With the countless Divine Powers that Baba possessed, Baba performed many miracles during His life, though never once to bring glory to Himself. His was infinite compassion. In seeing and feeling the unbearable suffering of others as His o wn suffering, miracles were performed. He loved as a loving mother, wanting to ease the suffering of her precious child. At the same time, He loved with the wisdom of the mother who knows her child must become wise to the ways of the world. Baba performs His miracles out of compassion for His beloved children. Whatever the need - whether it was a lesson about loving all creatures, showing compassion, having infinite faith in the Divine, or feeding a motherless newborn - Baba's love compelled Him to use whatever was within His capacity to help all of those who came to Him for help.

At times, Baba Lokenath could seem indifferent, even harsh or dismissive. In reality, He was deeply compassionate. He spoke of that paradox in this way:

"Do you think that I want you to suffer the pain of your diseases? You have accumulated bundles of sins for many births. How else can you be rid of them without physical ailments and mental agony? When I see the pain of your suffering become intolerable, I cannot bear your suffering any longer. I know very well that by curing your ailments I am indirectly encouraging you, but I cannot remain indifferent. I convince myself by saying, 'They are My children. Who else but Me will cure their painful diseases?' I abuse them, punish them and at the same time take them on My lap."

The Unwelcomed Guest

A persistent devotee once beseeched Baba to attend a dinner that was part of the last ceremonial rites for his late father. Baba never left the ashram for social events and no one ever insisted that He attend them in person. This devotee, however, refused to accept that, so Baba promised to attend. On the day of the dinner, the devotee received all of his guests. His entire attention was preoccupied, however, anticipating his most important guest, Baba Lokenath. He longed to see Baba. He restlessly watched as all of his guests arrived, feasted, and then left one by one. There was no sign of Baba. That night he became very depressed. He could not believe that Baba would break His promise. He condemned himself thinking that he must be a sinner. Why else would his master fail him? The next morning, he visited Baba, prostrated himself, and asked Baba why He had not come, since he had expected Baba with all his heart. Baba replied that He had gone to the house, but instead of being welcomed, He had been driven out. The devotee was shocked. He could only remember being gracious to all of his guests. Baba then said, "A dog tried to take some sweets from your storage room. Not once but three times you beat the dog with a stick and drove it away." Baba showed him the bruises and said, "I was the dog. I visited you in the form of a dog. If you cannot recognize me, what am I to do?" The devotee then fell at Baba's feet and asked forgiveness. Baba was teaching a lesson in the importance of acknowledging the Divine manifestation of every creature and in the necessity of observing kindness and goodness to all in the spirit of worship.

Radhika Mohan Roy

Radhika Mohan Roy was a wealthy man suffering from chronic rheumatism which partially paralyzed him. Although he could afford the best treatments available, nothing improved his condition. His devout wife had heard about the divine powers and mercy of Baba Lokenath and found her way to Baba's feet. Radhika was a disrespectful husband involved in many evil activities. Baba was unsympathetic to his plight. Baba's heart melted, however, at the tearful prayers of his devoted wife. Baba took pity on Radhika because of his wife's heartfelt prayers. With Baba's grace, Radhika slowly regained strength in his limbs. After a few days he began to move. The change was a miraculous improvement, since he had been a total invalid. Only one arm remained paralyzed. One day, as Baba sat in His room, Radhika's wife came to Him looking very depressed. She said that, although she was deeply grateful for Baba's grace, she felt sad that his arm was still paralyzed and he was unable to raise it. She prayed for Baba's mercy. Baba raised His hands three times and told her, "Go and you will find that your husband is able to raise his hands." Fully convinced of her husband's total recovery, she ran to the boat where her husband was lying. To her great happiness, Radhika had been cured.

Heaven's Milk for the Divine Child

Umaprasanna Nag had been blessed with a son, but lost his wife during childbirth. There was no one at home who could nurse the baby. Umaprasanna's sister, Sindhuvasini was unable to help him. He had decided to find a paid woman to feed the baby and save the child. Learning of her brother's intentions, Sindhuvasini went to Baba. Baba listened to her, then told her, "There is no need of any paid woman. You come sit before me. I will suck your milk." Sindhuvasini was infertile. She had always wished to be a mother. She could not believe her ears. The infertile woman sat before the Divine Child. As Baba put His mouth to her breasts, they filled with milk. Her clothes were drenched. The motherless child had found a mother in Sindhuvasini. With the nourishment of that blessed milk, the boy grew into holy child and ardent devotee of Baba. In later life, Brahmaprasanna, settled in Calcutta and established a temple dedicated to Baba Lokenath at Garia.

