Pause

Split second pauses or daily introspection are necessary to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Split second pause in the midst of action was one of the secrets of Bruce Lee's success. He said: "Many martial artists attack with the force of a storm without observing the effects of their attack on their opponent. When I attack I always try to pause, stop action, to study my opponent and his reactions before going into action again. I include pause and silence along with activity, thus allowing my self time to sense my own internal processes as well as my opponent's."

The Japanese have moon-viewing parties at which no conversation is allowed. They merely sit in the elegant surroundings and watch the moon rise, and nurture ones appreciative abilities.

In the United States many top Managers spend a quiet hour in introspection each day, free from appointments or phone calls. This has resulted in increased production and fewer problems.

In our hectic schedules we never plan for empty slots for doing nothing. This concept of doing nothing, which has nothing to do with just not something, is also an activity and exercise. For example the pause in a piece of music or in a beat is not lack of music, it is an integral part of the composition. Meaningful pauses enable one to take stock of oneself. It also allows room for appreciating people and the good things they do.

Pauses play a crucial and guiding role in one's life. They may, on the surface, seem to be time-wasters because you see no immediate results. But in the long run you realise the benefits of daily reflection. Thoreau's solitary reflections on the shore of Waldon Pond, Massachusetts, unveiled many hazy and hidden truths of life. He built a small home with his own hands and lived in it for two years. The purpose of his retreat was to investigate whether he could live life on the basic necessities, namely, food, shelter, clothing and fuel. 

He writes after his experiment, "....... most of the luxuries and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind."

We all need to adopt pauses in everyday life to reassess our groundings in domestic and spiritual matters. Without proper introspection one can never gauge one's successes or failures.

A distinguished explorer spent a couple of years with the natives of Upper Amazon. He once embarked upon a further exploration of the Amazon jungle. He was very eager to chart new terrains and thus urged the natives, carrying the supplies to hurry. The first two days they complied to the explorer's commands. They took the minimum rest, getting up immediately each time the explorer told them to. But on the third day the exhausted natives took an unscheduled rest. The explorer got irritated and ordered them to start walking. The chief explained they were spent and couldn't move further until their souls had caught up with their bodies.

In our over indulgent schedules of work and entertainment we forget our spiritual identity. We become tired of life and need a pause to reclaim our lost soul.

Each day Schopenhauer retreated to a nearby garden and pondered about his true identity. He would begin by asking himself, "Who am I?" One evening the gardener came to lock the gates and saw Schopenhauer. He shouted to him, "Who are you? It's time to leave..." Schopenhauer replied, "I am trying to find out who I really am."

Bhagwan Swaminarayan explains how trivial we become due to our extroverted tendencies. He says, "The soul that resides in one's body has an inclination of seeing things without. It perceives beauty and ugliness, youth, old age and many other physical aspects of life but it never sees its own self. Such a person is ignorant among the ignorants,..."

In the Katha Upanishad the Lord of Death in a dialogue with Nachiketa says:

"God created the senses with outgoing tendencies; therefore man beholds the external universe and not the internal self (atman)..."

Our ears can detect and listen to even a distant noise. In fact all our sense organs gallop outward toward their objects.

"...... But some wise men with eyes averted i.e. senses turned away from sensual objects, desirous of Immortality, see the atman within." (2.1.1.)

This state of introvertedness is the pause we have been referring to all through the article. Like Bruce Lee, who evaluated the impact of his every attack, we need to analyse the effect and worth of our daily actions. The man who sharpens knives or tools always stops to see whether the instrument has been sharpened enough. Similarly, daily pauses enable us to see whether we are straying or overdoing anything in life.

Gunatitanand Swami draws our attention to the importance of introspection and evaluation in our lives. He says, "The white man takes the shelter of his bungalow to ponder and unburden himself of his problems and frustrations. Similarly, we must spare time for introspection from our routine work." ('Swami ni Vato' Ch.II No.182).

An incident from the lives of Mulji and Krishnaji (devotees of Bhagwan Swaminarayan) echo the importance of pausing before a major decision. The story says that Mulji and Krishnaji had a burning desire to join the monastic order of Swaminarayan. But a stiff refusal from their parents hampered their dream from materializing. After several years of striving they left home for Gadhada, where the Lord resided. They requested Bhagwan Swaminarayan to initiate them into the monastic order. Bhagwan Swaminarayan in reply cautioned them, "The monastic life is a bed of thorns. You'll have to bear the burning heat and stinging cold, the brunt of insults and persecutions from the sadhus (outside the fold). Are you both ready to swallow all this? Go, and ask this to your self."

A pause was offered to the devotees. The Lord wanted them to find out whether they were really equipped for the rigors of ascetic life. Mulji and Krishnaji examined their minds and returned radiant and victorious. They returned with one resolve to embrace the ascetic path. The Lord initiated them both; appointing one of them as the head of the Amdavad mandir and assigning the other to stay at the Junagadh mandir.

