"In Possession Of Spiritual Knowledge..."

On one occasion, Shrimadji set out on a journey from the town sayala in a coach. 


He was accompanied on this trip by two other persons, Thakarshibhai, a nephew of Shri Sobhagbhai, and Shri Dungarshibhai Gosalia.


At one point, Shrimadji turned to Dungarshibhai and asked, 'Well, Dungarshibhai, as Shri sobhagbhai reported to me, you once remarked that one who is rich in spiritual knowledge, would usually be wanting in worldly riches, in wealth.'


Dungarshibhai was a little slow in responding to shrimadji's query. 


He said his statement did not appear to be true, for he had before him the example of shrimadji, who was rich in both, in terms of spiritual knowledge and also of worldly wealth.


Shrimadji next opened his box of jewellery and started showing some rare precious stones and other valuable items.


The coach was now passing over a rough patch, and wobling. 


Dungarshibhai felt worried lest costly diamond or pearl or an equally precious stone roll off and get lost. 


He pleaded with Shrimadji not to display such precious wares and to put them away.


Shrimadji thereupon said, 'Do not worry in the least. 


None of ours is to get lost.' So saying he went on showing the costly items to those travelling with him in the coach.


He next said, 'the gift for testing the purity of jewels comes easily to one who is in possession of spiritual knowledge.'

"Sense Of Self-Importance And Of Pride..."

In the course of his conversation with Shrimadji, Muni Shri Lalluji once mentioned how he had renounced a well-supported family life, affluence, an aged mother, two wives, one son, and a number of other things in accepting diksha,(initiation as a monk) and entering the holy order.


At this, Shrimadji immediately spoke out in sharp tone so as to put down all sense of self-importance and of pride on the part of Muni Shri Lalluji, 'What is it you have renounced, after all? How many more women have you eyed with lust after having renounced those two women of yours? To how many children have you become attached after having renounced that one son of yours?'


On hearing these words, Shri Lalluji was so ashamed of his faults exposed so fully, that he almost wished he could go and hide his face in some deep dark recess of the earth.


Being stirred to such a profound sense of humility, he said, 'No, I cannot claim to have renounced anything. I am not a tyagi, in the true sense.'


At that very moment Shrimadji said, 'Now indeed you are a true renouncer, a tyagi.'

"Greatest Self-Assurance And Stillness..."

Once when Shrimadji was on a visit to a place called Virsad near Dharmaj, he was crossing a narrow passage between two farms along with his followers and some disciples. 

Shrimadji and the rest of the party chanced upon a couple of bulls fighting fiercely, with their horns locked, standing right in the middle of their path.

Shrimadji's companions started running helter-skelter in panic, at the sight of the fighting bulls.

To them, Shrimadji said, 'Do not panic. The bulls will give up their fight and turn tamer when they draw close to us.'

But those standing around were not reassured, and ran into the fields nearby.

Shrimadji, held his own, rooted to the ground with the greatest self-assurance and stillness.

The two bulls calmed down as they drew near Shrimadji; they stopped fighting and then started moving away, finally disappearing.

"We Neglect The Soul, The Atma, Which Is Precious..."

On one occasion, a group of school boys from kavitha went to meet Shrimadji and to listen to his preaching. 


Shrimadji was at the time staying on the outskirts of the town.


Shrimadji said to them, 'My dear boys, will you answer a question I would put to you?'


The boys readily agreed. 


Shrimadji then said, 'Supposing you have two pots, one in either hand, one filled with ghee, and the other with butter-milk. 


Suppose, while walking along, you are thrown off balance by a stranger who accidentally bumps into you which of the two pots will you prefer to save first?'


A boy called Girdhar answered, saying they would prefer to save the pot full of ghee.


Shrimadji asked, 'Why so? After all, both ghee and butter-milk are made from the same source.'


The boy said, 'If the butter-milk gets spilt you will certainly find someone to fill it up again, many times over, But no one will offer to fill up the pot of ghee once it is spilt.'


Shrimadji thereupon said, commenting on the significance of the difference:


'We, as living beings, seek to preserve intact this body of ours which is like the butter-milk, while we neglect the soul, the atma, which is precious like the ghee in the pot. 


Our perception as living beings is so inverted. 
But one who recognizes the inner worth of the soul, of the atma, would seek to preserve the soul as well with the same care he would preserve the ghee in the pot. 


In an hour of crises, he would dispense with the body, for you are going to re-gain the body anyway, without your doing anything in particular for it. 


