________________
56. An Eulogy to Shri Sobhagbhai
obhagbhai passed away at 10.50 in the morning. Shrimad had known when this moment would come. While he was in Mumbai, at the moment Sobhagbhai passed away in distant Sayla, Shrimad took a bath in cold water, whilst fully clothed as is the tradition, at the time of death. It was not until a few hours later that he received a telegram with the news. Ambalalbhai was present at Sobhagbhai's death-bed and wrote Shrimad a detailed account of Shri Sobhagbhai's final hours. He wrote of Sobhagbhai's total composure and serenity. His was a samādhi-maran, a death in which the Soul is fully in tune with its innate bliss.
Shrimad's grief at the loss of his soulmate is evident from the very moving and magnificent tribute he paid to Sobhagbhai: "The more I think of his wonderful virtues, the greater is my grief at this grave loss. This is the nature of the relationship between the Soul and the body, and yet when the Soul leaves a body, it always feels sorrow, and because of this affection for it, it behaves as if one with the body: this is the seed of the cycle of death and rebirth. There is no doubt that, whilst parting from the body, Sobhagbhai maintained an absolute detached awareness of his Self, which is difficult to attain even for the greatest of monks, and thereby he did himself utmost good.... Those Seekers of truth who encountered him, will simply remember him for a long time, and they should.....Again and again, I feel that, in this age and in this land, there will be another great Souls like Sobhagbhai. True 'Self seekers' ought not to forget him. His candour, his spiritual conviction, his generosity towards fellow Seekers and several other virtues are worthy of frequent reflection. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti."
Out of the seven years of their friendship, they spent 580 days together. Shri Vachnamrutji contains more than 940 letters written by Shrimad over a period of thirteen years and out of which about 240, some of the finest, were addressed to Sobhagbhai. They have allowed us to recognize Shrimad for the Self-Realised soul he was. This legacy contains Shrimad's inner thoughts and a description of his spiritual progress, always compassionately guiding the reader, sometimes sternly, away from materialism. It is not so often that a truly realised soul talks so openly and so intimately about himself.
Shrimad wrote : "O! Shri Sobhag ! By the grace of you company, I recalled the spiritual state of my soul. For that I salute you!"