Govindram and Mayaram Bhatt were blood brothers and devoted disciples of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. They too realized the importance of reflection. Once, they decided to set up a small shop in Mangrol - their hometown. The two of them started discussing about how they could start and what things they could sell. The subject dragged on for the whole night. When the cock heralded the break of dawn the two of them paused and looked at each other in surprise. A single thought crossed both their minds. Mayaram suggested they shelve the idea of starting a shop. Govindram agreed instantly. The reason was simple. Both inferred at the end of their uncompleted marathon discussion that if the initial planning stage took them the entire night then they wouldn't have any time to spare for prayers and worship once the shop was booming! Both brothers made no compromises in sacrificing their prospective material gains.

Gunatitanand Swami says, "We should always think about why we have come (in this Satsang) and what we are doing." Only through daily reflection do we get a clear picture of our purposes and actions.

The quiet hour adopted by top managers, the moon watching party (for appreciating), the pauses we have in music, the retreat of Thoreau (for truth), the search of self by Schopenhauer, the moment of final decision for Mulji and Krishnaji and the two brothers who decided to refrain from starting a business - all these illustrate the importance of pauses or daily reflection in our lives.

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Seize The Moment

Living in the present is the key to success, happiness and peace of mind.

On a Monday, during a lecture at a college in Wyoming, Arizona, a physics professor, with a hundred students before him, suddenly burst out, "I have only one student present in this lecture of mine!" The abrupt diversion and harsh emphasis arrested the fullest attention of all the students.

"Why Sir, we are a hundred!" exclaimed an intrepid backbencher.

The professor explained, "Out of the entire class only Peter has been paying attention to what I've been saying. The rest of you have been mentally wandering in and out of this lecture hall."

We are all given to walking out (mentally) during conversation and satsang assemblies. Probably, in the last fifteen minutes you've stretched to places far and wide and to things way out of your reach. Collaring your mind in faithfully doing one thing at a time is tough. Real tough! For students, mental wandering drains concentration and dilutes academic performances.

Joe Hyams was learning Hapkido from Master Han. Once, he sandwiched his practice session between business appointments. His performance at the dojo (practice hall) that day was absolutely poor. In spite of him knowing the Hapkido motions he performed poorly. Simply because he kept on glancing at the clock after each motion.

"Your mind is elsewhere," said Master Han.

Joe admitted that he was thinking about his next appointment. The master bowed to Joe, signalling the lesson had ended. On his way out Joe found Han waiting at the doorway.

"You must learn to live in the present," preached Han. "Not in the future or the past. Zen teaches that life must be seized at the moment. By living in the present you are fully aware of yourself and your environment, your energy is not dissipated and is always available. By thinking about things other than what you are engaged in dilutes your present."

The majority of us fall in the same bracket — split between the things we've done and the things we are going to do. We leave the present unattended, hence problems and miseries grow and life eventually breaks down.

Yogiji Maharaj narrated a telling anecdote of 'Shekh Challi'. The story says a rich man promised Shekh Challi (a poor man) some money if he would carry a pot of ghee for him. Shekh Challi agreed. He placed the pot on his head and followed his master. On the way, Shekh Challi pondered as to what he would do with his wages "I shall buy a goat with the money. Then, I'll start a small milk business. And with the profits I'll purchase a cow. With the money I make from its milk, I'll buy more cows. In no time I'll have a booming dairy business. Then, I'll have enough money to afford a nice home, get married and have kids. And when I will be relaxing at home my son will come to call me for dinner. But I shall refuse."

At this point Shekh Challi moved his head in refusal. The pot of ghee fell to the ground and broke spilling all the ghee on the ground. The master fumed with anger, "You've spilt my ghee you simpleton!"

"But... you've only lost a pot of ghee and… I've lost a home, a wife and kids," replied Shekh Challi.

We all pay the penalty, like Shekh Challi, of leaping into the future at the cost of the present. The habit of being fully conscious of the present adds tremendously to the efficiency and quality of the work assigned to you. But as soon as you temporarily divorce yourself from your present action you get tangled in a web of thoughts.

Anchor yourself firmly to what you do. Concentration is a principal factor in boosting efficiency and quality of work. The tightrope walker performs his act with single-minded concentration. He never allows his mind to be swayed by the cheering crowds or with thoughts of his wife and kids.

Jack Dempsey was an aggressive and determined American boxer. He said, "I have had my lips smashed, my eyes cut, my ribs cracked but I never felt any of these blows. I kept on saying, "Nobody is going to stop me, nobody can really hurt me..." In his most challenging fight he knocked his opponent flat in four minutes and earned $.100,000. When he fought he said he never heard the roars of the crowd.

Immunizing yourself from deflections and concentrating entirely on the present is what goes to making a champion.

The epic Mahabharat describes, in one of its chapters the 'Swayamvar' (competition for the hand) of Draupadi - the daughter of King Drupad. Kings and princes from all lands travelled to Kampilyanagar, the capital of King Drupad's kingdom. The challenge for the hand of Draupadi required the contestants to stand on a pair of scales, one foot on each pan and pierce the eye of a fish, revolving on a pole, from its reflection in the pool of water below. Many kings and princes failed the balancing act on the scales and fell in the pool of water. And those who succeeded in standing still failed to hit the target. Arjun, however, stepped confidently on the scales and with singular concentration, pierced the eye of the fish. Arjun won the hand of Draupadi.

