An extract from the book “God
In Quest of Man” by Dada J. P. Vaswani.
Far
from the madding crowds of cities, he dwelt in a tiny village by the seashore.
He lived in silence communing, with the Wonder that is Endless, the mystery
that travels in beauty from plant to tree, from flower to fruit, from stone to
star. He rarely spoke to anyone; and to the few that came to him for a counsel
and guidance, he said, “Be simple ! Be loving ! Be true ! For the heart that is
simple and loving abideth in the wonder of revelation still to be seen by those
who live in fellowship with the Lord !”.
Once
every month, he left his wooden hut and walked to the city, if perchance, God
might bring him in touch with an aspiring heart, a yearning soul. And for these
he chose the darkest night. He never came to the city by day; the shouts and
tumults were more suffocating than he could bear. He stole into the silence of
a sleeping city every night before the new moon. And in silence he moved from
street to street, as a pilgrim in search of a fellow-pilgrims.
On
one such night it was my great privilege to meet him. I was then, a fellow of
the Karachi College. During the day I did a little teaching work. At night I
did research work in the laboratory on a problem, which I had taken up for the
M.Sc. degree. At night the silence was wonderful, and the research work was so
absorbing that, very often, I sat late into the night and at times, returned
home even after two or three o’clock.
On
that particular night, just as I began my work, the electric fuse blew
off, plunging the laboratory into darkness. In vain, I tried to replace the
fuse; there was a short circuit somewhere, which I could not locate. Accepting
it as the will of God, I left the laboratory.
The
best things travel to us when we lest expect them. It was still too early for
me to return home. I went out for a stroll, letting my feet lead me where they
would. Aimlessly I moved on, until I found two sparking eyes peering into mine,
and heard a soft flute-like voice say to me, “My son !, why have you taken so
long to come? I have been waiting for you !”.
I
felt startled. Then, quickly collecting myself, I said, “Sir ! It seems you
make a mistake. And little wonder, for, it is a dark night ! Your face is new
to me. I don’t think we have ever met before !”.
And
he said to me, “My son ! Our acquaintance is more ancient than the earth on
which we stand. But you know it not, for your memory fails you !”.
I
felt intrigued. I was known in the college for possessing a prodigious memory.
Here was a man who claimed to have a memory “more ancient than the earth” !.
My
petty “scientific” brain would not hear of it. I wanted to dismiss this strange
nocturnal visitor as a harmless lunatic. And with the words, “May you hoary
memory be with you !” I turned back.
Gently,
he held me by his hand. There was something in his touch, which held me
captive. I could not move away from him. In my helplessness, I said to him,
“Sir ! I do not know what is happening to me. Pray, deliver me ! Let me go !”.
And
he said, “To deliver you I have come all the way, walking many miles in the
dark of this moonless night. Bear with me a little while, and I shall let you
go. For I do not meet the same person twice !”.
He
beckoned me to a big stone lying in front of us on the ground. And together we
sat on it. Then he looked at me softly, gently; he looked through me. And in
his large, compassionate eyes was the light of all the universe.
He
opened his lips to speak. Out of his mouth dropped pearls of great price,
rubies of rich value. He spoke of many things. He described the five-fold
journey of the jiva, the journey from the Realm of the Spirit to the
plane of matter, the journey through the cycle of birth and death, the return
journey to God, the journey in God, and finally the journey of the emancipated
soul back to the earth-plane as a helper and healer of creatures in suffering
and pain. He spoke of the strait, narrow way which leads to the Life Eternal,
the way which is to be trodden alone, and yet not alone: for One there is who
is always beside us. And with such a comrade, who loves, who knows, who cares,
no one may feel lonely.
“He
is our Deliverer,” he said to me. “Trust in Him utterly, entirely, completely !
He never fails ! He does the very best for us. He knows, what we cannot know.
He sees what we cannot see. He is Infinite Love, Infinite Power, Infinite
Intelligence, Infinite Wisdom. Leave all things in His safe Hands. And know
that whatever He permits to happen is the very best that can happen to you at
any given time. In this faith let the boat or your life float on uncharted
seas. And trusting that He, the Lord of Love, is every by you to protect guide
you, rejoice in every incident and accident of life ! And give praise to Him
whose mercies greet you at every step, in every round.
He
spoke of God again and as the Great Give, the All-Giver. He gives and gives and
ever gives ! And if man is to grow in the Life Divine he must become a giver.
True it is, that to live is to give, to give for the love of Him who giveth all
that is ! how the world would be if we share with the poor and needy all we
could not use ! Blessed is the man who died leaving nothing, having spent all
his wealth in the service of the Lord and his suffering children !.
I
listened to him spellbound. I was with him for about a couple of hours when,
suddenly, he said “Lo! I hear the bells tinkling. ‘Tis time for me to go. Khudha
hafiz, my child ! May missing God be with you !”.
I
clung to the hem of his garment. “Take me with you,” I implored. “For life
without you will not be worth living. I fain would stay near you, to serve you,
to sweep your room, to wash your clothes, to cook your food, and be blessed !”.
“That
cannot be, child !” he gently said. “For I live a lonely life. I live alone,
with the Great Alone ! But my presence will be with you, here and hereafter.
Call me and I shall come. Speak to me and I shall answer ! I go away from you
only to come, near to you, for your heart is now become my aboded !”.
With
tears in my eyes, I said to him, “Go, if go you must ! But before you leave,
give me I pray, a teaching which I may treasure in my heart, teaching which may
be to me a light and lantern in the dark hours of life.”
He
paused for a brief while, then said, “My child ! Three truths I leave
with you. Treasure them in your heart. Cling to them. Bear witness to them in
your daily life. They will take you out of darkness into light, out of illusion
into reality, and out of bondage into the freedom of the truly strong and free
(1)
God
grants us not what we want but what we need.
(2)
We
are punished not for our sins but by our sins.
(3)
Heaven
and hell are not some remote regions to which we travel after the death of the
body. Heaven and hell are states of consciousness in which we abide here and
now. ! We carry heaven and hell with us wherever we go !”
So
saying, he quickly vanished.
Sadhu Vaswani Mission Web Site - sadhuvaswani.org
