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disintegrate correspondingly. As soon as someone realized that he could no longer use this body for anything, he either prepared himself to leave it willingly, as a bird leaves the nest, or he became weaker and weaker in mind as in body. For example, after the Indian people won freedom from the British, Gandhiji is known to have told his niece, “Now I have no desire to live into the hundreds, as I used to. My mission is over. I would rather depart than see our brothers fighting each other in this way." In despair over the violence which had broken out between Hindus and Moslems, his will complied in a way with the event which took his life.
On the positive side, Gurudev had contact with one octogenarian, who until the age of fifty-three had been beset by illness at least once a year. One day, he told Gurudev that the truth had dawned upon him. “What I want to do I can do," he had thought. From that moment, he had made up his mind to take care of his body, and, in particular, to remove negative thoughts from his mind. One by one, he had started replacing certain thought patterns with healthy and inspiring thoughts. He had taken hold of his life and had begun organizing his time. He had sorted out how many hours to spend in meditation, what kinds of food would be best for his nutrition, how often to go out for a walk and engage in breathing practices. After that year of positive effort, he never again became sick. He remained in excellent health until his last day when he left his body in his nineties.
He left his influence on his son. Following in the healthy mindprints of his father, his son, who is now in his seventies, became convinced that he too could maintain himself in excellent physical, mental, and spiritual health. He told Gurudev, "If my father could live until ninety, I will not live less!" He also used his wealth to have the famous Manilal Nanawati Hospital built in Bombay in honor of his father.
On several occasions, Gurudev witnessed men well into their nineties or more leave their earthly existence in a state of perfect peace and composure. One of these was one of his teacher's teachers, Acharya Siddhisuriji, who lived to the age of one hundred five years. He observed how he was aware of the precise moment in which he was to depart. He watched
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