To those aspiring for success and efficiency the lesson of Arjun's concentration is of immense inspiration. While he mentally blanked out the entire courtyard and all stray thoughts the kings were probably split by pride or passion for Draupadi, or by thoughts of riches and fame. A man can never think sober when intoxicated with pride, passions, thoughts of fame and riches, hastiness, etc.

Our daily performances in the academic sphere, business or 'Satsang' world are foiled by such elements. The less we have of these the less our mind strays from the object of action. The process of eradicating these hurdles altogether requires spiritual efforts - prayers, disciplining of body and 'Sant Samagam'. Temporarily, however, the prescription of arousing an interest in what you do will help you numb distractions. Once you make whatever you do into an interest you'll find that intelligence, effort, disciplining of body and mind come easy to you. The frequency of slipping in and out will decrease. This will help you in seizing the moment.

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A Leap To Excellence

Through experience and age one comes to realize one's limitations. And to overcome the resulting anxiety and depression, develop whatever talents or virtues one has to take the leap to excellence.

Sometimes we rein persistent in things we have no talent for. Having plunged into it with both hands and feet we think we'll finally mount into a superstar! And when we don't, the situation becomes sore and discomforting. Many of us have gone through this before we find a field that clicks, that allows our talent and potential to materialise. Till then the ride is rough, bumpy and unpleasant. For personal growth and utility value, you must find where your capabilities lie and what your limitations are.

Once the martial artist, Bruce Lee, was having breakfast with one of his students. The student, in his mid-forties, was down-hearted after an unsatisfying practice performance. He felt he was too old and his body too stiff to achieve any real ability in jeet-kune-do.

"You will never learn anything new unless you are ready to accept yourself with your limitations, "Bruce answered. "You must accept the fact that you are capable in some directions and limited in others, and you must develop your capabilities."

The student argued that ten years before he could easily kick over his head.

Bruce smiled. "That was ten years ago,"he said gently. "You are older today and your body has changed. Everyone has physical limitations to overcome."

The student replied that he (Bruce) was born with the natural ability of a martial artist.

Bruce laughed. "I'am going to tell you something very few people know. I became a martial artist in spite of my limitations. My right leg is almost an inch shorter than my left. That fact dictated the best stance for me - my left foot leading. Then I found that because the right leg was shorter, I had an advantage with certain kicks.

"And I wear contact lenses. Since childhood I have been near-sighted, which meant that when I wasn't wearing glasses, I had difficulty seeing an opponent when he wasn't up close. I initially studied 'wing-chun' because it is an ideal technique for close-in fighting.

"I accepted my limitations and made the best of what I had. And that's what you must learn to do. Perfect your kicks at waist level and they will be so formidable you'll never need to kick higher.

"Instead of trying to do everything well, do those things perfectly of which you are capable. What you lack in flexibility and agility (through age) you must make up with knowledge and constant practice."

Firstly, draw a line between the things you can and cannot do. Then focus your efforts on developing the things you are capable of doing. As you grow in skill and talent your limitations will shrink in prominence.

If you are a college student and you have a bad memory, don't beat your brow. Accept the fact and put more effort into it.

Edison had a very poor memory - especially in his youth. In school he forgot everything he was taught, and he was always at the bottom of his class. He drove his teachers to despair. They declared he was retarded. He attended school for only three months, after that his mother taught him at home. Later in life Edison developed a remarkable memory for scientific data.

A little effort and proper guidance can draw you away from the frustration of your inabilities or oddities. We all have some talent in one thing or another. Finding what it is and developing it will definitely go to increasing a positive image of yourself.

Socrates was ugly yet his wisdom more than compensated for his physical image.

Charles Steinmetz was born with a crooked leg and arched backbone that gave him a grotesque hump. During his childhood, children shunned him because of his clumsy body and inability to participate successfully in many activities. Using the greatest asset blessed upon him, Charles ignored his physical disabilities about which he felt he could do nothing and worked to excel his mind. At five he could conjugate Latin verbs. At seven he learned Greek and a little Hebrew. At eight he had a good understanding of algebra and geometry. When he went to college, he excelled in all his studies. He graduated with honors. He had saved money so he could rent a dress suit for the convocation. But the college authorities posted a notice on the bulletin board excusing Charles from the ceremony.

Later, he went to America. Several companies denied him a job because of his awkward appearance. Eventually, General Electric employed him as a draftsman for $12 a week. There, in addition to his regular duties, he spent long hours in electrical research. After some time the Chairman of the board of General Electric Company recognised his rare genius. He said, "Here is our entire plant. Do anything you want with it. Dream all day, if you wish. We'll pay you for dreaming."

Charles worked long hours. During his lifetime he patented more than 200 electrical inventions and wrote many books and pages on problems of electrical theory and engineering.

Developing one's mind overshadows one's physical frailties. The luster of knowledge leaves a dazzling impression upon those who come to hear you.

Stephen Hawking, 46, is one of the World's greatest theoretical physicists. He is a Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge, a seat once occupied by Isaac Newton. Since his early 20s, he has suffered form Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive deterioration of the central nervous system that usually causes death within three to four years. Hawking's illness has advanced more slowly, and now seems almost to have stabilised. Still, it has robbed him of virtually all movement. He has no control over most of his muscles, cannot dress or eat by himself and needs round-the-clock nursing care. In 1985 Hawking nearly suffocated during a bout of pneumonia. He was given a tracheotomy that enabled him to breathe through an opening in his throat and a tube inserted into his trachea. The operations saved his life but silenced his voice. Now he "speaks" only by using the slight voluntary movement left in his hands and fingers to operate his wheelchair's built-in-computer and voice synthesizer.

