Yogiji Maharaj 8th Ed 1st Reprint O - BAPS
A Textbook of the Satsang Examinations Series: 3YOGIJI MAHARAJGujarati Text: Prof. Ramesh M. DaveTranslation: BAPS SadhusSwaminarayan AksharpithAhmedabad
(English Edition)(A short biography of Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj)A textbook for the Satsang Examinations curriculum set byBochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan SansthaInspirer: HDH Pramukh Swami MaharajPrevious Editions: 1975, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1998, 20028th Edition: March 20078th Edition 1st Reprint: May 2009Copies: 5,000 (Total: 21,000)Price: Rs. 25.00ISBN: 81-7526-106-4Copyright: SWAMINARAYAN AKSHARPITHAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced inany form or by any means without permission in writing from thepublisher, except for brief quotations embodied in reviews and articles.Published & Printed bySwaminarayan AksharpithShahibaug Road, Ahmedabad-4Gujarat, India.Websites: .akshardham.com
BLESSINGSThe youth movement established and nourished byBrahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj has been expanding at a very rapidpace. With a view to satisfying the aspirations and the thirst forknowledge of the youth joining the organization, and also toenable them to understand and imbibe the principles of Aksharand Purushottam expounded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan, thepublications division, Swaminarayan Aksharpith, organized underthe auspices of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar PurushottamSwaminarayan Sanstha, has produced a series of books.Through these books, it is intended to impart systematic,sustained and pure knowledge in simple language on a scholasticbasis to children and youth of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It ishoped that this Sanstha, established by Brahmaswarup ShastrijiMaharaj for implementing and propagating the Vedic idealspropounded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan, will, through thisactivity, spread the ideals and noble traditions of the Sampradayand through it, the culture and heritage of the Hindu religion.It is the aim of this project to preach and spread the divinemessage of Bhagwan Swaminarayan to all corners of the world.We hope that all religious-minded truth-seekers of the Sampraday,and those outside of it, will welcome this activity and be inspiredby its universal principles and ideals.In order to encourage children and youths, annualexaminations are held based on the curriculum presented in thesebooks. Certificates are also awarded to successful candidates. Webless Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami, Prof. Rameshbhai Dave,Kishorebhai Dave, and all others who have cooperated inpreparing these books.Vasant PanchmiVikram Samvat 2028(1972 CE), AtladraShastri Narayanswarupdasji(Pramukh Swami Maharaj)Jai Swaminarayan
PUBLISHER’S NOTEThis book is a biography of the divine personality that inspiredus to frame this course of study. That person was none other thanBrahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj, who pioneered two organizations –one for young children and one for youths. This is the life-story ofYogiji Maharaj, who encouraged children and youths to lead a pure,moral life and ascend the spiritual ladder.For the benefit of the youths and children, the inspiring lifestory of Yogiji Maharaj is given here in abridged form. The book iswritten in a simple and lucid style so that the young and old alikecan enjoy it and benefit by it. The book is comprehensive since itdescribes all the important events from the life of Yogiji Maharaj –right from his birth to his last days, his life’s work, his inspiringpersonality and his eloquent preachings.The present publication is a translation of the Gujarati bookYogiji Maharaj. The book has been designed to serve as part of thecurriculum for the Satsang Prarambha Examinations. It is ourearnest prayer that all devotees and aspirants for knowledge willstudy these books carefully and pass the examinations with flyingcolours and, above all, derive immense spiritual benefit and earnthe blessings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and our beloved guru,Pramukh Swami Maharaj.- Swaminarayan Aksharpith
