Wadhwan – In the Train

(i) Bala Mandir

A wire had been sent to Dr. Shukla of Ramdas’ coming. Dr. Shukla, Chunibhai, Maganlal, and others met him at the Wadhwan station. This time he stopped at Dr. Shukla’s house. He and his wife were supremely happy to see him. He spent here only four or five days. The days had a crowded programme.

Visitors came in large numbers to see him. They put him questions on devotion and on the efficacy of God’s Name. He was kept busy placing before them his own experiences. He said in reply to a question:

“To control the mind, the best and easiest method is to repeat constantly God’s Name. Concentration is attained by fixing the attention on the sound of the Name. As the mind is concentrated there must follow meditation upon the glorious attributes of God. Continuous practice of utterance of the Name and meditation stops the restlessness of the mind and merges it into the blissful, eternal and universal Self. God-remembrance is not possible unless you have an intense longing to realise Him. This intense desire is called bhakti. This longing must so seize your mind that you should feel a sensation of acute pain when you forget God on account of selfish desires. Your actions should also go to purify your mind, i.e. they should be done in a spirit of nishkama. Purity of mind means freedom from lust, wrath and greed. For, a pure mind alone can see God. Concentration itself is purity. Forget not that the God that you seek is within yourself.”

One day Ramdas was taken to the State Bala Mandir where children ranging from one and half year to about four years of age received instruction. When he visited the school they had over a hundred children. As soon as he entered the mandir and saw the little ones, his heart bounded with untold joy. He directly went and sat in their midst. Instead of feeling shy in the presence of a stranger, they accepted him as one of them. They came and sat on his lap and sought to climb up his shoulders, all the time uttering the name “Sitaram, Sitaram.” They were perfectly friendly and quite jolly. Then they gambolled round him singing in great glee. It was an unique experience, full of bliss.

The teacher, a quiet and kind soul, made them dance in a circle with small sticks in hand to the music of “Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.” They were provided with small low desks having drawers in which they kept their writing materials. Ramdas saw their first attempts at letters and drawings. They had also varieties of game on the kindergarten system. They were taught to do things in simple and quiet ways without their playful, child-like nature being hampered. He saw a tiny girl of about two years sweeping the floor, on her own initiative, very carefully. The teacher said that she was the most intelligent child of the lot.

In memory of the visit, Chunibhai had arranged to distribute to the children milk and sweets. There was a separate room for feeding them. Here were placed in line low wooden stools as is the fashion in Hindu households. The children took their seats. Some of them were engaged in serving the rest with eatables. Before each child a china saucer was placed by the serving children, and then a bit of sweetmeat was gently placed in it. The whole proceeding went on so quietly that there was not the least bustle, confusion or unusual hurry. A small cup of milk was also placed beside the saucer.

There was perfect order and serenity. When everything was ready – till then the children waited patiently and all children were in their seats – the teacher uttered a prayer which was repeated by the children in chorus. At the close of the prayer they commenced eating. They handled the cup and saucer very gently. It was all a charming sight.

Next morning the instructor got the whole party of children at Dr. Shukla’s and made them sing and dance in a ring to the music of Ram bhajan. At the close of the performance they were again given milk and sweets. Bala mandir was under the direct control and management of the Wadhwan State. Cushioned four wheeled carriages, drawn by horses, were provided for the institution to fetch the children from the respective homes to the school, and then take them back after school hours. It was a free school and tiffin was given to the children in the school at State expense. The school hours were from eight to eleven in the morning.

Another day he visited a similar institution outside the city, started in the name of Mahatma Gandhi by a rich man. Here also the tuition was given to the children almost on lines similar to those in the Bala mandir. The peculiarity of both the schools was that the teachers talked to the little ones very gently and in whispers. No harsh or loud commands escaped their lips. The teachers were so kind and friendly to Ramdas. After distribution of sweets he closed his visit to the second school.

