14. A Path Finder

God's work is realized through man. We are here to carry out His commands and realize Him in our lives. But the 'Truth' that lies at the heart of religion cannot be comprehended without the help and guidance from the God-realized and eternally liberated men like Pujya Shri Narayanbhai. He could intuitively identify the true seekers and guide them on the path leading to God.

His guidance was not limited to the seekers belonging to Swaminarayan Dharma only. He was always eager to help and guide one and all believing them to be parts of all pervading unity of mankind. He was above "he-ism' and "me-ism'. He was often consulted by people of other faiths. He was a true "arbiter of the diverse'. He would resolve all their doubts and help them overcome all impediments in their spiritual progress. He would teach them the art of subduing the inner enemies and mastering the senses. He would judge the spiritual need of the seeker and advise him accordingly. To some chosen and tested ones he had revealed rare spiritual secrets and even blessed them with experiences of the unknowable. He had bestowed great powers upon his select devotees and taught them the art of attaining oneness with God without much effort. Some of us have had the rare experience of receiving his guidance and help without our asking. He would simply read the face understand the problem and offer the solution. He had transformed lives of many people just by a glance or a word from him. Even a mere thought of him would bring his message to the seekers living far from him. Mere remembrance resolved their problems, got his protection and removed all hurdles. Mere acquaintance with him was an assurance : "No harm shall come to you.''

His word always carried the weight. He spoke from the heart of divinity and therefore nobody ever refuted his word. He would often tell the assembly : "By the grace of Maharaj and by his divine guidance I can offer a scientific explanation and convincing answer to any spiritual question related to any religion in this world. It hardly matters to what religious denomination the man seeking the explanation belongs.'' He was a great teacher who had studied all the religions of men. He would invariably send the seeker home, fully satisfied with his answer. Whatever may be the subject of the discussions, the theme was always the same: How to unite with and be one with the luminous form of God. To establish the supremacy of Swaminarayan religion over other religions and to prove its universal acceptability, he wrote a small booklet: 'Bhagwan Shri Swaminarayan and The World Religion'. He insisted upon the strict observance of the 'Five Religious Vows' prescribed by Lord Swaminarayan. Explaining the significance of 'Panch Vartmana', he wrote another book entitled: 'Samagra Jivan-no-Yoga'. The reading of this book will teach you how God can be realized through the observance of the 'Panch Vartmanas'.

As he was in a permanant state of Anadimukta, he was the 'all-knowing' manifestation of Maharaj Himself. He had reached the heights of the highest and therefore nothing was beyond his reach. He possessed knowledge about this life and the life here after. Therefore, he could answer any question. He could not only resolve a problem but even his word produced things. He had what we call 'Vachan Siddhi'; his word was a command. Let me cite this example: A devotee had been unemployed for a long time. He came to Muktaraj and brokedown. He prayed and sought his help. Muktaraj was moved by his plight. He consoled him and said : "Worry not. You will get a job tomorrow itself.'' The man got a job the next day.'' He must have cured by mere exercise of his will hundreds of people struck by deadly diseases. A number of people harassed by ghosts and evil spirits or black magic were rescued by him. He would seek Maharaj's help and exorcise the spirit by prayers. He could guide farmers in their search for water. He would get a map drawn on a piece of paper and mark the spot for the well. He had helped many people discover treasure hidden in their land.

Muktaraj guided not only the human beings in their spiritual quest, at times he had helped the Gods and Goddesses attain spiritual heights. When he was working as a teacher, once he had accompanied the students and teachers on a tour of Pavagadh. When the group reached the last peak from where one has to climb the steps leading to the temple, Muktaraj stopped and sat under a tree. He asked the group to proceed for the 'Darshan'. While others were climbing, Goddess Kali, dressed in white came down from Her temple for the 'darshan' of Muktaraj ! She stood with folded hands before Muktaraj and sought his blessings for her eternal glory- the divine welfare and delight Muktaraj blessed the Divine Mother and said "you will certainly attain 'moksha' as soon as you have accomplished your goal and fulfilled your mission.'' The Divine Mother smiled and disappeared. Many others had witnessed this rare Divine spectacle.