About the Author
A lovely rose that spreads its fragrance all around; the gentle breeze which wafts in its welcome freshness; the life giving rain that enlivens everything it touchés such is the life that is dedicated to God and the service of all God’s creation. Even such is the life of a living saint-the Life Beautiful that is Dada J.P. Vaswani’s.
Dada personifies the very spirit of sympathy, service and sacrifice. The very embodiment of unconditional, all-encompassing love, his life is a testimony of his utter devotion to God and the guru. Not all of us can aspire to emulate his life; but surely everyone of us can draw inspiration, hope, courage and moral sustenance from his life story. Here is a life that is in every sense of the term, the Life Beautiful!
Foreword
India occupies a special place in Tibetan hearts. We regard it as the Arya Bhumi, the birthplace of our teacher, the Buddha, and many other enlightened masters, as well as the source of the Dharma brought to the Land of Snows over a thousand years ago. I remember how thrilled I was, as a young man to be able to visit the holy places associated with such inspiring figures as the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi.
However, the real significance of India lies not in its historical sites, no matter how sacred, but in its continuing respect for the spiritual way of life and those persons who uphold it. For nearly forty years, I have been privileged to live in this country, enjoying the religious freedom denied to me and my fellow countrymen and women in our own homeland. During this time, I have also had the honour of meeting many religious leaders and spiritual practitioners, both here and abroad.
Amongst these, the revered Dada J.P. Vaswani, Spiritual Head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, particularly epitomises the life of Dharma. He is a living example of how the spirit and practice of our ancient traditions can be purely maintained, even amidst the changes and challenges of this modern age.
In this biography of their guru, some of Dad a J.P. Vaswani’s disciples have gathered many examples of his activities. These demonstrate, over and over again, that no matter what particular religious tradition we belong to, the very heart of the spiritual life is compassion and a sense of universal responsibility towards others. I am convinced that in sharing these many illuminating episodes with their readers, the authors are in fact sharing with them the blessings of compassion.
Preface
The greatest blessing of life is that we can love ... !”
If life is a battle, love is it’s victory; if life is a story, love is it’s theme; if life is music, love is it’s melody; and if life is a flower, love is it’s fragrance.
Can anything be greater than the power of love? Can anything be more beautiful than the spirit oflove? Can there be a shorter, speedier way to God than love?
This book is a love offering; it is an expression of our love and devotion for a man, who, we believe, is the very personification of the divine quality of love Dada J.P. Vaswani.
“What is the meaning of life?” asked the greatest scientist of our age, Albert Einstein. “To know an answer to this question, is to be religious,” he asserted. “What is it to live?” We rephrase his question and the answer comes to us from the living precept of our dearly beloved Dada, “TO LIVE IS TO LOVE!”
Truly, Dada is a great believer in the strength and sustaining power of love. His emphasis is on what he calls “love inaction”, which manifests itself in sympathy, service and sacrifice. “In love,” he says, “is the solution to all the problems of life.”
Dada’s life is his message; for he is, indeed, love-in-action. The rare and blessed privilege that has been given to us in putting this book together has shown us that his life spells out in clear, distinct, beautiful terms, the message of LOVE.
“Love is not an attribute of God,” says Dada. “Love is God.” The question was asked of him, “What is love?” And he answered, “You will know when you become love!” We might venture to add, “To know Dada, is to know the meaning of love.”
We do not claim to offer you an authorised biography; we are not worthy to make such an attempt. Can the ocean be measured out in pipettes and beakers? But we would like to tell you of the beauty, the vastness, the depths, the grandeur of God’s creation that the ocean symbolises and this is exactly what we set out to do through the incidents narrated in this book share with you our love, admiration and reverence for the man whose life is rooted in love.
Dada’s love is all-encompassing. It draws its sustenance from God and its inspiration from his Master, Sadhu Vaswani. It reaches out to the whole of creation-men, women and children; bird, beast and fish; to the whole of animate and inanimate nature. To know Dada even from afar, to let our lives be touched by his influence-even remotely- is to feel the magic of his love! This is the magic we have tried to capture for you through the pages of this book.
We consider it our rare privilege and blessing that H.H. the Dalai Lama has graced the book with his Foreword.
We dedicate this book to the love which is never blind the love which sees not only with the eyes but more so with the mind, the heart and the spirit.
Contents
vii
ix
1.
Love is Never Blind
1
2.
On His Forty First Birthday
2
3.
A Joy Bringer
7
4.
The Blessed Family
8
5.
What’s in a Name?
10
6.
The Master’s Blessings
11
7.
