← In the Vision of GodHis autobiography, book two

CHAPTER XLI

Limbdi

(i) “Ramdas Wants Your Mind”

From Jhansi, Ramdas travelled towards Kathiawar and made a few days’ halt at Wadhwan city. Almost the same programme as on the last occasion was gone through here. He paid visits to Bala Mandir and the kuti of Jivraj Baloo. He stopped with Dr. Shukla who with his pure-hearted wife, tended Ramdas with great kindness. On the termination of his stay here, he was guided by the friends of Limbdi to that state.

As on the previous occasions he made his residence at Kantilal’s house, where the old story of rushing visitors was repeated. Raja Ram and mother Elizabeth came to the house to see him. The old sugarcandy mothers daily visited him with the offerings of the sweet crystals. The wealthy brothers, Ugarchand Shet and Mohanbhai dropped in twice a day. Invitations to dinner poured in from all sides. Here Ramdas came in touch with two new friends, Popatbhai and Joshi.

Popatbhai stuck on to Ramdas for over a month. He was a pure and selfless soul. He was a Jain by birth and a staunch disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, and had the benefit of living in the Sabarmati Ashram of Ahmedabad for some years. He was clad in khaddar from top to toe. He observed restrictions in food. He eschewed salt and chillies. He was a simple, sincere and ever willing servant of God, i.e. of humanity. He took a great liking for Ramdas and became attached to him and so kept constant company with him.

Joshi was the Municipal Chairman of the state. He had lived for many years in South Africa and was one of those who courted jail along with thousands, in that historic passive resistance struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. He invited Ramdas to his house where he and his modest wife and lively children showed great kindness and affection for him.

One day, at Ugarchand Shet’s house, he dined with his several friends. After meals, when he was sitting in the drawing room of his palatial house, the Shet said in a mock-serious mood:

“Swami, I am a business-man, a commission agent in trade and I am very wealthy. I promise you a decent commission if you would show me Ram whom I am so eager to see.”

“Well,” replied Ramdas, “Ramdas can show you Ram provided you present him with the kind of commission he demands. He does not want your wealth. Assure him that you would hand over the thing he wants from you and you shall see Ram in all His magnificence.”

“What is it that you want?” he enquired with great eagerness.

“Do you promise before Ramdas tells you what it is?” Ramdas asked.

He thought for a while and said: “I cannot promise. Kindly tell me what is the commission you demand and I shall see if I am in a position to grant it.”

Ramdas was about to drop the matter, but the Shet insisted on Ramdas’ speaking out about the commission. At last Ramdas enlightened him.

“What Ramdas wants from you in exchange for the vision of God is your mind. Surrender it up to Ramdas totally and you will see God face to face.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed, throwing up his hands: “I cannot do that.”

“Right,” Ramdas replied, “you wish to retain the mind for owning this house, your vast riches, property and relations as yours and undergo anxiety, cares and worries concerning them all. Please yourself. The truth is, unless you give over your mind entirely to the thought of God and lay everything that you cling to as belonging to you at His feet, you cannot have Him. In short, complete and unqualified surrender to God alone entitles you to His grace and darshan.”

During his visit Raja Ram was overflowing with love, as also mother Elizabeth, and Ramdas had several invitations to the palace and the mother’s bungalow. Once a dinner was arranged by the mother to a select party at her house, “Sri Krishna Nivas.” She also brought about in her garden a meeting of several saints the same morning.

A sadhu by name Prakashanand, famous in Kathiawar, had also been residing in Limbdi at the time. Ramdas had the privilege of coming in touch with him for the first time at this garden-party. He was over fifty years of age, short and stout in build. He used to cover himself with a soiled, torn quilt, and carry an earthen pot and two sticks. It was said that he preferred to spend his nights mostly in cremation grounds. He spoke slowly and in a low tone. He was exact, wise and simple in his ways. Besides this mahatma there were two or three Jain sadhus, one of whom came on foot from a distance of fifteen miles specially to meet Ramdas. Raja Ram, Joshi, Popatbhai and Kantilal were also present.

