Chapter Six
The Wave of Propagation in Bihar

Prahlad Mittal was a Rajasthani premie who had a business in Bakhtiarpur, about 60 km from Patna. He first invited Shri Maharaj Ji to Bihar in 1958. Maharaj Ji sent Mahatma Narayanandji _and Mahatma Satyanandji there to make all the necessary arrangements. The first program was held in Bakhtiarpur, followed by programs in Khagrhiya, Barh, Barhiya and Sahasar. Mahatma Narayanandji recalls,

"After the program in Triveniganj, some troublemakers armed with sticks came to force Maharaj Ji to leave the place. Probably some of his opponents had put them up to it. The poor premie, in whose house we were staying, was very upset. The mob stood outside for a long time, heckling and daring Maharaj Ji to come outside. After a while, Maharaj Ji appeared and said 'So you want. a fight, do you? Forget about the sticks – just come here and touch me! Then you'll find out who Hans Ji Maharaj is! But I warn you touching me will be like touching a live wire!" Not one of the mob dared to come forward.

'For me, the most unforgettable incident concerning Maharaj Ji occurred at Chauraha village. Maharaj Ji went there by bullock cart and gave satsang. The entire village sang Arti to him. A very poor premie lived in that village and Maharaj Ji visited him. Some rich ladies from the nearest town brought food and started cooking it. Maharaj Ji said, 'I didn't come here to eat. This premie's love pulled me here. The premie fed Maharaj Ji chapatties, porridge and a rural concoction called sattu. Then he showed Maharaj Ji around his village, through dirty lanes that stank. When the time came for him to leave, the premies decorated the bullock cart and took him to the railway station. Practically the whole village turned out.

258

out to farewell him and all were in tears. It seemed that Maharaj Ji was moved to compassion, because a few miles further down the road he suddenly said, 'Go back. I'll stay one or two more days in that village.' The villagers were overcome with joy. Maharaj Ji stayed in the same thatched hut and in the evening he went for a walk in the wheat fields, picked some ears of wheat and ate the raw-grain. He gave wonderful satsang in the field, and later on gave satsang to the villagers, saying, 'Your love is so great that it forced me to stay here.' "

Although Maharaj Ji's first visit to Bihar wasn't until 1958, within a few short years Knowledge had spread like a tidal wave to every district of the state, and from 1960 onwards there was more publicity about him in Bihar than anywhere else. It seemed as if Maharaj Ji's advent in this, the land of Lord Buddha, had sparked off a spiritual renaissance. The thirsty people drank in the nectar of his satsang and saturated themselves in Knowledge. Many young men renounced the world to serve in the ashram or become mahatmas. Between, 1960 and 1965 Maharaj Ji toured the entire length and breadth of Bihar and held programs in many places. His mahatmas, especially Brahmanandji, Satyanandji and Fakiranandji stepped up the pace of propagation. Satsang programs were held in many different places daily. Thousands of people took Knowledge and Maharaj Ji's programs, both large and small, were held.

In November, 1960, at Gandhi Grounds in Patna the local branch of Divya Sandesh Parishad held a two-day program, during which Maharaj Ji said that increasing materialism will ruin humanity. Warning the nations which think exclusively about scientific progress, he said, "The highest material achievements will turn out to be the means of man's destruction. The Divine Masters and great saints showed the world the way to true and lasting happiness, which is the Knowledge of God. For ages to come it will remain the only way to prevent the human race from destroying itself."

259

Thousands of people had assembled to hear him, which was most unusual for religious gatherings in Patna. About 200 delegates from other states also attended the program. Shri Maharaj Ji said that Bihar had always held a leading position when it came to spirituality, and that the rays of spiritual Light had spread out from here to the world. All the great Masters had, at one time or another, travelled around here.

Then he raised a question. "We are busy day and night satisfying the body's demands, but what is this body for, when all is said and done? It is vital to answer this question properly and unequivocally. All the enlightened Masters, seers and philosophers have in some way or another accepted the fact that this question can be answered only through experiencing the Light of God, and only someone who has himself experienced this Light can reveal it to others. Only someone who has risen above the material realm and reached the spiritual can experience this Light."

Mahatma Adhintanand, was formerly known as Sitaram and lived at Jagobhid, Patna. His story goes like this "Once, Maharaj Ji was going from Patna to Barh for satsang. The idea occurred to me to invite Maharaj Ji to grace my house with his presence, as it lay on the road to Bahr. He said that he would definitely come. So I took permission to go home immediately to prepare a welcome. He arrived at 2.30 p.m. I was waiting for him with a garland. He opened the car door, went straight inside and sat down on a seat which I had especially prepared. I offered him milk and sesame cakes. He blessed me then left. I ran down the road after his car like a calf running behind its Mother.

