1.

SWAMISHRI DID NOT RISE FIRST

It was 13 June 1988. The day when Pramukh Swami Maharaj was invited to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa.
As soon as Swamishri arrived, Hon. John Frazer, the Speaker of the Parliament, announced, "I wish to draw the
attention of the parliamentary members to the distinguished presence in the gallery of Pramukh Swami Maharaj,
Head of the Swaminarayan Mission..."
All the members of parliament gave a biground of applause to welcome the guest. They looked eagerly towards
the gallery, waiting to see the honourable guest. The occasion was special because the Canadian Parliament was
going to honour a Hindu guru for the first time. Surprisingly, Pramukh Swami Maharaj did not rise from his
chair after the announcement. In fact, he was explaining to the swami holding the murti of Shri
HarikrishnaMaharaj to stand up first. Subsequently, all the parliamentary members first had the darshan of
Bhagwan and thereafter of Swamishri.
2. BHAGWAN'S DARSHAN?
"I have a question," asked a youth a the evening satsang assembly in Rajkot. Swamishri said, "Ask." The youth
enquired, "Have you seen Bhagwan?" Swamishri spontaneously replied, "Yes I have, and that is why I experience
joy, and also talk about him." The youth clarified, "You see Bhagwan in reality before you." "Yes, in reality."
"Then, show him to me."
"You cannot see him just like that. One has to have faith in the guru's words and keep striving [on the spiritual
path]. I see Bhagwan in the guru."
On another occasion, a journalist in Borsad asked a similar question to Swamishri, "When did you first
experience Bhagwan?" Swamishri replied, "I have his experience from the beginning.”
3. CARING FOR ONE WHO SERVED HIM
In 1985, the BAPS in London had organized the Cultural Festival of India (CFI). A mini- piritual township,
called Swaminarayan Nagar, was created to give a glimpse of India's glorious heritage. Every evening,
wonderful stage programmes enlightened the audience with India's wisdom, music and cultural dances.
Pratapsinh Parmar served Pramukh Swami Maharaj by driving swamishri daily from his residence to the
festival venue. Every afternoon, Swamishri would tell Pratapsinh to sit for lunch before him.
On 1 August 1985, Swamishri did not see Pratapsinh during lunchtime. So, Swamishri phoned him and said,
"Bapu, I am waiting for you. Your plate is ready. I have not started eating lunch. I'll do so once you join us." It
was 12.40 p.m. when Swamishri phoned him, and he waited for him till 2.10 p.m. Thereafter, Swamishri rang
him again and Pratapsinh replied, "Bapa, I think I'll be late today in finishing my work, therefore have your
lunch." Only then did Swamishri take his first morsel.
4. INSISTED UPON USING THE OLD FRAME
In 1980, Swamishri had his cataract operations in Boston, USA. Subsequently, the optical numbers of his
glasses had changed. So, to get them changed, Swamishri's spectacles were given to a devotee. On returning the
spectacles the devotee had also changed the old frame with an expensive new one. On seeing it, Swamishri
asked, "Why did you buy this new frame?" "Bapa, it will look good on you." But Swamishri insisted upon
using his old.
frame. However, the devotee sweetly pressed Swamishri to use the new frame. Then, Swamishri asked him,
"Do I have to see through. the optical glasses or the frame!" On hearing this, the devotee became silent and
complied to Swamishri's wish. Swamishri used his old, simple and cheap spectacle frame.
