The Red Miracle
River Papers
Longtime devotee, River Papers, is the mother of Avatar Adi Da's youngest daughter, Naamleela Free Jones. Here she tells the miraculous story surrounding Naamleela's birth. This account is from The Promised God-Man Is Here, by Carolyn Lee, Ph.D.
The unusual circumstances surrounding the birth of Naamleela Free Jones began one day in early 1977. At that time, Beloved Adi Da and a small group of his most intimate devotees were living on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii. That day, two devotees who were serving outside the house saw a sudden burst of brilliant light in the yard outside, and they both stopped to look up at the blinding flash. Immediately, the light turned to a fine, bright red powder, which began to fall, like a misty rain, all over the yard. The foliage and the little out-building that we used for our meditation hall were both covered with this powder.
The two who had witnessed this phenomenon called other devotees out to look at the red powder, but the substance was not familiar to anyone. By the end of the day, the fine red coating had disappeared just as mysteriously as it had appeared. There had been no wind or rain that could have blown or washed it away — it just disappeared. At the moment all of this occurred, I was attending Beloved Adi Da in His room in the main house, just a few feet away from where the explosion of light had been witnessed.
Almost two years later, on April 28 1979, the next miraculous event occurred. Adi Da Samraj was now living at the Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary. A week before, I had begun to feel a very strong pulling or yanking sensation in my internal organs, as if they were being pulled by a string from my pubic bone up the central meridian of my body. I remember the sensation, because it was actually painful, especially in the region of my navel. The pulling sensation went on for a week. On Sunday evening, a gift from a devotee arrived — a photograph of Shirdi Sai Baba. It was a very colorful, poster-sized photograph, showing Shirdi Sai Baba wearing a red bandana against a deep red background. Beloved Adi Da pointed out the markings of kum-kum on him, and explained to us that kum-kum was a red powder used traditionally throughout India as a symbol of the Divine Nature that is innate in every being. I was unaccountably drawn to the picture.
Over the years, Adi Da had teased me about being associated with the color red, and had spoken of my character reflecting the earthy, vital qualities embodied in this color, but I made no connection between this and my liking of the photograph.
Later on that same evening, a number of us were gathered in our Beloved Guru's quarters, where we had been invited to watch a movie with Him. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and, at some point, I looked down and saw a red stain appearing on my body. I thought, of course, that I was menstruating, particularly because of the strange pulling sensation I had expeprienced all week. So I excused myself, and went to change my clothes.
But it wasn't blood, and I couldn't remove it! In fact, as I was trying to rub it off, more of it was appearing on my skin. It appeared to be coming from inside my skin, and of course, this really puzzled me. I could not figure out what was going on. I called some of my friends out, to see if they could help me. But no one could remove it or figure out what it was or what was happening. Later, we told Beloved Adi Da about it.
I remember how carefully He listened to my description. Then He said that we had to investigate the phenomenon and find out where the substance was coming from. He asked us to do a very thorough investigation of everything I had come in contact with that day.
We retraced all my steps from the moment I had woken up, going to each room that I had been in and examining every object that I had touched. I remembered that there was a red vacuum cleaner that I had used, and we scrutinized it to see if its red finish could possibly have come off on me when I was vacuuming — but nothing came off. We likewise examined the cabin that I was living in, but there was nothing there.
Once Beloved Adi Da was satisfied that our initial investigation had been as thorough as it could possibly be, He asked that photographs be taken of the red stain and that a sample be taken by one of the doctors and sent to a reliable laboratory for analysis.
During this time, I kept trying to rub the substance off because I didn't want it on me, not knowing what it was. But it just wouldn't come off. In fact, the color seemed to get deeper and deeper the more I rubbed it. Beloved Adi Da said that I shouldn't try to remove it, that I shouldn't even bathe, but should just leave it alone completely.
The stain wasn't uniform. It looked as if someone had taken their fingers, dipped them in bright red powder, and then drawn dramatic lines down my thighs and where I had felt the pulling sensation.
When we received the results from the laboratory several days later, the mystery was only confirmed. The report read that the substance was not composed of any bodily tissue or any common synthetic. The laboratory technicians, intrigued by their findings, had tried all kinds of tests, but they finally had to report: "There are no known chemically definable substances in this specimen."
