Yogi Charitam, a Gujarati publication published by Swaminarayan Aksharpith, is authored by Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami. It comprises brief inspiring incidents from Yogiji Maharaj’s vicharan from 1959 to 1971 to various villages and towns in India and abroad. A translation of selected incidents that occurred in 1959 are as follows.
Greatness in Doing Lowly Seva
A boil had developed on Yogiji Maharaj’s arm. A couple of youths were applying an ointment. One of them asked Yogiji Maharaj, “When a leader of a nation gets ill a doctor is called by plane to treat him, whereas nothing of this sort is done for you.”
Yogiji Maharaj responded, “I am not a leader; I am a sevak (servant). My greatness is in washing dishes – in doing lowly seva.”
- Mahelav
Eternal Darshan
Bhavan’s Journal is an English fortnightly magazine published in Mumbai. In each issue, an article titled ‘How God Came into My Life’ described how different leading swamis and paramhansas of India had realized and experienced God. I informed Yogiji Maharaj about the article and asked, “Narrate incidents about Bhagwan’s darshan in your life so that we can send them to the fortnightly magazine.”
Yogiji Maharaj smiled and replied, “I eternally have Bhagwan’s darshan.”
- Ahmedabad
Shriji Maharaj’s Presence Through His God-Realized Sant
In Piplana, Yogiji Maharaj was on his way to answer nature’s call. There was a grove of tulsi plants. Yogiji Maharaj revealed, “Shriji Maharaj had been here.”
A youth excitedly said, “Even now Maharaj has come.” Yogiji Maharaj corrected him, “At that time Maharaj himself had come and now he has come in the form of a Sant.” Thereafter, Yogiji Maharaj bathed in the River Ojhat.
- Piplana
His Illness – An Opportunity to Serve
One night in Manavadar, the youths were massaging Yogiji Maharaj’s feet after singing the cheshta. A youth was applying a medicinal oil on a part of Yogiji Maharaj’s knee which had become black due to his practice for years of daily prostrations (dandvats) to God and holy places. At that time, a youth asked Yogiji Maharaj, “Does God get a disease?”
Yogiji Maharaj answered, “No, not God, but a sant does.” Then, he hesistated a little and said smilingly, “On the surface [I] look healthy, but inside there’s a lot [of unbearable things] happening.”
Another youth enquired, “Why don’t medicines work for you?”
Yogiji Maharaj revealed, “So that many vaidyas (ayurvedic doctors) can get [my] seva.” In this way Yogiji Maharaj amused the youths and he too broke into peals of laughter.
- Manavadar
Ideal Seva
Once, in Gondal mandir, Vinu Bhagat (Mahant Swami Maharaj) was washing dishes. At that time, Yogiji Maharaj came there wearing a pagh to go out of the mandir. However, on seeing a slightly oily, unwashed dish he took some ash and started washing it himself. He did not instruct anyone to do it.
One could tangibly see the ideal of seva in Yogiji Maharaj’s life. In his youthful years he had served immensely and in his autumn years, in spite of ill health and as the guru of countless people, his spirit of seva had not ebbed at all.
Yogiji Maharaj often recalled, “[I] used to get up at 3 a.m, make fences, bake rotla, wash dishes,… I experienced joy in that but never felt an iota of fatigue.”
A devotee quizzed, “Where lies joy in doing all that? In fact, there’s a lot of effort and pain.”
Yogiji Maharaj replied, “Guru, there was the joy of [God’s] murti. In doing the seva of God’s devotees lies God’s murti. By doing that one experiences peace and happiness. God’s bliss lies in doing seva of the devotees and not in nourishing ego for one’s body (deh-abhiman).”
What a great and wonderful ideal Yogiji Maharaj lived.
- Gondal