5. FOR THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN
The BAPS boys' hostel (chhatralaya) in Ukai, Gujarat, provided residential facilities and meals free of cost to
tribal school students. Once, Swamishri visited the hostel. During his round he enquired from the
administrators, "What items do you serve for breakfast?" "Bateta-pauva, grams, milk and other things." "What
type of milk do you serve?" "It's made from milk powder." "Do all the students like it?" "If someone doesn't like
it then he won't drink it." Swamishri suggested, "We should serve them cow or buffalo milk, so that no one
remains. without having it. One should not provide anything that spoils the children's health. Take proper care
by giving nutritious food, so that their health remains good. They should also study well and be inspired with
values. "It doesn't matter if we need to spend more for that." Then, Swamishri saw the blankets on each of the
students' beds. He added, "These blankets are coarse and thick because they are meant to keep them warm. But,
have cloth covers for each blanket, so that when the students cover themselves their cheeks won't get abraded or
hurt." Swamishri's care and instructions for the welfare of the children touched all. In 1997-98, the regions of
Saurashtra were under the grip of a severe drought. At that time, Pramukh Swami Maharaj addressed the BAPS
Sanstha's administrators of the educational activities, "Go and survey the situation of the homes of students
studying in our schools in Gondal and Bhadra. Which of their parents are labouring in the relief work to earn a
living? If both parents are labouring and barely making a living, how can they pay for their children's school
fees? Therefore, return the school fees for this year and do not take it for the next academic year. Get their
uniforms made and also give them notebooks and textbooks free of cost. If they require food rations, give it to
them. If they hesitate to take all this then go to their homes to deliver it in order to maintain their pride. Do not
worry about the expenses. Bhagwan takes care of everything for us."
6. THE SAME HANDS
YogijiMaharaj sent Pramukh Swami on his behalf to perform the murti-pratisbtha of the bari mandir in
Kantharia (district: Surendranagar). Pramukh Swami was also the main speaker of the three-day discourse
(parayan) organized there. Pramukh day, Swami passed by the kitchen. He One day, after delivering a
discourse, Saw a swami rolling puris and frying them single- handedly. Pramukh Swami instantly discerned that
the swami was finding it difficult to manage two things together. So, he immediately entered the kitchen, pulled
an empty oil tin can to sit on and started frying the puris. The very hands that were going to perform the murti-
pratisbtba rituals were now frying the puris! The speaker who had delivered a discourse from a holy seat (oyas
pith) was now sitting on an empty tin Can frying puris! This tradition of doing humble seva as the president of a
mega-organization continued even after Pramukh Swami became the spiritual head. Once, after his appointment
as guru, Swamishri was on an observation round in Gondalmandir. On arriving in the kitchen, he saw the large
amount of dough for making chapattis, but there were not enough swamis to roll the pieces of dough. To ensure
that the meals were completed on time to offer to Thakorji and the devotees Pramukh Swami Maharaj sat down
and started rolling the of dough. stanttaroling the pieces The same hands that performed seva in running the
BAPS did humble seva whenever an opportunity came his way,
7. A TRIBAL'S REQUEST
Everyone was trying to decipher the illegible letter. In spite of much effort, no one could make head or tails of
the letter and neither could anyone make out the name or village of the writer. Swamishri also took great pains
to read the letter, but it proved to be useless. In the end, Swamishri's sharpness enabled him to recognize the
village name on the post office stamp. The postcard had come from the village of Hingatiya, near Khedbrahma.
Then, Swamishri rang the swami travelling in that region. But the swami could not be contacted because he was
away doing vicharan. Finally, when the swami got the message, he contacted Swamishri. Swamishri informed
him, "I have received a letter from Hingatiya village, which falls in your region. However, the letter is illegible.
Find out who has written the letter and what does he require. Then, inform me about it." The swami enquired
and searched for the person who had written the letter. Finally, he got the information that he was a tribal named
Reshma Parghi. He was a tyrant a year ago, but during his one-and-a-half minute contact with Swamishri he had
totally given up his vices and criminal activities. Reshma had written to Swamishri to get the water hand-pump
in his village repaired. On learning about the details, Swamishri told the swami, "You personally go to his farm
and check the hand-pump and get it repaired. If required, get a new hand-pump installed." It's amazing that
Reshma, a tribal, had trust in Swamishri to get his work done! And Swamishri, regardless of Reshma being a
tribal, heard his call and made great efforts to help him.