The Barren Conceive

Other infertile women often came to Baba, begging to have children through His mercy and grace. Baba took pity on these unfortunate women who wholeheartedly longed to have a child. Baba always blessed them saying, "You will be blessed with a child, and I shall come to your home as your child." Since Baba would say the same thing to all of these women, most devotees found His statements confusing. When they asked Him to explain what He meant, He would say, "To you there is the second. But to Me, there is nobody else. I have become everything; so who else will be born other than Me?"

Honoring Our Promises to God

Sri Chandakumar Dutta was the Deputy Magistrate of Dacca. After a prolonged ailment, his wife lost her ability to speak. She could not take food, pass urine or stool. She had the finest medical care, but continued to deteriorate. Only God could save her. Baba was her only refuge, so Chandrakumar brought her to Baba and begged for mercy. Baba responded, "In order to test whether I had attained the state of Brahman, I cured ninety-four dying patients, just by word. Now I do not have such wishes. But if anybody can make Me wish, even today, he can cure himself." Chandrakumar asked how to make Baba wish. Baba replied, "Just as you feel the need for food to appease your appetite, just as you need to attend to the call of nature to maintain the health of your body, in the same way, if anybody feels the need for me, he can make Me wish and thereby fulfill his desires." The pitiable condition of Chandrakumar's wife touched Baba's heart. The lady stayed for two months at the Baradi ashram. With the grace of Baba, she was able to speak again. Her other problems disappeared. Prior to her recovery, Chandrakumar promised to donate 500 rupees to the ashram if his wife recovered. Baba reminded him in a personal letter not to forget the promise he had made. Chandrakumar wrote back arrogantly, saying, "You are a sannyasin. What are you going to do with so much money?" A year later, Chandrakumar's wife once again fell ill with all of the previous ailments. While Baba had no need of the money, the promise had been made freely by Chandrakumar. When he deliberately and arrogantly dismissed it, the blessings that had flowed out to him from Baba were necessarily taken away. Sadly, Chandrakumar's wife suffered for his foolish actions.

Baba Keeps His Promise

A successful lawyer of the Dacca court, Sri Biharilal Mukherjee, was an ardent devotee of Baba. Once, he was traveling by boat through the middle of a river. A furious thunderstorm suddenly arose. Biharilal and the other passengers realized that the situation was beyond the control of the boatman. They began preparing for the end. Feeling helpless, Biharilal suddenly remembered Baba's promise, "In forest or in ocean, whenever you are in danger, remember Me. I will save you." The earnest prayers of the devotee reached Baba. At the time of this crisis, Anath Bandhu Mallik was sitting near Baba at the Baradi ashram. Baba told him, "Anath, Bihari's life is at stake. He is praying to Me for My grace. I am going to save him." As if by magic, the boat slowly balanced itself and reached its destination safely.

Baba Manifests to an American Woman

Manifestations of Baba's grace were not confined to India. The following episode illustrates how Baba would bi-locate when He heard the call for help. Dr. Nishikanta Basu, an ardent devotee of Baba's, was a practicing physician in a sanitarium in Chicago. One day, a patient came to him for treatment of a stomach tumor. The condition was serious. She was very worried and told the doctor she would do whatever he advised her. As Dr. Basu was about to reply, the lady cried out, "Stop, don't talk. I see somebody behind you, towering above your head. Do you know who He is? He must be your spiritual guide." As she described the appearance, the doctor realized that she was describing Baba. Basu wrote in his diary, "I did not look behind me, but only kept looking at the lady and knew that Baba had come. He made it clear to me that He is the Divine Presence and He is always behind me protecting me." Dr Basu advised his patient to go to another hospital to have her tumor operation, knowing full well that if she went, from the business point of view, the sanitarium would lose. Basu knew that Baba had appeared because he was going to advise his patient to stay in the sanitarium for a few more days to satisfy hospital officials. Baba Lokenath had appeared to show him the path of truth and forthrightness.

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