Guru Samparka
By Gāyatrī Katre
"पळे भवानीशंकरदेवु ह्या चेर्डागल्या तोंडांथाव्नु तुक्का सांग्तस हांव मूर्तींतु मात्र न्हयी सर्वत्र आस्स."
“मी लिहिलेल्या पेपर साठी मलाच तू पेढे देतेस काय?”
“शिव जीवाक मंत्र दित्ता, देहाक न्हई…”
These are simple yet powerful words of wisdom from Parama Pūjya Parijñānāshram Swāmījī who to me is an enigma, He is साक्षात् Lord Bhavānīshaṅkar Himself! Gurushakti came in the form of Swāmījī who transformed every life He touched. I consider it His ceaseless grace that in my life, I constantly had His divine samparka. Swāmījī had His own ways of teaching us simple truths of life. There are innumerable experiences that I remember very vividly from which I am sharing a few experiences with all of you. I pray that these bring out Swāmījī’s mahimā, His simplicity, His jovial nature, His wittiness, His concern for His devotees, among various other attributes. I humbly offer these experiences as flowers at the Divine feet of Swāmījī who in truth is ‘Guṇātīta’.
हांव मूर्तींतु मात्र न्हयी, सर्वत्र आस्स!
Once at Khār Mat͟h, after the Mahāpūjā, Swāmījī asked all the devotees present there to meet Him in His room. After the meeting, we took leave of Swāmījī to go home. My younger daughter who was very small then, after putting on her shoes, suddenly ran inside saying, “I forgot to say bye to Swāmīdayyā!” I called out to her to take off her shoes and then go inside, but by the time I reached there, she was already at the door of Swāmījī’s room saying, “Bye Swāmīdayyā!” One pācchī who was present there very rightly scolded the child saying, “Why have you come here with your shoes on? Bhavānīshaṅkar God is over here isn't it? Go keep your shoes outside.” Very innocently the little girl asked her “थंइ ना वे तो देवु?” Swāmījī laughed and said to the pācchī, "पळे भवानीशंकरदेवु ह्या चेर्डागल्या तोंडांथाव्नु तुक्का सांग्तस हांव मूर्तींतु मात्र न्हयी, सर्वत्र आस्स।"
Kodak moment
Swāmījī was staying at Dr. Maṅkīkar’s residence at Virār. On my birthday, all of us went there to take Swāmījī’s darshana and blessings. We had taken our new camera along with us. My husband, Vivek, was very keen that the first picture taken with the camera be that of Swāmījī. Swāmījī agreed but refused to smile!! But Vivek patiently waited to click His picture. Swāmījī was happily chatting with all of us, especially with the children. At one point of time, Swāmījī smiled and Vivek clicked the picture.
This picture, shared with all of you here, is very dear to us even today. Whenever we look into Swāmījī’s eyes in this picture, we still experience His love, affection and compassion radiating through His eyes and we relive those moments again and again.
BĀsundī - LĀdoo - JĪlebī
Swāmījī visited many places in India along with Savoor Aruṇ mām and others. At that time, we were staying in Ahmedābād. From Vārāṇasī, Swāmījī wrote a letter to us that They would be returning to Bombay via Ahmedābād and would visit us on 7th or 8th April – but we received the letter on the 8th! We could inform only three families who were staying nearby, about Swāmījī’s visit. When Swāmījī arrived, we were overjoyed. All of us had a Divine Satsaṅga. Next day, Swāmījī asked us to visit Him at the place He was staying. It was a Friday and I was observing Santos͟hī Mātā’s vrata. Swāmījī said, “संतोषीमा खुश जाल्ल्या तुगल्या व्रताने म्हणूचि हांव आयल्लां। हेंचि तुगल व्रताचें उद्यापन। हांका (people accompaning Him) गुजराती जेवण जेंव्चे आस्स, उद्यापन म्हणु आम्का सगळ्यांक जावण दित्त न्हवे?”
While eating, Swāmījī said, “कृष्णाक हांगा Bālājī म्हणताति, गोतस वे कस्ल्याक? Bā (बासुंदी) lā ( लाडू) jī (जिलेबी) ह्या लोकांक मस्त प्रीति न्हवे!” Swāmījī made me eat all sour things from कढी, to fruit salad and shrīkhaṇḍa, all of which are totally forbidden in that particular vrata. Swāmījī said, “ह्यामुखारि परत क्षुल्लक कारणांखातिरि व्रत, उपास तपास कोर्चे ना. तुगलें connection प्रत्येक क्षण मगल सांगाति आस्का, हीचि मगली अपेक्षा” Now I realise how a Guru tries to take his devotees forward on the path of Sādhanā.
विठ्ठल तो आला आला मला भेटण्याला
Whenever Swāmījī came to our house along with a few devotees, it was always a surprise visit. When we opened the door, my Guru would be standing with one hand on the doorbell and the other on the waist (the hand on his waist would always remind me of Lord Viṭt͟hal), napkin on His shoulder, that broad beaming smile on His face. Ah! what a divine sight it used to be! I have captured that form in my mind and heart forever. During one such visit, I said to Swāmījī, that I find it very difficult to control my anger. It affects me and others too. “माझ्या रागाला लवकर आवर घालण्यासाठी मी काय करू?” Swāmījī smiled and said the answer lies in the question itself. “अग रागावर लवकर आवर घालण्यासाठी तुझ्या इष्टदेवावर लव (love) कर. तो राग त्याच्यावरच काढ म्हणजे तो नुसता राग नाही राहणार तो अनुराग मधला राग असेल. राग आणि अनुरागचा वर्षाव दोन्ही त्याच्यावरच कर.”
का घाबरतेस? मी आहे ना!