8. IT WAS NOT SALT, BUT...
After having lunch, Pramukh Swami Maharaj routinely gargled with salt water. His attendant would give him
the glass of salt water. One day, while gargling, Swamishri asked the attendant twice, "Is there salt in it!" "Yes,
I've added salt from a new pack into the bottle used for you," the attendant replied. On hearing his answer,
Swamishri did not ask anything further. He finished gargling by using all the water. Thereafter, because
Swamishri had questioned him twice, the attendant swami decided to check whether he had added salt or
something else. He went to the kitchen and tasted what he had filled the bottle with. To his shock and surprise
he found it was not salt but crystals of citric acid (limbuna ful). Swamishri had not uttered a single word about it
and never mentioned this incident again.
9. IT WAS KNOWN IN THE MORNING THAT...
That night, the cold was bone-chilling. Jagdish, a youth travelling with Swamishri, had caught a fever. His
friend, Rajendra, was searching for a blanket so that he could cover him up to ward off the chill. But it was 12
midnight and pitch dark. Rajendra failed to find a quilt, and he was worried on seeing Jagdish shivering and
whining. At that time, Swamishri himself climbed the stairs to the first floor and came to the room where the
youths were staying. He had a quilt in his hand. While giving it to Rajendra he said, "Here, take it and spread it
over him." Before Rajendra could ask, "How Swamishri had come to know about the need for a quilt?"
Swamishri had left. However, the next morning, the youths realized that Swamishri had given his own quilt for
Jagdish, whereas he had slept the whole night covering himself with only his upper cloth (gatariyu).
10. THE DAY AFTER HIS HEART ATTACK...
On 4 July 2011, Bharuch. Swamishri reclined on his bed at night to sleep. Till then, there were no adverse signs
in his health. If there were, then Swamishri had not voiced them to anyone. However, the medical experts were
shocked on checking Swamishri's pulse. The worrying and erratic pulse rate was an imminent sign of danger
and that something terrible was happening to his heart. On further investigation, it became clear that at 90 years
Pramukh Swami Maharaj was suffering his second heart attack. Emergency treatment was given and expert
doctors soon arrived. They all unanimously decided, "The next 72 hours are critical. Therefore, Swamishri must
take complete bed rest. The slightest movement may prove to be fatal for him.” However, the next morning,
Swamishri expressed, "I want to go to the mandir for Thakorji'sdarshan." The doctors strongly advised against it
and refused. But Swamishri still went for darshan. He eagerly did darshan of Thakorji as per his daily routine,
without the slightest trace of worry or haste. The following morning, in spite of the heavy rains, Swamishri
went for darshan with the same ease and joy. He also continued his darshan routine on the third day. Everyone
realized that Swamishri's heart was damaged, but he had not relaxed his bhakti towards Bhagwan.
11. AMAZING DETAIL FOR CARE AND CONCERN
Once, during Swamishri's stay in Gandhinagar he visited the artificial pond created in the Akshardham garden.
The swami looking after the gardens informed Swamishri, "Ducks will be placed to swim in the ponds." "Real
ones or toy ducks?" Swamishri asked amusingly. "No, real ducks." Thereafter, Swamishri started enquiring in
detail, "From where will you acquire the ducks? Have you thought about t' 40/116 before bringing them here?
And have > arrangements for cages that are suitable for them? Before bringing them here think fully about their
arrangements and care. Otherwise, they will have to face difficulties." Swamishri's detailed care and concern for
the ducks not only touched all but were an eye- opener for all enthusiasts taking care of animals.
12. SWAMISHRI HUMBLY ASKS
On the day after YogijiMaharaj's earthly departure to AkshardhamPramukh Swami Maharaj asked the swami
taking care of the farm in Gondalmandir, “Senior swamis and trustees of the Sanstha have decided to cremate
YogijiMaharaj's mortal body on the ground where wheat has been grown. So, what is your opinion?" The
swami replied, "Swami, you are the head of the BAPS Sanstha. I am your servant. Whatever you decide must be
okay. You do not have to ask me." "You had sowed the wheat grains and put in great efforts. So, I have to ask
you," Swamishri explained. Swamishri's humility and straight- forwardness moved the swami's heart.
