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Vasant Panchmi Parva - Day 2
After news spread about the installation of Akshar-Purushottam in Vadhwan, Shastriji Maharaj encountered a great deal of opposition in trying to spread the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana. Sadhus in Vartal, who were extremely upset by the praise and power Shastriji Maharaj was receiving, made multiple attempts to kill him. On one occasion, they tried to poison him, and on another, they stabbed him in the thigh as he was performing darshan. He survived these attempts and continued to decline any suggestions to leave Vartal. His guru, Bhagatji Maharaj, had told him not to, and he would not disobey his guru’s agna. He would say, “It is no matter if I have to die here, but do not talk about leaving this place. Bhagatji Maharaj has promised me that even if I am cut into pieces, he will sew me together again, but I should not leave Vartal.”
It was only when Krishnaji Ada, a favored disciple of Gunatitanand Swami, advised Shastriji Maharaj that the circumstances permitted him to go that Shastriji Maharaj decided to leave Vartal. Krishnaji Ada pointed Shastriji Maharaj towards a Shikshapatri shlok that explained how one should leave a city if his life is in danger.
The devotees approached Acharya Lakshmiprasadji Maharaj and requested that Swamishri and his sadhus be sent to Bochasan. They asked for a permission note. But, Lakshmiprasadji lost his temper, “Who would bother to give him a permission note? The entire country is open for him. He may go wherever he pleases.” Thus, heeding Krishnaji Ada’s advice, Shastriji Maharaj left Vartal with five sadhus and approximately one-hundred fifty devotees on Kartik vad 1, VS 1962 (1905 CE).
A few months later, in Anand, roughly eight hundred disciples gathered for a festival. All of them requested Shastriji Maharaj to build a separate mandir, a mandir with Akshar-Purushottam in the central shrine. Within a short time, they collected forty thousand rupees. Shastriji Maharaj then told them, “Please stop the collections now. If this is found inadequate, we shall ask for more donations later.” Shastriji Maharaj then picked Bochasan as the location of the mandir because of a promise Shriji Maharaj made to Kashidas Mota of Bochasan that He would build a mandir there.
Discussion Questions:
- Shastriji Maharaj faced multiple threats to his life but refused to leave Vartal because of Bhagatji Maharaj’s agna.
- What does this teach us about courage and obedience that Shastriji Maharaj had?
- What challenges do we face in our lives? How can we apply this in our own lives when facing challenges?
- Despite the opposition Shastriji Maharaj faced, he remained steadfast in spreading the Akshar-Purushottam Upasana.
- Can we think of any other prasangs where Shastriji Maharaj has tolerated for Akshar-Purushottam?
- How can we stay determined in pursuing our goals when others try to discourage us?
- We do not face insults and physical abuse like Shastriji Maharaj - but we sometimes get angry at our parents or do abhav avgun of other bal-balikas in mandir. How can we overcome these difficulties?
- Shastriji Maharaj chose Bochasan as the location for the mandir based on Shriji Maharaj’s promise and ensured the funds were collected responsibly.
- Why did Shastriji Maharaj put importance on Shriji Maharaj’s promise for the mandir?