Swāmījī was at Khār Mat͟h when I wrote my SSC final exam. I prayed to Swāmījī seeking His blessings saying, “तुम्हीच माझे पेपर्स लिहा हो.” As usual Swāmījī said, “का घाबरतेस? मी आहे ना!”
After the results were declared, we went to meet Swāmījī at Khār Mat͟h and I happily told Him about the result and offered ped͟hā-s. Swāmījī with a twinkle in his eyes said, “मी लिहिलेल्या पेपर साठी मलाच तू पेढे देतेस काय?” How true, isn't it? It is so easy to say “I have not done anything. Guru/Guru Shakti has done everything, but most times it is not easy to understand and accept it in totality. We don't even realise when and how that ‘I’ silently raises its head from within us. Probably that ‘I’ made me say “I scored this percentage.” In retrospect, I can see how in a very subtle way Swāmījī made me realise that.
शिव जीवाक मंत्र दित्ता, देहाक न्हई
Once, just prior to Shivarātri, Swāmījī told my parents that He would give them Mantra Dīks͟hā on Shivarātri. My father asked Swāmījī, “What would be the purpose of giving Mantra Dīks͟hā to me at the age of 75 years?” Swāmījī replied “शिव जीवाक मंत्र दित्ता, देहाक न्हई.” My father was speechless after that. The building where my parents were staying in Bombay went for redevelopment and they got a cash compensation. My father wanted to offer some amount from it as kāṇika to Swāmījī at the hands of my grandmother, who was then in Baṅgalore. Swāmījī were staying at Naimpal̄l̄y Bhālachandra’s home. Since my grandmother was sick and unable to go there, my uncle along with my father met Swāmījī to invite Him to his home. Swāmījī told them, "व्हय बा, आम्मी येंव्काच्ची. ११ दिवस दोणीरि (in boat) येव्नु, अन्वाळ्यारि आम्का अन्न दिल्ल्या तिन्ने. कश्शी विसोर्चें तें आम्मी." My father and uncle were perplexed. On returning home, they narrated everything to my grandmother. It was then that she told them that when my father was two years old, they were residing at Honnāvar and their family Deity was on the Māvinkurve island. Once, it so happened that the priest had ‘sūtaka’, so for those 11 days she used to take rice naivedya for the family deity. My father and uncle were dumbfounded. Swāmījī did visit my uncle’s house! My ānnu always used to say “Swāmījī is undoubtedly ‘Lord Bhavānīshaṅkar’ Himself.”
कुंकुमार्चन कोरचें आश्शिल न्हवे, घे करी...
When Swāmījī was at Loṇāvlā at Kārṇik’s house, my parents had gone there to visit Him. After completing Shrī Chakra pūjana, Swāmījī called them inside. Whenever my father recollected this incident, he would always say that Swāmījī’s face radiated so much तेज that he felt as if it was Rājarājeshwarī Devī Herself who had manifested in front of them! Swāmījī told them to do kuṅkumārchana on His Feet by saying "कुंकुमार्चन कोरचें आश्शिल न्हवे, घे करी.” My father always said that it was only because of Swāmījī’s Grace that they got the fortune of performing kuṅkumārchana just after the Shrī Chakra pūjā. This was truly a ‘lifetime experience’ in my father’s words!
Kaikiṇi Ratnākar mām used to tell us that Swāmījī always asked him to get a particular type of fine kuṅkum for pūjana. Swāmījī used to say it seems that Devī’s Divine Feet are very कोमल so her kuṅkumārchana has to be done only with fine kuṅkum or else it might hurt Her. I learnt from this that while doing pūjana, I should do it with the conviction that it is not just a vigraha but sāks͟hāt is͟hṭa-deva who has manifested.
जेंव्हा मनापासून बोलवाल तेंव्हा मी येईन
In 1990, my husband, Vivek, was sent by his office on a study tour. That was his first foreign trip. We didn't know where Swāmījī was camping at that time. The day Vivek left for the tour, he was very disheartened as he could not meet Swāmījī and take His blessings before leaving for the trip. Early next morning Swāmījī came to our house and as he entered he said, “Tell Vivek that I have come and not to feel bad.” He asked me to convey His blessings to Vivek. When I conveyed this to my husband, he remembered what Swāmījī had once said to us, “जेंव्हा मनापासून बोलवाल तेंव्हा मी येईन.” Such was His compassion. He would understand and respond to silent prayers in His inimitable way. Swāmījī asked my younger daughter, “What are your activities now?” She told him, “I attend Bāl Vikās class at my friend's place.” Swāmījī said, “बाल विकास क्लासान्तु कस्ले करता गोत्ना जाल्यारि (looking at her long hair) तुगले बाल विकास मात्र गोमटो जाल्ला!!” Such was His witty nature! That was Swāmījī’s last visit to our house before August 1991.
We have captured all these priceless memories in our hearts forever. We will always cherish our samparka with Swāmījī. Swāmījī, through His life, demonstrated what it is to love, respect and revere one’s Guru. His karuṇā and vātsalya made us realise that the connection and unbreakable bond between a Guru and His devotee is forever.
We feel His presence every moment, yet there are times when we miss the form too, but we are so fortunate to experience the same compassion, unconditional love, concern, eternal grace flowing ceaselessly through Pūjya Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī. Though forms are different, the Gurushakti is the same. When I was carrying my second child, Swāmījī had said to Vivek and me that “मी तुझी दहा पीढी रक्षण करीन। ही तर पहिलीच पीढी आहे”. Out of all the experiences, this experience holds a special place in our life as His āshwāsana brought our coming ten generations in the fold of His 'रक्षाकवच'. It gives us immense joy to see that our children and grandchildren love and respect Pūjya Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī and our entire Guruparamparā... only because of His grace for which we will always remain indebted and grateful.