Babuji's CharacterMaster is a householder who has married and shouldered the arduous responsibilities of family life. He has experienced all the joys of love, and sorrows and miseries of separation that we suffer in our own narrower lives. It is surely a matter for wonder that he has so completely lived the life of the householder while simultaneously developing in himself the divine capacity to be a Master of spirituality too. His life is centred naturally around his own family. But whereas the centre and the circumference of our own lives have both merged into one single point which rests in the family, for Master the centre is the family while the circumference embraces the whole universe. This is the difference between his life and ours. And when Master, by his divine transmission, helps us to 'expand' into cosmic levels and super-cosmic levels of existence, he separates the shrunken circumference of our existence from its centre, setting the circumference free, or liberating it, so that it can expand wider and wider until it, in turn, is afforded the possibility of becoming universal. Thus, progressively, the individual self- centred human soul and consciousness develops and expands until it becomes a universal person possessing a universal consciousness similar to the Master himself. --- All that he had exposed to me of himself was his gracious courtesy and hospitality as a householder. But one important feature or characteristic I did notice was that in Master this appeared entirely natural, and was patently sincere and fundamental to his nature. There was no ostentation, no sense of unnaturalness, no feeling of being patronised. On the contrary there was a spontaneity in his behaviour as a host that made it as natural as it is for the sun to shine, or for water to wet. For the first time in my life I felt myself to be in the presence of the perfect householder who could be a host to his guest without appearing to be one; who could serve his visitor with humility but without any taint of servility; and who could be a Master to the disciple without the vainglorious and arrogant pomp and bluster that, in India at least, seem to be almost essential prerequisites for the assumption of such elevated positions, particularly in the religious hierarchies… Here, in Shahjahanpur, I had for the first time come across a guru who was simple, direct, unostentatious and unassuming; who made no demands of any kind and yet offered not only the supreme spiritual service of liberation but personal physical service to the abhyasi too. This was, to me, an enigma of shattering proportions…. --- Master's culture is so profound that it will not permit any undue or wanton criticism of other ways of life. To Master, everything has a place in the universal hierarchy… Tolerance, as taught by Master, is not a virtue but a definite duty. --- I have never known Master use an ambiguous word or phrase, either in conversation or in correspondence. He is one of that very rare breed of persons who say what they mean, and mean precisely what they say. The following excerpts are from Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Volume 3.In my life I always placed justice higher than self-advantage. For instance, a colleague of mine had joined service a couple of days earlier than I. In the following years we were transferred to different sections, and later were re-posted to positions with the same designation and grade. It happened that my colleague joined this new posting a couple of days later than I did, thus officially becoming my junior. When a vacancy for the next promotion arose, my colleague appealed that he should get the promotion on the ground of the original date of his appointment. My officers, who were more favourably disposed towards me, summoned me in this connection. Even though it was a tempting occasion for substantial personal benefit, I told them the fact that my colleague was the senior, though he had joined the present post later, and that he should be given the promotion. He got it, and developed a great regard for me. --- It so happened that a clerk, on account of caste prejudice, teased me so much that I made up my mind to resign service. I had been appointed to this post for the first time, and did not know the work. He did not help me at all; instead, he always spoke ill of me to the Munsarim of the Munsif's Court. The result was that I went to the Munsif and told him all the facts including my intention to resign from service.
Mr. Maharaja Bahadur, the Munsif, said, "As long as I am here you must not resign. I will teach you the work, because I will not get such an honest man." And he did so. When I was encouraged by him I began to study the Acts and Regulations, and learnt some other work also. Honesty pays in the end; and dishonesty only in the beginning, if at all!
