Reminiscences

A teacher of Arithmetic met ShriMaharaj. ShriMaharaj said to him, "Worldly life, too, can be viewed in terms of arithmetic. Marriage should be looked upon as an addi­tion. To enjoy worldly pleasures except as a duty or a debt to the organs should be called subtraction. To have children is like multiplication, and dissipation of life that occurs with every breath should be looked upon as division. When the remainder reduces to zero with continu­ing division, one has to go, leaving worldly life. The con­summation of all this arithmetic is in one's recognizing of God. That recognition comes about by namasmarana. "

Reminiscences

A lady practising namasmarana regularly was very ca­pable but quick - tempered, and, once she became en­raged over an incident, her tongue set off on delivering a lashing. Just about then one day ShriMaharaj acciden­tally came  there. As soon as she saw him, not only was her tongue silenced, but tears welled up in her eyes. She said, "Maharaj, what can I do about this tem­per of mine ? This is how it lets me down." ShriMaharaj said, "Gangutai, seek the origin of anger and the six en­emies of the soul. Desire is their mother, and Pride is the father. The interesting thing is that, if one of them dies, the other automatically succumbs. There is no remedy like nama to eradicate Desire. There is no remedy like saying 'Rama is the doer' to eradicate Pride. To get hold of both, there is no means like surrendering to a sadguru. One should understand that in surrender lies the seed of eradication of the six enemies of the soul."

Reminiscences

Retired Postmaster Balwantrao Pathak once raised a query, 'How could the food served at a shraaddha (anni­versary of death) be reaching one's deceased relatives ?' ShriMaharaj replied, "Balwantrao, at least you should not have this doubt. Someone comes to you to send a money order for a hundred rupees. You do not transmit his hundred rupee note to the other end. But does not the amount of one hundred rupees reach the proper person?. Similarly, if a man gratifies someone by serving him food, with the departed person in mind, and with a sincere conviction, then what is the objection to presuming that that departed soul is gratified ? Shraddha is to be per­formed with sincerity. He who is so disposed, will certainly find gratification in shraaddha."

Reminiscences

The day before he passed away, Shri Maharaj said to Bhausaheb Ketkar, "Bhausaheb, I will pass on tomorrow Morning." On hearing this Bhausaheb said, "To die in your lap would be a joyous occasion. It was with that in my mind that I came here ."Bhausaheb, it is not fated to be so." Then Bhausaheb asked, "Where should I stay ?' ShriMaharaj told him, "Stay right here for twelve years.' Accordingly Bhausaheb stayed in Gondavale for the next twelve years. In those days there were many inconveniences there. During that pe­riod Bhausaheb had typhoid. The fever would not lessen even after ten days. On the whole the condition turned precarious. Adequate medical treatment was not pos­sible in a village like Gondavale. But not a thought of leaving Gondavale touched his mind. The fever lessened on the twenty - first day, and eventually he recovered. When asked about his state of mind then, Bhausaheb said, 'The influence of His love was so great that it did not even enter my mind to disobey His word,'

Reminiscences

A person used to meet ShriMaharaj off and on. Every time Shri Maharaj used to say to him, "You should practise chanting nama." Once the person said, "Maharaj, I unfailingly chant two hymns every day after my bath. In that  case what is the additional need for nama ?" Shri Maharaj told him, "Chanting a hymn is like meeting God through a letter. Chanting nama is like meeting God In person. As such nama is a must.'

Reminiscences

Shri Maharaj's Omnipresence

This is a story of the time when Baburao Gadre was a teacher in Kolhapur. He used to perform aarati every evening after placing milk for naivedya in a bowl before a picture of ShriMaharaj. The only water he used was at the time of offering naivedya. Later, on meeting him, ShriMaharaj said, "Baburao, even if naivedya consists of only milk, along with it drinking water is needed !" Since then he began providing a cup of water along with the bowl of naivedya.

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