'
"Babaji stretched out his hand; a HOMA (sacrificial) fire appeared,
surrounded by fruits and flowers. I received the liberating yogic
technique before this flaming altar.
"The rites were completed in the early dawn. I felt no need for
sleep in my ecstatic state, and wandered around the palace, filled
on all sides with treasures and priceless OBJETS D'ART. Descending
to the gorgeous gardens, I noticed, near-by, the same caves and
barren mountain ledges which yesterday had boasted no adjacency to
palace or flowered terrace.
"Reentering the palace, fabulously glistening in the cold Himalayan
sunlight, I sought the presence of my master. He was still enthroned,
surrounded by many quiet disciples.
"'Lahiri, you are hungry.' Babaji added, 'Close your eyes.'
"When I reopened them, the enchanting palace and its picturesque
gardens had disappeared. My own body and the forms of Babaji
and the cluster of chelas were all now seated on the bare ground
at the exact site of the vanished palace, not far from the sunlit
entrances of the rocky grottos. I recalled that my guide had remarked
that the palace would be dematerialized, its captive atoms released
into the thought-essence from which it had sprung. Although stunned,
I looked trustingly at my guru. I knew not what to expect next on
this day of miracles.
"'The purpose for which the palace was created has now been served,'
Babaji explained.
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