By Jnanpurushdas Swami
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s love was such that he worked for the betterment of others, even at the expense of his own happiness, comfort, health, and well-being. He sacrificed himself ahead of everyone but never deviated from that path.
Once, Swamishri was in Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat, India. Every morning after his prayers in the assembly hall, he would take a short walk to his living quarters. On the way, he would stop to meet devotees and guests either individually or in small groups giving valuable advice, solving their problems or just guiding them on spiritual matters. But on December 1, 1994, as he finished his daily worship and was about to leave, one of the organizers pointed out, “Swamiji, there are so many people waiting today. It may not be a good idea to go there, otherwise, there will be chaos. Please take another path to your quarters.”
“But what is the need of that? Just send a few volunteers in advance to organize everything so that people follow directions in an orderly manner. By making simple arrangements, we can overcome problems.”
After meeting everyone systematically, he smiled saying to the organizer, “Those who have been waiting long should not be turned away. I can always meet them. There is no need to change our path or take another one.”
Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s divine love cut across barriers of young and old. His love embraced everyone: men, women, children, young people, the aged, the affluent, the poor, and people of all countries and cultures.
Once, a few devotees from the village of Gana in Gujarat, India, showed him plans for a new mandir (temple) to be built on a large piece of land in the outskirts of the village. There was already a mandir in the village but the new one in the borders would become a worship center exclusively for women.
Swamishri was listening intently and quickly interrupted, “The worship center for women that you are proposing should be in the heart of the village, not in the outskirts. Women will find it challenging to go there, especially in the evenings. It will be particularly difficult for elderly women. So, it is better to let them use the existing place of worship in the village and build a new one for everyone on the new land. That will work for everyone.”
Swamishri emphasized looking after the needs of women. He never deviated from his own path, but at times he created new pathways to peace so that others would experience happiness.
