Laghurajswami Biography

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 20

During the lifetime of Shrimad, Lallujiswämi used to move at places like Nadiäd, Änand, Ahmedabad, Narodä etc. in order to see Shrimad and to remain in his contact, he also did not miss any opportunity to see him at the Rail stations, when he came to know of Shrimad's going to Bombay or Saurashtra. Since that ground for movement no longer existed, and since he loved forest areas and other lonely places where he could better resort to spiritual pursuit, he moved towards south beyond Dharampur. He had taken with him only Mohanlälji, who would talk to the people coming to Upäshray or other resting place. Lallujiswämi passed most of the time in woods and would come back at the time of taking food.
Once he went deep in the woods. Scores of aborigines turned out all of a sudden with arrows, bows etc. and surrounded him. As he could not make out why they stood surrounding him, he asked fearlessly why all of them had been there. One of them said, “You are the Government agent and have come here to recruit us. So we want to hold you." Thereupon Lallujiswami gave them the name of the trader where he had put up and said, “We are the monks; come with me, if you want to make sure. We come to the woods only for the sake of devotion. Today I happened to come this far; you need not be afraid of us, we are not Government agents." Those people were satisfied with that explanation and dispersed.
Thereafter while undertaking longer journeys they reached Karmälä in the South and passed the monsoon of 1902 there. Gujarati and Märwädi settlers in that area used to come in contact with them. Those people liked the way Lallujiswämi used to talk about the religion without any partiality. Later on in Agäs Ashram while talking about that region he used to say that the people there were zealous and devoted; had he stayed there longer, something like Agäs Äshram could have been set up there.
Meanwhile Devkaranji and others were moving in Charotar area. He was to pass the monsoon of 1902 at Borsad, but a thorn pricked into his foot while he was at Bhädran. He got infection and that reached his foot-bone. As such, it was decided to pass the monsoon at Ahmedabad. The liberation-seekers arranged to send him there in a shoulderhammock. There the local liberation-seekers remained at his service. He was required to undergo surgery. Since, however, he did not want to stay unconscious, the surgery had to be performed without anesthetics. The surgery had to be performed seven times, but he remained firm in avoiding anesthetics. Eventually he left the body at Ahmedabad during that monsoon. After his demise Chaturlälji, who was with him, was keen to go Lallujiswami and wrote to him to seek the permission. As the permission was granted, he proceeded towards Karmälä after the monsoon.
Laxmichandji and other monks had been with Devkaranji for monsoon at Ahmedabad. From Karmälä Lallujiswämi had written the following letter of consolation to them.
"He (Devkaranji) had a strong inclination for self-realization, which he had gained from Shrimad's contact. The purified soul was living the life of the self-realized. Repeated obeisance to such a soul!
"The great men have termed peaceful bearing of pain as the topmost religion. True conduct lies in bearing the pain without perturbance of mind. Equanimity is the essence of enlightenment. The acute pain turns out to be a source of high degree of Nirjarä (eradication of Karma) for such enlightened persons. Muni Devkaranji has gained such Nirjarä by resorting to equanimity while bearing the pain at the time of embracing the death. Now you need to behave in a way that leads to unraveling and disentanglement.
“The contact of Devkaranji was helpful to other monks in observance of restraints; that helped in enhancing the sense of detachment and renouncement. On that very account we also feel sad at the loss. But we should now get off from that sadness; all of us have to depend upon the true Guru; that is our resort... Everything else is destructible and we have to forsake the same sooner or later... It is necessary to give up all sorts of inclinations except that of the soul... Maintain tendency within the soul while keeping in mind the external, internal and the supreme modes explained in the adoration song for Lord Sumatimnath... Gautamswämi also had given up the attachment for Lord Mahäveer. Retain the tendency exclusively within the nature of true Guru.... Keep the Mantra in mind. It is not necessary to get confused on any account."
Devkaranji was inherently bold like a lion. As he received the call from 'Death' in the form of thorn-prick, he boldly accepted the same. The impact of his discourses was so strong and effective that the listener would not forget it for six months. Shrimad affectionately used to call him Devkirna.