But today, he was being hailed as a world-renowned and respected guru. He had also begged for alms here and scrubbed utensils. Later, Swamishri took a pledge to serve the Sanstha till his last breath. Here, too, he had studied Sanskrit under the tutelage of Shastri Girijashankar. It was in this iconic Pol that Shastriji Maharaj gave the parshad diksha to Swamishri on 22 November 1939. The occasion turned out to be historic and memorable. Amidst the chorus of loud jai’s and showers of rose petals Swamishri walked alongside Thakorji on the narrow decorated pathway. The Pol’s ambience was festive and pulsating with joy. He had always nurtured an inclination to learn, to accept whatever that was good and to be always honest in all his thoughts, actions and feelings. Shantilal’s integrity and belief in God’s pervasiveness gave credibility to whatever he said or did.
So, whenever there were any rows or mischiefs in class the headmaster always referred to Shantilal’s account and opinion and did as he said. He knew that Shanti would never say a lie. “Our school’s headmaster trusted him only. If someone scolded him he never answered back. Whenever I tried to urge him to have a smoke, he replied, ‘God sees all our doings.’ He never uttered abusive words nor did he harass or play mischief with anyone. Sometimes I secretly hid behind a train wagon to smoke a bidi.
He never complained about it and pedaled with joy. Whenever we came across an incline I would tell him to take over. We travelled to school together on one bicycle. Thus, he hurried me into getting ready for school. I was a little lazy, whereas he was very punctual. Many who were present there were reminded of his classmate Ambalal Babarbhai’s revealing testimony, “Shanti and I went to school together. Despite being the guru, today he had momentarily become a student by sitting in the same classroom and on the same bench.
0 kommentar(er)