While ALS has made Hawking a virtual prisoner in his own body, his intellect roams freely from the infinitesimal to the finite, from the subatomic realm to the far reaches of the universe. In the course of these mental expeditions, Hawking has conceived startling new theories about black holes and the tumultuous events that immediately followed the Big Bang from which the universe sprung. Through his prolific intelligence he has won the admiration and respect of students, professors and residents of Cambridge.

He says, "One of my friends bet a bag of sweets that that I would never come to anything."

Kip Thorne, a Caltech physicist, says, "I would rank him besides Einstein, as the best in our field."

Rocky Kolb, a physicist at Fermilab in Illinois says, "In general relativity and early cosmology, Hawking is the hero."

Developing one's better capabilities eclipses one's shortcomings. In spite of a poor or medium academic record, excelling in a sport or whatever can put you in the spotlight to public admiration. The same applies if you are poor in sports but intelligent in academic matters. By developing your advantages you soar to success and shadow your incapabilities or shortcomings.

But when one enters into the subject of spiritualism one finds an enlightened soul supercedes all. Having realized one's soul and God one transcends all limitations and discrepancies. One's joy becomes limitless. In fact one becomes a dispenser of joy to others. King Janak initially ridiculed the ugly and clumsy Sage Ashtavakra (an enlightened soul mentioned in the Shrimad Bhagwatam), but later revered him for his profound spirituality. Where the intelligent sages had failed, Ashtavakra succeeded in satisfactorily answering the king's queries.

In the time of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a devotee called Nath Bhakta was physically frail and poor. He could barely count to ten and yet Swaminarayan stamped him as intelligent compared to the Minister (diwan) in the court of Baroda who brilliantly ruled three large states for his master. In Vachanamritam Gadhada Sec.I.No.50 Bhagwan Swaminarayan says, "Intelligent are those who, in spite of having little mental intelligence, are engaged in seeking their salvation. And those proficient in worldly matters or in scriptural learning are feebleminded if they don't endeavor for personal redemption."

On the surface this may seem unacceptable. But the man striving for personal redemption is in fact endeavoring for eternal happiness where as the efforts of the worldly intelligent are directed towards temporary happiness. From the two different rewards - one temporary and the other eternal - one can easily deduce the intelligent out of the two.

Essentially, the martial arts concentrate on attaining enlightenment or self-realization rather than mere physical excellence. A true sifu (master) sees Karate, kung-fu, aikido,... as avenues to spiritual serenity and mental tranquility.

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Life during Gunatitanand Swami's Time

The Sharad Punam, 1 November 2001, marks Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami's 216th birth anniversary. To understand his immense glory we offer our humble tribute and devotion by considering the period's harsh contemporary life.

On Chaitra Sud Purnima, Samvat 1883 (1827CE), Bhagwan Swaminarayan appointed Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami as the mahant of the Junagadh mandir. He remained the mahant till Samvat 1923 (1867CE). On leaving the mandir on Bhadarva sud 6, he retrospected, "Shriji Maharaj had placed the mandir in my charge. From then till today I have looked after it for a span of 40 years, 4 months and 4 days." During these years he visited the villages in the Junagadh district, known as Sorath. 

After Shriji Maharaj returned to Akshardham in 1830, Swami nurtured and consolidated Satsang among the devotees in the Sorath region. Thereby, he imparted to them Shriji Maharaj's divine bliss. To appreciate the enormity of this task, of his success in managing the mandir's affairs and thus realise that only Aksharbrahma Gunatitanand Swami could fulfil Shriji Maharaj's wish, we need to consider the hardships that he faced. This is only possible by having a glimpse of the life and conditions then prevailing in Gujarat generally and the Junagadh region specifically. 

Though he returned to Akshardham in 1867CE, in the foregoing essay we shall regard the period between 1830 and 1872 as Gunatitanand Swami's times.

Junagadh State in 1880

Situated in the south-west region of Kathiawad, the Junagadh state encompassed over 3,800 sq. miles. In the early 19th century, this state was divided into 20 Mahals (sub-district): 1) Una, 2) Sutrapada, 3) Patan, 4) Veraval, 5) Chorwad, 6) Maliya, 7) Keshod, 8) Vanthali, 9) Balagam, 10) Sil, 11) Mahiyari, 12) Kutiyana, 13) Vadaal, 14) Jetpur, 15) Bhesan, 16) Visawadar, 17) Bagdu, 18) Mangol, 19) Ranpur, 20) Khadiya.

The city of Junagadh being independent, did not belong to any sub-state. The city's former names provide an interesting insight to its historic character.

A Sanskrit aphorism lists the ancient names: Manipur, Chandraketupur, Raivat and Pauratanpur.