Swamishri instructed him, "For the present, cut half of the wheat crop growing by the compound wall near the
roadside. Let the crop growing by the water tank be as it is. If the need arises, then it can be cut." Furthermore,
Swamishri asked, "Since the wheat crop is green can it be used as fodder for the cattle?" "They would eat it for
two to three days but not more than that," the swami replied. "Then, once the wheat crop is cut load the fodder
into a tractor and transport it to the cow shelter in the town and also give some to the street cows. At least they
would get green fodder for the day." The swami was astonished about Swamishri's calm composure while
taking detailed decisions in spite of the sad departure of guru YogijiMaharaj.
13. A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE
Antwerp, Belgium; 8 April 1984. A spiritu- al seeker asked Swamishri, "When we clash with others, we see the
faults in the other person. You know the faults of all, yet what thoughts do you 60 keep?" Swamishri replied,
“God and his Sadhu do not look at anyone's faults. Knowing, yet ignoring; seeing, but turning a blind eye;
hearing, but turning a deaf ear. The other person may have 99 faults, but he will have one virtue, won't he?"
14. "WHAT IS THE DATE TODAY?"
On seeing Naimish from America, Swamishri said, "Your father's name is Rameshbhai. His father was Bhailal.
His was 67 Chaturbhai, and his was Shamalbhai." Hearing Swamishri recall the names of five generations
instantly and fluently, everyone hailed Swamishri's memory. Then, after meeting the devotees, Swamishri
became engaged in writing letters. After writing one letter, he paused and looked around. Seeing this, someone
sked, "Do you want something?" Swamishri asked, "What's the date today?" Hearing this question, everyone
was sur- prised, since that morning in the presence of 92,000 devotees, Swamishri's 74th birthday had been
celebrated and he had been honoured with many decorative garlands. Cards had been presented. To everyone's
surprise, Swamishri in- stantly recalled the names of five generations, but was unaware of his own birthdate.
Such memory power! Such forgetting power!
15. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT PRAYER
London 1990. It was well past midnight when Swamishri's attendant sadhu suddenly woke up. Amid the serene
silence, he could hear a faint murmuring of 'Swaminarayan... Swaminarayan...' 68 He wondered, "There's no
one else in this room, except for Swamishri and me. So, where is this murmuring coming from?" He sat up and
noticed Swamishri sitting cross-legged on his bed, chanting the mantra with eyes closed and intense
concentration. He waited for 30 minutes till Swamishri finished. And as Swamishri leaned back to sleep, the
attendant supported his recline. Swamishri was surprised. The attendant asked, "What were you praying for?"
"There is a severe drought in India. Without water people will face many difficulties. So, I was praying for the
rains," Swamishri revealed. "But why at night?" "In the day's busy schedule there's no time." "How long have
you been praying like this?" "Whenever it's possible," Swamishri replied without elaborating. The divine light
of Swamishri's compassion brightened the darkness of the night.
16. NOT THE SLIGHTEST DISPLEASURE
One evening, Swamishri was to arrive in Vadodara. At that time PujyaTyagvallabh Swami was making all the
arrangements for his visit. He had arranged for Swamishri to take his meal at the home of a devotee in the
Manjalpur area. Then, after padhramanis at the homes of two or three devotees living nearby, Swamishri would
reach Atladramandir for rest. However, Swamishri did not reach Manjalpur till much later in the night than
expected. When Swamishri sat to eat, Tyagvallabh Swami also sat down to have his meal. He thought that even
though it was already late, the other devotees would have prepared for Swamishri's visit. He wondered, "What
should I tell Swamishri now?" After Swamishri had finished eating, he took everyone's leave and walked
towards the door. Suddenly, he turned towards Tyagvallabh Swami and asked, "What's the programme now?"
