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Darshan After Twelve Years

It is believed that there is a magnetic mountain somewhere in the sea. When a ship draws near it, all the iron nails of the ship are drawn out due to the magnetic impact, and the ship is wrecked. Shriji Maharaja was just like this magnetic mountain. As iron is drawn towards magnet, many people were drawn towards him. Some came from Lucknow, some from Benaras, Badrikashram, Jagannath puri, Madurai and Rameshwar.

Once Maharaja was seated on a wooden cot at Suthar Bhagwanjeebhai's residence at Bhuj. There were many precious ornaments on Maharaj's body, and there was a huge gathering of devotees around him. Suddenly, there came a young boy. He stood at the far end of the gathering. His dress was dirty. He was untidy. His clothes were tattered. His body was very thin. His hair was untidy. He was barefooted. He was pondering over the gathering. “This seems to be a court of some Emperor. Why have I come here ?” At once Maharaj had a glance towards him. Suddenly, Maharaj spoke, “Oh! This is my Dudho!” Thus speaking, Maharaj went towards that boy. The boy was overjoyed and ran towards Maharaj. Maharaj embraced him in the presence of the whole gathering. Maharaj drew him towards himself and seated the boy near him. The gathering was wonder struck. “Oh! Maharaj is embracing such a beggar!”

Sunderjeebhai, Alaiya Khachar, Hirjeebhai, Gangaram Mal etc. were present there. They all did speak. “Maharaj, we have been with you since years, but you have never given us such a loving embrace,” Maharaj laughed and said,” This is Dudho. I have enjoyed DUDHAPAK (Sweet dish of milk and rice) every day for the whole month at his house. Still I have belching of it, haven't I”? Dudho said, “Maharaj, in my case, really speaking I have no belching of it now. I have been searching you for the last twelve years. Only today I have found you out”.

Maharaj glanced at the devotees and said,” Did you hear that? He has been searching for me for the last twelve years, we could meet only today.” Haribhaktas' curiosity knew no bound. Maharaj said, “We will talk about it later on, Presently, call the barber. Let Dudho's hair be tidied. Let him give a bath and a new dress. Allow him to have a morsel of food.” Saying thus, Maharaj dispersed the meeting. The barber cut Dudho's hair. Dudho had his bath and wore clean clothes. Maharaj seated him near his side at dinner. He fed Dudho with great insistence. Who was that boy ? Maharaj himself has narrated about Dudho. It was as follows:- Maharaj, in the guise of Nilkanth Varnee, was roaming round the world. Once, while roaming, he chanced upon a hut of a poor man. A women, along with her daughter and a son, was staying in the hut. The son was not present at the time of Maharaj's arrival to their hut. The boy had gone to milk cows. The woman saw a young boyish Sadhu in her courtyard; She welcomed him and said,” Maharaj, will you take some food?”

“Yes”, said Varnee, so the woman bought earthen vessels holding curd, and she said, “Take this at present. Meanwhile my son who has gone to milk cows will arrive with milk. Then you may enjoy milk”.Varnee relished the curd. Meanwhile the woman's son arrived with milk in pitches carried on a bamboo supported on his shoulders. He was glad on seeing a sage. He said, “Maharaj, will you take milk?” “Yes” said Varnee, “bring it, I will take a little”. Why a little ? Take more. We have no scarcity of milk here. We always eat milk and curd eagerly and quickly,” replied the boy.

“Don't you take the grains in your food ?” asked Varnee. We do eat it, but we don't have grains at present. When we prepare ghee and go to the village to sell it, I buy some food grains. We eat it till it lasts. When it is exhausted, we will go without it,” said the boy. The boy's mother said, “We may go without food-grains, but to have a sage in our midst is a rarity. My dear son, go to the market just now and buy some rice and sugar. We will serve a sweet dish of rice and milk to this Sadhu”. The boy liked his mother's idea.

This family lived very far away in lonely place away from the populous area. Varnee also liked the company of forests more than company of the society. Therefore, seeing a lonely hut in a deserted area, Varnee had visited it. The boy underwent a long journey on foot to the village and brought rice and sugar. Then that woman prepared a sweet dish and served it to Varnee.