Shri Swaminarayano Vijayate*Ame sau Swãminã bãlak, marishu Swãmine mãte;Ame sau Shrijitanã yuvak, ladishu Shrijine mãte.Nathi dartã nathi kartã, amãrã jãnni parvã;Amãre dar nathi koino, ame janmyã chhie marvã.ame 1Ame ã yagna ãrambhyo, balidãno ame daishu;Amãrã Akshar Purushottam, Gunãtit jnãnne gãishu.ame 2Ame sau Shriji tanã putro, Akshare vãs amãro chhe;Svadharmi bhasma choli to, amãre kshobh shãno chhe.ame 3Juo sau motinã Swãmi, na rãkhi kai te khãmi;Pragat Purushottam pãmi, malyã Gunãtit Swãmi.ame 4* For meaning see page 59
Birth of Jinabhai . 1Jinabhai in Meditation . 2Jinabhai’s Courage . 3An Ideal Student . 5Use of Leisure Time . 6Worship of the Lord . 8Initiate Me as a Sadhu . 9Jina Bhagat in Junagadh . 11Jaga Bhakta Appears in a Dream . 13First Meeting . 14I Am Only a Servant . 16Austere Jina Bhagat . 18Krishnaji Ada’s Blessings. 19The Desireless Sadhu . 21Indifferent to Insult . 23A Hard-Working Sadhu. 25A Real Sadhu . 27Mandir Service . 29Swami-Shriji Accepts Offerings . 31Devotion Par Excellence . 32Snake Bite . 34Head of Akshar Mandir . 35Devotion to Guru . 37“Shastriji Maharaj Is Still Manifest.” . 39Youth Centres and Satsang Assemblies . 40Youths and Yogiraj . 41Youths Become Sadhus . 44Yogiji Maharaj’s Life-Work . 45Visits to Africa . 49Reception and Departure . 51The Likings of Yogiji Maharaj . 53Sermons of Yogiji Maharaj . 54Pramukh Swami Maharaj . 57Glossary . 59
YOGIJI MAHARAJ
Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj
11BIRTH OF JINABHAIIn the small town of Dhari in the Amreli District ofSaurashtra there lived a devotee by the name ofDevchandbhai Vasanji of the Lohana community.Jethabhai, the grandfather of Devchandbhai, was ablessed devotee of Shriji Maharaj.Yogiji Maharaj, the son of Devchandbhai, was bornin Dhari on 23 May 1892 (Vaishakh vad 12, V.S. 1948).His mother’s name was Puribai. His childhood name wasJinabhai, but his parents lovingly called him ‘Jina’. Jinawas loved by everyone. All were captivated by hishandsome, shining face.When Jina was a child, his mother took him withher to the cotton farm every day. Other women of thevillage who came to pluck cotton also brought theirchildren with them. The women would leave their"Why do you bring your wailing children to my farm?"
2Yogiji Maharajchildren under the shade of a tree, before commencingtheir work in the fields. Sometimes their children, failingto see their mothers, would cry loudly. This infuriatedthe farm owner. He scolded the women daily, “Why doyou bring your wailing children to my farm?”The farmer, however, never became angry withJina’s mother. Looking at Jina, the owner alwaysremarked, “Jina is a miracle child. Look, he always suckshis toe, just as Shri Krishna did. Puribai, one dayeverybody will fall at his feet. They will worship him.”Gradually, Jina grew up and he was popularly calledJinabhai. Jinabhai, though young, had a strong liking forsimplicity and cleanliness. He enjoyed nothing more thanto engage in bhakti and singing bhajans.2JINABHAI IN MEDITATIONThere is a confluence of three rivers on the outskirtsof Dhari. The place of confluence is known as TriveniSangam, and the resulting river is called the riverShetrunji. The Shetrunji narrows on reaching a bridge,and shrinks to the size of a small rivulet under thebridge. The inhabitants of Dhari call it Patalio Jharo.Jinabhai used to have his daily morning bath at thisspot near the bridge. He would wear clean clothes afterhis bath and then sit in an upright posture and performmeditation for hours together. He meditated upon thedivine form of Shriji Maharaj. To the many who sawJinabhai seated in meditation at such a lonely place, itseemed as if Dhruv himself was meditating! Theyinvariably stood and watched the young Jina engrossedin meditation.Sometimes, friends of Jinabhai would come to havetheir bath at Patalio Jharo. They were amazed to findJinabhai rapt in meditation. They would wait for him till
Jinabhai’s Courage3Jinabhai teaches meditation to his friendshe came out of his meditation and then enquire, “Whatwere you doing?” And Jinabhai would reply, “I wasremembering God. You also sit with me to meditate. Iwill teach you how to meditate.”From his childhood Jinabhai never failed to do hismeditation every morning. He advised everybody to starttheir daily work only after remembering Shriji Maharaj.3JINABHAI’S COURAGEJinabhai was studying in the fifth standard.Tribhovandas was the headmaster of his school. He wasa very hot-tempered man. One day, Tribhovandasseverely thrashed a boy named Chandu. Jinabhai couldnot bear to see the boy suffer. He felt pity for Chandu,who was innocent of any wrongdoing. Jinabhai startedchanting ‘Swaminarayan, Swaminarayan’. Chanduscreamed with pain. Tribhovandas continued thrashinghim until he fell down unconscious. The children ran
