Searching Questions And Fulfilling Answers

A child is like a sapling. In the

beginning, as he establishes a

foothold in this world of adults

he spreads his branches out

wide in all directions. He

questions about and everything.

‘Why this?’

‘How does that work?’, ‘What is

over there?’. He does so hoping

to reach the sky which of course,

is the answer to everything.

In his innocence he doesn’t

realise that the sky is still well

beyond his reach. If his questions

are not answered with love and

patience, we make break his

tiny, fragile branches, and his

eagerness to learn about life and

understand ‘Why?’.

With a broken spirit the

child grows up to be a man with

little eagerness in life. He has no

branches, thus disabling him

from reaching out to others, and

most important, he has no shade

to protect the next generation of

saplings from the scorching sun

which is the bad in our society.

Swamishri always has time for

children. Not just to play with

them, but also to guide them

and teach them. His answers

reflect patience and concern.

He takes them seriously

because he takes thefuture

seriously. And so, through his

answers we can see him -

‘Sowing the seeds of our future...’

Seven year old Nilkanth Parekh asked the following questions whilst Swamishri was walking on the terrace of the Bombay temple...

Nilkanth : When you were my age, what did you like to eat?

Swamishri : As if I knew what I liked! We’d offer the food to God and then eat it.

From what you ate, what did you like?

Swamishri : What do you like?

More than anything I like the prasadi which you gave me... But Swami! What did you like?

Swamishri : Just like you, I too liked prasadi.

But prasadi can be anything. Out of that, what did you like?

Swamishri : Whatever was in my dish.

O.K., what do you like now?

Swamishri : Whatever comes as prasadi.

Swami Bapa! Take me to Akshardham soon.

Swamishri : There’s still time. Look around the city, we are on the highest roof. So just think that we are already in Akshardham.

The highest roof is the sky!

Swamishri : What’s there to see in the sky? Wherever God and His Saint are seated, that is Akshardham.