Like every month, another spiritual congregation was held at Nurmahal. The purpose, as always, was to strengthen the base of devotion of the disciples of His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji. The program began with the singing of melodious devotional songs. This was followed by a narration of the story that made apparent the depth of bond that Guru maintains with his disciple(s) even when he is not physically around to help. The story is about the clarity of direction Shri Gajanan Maharaj gave to one of his disciples when the latter was afflicted with doubts regarding the authenticity of the spiritual knowledge.
Narrating the story, Sadhvi Ji said that once a brahmin named Pundlik became the disciple of Shri Gajanan Maharaj. Shri Gajanan Maharaj was one of the true spiritual teachers of the nineteenth century. With the grace of his Guru he had attained the eternal knowledge (Brahm Gyan). Pundlik was ecstatic as a new disciple. He planned to meditate every day. Though he didn’t lack affection and respect for his Guru, however, his faith in the knowledge imparted to him by his Guru was not completely unshakable. Circumstances tested the grounds of his devotion. One day an old lady from his neighbourhood came over to his house and seeing him meditating said that there is no point in doing something that doesn’t require one to chant or be dependent on any outer source because it can never deliver salvation. Hence, she suggested that he visit a Guru who gives a Mantra (sacred utterance) to see god. She asked him to accompany her to an alleged saint of a nearby village the next morning and then left.
The seeds of doubt had sprung up in Pundalik’s mind leading to a noisy inner conversation. He decided to meditate. While meditating he fell asleep and saw a beautiful dream of his Guru conversing with him. In the dream, his Guru said to him that if he wishes to become the disciple of another claimed saint then he can. However, he must know that the inner knowledge he is graced with is the true one because the actual form of God is light which resides in every being but can only be realized through the technique of Brahm Gyan. His Guru further said that there is no other way to see God. The viability of any outer method is not only limited but incomplete. Pundlik woke up with a certainty in his eyes. His doubts disappeared and the next morning when the old lady again visited him he told her in a gentle but firm voice that if his Guru can know about his doubts without being told by anyone then his Guru is truly an authentic spiritual master. He, thus, has neither the need nor the desire to seek any other saint.
Sadhvi Ji concluded the narration by stating that H. H. Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, too, share a similar loving and caring bond with his disciples and to keep our spiritual connection with our Guru strong we all should opt to meditate. Meditation resolves our spiritual doubts by increasing our ability to see the truth in any situation. Therefore, each disciple should never cease to meditate.