'I loved to go around the streets selling Hansadesh. One day I was standing at Mukama Station with a banner on the wall behind me. I was ringing a bell and chanting slogans like, 'Become dharmic and save dharma', and, 'Don't burn ghee, eat because at that time, due to a supposedly adverse planetary configuration, a lot of people were doing sacrifices to ward off the effects. So a lot of ghee was just going up in smoke, so to speak.

260

Maharaj Ji's car just happened to pass by. Seeing me, he pulled up and sent a premie over to me, who asked, 'Aren't you afraid, saying things like that?' Not knowing who he was, I retorted, 'Go and tell those men who kill other people to be afraid! Guru Maharaj Ji has given me the Truth!' Then that premie said, 'Maharaj Ji is outside and is calling you.' I ran over to him and presented him with a tiny bottle of perfume. He asked, 'You are out spreading Knowledge all day. How do you support yourself?' I replied, 'By your grace I am never short of money,' and I showed him the purse in which I kept my money. He was very pleased with me and took off the garland that was around his neck and put Iit on mine. The car drove off and I stood there shedding tears of joy.

'Before I heard about this Knowledge I so longed to know God that I used to write down the main verses from the Gita, Koran and Hanuman Chalisa, drop them in milk and drink it in the hope that their wisdom would pass into me. It was this craving which brought me to Shri Maharaj Ji, who revealed the secrets of spiritual Knowledge to me."

In December, 1961, a huge procession was held in Patna. The main dailies reported it. 'The Searchlight' reported:

10th Dec., Saturday: A magnificent procession in honour of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj passed through the streets of Patna early this morning. The likes of it have not been seen in a long time. Women participated in large numbers and with an enthusiasm unmatched by any previous procession, either political or religious. In many respects it was an excellent procession, which will long live in the memory of Patna residents. Whatever the reaction to it may be all the spectators were ecstatic. The half-mile long procession displayed colourful banners. More than a dozen elephants ridden by mahatmas, and a couple of camels, headed the procession. Mahatmas sang devotional songs and shouted the praises of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. Participants who were unable to walk the whole distance brought up the rear in rickshaws. Last of all came Shri Hans Ji Maharaj on a magnificently-decorated carriage drawn by snow-white horses. Maharaj Ji's hands were raised in blessing.

261

Three or four mahatmas stood behind him. After winding through the main streets of Patna, the procession terminated at Gandhi Ground where it turned into a satsang function open to the general public.

The 'Hindustan Samachar' reported:

'Shri Hans Ji Maharaj from Hardwar, the founder of Divya Sandesh Parishad, addressed a huge gathering here today. Speaking from a flower-bedecked stage, he offered a solution to society's present predicaments. He said that only Knowledge of the Divine Light can bring Peace, because it changes human consciousness and behaviour."

Another Patna daily 'Indian-Nation', reported the satsang itself:

The founding saint of Divya Sandesh Parishad, Shri Hans Maharaj said here today that only the Divine Light can save the world from destruction.

On the first day of the two day Conference at Gandhi Ground, the purpose of which is to investigate the natural means to avoid extinction of the human race and to put an end to the world's conflicts, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj addressed a huge audience. During his sagacious speech, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj said that serious people, due to confusion and wrong thinking are trying to find peace in ignorance. They look for peace in the multiplicity of material things and for love in fear and hatred. But all this is in vain, Peace can only be realized when man's behaviour is transformed by his knowing the Divine Light and meditating upon it.

For this, it is not necessary to go to temples and mosques, he said. The Divine Light, which scriptures call imperishable and self-effulgent, is a Power which can purify man. He said, with firm conviction that if a person meditates on this Light, he can't be killed in war, nor can a nuclear bomb affect him.

An audience of more than 30,000, the majority of whom were women, sat beneath tenting domed with streamers and flags. They listened quietly to the speeches of mahatmas and

262

learned guest speakers. Shri Hans Ji Maharaj is a famous saint from Hardwar.'

Shri Hans Ji Maharaj gave this satsang:

"Only following the real and natural religion of man (Manav Dharm) can bring peace to this strife-torn world. The basis of Dharma is love. In present times, due to a proliferation of dogma and theologies, there is trouble in many places, and this is basically because some individuals set themselves up as gurus and religious authorities and turn people against each other, taking them even further away from the Truth. People have become bloodthirsty. This is truly something to think about, because the same Power has created us all, although we call it by different names. Air, water and sun are utilized in the same way by all human beings. We are all born and we die in the same way. So why is there a necessity for so many sects and religions? Just like all other natural laws, there must be one natural religion, acceptable to Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs alike. Divine Masters such as Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mahavir, Rama and Krishna taught the universal religion of brotherly love, but nowadays because we have forgotten this religion we are becoming more and more parochial.