The woman requested Varnee, “Please stay here permanently, eat DUDHAPAK and be happy”. The woman and her daughter slept indoors and Varnee and the boy slept outside. The woman used to get up early in the morning and immediately she would go outside to check whether Varnee had gone away or not. Hence she had told her son that they would not allow Varnee to go away. Her intention in doing so was solely to serve such an ascetic. The whole day the only talk they had of Dudhapak. Therefore, Varnee named the woman's son as Dudho. Varnee always called him as Dudho.

Thus passed one full month. Varnee had to perform many deeds. How can he afford to sit at one place? So, one night he (Varnee) Stealthily got up and started off. When the woman got up in the next morning, she found Varnee had left. She shouted to rouse the boy from the sleep and said that he was careless and so Varnee escaped; and she said, “Now go and find him out from anywhere.” Dudho, following the foot-prints of Varnee, started for Varnee's search. After walking ten miles, he saw Varnee bathing in a river. Dudho jumped into the river with his clothes on. He caught Varnee by his hand and said, “Come on, my mother is waiting for you”.

Dudho, I am a saint. If I has to stay at home, I had my own home,” said Varnee. But Dudho was obstinate in taking Varnee back home. He stayed with Varnee and constantly insisted “Come home with me”. Arguing thus, they arrived in a dreadful forest. Varnee said, “Dudho, go back. This is a dense forest. Here you will find only tigers and leopards.” “If you are not afraid of tigers and leopards why, should I be afraid of them? “ said Dudho. “I am habituated in the company of tigers and leopards you cannot do that. Tigers and Leopards would devour you”.

“No worry, let them devour me,” said Dudho. At that moment, tiger's roar was heard, and a dreadful tiger was before him. Varnee was not affected in the least. Varnee stood gazing at the tiger. And lo! The next moment, the tiger became silent as in a picture. Dudho began to look at the tiger and at Varnee by turns. He understood that was Varnee's trick. Varnee said, “Dudho, run away. There is a tiger before us, your mother might be waiting for you at home. Go back alive and make her happy”.

“My mother would not be happy on seeing me. That would be only possible if you are with me. I am not going without you,” declared Dudho. “Then let it be so. I am not in a position to accompany you. But I promise I will definitely see your mother once,” said Varnee. “When will you meet my mother? asked Dudho. When you come back to take me away,” said Varnee. “Promise?” asked Dudho “I promise. See how silently is the tiger standing? Go near him and pat him,” said Varnee. Now Dudho had full faith in Varnee. Boldly, with firm steps, he went near the tiger and patted the tiger on the head and he returned. Then the tiger had his life returned. He (tiger) at once turned back, leapt and disappeared in the jungle.

Now Varnee and Dudho had their on ways. Dudho took his homeward way, while Varnee went to the way leading to a fearful forest. Dudho went home and said to his mother, “Varnee has promised me to visit you once,” but his mother was not satisfied with this. She insisted, “Why have you come back without Varnee. Go back and return home only with him”. Dudho again went in search of Varnee. He went hither and thither, but in vain. He failed to trace Varnee. Thus twelve years passed by. Then he got the information about Varnee's whereabouts in Gujarat. Dudho came to Gujarat. At last he arrived in Bhuj. Here he had a Darshan of Varnee. Dudho stayed with him. He said to Varnee, “Maharaj, initiate me as your Sadhu”. “You have come here to take me to your home, haven't you? Your mother is waiting for you. She is on her death-bed, “said Maharaj. Maharaj, in the company of Dudho, went to her house, in a divine form. The mother who was on her death-bed saw her son with Varnee. She was glad. She said, “At last my son has returned with Varnee.”

Maharaj said, “Mother, I have come to take you”, Saying thus, Maharaj (Varnee) put his hand on the head of Dudho's mother. Thus came the end of Dudho's mother. She passed away. The next day Maharaj initiated Dudho as a Sadhu with Bhagwati Diksha. The people, who had been surprised to see an ordinary wandering boy being honoured so greatly by Maharaj, were still more astonished by the story told by Maharaj himself. They said, “Where is the absorption, a craze in us of wandering for twelve years to have Maharaj's Darshan? We have been so lazy that even though Maharaj has some here and yet we do not care for his Darshan.”

This lesson has been prepared from an incident taken from a great book called SHRI PURUSHOTTAMA LEELAMRIT SAGAR.