Jivraj Baloo, a sadhaka, would constantly come to him. He had retired from worldly life and was living for his sadhanas in a solitary spot in the midst of fields outside the city. Here he had a small kuti in which he dwelt. He asked Ramdas to pay a visit to his kuti. The Dewan saheb was also invited. So both drove to the kuti in the Dewan’s carriage. Jivraj Baloo embraced Ramdas and was extremely happy to have him there. The host then gave the guests a treat of milk. Ramdas was then asked to deliver a discourse. He spoke for about half an hour. It was followed by music. Jivraj sang some songs composed by himself.

In the evenings at Dr. Shukla’s house Chhotabhai would entertain the assembled devotees with music playing upon the dilruba – an Indian musical instrument.

(ii) Worship of Boot-kicks

As on the previous occasion, Ramdas occupied Kantilal’s house in Limbdi. The eagerness of the people of Limbdi to behold him again was so great that no sooner had he arrived there than hundreds of them visited the house. The same programme, as at the last time, was gone through in almost all its details.

Dr. Shukla, Chunibhai and Chhotabhai came down everyday from Wadhwan to see him. Ramdas was continuing his milk diet. He had invitations from Ugarchand Seth and Mohanbhai, the noted merchants of Limbdi. The old sugarcandy mothers were filled with no small joy to have him again in their midst. One of the old ladies by name Gangamai aged over seventy years would crawl up the staircase with great difficulty, and coming to him would thrust in his mouth a piece of sugarcandy and embrace him. Indeed wonderful was her devotion!

After a few days’ stay in Limbdi, he received a command from Ram to leave the place for Gohkar Parvat, en route Jhansi.

He entrained for Jhansi. When travelling via Ujjain, several changes had to be made. At Bina he had to get into a train running to Jhansi. The time was about ten in the night. When he was entering a carriage, a Mussulman obstructed him but he slipped in. He had a single ochre-coloured cloth, as usual, wound on his body, and a ticket tied to its corner. Now the carriage was full of Muslim passengers, and everyone was lying down at full length on their beddings, leaving no room for any other passenger. However, he got a perch at the feet of a Muslim who was a short-statured man. The train moved on. At the next station, a number of new passengers poured into the carriage, all Muslims. They had to stand in the narrow passage between the seats; not a single sleeper made room for them. Ramdas felt he could abandon his seat for one of them and quietly slipped down to the floor of the carriage and sat there. The place vacated by him was at once filled up.

At the next station a fresh batch of passengers came in; again all of them were Muslims. The rush was now so great that they began tramping through the passage with their heavy boots in search of seats. Ramdas like a rabbit crouching on the floor received their kicks with no small delight. He rolled down and twisted his body into the figure 8 so that he could take up the least room. Station after station new passengers got in. They crowded the carriage to well-nigh suffocation. Some sleeping passengers had to sit up, because they were forced to. So Ramdas was treated with boot-kicks from all the four sides! The Muslims who were seated had to knock against him when changing the position of their legs. The standing friends in the passage close to him added their share. His only cloth covered him from head to foot. He looked like a cloth bag on the floor!

Now he spoke to himself:

“Ramdas, you were receiving worship at several houses of devotees with flower garlands, sandal paste and lights. That was one kind of worship. Now here you are getting another kind, with boot-kicks! Both are same to you.”

He enjoyed the fun. Morning dawned. The crowd in the train thinned. The place on the bench that he formerly occupied fell vacant and he jumped into the seat. Now a bearded old Muslim, sitting opposite, with reddened eyes and grisly beard and moustache on ends, forcibly pulled Ramdas’ arm and said in a tone of command: “Get down, sit on the floor.”

Ramdas stuck to his seat while another Muslim by his side, espousing his cause, rebuked the old Muslim for his gratuitous insult to Ramdas.

“Sadhu, you sit where you are. Don’t move; the old man must be mad.” The old Muslim calmed down.