A few months later, after the railway officer and all the members of his
family had become Balananda’s disciples, an unfortunate thing happened. The
railway officer got a dangerous and poisonous carbuncle on his back. The
doctor wanted him to undergo an operation and he readily agreed. On the day
of his operation he prayed in silence to Balananda, who lived seven hundred
miles away, and asked for his Master’s protection.<br>
<br>
Before the operation, the doctor wanted to give him chloroform, but he said,
“Oh, no! My Master is my chloroform.”<br>
<br>
The doctor said, “Do not mix medical science with spirituality. You need
chloroform. You will not be able to bear the pain. It will be excruciating.”<br>
<br>
The railway officer said, “No harm. I will be able to bear it. I am taking
full responsibility for my operation.” The doctor did not argue any further
and he started to operate on the carbuncle. During the operation the patient
kept his eyes wide open and the whole time he kept smiling at the window
before him.<br>
<br>
When it was over, the doctor asked him why he had been smiling and how it
had even been possible for him to smile while he was undergoing such a painful
operation. The railway officer said, “Why was I smiling? It was quite easy
for me to smile because I was seeing my Master standing by the window. How
was it possible? I saw my Master taking away all the pain from me. Therefore,
I was smiling at him with my heart’s boundless gratitude.” After a few hours
the patient was taken back to his home. Early that evening he received a
telegram from his Master which said, “My son, your Master-chloroform was
quite effective, was it not? Love and blessings, your Master, Balananda.”<br>
<br>
Needless to say, the Master had not been informed on the physical plane as
to the actual day and hour of the operation.<br>
<br>
Sri Chinmoy&nbsp;