'A small amount of grain can be ground in a Village mill, while in towns there are huge flour mills where tons of grain can be ground daily. A poor man eats dry bread and salt, while a rich man eats a variety of dainty dishes. Both go to sleep at night. Both experience the same state of consciousness, regardless of whether they sleep in a palace or on the ground. Both wake up and go to the bathroom in the morning. Both expel waste. You can think of the poor man who eats soup and bread as a small waste making machine and the rich man or monarch with his great variety of delicious foods as a big wastemaking machine.

'I've seen silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves. They eat green leaves and produce silk. Ito called a silkworm because that is what it produces. So what should we call a creature that produces only waste? What's so bad, then, about calling man a wastemaking machine?

263

'Having filled his belly, man chases sense-pleasures. If you take a maggot out of filth it will die, so it makes as way back to the some filth. People are like this. Village pigs don't just run around for the joy of it - they are out looking for garbage to eat. The same applies to human beings. They labour from dawn to dusk and whatever they do is connection with food - regardless of their rank or job. According to the saint Surdas, our situation is no better than a pig's. He reckoned that we are ungrateful and said so in one of his songs."

A premie from Muzaffarpur, who witnessed the procession, recalls, "It is impossible to describe how radiant and majestic Shri Maharaj Ji looked on that day. Even casual observers were amazed by the lustre of his face. The procession passed through market areas and reached Gandhi Ground about 3.30 p.m. Maharaj Ji's satsang was so powerful than it created quite a stir throughout the city."

The program was chaired by the justice of Patna. Maharaj Ji said during satsang:

"The judge is like God. He should be of the opinion that if a person cannot create another human life what right does he have to destroy it? Instead of the death penalty he can give life imprisonment so that the criminal has a chance to redeem himself. So don't condemn prisoners to death. If you can't give them life, what right do you have to kill them?"

The next day, premies lined up early in the morning for darshan. Until 9 a.m. they had the chance for service and darshan. From 9 or 10 a.m. Maharaj Ji held a question and answer session. He gave such clear and incisive answers to the most difficult questions that intellectuals and scholars who came to test him were not only satisfied, but definitely amazed by his power. From 3-5 p.m. he gave satang at Gandhi Ground. The audience of 40,000 people listened quietly as he shed light on several topics, including the eightfold path of Yoga:

"Many people think that they get benefit from chanting the Gayatri Mantra. But they don't understand the fundamental

264

meaning of this mantra nor do they know why this mantra is regarded as the most important of all the Vedic mantras. You know that the Gayatri is the third mantra of Chapter 36 of the Rig Veda. Why hasn't the same importance been accorded any of the mantras from Chapter 1 to Chapter 36, including the first two mantras of Chapter 36? Have they all been written in vain? But everyone has his own understanding.

'St. Kabir condensed all the teachings of the scriptures into this couplet.

'Meditation on the Holy Name brings happiness and sorrow flies away. Meditate on the Name and become one with God'

The entire Ramayana is summed up in this verse

Vedas and all scriptures agree - meditate on God to the exclusion of all else.'

'Likewise, the Gayatri Mantra sums up the Vedas. It says:

'I meditate on the Light of God, the Omnipresent, the Foundation of all, the Doer, the Sustainer of all, Who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss Itself. O Lord, remove my mind from everything else and fix it in Your Light.'

'People repeat this, but they have never seen this Light, even in a dream. In my opinion, your mouth is sweetened only when you eat sugar, not by chanting, 'sweet, sweet! So don't say over and over again that you meditate on this Light when you don't! Find that Light within yourself and meditate on it, then you'll get the real benefit of this mantra. Just chanting won't do it!

'It's said, 'It's sweet to talk but bitter to do. But if you would stop talking and start doing, the bitterness would turn to Nectar.'

'The seventh step of the eightfold path of Yoga is dhyan - meditation, and the eighth is samadhi the state in which one realizes God. But perfect Samadhi depends on proper meditation. If you don't know what God is, if you don't know what to meditate upon, how can you meditate and how can you devote yourself? You meditate on your wife, or child or home and you devote yourself to

265

them. Meditation on anything other than God is still Maya. All the scriptures say that God is Light, or Noor, or Param Prakash, or Bhargo Jyoti, etc. If you have never seen the Divine Light you will have to meditate on products of Maya. Without knowing what to meditate on you can't meditate and there can be no unison of meditator, meditation and object of meditation. Without the union of these, Samadhi is impossible. A light won't go on until you press the light switch. Only when you see the omnipresent, effulgent form of God and meditate on it are you entitled to call yourself a devotee. You think that God has gone somewhere, or died. That is why you meditate on other things instead of Him. So know and meditate on Him, Whose form is Light, Who is omnipresent and for Whom the Gayatri Mantra says, 'I meditate on Your Light'. When you can meditate on it you will have no awareness of your body at all. When you are in such a state of meditation you no longer have any idea of where you are or what you are - whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, young, or old, or whether it is day or night. You aren't aware of anything except Light, Light everywhere. This is called Samadhi, or union of the meditator, meditation and meditated. God is all bliss, and the real experience of this bliss comes only in Samadhi. Anything else which we call blissful is actually sense-pleasure and is temporary.