The story of Manipur is not available. The second was named after King Chandraketu, who was of the Surya dynasty and worshipped Shiv and Narayan. Pleased with his devotion, the deities instructed him to reside on Mt. Raivat. Here on the remains of Manipur he built Chandraketupur. Shiv then resided in a nearby shrine named Bhutnath Mahadev, while Narayan resided as Damodarrai in the mandir next to Damodar Kund. Both shrines are important tirths even today. The names Girinagar and Purvanagar are also found on ancient rock inscriptions. Additionally the more recent names are also found: Jirnadurg, Jirangadh and Junagadh. Jirna or Juna means old. Durg means city and gadh means fort.

In his Statistical Account of Junagadh (1880), Major J.W. Watson notes, "even today, a villager will say, 'I am going to gadh tomorrow.' The whole word 'Junagadh' is not pronounced." A kirtan of the Swaminarayan Sampraday also uses the same word: Chãlo santo jaiye gadh june re.

Population

In 1872, (five years after Gunatitanand Swami's return to Akshardham), a census by the colonials recorded a total population of 380,921 in the state. Hindus comprised 82.5% and Muslims 11.50%.

The majority of the Hindus consisted of castes and clans noted for their militant temperament: Ahir, Khaant, Koli, Kathi (Wala & Khuman), Mer, Mahiya, Hati, Rajput and a mixture of others - Gandharva, Girnara, Sompara, Patiyala, Gadhiya, Unewal Brahmins, Sorathi Vania and Lohana. This gives us an inkling of Swami's efforts in transforming those with volatile temperaments. His success is reflected in the figures.

Sects

The table on the page details the number of followers of various sects then prevalent, as noted in the 1872 census:

40.7% of the total VAISHNAVAS 28.2% of the total	Ramanuj	4,907
	Vallabhacharya	128,124
	Kabir	4,247
	Madhvacharya	21
	Swaminarayan	88,723
SHAIVA	Shankar	6,285
	Lingayat	67
MISCELLANEOUS	Sadhus-Ascetics	2,527
	Followers of other deities	78,411
	Jain or Shrawaks	1,039
	Sikh	11
	Total	314,362

It is noteworthy that from the 11 divisions, after the Vallabh, the Swaminarayan had the greatest number of followers. This adds weight to Swami's statement to Raghuvirji Maharaj, "I have consolidated Satsang among the devotees in Sorath such that I can fill the Junagadh step-well with their heads."

Added to the devotees in the Junagadh state, there were those in other areas of Kathiawad: Dhrangadhra (figures not available), Nawanagar (today's Jamnagar, with 11,768), Porbandar (47) and Bhavnagar (50,861). To obtain a figure of the total number of followers in the Swaminarayan Sampraday, the number of those in Kachchh, Gujarat, Burhanpur and Khandesh would have to be added (figures not available).

Rivers

The main rivers of the state comprised: Bhadar, Uben, Ozat, Hiran, Saraswati, Machundri, Singada, Meghal, Brajni and Raval. None had bridges. Therefore, during the monsoon, many were unfordable. Swami and the sadhus usually spent this period in the mandir. In the absence of piping, water was hauled from wells. Watson notes that water was then available at depths of only 6 to 10 feet. However this water was not healthy for everyone. The heavy concentration of minerals rendered it difficult to digest causing various ailments.

Roads

In the absence of tar-macadam, the roads were of dirt, which turned to mud during the monsoon. This also hampered travelling during the monsoon. There were two major roads from Gujarat to Kathiawad. One skirted the southern coast from Gogha-Mahuva-Una-Prabhas-Mangrol-Porbandar to Dwarka. The other, inland road linked Wadhwan, Sayala, Bhadla, Sardhar, Rajkot, Jetpur to Junagadh. Both passed through the pristine, yet dangerous countryside. Travellers faced several possible dangers; of dacoits, baharwattias (outlaws) and wild animals.

Wild Fauna

Watson noted a surprising variety of wild animals. Those which posed a danger to travellers, especially to those travelling by foot, included: the Asiatic lion, leopard, cheetah, lynx, hyena, wolf, manis and jackal. Even today, shepherds and farmers are occasionally attacked by lions and leopards in the areas surrounding Mt. Girnar.

Natural Calamities

Besides wild fauna, natural disasters also took a toll on people's lives.
Famine, floods and epidemics such as cholera, plague and influenza often decimated the population. Swami cites tuntyu (influenza) in Swamini Vato (Ch. 2/187). One incident of a particularly heavy monsoon correlates with that mentioned by Watson.

In 1850, after celebrating Janmashtami in Junagadh, the stalwart devotee Lalabhai returned home to Upleta. Here, Indra, deity of rain, appeared to him and demanded three pieces of cloth. Being a staunch disciple of Swami, Lalabhai replied that without Swami's permission, he was unable to gift the cloth. Indradev then threatened him of sweeping away his village with heavy rain. Lalabhai remained undaunted. The wrath-filled Indradev then struck with a massive downpour. Simultaneously in Junagadh, Swami chanted the Swaminarayan mantra to deliver Lalabhai from the calamity (Dave, Vol. I pp.265-6). 

Watson noted, "In 1850 very heavy rain fell in the Junagadh districts, and many villages were washed away by the rivers."

The peasants further suffered from marauding bands of looters as well as the tax imposed by the Nawab of Junagadh and the village chiefs. This steeped the farmers in such penury that often they had no grain for themselves. The table below illustrates the levels that existed in society and the poverty each experienced.