It was only after all the conventional explanations had been investigated that Beloved Adi Da commented about what had actually taken place. He told us that the red substance that had appeared on my body was a spontaneous manifestation of kum-kum. True kum-kum, He told us, is a form of Light. It is a Divine substance that only appears spontaneously and as a kind of Prasad, or Grace, of Real God. It is the ash of a great Yogic fire, appearing externally, but signaling that a most intense Yogic process is taking place. This Divine substance has been known to appear at various times in the company of holy men and women, and, by its very nature, it defies ordinary physical laws.
There have been examples of the spontaneous manifestation of ash and kum-kum once each month on the full moon. Beloved Adi Da pointed out to us that Shirdi Sai Baba's devotees often reported the miraculous appearance of kum-kum in association with photographs like the one Avatar Adi Da had received on the night the red stain appeared on my body. Beloved Adi Da also told us that He had been having contact with Shirdi Sai Baba on a subtle plane, coincident with the arrival of the poster that had attracted me, and added that the spontaneous manifestation of ash and kum-kum was a phenomenon associated with Shirdi Sai Baba. He explained that He had expected a manifestation to occur, but that He had not known in advance how it would occur.
Beloved Adi Da also recounted the story of a woman he had seen several years before at Swami Muktananda's ashram in Ganeshpuri. This woman was well known at the ashram for the generous quantities of kum-kum that frequently manifested spontaneously on her body. He recounted His visit to this woman, and told us of seeing kum-kum on the floor all around her, having apparently manifested only moments before He arrived.
Although I didn't understand what was occurring or what it had to do with me, I thought that perhaps a significant change was going to take place in my life. I thought then that it might have something to do with my practice, so I started to make an effort to intensify my practice — but Beloved Adi Da told me to just relax! He said that the Yogic process of which the kum-kum had been a sign was already initiated in me, and that it was occurring by His Grace, without my needing to do anything about it. Nine weeks later, I discovered that I was pregnant.
During my pregnancy, Beloved Adi Da insisted that I observe the strictest discipline — everything that would support my right disposition and Spiritual awareness and availability. He did not allow me to indulge in anything during this pregnancy!
One day during the third month, I was in the kitchen when Beloved Adi Da came in and, as He often did, stood by the window that looks out onto the grassy central area of the Sanctuary, to give His Regard to His devotees as they walked by. It was at that moment that I first became aware of the actual psychic entity inside me.
I remember it so well because it became very obvious — a literal sensation, as if a light had been turned on in the room — that the being in me was reaching out to Beloved Adi Da. I knew that this entity was incarnating because of its profound Spititual relationship to Him. And I felt myself as simply a vehicle for this being, carrying and nurturing it so that it could be with Beloved Adi Da in human form.
I was amazed to feel such a strong intention and Spiritual awareness from a child that had not yet been born, but I had to accept it — the Spiritual impulse behind this birth was being communicated very clearly to me in that moment.
One night, just as I was about to go to my room to sleep, Beloved Adi Da said to me that I should be able to tell what the sex of the child was — because, after all, it was just underneath a thin layer of skin! He said that if I went to bed that night and concentrated, I would be able to tell the sex of the child. So I did, and I had a dream. In the dream, I saw two energy-images — one was of a boy, and one was of a girl. I didn't know how to interpret the dream, but when I told it to Beloved Adi Da it became obvious that the boy, who was older than the girl, was the son I had had years before and the girl was the child I was carrying now. I was certain now that it was a girl.
Throughout the pregnancy, many, many names were suggested for the child. But, a couple of weeks before my due date, Beloved Adi Da came out of His quarters one day and said "Naamleela". As soon as I heard the name "Naamleela", I knew that that was her name. It seemed to perfectly describe the Spiritual character of the being I was so intimate with now after all those months.
"Naam" is Sanskrit for "name", and is traditionally understood to mean the Name, or the Word, that is God. It is said that the Name (or Word) of God is not different from God, in the same way that light cannot be separated from its source, the Sun. The Naam, or Name, is the audible form of the Divine, the primal manifestation, or reflection, of God. The traditional significance of the name "Naamleela" confirmed my first intuition that this was the perfect name. The name itself seemed to summarize the nature of the Spiritual relationship He offers to all His devotees and to which this unborn practitioner was so obviously attracted.
