4 - Sharp Intellect

The days passed into months and the months passed into years. Abjibhai was growing up gradually. One day Devba reminded Panchabhai, ‘Abjibhai has grown up now. Let us send him to school.’ Panchabhai replied, ‘On an auspicious day, I will enroll him in a school.’ One auspicious day Panchabhai took Abjibhai to school.

The teacher was delighted to see Abjibhai. The teacher said, ‘Abjibhai, you will get very good marks, if you study attentively.’

Abjibhai touched the feet of the teacher and said, ‘I will obey you and study with total concentration.’ The teacher was much impressed. Whatever the teacher taught, Abjibhai studied it single mindedly. Everyday he used to go to the school. He directly came back home as soon as the school was over. He discussed with Panchabhai about his studies in the school saying, ‘Today the teacher taught me alphabets.’ Sometimes he would come and say, ‘Today he taught us spellings. I have fully learnt them.’

Abjibhai passed the examination with first rank. Panchabhai looked very happy, but inside he was sad. He regretfully confessed to Devba, ‘We are poor. Abjibhai is clever in his studies. But how to arrange for the fees? I do not have money.’

Abjibhai heard this while standing outside. He told Panchabhai, ‘Father, please allow me to help you in fields. I have learnt to read. I will read and study on my own at home. Panchabhai was choked with emotions and tears rolled down his eyes on hearing such words from his wise and sensible son.

Abjibhai decided that he would learn to read and write on his own. He would go to temple and read Vachanamrit slowly and attentively. Thus, he learnt to read fluently. Later on, he used to read Vachanamrit during congregations in the temple and everyone listened to it.

Quite often Abjibhai asked his friends Kesran and Jadavji, ‘Come on, let us sing a Keertan.’ Kesran hesitated, ‘I can not sing properly yet.’ Abjibhai encouraged him, ‘So what? If we see in the book and remember God while singing, we can learn it easily.’ Jadavji said, ‘We can not remember like you.’ Abjibhai said, ‘Everyday I learn small portions from a book. Thus I have learnt a lot by heart.’ Jadavji proposed, ‘Please, sing one Keertan for us.’ With the remembrance of God, Abjibhai began to sing. All the Haribhaktas gathered to listen to the Keertan sung in such a sweet, melodious voice.

The Keertan was over. They inquired, ‘Abjibhai, who taught you to sing so nicely? Everyday you sing a new Keertan. Who teaches you? How do you remember so many Keertans?’ Abjibhai replied, ‘There is nobody to teach me. I learn everyday with full concentration and with the remembrance of God. In this manner I study. First time I sing with the help of a book and learn it by heart. Next time I do not have to refer to the book!’ How wonderful!

Difficult words:
Obey - To carry out commands
Concentration - Intense mental focus
Regrefully - Feeling sorry or upset
Fluently - Spoken or written with ease

Points to ponder:
- Here, it is clearly indicated that Abjibhai is an Anadimukta. He had learnt only alphabets in the school, yet he learnt to read and write very well by himself. He could remember a Keertan by heart by reading it only once. Only an Anadimukta can do this.
- Abjibhai remembered eleven hundred Chosar (Keertans with four poems in connection) by heart.
- The moral of this incident is: We should learn with full attention whatever is taught by a teacher and we should revise it at home. If we make efforts with the remembrance at God, nothing is impossible.
- Financial capacity of one's father should be always kept in mind.

Exercise

Answer the following questions:
1. What did Abjibhai say to his teacher?
2. Why did Abjibhai study at home?
3. What did Abjibhai learn in the school?
4. What did Abjibhai say to his father?

Fill in the blanks:
1. I will study _________.
2. As soon as the school was over, Abjibhai directly came back _________.
3. Abjibhai is very _________ in study, but we have no _________.
4. I cannot_________ properly.
5. If we sing from the _________ and with the remembrance of _________, we can learn it by heart.