Reminiscences

A headmaster was a disciple of Kumbharaswami. He used to observe the practice of worship with great punctiliousness. Every day he used to get up well before daybreak, and completing his ablution etc., exactly at sun­rise he used to perform his guru's aarati. Observance of this practice went on year after year. Once he had fever. The temperature rose to 104 °F (40° c ). His family pressed him to perform aarati without performing the daily ablu­tion. But he would not listen. Immediately there after he covered himself and lay in bed. He fell asleep, there was a great deal of sweating, and his fever completely disap­peared. After this he happened to meet ShriMaharaj.

Complimenting him on his determination to observe the practice at all costs, ShriMaharaj said, "The disciplinary practices for the body are contingent upon the body's con­dition. Worship is mainly an affair of the mind. The pur­pose of a disciplinary practice is to mould and discipline the body and the mind. Till today you have observed the restrictions on the body. Now it is essential not to be bound down by the restrictions, and to go beyond them. It affects one vitally to break a practice one has preserved at all costs, but the root of this is in the subtle pride dwelling within. The subtle pride is, 'I have done this till today', therefore one feels bad that, 'I cannot do it now'. As a mat­ter of fact, whatever was done till today could succeed only because the sadguru got it done; the true doership is that of the sadguru. It is a mistake to take to oneself the credit of doership. One should exercise caution that some­thing does not fail to be done out of laziness, but if some­thing cannot be done because of the body becoming inca­pable, one should not be adamant about doing it. There should be total surrender. One should put an end to one's separate existence. By saying, 'whether it is done or not, either of it is his will', one also retains an awareness of him." After telling him this much, ShriMaharaj said, to him, "Do not forget that I am telling you all this in the name of your guru.'