Great Warrior Of Ahimsa

Author(s): Pratap J Tolia
Publisher: Vardhaman Bharati International Foundation

Page 49

- 24 -
As mentioned previously, Gandhiji was impressed not only by this memory power and knowledge of Rajchandraji, but by of his "SPOTLESS CHARACTER AND HIS BURNING PASSION, FOR SELF REALISATION" also about which he came to know after coming in more contacts. with him, after the above mentioned first acquaintance.
* Truth-seeker Gandhiji frankly writes about his own inner condition of that time:
"My spiritual state was that of a knowledge-seeker (JIGYASU) only when we met first. There remained doubts in mind about several questions......... I had a little knowledge about Religion, Hinduism, Geetā etc. at that time. I am not talking here of whatever I had acquired from my parents. It was not so that had I known much about religion through my own efforts. But I used to have eagerness to know about religion. Hence I liked the acquaintance of Raychandbhai and I got influenced by his words."
Gandhiji records on page 113-114, in his autobiography, "The story of my Experiments with Truth", also : -
"Rāychandbhāi's commercial transactions covered hundreds of thousands. He was a connoisseur of pearls and diamonds. No knotty business problem was too difficult for him. But all these things were not the centre around which his life revolved. That centre was the passion to see God face to face. Amongst the things on his business table there were invariably to be found some religious book and his diary. The moment he finished his business he opened the religious book or the diary. The man who, immediately on finishing his talk about weighty business transactions, began to write about the hidden things of the spirit could evidently not be a businessmen at all, but a real seeker after Truth. And I saw him thus absorbed in godly pursuits in the midst of business, not once or twice, but very often. I never saw him lose his state of equipoise. There was no business or other selfish tie that bound him to me, and yet I enjoyed the closest association with him. I was but a briefless barrister then, and yet whenever I saw him he would engage me in conversation of a seriously religious nature. Though I was then groping and could not be said to have any serious interest in religious discussions, still I found his talk of absorbing interest. I HAVE SINCE MET MANY A RELIGIOUS LEADER OR TEACHER. I HAVE TRIED TO MEET THE HEADS OF VARIOUS FAITHS, AND I MUST SAY THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS EVER MADE ON ME THE IMPRESSION THAT RAYCHANDBHAI DID. HIS WORDS WENT STRAIGHT HOME TO ME. HIS INTELLECT COMPELLED AS GREAT A REGARD FROM ME AS HIS MORAL EARNESTNESS; AND DEEP DOWN IN ME WAS THE CONVICTION THAT HE WOULD NEVER WILLINGLY LEAD ME ASTRAY AND WOULD ALWAYS CONFIDE TO ME HIS INNERMOST THOUGHTS. IN MY MOMENTS OF SPIRITUAL CRISIS, THEREFORE, HE WAS MY REFUGE."
"Though I could not place Raychandbhai on the throne of my heart as Guru, we shall see he was, on many occasions, my guide and helper............".
GANDHIJI ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS ABOUT RAJCHANDRAJI
(only a few extracts out of many )
* IN ONE OF HIS LETTERS ABOUT BODY & SOUL:
"The body should not be dearer than the soul. He who knows the soul, and also knows that it is different from the body, will not try to protect his body by committing violence. All this is very difficult indeed; but he who has imbibed very noble ideas easily understands it and acts accordingly. The belief that the soul can do good or evil only when it is encased in a body is quite mistaken and terrible sins have been and are being committed owing to it.