4Yogiji Maharaj"Our headmaster mercilessly beat the innocent Chandu."helter-skelter out of fear of the teacher. Later, Chandudied as a result of the severe beating. Chandu’s fatherreported the case to the inspector, and an inquiry wasopened. The inspector came to the school to investigate.But who would dare to bear witness against theheadmaster?The inspector asked all the students in the class.But who would be bold enough to report the truth?Jinabhai always spoke the truth. Why be afraid ofspeaking the truth? Jinabhai was not at all afraid ofthe headmaster. So, he boldly addressed the inspector,“Our headmaster mercilessly beat the innocent Chandu.He grabbed him by the arm and bashed him to theground.”When Jinabhai spoke up, all the other studentsgained courage and shouted with one voice, “Yes sir, itwas the headmaster who beat Chandu.” Looking closelyat the forehead of Jinabhai, the inspector saw the holytilak-chandlo mark. Innocence and honesty were writtenon Jina’s face. He believed Jinabhai and immediately
An Ideal Student5dismissed the headmaster. He also rewarded Jinabhaiwith a prize for fearlessly speaking the truth.The truthful always triumph. Therefore we shouldnot be afraid of telling the truth. We should form a habitof speaking the truth from early childhood.4AN IDEAL STUDENTJinabhai was very clever in his studies. He alwaysstood first in every class and won many prizes.Sometimes dull or lazy students would sit besideJinabhai, hoping to copy his answers. Some bullies wouldthreaten Jina, “When you have solved all the questionsyou had better tell us the answers.”Jina would laugh and, to merely please them, say,“Alright, I will tell you. I will tilt my slate so that youcan see everything I have written.”Whenever the teacher set any problem, Jinabhai"By copying you are cheating God."
6Yogiji Maharajwould solve it immediately, and then turn his slateupside down. Those around him who had neglected theirprevious lessons, would ask in a whisper, “What is theanswer?” But Jinabhai would remain silent.One day some of the boys threatened him, “Jina,show us your slate, otherwise we will beat you up.”But Jina fearlessly replied and explained, “You workit out! If my answer is wrong, then your answer will alsobe wrong.”Whenever other students succeeded in copying hiswork, Jinabhai did not like it. He would tell them off, “Itis wrong to copy. By copying you are cheating God.”Thus, Jinabhai always insisted that everyone shouldlearn by working hard, and should not cheat.5USE OF LEISURE TIMEAt two o’clock in the afternoon there was a 30minute recess for the class. During this time thestudents played games like kho-kho, hide and seek, chaseand catch, and amli-pipli. Jinabhai was not interested inplaying games. He preferred to spend his time in prayer.So, while his friends and other children played games,Jinabhai prayed to God in a quiet corner or under a tree.The boys often wondered, “What is Jina doing?” Theteachers, too, would ask his friends, “What does Jina dowhile others play?”One day, two teachers saw Jina while he wasmeditating under a tree and asked, “Jina, you don’t playany games. You meditate on God all day. You are notinterested in the affairs of this world, so why don’t youbecome a sadhu?”“Yes, I will become a sadhu,” replied a determinedJina. So saying, he resumed his prayers. How could theteachers of Jinabhai know at the time that Jinabhai
Whilst his friends played, Jina preferred to meditate on GodUse of Leisure Time7
8Yogiji Maharajwould really become a sadhu and become famousthroughout the world.Jinabhai did not like to waste his free time. He onlyliked to offer worship. We, too, should not waste timeand should offer devotion to God.6WORSHIP OF THE LORDFor many years Jinabhai’s uncle, Mohanbhai, hadbeen performing the daily worship and service of themurtis in the mandir at Dhari. But due to old age and illhealth, he could no longer look after the mandir properly.He thought, “It would be nice if some good devotee couldbe found to perform this service.” His eyes fell onJinabhai.Jinabhai performing arti in the mandir
