My Posting In Danapur

I felt very much the absence of Margii company in Danapur, so I made efforts for pracar, but there was hardly any success. However it was whilst in Danapur that Shri Gaunga Sharanji informed me that one of my classmates, Shrii Sashi Rainjan Prasadji, had also taken initiation. He is one of the pillars of Marga and very good sadhaka now.

The time for Vaeshakhii Purnima was drawing near. We were anxiously waiting for Baba’s vanii for the occasion. Finally that day came and the following vanii was read out to us:

“The meaning of Dharma Sadhana is that every person – every object of this universe is to be seen as Infinite. The aim of Dharma is not to destroy unity by groupism.

But those who have vested interest are living on the basis of the basic weaknesses of human mind and therefore support distinctions and divisions.

These people become alarmed when they observe the speed of Dharma and they take recourse to criticism, wrong propaganda, false stories etc. and prove their intemperance by using all the weapons of immortality. Good men will not stop by this.

They will have to move forward. They should remember that the path of truth is strewn with obstacles and the struggle against these obstacles is sadhana.”

Anandamurti

Vaeshakhii Purnima 1957

This message of the world-teacher Baba came at a time when society and its rules were breaking fast. Political leaders were divided different parties and all were victims of party politics. Human values were dying and the leaders had forgotten the service of society and were indulging in selfish pursuits. They not only suspected the motives of spiritual-minded Margiis, but were spreading different kinds of propaganda against them. At such a difficult time, Baba gave the clarion call to his devotees to move towards spirituality with faith and firmness. Sadhana is nothing else but struggle or fight, and righteousness demands that all the obstructions should be overcome boldly to march towards our desideratum. Dharma sadhana does not mean that people should attain salvation and disappear but it really means that every person and every object of this universe is to be seen as a part of infinity. In the words of saint Tulsidas, one will have to see Ram and Siita in every particle of this universe. I was hardly in Danapur for about six months when I was sent for further training to Delhi. Perhaps Baba did not want me to be stable at any one place as yet, so once more I had to send my wife and children to our village home before I went to Delhi.

In Delhi by Baba’s grace I got the company of two Margiis; one was Shrii R. Prasad and the other one was Shrii Jitendra Tyagi.TYAGIJI Shri R. Prasad was my ultimate superior in the department and his life was very, very busy. It was, therefore possible to meet him only now and then.

Shri R. Prasad and Tyagiji were very close friends. I was meeting Shri Jitendra Tyagii more frequently as his businesses were then closed and he stayed mostly in Delhi and used to come to meet me often.

It was really Tyagiji who had brought Shri R. Prasadji into the Marga, therefore it was through him that I used to get information about Prasadji. Both the friends had one specialty, which is rarely found amongst sadhakas in the earlier part of their sadhana; both had implicitly faith and great devotion towards Baba.

I found both of them firm and unmoving in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.

Shrii Jitendra Tyagi is so interesting, touching and moving that before I relate his experiences I must introduce him to the readers. Later I will tell more about Shri R. Prasad.