Academic Brilliance
12
8.
Silence Speaks
14
9.
A Bitter Lesson
15
10.
Well Chosen!
17
11.
Snake-scare!
18
12.
What Would You Like to Be?
19
13.
Wee Wisdom!
21
14.
The Compassionate One
22
15.
The Right Attitude
23
16.
What a Predicament!
24
17.
The Birthday Gift
26
18.
Precious Memories
28
19.
The Boy Scout
30
20.
An Amazing Memory
31
21.
The World is a Stage
32
22.
The Mask of Fear
33
23.
Dada Gambles!
34
24.
The Tie Untied!
36
25.
One Good Deed a Day
37
26.
Childhood Training
38
27.
Let Go, Let God!
39
28.
Practice Makes Perfect
40
29.
The Young Orator
42
30.
The Forgotten Errand
44
31.
The Raging Storm
46
32.
Soul Picnics
47
33.
The Cap of Faith
48
34.
His Names are Many
50
35.
The College Student
51
36.
The Divine Boatman
53
37.
Voracious Readers
55
38.
The Unknown Baba
56
39.
God Alone!
58
40.
Encounter with a Fakir
59
41.
Tied Down?
61
42.
Company Counts
62
43.
Venture Into The Unknown
63
44.
Genius at Work
65
45.
The Mystical Encounter
66
46.
The Young Ascetic
69
47.
The Lure of the Library
70
48.
More To Read
71
49.
Blurred Vision
73
50.
An Interlude with Law
75
51.
Maker of His Own Destiny
77
52.
A Competitor Becomes a Friend
78
53.
Votary of Truth
80
54.
The Road Less Travelled
81
55.
A letter to be Preserved
83
56.
A Doctorate Donated
86
57.
One Vision in All
88
58.
Good Nigh t, Sleep Tight!
89
59.
The All-in-One Editor
90
60.
What It is to Be Hungry
92
61.
Testing Time
94
62.
The Insatiable Quest
96
63.
Thy Will be Done!
98
64.
A Confession
100
65.
I Would Rather Go to the Police Station!
102
66.
“She was my upaguru .... “
103
67.
The Most Suitable
105
68.
O, So Simple!
106
69.
Amongst His Students
108
70.
A Principal with a Difference
110
71.
Dada’s Many Facets
112
72.
Sympathy is the Best ‘Pathy’
114
73.
Labourer in the Master’s Vineyard
115
74.
Tell Me Where God is Not
116
75.
The Teacher’s Teacher
117
76.
A Saint Gives-A Saint Takes Away!
118
77.
Dost He Not Dwell in the Stone?
120
78.
One There is Who Sees!
121
79.
A True Disciple
122
80.
Master, We Need You!
124
81.
Unquestioning Acceptance
126
82.
Be By Me!
127
83.
A Magnetic Personality
130
84.
Anjali
131
85.
All Life is Sacred
132
86.
The Touch of Love
133
87.
Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Well
134
88.
Anna Daata
135
89.
At the Ruby Hall Nursing Home
137
90.
The Pilgrim Moves On
139
91.
Give the Devil His Due
140
92.
Greet the God Within
141
93.
A Servant of All
142
94.
Surprises Up His Sleeve!
143
95.
The Day Dada Wept!
144
96.
The Dutiful Son
145
97.
How Thoughtful!
147
98.
No Price is Too High
148
99.
When Will the Poor Come to Their Own?
150
100.
. Our True Homeland
152
101.
First Overseas Yatra
153
102.
The Hand of Providence
154
103.
At the World Hindu Conference, Colombo
155
104.
With the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
156
105.
Unforgettable!
157
106.
Hanuman Darshan
158
107.
The God-Sent Kite
159
108.
Our Saviour Has Come!
160
109.
All For a Cat!
161
110.
With a Chinese Saint
162
111.
Dada Accepts a Cigarette
163
112.
An Evening with the Monkeys
164
113.
Among Indonesians
165
114.
New Horizons
166
115.
What is Your Ambition?
168
116.
Set Them Free!
169
117.
The Woman Represents Goddess Lakshmi
170
118.
Selfless Love
171
119.
The Bank with a Difference
172
120.
Prani Mitra
173
121.
Great Railway Journeys
174
122.
Did You See Him on the Road?
176
123.
At Baroda
177
124.
Teaching Through Precept
178
125.
At the Taj Mahal
179
126.
Unity of All Religions
180
Visit to the Raj Bhavan
182
128.
The Son of Sind
183
129.
At the U.N.
184
130.
