"I Say With Experience That There Is The Existence Of Soul..."

Poojabhai Someshwar Bhatt, an attorney of Kheda had studied vedant and was the author of 'panchadashi'. 


The questions and answers during his conversation with Shrimadji were as under.


Attorney: "Is there the existence of soul?"


Shrimadji: "Yes, soul does exists."


Attorney: "Do you assert that by your experience?"


Shrimadji: "Yes, I say with experience that there is the existence of soul. It is not possible to describe the taste of sugar; that is experiential. Similarly soul cannot be defined; it is experiential; but it surely exists."


Attorney: "Is there only one or multiple souls? I want the reply based on experience."


Shrimadji: "There are innumerable souls."


Attorney: "is lifeless matter like Karma real or is it merely imaginary?"


Shrimadji: "it is real, not imaginary."


Attorney: "Is there reincarnation?"


Shrimadji: "yes, there is reincarnation."


Attorney: "Do you believe in illusive concept of God as acceptable to Vedant?"


Shrimadji: "No."


Attorney: "Is reflection in a mirror virtual or is it composed of some elements?"


Shrimadji: "It is not merely virtual; it is composed of some elements."

"The Element Of Spirituality And Devotion..."

Finding Shrimadji always steeped in the element of spirituality and devotion, a certain neighbour of his in Mumbai put this question to him:


'I find you in religious devotion and studies almost all the time, every moment of the day. 


You can also read what is passing through the minds of others. 


Well, by the same token, you should also be knowing in advance what turn the prices of things will take in the market, I am sure. What do you say?'

Shrimadji said, 'God forbid, I should ever put my religious study to such use in order to know the changes in market prices!'

"You Are Not Going To Die Until The Ordained Moment Arrives..."

A person Padamshibhai of Kutch once asked Shrimadji during his stay in Mumbai, 


Sir, I am constantly haunted by a sense of fear. What is the remedy?'


Shrimadji asked in return, 'What is it that you are mainly afraid of ?'


Padamshibhai said, 'Of death.'


So Shrimadji said, 'It all depends finally when the length of your life-span, ayushya will end. 


When you are sure that you are not going to die until the ordained moment arrives for your life-span to end, of what use is it for you to be troubled with such kind of fears ? 


You should steady your mind in this way.'

"A High Degree Of Purity Of Mind..."

On one occasion a person named Shah Zaverbhai Bhagwanbhai of Kavitha put this question to Shrimadji, 


'How can one identify a samakiti, a person who has attained the state of being enlightened?'


Shrimadji said, 'You require to have a high degree of knowledge, (jnana), in order to identify such a soul, and you ought also to have attained a high degree of purity of mind.'

"The Love Between Master And Servant..."

On one occasion, mahatma gandhiji grew eloquent while praising the wife of Gladstone, Prime Minister of England, for the love she showered on her husband. 


Gandhiji had chanced to read somewhere that Mrs. Gladstone was so particular that she would even prepare tea for her husband herself, even while the sessions of the House of Commons were in progress. 


This became a rule that this most disciplined of couples strictly observed.


On hearing Gandhiji speaks in this vein, Shrimadji commented 'what do you think is of greater importance here: Mrs. Gladstone's role as a wife or her spirit of selfless seva? 


Suppose this same woman happened to be Gladstone's sister? Or she was one of Gladstone's faithful servants offering him tea in the same spirit of affection? 


Do we not come across examples of such women, of such faithful servants, even today? 


And supposing you had come across an example of such love in a member of the male sex instead of the female sex, would you not have felt a similar sense of joy and surprise? 


Please do give some thought to what i say.'


Gandhiji comments on this incident in his Autobiography, 'Raichandbhai (Shrimadji) was himself a married man. 


I retain the impression on my having found his remark as being particularly harsh at that time. But the remark served to stick in my mind like a magnet. 


The loyalty of a male servant would count for being a thousand times higher in its worth. 


Husbands and wives are united by a bond of oneness; and so there is nothing surprising in the love they bear towards each other mutually. 


The love between master and servant, on the other hand, is one which has to be consciously cultivated. 


I felt the intensity of these words of Kavi (Meaning Raichandbhai) ever increasing within me with each passing day.'

"The World Is Always And Forever The Same..."

A person by the name of Shri Thakarshibhai Laherchand Shah happened to overhear some criticism about Shrimadji one day. 