'So those who have seen this Light and know the Holy Name should meditate regularly. Lord Krishna, even after having revealed His imperishable Cosmic Form, instructed Arjuna that the mind can be vanquished only by practice and non-attachment.

'When a person's mind is directed towards worldly things, he becomes more and more discontented and unhappy, and when he directs his mind away from these things and towards the soul, unhappiness vanishes and he finds perfect peace. You may ask, why can't worldly things give us peace? It is because everything to do with the world is changeable and ephemeral. Today we are healthy so we enjoy life and the body is a pleasurable thing for us. But as soon as we fall ill, the body becomes a source of misery. If we have a lot of money we are happy, but if it gets stolen or our house

266

burns down then that wealth becomes a source of suffering. Having a child makes us happy, but if it dies we are miserable. Spouse, home and kingdom are causes of suffering. The soul is eternal - the body dies but it doesn't. It is not small because its body is small and it doesn't grow bigger as the body grows.

Weapons cannot harm it. It is neither dark nor fair. If a person directs his mind towards the soul, he cannot suffer in any age. Now the question arises - how to direct the mind away from worldly things and connect it to the Spirit? Unlike worldly things, the soul is not gross. You can't see it with your eyes or hear it with your ears. It can only be known by experience. But everyone ignores spirit and races madly after the world. Everyone's attention is connected to worldly things, and that's why nobody has peace of mind.

'There is the story about the brahmin who dreamt that he'd killed a cow. In his dream he performed all kinds of rituals to expiate the sin, but he was not relieved of his misery and it seemed that he would never be freed from that sin. Suddenly the dream broke and he thought, "Whew! All night I was in misery and despair. I didn't kill a cow! It was all in my mind!'

'Just like that Brahmin, we are trying to alleviate dream-misery with dream-methods like chanting, fasting, austerities, pilgrimages, scripture readings, etc. but they are ineffective. You want to relieve your sufferings but associate with the very things which make you suffer! Mud can't be cleaned by more mud."

Mr B.D. Sharma, a professional magician, remembers how Maharaj Ji helped him: "I received Knowledge in 1961. I had arranged a magic show in Patna but due to the sudden demise of Bihar's Chief Minister my show was cancelled. Maharaj Ji's three-day program was about to take place. I was very worried and prayed, 'Master, how can I support myself? How will I be able see you and take part in the procession?

"That night I dreamt of Shri Maharaj Ji. He told me, 'Why are was so worried? Why don't you visit the Rajah of Hardwar?" I answered. I've been there already. He said, "Just go!' and disappeared. The next day I went to the Rajah and gave a half-hour

267

performance. He enjoyed it and gave me 151 rupees. This solved my financial problems and allowed me to go to Patna for the program.

'Once I went to Dehra Dun. In those days I was having difficulty finding work. Maharaj Ji asked, 'Aren't you working these days?' I replied, 'No.' He told Shri Mata Ji to bring me a dhoti, kurta and scarf. Then he said, 'Now go and get some programs together.'

'Immediately work started coming my way and I was making good money. I even did programs for the Drama Division of the Government Information and Broadcasting Department. I don't know what magic was in those clothes Shri Maharaj Ji gave me!"

Dr Chandra Kumar Prashad, a retired doctor from Bihar, says, "My father and my wife tried to persuade me to follow a guru. I stubbornly refused, but the first time I saw a photograph of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj something happened to me and I decided that he and nobody else would be my guru. I was devoted to Lord Shiva and used to talk about Him so much that people thought that my mind had become a bit unhinged. My son took me to a psychiatrist at Ranchi Mental Hospital, who declared that I was not sick, but was going through a 'sudden strong inclination towards God'. My longing for God was not satisfied until I met a mahatma in Patna and received Knowledge."

Nagnarayan Singh, who works for the Bihar State Transport Co. recalls that one night in September 1963 Shri Maharaj Ji arrived unexpectedly at midnight and announced that satsang and darshan would be given the next day. When Nagnarayan Singh went for darshan, Maharaj Ji gave him prashad and asked him a few questions. Nagnarayan Singh says, "As I stood there talking to him, it occurred to me that he was getting very old, and my eyes filled with tears. Maharaj Ji then told me to go to satsang. When he came on stage he looked no more than 25 years old! I was overjoyed. I just gazed at him and didn't hear a word of satsang.