LEVEL	UTENSILS	FOOD	DWELLINGS & ASSETS	CLOTHING
1	Copper, silver, brass	Wheat, rice, ghee, milk, fruit and sugar, Women do not cook, servants employed.	Personal dwelling, cart/carriage, houses, cattle, land &/or orchard.	Women: silk, gold-lined fabrics, golden jewellery. Men: thin clothes, silk or cotton turban.
2	Copper, brass	Food as above, Women cook.	Personal dwelling, horse or milch cow, buffalo. Some own a small orchard.	Women: Cotton fabrics, simple jewellery Men: thick cotton clothes.
3	Copper, earthenware	Bajri* & jowar* rotla, vegetables, Grind corn, Womencook, collect firewood & dung.	Rented dwelling, job or hard labour.	Both men & Women wear thick cotton clothes. Women: silver jewellery. Men: tie a simple cloth on head.
4	Earthenware	Staple diet of jowar. Women cook. An example of this is Bauddin, the Muslim boy who gifted some firewood to Swami. Swami blessed him, he entered the Nawab's service and built the Bauddin College, which is still functioning in Junagadh.	Under tree or simple hut. Women do all sorts of labour work or beg.	Less clothing, which is tattered, jewellery of brass or copper. Men tie cloth on head.
			* bajri - millet-Pennisetum   typhoides * jowar - Great millet-Andropogon    sorghum * kodra - Paspalum    scrobiculatum

The majority of Swami's disciples probably belonged to the second group and a few to the third. Swami himself only ate bajri rotlo and buttermilk once a day. This is attributed to his extreme detachment and observance of niswad vartaman - vow of non-taste. However, the meals for the mandir's murtis were not much different. 

This consisted of bajri rotla and lentil dal. Vegetables and sweets were offered only rarely. Swami once revealed in his sermons, "When we begged alms in the whole of Vartal (located in the relatively richer area of Gujarat), we barely received two rotlas of kodra* and some barley flour." (Swamini Vato. Vol. II 13/71.)

Conclusion

In the midst of : such heart-rending poverty, fear of looters and wild animals during travelling, the unhealthy water and climate of Junagadh, its Muslim rule and the acrimonious opposition from the Nagar Brahmins, who were Shaivites with high ranking positions in the Nawab's court, Gunatitanand Swami developed the mandir and spread the Satsang among all sections of society. Like Bhagwan Swaminarayan before him, Swami lived and coalesced with the people. This, to such an astonishing degree that by merely glancing at the bajri grain donated to the mandir, he would name the donor devotee! During calamities he would offer alms from the mandir's grain store to the disciples.

He eradicated superstition, blind faith and addictions from their lives. By transforming notorious baharwattias such as Valera Varu into ideal bhaktas, he released society from their chronic harassment and depredations. His saintliness won the heart of even the Muslim Nawab, who regarded him as a true aulia- God-realised sadhu. The crown of his life-long endeavours was that he taught brahmavidya to his sadhus and disciples.

His profound saintliness coupled with God-realisation and by his uninhibited extolling of Bhagwan Swaminarayan's true glory and greatness as Purushottam Narayan, he helped disciples attain jivanmukti - God realisation during life. Despite the harsh living conditions, such experience of the manifest God was at the root of the Sampraday's rapid success, reflected in the 1872 census. This wrought an overall calming effect and harmony in Saurashtra and Gujarat in the latter half of the 19th century.

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Limitations Of Perception

Our physical senses are far too limited in perceiving the Divine. 

Two friends were walking down a country lane.

One believed in God; the other did not.

Said the atheist to the theist,

"We have had God

and religion for thousands of years and yet evil thrives in

this world. Hatred, crime, war and immorality is

getting harsher than ever," he further sliced the

theist with doubled sarcasm," what good has been

your God or your religion?"

The theist kept quiet and digested the raw rancour

with a smile.

They strolled on.

Once again the atheist swung his sword of sarcasm,

"With so much unrighteousness around, what good

has your God and religion done?"

And again, the theist silently advanced on.

Up ahead, they saw a young boy splashing in a

muddy puddle. He was covered all over by mud.

Hitting at the boy, the theist turned to his friend and asked,

"Tell me, what good has soap been to this world.

We've had it for so long ..."

"But you have to use it!" snapped the atheist.

"Exactly! You have to use religion, accept God and His teachings

in your life to see the benefits."

The dialogue finishes here.

But as is the case with many non-believers, some would argue, "I can see the soap. I can see its foams and suds; and its cleansing process. But, with God, I can't see Him with my eyes! Only when I know God through my senses will I accept Him."

Our inability to understand the existence and nature of God through material senses has given added momentum to atheistic cults. One who believes in God is often attacked as "primitive," "Out-of-fashion," "Only for the weak-minded and not for the modern and scientific brains."

As the so-called modern, scientific understanding is based on knowledge acquired through material senses, we reject God.

But is it a fault of God if our scientific senses are too feeble; insufficient, inaccurate and underqualified to know the glory of His being?

Careful analysis shows that our knowledge through the material senses is defective. There are a lot of discrepancies. First of all, the senses themselves are limited, thus imperfect. Secondly, we easily become illusioned. Thirdly, we make mistakes. And fourthly, we lack experience.

Let's have a closer look at these four limitations.