He passed the information to Shrimadji.


Shrimadji thereupon commented, 'The world is always and forever the same. 


When the enlightened ones, the jnanis, are still living, no one recognizes them, to the extent that they may even get beaten up, with blows from sticks raining on their heads. 


And-the irony of it-once the same enlightened souls, the jnanis, are dead, they worship the stones named after them. i.e statues, images.'

"You Are Not Going To Have Such An Opportunity Again..."

During the time when Shrimadji stayed at a place away from nadiad in spiritual retreat, Motilal Bhavsar attended on him, looking after him.


On one occasion, Motilal asked his wife to reach Shrimadji's place of residence at a fixed hour after the departure of a particular train. 


She was supposed to wait with the meal for Shrimadji at a place some three fields away. 


Her husband, Motilal, would meet her at that spot.


Motilal's wife, however in her over-enthusiasm, turned up herself at Shrimadji's residence, carrying the tiffin. 


She did not have the necessary patience to wait for Motilal. 


Motilal was very upset at this and he sharply rebuked his wife on this account.


Shrimadji came to know this, and he told Motilal, 'Why did you pull her up? Are you asserting your right as a husband? No, no; It's wrong. 


On the contrary you should be thankful to her. 


This good women is to reach the state of ultimate liberation, of moksha, in her eighth birth. You should admit her to our presence.'


Motilalbhai, wasting no time, thereupon immediately spoke to his wife, telling her she could join them at Shrimadji's darshan, if she so desired. He said, Shrimadji himself had granted her the permission.


Motilal's wife, was only too happy to hear this and went to have darshan of Shrimadji.


On this occasion, Shrimadji spoke of the need to overcome laxity. He said, 'Shed all laxity, all negligence. 


Why do you waste your time in this way, in such idleness, putting in no spiritual effort? 


It is indeed rare to have such a chance. 


You are not going to have such an opportunity again, one which you have earned through your good deeds, your punya, of the births gone by. 
Why do you let it go waste? Wake up, wake up. 


All the advice we may have to offer finally comes to rest on this one call, the call to overcome laxity.'

"You Should Not Perform Penance Merely For The Sake Of Show..."

Shri lalluji Maharaj would visit Shrimadji daily and spend some time, when Shrimadji came to khambhat for the first time.


Once in the course of their conversation, Shri Lalluji Maharaj said, 'I have been fasting every alternate day for the last five years and have been devoting my time to meditation. Yet, I am unable to observe strict celibacy, bramacharya, on the mental plane.'


Shrimadji said, 'You should not do any of these things merely for the sake of appearances. 


You should not perform penance merely for the sake of show. 


The main thing is to eat meagerly so as to shed all craving for delicacies and keep yourself only half-fed. 


If there is a fine dish on your plate, pass it on to someone else.'

"Pursuing The Path Of True Devotion..."

On one occasion, when Shrimadji was on a visit to Kavitha, one shri Pragjibhai, put this question to Shrimadji at the end of a discourse at Zaversheth's place. 


Pragjibhai asked, 'For sure, there is in us a strong urge to pursue the path of devotion, of bhakti. But there is this belly of ours which asks to be filled, and which again is given by God Himself. So there is little that we can do about it, for we are helpless.'


At this, Shrimadji asked, 'Suppose we provide the right reply to your belly?' and turned to Zaversheth and made this recommendation to him, 'Please give him the same plateful of food you usually take yourself, twice a day, and keep him well-supplied with a pot of drinking water. 


In return, he shall confine himself to the upper storey of this upashrey, monastery, and spend all his time in religious devotion, to bhakti. 


He has to abide by this condition, though; he is not even so much to peep outside no matter what the temptation, whether it be a wedding party singing on its way. 


He shall not indulge in small talk or any worldly gossip. If some spiritually-minded soul turns up, he can engage in talk on devotional matters. but otherwise he is to refrain from talking of any worldly matters and nor is he to listen to anyone talking in that vein.'


On hearing these words, Pragjibhai immediately protested, saying, 'No, I am sorry, I cannot carry this out, no.'


Shrimadji now said, 'So the truth is out. 


This soul is not inclined to follow the path of devotion and so puts all the blame, on the belly. 


Was there ever a man who died of starvation in pursuing the path of true devotion? 


You see, this is the trap in which a worldly soul is often caught.'

"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...'