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Chapter - 6

Shri Ganeshayanamah! O most auspicious one, it is the experience of saints that says that Your Blessings drive away everything that is inauspicious. Believing it, O God, I have come to Your door with great hopes. If You disappoint me, it will mean disrepute to You and the saints as well. So, Madhava, uphold my prestige and never be angry with this innocent child of Yours. Please remember that any shortcomings of a child bring blame to his mother. One time Bankatlal took Shri Maharaj to his farm to eat maize corns. Many other people had gathered there for this party of corns and the seating arrangement was made near a well. The well had ample water and there were many tamarind trees around. Fire was lit at 8-10 places to fry the corn and a lot of smoke was rising up in the sky. There was a big honeycomb on the tamarind tree and due to the smoke, the bees rushed out to attack the people seated below the tree. Leaving the corn the people fled the place. Some of them covered their heads with blankets. In this world nothing is more precious than one’s own life. So was the case with these people. In all this havoc, Shri Gajanan Maharaj sat undisturbed and thought about the honeybees. He thought to Himself, "I am the bees, I am honeycomb. The one who has come to eat corn is I, and the corn is also me.” While he was thus thinking bliss-fully, innumerable bees landed on his body giving an appearance of the blanket of bees. The insects were biting and piercing their needle like thorns in His body, but Shri Maharaj did not bother about it. This went on for some time making the helpless devotees miserable. Bankatlal felt very sorry for having brought Shri Maharaj to the farm and felt that he himself was responsible for the bites inflicted by the bees on Shri Gajanan. Thinking so, Bankatlal was about to rush to the rescue of Shri Maharaj when by His divine power Shri Gajanan understood it and said to the bees, "Oh insects, go back to the honey comb and don't harm my beloved Bankatlal, who is the only real devotee amongst all the people here." Bankatlal said, "Oh Maharaj, I very much regret for having brought You here. I am responsible for causing You these bee bites today. I am a great sinner. Kindly tell me what I shall do to relieve You of these bee-bites. Shall I call a goldsmith to pull out the bee thorns with his pincers?" Shri Maharaj replied "Bankat, nothing extraordinary has happened, as it is the nature of bees to bite and they behaved according. I assure you that these bites will not affect me as I know the "Sachhidananda" in those bees. He is in those bees and I am His incarnation. How can water hurt the water? You have given a good feast of these bees to me. These poisonous insects attacked me and all the Laddu-Bhakta ran away. Give a thought to it and remember that in times of calamity none but God helps you. These selfish people gathered here for a feast, and ran away when the bees attacked?" Hearing this divine knowledge, Bankatlal kept quiet and brought a gold smith to pull out the bee thorns from the body of Shri Maharaj. The goldsmith came with a pair of pincers and started searching for the thorns in His body. Shri Maharaj laughed and said that eyes would not see the thorns and the pincers are useless to pull them out. And in order to prove what he said, He inhaled the air and held His breath. The thorns immediately came out of the body. Looking at this miracle, people were glad to realise the greatness of Shri Maharaj. After that, all the people enjoyed the feast of maize corns and returned home in the evening. Once, Shri Maharaj went to Akot to meet his saint brother Narsinghji, who was a disciple of Kotasha. Although Maratha by caste, he had become dear to Shri Vithala by his Bhakti (devotion). Since I have narrated his detail life in “Bhaktileelamrut", I don't repeat in here. Akot is 36 miles to the north-east of Shegaon and Gajanan Maharaj went there with the speed of wind. Shri Narsinghji was staying in the dense forest near Akot to get solitude. This forest, without any habitants, was very dense with big trees, creepers, wild grass and many snakes in it. In such dreadful forest Shri Narsinghji was living all alone. Shri Gajanan went there to meet him. Water mixes with water and like things merge with each other. Unlike things never mix with each other. So looking at Shri Gajanan, Shri Narsinghji was happy beyond description. One was Hari and the other Har, one was Rama, while other, the son of Vasudeo-Devaki. One was Ganga and the other that of Godavari. One was the Kohinoor, and the other Kaustubha. One was the Vashistha and the other, son of Anjani. Both of them met each other and were very happy. They sat near each other and exchanged their experiences. Shri Gajanan said, "Narsinha, you have done well by leading a family life. I renounced that and followed the path of Yoga, to know the ultimate reality, the "Brahma". In this path of yoga, many strange things, incomprehensible to the common man, happen, and to hide them I, many times, behave like a mad man. To know the ultimate Truth there are three paths - Karma, Bhakti and Yoga. Apparently they look like three different paths, but in reality they reach the same goal. If a yogi feels proud of his path, he will remain away from the ultimate Truth. He should keep himself clean from the effect of Yogakriya, like a lotus leaf. Then only he can know the ultimate Truth. Same is the case with family life. You should not have attachment with your family. A pebble remains in water, but does not allow the water to enter it. Such should be your behaviour in family life - free from any expectations and with full concentration in Almighty. Then nothing is impossible. You, me and God are one, and the people too are not different from Him." Shri Narsinghji said, "I am grateful to you for meeting me. This "Prapanch" is unreal like the shadow at noon. I will follow your advice, but keep on coming to me. Everything is predestined in this world, and we have to perform our duty in this life as per desire of God. My