Initiate Me as a Sadhu9He asked Jinabhai if he would take up the mandirduties. Jinabhai was overjoyed, and assured him,“Mohankaka, do not worry, I will serve Thakorji.”From that day Jinabhai assumed the mandirresponsibilities, and engaged himself in the service ofGod. He would bathe the murtis lovingly, applysandalwood paste and a kumkum chandlo, light the divoand incense sticks and perform the arti. His heartoverflowed with joy while offering devotion to God.Besides all this, he would draw water from the welland water the plants in the compound of the mandir. Withina short time the garden in the mandir was filled with thesweet fragrance of flowers. Every morning Jinabhai madegarlands of flowers of various colours for the murtis. Hewould prepare a variety of delicacies to offer to God. Hewould serve the murtis as if God himself was physicallypresent. Quite often, he even conversed with the murti.In the mornings and evenings, he would bring hisfriends to the mandir. There, he taught them how to chantthe ‘Swaminarayan’ mantra. He used to sing bhajans andasked others to sing with him. He taught them how toperform arti and also how to sprostrate before the murtis.Before they left he would give them prasad.7INITIATE ME AS A SADHUNow Jinabhai passed his days and nights in themandir. He worshipped Maharaj with single-mindeddevotion. Jina would also serve visiting sadhus duringtheir short stays in Dhari. All of them were pleased withhis service and would bless him. At school, Jinabhaipassed the Standard VII exams. At that time,Krishnacharandas Swami, along with his group ofsadhus visited Dhari from Junagadh. On seeing thesadhus, Jinabhai was extremely pleased. He was in their
10Yogiji Maharajservice from early morning till late night. He would getup early in the morning and have his bath. Aftercompleting his morning prayers he would attend to theneeds of the sadhus. He helped them by drawing waterfrom the well for their bath. He would sweep the mandirfloor, and neatly arrange the mats for the sadhus to sitand meditate upon. He lovingly served them allthroughout the day.Sadguru Krishnacharandas Swami was a blesseddisciple of Gunatitanand Swami, the incarnation ofAksharbrahman. He saw that Jinabhai, though oftenvery tired, still completed his daily duties and services atthe mandir. He was pleased to see the devotion ofJinabhai, and appreciated the zeal with which he served.One morning, while giving prasad to JinabhaiSwami asked, “Jina, would you like to become a sadhu?”Jinabhai was filled with joy at Swami’s question. Hereplied eagerly, “Yes Swamiji, I would be happy if you"I would be happy if you would make me a sadhu."
Jina Bhagat in Junagadh11would make me a sadhu. It is my only wish. For manydays I have been hoping to talk to you about it. Buttoday, you yourself have read my mind. Swamiji, pleaseinitiate me as a sadhu. I want to become a sadhu andserve you and Maharaj.”Swami Krishnacharandasji blessed him and said,“Your wish will be fulfilled.”8JINA BHAGAT IN JUNAGADHA year later, Jinabhai obtained permission from hisparents to become a sadhu. Mother Puribai preparedkansar and served her son for the last time. Applying achandlo to his forehead, and wishing him fulfilment inParshad Jina Bhagat
12Yogiji Maharajhis new life, she gave him a proud but sorrowful send off.On 1 November 1908 (Kartik sud 7, V.S. 1965), Jinabhaileft home. He set out for Junagadh. On the way he wasaccompanied by his elder brother, Kamalshibhai. Thevery next day, they met Krishnacharandas Swami.On 8 November 1908 (the full moon day (Punam) ofKartik, V.S. 1965), Jinabhai was given the parshaddiksha by Krishnacharandas Swami. He was then giventhe name Jina Bhagat. Jina Bhagat immediately took onvarious duties at the mandir.In those days the parshads were entrusted with thetask of grazing the cows and buffaloes of the mandir.Jina Bhagat would go along with the other parshads tothe foot of Mount Girnar to graze the cattle. While thecattle grazed, Jina Bhagat sang bhajans, and memorizedSwamini Vato.In the evening, Jina Bhagat would return to themandir along with the cattle. On the way back he wouldcut and gather babul sticks, used for brushing teeth inthe morning, for all three hundred sadhus in the mandir.Returning to the mandir with a bundle of 300 babul sticks
