Life of Shrimad Rajchandra

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 85

When the prince Nem avoids wedding and goes for renouncement, Räjul says, "One gets attached to those who are attached; how a detached one can have any attachment? If you are really detached, why are you pursuing the beauty queen of liberation?"
Besides, Shrimad was singing aloud the fascinating phrase 'Jeno Käl Te Kinkar Thai Rahyo (Even the Time became his servant). That lovely chanting, which led to superb delight in the hearts of others and caused them to overflow with love, continued up to the place where he was putting up. We, monks and other liberation-seekers, followed him.
Once Mohanlälji was giving sermon about the 14th chapter of Uttaradhyayan Sutra relating to the priest Bhrugu, and came across the sentence that by giving food to Brahmin one would be destined to Tamatamä infernal level. Since that seemed doubtful, we thought to ask Shrimad about it. As such, we went to his place and showed the sentence. Thereupon he said, "Tamatamä means very dark and that denotes wrong belief. To provide food to a Brahmin in the name of religion gives support to the wrong belief. That leads to infinite wandering and the soul would infinitely undergo the misery of infernal abode etc." He added, "Brahmins are termed as cats in Sutrakrutäng. It has been mentioned that way, because their tendency is to get something belonging to others."
Such superb clarification of the scriptural sentence led to the growth of our conviction for the true Guru. While giving routine guidance he once said, "The person with the right perception would not have any of the eight types of ego; nor would he have the faults of irreverence, arrogance, halfway understanding, and compulsion for tastes. So long as one has any of those faults, he cannot gain the right perception." In support of that he gave the evidence from Sthänäng Sutra (the third original scripture)
Once he called us. Accordingly we went there and sat after bowing to him. Then asking us to remain seated, he got up and closed all the doors and windows. We, three monks remained inside with him. Then he gave immense guidance about restraining the sense-organs. It was specified that the food that increases meat within the body is equivalent to meat eating. The impact of that guidance remained with us for a long time.
Once while Shrimad was talking to us near a stepped-well, he asked Chaturlälji, "What did you do since you were initiated?" Chaturlälji replied, "In the morning we get tea in alms, then get snuff and smell it. At the time of lunch we get food in alms and take sleep after that. In the evening we perform Pratikraman (atonement) and sleep at night."
Shrimad (amusingly): "Do getting tea and snuff in alms and sleeping after taking food amount to knowledge, perception and conduct?" Then he gave instructions for getting self-realization and advised Lallujiswämi, "Please see that the monks do not indulge in indolence; they should spend their time in reading, self-study and meditation. All of you need to take only one meal a day, should not get tea and snuff unnecessarily and need to undertake the study of Sanskrit language."
Muni Mohanlälji: "Lallujiswämi and Devkaranji have grown old, how can they study?"
Shrimad: "Study to the extent possible and that can be done. Queen Victoria is old and yet she studies other languages."
Once Mohanlälji wrote to Shrimad, "I do not know how to give sermon and am also unable to express well. If you therefore direct, I would stop giving sermons.
In reply Shrimad wrote, "The monks need to undertake Self-study; they should not spend any time without Self-study and meditation. When one has to give sermon, he should think, I want to undertake Self-study and I am doing it aloud so that others can hear it.' He should not have any