268

Later on he asked 'me, 'Did you listen to satsang?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he asked, 'Well, then, what did I say?' Then I admitted, 'Master, I don't remember a single word. All I could do was look at you!' Then he said, 'Naganarayan, in this Court, always stay in third class (i.e. be humble). Don't try to sit in first class, and whatever you wish for with love I will give.' "

Knowledge spread in waves through the major towns, as well as villages. Premies and mahatmas held satsang all over the state. The 'Satsang Diary' section in the 1962 volume of Hansadesh reveals just how many regular satsangs were organized throughout the state. Thousands of people came to hear mahatmas speak.

Mahatma Brahmanandaji said during an afternoon satsang on 1st. January 1962:

"In the same land where Prince Siddhartha renounced his palace and royal luxuries to find Truth, nowadays so-called mahatmas are bent on strangling Truth in their mad grab for power. Our history shows that formerly rulers sought counsel from enlightened sages, but now politicians offer their respects to impostors. No one hears of real sages and mahatmas anymore. In such dark times, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj has come to show the way to salvation."

A premie, Nirmal Kumar, said in a satsang at Punpun, "If politics and science are not infused with spirituality, moral and ethical standards fall and people become killers."

Chhote Lal Gupta of Punpun, Bihar, describes Maharaj Ji's arrival there in 1960: "We went to the station with an elephant to greet Maharaj Ji. However, he alighted from the train one mile before the station, right in front of the house where he was to stay. We asked the train driver and guard who'd stopped the train. Neither of them could explain how it'd stopped. Meanwhile, back at the house, Maharaj Ji looking for us.

'He gave three days of satsang. The programs were well attended and the local people were very impressed. The roof of the house in which he was staying had been temporarily joined

269

with the roof of the adjoining house and covered with a tent. Maharaj Ji dressed up in his crown and danced there like Krishna. The joy and love of those days was beyond description.

'In 1961 some Patna premies attended a program in Bombay. One day we went sightseeing. Somehow I got separated from the others and had no idea how to get back to our accommodation. So I closed my eyes and decided to go wherever I was 'led'. I found myself at Borig railway station. A lot of trains were coming and going, and I didn't know which one to catch. Again I closed my eyes and entrusted myself to Maharaj Ji. I sat down in one of the trains. 'Then a young man who very much resembled Shri Hans Ji Maharaj sat down next to me and asked,' Are you lost?' I answered, 'Yes, Do you know me?' He replied, 'I saw you earlier, outside the house on Agra Road where you are staying, talking to some people.'

'I replied, 'But I didn't see you there.' He laughed and said, 'Probably you didn't, so that's why you don't remember me.' I asked him if I was in the right train and he assured me that I was. He told me to get down at Ghatkopar station then take a rickshaw. I asked him to accompany me. He did so, and explained to the rickshaw driver where I had to go. I asked him to come with me but he replied, 'It's not necessary now. The rickshaw driver knows how to get there.' I got into the rickshaw and when I looked around I couldn't see my friend any more. When I next met Maharaj Ji, he laughed and said, 'Well, Lala, how did you manage out there?' I replied, 'Master, it's impossible for me to describe your lila!"

On 2nd. January, 1962, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj arrived in Patna by the Upper India Express to a tumultuous welcome. An unprecedented crowd had gathered on the platform and outside the station to get a glimpse of him. Perched on benches, overhead bridges, roofs and rafters, thousands of people awaited his arrival excitedly.

Speaking that night at satsang, Shri Maharaj J1 said, "Bihar is the holy land of Lord Buddha, Lord Mahavir, Guru Govind Singh

270

and King Janak. It is from here that the message of peace spread to the world. Nowadays, all over the world, human beings, apprehensive of scientific inventions, crave peace. I am spreading the same Knowledge throughout Bihar and India which Lord Buddha, Mahavir and Guru Govind Singh spread. Divine Masters appear on earth from time to time for this purpose. So it is the duty of Biharis to cooperate once again in spreading this Knowledge, thus causing a tidal wave of peace, unity and brotherhood to engulf India."

Mahatma Fakiranandji, whom Maharaj Ji used to call 'Ramayani', says that when he received Knowledge he experienced an explosion of infinite Light. Although he was an official in the State Secretariat, he used to walk barefoot to satsang. He recalls, "Once I prostrated to a picture of Shri Maharaj Ji. Suddenly there stood Maharaj Ji himself in front of me!

'During 1963 Guru Puja I was on gate duty. Maharaj Ji arrived and as he walked past I was overawed by his brilliance. A little while later, he summoned me, saying, 'Call Ramayani here.' I asked Nirmal, 'Did you tell Maharaj Ji that I know the Ramayana?' He answered that he hadn't. I wondered how he knew. When I bowed at his feet, I saw his nails shimmering and glowing like diamonds.