As Swamishri himself had asked, Tyagvallabh Swami told him, "Bapa, we've arranged padhramanis to the
homes of two-three devotees." Without the slightest trace of displeasure, Swamishri said, "Let's go." And
Swamishri left to do the padhramanis at around midnight.
17. BEYOND THE LURE OF TASTE
PujyaIshwarcharan Swami recalled his experience during the overseas satsang visit to Africa in 1959-60, "At
that time I cooked the meals for the sadhus. Except for Pramukh Swami Maharaj, all the sadhus had a
preference for non-spicy (bland) food. Yogiji Maharaj preferred bland and non-spicy food. Even Sant Swami
and Balmukund Swami preferred the bland diet. That left Pramukh Swami Maharaj. He could eat spicy food,
and preferred it when available. But I was also a novice in cooking and for nine months with my ordinary
culinary skills, I cooked what I knew. However, Pramukh Swami Maharaj never even once complained or
commented about the food, even though I must have been making mistakes with the cooking. He would silently
eat whatever was served to him in his pattar, while remembering Shriji Maharaj. That's when I first experienced
that he had overcome the desire for taste."
18. SIGNIFICANCE OF SWAMISHRI'S ACTION
Once, during dinner, Swamishri was eating khichdi. At the end, one grain of khichdi remained in his pattar.
Swamishri tried to pick it up with a spoon. Having pushed it to the rim of his pattar the grain was about to fall
out. So, Swamishri immediately pushed it back down into the pattar. He did this four to five times in quick
succession, but could not gather the grain in the spoon. So, Swamishri put the spoon to the side picked up the
grain with his right hand and ate it. Now the pattar was totally clean. Everyone who observed this wondered,
"What was the significance of this darshan? Was it that even one grain should not be wasted? Or was it that
Swamishri will not let anyone who has come in his contact slip from the path of liberation?"
19. SUPPORTER OF THE LONELY
In 1974, during his overseas satsang tour, Swamishri visited the home of Chandubhai. One of his English
neighbours came to meet Swamishri. Chandubhai introduced him to Swamishri and informed that his children
had left him, and that he was lonely, and was spending his old age in misery. Swamishri was moved by his
predicament, and immediately instructed Chandubhai, "You should take care of this English gentleman like a
member of your family." Having arranged this family support for a lonely person, Swamishri departed. Then,
ten years later, in 1984, when Swamishri was again in London, that English gentleman came joyfully to meet
Swamishri. With great emotion, he told Swamishri, "I thank you very very much. For the past ten years, this
devotee of yours has taken great care of me. You have given me joy in my old age." Swamishri gave such
support to so many lonely people.
20. GENUINE AFFECTION
"Bapa! Will you come to my home?" Swamishri was in DevgadhBaria, when 4-year- old Shambhu of Malav
village made this request. Hearing his request, everyone was put in a quandary since the road to his village was
merely a dusty path and full of bumps and craters. It was totally inconvenient for Swamishri's health and time
schedule. However, Swamishri agreed to the boy's wish. The next day, on the way from Rabod to Ghoghamba,
Swamishri had his car taken to Malav village and to Shambhu's home. The house was small and cramped, yet
Swamishri joyfully went in and sat there. Thakorji'spujan and arti were performed, but amidst the frenzy,
Swamishri noticed the absence of Shambhu. So, Swamishri called for him, held Thakorji in his hands and
allowed Shambhu to repeat the arti. Filling the heart of a child with love and joy, Swamishri departed.
21. IS THERE A YARDSTICK?
At 3.45 p.m., Swamishri was preparing to go to the bathroom when a devotee arrived and said, "Bapa! I want to
meet you in private for a few moments." "OK, come in," Swamishri said and sat down to listen to his question.