1.Imperfect Senses

It is true, human senses are powerful, but not powerful enough. There is much we can't see! Much we can't hear! Even to get accurate information about the external world, our senses have physiological limits, or 'thresholds of perception.'

Take the eye, for example.

A human eye cannot see through walls; it is blind to x-rays, ultra-violet rays and the infra-red! We can only see a tiny fraction of the total electromagnetic spectrum. An electromagnetic wave can range from one quadrillionth of a metre upto 100 million metres in length. And of this immense array of energy, we can see only the wavelengths between 400 and 750 millimicrons long (a milli-micron is a billionth of a metre). This we call the visible spectrum. And anything outside this range is invisible. Our visible spectrum is shockingly small and shrinks to near insignificance when compared to the vast section of waves that remain invisible.

Our eyes can see only 0.00000000000035% (3.5 x 10¯¹³) of what is there to see. To visualise this infinitesimal figure, if we take the population of one earth as 6 billion and collect 2 million such earths; out of the total number of people before us (2 million x 6 billion) we would see only 42! This is the stunning limitation of the human eye!

And in this frail band of vision lies our wonderful world of colours!

Our hearing is limited as well. No human ear can hear the dog whistle! Its frequency is beyond the range of human hearing. Sound waves are measured in Hertz (cycles per second). Our hearing extends from 20 Hertz upto 20,000 Hertz. And we are deaf to any vibration above or below this range.

Each of our remaining senses exhibits similar limitations.

So our senses are limited, imperfect. But what of scientific instruments! Can't they help us get more perfect knowledge! Not really.

Nobel prize-winning physicist, Eugene Wigner points out, "Even if we photograph the stars, we must eventually 'take in' by our senses what the photograph shows. Furthermore, without our senses, we could not handle a photographic camera. Clearly, all knowledge comes to us ultimately through our senses."

So even if refined by instruments, ultimately, whatever knowledge we gain through sense perception is no more perfect than our imperfect senses.

2. Illusions

Even within our limited range of perception, we suffer from illusions. You only have to ask a magician and he'll demonstrate how easy it is to deceive a person through illusions. He has hundreds in store up his sleeve.

Our eyes are most easily illusioned.

Many of us have seen mirages on a hot summer day. As you drive down the highway you see what looks like small puddles of water up ahead. But in reality they are just illusions.

As school kids we studied 'refraction' in physics. If you fill up a glass beaker with water and partially immerse a pencil in it, the part of the pencil in the water appears bent - an illusion due to refraction of light.

If you stand between the railway tracks at ground level and look at the tracks as they stretch ahead, they don't seem to be parallel. They appear to converge and meet at a far distant point. But we quickly realise that our eye is lying.

Are the center dots in both figures the same?

fig..

Psychologists and other students of perception have done much research into illusions, particularly in the realm of vision (see illustrations).

The sense of touch is also highly susceptible to illusion. If you cool your right hand sufficiently in water at 5°C and then dip it in a trough of water at 15°C, the water will feel 'warm.' But if your left hand has been preconditioned in 20°C water, then the trough of 15°C will feel 'cool.' Though the water is the same, it simultaneously feels both 'warm' and 'cool.'

Hearing. Most of us have been fooled at least once. We have turned to what sounded like someone calling out our name, only to find out in embarrassment that it was a fault of hearing or a trick of the ear!

Spooky or strange sounds and uncanny noises are also sound illusions, which the ear bears when the mind is scared.

Taste. The tongue lies not only through words. If after having eaten a sweet chocolate or some sugary foodstuff, you drink tea; the tongue reports an absence of sugar. But in reality, the tea does have sugar. It is an illusion of taste!

Try tasting an orange after tasting sugar, the orange will taste sweet. Try the orange after a lemon, and the same orange will taste sour!

- Is the diagonal line straight?
- All the horizontal lines are parallel, but they do not appear so!
- The bright white triangle which seems to overlap the dark circles and V-shaped lines 

is an illusion.

In short, all our senses, apart from being limited in power are subject to illusions.

3. Mistakes

With our imperfect senses and our illusion-prone mind, mistakes are inevitable. "To err is human."

The Challenger space shuttle was definitely the best production of top brains in science. Yet something went wrong. What began as a spectacular space expedition ended in a nightmarish fireball! Some unknown mistake had been made. A mistake that shook NASA and brought tears to humanity. Sadly, many such mistakes have been a part of human history!

Dr. R.C. Gregory, Director of the Brain and Perception Laboratory at the University of Bristol, England, says, "Science with all its dramatic successes, had from its beginning also generated wildly incorrect accounts; stars were believed to be pinpricks in a crystal ball, electricity and heat as fluids, the brain as an organ to cool the blood... These are dramatic deviations from what we now see as truth; and when invented they were deviations from what then appeared true."

The tragedy of mistake-making has haunted humanity. Everybody knows that there was a time when Aristotle claimed that the earth was stationary, the centre of the universe and the sun revolved round the earth. It passed unquestioned, until Copernicus, and then Galileo focussed his telescope towards the heavens to prove otherwise. The list of our past mistakes is appalling; the earth was considered to be flat and all matter as 'solid.' But today, the earth is a globe and nothing seems to be 'solid.' At subatomic levels, everything is forces, and more forces.

