Shrutsagar 2020 03 Volume 06 Issue 10

Author(s): Hiren K Doshi
Publisher: Acharya Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir Koba

Page 7

SHRUTSAGAR
March-2020 Awakening
Acharya Padmasagarsuri (from past issue...)
But no one should have the illusion that he can achieve spiritual progress in life by means of shallow devotion. In addition to having devotion for the teacher, the disciple must also live according to the precepts of the teacher. Life becomes sublime only by means of right conduct. The teacher preaches patience and forbearance. But at the same time, he also beats and rebukes the disciple. He does so only to find out to what extent the disciple has achieved patience and forbearance in his life.
A certain disciple swept the ashram with a broom, filled a basket with the rubbish and placed it there. Since the disciple had some other duty to carry out he did not think of the basket and it lay there. He forgot that he had to throw away the rubbish.
Sometime later, the teacher set out from there and tumbled over the basket and fell down. Angered by this, he beat the disciple severely with a cane. The disciple did not go away from him. He remained there enduring the strokes and imploring his forgiveness.
The mark left by the stick on his back remained there throughout his life as a scar. When people asked him how that scar appeared there, he proudly answered that it was his teacher's gift to him.
The teacher was none other than Virjanandaji Saraswati and the pupil was Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He knew that the teacher showed such agitation only to reform his disciple, not because he had any hatred in his heart against him. The teacher's heart has only love and affection in it.
गुरु कुंभार सिष कुम्भ है, गढ-गढ काढे खोट।
अन्दर हाथ सवार दै, ऊपर मारे चोट ॥ Guru kumbar sikh kumb hai, Gadh gadh kadhai khot Andar hath savar dai, Upar mare chot
(continue...)