er to God. Our intensity of serving Saints and Devotees measures the degree of our surrender to God.
If a devotee is ready to serve God but not ready to serve Saints and devotees, it is not a real surrender.
A devotee sits at a corner and does worship of God. It doesn’t mean that the devotee is surrendered to God. Real surrender is serving Saints and Devotees.
For the sake of our family members, we bear insults, hardships and serve them all possible ways. If someone insults your family, you would stand with family. You earn and submit to the family. And when you need some money, you request them to give some money for yourself and ask permission to spend the money. If they are pleased, our work is done, else whatever you do is a waste.
If you belong to Swaminarayan Bhagwan’s family, what is your commitment towards Him? What is your answer for ‘I do these things for my Maharaj’?
The more our commitment, the more Maharaj accepts our surrender. If there is no commitment, there is no surrender.
Maharaj says that your commitment should be to His Devotees. During Maharaj times, whoever progressed fast are the ones who are completely committed to Saints and Devotees.
Once, when Parvatbhai was with Maharaj, Maharaj said, “Parvatbhai, take this prasad of sugarcane. Eat.”
Parvatbhai folded his palms and said, “No Maharaj. You please eat.”
Maharaj said, “No. You please eat. We have enough sugarcanes, and we are about to distribute the prasad.”
Parvatbhai said, “Maharaj, I have a rule that unless my Ishtadev eats, I will not eat.”
“I am your Ishtadev. I am telling you to eat.”
Parvatbhai replied, “No Maharaj. You are not my Ishtadev. You are the Ishtadev of our Ishtadev. All those Saints sitting there headed by Muktanand Swami, Gopalanand Swami. They are my Ishtadev. If they don’t eat, I can’t eat.”
Maharaj said to everyone, “Parvatbhai is not eating, so you all should eat.”
The devotee who works for the sake of devotees is the one who has firm standing faith.
Parvatbhai name was the first in the list of ‘Dear most devotees’ made by Maharaj though there were many devotees who were staying near to Maharaj and serving Him directly.
The two Kathi Brothers of Gundali village laid their lives for whom? For their uncle’s Saints. They didn’t know the Saints at all. Their mother told them that ‘our Saints have come’. They didn’t know the Saints before, nor had they met them, and yet they laid their life for them.
Maharaj said, “As the Kathi Brothers laid their life for my Saints, their position in Akshardham would be exactly like Muktanand Swami’s position.”
What devotion did they do? What life they lived? None of them finally mattered when they laid their life for Saints.
Should I serve any type of Saint and Devotee?
We should serve the Saints and Devotees who are completely surrendered to God. If you do 100% seva to a Saint, and he is only 50% surrendered to God, then you get only 50% of your seva to Maharaj.
The point of surrender should be 100% pure.
If the Saint you are serving is only 25% surrendered to Maharaj, and you worked for the Saint 100%, then your 75% work is at loss.
Scriptures say that if you are feeding Saints and Devotees, you should feed everyone. But you should submit yourself to the Saint after properly understanding the Saint. You should only submit to an Ekantik Saint.
Your submission to the Saint and Devotee is the barometer of your refuge under God.
You might dance in devotion like a mad-man before God. God thinks ‘Good. He dances well.’ But He doesn’t believe you unless you submit to Saints and Devotees.
Gunatitanand Swami has said that the soul has taken millions and millions of births. He might have drunk as much milk from his mothers’ as the volume of waters in all of our oceans. In each of his life, he submits to his/her family and others other than God and adjusts with them well.
Maharaj told to do Mansi Puja of Saints along with God. Why Mansi puja? You will keep someone in your heart only when you respect them. Otherwise you can’t allow them inside you. Maharaj told to do Mansi Puja of single-minded Saints.
In one incident Maharaj said, “I went into trance and I rode on Garudji. I also rode on Nandeshwar. And many other chariots. But I was not fond of it. Then I started living as a pure soul. I didn’t like that too. Then I thought to reduce my experience of soul, and bring the bodily experience, and get birth in the middle of pure devotees of God. Then I should serve the devotees in all possible ways day and night. The experience of that living is multiple folds greater than living as a pure soul or riding Garudji, Nandeshwar etc., I wanted to be the devotee of the devotees of God.”
Maharaj continued, “I am God. What is the meaning of that? The majestic servant of the devotees of God.”
What is meaning of President? He is the first citizen. What does first citizen mean? The majestic servant of all other citizens.
If we don’t have the quality of serving devotees of God, then we are nothing. If we are completely serving the devotees of God, then even if our ultimate good is supposed to happen after 100 births, it would happen in this very life.
What does ‘100 births reducing to one birth’ means? Commitment to Maharaj might be easy. But commitment to a Saint is not easy. And the result of commitment and surrender to a Saint is hundred times more beneficial than commitment to Maharaj.
References:
22nd July 2017: Simi Valley, CA
Vachanamrut Vadtal 5
36. Believe That Ekantik Saint Is Beyond Maya
Always believe that single-minded Saints are beyond Maya.
If you have divinity (Divya-bhav) towards Maharaj but not towards single-minded Saints, then you have not crossed Maya. If you see divinity in single-minded Saints as well, then you have really crossed Maya. It is the key to unlock Maya.
The physical body is made of Maya comprising of 24 elements. Anyone who has this physical body cannot become Brahmrup. They had to take bath every day to keep the body clean. The one who becomes Brahmrup doesn’t need to take bath. Still, believe that the Saint is beyond Maya. That is the highest and easiest way of achieving ultimate good in this very life.
Never see any faults in God. Understand that God doesn’t have any doshas (shortcomings) at all and not into Maya. If you still want to quicken the process, then believe that single-minded Saints are always beyond Maya.
References:
22nd July 2017: Simi Valley,CA
Vachanamrut Vadtal 5 and Loya 4