'Maharaj Ji's next program after Patna was to be held at Muzaffarpur, about 100 km away on the other side of the Ganges. A lot of premies were going to accompany him, so they'd booked a steamer. I really wanted to go too, but due to circumstances I couldn't. But I don't know what force was drawing me, because early in the morning I just left home and made my way to the wharf. The steamer was already drawing away from the jetty. I took a flying leap and somehow landed safely. People standing on the bank were amazed and said, 'That man isn't even afraid of death!'

'Maharaj Ji was wearing dark glasses and a white shawl and his long curly hair was fluttering in the breeze. He was the very picture of charm. His charisma was compelling. I had only just

271

received Knowledge and hesitated to approach him, but anyhow I made my way to the front and started fanning him. He glanced sideways at me and said with a smile, 'Well, well! Ramayani is here!'

'The steamer was on its way and premies were singing merrily. The atmosphere was joyous and carefree and full of love. Maharaj Ji said 'Listen, if you stay in the boat of the Satguru's Holy Name, you will cross the worldly ocean, just as we are sitting in this steamer whose captain is taking us across the river.'

'We reached Muzaffarpur, where Maharaj Ji was given a grand welcome by a huge crowd. Later Maharaj Ji told um, 'Ramayani, recite something from the Ramayana!' So I started singing: 'The soul, being a part of God, is imperishable …' Maharaj Ji rolled me into his room and said, 'Look, don't just sing it, explain it also.' Then he told me to sing that evening at satsang. I was delighted. That evening, I sat with the musicians. Maharaj Ji arrived soon after. His movements were graceful and flowing and so centred, and light radiated from every pore of his body. I gazed at him unblinkingly, like a partridge staring at the moon. I stayed like that, as if turned to stone, throughout satsang and Arti. I got up only after some premies roused me. Whenever I closed my eyes I saw Maharaj Ji in the same way inside. I saw the same scene in the sky. I stayed in this blissful condition for several days. The entire Creation seemed Hans-permeated to me.

'Maharaj Ji returned to Patna by car and we followed by train. Whenever I closed my eyes I saw satsang going on and my joy knew no bounds.

'After Patna, Maharaj Ji went to Ekangar Sarai, accompanied by a lot of premies. What a wonderful scene it was! A light rain was falling, as if to clean the streets in advance. All the townspeople came out to see him. The lanes and roofs were thronged with people. No one was aware in the slightest of the mud and slush. Thousands of people sang Arti. Ladies waved votive lights, which looked like twinkling stars. It reminded me of the grand Arti to the Ganges at Hardwar.

272

'It was a two-day program and an enormous crowd assembled to hear satsang. Some Arya Samajists also came to debate with Maharaj Ji, who simply said, "If you believe in Aum then meditate on Aum. I have no intention of arguing and debating. Actually, you have some doubts about Aum, so that is why you argue. If a person doesn't have firm faith and determination he can't progress spiritually. So first make your faith strong and unshakeable.'

'One September, some of us went to Prem Nagar for Shri Satpal Ji Maharaj's birthday. Satsang was held in the evening. Maharaj wanted to know where I was. When someone told him that I was ill with a high temperature, he came straight to my room and said, 'Ramayani, I'm the Satguru but I'm a doctor, too!' He gave me some powder to swallow with tea. The next morning I was perfectly all right.

'Once, about 400 premies walked from Patna to Lucknow to attend a satsang program. We would go wherever satsang was held, so in love with Maharaj Ji were we. My boss was annoyed with me and said, 'You're always taking leave! Spare a thought for your job and your family!' I replied, 'Sir, you may take it out of my pay, but please grant me leave.'

'I always liked to stand at the very end of the darshan line because the joy and bit of self-denial which went with waiting for darshan was very special.

'After I received Knowledge, I lost interest in everything else. I used to give satsang during the lunch break. One day, some opponents tried to disrupt my meeting. They came at me, hurling abuse, while I was talking. I thought, 'They're going to attack me!' and started meditating. Immediately Shri Maharai Ji appeared to me, surrounded by Light, saying, 'What? You're afraid?' When I opened my eyes I saw that my opponents had sat down quietly, so I continued my satsang."

During satsang at Muzaffarpur in 1964, Shri Maharaj Ji said, 'The world is changeable, slippery and impermanent. What you see today can be completely changed by tomorrow. Still, worldly people think that this work and its enjoyment is all that there is, so

273

they run after these pleasures, oblivious to what is good or bad for them.

'India used to be a subject nation. A lot of sacrifice and hard work was necessary for it to become free. Our leaders used to tell us that once the British had gone our land would be peaceful and happy. Well, the British left, but none is peaceful or happy. Now they say that when our country is more developed and industrialized, when we are self-sufficient its foodstuffs and when we manufacture our own motor vehicles, aeroplanes and nuclear bombs, we'll be happy. But countries like America and U.S.S.R. are developed and prosperous and don't lack anything, but they threaten other countries with their nuclear weapons. So if they are affluent, why are they not peaceful? Those who have everything are agitated and those who don't have are unhappy. If the rich nations haven't succeeded in finding peace and happiness, when will they? When the bombs explode? The affluent countries flaunt their wealth, but will we be peaceful and happy when we are just as affluent? If they haven't achieved this state yet, how will we?

