Samparka

ब्रह्मानन्दं परमसुखदं केवलं ज्ञानमूर्तिं 
द्वन्द्वातीतं गगनसदृशं तत्वमस्यादिलक्ष्यम् I 
एकं नित्यं विमलमचलं सर्वधीसाक्षिभूतं 
भावातीतं त्रिगुणरहितं सद्गुरुं तं नमामि II

Trying to write about the greatness of my Sadguru H.H. Parijñānāshram III Swāmījī is like trying to enclose the waters of the ocean within the palms of my hands......an impossible task, if undertaken at all. 

When I look back and think of the innumerable occasions in which Swāmījī has played a major role in my life, l am overwhelmed with gratitude and I silently say आठवु किती उपकार, गुरुराया (Your favours are countless, My Lord, how can I keep a count of them !!)

The first major role that H.H. Swāmījī played in my life was saving the life of my brother. This incident occurred in my childhood. We are 3 sisters followed by one brother. My parents had decided to have his thread ceremony performed at Shrī Chitrāpur Mat̲h̲, Shirālī. During our stay there, my 8-year-old brother was playing with some other kids near the Shivagaṅgā Sarovar which is within the Mat̲h̲ premises. In an unguarded moment, my brother lost his balance and fell into the Sarovar.  H.H. Parijñānāshram Swāmījī, who at that time was around 14 years old, was sitting on the first floor of the Mat̲h̲, at a window overlooking the pond. Seeing my brother's plight, He rushed down the stairs, and ran across to the pond. Without a moment's hesitation, He dived in and lifted my brother out of the water. This is Jīvana dāna by the Guru. The entire act took place at lightning speed. It was only after it was all over that we all realized what a great tragedy had been averted by the Divine Grace of our young Swāmījī, for which we will be eternally grateful. 

Throughout my life whenever any difficulty befell on me, the Grace of the Guruparamparā and especially of Parijñānāshram Swāmījī always made its presence felt, and helped me to overcome it. 

In the year 1986, my husband was transferred to Baṅgalore from Bombāy. We initially stayed in a rented apartment in Chitrāpur Housing Society (CHS) in Malleswaram. After a while we felt the need to invest in an apartment of our own. Before beginning the search, we took H.H. Swāmījī's Blessings. A real estate agent showed us several flats, but none appealed to us. I was keen on buying an apartment in the same Society (CHS) where we were on rent. My husband however said that only a corner flat within the first 5 floors would be worth considering. This was because the 6th floor upwards had not received a NOC at that point of time, and a corner flat would have maximum light and ventilation....This was a tall order and I had given up hopes of buying an apartment in CHS.

Then we saw an apartment in another nearby Society which was well furnished and within our budget. We thought of buying this apartment but wanted H.H. Swāmījī's approval. H.H. Swāmījī was then at Khār Mat̲h̲. We picked up courage and called up Khār Mat̲h̲. My sister predicted that since we had decided on buying, H.H. Swāmījī would definitely give the go ahead as He wouldn't like to disappoint us both......But H.H. Swāmījī said don't buy this flat, you will get a better one! We were so glad that He had decided for us, we totally dropped the plan. 

Within a month of this, one evening, when my husband was alone at home, the door bell rang. A senior person, a bhānap mām, entered. He had come to tell my husband that a corner flat on the 5th floor of CHS was for sale. He mentioned that the owner, an āmchī mam was in Bombāy, and all transactions were to be done with the owner. Luckily at that time I visited Bombāy, so l could meet this mam and express our desire to buy his flat.... After that, things happened with clockwork precision. We could not believe our luck! We’d been offered a flat that met my husband's conditions: Corner flat, within first five floors! After 6 months, we went to make the final payment. At that time, the owner told us something that filled us with awe. This mam was a retired person who used to invest in real estate for generating income. Several times he had faced trouble when the tenants refused to vacate the premises on completion of the lease period, leading to court cases. He said, 15 days prior to my first approaching him, H.H. Swāmījī had appeared in his dream and told him to sell his CHS flat to the first person who approached him within 15 days. And l happened to be this person. After my visit, another potential buyer had approached him with a higher offer, but he had fears that ignoring the dream advice would lead to another court case with the renting tenant.... All this happened without our mentioning to him that we had taken H.H. Swāmījī's blessings at the start of our search. When l think how H.H. Swāmījī, by His Grace, moved people and events, to bless us with our dream home, l liken Him to A Divine Puppeteer, Who pulls various strings as per His Divine Plan. 
JAI GURUDEV !

Once when H.H. Parijñānāshram Swāmījī was in Baṅgalore, my husband and I wished that He would bless us by using our car for any outing of His choice. After much hesitation my husband requested Swāmījī to Grace our vehicle with His Presence. Swāmījī agreed and smiled at our hard-to-conceal joy, and at the appointed time, we covered the car seat with a satin cloth, placed sweet smelling flowers, lit an agarbattī on the dashboard, and drove the car to Naimpally Bhālchandra mām's place. When another sādhaka, my friend, heard what arrangements we had made inside the car, she said "Ayyo, all that is not necessary, since Swāmījī prefers to be like any one of us and not treat him special”. But H.H. Swāmījī told her, if it pleases them to do so and they are doing it with bhāvanā, don't discourage them....
Oh!! What a tender heart the Guru has and how he patiently bears His bhaktā-s loving attention is amply proved here.

Once, l had made a ' saṅkalpa' of reading the Hanumān Chālisā every day for a period of 40 days....l fulfilled my saṅkalpa and on the 40th day, for the udyāpana, my husband and I went to have darshana of H.H. Swāmījī ....l had prepared gulāb jāmun for naivedya for our Gurudeva....but when we went in the room where Swāmījī was seated, we were told by a volunteer that Swāmījī did not eat sweets on medical advice....we were very disappointed and upset with ourselves for our oversight....but our Compassionate Guru saw our fallen faces and assured us that He would accept a small piece....truly, our Guru is Compassion personified.... 

JAI PARIJÑĀN !!