Dada in New York
185
131.
Tourist in Search Of. ..
187
132.
A Dream Come True!
188
133.
Dignity of Labour
189
134.
The Florist Fan
190
135.
Private Tuition
191
136.
Dada Accepts a Gift of Wine
192
Walks That Inspire
193
138.
The Gita in Daily Life
195
139.
A Special Dada Week
196
140.
The Tenth Hindu Conference, New York
197
141.
Hari Bol!
199
142.
At the House of Commons
200
143.
One in All
202
144.
The Healing Touch
203
25th NovemberA Day to Remember
205
146.
A Brisk Walker
207
147.
Roshan Deepavali!
208
148.
A Vow Fulfilled
209
149.
Never Late!
21 1
150.
“Am I Not Your Brother?”
212
151.
Happy Birthday!
213
152.
At the Global Peace Conference
215
153.
The Chosen Path
217
154.
It’s So Wonderful!
218
155.
Humility Personified
224
156.
How Can I Believe in God?
226
157.
In the Midst of Prisoners
227
158.
Burden Bearer
229
159.
Do Thou Plan for Me!
230
160.
At the Rotary Conference
231
161.
In the Land of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
232
162.
India’s Treasure
234
163.
At World Vision 2000
236
164.
At the Parliament of World Religions
238
165.
Homes for the Homeless
240
166.
See No Evil
242
167.
The Great Giver
243
168.
Therapy of Thanksgiving
244
169.
Change the World with Love!
245
170.
My One Desire
246
171.
The Warmth of Love
247
172.
A Lump of Clay?
248
173.
British M.P. Welcomes Dada
249
174.
A Glorious Vision of the Twenty-First Century
250
175.
Louder Than Words
252
176.
The Tiny Pencil
253
177.
Dada Offers Namaz!
254
178.
Here is My Temple!
255
179.
Miami Honours Dada
257
180.
Georgia “Adopts” Dada
259
181.
You Are Not Alone!
260
182.
It is We Who Have Failed Religion!
262
183.
The Mission with A Vision
264
184.
Plenty of Time?
267
185.
A Gifted Writer
268
186.
At the World Philosophers’ Meet
269
187.
An Echo of the Divine
271
188.
A Disci pie of All
273
189.
Harmony Man, 1997
274
190.
Dada Greets the U.N. Secretary General
276
191.
At the Smithsonian Institute
277
192.
Dada at the Vatican
279
193.
Our Gates are Always Open for You!
280
194.
An Unexpected Admirer
281
195.
Laughter, The Best Medicine
282
196.
A Rose By Any Other Name ...
284
197.
With the Little Ones
285
198.
Never Be Idle!
286
199.
Your Religion is Like Your Mother!
287
200.
And Our Hearts Ached ... !
289
201.
At the Washington Medical Centre
291
202.
The Angiography
294
203.
“I Have Been Sky-Passed!”
296
204.
U Thant Peace Award
299
205.
Back Home!
301
206.
The Woman-Soul
303
207.
EQ, MQ and SQ!
304
208.
The Smile-Millionaire!
307
209.
The True Doctor
311
210.
Dada Addresses the I CC
312
211.
He Was A Bridge-Builder!
313
212.
“Who is Your Favourite Disciple?”
315
213.
First Thanksgiving Anniversary
317
214.
Are You Married?
318
215.
And Friendship Bloomed Again!
319
216.
A Mantra for the Modern Man
320
217.
“There Will be a Beautiful Temple Here!”
322
218.
Seven Notes On The Musical Scale of Peace
323
219.
“Every Day is Mother’s Day!”
325
220.
Reporters will be Reporters!
327
221.
“He Reminds Me of an Aryan Sage!”
329
222.
The Satsang Relocates
331
223.
Physician, Heal Thyself
333
224.
Good Health for All
335
225.
Come Unto Me!
337
226.
A Hawaiian Retreat
338
227.
Is Disaster About to Strike?
340
228.
The Religion of Self-Remembrance
341
229.
“You are always with us, Dada!”
343
230.
“Lord, Bless This Meal!”
345
231.
What Is Wrong With Us?
346
232.
At the Hindu Monastery of Ghana
347
233.
“How Could You Do This?”
349
234.
What Kind of a Guru is He?
350
235.
India-a Land of Overpopulation and Poverty?
352
236.
Wanted-A Peace Brigade
354
237.
At the Millennium World Peace Summit
356
238.
“Sarua Bhavantu Sukhinaha ... “
359
239.
Dada at The Town Hall, New York
362
240.
Child of My Tears!
364
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