Intro: Param Krupaludev Shrimad Rajchandraji redeemed Tokarshibhai’s last moments to keep him in peace. It is only at the feet of a self-realised person that we can find deliverance from our existential angst.
At a time when days are stretching into weeks, and weeks into months without any end in sight to our locked down existence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saints and seers say the best use of our time would be to turn inward. There is no time like the present to make the most of our birth and fulfil the true purpose of our lives.
Being holed up at home, with minimal interaction with the outside world, is a golden opportunity to recharge our spiritual pursuit which we otherwise seem to have little time for. This is the time to dwell on and experience firsthand the meaninglessness of our worldly existence, understand how little we really need to survive and yet how much more we crave for, feel the momentariness of all that we have including our acquired identities, and perceive the finiteness of life in the pall of death hanging over us every single moment.
In order to help us appreciate the spiritual import in our current circumstances and to rise above our sansaric fears, it would be pertinent to visit an apt video message by Param Pujya Bhaishree delivered on Param Krupalu Dev Shrimad Rajchandra’s Dehvilay Din, Chaitra Vad 5, that fell on April 12, 2020.
Bhaishree expressed his gratitude to Shrimadji who, in his sublime state of knowledge, gave us a perfect understanding of the Moksh Marg (path to salvation) bestowed on him by Bhagwan Mahavir. Stressing our immense fortune in having had access to Shrimadji and his teachings, he said, “To find such an extraordinarily gifted and evolved person in this age is unusual. And, one of his noblest virtues was the boundless karuna (compassion) in his heart.”
Two incidents, in particular, offer us valuable insights into the depths of Shrimadji’s kindness and compassion.
The first incident is about Tokarshibhai Pitamber, who had passed away after being afflicted by plague. When Padamsibhai went to offer his condolences to his brother, Devchandbhai, the latter told him, “Padamsibhai, we did not realise the greatness of Shrimadji. All these days, we saw him as a man of letters, a poet. But yesterday, we witnessed his divine powers and we were stumped.”
Narrating his experience, Devchandbhai said, “Tokarshibhai’s fever and tumour pains were so severe that he would talk deliriously all the time; he would jump out of his bed and flee. It needed all the strength of four people to hold him back and pin him to the bed. Yesterday, around 2 pm, Shrimadji arrived at our shop and asked, ‘How is Tokarshi Mehta?’ We said, ‘He is extremely unwell.’ Shrimadji asked us all to move away from his bed. When we told him that if we did, Tokarshibhai would run away, Shrimadji said, ‘No, he won’t.’ “Honouring his request, we moved away and Shrimadji sat near Tokarshibhai. Five minutes later, Tokarshibhai asked him respectfully, ‘Kaviraj (as he called Shrimadji), when did you arrive?’ Shrimadji said, ‘About five minutes ago. How are you?’ Tokarshibhai said, ‘I am alright but the lump is painful.’
“After a while, Tokarshibhai asked his son, Hemchand, to arrange for a few cups of tea. When Shrimadji asked him, ‘For whom?’, he said, ‘For all the four who were seated here earlier (he named each one) and me. For you, we will get special tea.’ He remained cognisant and peaceful for the next half hour.
“Thereafter, Shrimadji left for his shop. About five minutes later, Tokarshibhai’s health deteriorated. We sent for Shrimadji. However, he told our messenger, ‘Whatever happens, happens because it is meant to,’ and refused to come.
“Around 7 PM the same day, Shrimadji came visiting and asked, ‘How is Tokarshibhai?’ Devchandbhai said, ‘The illness is worsening and he is getting weaker.’ Again, Shrimadji asked all of us to leave him. We moved away towards the walls of the hall. Shrimadji sat near Tokarshibhai’s bed and made some movements with his lips, hands and eyes.
“In about five minutes, Tokarshibhai regained consciousness and asked him politely, ‘Kaviraj, when did you come?’ Shrimadji said, ‘About five minutes ago. How are you?’ Tokarshibhai replied, ‘I am alright. There is no pain.’
“After a while, Tokarshibhai recited some Sanskrit shlokas. Shrimadji asked him where he had heard those. Tokarshibhai said, ‘About ten years ago, you had uttered these shlokas when doctor (Dr Pranjivandas), you and I were out in the Idar jungles. Two of them are very good, worth writing down.’