The moment you have accumulated a load of karma, you are going to be saddled with a body as a bonus, free of any charge, so that you may suffer the consequences of the same karma.'

"Such Is The State Of Ignorance..."

Shri Tribhuvandas of khambat sought to spend a few hours in Shrimadji's presence every time he visited Mumbai,going to Shrimadji's place for the purpose.


On one of these occasions, he found Shrimadji asking his daughter Kashi who was just three years old, 'Who are you?' just for fun.


Kashi replied, 'I am Kashi,' Shrimadji said, 'No, you are atma, the soul.'


At this Kashi spoke out, 'No,I am Kashi for sure.'


Meanwhile, Tribhuvandas happened to turn up there.


Shrimadji now said to him, 'This little girl is hardly three years of age, and the impression of her being given the name Kashi, is only recent, of a very short duration. 


Yet when you tell her she is in truth the atma, the soul, she immediately protests, insisting no, she is Kashi. 


Well, such is the state of ignorance...'

(An Excerpt From 'SHRIMAD RAJCHANDRA' - Inspiring Episodes Book - 5 By Mukul Kalarthi, Translated By Digish Mehta - Shrimad Rajchandra Aashram Agas)

"Sense Of Self-Importance.."

Sheth Tribhuvandasbhai , Shri Maneklal Jethabhai and others sat at their meal on one occasion with Shrimadji also being seated along with them.

When various vegetable dishes were served at the beginning of the meal, 

Maneklalbhai excused himself, for he did not eat vegetables on certain days of the calender. 

Next, he declined to eat raita, for it had an ingredient which belonged to the class of beans having two pods. 

Again, he grew fussy over the items which were served next, taking some and declining others.

Finally, it was the turn of a rich sweet dish of milk, dudhpak, to be served.

Even as this item was being served, on Maneklal's plate,Shrimadji intervened, saying, 'No,better not serve it on Maneklal's plate. 

He offers to renounce small things, so as to increase his sense of self-importance. And yet, when it comes to renouncing delicacies, he has no inclination to renounce them...'

"Compassion Towards The Servant..."

A man called lallu of Morbi had been working for a number of years as a servant in Shrimadji's house-hold in bombay.

Later, when he developed a tumor, Shrimadji took personal care of him. 


He nursed him till the very end. 


The servant had his head resting on Shrimadji's lap when he finally breathed his last.

Shrimadji would say, 'When a master engages a person as his servant, the intention of this man is to extract more work from the servant than the amount he spends on him. 


The one who is engaged as the servant is far too poor to engage in trade or anything else, even though he is otherwise capable of doing so.'

'The master who hopes to extract more work from his servant than is reasonable in terms of money spent on him, is actually meaner than the servant and is in fact a beggar. 


That master alone deserves our praises as the best of men who aims at uplifting the condition of the servant to his own level, helps him in whatever way possible, provides him with all necessary support when he is overworked. 


This man will show his compassion towards the servant in these and many other ways.'

"Even One Who Is a Householder Could Be Called a Monk..."

Shri Devakaranji, a disciple of Shri Laluji Muni, was a very effective preacher; Who offered excellent discourses. He once visited Shrimadji.


During the course of their conversation, Shrimadji asked Muni Shri Devakaranji, 'How many people come to listen to your discourses? Devakaranji replied, 'About a thousand'.


Shrimadji asked, 'Does the sight of women among the audience cause any feelings of passions or vikar in you?


Devakaranji said, 'Not in physical sense, but mentally yes'.


Shrimadji, thereupon said, one who is a muni and monk, should be on his guard against activities of all three kinds, mental, verbal, and physical.


At this, Devakaranji retorted, 'Well, when you are at your business counter, comfortably seated on the rosy seat, you have all those gems and precious stones lying in front of you. Does that not perturb you?'


Shrimadji replied. 'Muni, we see them as deadly poison.'


Shrimadji then asked, 'What is your essential self? Who are you?'


Devakaranji replied, 'We are monks so long as we are in a steady state of mind.'


Shrimadji queried, 'By the same logic, even one who is a householder could be called a monk, couldn't he?'


Devakaranji remained silent at this.


Shrimadji said, 'We remain unaffected, like the kernal of the hard shell inside the coconut.'

"You Are a Godly Figure, a Bhagvan..."

A certain gentleman called Shri Vrajbhai Gangadas Patel from a place called Kavitha, being spiritually-minded, made a special trip to the town of Uttarsanda in order to have a darshan of Shrimadji, and attend his spiritual discourse. 


