Reminiscences

The marriage of the youngest daughter of an elderly, not-too-rich couple with love for Nama, had been delayed. In the meanwhile, there was a theft in their house, and ornaments were stolen. The lady was especially distressed. Upon their meeting Shri Maharaj, he said to the lady, 'What has happened is certainly distressing; it should in­deed not have happened. But tell me one thing; for what purpose had the ornaments been kept?' The lady said, 'They had been kept for our daughter to wear when she would be given away in marriage.' Upon this ShriMaharaj said, "Jf you get a better son-in-law in the absence of those Ornaments than the one you would have got if those ornaments were there, then this loss will have been am­ply compensated for. So wait and see what happens." As chance would have it, they got an excellent son-in-law later on. After some days ShriMaharaj happened to meet the parents. At that time ShriMaharaj said to them jocu­larly, "Just now there are only the two of you in the house ! These days, after marriage, a couple lives as two-some,And  goes for a while to a hill station for a honeymoon.You have such an opportunity now. But now you have to strive for everlasting joy rather than the short - lived joy of a  honeymoon; for which, both should set about chant­ing name vigorouusly and sincerely.'

Reminiscences

He who does not obey his Parents is evidently undeserving of initiation

A youth who had done his M.A. met ShriMaharaj and requested him to impart Nama to him. ShriMaharaj said, 'You are well-educated. You should undergo initiation af­ter you have studied what it implies.' The youth said, 'I know all about it.¹ ShriMaharaj asked him, 'Have you sought your parents' permission to receive initiation ?' He said that he did not think it was necessary to obtain any such permission. Upon which Shri Maharaj said, 'Sacred tenets enjoin that both mother and father be looked upon as akin to God. It is necessary to ask them about initiation beforehand. How is it possible that a son who does not obey his parents, will obey me ? In this situa­tion, what use is it to confer initiation ? So, first minister to your parents, and when you please them, then come to me for initiation with their permission and blessings.'

reminiscences

The Sadguru alone is the doer and the prime mover of all deeds, we merely serve as  instruments.

There are many persons in Karnataka who seek attainment of God by practising Namasmarana. In order that it may be convenient for them to assemble for worship, it was decided that a place be consecrated by installing ShriMaharaj's podukas* there. ShriMaharaj gave a coin of a rupee to Shri. Huchchurao and directed him to commence the work. Shri. Huchchurao said, ‘Maharaj, building a temple is a huge task. It will require a great deal of money. How can this work possibly be get done through my frail hands? Upon which Shri Maharaj said, 'It will get done as God got a war fought by Arjuna. One should merely serve as an instrument'

* Paduka : ('J^jf) a shoe or a slipper : but popularly clogs or wooden shoes; also an impression of a foot or both feet on stone, worshipped as the trace of some deity or guru.

Reminiscences

How a Kirthan ought to be performed

A lady performed kirtan* as an amateur, not as a pro­fessional. After one such performance ShriMaharaj said to her, "You do not perform kirtan for earning money or public recognition but as one of the nine kinds of worship. That saves it from being just a kind of religious concert, which in no way serves to attain God. One should always remember Narada's stance that he performed kirtan for the sake of God. One should constantly assess how much of the subject matter of the first half of the kirtan, which is of the nature of a sermon on the text, has become part of ones own nature. Remember, the listeners are influ­enced only to the extent to which something has become a part of the preacher's nature."

Another such performer of kirtans, but as a profession, visited ShriMaharaj, and said, 'Maharaj, I face the audi­ence during kirtan. Naturally I notice what effect what­ever I am telling them has on them. How can I disengage my mind from them and turn it on God?' ShriMaharaj answered.' "Sir, it is not incorrect that one's mind is on what is the effect of whatever one is saying, on listeners' minds. But one should take the mind off it and give it to God, whereby the kirtan will be rendered as worship unto God. One should keep one's mind on the idol of God. One should practice listening to the subject matter of one*s assertions. When one listens to one's own kirtan one re­flects upon it well. Besides, it is highly effective with the audience. This is just how saints perform kirtan."

* Kirtan fafafa) A prose - cum - musical opera about God or a saint. ... 

Reminiscences

The Verses of 'Manaache shloka' are unfailing, like Rama's arrow

There was a retired engineer who had diabetes. The ,„,„. of sugar in his blood had risen up. As a remedy for this, every Sunday and Thursday he used to take meals only after taking injections of insulin. He used to take the (injections himself. He met ShriMaharaj and told him about his ailment. Upon this ShriMaharaj said, 'The two hun­dred and five verses of Manache Shloka*  by Samartha Ramadasa are like two hundred and five injections for the mind. Hereafter, learn one shloka by heart at the time of taking each injection, and reflect upon it till the time for the next injection. Take up the next shloka at the time of the next injection. At the rate of two injec­tions per week, you will have learned one hundred and four shlokas in a year. When two years have passed thus, all the shlokas from Manache Shloka will have been as­similated. When your mind receives the injections in the form of the verses, the sugar in the form of love of worldly things will be automatically under control. This will be of great help in attaining God.'

* Manache Shloka _ { *M% *$fai )   a set of two hundred and five verses or stanzas written by Saint Ramadas in the form of advice to the

Reminiscences

Only by chanting Nama  can one discharge one’s obligations to God.

One gentleman was very poor in his youth. Later he became highly successful in life. When he had once come to meet ShriMaharaj, he said, 'Maharaj, I know it is not merely ability by which I have prospered beyond all ex­pectations. There is no doubt that my present prosperity is due to grace of God. What can I now do that I may be discharged from His obligations?' Shri Maharaj was very pleased to hear this question, and said to him, "To be discharged in the true sense from the obligations of some­one is to give him something that he does not have. There is not much sense in giving him something which he al­ready has. As the ownership of everything one sees is basically God's, to give Him any of those things is like giving Him something that is already His own. There is only one thing that He does not have. And that is, that He cannot love Himself. When one loves Him sincerely, it is like giving Him something that He does not possess. To be able to love God sincerely, one should unreservedly surrender oneself to Him. To acquire such a surrendering attitude one must feel that one is a mere nobody. Such a feeling is aroused by namasmarana. So one should prac­tice chanting of Nama sincerely."

Reminiscences

LET US NOT FORGET THAT JUST AS GOD IS KIND HE IS  JUST TOO

There was a person who used to accept bribes. He was suspended from service on a charge of having taken a bribe in one case. He had not taken a bribe in that par­ticular case, as a matter of fact. He met ShriMaharaj and said,’The charge of my having taken a bribe in this case is not at all true. If I am penalized in this case, then I will shout out in public that there is no justice at God's door, that religious practices and the Nama of Rama are a hoax, ShriMaharaj said, "When the Diwali festival approaches, the womenfolk of the house start preparing different deli­cacies. One 'samples' them as they are prepared. One also takes the usual meals. Later, when Diwali actually ar­rives, one eats the snacks to one's content. After the four days of Diwali have thus passed, one gets indigestion. Then, on the fifth day, one eats a light meal of rice and buttermilk. But the accumulated indigestion continues, worsens, and one begins to vomit and gets diarrhea. Then one starts telling people, 'God alone knows why I am suf­fering so, although I only ate rice and buttermilk yester­day.' Will such a plea be justified? Swear by God that your conduct till today has been blameless; then I assure you not one hair of yours will be harmed. Are you pre­pared to do this? If not, then why do you merely blame God? " Having said this much, ShriMaharaj added, 'God is surely kind, but let us not forget that He is also strictly just.'