When Hitler met a Vaishnava

From the book “Blazing Sadhus” by HG Acyutananda Prabhu ACBSP.

“We sat on the veranda, and Bon Maharaj told us how he met Adolf Hitler. “I saw Hitler down a long hall. He was pacing furiously. The war was on. This was before Britain was in the war because the British would never allow any Commonwealth citizen to associate with the enemy. Anyway, Hitler was pacing furiously down the end of a hall. He stopped and looked at me. I walked down the hall, and he immediately shook my hand.” I found this astonishing because it is well known that Hitler refused to shake the hand of Jesse Owens after the Olympics, yet he did shake the hand of Bon Maharaj, who was very dark-skinned. Bon Maharaj went on, “I knew Hitler was trying to find any kind of evidence to support his Aryan culture. I told him we Indians are the true Aryan culture from ancient times.” Hitler said, “Thank you,” in English and then turned me over to a secretary/officer who arranged to have me stay with a German family. The officer ordered me, “At the beginning and end of every lecture you must raise your right hand and say, `Heil Hitler.’ ”