Speaking about Naamleela's name, Beloved Adi Da said:
I couldn't imagine a more serious and happy name. I felt that it fully reflected the devotion that this child was already demonstrating for our Beloved Guru.
The ninth month approached. Everything seemed ready. The name had been chosen. The baby had moved into the appropriate position for the birth. And I was eager to have the baby. My due date came and went. Days passed. After several weeks, the doctors began to talk about inducing labor. This frightened me, because my first labor had been induced and it had been a very negative experience. I went on long hikes, jumped on trampolines, drank herbal concoctions, and was given acupuncture treatments — everything that would naturally induce labor. But nothing happened. Finally I decided that I would just have to surrender to the labor being artificially induced.
I gave up all my fears about inducement and accepted my situation. On the evening of the anniversary of the beginning of Beloved Adi Da's formal Teaching Work — April 25 — I began to have contractions, but I didn't pay any attention to them, beca:use this had already happened so many times with no result. They were a bit uncomfortable, and I remember thinking that I should lie down for a while.
Then I noticed that the contractions were occurring rather frequently. Because my first child had been induced, I had no idea what labor felt like! I noticed that the contractions were getting stronger and stronger, and I thought I should tell somebody.
As it turned out, I was in full labor! We drove to the hospital. The contractions were strong, and, though I had my attention on the physical process that was taking place, it was secondary to Beloved Adi Da's Darshan. I was more aware of Him than of myself. His Beauty and Radiance were so Blissful.
In the hospital, during the birth, my Beloved Guru sat fully in my view, never leaving His chair. I felt absolutely no separation from Him. The birth was a blissful event. We were not separate. There was nothing "separate" going on. It was one of the most blissful experiences of my life.
Beloved Adi Da cut the umbilical cord, and Naamleela was placed on my stomach. Almost immediately, Beloved Adi Da took her. He anointed her with ash and kum-kum and put a Tibetan cap on her head and a mala around her neck and wrapped her in a blanket-- and then He went around showing her to everybody.
I looked at Beloved Adi Da and Naamleela, and I saw her open her eyes to look at Him. I felt the blissful contact immediately between the two of them. It seemed very unusual, because newborns typically don't open their eyes.
Sometime after Naamleela's birth, Avatar Adi Da began to talk about the spontaneous manifestation of kum-kum that had occurred a year before her birth. He asked for the date of the manifestation, and I told Him that it had occurred on April 28 1979. He commented on the proximity to Naamleela's birth date, which was April 26, 1980.
He pursued the matter further and determined that, because 1980 was a leap year, April 26, 1980 was exactly 365 days after the spontaneous manifestation of kum-kum. I remember the significance that Beloved Adi Da placed on this exact span of 365 days, and I remembered how hard I had tried to make the birth happen sooner! I said to Him, "No matter what, she wasn't going to be born before then. We tried everything, and she was not going to come out before that moment."
Beloved Adi Da indicated that Naamleela had begun the process of her incarnation on the day of the appearance of kum-kum. The miracle of the kum-kum had been a sign of the auspicious birth that was to come. He affirmed that Naamleela's incarnation was a Spiritual event, the larger miracle of which the kum-kum had been the external, visible sign.
I had never understood what, if any, connection there was between the manifestation of kum-kum in Oahu in 1977 and the manifestation at the Mountain Of Attention in 1979 or if the original manifestation had anything to do with Naamleela's birth.
In 1994, when I was telling this story to a group of devotees, with Beloved Adi Da present, He said: "The original incident was a sign associated with yourself as a vehicle for the birth of Naamleela. In that sense, so was the sign in 1979 that appeared on your body. It was a sign of Naamleela, but also a sign of yourself as the vehicle through which she would appear. From the first day you came into My Company, I referred to you in terms of the color red. You yourself likewise made such references in various forms over the years. Altogether, the redness of the kum-kum manifestations was associated with the unique service you performed as the vehicle for Naamleela's birth."
"Yes, thank you, Beloved. I am eternally grateful."
