Discourse 1 (Part 1)
Swami Pritam Muni
Vadodara, 20.8.09.
Divya Sanskriti, September 2009.

I will tell you another interesting incident. Ranjitsinh just told you about the work I am going to do. It is not unlike the vaidya prescribing precisely what I wanted to eat. I will take you a little into the past to explain how this is so. I was inclined in this way from my very childhood and the inclination grew as I grew older. I was born in 1977.  I left home in 1989 with the idea that I would go to Girnar and do sadhana there in the shelter of some tree growth or cave. I thought I would satisfy my hunger by whatever food I received as alms. But then I remembered my mother and turned back and returned home again. After that, the fire in me continued to grow more intense. My birth date is 14 February, 1977; I experienced something happening to me a few days before my birthday in 1993, as if someone had hypnotized me and I was being pushed into doing something even against my will. This troubled me and I wept often with helplessness. I was then a science stream student in the twelfth class. I was not interested in studies because all of that was meaningless for me. What was meaningful was this, which Guruji has now shown me. But I took up a student’s life because that is what my father wished of me. Eventually, on the night of 14thFebruary 1993, I decided to leave home. My elder uncle’s home is next tours with a common wall between the two. I used the first room of that house as my study room. I left a note there explaining that I love everyone a lot, have no complaints against anyone, but must leave home because there is some work that I have to do. I positioned the note between the wooden planks of a swing that used to be there in the room, so that anyone opening the room would immediately spot it. I left home the next day, on15thFebruary. I proceeded to Lunavada and from there to Ahmedabad. From Ahmedabad I went to Rajkot and continued on to Virpur. Around midnight some people spotted me and, realizing that I was alone, they began to remind me about my mother and her grief about my leaving home. Like bards narrating a heroic tale, they brought gravity to their voices and made their narration long and somber for good effect. Their intent was well served, for I broke down and wept. Late that night my inspiration evaporated and by morning I returned home yet once again.

But after that I became even more determined. As days passed my mind became deeply engaged in the details of my work and how it was to be accomplished. I had a small copy book of about a hundred pages. I began to write down in it the outlines of my work and its methodology. It contained the methodology of work at Taluka, District, State, National and international levels. It envisaged involvement of renunciants and non-renunciant house holders and how the latter can engage in the task at hand even while being in the householder state. The plan contained ideas about how those who have devoted their lives to cultural propagation should go about their task; about the qualities that workers must possess to acquire fitness for the task; the qualifications of antevasis  and of the sannyasis who would guide and preach to them, what cultural traits they should possess and what they should do.  In this way, I prepared a very large scheme for  a worldwide cultured civil society. After that, time passed but my enthusiasm did not diminish. However, I was constrained by the wishes of my parents. I remember sitting at the bus station at Ankleshwar in 1998 and being extremely tormented by the storm raging within me. It must have been about eight or nine in the night. I was weeping uncontrollably, my clothes soaked with the tears profusely flowing from both my eyes. Around this time a friend approached me and asked me why Iwas weeping. He must have thought that I was tormented by memories of home or friends or must be having some problem about employment. I replied, “I alone will do this work and do it I certainly will”. But I was talking about the task of a cultural resurgence. It is not a task that will get done merely by talking to each other about it but by oneself putting one’s shoulder to the task and doing it. So, if I must, I shall become Parshuram;  if I must, I shall become Bhagirath; if I must, I shall  become Vishvamitra.

Time passed. The desire to do this work was very strong. As if to satisfy my hunger, Dadaji finally placed me at the feet of Gurudev. Gurudev gave me Sannyas in initiation in February, 2009. There was a program in the Dehra Dun ashram so I went there after taking Gurudev’s approval. Thereafter that I was in Tilakwada on 17th July. Shri Chudasama came there. We went to Guruji the next day. Guruji engaged in some formal conversation for two or three minutes, then said, “You take interest now” and told me many things. Later, on 20thJuly, Guruji told me, “Dadaji had entrusted this work to Bapuji; Bapuji entrusted it to me;  now you take responsibility for it”. I replied, “karishye vachanam tav” – I shall do as you say.

I have told you all this before. You have heard it all before. I  had only one meeting with Guruji and in the two days with him I did not pose him a single question. Nor had Guruji before this told me anything about what is dharma, what is spiritualism, what is karma, what is yoga, conduct, scripture. Guruji said I was to undertake the task of cultural resurgence and that he was appointing me a Trustee and Vice President in Life Mission. He also said he was conferring on me the authority concerning all forms of initiation and all works and tasks. So, you see – I was hungry and a morsel reached my mouth to feed me. This is Dadaji’s grace; in some way I must be qualified also and if not I will receive the blessings of Dadaji and Guruji t make me qualified.

I shall positively do this work. I shall do it on the plane of the entire world, wherever human civil society exists. This is like the case of the squirrel in Lord Rama’s battle. The tap through which water flows gets the credit for the water because it flows through the tap; in reality, the water comes from the storage tank. Thus, while all the water in reality flows from the tank, we sing the praises of the tap because it is the tap we open to drink the water and quench our thirst. In this way I too have become wedged in between- ther is Dadaji’s Shiv Sankalp; there is Guruji’s high sadhana and blessings; I have merely to be the empty tap in between through which the water flows.

Thus, I am confident that we shall all together do this work. I have confidence that all of you will steadfastly be with me in  this work with good understanding and enthusiasm. Even in adverse situations, do not falter or waver. Dadaji has said that one who firmly remains applied to the task for its success even in difficult circumstances is an outstanding worker. In that sense, all of you are outstanding workers.