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Autobiography of Gnani Purursh
Autobiography of Gnani Purursh refused and told her, 'Although our forefathers may have been following this age-old tradition. I do not believe in it. Just because they jumped in a well, should we all blindly do the same? In those days the well may have been full of water but today I do not see any water. All I see is large stones and snakes at the bottom. I refuse to jump in it.' First we should check to see if there is any water in it before we jump in. What is the point of jumping in a well and breaking your head?
I believed that a guru should be someone who would show me the light; he should show me the way. He should be able to guide me spiritually. I did not see any point in undergoing religious rituals of having cold water sprinkled or poured over my head and having someone tie a kanthi around my neck. But I also felt that if a person were worthy of being a true guru, then I would not only let him pour cold water over me but even if he were to severe my arm, I would let him because I have had arms and limbs for infinite births. In which birth did I not have these? And if otherwise someone came and cut off my arm, would I have a choice in the matter? So why would I not let a guru cut it? If some dacoit were to come along and cut it, do people have a choice? And what if the guru were to cut my throat? No Guru would do such a thing. But if he did, is there any reason why you should not let him?
My mother told me, 'Then everyone will call you *nugaro'. At the time I did not understand what that meant. I thought it was a term people used to tease others. It wasn't until much later that I realized it meant someone without a guru. So I said to her, Never mind if they call me nugaro. They will only make fun of me, that is all and no more'.
No Need For Such A Moksha When I was thirteen, after school I used to visit a couple
of ascetics from North India at a nearby ashram in Bhadaran. I would massage their feet because they were very pure. One day one of them said to me, 'Son, God will take you to moksha.' I told him that I would appreciate it if he did not say such things because I found it unacceptable. He felt that I did not understand since I was only a child. He told me that gradually I would understand it
. Later on I thought if God were to take me to moksha, he would become my superior and would dictate over me. He would offer me a seat next to him and would ask me to vacate the place when his acquaintance would come. Instead of such dependency it is better to enjoy some bhajias with your wife; this kind of dependency is better. Such a 'moksha' is better than the other. I do not want moksha where there is a superior above me who dictates my moves.
So even at age of thirteen I had such thoughts about independence. I did not want any kind of moksha where there was a superior over me. If such a moksha did not exist, even then one thing was for sure. I did not want either a superior above me or any subordinate under me. For sure I did not want any subordinates.
I did not want moksha where I am told where to sit and where. I wanted moksha where there was no superior above me and no inferior below me. I wanted a path of liberation void of any attachments. At the time I was not aware that such a thing as the path of the vitarag Lords existed. All I knew was that I did not want any superior. I did not want a God that dictates. Such a God can go home, what use would I have for such God? If he is a God, then so am I. It does not matter if he tries to keep me under control for a while but I didn't want it and for what purpose? For mere gratification of these five