Jaga Bhakta Appears in a Dream13Besides this, every morning he cleaned the cowshedsand collected cow-dung. He would then make little flatcakes out of the dung and placed them in the sun to dry.They were then used for fuel.In spite of fatigue from the day’s work Jina Bhagatalways attended the satsang assemblies every evening.He would sing bhajans and chant the Swaminarayanmantra. Then he would stay and listen to the discoursestill late night. Every morning he would get up at four toserve his guru once again. Such was his daily routine.He earned the blessings of Krishnacharandas Swamiby serving him devoutly for six months.9 JAGA BHAKTA APPEARS IN A DREAMDuring those days, Krishnaji Ada and Pujaji Bapu(disciples of Jaga Bhakta) were frequent visitors toJunagadh. Jina Bhagat listened to their discourses.Krishnaji Ada narrated many incidents about thegreatness of Jaga Bhakta. Day after day Jina Bhagatheard about the spiritual glory of Jaga Bhakta.Once, at night, a thought came to him, “How greatJaga Bhakta must be!” With this thought he fell asleep.During his sleep, at two o’clock in the morning, he had awonderful dream. He dreamt that Jaga Bhakta wasstanding before him, wearing a dhoti and a white turbanon his head. Jina Bhagat immediately prostrated beforeJaga Bhakta, and addressed him saying, “Guru, todayyou have fulfilled my wish by giving me your darshan. Iam overjoyed. Please say a few words of wisdom.”Jaga Bhakta replied, “You should keep two guidelinesin mind. The first is to form a habit of reading theshastras and the second is to keep the association of holysadhus.” Then Jina Bhagat again prostrated before JagaBhakta in his dream.
14Yogiji MaharajJaga Bhagat appears in a dreamThe habit of reading shastras means daily reading ofthe Vachanamrut, Swamini Vatu, Shikshapatri,Bhaktachintamani, Harililamrut, etc. with reverence,and applying the wisdom contained in them. Contact ofrevered sadhus means seeking the company of a Godrealized Sadhu such as Shastriji Maharaj.We must also cultivate these two habits and thusstrive to achieve inner fulfilment.10FIRST MEETINGJina Bhagat belonged to a group of sadhus led byKrishnacharandas Swami. Once, the group went toRajkot.One day, Shastriji Maharaj also arrived in Rajkot.He stayed at the house of Krishnaji Ada. When JinaBhagat heard this news, he felt a strong desire to havethe darshan of Shastriji Maharaj. So, early in the
First darshan of Shastriji Maharaj at RajkotFirst Meeting15
16Yogiji Maharajmorning, under the pretext of going for a bath in the Ajiriver, Jina Bhagat and three other sadhus went to thehouse of Krishnaji Ada.When Shastriji Maharaj awoke at four o’clock,Jadavjibhai informed him that some sadhus had come fordarshan. Shastriji Maharaj went to the room in whichthe sadhus were waiting. Jina Bhagat and the othersadhus paid homage to Shastriji Maharaj and thenpresented to him a mala and a tumbdi, which had beenused by Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami. ShastrijiMaharaj was greatly pleased.Jina Bhagat could not take his eyes off ShastrijiMaharaj and looked at him with great reverence.Shastriji Maharaj, too, looked at Jina Bhagat with muchaffection.Jina Bhagat thought, “Shastriji Maharaj is worthy ofbeing a guru.” And he mentally accepted ShastrijiMaharaj as his guru.Thus, on 23 August 1909 (Shravan sud 7, V.S. 1965),Jina Bhagat met Shastriji Maharaj for the first time. Itwas like a river meeting the ocean.11“I AM ONLY A SERVANT.”After staying for some days in Rajkot, SwamiKrishnacharandasji and his group of sadhus resumedtheir tour of the villages. In the course of their tour theyvisited Hajdiyala near Sardhar. There was noSwaminarayan mandir in the village, and therefore thesadhus rested at the community hall of the village.It was afternoon. The sadhus, following theafternoon sermon, retired for a short rest. Jina Bhagat,after completing his duties also lay down for some rest. ARajput devotee, who was an expert in astrology andpalmistry, was struck with wonder when he saw the
“I Am Only a Servant.”17“O Jina Bhagat! You will be a great sadhu one day."soles of Jina Bhagat’s feet. He had never seen suchextraordinary lines on the feet of any sadhu before.Thus, when Jina Bhagat got up and welcomed him,the Rajput devotee exclaimed, “O Jina Bhagat! You willbe a great sadhu one day. People in their thousands willfollow you. They will pray to you to earn your favour andblessings. Shriji Maharaj will be your constantcompanion. There are urdhvarekhas on your soles. Holymen with urdhvarekhas are extremely rare. They are thesacred signs possessed by a sadhu who has a constantrapport with God.”On hearing these words, Jina Bhagat at oncecovered his feet and said, “Don’t talk like that. I am onlya servant. Krishnacharandas Swami is a great sadhu.Please never speak about this to anybody.”But the devotee could not remain silent. He at oncedisclosed his thoughts to Krishnacharandas Swami.
