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49. True Guide to Right Path
M unishri Lalluji's keen desire to meet Shrimad had not been fulfilled and he was very disappointed. While pained at not seeing Shrimad, he also knew that the guidance of a True Guru can only be helpful. Shrimad was aware of Munishri Lalluji's longing to see him, and understood his pain at not being able to meet his Guru. The next morning Shrimad asked Sobhagbhai, Dungarshibhai and Ambalalbhai to console Munishri and to tell him that Shrimad would visit him. Munishri Lalluji was overjoyed. Later on, Sobhagbhai, in the privacy of Ambalalbhai's house gave him a mantra which Shrimad had sent for him and said: "He has asked you to chant the rosary five times."
There was considerable opposition from the Jain community to Munishri Lalluji's acceptance of Shrimad as his Guru since Shrimad was a mere householder while Munishri a monk. The members of the community showed less and less reverence towards Munishri. The truth seekers would spend the night and day of every full moon singing hymns in devotion of their gurus. Once, Munishri stayed away from the Jain Hall (upashray) for the whole night, so as to be with Shrimad. This made many of the laity very unhappy with him. Despite all this opposition, Munishri's faith in Shrimad was firm and he was totally devoted to him.
It is customary for a monk to give lectures and sermons but Munishri was now unsure as to what a monk such as him, still on a quest for the Soul, should do. He sought Shrimad's guidance which was: "If a sermon is expected from you, then give it, but with the attitude that you are not yet qualified to give it, but that you are bound to do it, and with total detachment. Try as much as possible to avoid giving sermons, but if you are not able to, then give them in a detached state.
Munishri further asked: "What is the responsibility of a preacher ? Should he enthral the congregation with his eloquence ? Should he try to satisfy his own ego? Or is his responsibility to act as a lighthouse and always point out the right path to the Seekers of the Truth ?"
Shrimad responded : "Those who have to preach prior to having achieved appropriate wisdom (gnan) should preach so as to encourage detachment (vairagya), calming of the passions (upsham) and devotion. The sermons should be such that bigotry in its various forms, biased opinions about the monks and their relationships with the laity should be softened. The objective should be that the sermons gradually direct the listeners towards following the true path."
The True Guru always imparts such wisdom to an earnest, honest disciple.
