Discourse 1 (Part 3)
Swami Pritam Muni
Vadodara, 20.8.09.
Divya Sanskriti, November, 2009.

When Lord Buddha was traveling the earth, thousands of disciples, men and women, were also traveling with him. The same was the case with Lord Mahavir. An entire university traveled with Sage Durvasa. It had about sixty thousand disciples. All of them must have sacrificed something. They too must have had families, attachments, limitations, yet all of them took courage and joined the cause. So also must you. We are engaged in serving the cause of culture and morality in fulfillment of Dadaji’s divine will and Gurudev’s command. There is no doubt that you and I will pursue this task and it shall cover the face of the earth. Let us do it so well that Dadaji will find it impossible to remain aloof in his divine abode and will see fit to come and bless his  disciples.

I was just telling the sisters that I will not go to anyone’s place without there being some reason for it by way of some work but I will go to the  place of anyone devotedly engaged in Life Mission’s work. However, that work must be revealed to me and if I am satisfied that there is reason to do so, I shall go to that disciple’s place. I will have time for you if you will have time for Life Mission’s work and will engage in it to the best of your ability. Should you do much work for Life Mission, you will find me at your door even without your inviting me, calling “Dharma Labh, Bhikshan Dehi”.

Who is our Guru, Lord Lakulish, and what is he like? He is Brahmchaitanya from whose mere single thought “I am alone, let me be many” the whole creation comes into being. It is this Dadaji of the lofty highest abode who is our Guru. This gives us cause to rejoice but it is our weakness if we find excuses even while being in the privileged position of being his disciples. Surely all of you would have understood and received much instruction from all this. We will make whatever appropriate plans are necessary to carry forward Dadaji’s work and will whole heartedly apply ourselves to its accomplishment. We have merely to move our hands and feet, apply ourselves, to merely be the tap – the water ill flow of its own accord.

At this stage I recall something Guruji mentioned to me. He did tell me, “This matter is confidential”. I narrate t to you in the same spirit; it is “confidential’, just between you and me. Guruji was narrating an  incident from his life when he had need for some information and “switched on his television” for the information he needed. In his case it means that his “television” works like a CCTV – everything within the ambit of its focus stands fully revealed. For sure all of us fall within the range of his “television” when he chooses to switch it on. 

I will narrate an incident from the time that I was in the Kanjetha ashram. Many a well-wisher visited me there at that time, invariably insisting on my accepting some sweet condiment or the other. I thought that the Scriptures  have advocated the use of coconut when practicing Pranopasana and t is also convenient in every way.  So I told all these well wishers that if they absolutely must bring me some sweet condiment than it might as well be Coprapak . Following this, everyone who came to visit me made it a point to bring me some Coprapak. This practice continued even when I later moved to Dehra Dun. A few kilos of Coprapac was always to be found in the refrigerator there. This now became a problem. It was impossible to consume so much coprapak and there was so much waste. Even a small quantity of it  made the stomach to feel heavy. So I changed my mind and asked to be given khaman (light condiment prepared from rice flour) instead. This was because, unlike coprapac, it was not so heavy and even two or four pieces were quickly digested. Following this, no matter whose home I visited, khaman was sure to greet me there and no matter who came to visit me, khaman was sure to accompany! Now khaman also became a problem!  I again began to look for another alternative. I finally settled on ice cream as the new condiment of choice. Now, wherever I go ice cream is sure to be awaiting me there! I used to take a little everywhere so that sometimes as many as ten, fifteen ice creams were consumed in a day.

But when Guruji narrated the story of his “television camera” I thought he would turn it on and see me and think, “He is reluctant to consume cow’s milk but thinks nothing of consuming so many ice creams!”. That was it. I stopped ice creams from July this year.

When Guruji’s “camera” is switched on, he can see us no matter where we are in this vast Universe. Should there be flaw in our work, it will show up in the “camera”. Still, why worry? When the defender is present, the person defended has nothing to fear. Wherever we may be engaged in his work we shall be within the ambit of Guruji’s “camera” and in that way he, our defender will be with us, freeing us of all cause for worry or fear. All we have to do is to work with dedication and be brave in our efforts. We are very fortunate in that we have a Guru who is a wonder on this earth. Both our material and spiritual welfare will be well served  if we bend our shoulders to the task in accordance with his wishes. Not only this lifetime but many lifetimes still in store will be well blessed.

I  was putting in about ten hours of pranopasana in 2002. I had then become very thin. One of our sisters named Shardabehn had rendered me much service at that time. One day she asked me, “ You will be lost in your own world when you take sannyas. Will you remember me then? You won’t forget? You will remember us?” She was insistently seeking a reassurance from me. I told Shardabehn a story which I tell you now because it applies to you all as well.

