Narada's Tree at the Sanctuary

Namaskar, all.

All of you are probably aware that indigenous peoples of the Americas gave great importance to signs they encountered in the natural world — that is, to encounters with eagles, whales, coyotes, etc. Ac. Krsna once told me that, for the native peoples in his region, the most auspicious sign they could come across was to see a tree fall in the forest on a calm day.

Over the years, at times when I was in forests, I would think about what Krsna had told me. I eventually came to the conclusion that the whole idea of a tree falling on a calm day must be mythical — and that trees are only brought down by big winds or earthquakes or other powerful forces of nature. It just all seemed too far out, like a big effect happening without a cause.

At the recent International Retreat, there was a ceremony to give our respect and appreciation for the life of Ac. Narada, who passed suddenly last May. An aspen tree was planted behind the yurt in his memory, along with goldenrod and yarrow that will grow around its base. It was a moving event.

Just as this ceremony came to conclusion, Morgan (Ac. Narada's one initiate who was able to attend the retreat) turned to Emily (Narada's mother in law) to say, "I truly feel Narada has become part of me." As he was in mid-sentence, a large aspen tree on the hillside immediately behind where we were gathered suddenly split its trunk with a loud crack and fell down with a crash.

It was more than a dramatic moment, coming as it did at a point when we were all experiencing such quiet and intense inner thoughts and feelings — as well as reflecting on comments Baba had just made on Narada and the permanence of the soul that abides amidst the impermanence of life.

A little later, a couple of us went up to examine the fallen tree. What we found made the whole occurrence seem all the more remarkable. This was not a long dead tree that had finally toppled, but a living tree. And it had not fallen through uprooting or breaking at the base, but had broken at a hollow that had formed well up its trunk.

This is to say, the fallen tree was not unlike Ac. Narada, whose passing was sudden and dramatically unexpected, coming when he was full of life, due to an arterial valve defect that caused his heart to suddenly give out.

Perhaps Scott could take a picture of "Narada's tree", with the fallen aspen on the hillside behind.

Ravi