My Sister’s Question

 June 4, 1981

Even though I have only one day left to see Sinha before leaving for New Delhi, I am unable to refuse a dinner invitation from Mrs. Sharma, the principal of my mother’s school. However, I am determined to see Sinha one last time.

In India, dinners are served late. It is customary to visit first, then eat around 10 p.m. At my request, dinner is served early and is over at 9 p.m. However, I am very tired and would rather flop into bed. Finally, I muster enough strength to go to visit Sinha.

My sister Indira follows me down the stairs from Mrs. Sharma’s house. I realize that she would like to tell me the question she has for Sinha.

“Ask him if I am following the true God, Jehovah,” Indira says. “Use the word, Jehovah. That is my question for Dr. Sinha,” she states emphatically.

As I pedal my bicycle in the pitch dark, I am focused on the question Indira has raised. A struggle ensues in my mind: The existence of a true or false God–or that God may have manifested in a single entity–is a western concept. 

In Hindu temples, there are images of five or more deities. People usually do not care what those deities are. They are all expressions of the same God. To the Hindu mind, even the insignificant ant is an expression of God and thus, the True God. All humans worship the idea of God to uplift ourselves. We all seek leverage outside of ourselves to lift us. To the eastern mind, even the smallest atom has that power. Easterners believe that it is only when our Imagination, Willpower and Emotions coincide that the uplifting takes place. This can be provided by an ant, a blade of grass, a piece of stone, or an idea in our minds. For an easterner, the universe is within us, not outside. All we see outside is a mere reflection of ourselves. There is neither true nor false. It merely IS. 

I wonder how I will be able to transcend this barrier of understanding in posing Indira’s question to Sinha. If he says, “yes,” that she is following the true God, then it would imply to Indira that Sinha is following the wrong God. Conversely, if he says she is following a false God, then would she heed him? The more I struggle with these lines of thought, the more I feel offended with the question itself. Then it suddenly hits me, Why is the question bothering me? What is it that bothers me about this question? After all, it is an innocent question that fulfills Indira’s current needs, just as all this psychic research fulfills my current emotional needs. As far as this question is concerned, I am merely the person who is to pose the question. I need not be personally involved.

I am in the process of resolving this issue when I find myself near Sinha’s place. I decide not to be in a negative frame of mind before I see Sinha. So, I dismount from my bike and walk the last 50 yards or so. I take several deep breaths as I walk. It is 9:30 p.m.

Two men are sitting with Sinha. One of them is a paratrooper in the Indian Army. Sinha is deeply involved in conversation with him. The paratrooper is in his mid-20s, muscular, and well-tanned. His answers are clipped and short. I gather from his conversation and accent that he hails from a village in Garhwal (a hilly area in north India) and has very little formal education.

Sinha tells the paratrooper that since he is a patriot who has dedicated himself to the service of his country, he will give him some blessings from the Light. He starts to describe facts of the paratrooper’s life as they currently exist: that his wife is living in a village located west of a lake, that she is pregnant, and that the man’s father is paralyzed on the left side. On and on he goes, and the two fellows nod their heads in amazement and with eyes wide open as he reveals these facts.

Then he asks the pair to leave as he has promised time to see me, that I have come all the way from the United States, and that my time is short. They follow his instructions without hesitation; touching the trunk of the tree, they depart. I ask Sinha why they are touching the trunk of the tree. Sinha explains that the tree has special powers and that is the reason for the construction of the temple at the base of that tree.

As they leave, Sinha starts talking to me as if there had been no interruption in our conversation since yesterday. He is already in a trance and starts dictating homeopathic formulations to me. He tells me of ten different remedies for ailments ranging from high blood pressure to increasing memory. I ask for help regarding a friend of mine in Bhopal who is currently having backaches, and he prescribes medicine for him.

“Any other questions?” he asks.

 I do not wish him to get out of his trance, but I really do not have any other questions.