In a month's time, with hard work, I was quite prepared to do the work allotted to me nicely. I had also told the difficulties to my father and said to him, "I want to resign from this post and if you will not allow it I will commit suicide." My father replied, "Leave the service immediately." But I continued in the service as I was encouraged to by my officer. I had no enmity with that man and never changed my behaviour towards him. In other words, I behaved with a little love also with him. People call me simple. I think they are right in so calling me. The incident developed to such an extent that I was ready to commit suicide, but I never changed my behaviour. A little love was also there, because my motto is, "If anybody does not do his duty to me, why should I leave my duty to him?" In other words, if anybody falls short of his duty why should I fall short of my duty to him! What I do for you, it is my duty; what you do not do for me, it is your duty. It is also my nature that if anybody obliges me an inch, I try to repay it. But whatsoever I may do in return, the obligation remains the same. The following excerpts are from Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Volumes 2 and 3.Now I am telling the secret of success in all matters. Remove doubts and develop confidence in yourself, you will succeed in all your pursuits. Really speaking, if anybody wants to poison his will he should create doubt in himself. --- Honesty and seriousness in all work brings good fruit. --- We must cultivate the habit of forbearance and tolerance, putting up coolly with taunts and rebukes of others, feeling ourselves to be at fault. This is not too great a sacrifice for the attainment of the great Goal. If my views seem to be appealing to you please try to follow them. This will bring you greater peace. If you find yourself inefficient for it, then you should resort to prayer with a suppliant heart. Do this and see whether you are able to overcome anger or not. --- Going beyond easiness is uneasiness. A man becomes conscious when similarity or sameness is disturbed. As long as easiness is there, there is no disturbance. The state we acquire by the help of the meditation causes a repulse. When the outgoing tendencies of the mind come in touch with it or, in other words, when the tendencies touch the field of easiness, its opposite is felt. So we should also try to calm down the outgoing tendencies of the mind. I now give you something about uneasiness. If somehow a man can begin to feel easiness in uneasiness then it will not give place to the outgoing tendencies to enter in it. --- There is nothing so important for a man as passion. Passions have been related in different ways in the scriptures of all religions. The true picture is something else. The first jerk of energy was passion. It was pregnant with all the forces required for creation. It came from the highest intelligence because that was the component factor to give movement to the will of God. It also came to our share, but its beauty was lost because 'I' viewed it from different angles. The centre of the highest intelligence and of passion is the same. It cannot be annihilated in any way or by any method, because it excites into action that which is necessary for man. Man cannot enter into the spiritual life unless he is moved with force towards it. --- In the morning it occurred to me during meditation that a jnani is one who does not lament over the past and is grateful for the present. --- It is really surprising that some people consider themselves to be too weak for practice, while actually they are not so. An ordinary man has within him the same power and the same soul- force that a saint has. The only difference between them is that the sage has torn off the covering round his soul while the other is just like a silkworm in the cocoon. And if one resolves firmly to throw off these coverings no power on earth can stop him. What is required for spiritual growth of man is only an iron will. When it is there, the goal is just in sight. If you have these two things there can be absolutely no chance of failure. A powerful will once made is enough for the sure attainment of the Real. Half the distance is crossed when a man enters the field with a firm will. Nothing can then stand in his way. So please give up dwelling upon the false notion that you cannot reach the goal. Be firm like a rock and success is sure to dawn by itself. --- Give up the mental complex of ill-health. Consider yourself to be healthy, then alone will you find yourself healthy. A healthy man if he persists in thinking himself to be ill shall definitely be half ill at least. Do not give way to weakness. Man possesses everything of Nature but he does not take it into account. A man must keep his eye fixed upon the object, and so it must be in respect of health which is quite essential for the success of the pursuit. There must be one thought, one object, and one pursuit in view and that must be related with the Divine. That is the type of mania which I wish every one to develop in himself. --- May the Guru make me persevere in this: that others may or may not fulfil their duty, but I should do my duty by the others. That is to say, we should see to our duty and not to that of the others, in keeping with the motto, "He will not give up his bad habit. Why should we change our good habit." Our Guruji Maharaj acted upon it fully. So this principle is right. |
