Discourse 1 (Part 2)
Swami Pritam Muni
Vadodara, 20.8.09.
Divya Sanskriti, October 2009.

When we are both together, Guruji makes you laugh a lot at every step. Sometimes, neither of us gets up from his place between  two in the afternoon till seven in the evening. I used to think that since I am sitting down on the ground I can at least once in a while move my limbs about but in Guruji’s case he moves neither hands nor legs, simply sits still in one position and one place for hours. This is the Pratyahar of yogis.  One meaning of Pratyahar is the ability to be still like a statue once the sitting position has been taken. When Guruji is sitting on his couch, I sit on the floor, sometimes in  Vajrasan, sometimes in Padmasan and at other times in Sukhasan. Sometimes I move my limbs about also. But Guruji, once he has seated himself, he remains seated, still and unmoving. We sit from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon and then again from two in the afternoon to seven in the evening. Guruji has his evening milk after that so I take leave of him but return once that is over. We resume our talks after that, from half past seven to around nine in the night, and this is while Guruji is taking his usual walk after the evening milk. Once it is nine, I usually take leave, otherwise he is quite inclined to stand in one place and continue conversing.

In this way, Guruji has spoken to me a great deal. I have mentioned earlier that Guruji has showered so much grace upon me even without my asking. I had told Guruji, “I shall never ask you for anything for myself”. On his part, Guruji has left nothing to be asked or desired, so generous has he been in his munificence.

When I told Guruji, “karishye vachanam tav” – I shall doas you say -, I also slowly added that I was the youngest of his nivritty paksha (renunciant) family. (Sanjaybhai had told me that since I was aged only 32 years, nearly all the others were elder to me).

Now I shall tell you how the epics of those who are younger or smaller are made. We had occasion to go on a trip to the jungles of the Panam dam when I was in the eleventh grade. The occasion was a two-day camp there. The forest officer there instructed all the children to declare their date of birth in order to determine which one of us was the youngest child. The last one had declared a date in 1976 as his date of birth. It struck me that if I declare my 1977 date of birth I will be established to be the youngest of the lot and that will perhaps result in my being assigned some chore. So I declared a false date of birth so that I may be considered older. This resulted in some other child being identified as the youngest. That child was then instructed to come forward as the youngest child was to light the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the camp. So, you see, sometimes there are such mistakes too!

Anyway, I told Guruji that I was the youngest in age and would very well discharge the responsibility he was entrusting me. Since the work of cultural resurgence is to be done only on earth, at least that I can manage. As the conversation continued, I became a little serious and said, “Hold on to Pritam Mun’s hand even after you have  attained the divine body”. Hearing this, Guruji laughed a little but gave me no other reply. After the conversation had continued for some time, Guruji interjected with a reference to the divine body. I told Guruji, “Dadaji had told you that he would appear before you only when he considered it necessary, not that you desire it and he would appear. But you kindly do not do as Dadaji. If I sit in a room and pray for you to appear, you must appear. After all that does not involve your having to spend any money for a ticket”. Guruji made  no reply even to this. When I firmly held on to this line of conversation, Guruji became serious. He normally keeps laughing but at this time he was silent and speechless, even his eyelids were still and motionless. Seeing his serious state, I too became serious and kept looking at him. Then he said, “Do as God directs; whatever God directs at that time, that would be so”.

The conversation continued after that. I became even more serious than Guruji. I became very emotional and held on to my demand, Guruji said, “Listen; there was a great yogi named Mila Repa. He had become a perfected yogi, a siddha. When his allotted time on earth neared, he put on an illusion of death. His body assumed the state of one from whom the life force, prana, had departed; it became as one of a dead person. Everyone thought that Mila Repa had died. All the disciples collected wood and placed his seemingly dead body on it. Then they tried to light a fire to ignite the funeral pyre but were unable to light a fire.

Mila Repa had a disciple named Rechung who had been living apart at another place since some time. Mila Repa had given him an indication to come to this spot. He arrived at this place at this time when the disciples were trying to light a fire to ignite the funeral pyre but the fire would not ignite. The disciples prevented Rechung from approaching Mila Repa. “How are you Guruji’s disciple?”, they asked him, “we have not seen you here since so many years”.

Rechung stood at a distance and with an emotional voice prayed to his Guru. “Guruji, I was your beloved disciple once; today your disciples prevent me from approaching you”.

Mila Repa’s eyes were closed and his body was still as if in sleep when Rechung addressed his prayer to his Guru. But now, to everyone’s astonishment, he opened his eyes. One who appeared dead  some time before had now become alive. Mila Repa sat up and said, “Let Rechung come near me”.  (The friendship of a single lion is to be preferred to that of a thousand elephants. For more information, Read Guruji’s book Mila Repa).

All moved out of the way and Rechung could now approach his Guru. The fire that was to be lit to consume Mila Repa’s body now appeared in the form of a lotus and Mila Repa was seen seated in it with a divine illuminated body. He conferred blessings on Rechung and disappeared in the sky. In due time, Rechung too became a siddha, a perfected yogi.                               

When Guruji had narrated this account, I was fully satisfied. You too must have understood its import. Now, why should I worry? I must simply close my eyes and just keep on running in the direction that Guruji shows me. It is a matter of great joy that our spiritual lineage is a lineage of love.  The bond of love between Guru and disciples bonds in so many ways that, like Gopis leaving their household tasks and flocking to the Lord, bound by our love for Guruji we too run for his work despite the worldly bonds that keep us otherwise tightly confined. Guruji has lovingly given me so much assurance. and has told me, “I am there, you do not have to worry about anything”.

On 6th January, 2009, I told him, “Guruji,I will tell you in two lines what is in my heart.:
He fought till there was breath in him; then he laid down his mortal body before him”.

I say with certainty that I shall goon doing the work of the Shiv Sankalp and Guru’s command so long as there is breath in my body; there will be no breath in my body when I am unable to do so”.