Loving the divine in all of creation

One of the boldest articulations of Swamishri's bhakti is seva or selfless service. Swamishri served because he loved. Though many of the interactions in this chapter represent Swamishri's desire and willingness to serve, there are few as powerful as a guru feeding, serving and cleaning up after his disciples. Swamishri had travelled to Rajasthan along with Pragat Bhagat and Devcharandas Swami. They were staying in a village near a stone quarry. There was no running water or electricity, and the scorching summer sun beat down on them during the day while the ground radiated that heat at night. The attendants fell ill because of the heat and lack of food in that remote village. During the day, Swamishri travelled from quarry to quarry carrying out an agna (injunction) by his guru Yogiji Maharaj. At the end of the day, he would return and care for his attendants. Unfortunately, Pragat Bhagat's fever only worsened.

One evening when Swamishri returned, he saw both of his attendants in bed and their spirits broken. He approached Pragat Bhagat and put his hand on his head. It was extremely hot. Swamishri gently massaged his head and prepared some rice to feed him. There were no spoons at the time, so Swamishri fed him with his own hands. He comforted them both about their health and the living conditions. He promised they would all leave in a few days. Several sadhus and bhaktas have recounted incidents in which Swamishri massaged their feet and heads to help them feel better. His spirit of service extended beyond the individuals close to him. It reached out to the world. Swamishri has been seen washing public bathrooms, picking up used dental sticks, and even helping a youth roll out a massive garbage trolley, all in silence—when the cameras and eyes were not on him. His spirit of service moulded the culture of the organization and set an example for the volunteers and sadhus.

Often, that service required sacrifice—giving that which was dear to you. Swamishri did not hesitate to give what was his to others in need. Yes, he could have requested for more through the community, but Swamishri never hesitated to give what was his. During his meeting with His Holiness, Tulsibhai complained about his shabby eyeglasses being too heavy for his ears and nose. It was difficult to bear the weight of the economical but heavy frame. Swamishri called his personal attendant and asked for his own eyeglasses. Swamishri took off Tulsibhai's eyeglasses and slid on his own pair in their place. He asked Tulsibhai how they looked and if they felt lighter. Tulsibhai nodded his head in approval. Swamishri said, 'Perfect, these are your new glasses. Consider this my seva in return for all you have done.' Tulsibhai's face lit up like a full moon. He walked out of the door with a smile and his new glasses on his face. Swamishri was willing to give whatever he had for those in need. In another instance, while on a pilgrimage in Prayagraj, Swamishri gave away the snacks and groceries the sadhus had prepared for him, to a group of pilgrims. Giving gave him joy. It was his love language.

Swamishri's love broke down barriers and removed hatred from hearts. Swamishri counselled thousands of parents, children, families, business partners and even entire villages to end feuds and build bridges. He condemned retaliation and spent hundreds of hours with both parties, alone and together, to seek resolution. His selfless desire to unite without wanting anything in return eventually softened the most stubborn adversaries. A prominent example of this was the violent feud, and later stalemate, between a group of forty-five villages represented by Odarka and Kukkad in the Bhavmagar District of Saurashtra. The feud had been ongoing for over 200 years and had led to scores of deaths over a small area of disputed property. The feud was solidified by a custom of hatred called Appaiya, in which villagers vowed not to have relations, marry into and drink the water from the wells in each others' villages. It was a stark animosity. British officers, local religious leaders, statesman of the new Republic of India and social workers, all tried their best to end the violence. On 12 April 1990, Swamishri was able to gather the seniors from all forty-five villages and end the rivalry by way of sharing water from each other's wells. Swamishri's love erased hatred between communities.