Raja Ram humorously remarked: “Ramdas, I am not going to present you with any more clothing. You gave away the precious things I gave you last time to some greedy brahmin.”

“You may call him by any name you like, but for Ramdas he was Ram,” Ramdas replied and added: “In regard to your present of clothes Ramdas never asked you for any and has no need for them. God provides him whenever he wants.”

The dinner over, the party dispersed.

The mother took Ramdas out on a visit to the house of Raja Ram’s sister who accorded them a hearty welcome. Here Ramdas observed the remarkably meek and egoless nature of mother Elizabeth. While Ramdas was given a cushion for a seat spread on a carpet on the floor, she was offered a chair to sit on, but she refused to take the chair as, by so doing, she would be assuming a higher position than Ramdas. She therefore squatted on the carpet beside him. At the time of leaving the house by the staircase Ramdas was jumping down the steps and the mother kindly hinted: “Beware, Ramdas, don’t lose balance.”

“Mother,” Ramdas replied significantly, “Ramdas never loses balance.”

“You are very clever, Ramdas,” she remarked laughing, “you have always a ready wit.”

Ramdas returned to Kantilal’s house.

(ii) What Fools Them – An Explanation

One day Ramdas had an invitation from the local ashram of Jain sadhus. Popatbhai accompanied him to the ashram. A dozen sadhus including those who attended the mother’s memorable garden party had a long discussion with Ramdas on the question of the moment, ahimsa. They put him several questions regarding the state of dwandwatita and trigunatita. Ramdas added a vein of humour to his talks and evoked frequent laughter from the sadhus. The leader among them asked Ramdas with a serious concern.

“Swami, don’t you filter water before drinking?”

“Ramdas does not attach much importance to filtration,” Ramdas replied, “unless the water is dirty. The flowing water of the river which he often used to drink with his hands needed no filtration.”

“There are germs in the water which you destroy by drinking,” he remarked.

“You do the same through filtration,” said Ramdas. “Moreover, even the drops of water well-filtered have still germs floating in them although these are not visible to the naked eye. A look through a powerful microscope would reveal to the sight millions of live germs in them. For health it is necessary that we should drink pure water. Destruction of the germs in water either through the heat of the stomach, filtration or boiling is inevitable.”

While still the talk was going on, Popatbhai pulled Ramdas’ cloth from behind and hinted that the interview might be terminated and they might leave the place. But Ramdas liked to remain a little longer answering the curious questions put by the sadhus whom he found in quite a jovial mood. After a short time, since Popatbhai was growing impatient, Ramdas had to bid adieu to the saints.

On their way back to Kantilal’s house Popatbhai observed: “Swamiji, did you not notice that the Jain sadhus were all the while making fun of you? So it was that I became impatient to leave the place as soon as possible.”

“You are mistaken, Ram,” Ramdas answered, “they were so kind. Ramdas felt quite at ease in their cheerful company.”

“There you are, Swamiji,” said Popatbhai, “it is this guileless nature of yours that has made a fool of me and attracted me and all others to your person.”

In the evenings there would be Ramnam dhun in Kantilal’s house and Popatbhai in his sweet voice led the Bhajan. Dr. Shukla and other friends from Wadhwan paid frequent visits.

Ramdas’ daily morning visits to mother Elizabeth’s bungalow continued, where he also met Raja Ram and Prakashanand.

Ramdas had also, in response to her wish, to visit Bama Saheb, the old Rani at her palace. The pious lady was as usual very kind and hospitable.

She asked: “How is it that we don’t attain shanti in spite of all our efforts?”

To this Ramdas replied: “Ramdas is reminded of the popular song of Kabir in which he says: The fish is thirsty in water; at this I cannot help laughing. So although we always live, move and have our being in the infinite ocean of pure bliss, still we complain that we are miserable.”

