Riding the Elephant with the Eternal One: A Reflection on Humility and Divine Grace

There’s a story in Babaji: The Unfathomable by Maria-Gabriele Wosien that stopped me in my tracks—not for its drama, but for its sublime paradox: how the highest Being, who asks nothing of anyone, gives everything.

*“Before we had quite reached the ashram itself, we caught our first glimpse of Babaji. He was riding on an elephant with lots of people crowding around Him. To prevent His seeing us, and to spare ourselves the embarrassment of having to prostrate ourselves at His Feet, we stayed inconspicuously in the background.

However, the honor that we failed to pay Him, He accorded us. From a distance He waved us over. 'You go,' I said to my daughter. I had barely spoken when He waved again meaning that I, too, should come to Him. And, to our great embarrassment, He motioned us to sit up there with Him on the elephant.”*

That one gesture—waving the hesitant visitors to come join Him on the elephant—embodies everything I’ve come to love, revere, and try to live by in the path of divine mysticism.

How often do we imagine ourselves unworthy of the divine? Even in our desire to be humble, we may unconsciously reenact the separation we think humility requires. And yet, the Masters again and again dismantle this notion—not by demanding reverence but by radiating the kind of love that dissolves our imagined smallness.

This moment reminded me of Sri Ramakrishna’s own playful yet piercing wisdom:

“The breeze of grace is always blowing; set your sail to catch that breeze.”

Here, Babaji is that breeze. And the elephant—majestic, sacred, and ancient—is a chariot of divine awareness. When He calls us up, it’s not because we’ve done enough japa or tapasya. It’s because Love beckons. Grace moves first.

We hesitate.
He waves.
We deflect.
He insists.

And then, in the most humbling turn, He raises us—even in our unworthiness—to the high seat beside Him.

To be called like that, not because of our merit but despite our hesitation, is the very signature of the avatars. Just like in the Bhagavad Gita when Krishna says, “I am the same to all beings... but those who worship Me with love, they are in Me and I am in them.” This isn’t about piety, but about intimacy—divine nearness that breaks through all barriers of social conditioning, doubt, and ego.

It also echoes something Paramahansa Yogananda once said:

“Divine Mother doesn’t care how many times you’ve failed. She only cares how often you try to come back to Her.”

Isn’t that the essence of this encounter? Even trying to stay invisible, they were seen. Even withholding devotion out of discomfort, they were embraced. Not scolded, not tested—but elevated.

If Babaji—whether you think of Him as the legendary Mahavatar who initiated Lahiri Mahasaya, or as the very consciousness of Shiva embodied—waves you forward, would you hesitate?

Would you duck into the crowd?

Or would you allow your soul to rise, however awkwardly, onto the elephant of awakening?

I ask myself this every day. Because more often than not, the wave comes. The question is: do we recognize it?

🎥 You can watch this powerful recollection of Babaji’s life and presence, including the story above, in this moving video:
👉 Enigma: The Eyes of Truth – official Video

NOTE: Timestamp 2:46 is where I said to myself, "Reminds me of Babaji in the Himalayas."

🕉 Call to Action
If your soul stirred even slightly while reading this, I encourage you to explore more about Babaji—not as an idea, but as a living vibration. Let his mysterious simplicity guide you past form into essence. Share your story. Write your prayer. And when the call comes—wave back.

Let the elephant of Divine Consciousness carry us all forward.

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