"Bodily Happiness Is Only a Shadow Of The Real Happiness..."

 In a letter to His friend in His twentieth year Shrimadji writes: 


"Having no intrinsic love of money and yet to use it for the benefit of the distressed and the needy, I tried to earn some money for the future. 


On other side, wealth, even if acquired for benevolent works, may breed in the person possessing it, blindness, deafness and dumbness. 


Hence, I do not care for wealth at all."

Shrimadji married Zabakben, daughter of Popatlalbhai, the elder brother of Jagjivandas Mehta on the 12th day of the bright half of the month of Maha in Vikram Samvat 1944. 


He was twenty at that time.

One year after His marriage, He writes to a friend, under the caption `My thoughts on woman', that unqualified and unrestricted happiness lies in pure knowledge of the Self and never in the worldly enjoyments of married life. 


Bodily happiness is only a shadow of the real happiness. 


Besides enjoyments of the body are only short-lived and the sources of consequent misery, disease and death. 


It is painfully surprising to find the human mind enjoying in worldly and physical pleasures. 


One should pray for the complete freedom from all desires concerning the bodily and sense-pleasures.'

Regarding one's wife, Shrimadji writes: "My desire is for liberation but forced by the fruits of my previous actions, I lead a married life, But here too I normally maintain equanimity, neither attachment nor non-attachment. 

I feel pained to find sometimes my behavior contrary to my intense desire for liberation."

To a friend, Shrimadji writes in Vikram Samvat 1946 or 1890 A. D.: 


"I have married earlier than you by a little over two years. 


Within these two years I have come to know my wife's mind and I can say that none of us is dissatisfied with the other. 


Nor can I say that it is absolutely satisfactory. 

Our relations are common and normal. 

And this is more due to my indifference. 


While thinking of high metaphysical thoughts I get strong suggestions for renouncing the householder's order. 

I had similar thoughts even before my marriage but I had to pacify them as I found that following them would make the very continuance of my life impossible."

In Mokshamala, in lesson No. 12 `Best Householder', lesson No. 45 `Common Aspiration', lesson No. 55 `Rules of daily observance by the Householder' and in six lessons Nos. 61 to 66 under the title `Thoughts on Happiness' He gives His views on the ideal householder's life.

Shrimadji writes: 


"Though I am happy as householder as compared with others, but the worldly happiness is to be suffered and not to be enjoyed. 

It is not true happiness. 

Normally people in the world are unhappy and so the people who are happy in worldly life are called fortunate and favored souls. 

I have decided to utilize my life in the practice of religion. 

I normally read and think of the revealed scriptures, keep contacts with the enlightened souls, observe prohibitions and injunctions, observe celibacy for twelve days in a month, give in charity without declaring my name.

I have renounced much of my burden of worldly life. 

I want to be a forest recluse after entrusting the care of my family to my sons no sooner they come of age. 

At present I have deliberately chosen to remain as a householder in order that I can guide the householders in the path of religious practice better than the Sanyasis or Yatis can do. 

The householder's order requires much improvement and I want to expedite it. 

A householder can easily advise another householder and guide his behavior by his example and practice."

Shrimadji declares that as a principle complete renunciation from the householder's order is necessary for lasting happiness.