In another instance, three astronomers recently discovered a significant mistake in the 'Hubble Constant,' an equation used as a cosmic yardstick to measure enormous distances in the universe. The 'Hubble Constant' - named after astronomer Edwin P. Hubble - has undergone so many corrections since he first formulated it that many astronomers now laughingly call it the 'Hubble Variable.'

As new frontiers of knowledge are explored, man changes his old views. In the light of higher knowledge our old theories, howsoever dear to us, have to be rehashed or replaced. Is it not possible then, that when higher wisdom dawns upon us that the 'no God' theory will have to be dumped in the junkyard of human mistakes?

4. Lack of Experience

Behind many mistakes is lack of experience. It makes us professional mistake-makers. Whatsoever we undertake to study, without the necessary experience in the subject, we are always likely to misunderstand or not understand at all. If Einstein himself knocks on your door and presents to you his prized paper of Relativity Theory, will you be in a position to understand it?

Never: If Physics is like hieroglyphics to you and you know nothing of the subject.

No: Even if you know physics but have not the requisite depth.

Yes: If you are equipped with enough insight in physics and are thoroughly grounded in it.

How likely is a man, ignorant of science and mathematics, to appreciate the formula E=mc². Even if the scientists themselves demonstrate all the proofs, will he follow the logic of proofs?

Thus, it is plain logic that to read a book in Chinese, I must first train myself in the Chinese language!

And if someone who has no idea of what a number is demands that I logically show that two plus two is four. I can't do it. Similarly, if a spiritual ignoramus demands that God be logically demonstrated to him, his very request is illogical!

And given the proof of God, would he, a materialist know how to read it?

Even if God himself were to appear before him, he would fail to understand Him, for he lacks sufficient spiritual experience!

Conclusion

We can logically conclude that the perfect, infinite personality of God cannot possibly be understood by our limited, illusion-ridden, inaccurate and inexperienced senses.

Does it mean that we can never know God?

No. Even with all these severe handicaps, there is still a way to realise the Supreme.

The colossal gap between us and God can be bridged This bridge is the genuine Sadhu who is infallible in spiritual wisdom; who is in constant communion with the Supreme at one end and in humanly touch with us on the other. He links us mortals with the Immortal. He guides us and acquaints as with spiritual sadhana. And through his company and training a person rises above the material limitations. This process of rising is known as Divinisation.

Bhagwan Swaminarayan explains: "When a person undergoes genuine spiritual training under the care and company of an enlightened Sadhu who reveals to him the glory of God, his senses and mind become divine. Graced with such a divine vision he is able to see God in human form and develops a firm conviction about His supremacy. Otherwise it is impossible to see God with the material senses." (Vachanamrut Gad.I. 51)

Bhagwan Swaminarayan further describes in Vachanamrut Sarangpur 2 that when a person thus realises God, his power of perception transcends all barriers and he can hear everything being said in any corner of the cosmos and see everything anywhere in the multiple universes.

There cannot be more convincing words than God's own. And once you've tasted the bliss of God, doubts disappear like darkness before the sun.

To understand what I mean, I leave you with this last incident.

Addressing a packed audience, an atheist vociferously defied God with proof after proof. His mastery of words and logic left everyone stunned. He arrogantly challenged from the stage.

"Can anyone contradict me? Or wishes to attempt proving God to me?"

A heavy hush engulfed the listeners.

Then an old man limped up onto the stage with anxious faces monitoring him as he took his stance before the microphone.

Surprisingly he said nothing. Instead, he picked out an orange from his pocket and began peeling. Minutes ticked by. Everybody was intent on listening to his defence. Yet he quietly, with head down, kept on peeling.

The atheist breathed fire, "Old man have you nothing to say? Or have your ideas suddenly vanished and you can't find words?"

While the atheist belittled him, the old man finished peeling. He waved a hand and broke his silence. Then placing a segment of the juicy orange in his mouth and sucking it with delight, he turned to the atheist and said, "Can you tell me the taste of this orange?"

"How can I? I haven't eaten it," he retorted.

The old man faced the audience.

"Can anybody describe how this orange tastes?"

Silence.

Van Gogh

Some illusions are apparently caused by odd imperfections in our sensory apparatus. As the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh reached the end of his life, he began depicting shining objects (such as the sun) as if they were surrounded by concentric rings of colour. For a long time art critics were convinced that Van Gogh had "broken through a new level of reality" by letting his imagination run free. If this were the case, then we might say that Van Gogh was hallucinating the circles around the sun that he so often painted. 

But we now suspect that Van Gogh suffered from a dreadful disease that was systematically destroying his nervous system. One of the symptoms of this particular illness is that the person's vision becomes cloudy and all bright lights have halos around them. It is likely, then, that Van Gogh was suffering from the same kind of illusion that you can experience if you look at a streetlight on a foggy night, or watch a full moon through a thin layer of colours.

"Scientists, sociologists, professors and people of much greater intelligence than me are present here, and yet, nobody knows the taste of this orange. Only he who eats it knows how it tastes. It is the same with God. Only he who has experienced Him and tasted His bliss knows that He forever exists."

Dear reader, for a person who genuinely wants to know God, God is nearer than his own heart, God is as clear as sunshine!

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