“Tell me about my wife,” I improvise.

“What would you like to know? Pick an area of interest.”

 I am, unfortunately, again at a loss.

“Shall I tell you something about her parents?” he helps out.

 “That will be fine.”

“At their house, I pick up vibrations of three girls. The other two girls are there because of the death of their parents. They are related to your wife, but are not sisters. Your wife’s mother is supportive of them and helps them. I see initials. Is this correct?” he asks. 

He is stating these facts at a very rapid rate, and it is difficult for me to take all this down. I inform him that these facts are correct, that several years ago two of my wife’s cousins did stay in the house under these circumstances.

“Your father-in-law has just changed his eyeglasses. His new glasses have silver-like frames. He is a tall person, elderly. Recently, he had a problem with an internal organ. I see him connected with a shop or a restaurant. Both pictures are there. He is connected with either one or both. There is some connection with food.”

I confirm this because my father-in-law did own a grocery store at one time and is now connected with a print shop. Sinha continues to accurately describe the set up of my in-law’s house—furniture, curtains, even acting out some of their mannerisms.

“Anything else you would like to know about your in-laws?” he inquires.

I try to think fast but my mind is blank. “How about telling me something about my secretary,” I hasten to add.

“I see two women together, one tall and one short. Which one is your secretary?”

“The short one.”

“She is about 54 years of age. At this time, she is with another person, taller than her but younger. This could be her daughter. One of your secretary’s sons is connected in some fashion to the medical profession. In the near future, one of the girls in her family will be connected to the Navy. Your secretary has had some trouble with her leg. She is adding an extension to her house. From November 1981 to February 1982, there will be improvements for her. She will have financial gains, and her children will show some gains also. At this moment, there is someone in her house who has some problem with their mouth. This could be tonsils or mumps or something like that. Your secretary has been having some sort of stomach trouble, which gives her feelings of suffocation. In the near future, she will cut her nail or finger with an alloy of metal.” He goes on to describe how long she has worked with us, her features, facts about her husband, and other details of her family.

As has happened before, there is a brief silence and he is again out of his trance. Our conversation drifts into minor things, and he starts to ask questions of me. At this time, I decide to pose the question Indira has asked me to convey.

He answers with a question, “Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses?” 

I tell him briefly.

“Oh, yes, I know now,” he says, with his head nodding all the time. “Some five years ago, a couple came to my house during the daytime. They kept knocking on my door and were puzzled that I would not answer. Finally, I put my writing slate under the door and explained to them that I do not receive anyone during these hours. They wrote back on the slate and said they wanted to visit with me about Jesus Christ. So, I requested that they give me a Bible, and I would pay them for it. A few days later they left a Bible, which cost five rupees (65 cents), and they would not accept any payment for it. That is quite a sacrifice. Some days later, I found out that a person in the neighborhood had insulted these missionaries. It is unimaginable that someone would insult anyone who is preaching the word of God. But that is that. Whoever does insult a sacrificing renunciant like these will get their own punishment. It is not for us to judge. But they are noble people, and I know now who you are referring to.”

I repeat Indira’s question almost verbatim, as she had asked me present to him: “Is she following the true God, Jehovah?”

Dr. Sinha goes back in trance and says, “Your sister will experience a change in three to five years. She will be touched by a holy sage. As a result, she will not be as active as she is now and will become sublime and submissive. She will go towards the east from where she is now located. She could even come to India.”

At this point, Sinha comes out of his trance. We begin discussing my plans to return to the States. I inform him that I am planning to fly on the 10th from New Delhi.

“Your departure will be delayed. I do not see travel for you on the 10th. I see travel sometime between the 12th through the 15th or 17th. One other person may go with you. It could be your sister. The person sitting next to you on the plane will be a girl, who will have an unusual brown bag with her.”

“I see a dark, shiny table outside your office in the hallway. This would imply that there would be a change in your office location.”