“After some time, Shrimadji asked him, ‘How are you?’ Tokarshibhai said, ‘I am feeling good.’ When he was asked the same question a few minutes later, he replied, ‘I am feeling elated; it is a kind of happiness I have never felt before.’
“Shrimadji then ran his hand aerially over his navel up to his head and sat away. He then told us, ‘Tokarshi Mehta has left his body but nobody should go near his body for the next 45 minutes.’ Later, Shrimadji walked to the crematorium too.”
Padamsibhai writes that after hearing this unusual story from Devchandbhai, he immediately went to the office of Sheth Revashankar Jagjivan Company. He writes, “After offering my respects to Pujyashri (Shrimadji), I asked him, ‘You helped Tokarshibhai in some mysterious way. Would you kindly explain it to me?’ Pujyashri said, ‘Yes, it is possible. Pranvayu (oxygen) works in relation to apanvayu (another gaseous energy that facilitates many bodily functions). It is apanvayu which pulls breath into the body each time, a process called inhalation, and pranvayu oxygen pulls breath out from within the body, a process called exhalation. Pranvayu and apanvayu work in tandem. Whenever the association between the two ends and they separate, we say the person has breathed his last. The soul’s leshya (karmic impressions on the soul) in its last moments determines its gati (its evolutional journey) and it is possible to change the soul’s leshya. You won’t understand anything more than this except by experience.’ ”
What extraordinary compassion! Mumbai was in the grip of an epidemic then as it is now. The lessons hold true even today. Tokarshibhai was a good soul and had the privilege of experiencing Shrimad’s powerful spiritual prowess and overwhelming kindness that uplifted him. No doctor could bring him the relief that Shrimadji brought him and after bringing him to a state of equilibrium, Shrimadji seemed to have lifted him to a higher state of being by the sheer strength of his soul.
Tokarshibhai was delivered into a state of bliss by the divine grace of a benefactor of Shrimadji’s stature. Such is the supreme degree of benevolence, compassion and grace of a self-realised soul that they strive to help everyone not just be at peace but also pull them out of the vice grip of sansaric rut that we are otherwise doomed to ride mercilessly till the end of time.
All it requires to get out of the cycle of births and deaths is to find a Sadguru (Enlightened Master) and do what he says. It is only the supremely fortunate who get the opportunity to find a Sadguru and redeem their human birth. We are blessed to have found a Sadguru in Param Pujya Bhaishree whose compassion and grace have touched each and every seeker’s life in an enduring way.
Once we have a Guru’s hand on our heads, the most difficult part of the journey is already over. Under his guidance and grace, we need to rid ourselves of the attachment to sansaric values, cleanse and refine our inner selves to the point that we become worthy of receiving his grace.
The second incident that Bhaishree narrated pertains to Shrimadji’s domestic helper, Lalu. Lalu, a resident of Morbi, stayed with him for many years. A tumour grew on his body when they were in Mumbai. Shrimadji would clean the lump himself. Resting Lalu’s head on his lap, he took care of Lalu right till the latter’s last moments.
Bhaishree said both incidents demonstrate the high degree of compassion in Shrimadji. At a time like this, when we are rendered immobile and helpless by the Corona pandemic, we are consumed by all kinds of anxieties and problems. Our spiritual quest seems ironically hobbled by our sansaric limitations when the current conditions actually offer a perfect template for spirituality.
Bhaishree read out letter number 217 of Vachanamrut which Shrimadji wrote to Saubhagbhai, “Let whatever happens happen. Do not be indifferent or inactive; do not wish for God’s intervention or get confused. If, as you say, ego is getting in the way, resist it as much as possible. Even after all your efforts, if it refuses to go away, surrender it to God. However, do not feel weighed down (by your circumstances) and do not think about what will happen; and whatever you can do, continue doing. Do not have even the slightest fear. Do not worry about the future even for one single moment and the habit of worrying that has been formed (over the years) should be steadfastly shed.”
Bhaishree says that if a seeker builds his character in this manner and absorbs the true sense of this letter, it is more than possible to make spiritual progress in leaps and bounds even in these trying circumstances.