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Baba Umadatt Shukla were going to
Shukla's house by tonga (horse-drawn carriage).
When they came to a wooden bridge over the Gomti River, Baba said, "Shukla,
you were going to drown yourself in Gomti one day? Why? Tell Me."
Shukla felt ashamed to answer his question, so he kept quiet. Baba
repeated the same question three times. Finally Shukla told the story:
"When I was about sixteen years old, I did not know you Baba. I was
determined to commit suicide by drowning myself in the Gomti. When it
was very dark, I stood on the bridge at a place where the river was
very deep. I was about to jump into the river when the wind blew very
hard and a bright light illuminated the darkness. This unusual
phenomenon startled me. My body trembled so much that I lost the
courage to commit suicide and I went back home." He also told Baba the
reasons why he wished to end his life. When Baba heard this, he quoted
from the Ramayana, "A strong wind
blew. That was God's light." Baba had saved Shukla's
life twenty years before he knew him.
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