'Those who torment the world and cause the most damage are called 'great'. Hitler, who plunged his country into the holocaust of war is called a great leader. Napoleon did likewise. The world calls those men 'great' who kill the most people. But one who behaves like that is a devil.

'A person is born in an affluent family in an affluent country. He gets the best upbringing and education. He has the best of everything. He becomes a top scientist earning the highest salary. Then what does he do? He designs a bomb to destroy as many people as possible. This is his gift to mankind. He is what's called a great man. Man turns into a monster, and misusing his intelligence, starts with robbery and works his way through manufacturing pistols, guns, machine guns, tanks, etc. right to atomic bombs which will wipe out not only millions of human beings but lizards, rats, dogs, cats, buffaloes, snakes etc. as well. This is the glory of the brilliant man. Science has reached a peak so develops these bombs. Suppose they explode them. They'll

274

Damage the planet. If they don't explode them, what's the use of manufacturing them? If they went to a village and tried to sell them, no one would offer them a penny, because who is prepared to pay for his own death?

The potter loads up his cart with clay and goes to market. On the way there'll always be someone who'll offer him a few pennies for a bit of clay to clean their hands, or to level their courtyards. The potter fashions beautiful toys from his clay. He sells them to support his family. But listen scientists! In exchange for your bombs you wouldn't even get one meal! So much for your education and your knowledge! If you wanted to fly in the air, you could've become an eagle, and then there's no danger of crashing nor need of petrol. If you wanted race cars you could've become a deer and run races. Instead of using tractors to plough and dig the land, you could've become a mouse or a pig. Think reasonably and honestly, now have your inventions brought peace to mankind? You've used your brains and knowledge to terrorize mankind.

'People visit the Delhi Exhibition and see all kinds of technological marvels. I even saw on display a plastic man whose nerves and blood vessels were visible. Also I saw talking robots. But they can't do everything that a real human being can. The power of reason belongs only to God-created man. Material things and technology have definitely made man's life easier, but haven't

'Our businessmen give thousands and thousands of rupees to other countries to buy machinery for manufacturing artificial vegetable oils, Firstly, that money has gone into foreign hands and secondly, several thousands more have to be spent to pay the foreign technicians who come here to work the machines. We give that consultant our peanuts, mustard, corn, sesame and cotton seed to make his oils. You don't get the chance to serve a cow, nor do you eat real butter and ghee. Agencies and shops opened to publicize this artificial stuff, which causes all kinds of bronchial and other complaints, to cure which we have to buy medicines from our trading partners. More money sent overseas. Employers

275

make a profit and pay their workers a pittance. 'They spend their profits on foreign cars and clothes, and so their money again goes overseas. Real, pure ghee becomes a rarity, and even, should one find it, along come those enemies of mankind, the learned priests, and throw it all in a ritual fire. Our leaders, industrialists and intelligentsia mouth patriotic speeches about promoting and uplifting the country, while in fact they ensnare the country and its citizens in a net of disease and hardship. There are heaps of broken machinery rusting and wasting acres of land. Our 'Op' men weaken the earth by digging holes to build iron and coal-mines which hundreds of people are buried in disasters. Workers slave away day and night. They never get any edifying company so they lack direction in their lives. Later their wealthy employers, they look for enjoyment in rubbishy entertainment. They are dissatisfied and express it in strikes and riots. Machines render thousands unemployed and this causes all kinds of mischief: Envy and antagonism, rather than love, increases among people.

'India used to be called 'The Golden Bird'. Has it become an iron one now? Or was it always an iron bird dipped in gold, and which our leaders again want to gild? However, if it always was a genuine golden bird, then it must be now, too. Humbled and impoverished by unemployment, we look at other countries, while our own country has more wealth then most other countries can match.

'Our leading citizens will be able to see clearly only when they get the right company. But how will wasting time in hollow entertainment improve their minds or enable them to reason for the welfare of the citizens? Now, I'm not against scientific development at all, but we should think about the consequences , because we are the ones who will reap them. He who digs a ditch to trap others ends up falling in it himself. You make plans, but what's the sense if you die in the meantime? So why manufacture all those destructive weapons?

'God is described as being Truth-Consciousness-Bliss: Remembering God brings peace and happiness. God Who is bliss

276

is within everyone, so peace and happiness will also be found within. Pleasures are likened to a blazing fire. When ghee and herbs are thrown into a fire it flares up even more. Similarly, showiness and artificial decoration stoke the fires of desire. The dog gnaws on a bone. His gums bleed and the taste of blood delights him. The dog is the most faithful creature. He lies at his master's feet and licks them. However, if the master tries to take that bone away from him, that same faithful dog will not hesitate to bite.

