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Shastriji Maharaj
 
Shastriji Maharaj
 

 

The Last Moments:

Swamishri now expressed a wish to go to Sarangpur. Everyone was worried. How could Swamishri be taken to Sarangpur with such serious illness? But he was bent upon going to Sarangpur. Meanwhile, Yogi Swami arrived from Bombay. Knowing Swamishri's wish, he gave instructions to prepare for taking him to Sarangpur. They entrained at Baroda. At Ahmedabad railway station, Swamishri instructed the devotees: "There is not an iota of difference between myself and Jogi. All of you should obey Jogi Maharaj." Swamishri then went to Sarangpur.
At Sarangpur Swamishri showed signs of improvement in health and, at times, issued instructions for the preparation in respect of the installation of the idols, at Gadhada. He then sent for a car to proceed to Gadhada. When the car arrived, he called for Hakabhai and said to him, " Let us go to Gadhada and install the idols." Nobody could then comprehend the significance of these words.
The next morning after reaching Gadhada Swamishri bathed the idols in the sacred waters of the Ghela river, put the janoi (sacred threads) on their bodies, imprinted vermilion marks on their foreheads, garlanded them and lovingly had their darshan. Then he performed the arti and said: "My ritual is over. The idols have been installed. Now I do not propose to come here again. Jogi Maharaj will come here and perform the arti." None could comprehend the significance of these words also. At ten o'clock, Swamishri proceeded to leave for Sarangpur, and said: "From now onwards I want to stay permanently in Sarangpur."
The devotees from Africa had arrived in Sarangpur. Swamishri gave them the supreme bliss of his darshan and association. Swamishri took this opportunity to talk at great length to the devotees. He wanted them understand the true greatness and unique nature of the God realised Sadhu. He said: "None can ever equal Maharaj and Swami. To equate anyone with either of them would amount to betraying these twin forms. However, when one realises that Maharaj resides in a brahmanised saint, what is the difference between such a saint and Maharaj? The saint can be called Bhagwan (Lord) only because of his association with Maharaj. This is the cardinal truth and it maintains the anadi (eternal), vyatirek (distinct) form of Maharaj."
The devotees were listing to Swamishri with rapt attention. They were drinking in every word as if they were drinking divine nectar. Swamishri continued, "If we accept one after the other the guru alone, as dissociated from Maharaj, to be the Lord, then the fact of Lord's eternity is demolished and our understanding would be no better than that of a pseudo-Vedantin. Therefore Maharaj resides in every limb of such a saint who possesses the characteristics described in the twenty-seventh Vachanamrit of Gadhada First Section. Such a saint can be called the swarup (manifestation) of the Lord; he can be said to resemble the Lord.
"All of you should, therefore, live within the limits prescribed by Maharaj and act in accordance with His commandments. Sahajanand Swami is the Supreme Lord and Gunatitanand Swami, the incarnation of eternal Akshar (Brahman), is the Supreme Saint. These are the twin forms of true upasana. The ekantik (Lord intoxicated) saint should be understood to be the gateway to salvation."
Swamishri frequently showed indifference in all matters and repeated: "The arti at Gadhpur will be performed by Jogi Maharaj." Yogi Swami was then away at Bombay.

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Gunatitanand Swami Bhagatji Maharaj Yogiji Maharaj Shastriji Maharaj Pramukh Swami Maharaj Bhagwan Swaminarayan
 

© 1999, Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, Swaminarayan Aksharpith