One day Bama and his dogs were eating together. Sometimes his dogs were eating
food from his plate; sometimes he was reciprocating by eating food from their
plates. On seeing this unusual scene, some young boys said to Bama, “How
can you do this, and why do you do this? Are you a human being?”

He said to them, “Just because I am a human being I can do this. Now, come
here near me.”

The three boys came and stood before him. Bama placed his finger on the spine
of each boy, one after the other. Using his occult power, Bama brought forward
a human face and consciousness on the face of each dog, and a dog’s face
and consciousness on the face of each human being. Immediately, each boy
saw that the dogs were all human beings whereas the other boys who were watching
were dogs. They were so astonished and baffled.

Then Bama explained, “You think that a human being can eat only with other
human beings. But look at the animals around you. Are they not also human
beings? Again, aren’t human beings also animals? I wanted you to see this;
that is why I used my occult power in this way.”

*

Story by: Sri Chinmoy. Originally published in India and her miracle-feast: come and enjoy yourself, part 8:
Traditional Indian stories about Bama Kshepa by Sri Chinmoy