Helping Bhagavan with his bath
In the early morning, before the construction work started, Madhava Swami and I used to help Bhagavan with his bath. Both of us used to give him an oil massage on his back and legs before he took his bath.

On a related note: When I worked in the ashram I used to drink the water with which Bhagavan had washed his hands. I would get this water two or three times a day. Even after I moved to Palakottu, I still occasionally drank this water because Mudaliar Patti sometimes used to bring it to me. She knew that I liked this water, and she knew that I had been accustomed to drinking it.

Bhagavan’s caring towards me
Whenever I was supervising construction work, Bhagavan would often tell me,

‘You are working hard in the heat of the day. You may eat whatever you want.’

The serving ladies, aware of Bhagavan’s concern for me, always served me large amounts of curd and ghee to counteract the heat.
I also had a remedy of my own. In the summer, when the heat was almost unbearable, I found that mixing a chopped raw onion with my food helped me to keep my body cool. I ate so much raw onion one summer that many peopled started to call me ‘Vengaya Swami’ (Onion Swami)

Intimate talks with Bhagavan
I had to give a building report to Bhagavan every evening. I would tell him what had been accomplished and what still needed to be done. Sometimes Bhagavan would give me instructions for the next day. At other times I would present my own plans and get his approval for them.

I thus found myself in the enviable position of having a fairly long intimate talk with Bhagavan every evening. Other devotees who were afraid to speak to Bhagavan because of his grandeur, used me as an intermediary. Knowing that I talked to Bhagavan freely everyday, they would tell me their problems and request that I ask Bhagavan for a solution to them.

Eating from Bhagavan’s leaf
This was another small privilege that I greatly valued. There were two sittings for both lunch and dinner. Bhagavan always ate with the first sitting whereas I usually ate at the second sitting. Bhagavan would usually be finishing his meal as I walked into the dining room. If he was still eating when I arrived I would sit opposite to him and wait expectantly. My patience was often rewarded. On many occasions Bhagavan would push his leaf towards me to indicate that I could have my meal served on it. The serving ladies would take the hint, put the leaf in front of me, and serve me my meal.

As the ashram grew, so many people wanted to eat from Bhagavan’s leaf-plate that eventually a rota system was established. In the early days because I would come into the dining room and sit near Bhagavan as he was finishing his meal, I would usually end up with the leaf. Sometimes a devotee would complain to me about my near monopoly.

‘You are taking Bhagavan’s leaf almost every day. You are earning so much punya. You have so many opportunities to get Bhagavan’s leaf. Please let me eat off this leaf for just one day.’

If anyone complained in this manner I would hand over the leaf to him. When the new dining room was completed I only managed to get he leaf on a few occasions. In later years Bhagavan stopped giving away his leaf. When he found that people were hanging around him at the end of each meal, merely waiting for his leaf, he put an end to the practice by announcing that henceforth no one would be permitted to eat from it.

Other forms of Prasad
There were other forms of prasad available in the dining room. At the end of each meal Bhagavan would wash his hands in a small vessel which he kept near his leaf. I drank that water almost every day. In addition to this I also used to drink the water that had been served to Bhagavan. The serving women would always put a cup of hot water next to Bhagavan’s plate. He would usually drink half and leave the other half in the cup. Whenever he did this I used to drink the water that remained.