The Way To Win
Infinite are our inordinate desires. As long as the purpose and the aim behind them are not purified completely, our heart's love for God will never swell like a tide in the sea. It is our innate nature that urges us forward to perform actions; their effects and the impressions in our mind that they form, are in consonance with that same inborn nature. Our nature and temperament are completely guided by three gunas. Usually it is not sattwa, but rajas and tamas that impel our actions. In order to extricate our self from these two gunas' grip, we should use our nature and temperament in such a way that they behave under the guidance of sattwa guna. To achieve that purpose, we should unfailingly resort to Japa (God's remembrance), prayer, hymns, meditation, and other helpful means. Hence while doing anything, we must keep alive and vigorous our Japa. Thus, we must go on doing things in this simultaneous way. Such continued effort will bring about our progress. It will in still spiritual power in us and push us still further along the path.
Just as we repeatedly thrust into the fireplace those pieces of wood that burn outside unnecessarily, so must we bring back into introversion our extroverted mind again and again. In this way our inner eye (of wisdom or intuition) begins to open and gradually grow in power as this kind of our sadhana proceeds. This eye also must be doubly utilized. By its means our debasing attitudes and thoughts have to be turned in the right direction. For that purpose it (the inner eye) must be constantly watchful. We must also employ that same inner eye to awaken divine consciousness in our inner implements such as our mind. In this way we should go on developing our introversion and thus create greater speed in our march for the search of the Self (or the Oversoul). This double process of reforming our inner implements and of blending reformed implements into those same lower implements has to be carried on regularly.
Saint's Contact
Our loving reverential contact with a saint is never fruitless. When I was studying in Petlad, I came in touch with Jankidas Maharaj. Immediately after the daily closing of the High School and sometimes even earlier when I had a free period, I would go straight to the saint. Iwould sweep his place clean and sometimes even wash his clothes. At times I would sit quietly before him and listen attentively to him talk with others. I had then no spirit of inquiry and did not quesiton him. He led the simple life and was as guideless and open-hearted as a child.
One rich dyer of Petlad looked up to him with deep reverence and devotion. It was he who had fully provided for the saint and it was on his account that Jankidas Maharaj stayed in Petlad. The saint never delivered a sermon, never narrated religious stories, never read passages from holy books to the public. if he did any such thing in my absence, I do not know. Although evidently there was no attractive element in him, I deeply loved to simply sit in his presence.
I had never taken any part in sports during my school days in Petlad. Whenever the saint was there and I could snatch some time, I would never fail to go to him. Though I sat silent, he himself sometimes asked me,"What do you do? In what standard are you? Where do you stay?"
When I was in the seventh standard (i.e. in the matriculation class), he deigned to shower his grace on me by warning me,"You are going to fall seriously ill. Take care. Finish all your studies as soon as possible."
There was a Sanskrit Pathshala (school) in Petlad conducted under the patronage of the same rich dyer. The principal of that school sometimes visited the saint. On one occassion, when both he and I were present, the saint pointed his fingers at me and told the principal in an earnest tone," Teach this boy the whole Sanskrit course for the matriculation examination. Make him proficient. He lives with some other family, not his own, and his circumstance don't permit him to come to you at any fixed time. Teach him whenever he gets a chance to come to you."
Experience of the Saint's Grace
The Sanskrit Pathshala was a short distance from the Dewan Saheb's house, where I was staying. Within the short period of two months or so, I nearly learned from the principal the whole course in Sanskrit and completely learned Sanskrit grammar. In addition, since Jankidas Maharaj had done the favour of warning me, I finished, with the aid of guides and question-and-answer books, my courses in all other subjects in a short time.
Shortly after, some business sent me to Ahmedabad. Though my elder brother and mother were there in that city, I chose to stay with my former patron and teacher, Shree Ghanubhai. There truly, the prophecy of Jankidas Maharaj was fulfilled. I caught a very serious illness -- serious enough to bring me to death's door. For several days I lay in my bed entirely unconscious. During this long illness, I frequently remembered with gratitude my benefactor Jankidas Maharaj. Deep love for him stirred my heart.
When the process of recovery began, I tried to resume my study, but the doctor peremptorily forbade me. It necessary for students to pass the school's preliminary examination to get the form to appear to take the University's matriculation examination. I could not even appear for that necessary preliminary test.
But Head Master Saheb, an inhabitant of Sojitra, had a soft heart for me since I was a clever student, I had received creditable marks on the essays given in class and on both the quarterly and half-yearly examination. He knew, moreover, that I had completed the whole course of study in matriculation, before I fell ill. Hence he waived the rule of compulsory appearance for the preliminary examination in my case and gave me the entrance form. Had Shree Jankidas Maharaj not alerted me , I would certainly have failed. Thus, at least in my case, the holy contact of a saint made in love and devotion brought about a very happy result.
I also found that merely sitting near a holy saint, even without the knowledge that it is very beneficial brings peace and happiness. The only condition is that we should really love to go to him. I can vouch for the fact that this feeling of peace remains in the heart for some time after leaving a saint's presence. Because I experienced that lingering feeling with all my heart, I loved to go to him again and again.
A Godly Soul
Jankidas Maharaj had advised me to pay particular obeisance to another saint, Saryudasji, and to gain his blessing and I had done so. At the time when all of this had hapened, I had absolutely no idea of the glory of saint's contact. But today in retrospect, I can affirm that Jankidas Maharaj was a saint of no mean caliber. He used to sometimes visit the Santram Mandir ( a temple named after the saint Santram of Naidad). When he did so, I did not fail to seek his company even in my early days of social service.
After I began to do Sadhan, I continued going to him whenever he came to Santram Mandir. For his part, he never forgot me. On his inquiry, I had told him of my spiritual efforts and difficulties. Sometimes I would not say a word to him. With a prayerful heart and avid consciousness of the priblem in my mind, I would sit silent in his presence. Merely from his conversation with someone else or from his casual utternaces, light would dawn in me and I would receive the solution to my problem.
I also
followed this practice of silent attendance with many other saints.Whenever
I could gain something from one of them, I would go to him more often than
to the other. From what little time I could spend in his presence, I would
unfailingly render some service to him as well. Such loving service of saints
creates a pleasant feeling in the mind (and other inner implements) and keeps
it in its element. It was because of these sooothing experiences of ennobling
contacts that I never gave up my habit of visiting saints' quarters.