Shrimadji thought long and hard at a very young age about how the soul can be freed from the cycle of re-incarnation.
In Vikram Samvat 1945 in Vavania, twenty-one year old Shrimadji met Shri Mansukhram Tripathi, a scholar well-versed in the vedanta philosophy.
Shrimadji became familiar with his religious views, which were direct, moderate and without hypocrisy.
Shrimadji said : "While I am not wealthy, and am young in age, I seek to attain maturity of insight from the company of one such as yourself.
I wish to serve at the feet of a truly self-realised person."
He wrote without prejudice :
"If our goal is the well-being of the soul, why argue about the means or the systems ?
That knowledge which leads to self-realisation is supreme knowledge.
If the soul is detached, it is in a state of moksha."
Shrimadji wrote many of His innermost thoughts to this scholar, seeking guidance, which would lead Him to enlightenment and Moksha.
This is what Shrimadji thirsted for all His life.
Shrimadji possessed a wide range of abilities.
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.
& Shrimadji said...
"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...
Once, When He was a young child, Shrimadji's heart cried out with compassion while cutting some vegetables.
This deep compassion grew stronger with age.
when He was in mumbai, He learnt about the plans in Dharampur to celebrate Dassera with a sacrificial offering of 108 buffaloes.
He became very disturbed and immediately started taking steps to prevent the carnage.
How could a follower of Lord Mahavir sit idle at the time of such slaughter?
He planned a public meeting in Dharampur to protest such cruelty to mute animals.
He asked the scholars in Mumbai to look for references against such cruel practices in Hindu scriptures like the Vedas.
He voiced objections against intentional misinterpretations of Vedas to carry out such unholy practices.
It did not take long before there was widespread public opposition to the ghastly ritual.
Shrimadji had to work tirelessly and for long hard hours to ensure that the protest succeeded.
His campaign for non-violence paid dividends and they successfully avoided the mindless slaughter.
People had also witnessed a new facet to Shrimadji's personality that had not been obvious previously.
They had experienced Shrimadji's vision of compassion and equal respect for all forms of life.
During the period in which He composed Mokshmala and Bhavnabodh, Shrimadji's resolve to take to the path of renunciation, of monkhood, grew stronger.
The path of devotion, meditation and detachment drew Him.
In Vikram Samvat 1942 He and His mother Devba were sitting together.
Shrimadji turned to His mother and said, "Mother, I would like your permission to go to the forest and become an Ascetic.
" His mother did not wish to lose Him and asked Him to reconsider His decision.
Shrimadji promised : "As long as this yogi (Ascetic) is alive, you might see His face.
He will come to your door and ask how you are.
" Tears began to well up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.
Shrimadji saw His mothers affection for Him and said : "Mother, I will respect your wishes."
He did not want to cause her any grief.
Thus His mother's love triumphed.
While in His mothers womb, Bhagavan Mahavir had also resolved not to renounce the world while His parents were alive so as not to cause them any pain.
Shrimadji had followed Bhagavan Mahavir's example.
It was broad daylight and there was an unusual sight in the market place of Morvi.
The sun was fierce and a fifty-year magistrate was holding an umbrella over the head of a twenty-year-old.
many laughed at this strange sight.
It was very unusual behaviour for a magistrate.
The young man was Shrimadji.
The magistrate Dharshibhai was greatly impressed by Him since last ten years.
Shrimadji used to instruct Dharshibhai in religious matters.
The rules of the material world do not apply between a Guru and a disciple.
The young can be wiser than the old, and thus command respect.
It was a hot summer afternoon.
As Shrimadji wished, Dharshibhai accompanied Him for a stroll.
Since it was very hot, he took an umbrella with him to provide shade.
As they walked and discussed many issues, Shrimadji asked Dharshibhai to open the umbrella.
He did so, but covered Shrimadji's head, not his, with it, causing much surprise in the market place.
At the outskirts of the town, Shrimadji asked him to fold the umbrella.
Dharshibhai responded that it was even hotter outside town.
Shrimadji replied that what was needed was to remove the heat of the passions from the soul.
