He was skilled in poetry, possessed a phenomenal memory and had the faculty to attend to a hundred activities simultaneously. In addition, He had a remarkable sense of perception by touch :
Blindfolded He could tell the names of books by merely touching them or He could tell which items of food had too little or too much salt, again without having to taste them at all.
From childhood, Shrimadji had been full of devotion for matters spiritual and full of detachment with regard to worldly concerns.
Despite the large audiences He attracted and the fame and glory He had achieved, He remained calm, solemn and detached, introspective at all times.
Chief Justice Sir Charles Sargeant once suggested that He should perform in England where His talents would be truly appreciated.
The suggestion of the Chief Justice made Shrimadji think.
He would certainly earn much fame and respect abroad, but is that what He truly wanted ?
After all, His main goal in life was a spiritual one and these performances would distract Him from His primary purpose.
He decided not to follow Sir Charles' suggestion, and also stopped all His public performances.
Shrimadji came to His grandfather with the question :
"What is death ?"
Panchanbhai was unsure how best to answer the question and did not want to frighten Shrimadji.
In an attempt to divert His attention, he told Shrimadji that he would answer His question after he had his lunch.
Shrimadji however was not so easily diverted, and insisted that he should have His question answered first.
His grandfather at last gave in, explaining :
"Amichandbhai's passing away means that he will neither speak nor walk, nor eat, nor drink.
His soul has left the body.
His body will be taken to the cremation grounds to be burnt.
In order to properly understand the nature of death, Shrimadji quietly went to the crematorium and climed up a tree from which He could see the cremation.
The dead body was burning on a funeral pyer, while few people stood or sat around it.
At this sight, His heart was filled with revulsion.
How was it possible that a person who showed Him so much love could be burnt like this ?
How cruel can these people be to burn such a fine and good man ?
He began to wonder :if the body was still there, what was the nature of the substance that had left ?
As He thought along these lines, it was as though a veil had been removed, and He began to see some of His past lives.
Later in His life, He saw the fort of Junagadh, and He remembered even more past lives.
He had experienced Jati Smaran Gnan, the knowledge of previous lives, and as a result, Shrimadji experienced a great sense of detachment towards material and transient objects.
"Looking back with my inner knowledge, I cannot see even one moment in which this Soul has not been wandering in the cycle of birth and death, or in which the mind has been calm, and so the Soul has forgotten inner peace.
This memory is constantly with me and it is thus a cause for great detachment.
What more can I say?
Recalling the past lives in which I wandered in folly, how should I live now ?
That is what I think about.
That I do not want to be born again at all is now firmly established in my heart.
When a thoughtful Soul thinks of moments of anxiety, illness or of problems, when it thinks of worldly life, then the Soul's false identification with transient objects naturally declines.
Possessiveness and delusion become weaker, and the inclination arises to seek out the ageless, immortal and eternal substance which is the Soul.
Whosoever has recalled the many lives of stress, illness and the pain of death and rebirth, and has in the past life heard the causes of the Soul's wandering directly from a self-realised person, is keen to be free from all these traps and to follow only the right path which leads to Moksha."
Shrimadji's parents Ravjibhai and devbai were both courteous and kind hearted.
They willingly served monks, holy men and all such pious souls, who, in turn blessed them.
Shrimadji's mother Devbai came from a Jain family and had been brought up with Jain culture and values, particularly a strong sense of friendliness and compassion to all living beings.
An aged broker, who used to visit Ravjibhai for business, one day fell ill.
Devbai nursed him back to health.
The broker, treated as one of the family, was very much touched.
When he recovered from his illness he parted with the words :
"Devbai! My blessings are with you.
May God bless you with an extraordinary child."
One who dedicates his life to the service of humanity, always finds fulfillment in life.
When service is rendered with no motive other than to help others, it is the highest type of service and will not go without reward.
Devbai's selfless service was rewarded with the birth of a wonderful son...
