getting so upset then thought we would come to you for help!"
"Did you lose something precious, Arunacub", asked Bhagavan. The cubs look puzzled. "Where is your turban, Arunacub?", asked Bhagavan.
"Oh, we could not find that. But it doesn't matter to us. It will crop up somewhere."
"It doesn't matter to you?" asked Bhagava, surprised. "You've lost your turban and you are more upset about not finding Spotty."
"Well, there's nothing more precious than our Spotty.", said Arunacub.
Bhagavan smiled and became silent. The cubs peered at what was hiding inside Bhagavan's lap but could not make out.

At that moment, there was a rustle behind them. Hobbler and a group of monkey came barging in. Uncle Madhavaswami tried to shoo them away but they did not pay notice. "Bhagavan! Bhagavan!" called out Hobbler, "Some strange monkey gave us this turban. We didn't know what to do with it and it does look very nice. We thought someone may have lost it. Perhaps the owner will come back here asking about it."

So saying they laid it at Bhagavan's feet. But Arunacub did not seem relieved.
Suddenly from Bhagavan's lap peeped out a pair of eyes, and on seeing the turban out emerged Spotty.

The three cubs let out whoops of joy on seeing Spotty. "Oh, here you are! We were sooo worried!"
Bhagavan put the turban back on Arunacub's head. He mentioned that the turban looked very familiar to him, but he couldn't place where he had seen such a turban before.
Arunacub thought, I don't know where this turban went, and what happened to it since it vanished, but it sure feels even more comfortable than ever before.

Bhagavan told him, "The turban came back to you because you did not desire it. You cared more for friendship than the turban and its siddhis. It will always serve you as long as your heart is pure."

The cubs understood from this that love and friendship would bring more happiness than siddhis.

Magic Turban teaches Spotty a lesson!

"What are we doing in here?" asked Krackiswami to Jagaswami in a tone of complete disbelief, like a fish out of water, "I want to chew some cud!"
"I was wondering meself", replied Jagaswami as he looked thru the windows and saw some trees. He loped towards the window, longing to swing on branches, looked back, and said "Come along!"

The all new Krackiswami

Kracks looked at him angrily and replied, "I can't jump out of the window, silly!", and he tried getting through the door. But his horns were too large, they got jammed in the doorway. Krackiswami could not get out of the door no matter how he twisted his horns.
"Wait let me go to the kitchen and get something to hack your horns off!" said Jags.
"Oh no you don't!", shuddered Kracks.

"Maybe we should sue the cubs for this!" said Jags.
"We cant", explained Krackiswami, "The lawyer we hired to file false cases against you-know-who ... he fell ill, his business collapsed --"
"Then get another one!"
" -- he went mad later. Word went around the lawyer community very fast. Now no one will file cases against you-know-who!"
"Maybe we could distribute pamphlets defaming you-know-who saying he has many wives, and owns a large house somewhere with a swimming pool and several cars! And Swiss bank accounts!", said Jags.
"That sounds more like you!" muttered Krackiswami under his breath.
"What did you say?" asked Jags.

"Oh, i just thought instead of going on and on about you-know-who, why not go out, since you can, quickly, and try getting the magic turban back before the eagle reaches back to the cubses cave."

And so Jags, unable to turn himself into anything now, not even his original self, jumped out the window onto the tree, and swung himself from tree to tree. Aah, this was fun, he thought. Made him feel like Tarzan of the Apes. Poor Krackiswami stood uncumsaguly stuck in the doorway his neck beginning to hurt.



Then Jags saw Spotty as an eagle, resting on a tree top with the turban. It must be heavy carrying the turban, he thought. He called out, "Son, can I help you carry the turban to wherever you are going? Would be a pleasure to help out a fine lad such as you."

Your turban or your life!

The eagle (Spotty) looked down, and squinted at Jagaswami who was quite a frightening, hairy gorilla. Spotty then decided he should probably change into something stronger so he could carry the turban back, and be able to fend off the gorilla.

Barely had he thought this that he felt himself swoop down and land on the ground with the turban. He then felt himself changing into an elefink. Strangely, Arunacub had never told him the turban behaved like this. But then Arunacub never told him that turban behaved the way it did in the hands of the troublesome swamis. Maybe even Arunacub doesn't know!

As he changed into an elefink, the gorilla pounced on him. He swung his trunk around and gripped the gorilla. The gorilla was no match for him. He picked up the gorilla and hurled him high up. The gorilla went spinning up, and up and up .. and landed on a very high branch.

Satisfied, Spotty continued walking back. Then suddenly he shivered. Something was wrong! The turban was not with him! He heard a loud laugh and looked back.

Up on the tree, sat the gorilla with the turban on his head!

Aaaah, thought Spotty gently slapping himself with his own trunk, I forgot for a moment that the gorilla too is the Self. In that one moment, i forgot that all are the Self, and so treated him as something separate. And so the turban taught me a lesson.

Hi there Flappy, Have you seen a magical turban?

I should have thought of you, O Loving Lord, Spotty thought. You would have guided me. Instead i let anger and hatred get the better of me. And in such thoughts I distanced myself from you.

What face will I show Arunacub when he lorns that i lost the turban! He will feel let down, I must get it back, Bhagavan! And so saying, with tears streaming down his face, he ran towards the ashram, stopping only once to change back into the real (leopard) Spotty.

O dear me! Such a shame!

He prostrated a little distance away from Bhagavan and sat down behind the crowd of devotees, hiding his face in shame, and praying to Bhagavan for help. (Continued in next post)