18Yogiji MaharajSwamiji smilingly said, “Yes, he possesses all thequalities of a great sadhu.”12AUSTERE JINA BHAGATThe King of Mengni was a great devotee of God. Athis request, Krishnacharandas Swami visited Mengnievery year to celebrate the Annakut festival.One year, however, the King of Lodhika invitedSwamiji to celebrate Annakut in Lodhika. The king wasalso a staunch devotee. He provided all the rawmaterials for the celebrations. From morning tillevening, the sadhus and parshads devoutly prepared thevarious sweet and savoury delicacies for the festival.When the day of Annakut arrived, a grand festival washeld. The delicacies were first offered to God. At theking’s order a meal with sata and jalebi were ready to beserved to everyone.Krishnacharandas Swami tells Jina Bhagat to have his meal
Krishnaji Ada’s Blessings19Jina Bhagat used to fast some days in the month.Realizing that such delicious sweets like sata and jalebiwill be served on that day he decided to observe a fast.All the sadhus went for lunch, except Jina Bhagat.When the king heard that Jina Bhagat was fasting,he pleaded with him saying, “Today is a festival day. Youshould not fast today, so please eat.” Jina Bhagat politelyrefused. The king repeated his request several times butJina Bhagat told him, “I have a stomachache and am nothungry, so I do not want to eat anything.”The king then appealed to KrishnacharandasSwami, “Please tell the young Jina Bhagat to eat.” SoSwamiji asked Jina Bhagat not to fast that day. But hegave the same reply to Swamiji, and did not eat. Thus,despite such tasty delicacies, Jina Bhagat fasted.Krishnacharandas Swami was inwardly pleased thatJina Bhagat was not tempted even by the tastiest ofsweets to break his fast. He praised his austerity andself-control. That night he called Jina Bhagat and placedhis hands on his head, and blessed him. He advised theother young sadhus to cultivate the same nvirtues ofausterity and self-restraint as Jina Bhagat.13KRISHNAJI ADA’S BLESSINGSIn Vartal, on the morning of 11 April 1911 (Chaitrasud 13, V.S. 1967), Acharya Shripatiprasadji Maharajgave Jina Bhagat the bhagwati diksha. Jina Bhagat wasrenamed Sadhu Jnanjivandasji. But the sadhus harandas Swami called him ‘Jnanji Swami’.On 7 June 1911 (Jeth sud 11, V.S. 1967), aftercelebrating ekadashi, Sadhu Jnanjivandasji, along withseven other sadhus, left the Junagadh mandir to joinShastriji Maharaj to help promote the true philosophy of
Krishnaji Ada blesses Yogi Maharaj20Yogiji Maharaj
The Desireless Sadhu21Akshar and Purushottam, as taught by BhagwanSwaminarayan in the Vachanamrut.It was on Saturday, 4 October 1911 (Aso sud 11,V.S. 1967), that Krishnaji Ada breathed his last.Bidding his last ‘Jai Swaminarayan’ to ShastrijiMaharaj and other sadhus he asked, “Where is JnanjiSwami? Call him here.” Jnanji Swami (Yogiji Maharaj),who was sitting in the corner, prostrated before himand then came and stood respectfully by his side.Krishnaji Ada asked him to come nearer; and when hedid, he placed his hands upon his head, and blessedhim.Nirgundas Swami remarked, “Jnanji Swami! It isnot Krishnaji Ada who is blessing you, but believethat Bhagatji Maharaj and Jaga Bhagat are blessingyou.”Because of his great love for all, Krishnaji Ada’s eyeswelled up with tears. Then bidding ‘Jai Swaminarayan’,his last farewell, he left this world for Akshardham.14THE DESIRELESS SADHUYogiji Maharaj was absolutely without any desire.Though he was young, he never wanted anything forhimself. All day long he would remain engaged inspiritual discourses, singing bhajans, memorizingscriptures and serving others.Once, Yogiji Maharaj was with a group of sadhus inBhavnagar. They were staying at the house of a staunchdevotee. This house was situated on a main road. It wasevening and Yogiji Maharaj was on the upper floor of thehouse reading the Swamini Vatu.Down below, people were eagerly awaiting the king’swedding procession. The procession was to pass along themain road. Both sides of the road were crowded with
