Childhood Name
Pragji, Pragji Bhagat
First Meeting with Sadguru Gopalanand
Swamiji
In Vikram Samvat 1895, when Sadguru Gopalanand Swami saw
little Pragji in Pithawadi village for the first time,
he immediately revealed, 'His (Pragji's) soul is of very
high spiritual order of venerable origin....'
Bhagatji receives a crystal clear
spiritual directive from Gunatitanand Swamiji
'Listen Pragji ! You can imbibe the Gunatit Knowledge
only if you allow a complete deliquescence of your mind
and body in the service of God while staying in our company...'
Bhagatji's Prayer to Gunatitanand
Swamiji
Impeccably following the spiritual directive of Gunatitanand
Swamiji in its letter and spirit completely, Bhagatji
Maharaj pleased Gunantitanand Swamiji who offered Bhagatji
Maharaj any reward desired by him. At that moment, Bhagatji
Maharaj prayed Swamiji, ' if you are really pleased with
my dedication, Swamiji ! Then, please bless me with the
realization of the Gunatit Knowledge; let me experience
your divine abode; and kindly let my soul become a true
devout !' Swamiji granted his prayer and blessed Bhagatji
Maharaj.
Obviously Impossible Made Possible
Deeply impressed with a very high order of erudition acquired
by Bhagatji Maharaj with the blessings of Gunatitanand
Swamiji, Shri Abhesang Bapu of Ganod remarked,' Swamiji
has grown Bananas on Cactus !!' Providing a very convincing
reply by clarifying all the doubts, Gunatitanand Swami
Said, ' Bhagatji has actually deliquesced his body and
mind within the Divine Will and thus was bestowed with
spontaneous blessings by us since he made himself deserving
to receive and retain such blessings'.
What a Great Divine Vision !
Having realised the Gunatit Knowledge, Bhagatji Maharaj
actually believed and visualised every single devotee
as the manifestation of Bhagwan Swaminarayan Himself,
and thus used to bow down to all the devotees with the
same spirit and feelings as he would, to the Lord Himself.
One day, a few mischievous youth decided to play a joke
with Bhagatji Maharaj. They put the Tilak and Kumkum,
usually worn on the forehead by the devotees of Swaminarayan
Sampraday, on the forehead of a dog. They let the dog
on the road on which Bhagatji Maharaj was walking from
the other end. As soon as Bhagatji Maharaj saw the dog
with the Swaminarayan Tilak and Kumkum on its forehead,
he started prostrating before the animal on the road.
His feelings expressed through his eyes and face revealed
his deep reverence for the Swaminarayan Tilak and Kumkum,
no matter what form of life adorned it ! What a great
divine vision !!
''Visualize Every Single Devotee as the Manifestation
of Brahma, Kothariji !'
Pujya Gordhandas Kothari was a very able administrator
in the Swaminarayan Temple in Vadtal when Bhagatji Maharaj
was staying in that temple in service of the Lord and
His devotees as a tailor. Gordhandasji was also a very
stringent adherent of spiritual and religious codes as
established by Bhagwan swaminarayan. Therefore, he was
a very highly respected devotee, not only among other
devotees but also among the saints staying in the Vadtal
temple. Many of the devotees would seek his guidance and
a number of saints used to confess their misdeeds before
him and ask him for suitable atonement. But, once it so
happened that Gordhandasji himself felt restless from
within and thus went up the temple and prayed very ardently
before the idol of Shri Harikrishna Maharaj. His prayer
was heard and he got a reply which directed him to consult
Bhagatji Maharaj with his problem. Knowing Bhagatji Maharaj
as only a simple low-caste tailor devotee, Gordhandasji
could not believe his inner voice and thus engrossed himself
in deep prayer for the second time. This time also his
inner voice asked him to seek guidance from Bhagatji Maharaj.
Gordhandasji followed the directive of his inner voice
and briefed Bhagatji Maharaj about his state of inner
restlessness. Listening patiently to Gordhandasji, Bhagatji
Maharaj smiled and said,
'Kothariji ! The simplest way to get rid of all restlessness
forever and to attain a permanent state of divine bliss
is to visualize every single person entering the premises
of this temple as the manifestation of Brahma Himself
!' 'How is that possible Bhagatji ?', Gordhandasji questioned
Bhagatji's solution, 'you say I visualise every single
person as the manifestation of Brahma, when in fact, I
know ins and outs of not only the devotees but also of
the saints of this temple, many of whom have confessed
their wrongful deed to me for many times. To believe them
or to visualize them as the manifestation of Brahma is
virtually impossible, Bhagatji !' 'Then, forget about
the permanent state bliss, Kotahariji.' The one and only
simplest path to a blissful life is the visualization
of all the devotees as the manifestation of Bhagwan Swaminarayan
Himself ! This is the most powerful of all the means to
please the Lord.'
Divine Valediction
At the age of 69, the physical body of Brahmaswarup P.P.Bhagatji
Maharaj bade farewell to this world on Kartik Sood 13,
Vikram Samvat 1954.
Samadhi Memorial
Mahuva Town, District Bhavanagar |