'Worldly things are like the dog's bone. Everyone gnaws at them. But, if we could experience happiness directly from the source within ourselves, all these other things would reveal themselves to be insubstantial. Buddha, Gopichand and Bhartrihari rejected their kingdoms because they realized the real bliss within themselves. A great man doesn't hoard possessions - only the lesser one does that. Lions never save anything for later. They eat their fill and leave the rest. Hoarding means restriction and bondage.

'Once Dattatreya noticed a kite pick up a piece of meat from a butcher's shop and fly away with it. Other kites pursued it and stabbed it with their beaks. Exhausted, the kite dropped the meat. Another kite flew off with it and the same thing happened to it. It also ended up dropping the meat to save itself. The other birds fell to fighting over the meat and finally none of them got it. The piece of meat was left lying as before. A state is like that meat. Kings die fighting over it, and none of them gets to enjoy it completely.

'Stealing is against the law. The offender gets punished. He can also be shot. Even so, robbery increases day by day. Selling imitation milk is an offence punishable by a fine, still trading goes on because dealers make more profit than they lose in fines. This is the result of ignorance.

'To get votes politicians pretend to be very humble. They tell you that all they want to serve you and if you vote for them they will work for your welfare. However, when they become Minister or President no matter if you want to see them about their own or

277

the country's welfare, they say that they don't have time. Why don't they have time? Because they are too busy giving speeches and interviews, or attending meetings, opening ceremonies and shows. They believe in Mahatma Gandhi and say that they are working for the good of the country. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to re-establish Ram Rajya - the ideal stare. Are they pursuing this goal?

'St. Kabir says that the world is a shop, where everyone comes to buy and sell. A person who meditates on God quadruples his capital, while someone who desires only the perishable things of this world wastes his life. A person who doesn't meditate wastes his life.

'Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs are all made by God. Ask any of them and they'll all say that the same God created us all .If the Lord of all is One, then His Name must also be One, but people have forgotten it and fight each other over the different names which they use.

'Children are taught these names when they are 2 or 3 years old. Does this mean that before we learned to say Ram, Allah, Krishna or God that God didn't exist for us? After all, we should know the Name which we remembered before we were born, and which saints say is beyond vowels and consonants. Whether you know it or not, that Name is within every heart, but can't be realized without the Master."

The ocean of Bihar had boundless fair and reverence for Shri Maharaj Ji and they witnessed many wonderful lilas. Shri Jagannath Prashad of Bhagalpur says, "Maharaj Ji knew everything that was going on inside a person. I was initiated in 1964 and a few days later I was lying down for my afternoon rest when suddenly I heard a voice saying, 'Meditate!' I was wide awake, by the way. Although I hadn't yet seen Maharaj Ji, I felt sure that this must be his voice. Some time later I went to Vaisakhi at Satlok Ashram. When Maharaj Ji started giving satsang, I

278

realized that his was indeed the voice which I had heard. I was thrilled with love. When I went for darshan, he smiled and said, 'So, have you come from Bhagalpur?'

'One night I was sleeping soundly on the verandah of my house. Suddenly Maharaj Ji's voice called to me from within, 'Wake up! A thief is breaking into your house!' I opened my eyes and saw that a thief was indeed scaling the wall, but ran away when he noticed that I was awake."

Acchelal Sharma of Begu Sarai "It was 1957. I was quite young and had neither seen Maharaj Ji nor received Knowledge. My father ran a small lumber business near the Nepalese border. One day I did something wrong and my father threatened me with dire punishment. I can away into the forest. I ended up in a dense part of the jungle where not even a bird was to be seen. I came to a scary mountain river which was quite black in colour. I followed it for a couple of miles looking for a place to cross. I was remembering God for all I was worth. Finally I saw a half-submerged rocky ledge. I took off all my clothes and tied them in a bundle on my head arid gingerly crossed the river. I got dressed and was about to set off again when all of a sudden I saw a godlike person dressed in white standing in front of me. I trembled with fear, wondering who this could be in the middle of such a dense jungle. I approached him slowly and stood in front of him with folded hands. He looked like a king, with his long hair and great round eyes. He scolded me, saying, 'You silly boy! You don't realize how dangerous this river is. In it live animals which come out of the water and drag a man in! Go! Today you have been given a new lease of life.' Then he showed me the way out of the forest. When I turned around to look at him, he'd disappeared. I reached home, but his memory stayed with me.

'I went to Patna to live with an uncle. Several years later I attended a satsang program there. As soon as Maharaj Ji came on stage a shock wave went through me and I recognized him as the holy man who had once shown me the way out of the forest."