The Legend. . .

The unique, vital, and most practical theory of Yoga philosophy is that man has come on earth holding as the birthright possession over an infinite source of supply within himself, for the attainment of absolute perfection. This theory has been applied not only in the realm of spiritual unfoldment. Many yogis have demonstrated the fact that even all our physical supplies, such as food, air, water, and the like, can also be drawn from our own internal nature.

A very interesting story is told about the sage who discovered this special knowledge of drawing nourishment from the infinite source of supply, even for the physical system.

This sage was reared from early infancy in one of the forest retreats. The only people he had ever seen were the monks who lived in the monastery. He grew up to be a brilliant scholar and his teacher expected that his young disciple would become one of the most prominent of the rishis (sages) and perhaps contribute something unique towards the fund of human knowledge and advancement. However, the teacher noticed one particular shortcoming in the young man. He was proficient in all the different branches of philosophy and was highly advanced in the practice of Yoga; but in the understanding of human nature he was more or less ignorant, because all of his knowledge about the world came from books. He had never had any opportunity of contacting people outside the monastery.

Every morning it was the custom of the monks to send someone from the monastery to the neighbouring village to get a supply of prepared food, sufficient to last them for the whole day. One morning the teacher asked this young man to go the village for the food. It was the first time he was going out of the monastery and the young ascetic looked forward to this new experience. He walked out of the forest and entered the village. For the first time in his life he found men who were very different from those he had known. He talked to some of them and was very interested in what they had to say. As he had been directed by his teacher, he knocked at the door of the first house he saw. The door was opened by a young girl. She stood there with the food, ready to offer it to the monk. But he was so surprised to see, for the first time in his life, a person other than a man that he looked with wonder and amazement at her. This seemed to embarrass the young girl, who turned away. The monk asked her to wait. He said he wanted to ask her some questions. Why did she look as she did; why were there so many differences in her features from those of men, and many other questions which the young girl could not possibly answer. She said, "Please wait. I shall call my mother. She will answer your questions."

As soon as she saw the young monk the mother realized the situation. She understood that it was the first time the monk had seen a woman. With the tender care of a mother she explained everything the young monk asked her. She told him that woman was intended to be the mother of the race and this was the primary and most important mission of her life. For that reason, God created her in such a way that every faculty, every limb of her body, developed towards the fulfillment of that great mission. She pointed out that, if woman looks tender it is such tenderness would be necessary for raising the child. If her voice is sweet and soft, it is because she is to contribute these soothing qualities to the future generation. She also emphasized the fact that nature makes such provision that when the child is born it receives a bountiful supply of food, which is stored up in the body of the mother long before the arrival of the baby.

The young monk was very much impressed with this knowledge, which his books had not taught him. He was amazed, and said, "Do you mean to say that long before I was born my God made it a point to see that my food was stored up in the body of my mother?" The lady answered in the affirmative. This seemed to overwhelm the young monk. He rose to go. The lady reminded him to take the food which he had come for, but he shook his head, indignantly. "No more of that superstition," he said, "I am through with it!" The young monk returned to the monastery. When he was asked about the food, he replied in the form of a few wonderful verses, reprimanding the teacher for his negligence in not teaching him the truth that the God who sent him into the world was so kind and considerate that he had even made provision for his food, in the person of his mother. He asked, "Do you think that God has died or has been unmindful of His business, that He neglected to make further provision for my sustenance when I grew up? It is now my strongest conviction that everything, physical, mental, as well as spiritual, that I may ever stand in need of, must have been supplied to me by my God. I will discover and teach the world how to get in touch with that infinite Source of supply!"