Gorakshnathji was once on his way somewhere via his highway in the skies. When yogis have conquered the earth and water elements it is very easy for them to travel through the skies at great speed.  He noticed a beautiful clearing on the earth below him and felt like  descending there. He cast his eyes about and manifested himself at a spot where there was no one about. He then walked and reached a field where a farmer was tilling his land. It was afternoon. Gorakshnathji went and seated himself down under a tree. The farmer noticed him and, recognizing that a saint had arrived at his farm, approached him and bowed in greeting. He gave him water to drink and inquired if he would accept some food. Gorakshnathji said, “Yes, I am hungry and so will accept some food”. The farmer placed a plate with food before Gorakshnathji and the latter commenced eating. From time to time the farmer continued to replenish anything that needed replenishment till Gorakshnathji had consumed all the food there was.  He inquired from the farmer what he would do about his own meal. “I will be going home in the evening and will have dinner then”, the farmer replied.     What a sacrificing nature the farmer has, Gorakshnathji thought, that he has given me all his food without worrying about his own needs. He was pleased. The farmer said, “Maharaj, we are ignorant. Do something that will be good for our welfare”.  Gorakshnath blessed him and spoke to him about the way of spiritual welfare. “I cannot do what you do”, the farmer replied. “I am a worldly man with a wife and children to look after”. This farmer is not yet destined for a higher destiny, Gorakshnathji thought, as he took leave of the place.

By coincidence, years later Gorakshnathji was once again passing from the same place while traveling in the skies. His eyes fell on the same old field and tree known to him from his previous journey. He remembered the farmer who had gone hungry in order to feed him. He learned from his supernormal powers that the farmer had since died and been reborn as a bullock. It is said in the Bhagvad Gita that one is reborn according to where one’s consciousness is at the time of death. At the time of his death the farmer was  worried that everything would turn to naught in his home after his death. As a result, he was reborn as a bullock in the same place. Now one of the pair of bullocks was lazy and did no work, leaving it for this reborn soul to do all the hard work. Gorakshnathji approached him in his subtle body and whispered in his ear, “Brother, do you recognize me?” “Yes Maharaj”, the bullock replied, “I recognize you”. “You have reached a lower species”, Gorakshnathji pointed  out, “drawn there by your moha for your family. You work so hard and yet on top of that have to suffer the onslaught of sticks on your body. At least now give up your moha”. “This farm, orchard and my children, will all suffer if I do not work”, the bullock replied. Once more Gorakshnathji took leave of the place.

After some years, time again took a similar turn and once again  Gorakshnathji was in the skies over that very same field. This time he saw that the farmer had now been reborn as a dog and was sitting at the entrance to the hut. “After suffering sticks as a bullock you have now become a dog. If you have gained some sense and discrimination by now, leave all this and come with me”, Gorakshnath told him. “Maharaj”, he relied, “this is not something you can understand. The wives of my sons are all inexperienced, are simply unable to maintain order in the home and leave things carelessly all over the place. Someone can easily take away things. That is why I keep vigil here at the entrance. Everything is safe because I keep watch here.”

.Look how worried we are about everything! We are beset by worry and anxiety of one kind or the other all the time. Gorakshnath remembered that even on the earlier occasion he had tried to persuade the farmer of a better destiny but he was not inclined to be persuaded. On this occasion also he was unprepared to be persuaded of a higher destiny. His destiny has not ripened, Gorakshnathiji thought, and once again took lave of the place.

But he did not give up. Years later he was again passing over the same field. Once again he remembered the food he had had there, sitting under the tree on the farmer’s field. Once again he assumed his subtle body and approached the farmer who had now been reborn in the snake species and lay coiled in the safe of the hut where the valuables were stored. “Brother, at least now come to your senses and leave all this”, he told the snake. “You are wandering about in one species after another, in each case undergoing suffering. At least now leave all this”.

“I have accumulated all this wealth after much hard labor”, he replied. “I sit here in the safe for its protection. When I feel that my family has genuine need of it, I shift away a little so that they can remove what they need. But when it appears to me that they wish to withdraw something for wasteful ends, I take up position near the door so that they cannot touch the wealth stored here”.

The creator of all things has made arrangements for the maintenance of his creation but we have no trust in it and take it upon ourselves to make the arrangements. If destiny wills otherwise, and in the absence of discrimination and good sanskars, even the best of arrangements go awry and all is lost. On the other hand, with a favorable destiny, good sanskars, hard work and the blessings of elders, even those who have nothing are able to create plenty out of nothing. Thus we must leave false moha and utilize discrimination.

It seemed to Gorakshnath that this snake would not easily leave his moha. He was a great yogi. Yogis have very strong willpower. If they wish, they can, by the power of their will, make a person or many persons, perform actions without limitations of time and place. Gorakshanathji put his powers to use and, under their influence , the members of the family began to feel that the snake nuisance could be dealt with by pouring boiling water in the place where it made its home. They boiled some water and poured it into the place where the snake lay. As a result the reptile suffered a painful death. It was his dying thought that the very people out of concern for whom he had taken the past three lives and undergone suffering, had caused him to die in the present life with so much further suffering. Following this experience the attachments, delusions and false affections he had still remaining in him came to an end and, with the blessings of Gorakshnath, he was born again in a higher state and made much progress.

  I had told Shardabehn that I would make effort for the welfare of anyone who had so much as offered me a glass of water or been of the least assistance to me in my work. May God give me the strength that I may remain constantly engaged in ensuring the welfare of that soul. This applies to all those who apply themselves to the fulfillment of Dadaji’s Shiv Sankalp. They all have Guruji’s blessings and mine. May God give you all such an inclination, such strength and such circumstance that you may minimize making excuses, be less inclined to waste time and use your energies and capacities in making Dadaji’s Shiv Sankalp a reality and applying yourself to the task of revival of cultural and spiritual values. May we all – you, I myself, all of us – complete this noble task in the best possible way, may Guruji and Dadaji be pleased with us all, may their blessings constantly shower upon us. Om, Om, Om, Jai Bhagwan.