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“I have not found any
‘Atmagyani Purush’ like Shrimad Rajchandra. I have considered him to
have been ‘Best Indian’ of his time.” –
Mahatma Gandhi
Shrimad Rajchandra was a great tatvagyani
and saint. He had deeply studied each main shashtra of India. He
respected all religions equally and absorbed the thoughts of them.
Gandhiji had a long association with Shrimad Rajchandra, starting from his
arrival in India as a barrister from England until the last day of Shrimad
Rajchandra.
The association with Shrimad
Rajchandra both in person and by correspondence has been very useful and
beneficial to Gandhiji in the religious and spiritual matters,
particularly during the time of his stay in South Africa, when he was in
great religious ferment and turpitude. The special thing about
Gandhiji’s life is Aatmakhoj.
When Gandhiji returned from Briton as barrister, he was proud of being a
barrister in his mind, but when he met Shrimad all his pride was futile.
When for the first time, Gandhiji
met Shrimad, he had the impression that Shrimad Rajchandra was a great gyani
and a good character person. Meeting of Shrimad and Gandhiji is said
to be the greatest spiritual event of 20th century.
“Gandhiji’s religion
curiosity was so strong at that time (in Africa) that had he not got
spiritual guidance of Shrimad, then Gandhiji would have become Michael or
Mohammad, after returning to India from Africa, but he would not had been
Mohandas!”
-Shri Namichand M.Gala
Gandhiji was a well educated
barrister. Shrimad had studied up to only seventh standard and he had no
knowledge of English, but Shrimad had great memory. His
mind was able to function in hundred directions at a time. He was
therefore known as Shatavadhani. He had good control over words, both in speech and
writing. He had always at his command the right word at the right place.
Every word and every action of his had the mark of his greatness,
poise, dignity, character, discipline, and earnest striving for liberation
and perfection of soul. He was an Atma-Gnani, a knower of self, and
his state of existence was without attachment for a position, wealth, fame
and even the body, though in embodied condition.
Gandhiji was amazed by Shrimad
Rajchandra’s wide shastragyan, pure character and wish of
self-realization. From Durban in South Africa, Gandhiji sent a long
religious questionnaire (as many as twenty-seven questions) to Shrimad
Rajchandra to obtain spiritual guidance from him, which he readily obliged
with prompt and detailed reply. This letter by Shrimadji is very useful to
all of us- mumukshus and novices – even today. Shrimadji had
answered Gandhiji’s questions regarding soul, moksha
and other crucial matters. Gandhiji had asked questions like what is God?
Is He creator of the universe? What is soul? What is moksha?
What is Aaryadharma? Who
composed the Veda?
Gandhiji by these questions had
put his doubts before Shrimad. Shrimad had advised Gandhiji first to go
through Gita and study the Hindu religion thoroughly. Shrimad had advised
Gandhiji to read ‘Mokshmala’
and ‘Bodhmala’. Gandhiji had
noted that whatever doubts were there about Hindu religion in his mind
were resolved with the help of Shrimad who had written almost 200 letters
to Gandhiji.
As per Gandhiji, we can learn the four things from Shrimad’s
life:
-
Involvement in eternal and real
thing
-
Simplicity of life
-
Equal behavior with the whole
world
-
Equality of all religions
-
Satya
-
Life with Ahimsa
References:
http://www.shrimad.org/home.htm
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