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allowing all to examine it and making comments about certain details on its surface, Swami released the moon back into the sky, where it seled in its familiar spot.
When I heard the story, I wondered why every observatory in the world had not been shocked by the disappearance of the moon. However, I have no doubt about this episode because I have heard many stories of Swami performing miracles that were apparent only to the devotee, leaving others completely unaware of the event. So it must have been with this incident; this group of devotees had the extraordinary experience of Swami’s great powers, while he protected the rest of the world from shock by allowing them to continue to see the moon in its usual place. What an awesome demonstration of Swami’s authority to teach us about the nature of reality.
What Is Real?
I, too, have had personal experiences with Swami transcending what we usually consider real. Some people have one experience with Swami while others, at the same time and place, see and hear something else. This kind of occurrence convinces us of a realm more fundamental than the one we perceive in the outer world. Swami tells us that this fundamental reality is divinity, or love. It is the realm of our own heart. When we find this pure, divine dimension within, we become one with God.
Once I was in an interview along with Indian and South American devotees. Swami spoke for the most part in Telugu, his native tongue. I was thrilled to just watch Swami’s spontaneous, flowing, aractive movements and was enchanted by the sound of his melodious voice without even knowing what he was literally saying. Aer the interview, the South American devotees wondered why the Indians seemed to know what Swami was saying when they had heard him speak Spanish for most of the interview. The Indians heard Telugu, the South Americans heard Spanish, and Swami captivated me without
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