Tyagiji was resident of rural area in Muradabad district of Uttar Pradesh. His family was rich and he had a very luxurious and pampered childhood. His high school and college careers were spent in naughty and youthful activities when young. He earned hundreds of thousands of rupees and and lost hundreds of thousands, but was never bothered about it. He had a peerless carefree and easy attitude towards life. He was fond of good food and good friends and hence his expenditures were heavy. He was so liberal with friendship that whenever in the midst of his friends, no one else dare open his purse for anything. Most of his friends were wealthy aristocratic people and his life was full of sophistication. He was a very straightforward, frank and emotional person. I first met him in 1947 and since then we had become friends. He took initiation in 1955 and started doing meditation. More than regularity in sadhana, he got attached with Baba. In 1956 after Ananda Purnima, there was a marriage in his family and it was essential for him to be present at that function, so he started soon after DMC was over. His train was about to leave and so he left in a hurry without taking his food. That night Baba also did not take his food, although the General Secretary requested Baba many a time. Baba said, “One of my sons has left without taking his food and it would not be proper if I take eat.” As it was a girl who was to be married, her family was paying for the marriage and its expenses. Tyagiji was carrying a big amount of cash with him in a trunk. He also had a bag containing his ticket and some cash for expenses on the way. When the train reached Lucknow station Tyagiji discovered that his brother-in- law was on the platform in front of the next compartment, and then he started moving along the platform towards the engine in search of someone. Tyagiji followed him, and he had gone a little distance when someone patted him on the shoulder and said, “Look for your luggage.” He looked back but could not see anyone he knew and therefore continued to go ahead. Meanwhile he heard a well-known voice in his ear asking, “Where are you going? Go back to your compartment and look for your luggage”. This time the sound was like an order and he immediately recognised that it was the voice of Baba. He returned immediately. And as he was walking, he saw the luggage on the head of a coolie. The coolie was carrying his trunk and his bag and was about to get down on the platform, when he caught hold of him. After this, in his owncarefree manner he told the man, “Good man, you are taking away everything. Something you should have left for me also! At least you could have left me the ticket and some money for my expenses on the way!” The porter was struck dumb and stared at him with the luggage still on his head. On enquiry, it was discovered that the porter had lifted this luggage mistaking it for that of Tyagiji’s companion in the first class compartment in which they were travelling. That gentleman had already gone ahead, but now by Baba’s grace Tyagiji got his luggage back. After relating the incident Tyagiji said seriously, “Look how much care Baba takes of us. If he had not instructed me, I would never have got my luggage back. However foolishly we may act, Baba always keeps an eye on us.” Then he related another incident of his life which was even more significant. He had been doing business in Calcutta and one day he fell ill. The illness lingered on so he went to the most famous and prominent doctor of Calcutta, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. The doctor examined him thoroughly and declared that he was suffering from TB. When Tyagiji did not believe this, he was screened and X-rayed and it was discovered that the illness had already become old and therefore, in addition to medicines the doctor insisted on complete rest. It was a big punishment for him to lie in bed night and day. He had hardly rested for three or four days when he began to feel bored and one day he silently got up and went to Jamalpur, reaching Baba’s residence in the morning. Tyagiji did sastaunga pranam to Baba and sat at His feet on the floor. When Baba asked after his health, he told him about his illness. The biggest difficulty was that he could not spend the day in bed doing nothing but taking doses of medicines. Baba explained to him that he should follow doctor’s advice and take the medicines prescribed and that alone would cure him. But Tyagiji was not prepared to accept this course, and began to tell Baba again and again that he did not want to prolong life by lying on the bed and taking medicines. He held fast to Baba’s feet and refused to let go. Now Baba took pity on him and with the toe of his right foot touched those places in the chest where patches had formed in the lungs and said, “It is here that these patches have formed. Go now you need not take any medicine and lead normal life.” Tyagiji was very happy and again did sastaunga to Baba and returned to Calcutta. There he went to Dr. Bidhan Chandra Ray’s surgery. As soon as the doctor saw him he asked him whether he had been taking rest. Tyagiji said, ‘Why should I take rest? I am quite normal”. The doctor did not believe this of course and took him to his clinic where he again X-rayed and ran all the tests. When he saw these reports the doctor was wonder- struck. There was no trace of the disease at all. The doctor did not believe that a disease like TB could be cured in such a brief period, and so asked Tyagiji in confidence what had really happened, and Tyagiji told him about the touch and blessings from Baba. The doctor fell silent and became thoughtful.Finally he told Tyagiji, “The doctor and the medicine are nothing as compared to the grace of the guru. Now you should take your guru’s advice as gospel truth and follow it sincerely in action and try that you continue to get your guru’s grace all your life. Blessed are you and your guruji.” Tyagiji is now no longer with us but his fathomless devotion and firm faith in Baba are worth emulating. Salutation to BABA Who Removes the Sufferings of Those Devotees Who Surrender Unto Him GAUNGA