22Yogiji Maharajonlookers. Windows and balconies were also full of eagerspectators. From a distance, its drums and clarinetscould be heard.Suddenly, a devotee got up and approached YogijiMaharaj and said, “Come on, why are you seated here?The king’s wedding procession is here. It is worth seeing.Come to the window – don’t you want to see it?”Whereupon Yogiji Maharaj replied, “Of whatconsequence is it for us sadhus? Of what use is it for usto see such things? Once we have renounced something,why let it re-enter our heart?” The devotee was amazedby his reply and spirit of renunciation. He bowed downat the feet of Yogiji Maharaj.The young and spirited Yogiji Maharaj
Indifferent to Insult23Due to this spirit of service and other saintlyvirtues the veteran sadhu, Narayandas Swami ofJunagadh, thrice sent the message, “Jnanji Swami, ifyou return to Junagadh, I will myself come down toJetpur from Junagadh to welcome you, and bring youhere in a grand procession.” But Jnanji Swami stayedwith Shastriji Maharaj to help him accomplish manynoble tasks.In Rajkot, Yogiji Maharaj unintentionally made asmall mistake. ViJnandas Swami became very angry andordered Yogiji Maharaj to leave his unfinished meal aspunishment. Hargovind Mehta of Vadhwan witnessedthis scene, and in the afternoon privately asked YogijiMaharaj, “Yogi! Why do you tolerate so much? Don’t youfeel like leaving here and going home?” Yogiji Maharajreplied happily, “When the guru scolds it is for our good.Without punishment we would not remain alert. It helpsus to correct our mistakes.”Hargovindbha
The book is comprehensive since it describes all the important events from the life of Yogiji Maharaj – right from his birth to his last days, his life’s work, his inspiring personality and his eloquent preachings. The present publication is a translation of the Gujarati book Yogiji Maharaj. The book has been designed to serve as part of the
Sadguru Shri Ramakant Maharaj around the year 1963-1964. Maharaj uses the Pen name Gurucharan (Guru’s Feet) in most of these Abhanga’s. Maharaj met his Master Sadguru Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj in the year 1962. These compositions are full of love, gratitude and devotion to His Master. All these compositions have been written in
The Way of Nisargadatta Maharaj An Interview with Jean Dunn from Inner Directions Jean Dunn had the rare opportunity of being close to the contemporary sage, Nisargadatta Maharaj. With unquestioning faith, she wholeheartedly absorbed the teachings and presence of Maharaj, opening herself up like a reed to the flow of .
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impact which the actual words of Maharaj in Marathi had at the time. The translation of Maharaj's words in this book is not purely literal, but necessarily contains an interpretation of what seemed clearly implied in the imaginative, forceful, sometimes terse but virile
Maharaj by Ramesh Balsekar, I Am That I Am by Stephen Wolinsky, Song of I Am edited by Jerry Katz and the ASMI I Am That excerpts compiled and edited by Miguel-Angel Carrasco have not been referred to. Apart from his teachings, all these texts give a lot of information on Shri Nisragadatta Maharaj. So me other books that may also be
business cases, using the Five Case Model – in a scalable and proportionate way. It recognises and aligns with other best practice in procurement and the delivery of programmes and projects. Experience has demonstrated that when this guidance is embedded in public sector organisations, better more effective and efficient spending decisions and implementation plans are produced. At the same .