Then the learned and well-informed lady said: “True, the fish can drink water only when it turns on its side, otherwise not.”

“Yes, in our case,” Ramdas replied, “to completely surrender to the will of God is to turn on the side, then we are filled with the nectar of immortality.”

One morning mother Elizabeth introduced Ramdas to an American tourist, a young lady, Mrs. Pym. At the first meeting she discussed about the movement of Mahatma Gandhi and her interview with him. She held a prejudiced view about the Mahatma and his principles of public action. Ramdas told her at the close of the conversation that she was welcome to differ from the Mahatma, but to ascribe to him a deliberate aim at fame and self-importance as she did, was wrong. He added that she must admit it was but right that India should be self-sufficient and independent. India must learn to maintain herself with regard to her main needs of life, namely, food and clothing from her own produce and manufacture. Ramdas did not believe in India’s isolation from the rest of the world which would mean her decay and death. She must have free intercourse with other countries of the world, but such intercourse should be based upon equality and independence. The cult of hate was ruinous. Ramdas might not agree with Mahatmaji in all that he said and did, but he had deep regard and love for him, so be it with her and all.

In the afternoon, the same day, there was a meeting at Shet Mohanlal’s residence. This time three ladies were present, each of them belonging to a different nationality. Mother Elizabeth was of course an English lady, Mrs. Pym an American and a new arrival, Miss Krouse was a German. Prince Pratap Singh, a younger son of Raja Ram, was also one of the party.

Mother Elizabeth got copies of Ramdas’ second booklet, “At the Feet of God” in the publication of which she had helped and to which she had written a loving foreword, and desired that Ramdas should present them to the ladies. The ladies asked him to have his autograph on the presented copies. Accordingly, he wrote down his love and regards to them signing: “From your child Ramdas.” On a previous occasion, at the wish of mother Elizabeth Ramdas had written the same words on a copy which she had for her own use. Seeing the exact similarity of the wording in the case of the other ladies, she remarked, when they were alone together later, “Ramdas, don’t you think this mother’s love (referring to herself) is greater than that of others? I expected you would make some difference in your estimation of my love in comparison with that of the other mothers.”

“For Ramdas all mothers are alike,” replied Ramdas.

After sundry talks about the ways at Sabarmati Ashram, which was recently visited by Mrs. Pym, during which Ramdas played the role of a silent listener, he had a short conversation with Miss Krouse. This young lady had adopted Jainism and had spent many long months on Mount Abu in rigorous austerities. She was simple and childlike in her manners and talks. Dressed in plain clothes, she was frank, cheerful and unsophisticated. She glanced over the pages of “At the Feet of God”.

“I do not agree with you, Ramdas, in your articles on faith,” she said. “I believe that by purushartha, i.e. by steady and severe discipline alone can the contaminated and imprisoned Atman be purified and liberated. I do not believe in the theory of the pristine and eternal purity and the freedom of the soul, with ignorance only as a cloud over it, and also I do not believe that the mere removal of the cloud means realisation of immortality as Vedantists hold.”

“You may approach the Truth, mother, in whatever way you like. The question simply is, which is the easiest and quickest path that takes you to the goal,” Ramdas observed.

After a course of milk and fruits the party broke up.

Now Ramdas received a call from Una, a far away corner of Kathiawar in Junagad State. Maganlal, the young friend who was Ramdas’ companion during his former visits to this province, was now employed as a teacher in Una. It was he who was drawing him to the place. Popatbhai also started with Ramdas.

Before leaving Limbdi, Ramdas paid a last visit to mother Elizabeth. When parting she remarked:

“Ramdas, you have reached in spiritual attainment the last but one step. You have still to rise higher. You are blessed. It is all due to your samskaras of previous births.”

Ramdas with folded palms replied: “Ramdas does not know what stage he has reached, higher or lower. Neither does he care to know. He is simply where God has placed him and he is content.”