SHARANJI During this period another of my childhood friend took initiation in Muzaffarpur. Later on he became acarya. Gaunga Sharanji and myself were together in our school days and stayed in the same hostel although Gaunga Sharanji belonged to Muzaffarpur itself, yet his father got him admitted into the hotel for getting proper environment for studies. From the very beginning his life style was that of arch family. After leaving school Shri Gaunga Sharanji joined Benders Hindu University and studied science, while I continued my studies at Muzaffarpur. In the meanwhile I joined service, after years I met him again in 1951. Those days, I was also posted at Muzaffarpur. We recalled our younger days and began to live again as close friends. Those days, Shri Gaunga Sharanji was an Inspector in Indian Life Insurance Company and his profession required him to mix with rich ask well-to-do people persons. He had, therefore, imbibed all the qualities of that class. He was already fond of luxurious food and clothing. Meanwhile, I was again transferred from Muzaffarpur and we reported again. After four years, I was again transferred to Muzaffarpur. By them, I had become a Sadhaka of Ananda Marga and by Baba a Grace had also become an acarya. Due to our old friendship and intimacy, I explained to him the philosophy of Ananda Marga. For a couple of days he heard me and then he expressed a desire to be initiated. But he put down one condition that he was not prepared to accept any restriction on his food and other living habits. Really, by then, drinking and smoking had become his regular habits. I said, alright, if you cannot give up any of these habits then you will not start any new ones, to which he agreed. I said the mantra has a force of its own and after initiation when the mantra was imparted to him he would have to practice meditation with the mantra with devotional regularity. After a little thought he agreed. I said, if these habits of yours start being dropped your would at least not cling to them willfully? He agreed to this also. Then I told him that he could be initiated wherever he wanted. I would take him to another acarya who would initiate him. He asked me as to why I was not Initiating him I told him than we were chums since our boyhood & therefore it would be in the fitness of things if he got the initiation from some other acarya. But he began to insist that I should initiate him, and he stuck to this. Next Sunday was therefor fixed for the date of initiation. On Sunday, he arrived at the given time and took initiation. This was my third opportunity to initiate someone. After initiation almost everyday he used to meet me and after about week he informed me that he no longer felt like drinking. I reminded him that if his interest was lost he should give up drinking when after three days he meet me again, he informed me that he had given up drinking up drinking. After a couple of days, he expressed a desire to have the darshan of Baba. I asked him to dosadhana for some more days and then I would take him to Baba. But he insisted on Baba darshan and would not listen. I tried to convince him in many kinds of ways, but he was adamant. I then told him to do his sadhana intensely and create a strong desire for guru darshan, “Then Baba will give you darshan at the very door of your house”, I said. Hearing this he began to think and returned home. After about five or six days he came to me at about eleven in the night and began to ask me the meaning of “Shubhamastu”. I was a bit surprised, as this is the way Baba blesses his disciples. He has not yet had Baba’s darshan, how is he then referring to Shubhamastu? Upon my enquiry, he informed that, “Today when I was doing my pranam, I saw two legs up to the knees and I heard this blessing and I further heard in Bengali language the words, “I am mad and all mine are mad!” He was relating his experiences and I was getting overwhelmed with emotions as I was hearing him. Praise be to the Lord that He comes to hear the prayer of His devotees in person. After a few days, he got all the members of his family initiated. By now he had also given up smoking. He received the love and affection of Baba only a few days later in Patna. He had been doing sadhana with regularity and sincerity right from the day of His initiation and therefore very soon he had the special grace of Baba. His sadhana was full of devotion. Due to this, very soon he became tattvika and acarya. Later on, he was initiated into Tantra sadhana. As an acarya, Gaunga Sharanji was a very industrious and courageous person. He propagated the philosophy of Marga throughout North Bihar and gave sadhana to a great number of persons. Many of those whom he initiated are tattvika and acaryas today. It is by his efforts and grace of Baba that the Marga spread rapidly throughout north Bihar. His devotion to sadhana and fondness for propagating the ideology were both praiseworthy and unfailing. He is found with a smile in the most difficult circumstances, full of courage, bravery, valour and perseverance. Steadfastness was his nature, his conversations are full of humour and satire and the sharpness of his intellect and his clear logic flow from his talk. Many a time, Gaunga Sharanji solved difficult problems and managed critical situations, through sheer wit and originality of approach. His study of philosophy was deep and he had his own particular way of making philosophical subjects easy and interesting. He converted the dry philosophical discussions into very moving, interesting and lovely events. His devotion was infectious. He had a rare combination of devotion, sentiment and knowledge and was decorated by a rich combination of all these. He is an example before the world as to what sadhana can make of such a luxury-loving princely hunter of a man. Now he is the embodiment of simplicity. Service, sacrifice and charity have become regular parts of his life. It was he who immediately registered an acre of land in the name of the Marga when the question of constructing a jagrti in Muzaffarpur came up in 1960. He left his body to attain salvation on the 22 nd October 1981.