Swamishri's unflinching resolve to use love to win over adversaries or those who responded to him with hate was an even purer form of selfless love. Swamishri walked up the steps of a Hindu mandir under the management of another organization. The bhaktas accompanying Swamishri found the doors of the mandir had been closed, even though it was not time for the afternoon arti ritual. Why was the mandir darshan closed? Swamishri waited for a few minutes—twenty, to be exact—but the doors never opened. It was only after Swamishri left, did the bhaktas find out that the mahant (spiritual and administrative head) of the mandir had closed the doors upon Swamishri's arrival out of spite. Swamishri forgot about the incident. A few years later, the mahant of the mandir was found to be suffering from advanced cancer. The trustees started looking for a hospital with the best treatment options for him. Someone suggested BAPS's award-winning hospital in Surat. The trustees approached Swamishri and presented the situation before him.

Swamishri felt concerned about the mahant's health and said, 'I am deeply saddened to hear about the mahant's health. We will do everything in our power to help him get world-class treatment.' Swamishri called the doctors at the hospital and arranged for the religious leader's treatment. The mahant was treated at the hospital for thirty days, free of cost. Swamishri called periodically to check on his status as well. After recovering, the mahant came to thank Swamishri in person. He tried to apologize for his behaviour during Swamishri's visit to his mandir. Swamishri smiled and said, 'You must be mistaken. You never did anything of that sort. I have always been treated well at your mandirs. If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate. Our hospital is your hospital.'

With love as both his shield and his sword, Swamishri was able to win over the hearts of many who had insulted him. Once, a young man barged into Swamishri's meeting room and started to insult and curse at the spiritual master. Swamishri listened patiently and stood in front of him with folded hands, without responding to his fit of anger. After a few minutes, the man turned around and stormed out of Swamishri's room. Swamishri turned to his attendant sadhus and said, 'Please see to it that he is fed before he goes back to his village. It will be quite the trip and he may be hungry after all that shouting.' It is no surprise that Swamishri also responded with love to a man who tried to poison him by looking after the elderly individual until his last breath. In Chapter 4, I will take a closer look at the terrorist attack on Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar. Swamishri's pacifying response to quell calls for communal violence and hate speech against certain communities has been lauded as an exemplary case study in peace, love and harmony. Swamishri's love trumped hatred.

His love healed hearts too.Once, Swamishri was leaning forward to listen to the middle-aged man's faint voice. He was straining; there was too much noise in the room. He looked up and all the sadhus and bhaktas filed out of the room at a surprising speed. Swamishri then said to Viragbhai, 'What is it that you were saying? I am sorry that I couldn't hear you before. I am getting old.' Viragbhai seemed not to notice the apology. He continued, 'Swamishri, I took care of my parents until their last breath. They lived with me. I paid for their expenses, fed them, took them to the doctor, and even fought with my wife because of them. But when they passed away, they left our houses in India and all their savings in my brother's name. My brother didn't even speak to them. He never visited nor called. He never took the time to take them to the doctor's office. What did I do wrong? I wish they were alive. I would kick them out of my house now!'

Swamishri could tell that Viragbhai was hurt. Swamishri tried to console him, 'I don't think you can fix that now. Just let it go. Why does it matter? Consider it your responsibility; they gave birth to you. You did your part and earned good karma.' Viragbhai was not listening. 'Why did they do that? They didn't even leave me a house in India. What am I going to do when my son gets married in India? Where am I going to take his Jaan (wedding procession) from?' Swamishri immediately answered, 'Where is your son getting married? We have over 500 mandirs all over India. Is it in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Anand or Surat? Just let me know. I will talk to the sadhus in that mandir. Your son's jaan will go from one of our mandirs. Consider it your home.' Viragbhai was relieved and admitted, 'You are the first person that has offered so much, and I am not even your disciple.' Swamishri's response was to the point. 'We are all God's children. What good is it if we do not help each other? Whenever you feel down or you need help, write to me or call me. I am here for you. Keep faith and stay strong. Now, do me a favour and show that level of love and respect to your deceased parents. Let them feel your love in Akshardham (God's celestial abode). Do that much for me, for them. Remember, your son's jaan will go from our mandir.'

(Excerpted with permission from 'In Love, At Ease Everyday Spirituality with Pramukh Swami' by Yogi Trivedi, publisher Penguin Random House, price: Rs 389)