Some members of the congregation who were all patidars, now got curious and pointing at Shrimadji, asked this new-comer, 'Who do you think is that person seated over there?'


'He is a rich man, a sheth from Vavania; said Vrajbhai.


One wonders, how, Shrimadji came to hear this.


So, summoning Vrajbhai closer to him, he asked, 'What was it that you said?'


The moment he said this, Vrajbhai almost immediately realized his mistake.


So, apologising for it, he now said, 'I was wrong! You are not a sheth, You are a godly figure, a Bhagvan'

"One Who Was Always Lost In Contemplation..."

One one occasion, Shrimadji and Gandhiji sat talking about matters relating to true religiosity and non-violence, among other things, in mumbai.


The topic of their conversation was the use of leather in daily life, whether it is permissible or not.


The two finally came to the conclusion that you could by no means do without the use of leather in life since you could not completely dispense with it. Agricultural activities, for instance, have to be carried on. At the same time, one could resolve not to use a cap or any other article made of leather.


At this point in their conversation, Gandhiji asked Shrimadji to check the material used for lining the cap Shrimadji was wearing.


Now Shrimadji was one who was always lost in contemplation, and he had little time to give thought to details such as the dress he wore, or what he wrapped around himself.


He had never noted that the cap, he had on his head, actually involved the use of leather.


He immediately removed the piece of leather from the cap the moment Gandhiji pointed it to him.


Narrating this incident, Gandhiji observed, 'I do not feel in the least that my argument was so absolutely sound that it immediately went home.


Actually He (Shrimadji) just did not argue on the matter at all.


He could see that my intention was unquestionably good, that I held him in high regard without doubt. 


So, he thought, why waste time, arguing the point? He simply removed the piece of leather'.


This indeed is the mark of a great Soul, a Mahapurusha. It shows how such a Soul is seldom led by false pride.


He is willing to learn a lesson even from a child. Truly great souls do not emphasise difference of opinion over small matters.

"For The Good Of The World..."

This conversation took place when Shrimadji was engaged in giving his religious discourses for the benifit of the seven monks who had gathered at a location among the hills near Idar. 


One day, Shri Devkaranji, one of the monks, was so deeply moved at the end of the discourse that he was led to say, 'Where is the need for us now to go on our rounds down among the people in the town?'


Shrimadji asked, 'But, who ever compels you to go?'


Shri Devkaranji replied, 'What could we do, we are helpless. For there is this belly of ours which has to be filled.'


Shrimadji thereupon said, 'Look, if the monks feel the need to fill their belly, it is only for the good of the world. 


If the monks did not have a belly to fill, they would for sure never have felt the inclination to visit the people in the towns and villages, and would have spent their lives in the solitude of caves among the hills, wandering in the forests, in a spirit of utter renunciation. 


So if the monks have a belly to fill, this is only for the good of the society...'

"You Will Directly, Attain Liberation..."

Shrimadji, on one occasion, sat surrounded by a few other  persons engaged in giving religious discourses. 


While Shrimadji and the rest were seated on a mattress, a certain rich man, a seth from damnagar a nearby place,sat at some distance stretching himself on an armchair, all the time smoking a bidi. 


Meanwhile, somehow, he took it into his head to shoot a question at Shrimadji. 


He asked,'Raichandbhai, how does one attain liberation, moksha?'


Shrimadji said, 'If you become transfixed sitting where you are, without the slightest movement of hands or feet, you will directly, attain liberation.'


On hearing these words, this man immediately got up from where he was sitting in the armchair, and throwing aside his bidi, came and sat with the rest of the company listening to the spiritual discourse.

"The True Nature Of Honesty..."

On one occasion, Shrimadji went for a stroll after dinner towards the bandstand in the churchgate area in mumbai. 


Sheth Tribhuvandas Bhanji was with Him, keeping Him company.


The two went along talking on religious matters when Tribhuvandasbhai asked, 'What should be the true nature of honesty which a jain ought to practice?'


In reply, Shrimadji pointed to the tall rampart of the building of the Mumbai High Court and said, 'The degree of honesty practiced by one who is a jain should in no way be less than the honesty practiced by the judge sitting inside the building of the High Court you see over there. 


It means, the honesty of a jain should be so wide that no one should harbour any doubts about it. 


Not merely this; the honesty of a jain should be so universally acknowledged that even if someone were to say he was dishonest, no one should ever believe it...'