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Vasant Panchmi Parva - Day 6
Shastriji Maharaj came to Vadodara. Three miles away, in the village of Atladra, lived Mathurbhai. People feared Mathurbhai just as they had feared the old Hirabhai Mukhi of Bochasan. Mathurbhai’s life revolved around sin. No one would have expected him to ever become a devotee. But, one day, just by hearing Swamishri’s name, his life began to change. He requested that Shastriji Maharaj build a mandir in Atladra.
Swamishri replied, “There is a place where Shriji Maharaj once came where Mulu Metar and Krishna Mali lived. If we acquire that sanctified piece of land, we will build a mandir.”
Mathurbhai assured Swamishri, “If you build a mandir on that place, I will get you as much land as you want.” Swamishri went to the location sanctified by Maharaj and identified exactly how much land he wanted.
The land identified by Swamishri was occupied by huts. Mathurbhai made new homes elsewhere and shifted the residents. Then, Mathurbhai handed over this land to Swamishri and prayed that he build a mandir.
Shastriji Maharaj changed the lives of many devotees. Just as he changed the life of the most feared man in Gujarat, Hirabhai Mukhi, he had also changed the life of the similarly feared Mathurbhai. So much so, that Mathurbhai went to great lengths to see Atladra Mandir become a reality.
We can also see that Shastriji Maharaj always kept his intentions aligned with Shriji Maharaj. He built mandirs where Shriji Maharaj had been and had deeply wanted mandirs. Another prime example of this is Gadhada Mandir.