Tradition ascribes the discovery of this truth to this particular rishi (sage). Apart from this legend, it has in fact, been established on the ground of reason and experiment that a man can draw all his supply from within. (Source: Meditation by the Monks of Ramakrishna Order: Lessons in meditation by Swami Gnaneswarananda, pp. 62-64)

. . . and the True Story

. . .From Vrindaban [a holy place in north India] Swami Brahmananda went to the Himalayan region at Hardwar [another holy place], seeking greater solitude. He stayed at Kankhal, near Hardwar, for some time and met Swami Vivekananda and other brother disciples there. The whole party then traveled to Merut and lived there for a few months. Before he left for America in 1893, Swami Vivekananda left his brother disciples at Delhi to wander alone. Swami Brahmananda then went with Swami Turiyananda to many holy places in western and northern India, and later returned to Vrindaban. As God tests the faith of mystics, so mystics also verify God's grace. One day Swami Turiyananda said to Swami Brahmananda: "Today I shall not go out to beg food. Let us see if Radha [the goddess of Vrindaban] will feed us. "Both swamis passed the whole day and night in meditation, and the next morning a man brought various kinds of food for them. On another occasion, when they were practicing austerity near Lake Kusum (near Vrindaban), Swami Turiyananda only got some dry bread from begging. Offering that to Swami Brahmananda, he said: "Maharaj, the Master [Ramakrishna] used to take such wonderful care of you. He would feed you with delicacies, and I am feeding you this dry, tasteless bread." Saying so, he burst into tears.

Monks sometimes follow the example of a python, which does not make any effort to get its food. They depend solely on God. In Vrindaban Swami Brahmananda took such a vow, and a devotee provided his food and other necessities. One day while he was meditating a man put a new blanket in front of him and left. After a short while a thief came and took the blanket. The swami silently observed the play of maya and smiled.

Temptation is one of the tests of spirituality. Once the Queen of Bharatpur came on a pilgrimage to Lake Kusum. She was very much impressed when she saw Swami Brahmananda's serene face, and she offered some sweets to him. When the swami opened one of the sweets, he found a gold coin inside. Immediately he put the sweet down and he and Swami Turiyananda left that place.

The swamis then went to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Ramachandra. They could not stay there very long as there was a terrible scarcity of food. One day Swami Turiyananda went to beg food and got some boiled Kachu (an edible root). As soon as they ate it their throats started to sting and bum, and gradually their mouths and tongues swelled. Seeing Swami Brahmananda suffering, Swami Turiyananda went out to find a lime, which is an antidote for that allergy. He found a lime grove, but he could not see any fruit on the trees. He sought out the owner of the grove but was told that the fruit was out of season. Passing the grove again, he keenly searched the trees, when unexpectedly he saw a lime. With the permission of the owner he plucked the fruit and ran with it back to Swami Brahmananda. It immediately relieved his painful throat. That night Swami Brahmananda lamented, addressing Sri Ramakrishna: "Master, why did you take me from home if you could not provide a morsel of food? Tomorrow morning if I get hot Khichuri [rice and lentils cooked together] and pickles, I shall understand that you are with me."

The next morning the swamis went to bathe in the river Saraju. A monk came there and said to Swami Brahmananda: "Swami, I understand both of you fasted yesterday. Please come to my cottage and have some prasad, which I offered to Lord Rama." The monk served hot Khichuri and pickles to the swamis. They greatly enjoyed the meal. The monk then said: "Blessed I am! For the last twenty-four years I have been practising sadhana here in order to have a vision or to hear the voice of Lord Rama. Today the Lord blessed me." Tears came from the eyes of the monk. At Swami Brahmananda's request, the monk elaborated: "while I was sleeping last night I saw that Lord Rama touched my body with his soft hand and said: 'Get up! I am hungry. Cook Khichuri and offer it to me. Tomorrow morning you will see two devotees bathing at the Saraju river. They are fasting. Offer my prasad to them.' It is by your grace that I got the vision of Lord Rama." While returning to their cottage Swami Brahmananda related to Swami Turiyananda the mystery behind the incident.
(Source: A Guide to Spiritual Life: Spiritual Teachings of Swami Brahmananda, tr., Swami Chetanananda, pp. 19-21)