only, request is that you should come frequently to meet me as I am your younger brother. Just like Bharat, waiting at Nandigram for Shri Ram, I am here at Akot for you. With your yogic achievements, it is very easy for you to come here. A yogi, without touching anywhere, can traverse around the universe in minutes." With intimate love for each other, they were speaking all that night. Real saints behave like this only, but the hypocrites quarrel with each other. These hypocrites should not be accepted as Guru as they are like a broken ship on the sea. They receive a lot of publicity, but carefully we should discard them. Living in a "math" or learning an art of composing poems does not make one a saint, but only self knowledge does it. Can we accept gold-coated articles as gold, or a prostitute as a house wife? These two saints were real and pious. When people knew that Shri Gajanan Maharaj had come to meet Shri Narsinghji, They thought it to be the confluence of Godavari and Bhagirathi and by going there they could get the satisfaction of taking a dip in that confluence. So the people with coconuts in their hands started rushing to the forest. But Shri Gajanan, with the permission of Shri Narsinghji had already left and all the people were disappointed. Once, in his usual wandering, Shri Gajanan, with his disciples, reached a village named Shivar. This place is on the bank of Chandrabhaga (not of Pandharpur) but the one near Daryapur where Shri Vrajabhushan, a learned man lived. He had the knowledge pertaining four various languages and was famous all over the Vidarbha, was also a great devotee of the God sun. It was his daily routine to get up early in the morning, take a bath in the Chandrabhaga and offer prayers to the Sun. He was respected by all the intellectuals. Shri Gajanan Maharaj came to this Shivar village as if to give Vrajabhushan the fruits of his prayers. He as usual came to the Chandrabhaga for his bath and saw Shri Gajanan Maharaj sitting on the bank of that river. It was morning time with twilight spreading all over the sky, cocks crowing all around while Chatak and Bharadwaj birds were flying as if to pay respects to the rising sun. With the sun peeping up the horizon, darkness quickly disappeared, like fools leaving the congregation at the sight of the learned. At such a pleasant morning, Shri Gajanan was sitting there in full bliss of "Brahmanand" and his disciples around him like the rays of the sun. While offering his usual prayers to the sun, Vrajabhushan saw Shri Gajanan Maharaj with his lustrous body, long arms and the eyes concentrated at the tip of his nose. With great joy he went running to Shri Gajanan Maharaj, poured water on his feet, offered puja, went round him, and prostrated before him twelve times reciting the holy names of the sun. Then respectfully performed Arati and prostrated before him singing hymns in the praise of Shri Gajanan. Vrajabhushan said, "By the Darshan of these divine feet I got today the fruits of my penance. So far I was offering prayers to the sun in the sky, but today I see him in the form of Shri Gajanan Maharaj. 0 Gajanan, you are the real Brahma full of knowledge and the supporter of this universe. You take many births, ages after ages, and by your Darshan all the woes vanish. Kindly bless me." Saying so, Vrajabhushan finished his prayers and Shri Gajanan affectionately embraced him like a mother to her child. Then placing his hand on the head of Vrajabhushan Shri Maharaj said, "You will be respected and loved by the people. Don't leave the path of Karma (duty) nor think the rituals to be meaningless, but at the same time don't get involved in it. Do your duty and renounce the fruit. This will enable you to meet Shri Krishna and keep you clean of the effects of your actions. Remember my words and go home. I will always meet you in meditations." Saying so, Shri Maharaj gave Vrajabhushan the prasad of a coconut and went back to Shegaon. This Shegaon was formerly known as Shivargaon and later on became Shegaon. There were seventeen Patils in this village. Shri Maharaj returned to Shegaon but did not stay there for long. He kept on moving from place to place. He visited Akot, Akola, Malkapur and many other places. Months of Jeshta and Ashadha passed, Shravana came and the annual functions of Lord Hanuman started in the temple. This is a big temple a Shegaon and all the Patil families were devotees of Hanuman. Patil being a powerful authority in the village, all the people normally co-operated with everything that he did. The function lasts for a month with Abhishek, reading of holy books, Kirtan and feeding the people to their hearts content. Khandu Patil, noble hearted, was the leader of the function. The authority of the Patil is like a tiger's skin, and who-so-ever puts it on, becomes a terror to the people. There is a proverb in Marathi meaning that whatever a king cannot do, can be done by the united people. The proverb aptly applies here. So Shri Gajanan Maharaj came to this temple in the month of Shravana to attend the functions, and told Bankatlal, "Henceforth I will stay in this temple and you should not mind it. Saints and sages are not supposed to stay permanently with men leading family life. I am a Sanyasi and so shall stay in this temple only, but whenever you want me I will visit your house. I am giving you this secret knowledge. Shri Shankaracharya had to move from place to place. Sages Macchindra and Jalander avoided the houses of people leading family life and stayed in forests under trees. Shivaji, who protected Hindus and punished Yavans, loved Ramdas Swami, but Swamiji preferred to stay away at Sajjangad. Think over this, obey me, and don't bother about my place of stay. This is in your own interest." Helplessly, Bankatlal gave his consent to what Shri Maharaj said. Shri Maharaj came to the temple and all were happy. Bhaskar Patil stayed there in His service. May this "Gajanan Vijay" composed by Dasganu, guide the seekers to reach the feet of the saints. "SHUBHAM BHAVATU" Here ends Chapter Six

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