Arthur's spiritual mother

This is a funny story. Arthur Gregor had a South Indian Guru whose name was unfamiliar to me. This Guru had been a police officer. Then he gave up police life, prayed, meditated and became a spiritual Master. Arthur used to tell me about his Guru’s compassion, this and that. Sometimes I used to tell him things about his Guru. Once I told him that his Guru had a sailing boat. He said, “How do you know?”

“Your Guru is showing me,” I replied, “and I can see him inside the boat with one of your spiritual sisters.”

“Yes, it is Sushila,” said Arthur. Then he became my great admirer because his Guru did have a sailing boat and a few times he and his spiritual brothers and sisters went out in the boat.

Arthur used to come quite often to my friends’ place. His apartment was very close by, only two apartments away from ours. We lived at 43 Greenwich Avenue and he was at 45 Greenwich Avenue. From time to time, he also invited Samie, Eric and me to come to his place and meditate. Samie and Eric were his good friends.

One evening, we were all meditating at his place. It was on the occasion of his Guru’s birthday. He said his Guru liked to meditate in darkness and so there was no proper light. His apartment was all dark. All of a sudden, with my third eye, I saw a middle-aged lady standing behind Arthur and blessing him while he was meditating. She was blessing him with so much affection. She was very short and thin. The lady told me that she was Arthur’s spiritual mother.

When the meditation was over, I said to Arthur, “I saw something! Somebody was standing behind you and blessing you. She said she is your spiritual mother. I can even tell you her name! Her name is Nirupama. You never, never told me that your Guru was married!”

I told Arthur the name of the lady and it was absolutely correct. It was his Guru’s wife. He was so astonished. He asked me, “How do you know this?” My friends were also asking me the same question. Their admiration for me went very high because I showed this kind of magic.

After that Arthur started giving me very nice jackets. He was also a poet. He had printed two or three books and once he read out his poems at the Guggenheim Museum. He was so nice to me.

Arthur Gregor was very closely connected with the Indian Ambassador to the UN, Rikhi Jaipal. When I drew the painting dedicated to UNICEF in 1979, Ambassador Jaipal presented it with utmost respect on behalf of the Government of India. It was his wife, Sushila, whom I saw in the sailing boat.