The discussion continued until 7.00 p.m. Yet, there was not the slightest trace of frustration or irritation on
Swamishri's face. Just an appearance of his usual patience and affection. For over three hours, Swamishri
suppressed his bodily needs and satisfied the devotee. As soon as this meeting had finished, another devotee
came and requested to meet Swamishri. This devotee was unaware that Swamishri had blocked his bathroom
needs for over three hours. He requested, "Bapa! I'd like to talk to you for a couple of minutes." "Come in. Why
just two. We can sit for five," Swamishri said. Again, Swamishri sat with this devotee for a considerable length
of time. When Swamishri finally stood up and went to the bathroom, it was past 7.30 p.m. Is there a yardstick to
measure Swamishri's compassion? For over 3½ hours he suppressed this body needs to satisfy the wish of
devotees.
22. "HAVE YOU SENT THAT PHOTOGRAPH?"
One night, Swamishri was in Kurai village in the district of Vadodara. He was seated on a simple chair with
some sadhus and devotees seated around him, engaged in casual discussions. Swamishri noticed the presence of
Chhagan of Thikariya village in the seated group and said, "Chhagan! Sing a kirtan.” Chhagan was delighted by
this request and opportunity. He immediately stood up and joyfully began to sing. He sang with such feelings
that nobody was able relate to his humble background. Chhagan's financial circumstances were very weak - he
even had to fix his pan to bake rotlos with a wire because he could not afford a new one. No one could imagine
that he faced such daily struggle, considering the joy with which he sang. After singing, he also narrated some
of his memories with Yogiji Maharaj. Then, Swamishri called a photographer and he took a photograph of
Chhagan, in his unkempt clothes, with Swamishri. Chhagan was overjoyed. Thereafter, Swamishri continued
his vicharan to Mumbai. The photographer was also with Swamishri. One day, Swamishri asked him, "Have
you sent Chhagan that photo taken in Kurai?" Swamishri was particular in ensuring that even the smallest of
tasks were completed, even amid his busy workload.
23. PLEASED A CHILD
On 10 January 2005, Swamishri was in Mumbai. In the morning, around 125 devotees were waiting in queue to
meet him for personal guidance. After this, Swamishri had to attend some important meetings. While meeting
the devotees, a balak handed Swamishri a mala and requested, "Please sanctify this for me." Swamishri touched
it with his hands and returned it. The balak said, “Not like that. Please turn one whole mala and sanctify it."
Everyone thought that the balak's insistence was improper. However, despite the long line of devotees waiting
to meet him and the scheduled meetings, Swamishri patiently and devoutly turned one mala and then placed it
around the balak's neck. The boy was delighted.
24. ENTIRE LIFE IS PUBLIC
To provide a lasting memory for each sadhu accompanying Swamishri on his 1988 overseas Satsang vicharan,
the devotees had arranged for each to have an individual photo taken with Swamishri. The photo session was in
progress when it was the turn of a sadhu who wore chakhdis (wooden slippers). The sadhu requested Swamishri
to wear the chakhdis and have a photo taken. Swamishri said, “I don't wear chakhdis so why should I do that?
No need to put up a show." "From the beginning I have not liked pretense...", "My whole life is public. Nothing
private...", "I do not know how to pretend like that..." and similar remarks by Swamishri are better understood
in the light of this situation.
25. CHARACTERISTIC OF A TRUE SADHU
Swamishri had received a letter from a vil- lage in the Bhavnagar district. The sender wanted to dig a well in
his farm and wanted guidance on where to dig. He had sent a map of his farm with the letter. Swamishri studied
the map in detail for about five minutes, then he placed a mark on the map and wrote about where to dig.
Similarly, an adivasi from a village in the Ahava (Dang) district wrote to ask, "Where in the farm to drill for a
bore well?" He, too, had sent a map. In this case also, Swamishri analyzed the map for five minutes and placed
a mark where he should drill. Observing Swamishri reply in this way, reminds one of a characteristic of a sadhu,
"One who always has time for the most minor task for the smallest of people is a sadhu.”