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Published by eBooks, 2022-08-03 08:35:28

Jyotipunj-Eng

Jyotipunj-Eng

51

metaphysics and sermons issued by Swami Vivekananda are in
consonance with this conduct of mine. I am more influenced by
his teachings than anybody else’s. I am confident that I would
be able to take forward the work of Swami Vivekananda if I
stay in the Sangh.’ While giving such arguments, I had seen a
streak of self-confidence in the eyes of Guruji, and I just cannot
forget it. Doctor Saheb had grown serious. This was the
psychological fancy of Guruji behind his complete dedication.”

A small sentence uttered by Doctor Saheb had awakened
his unflinching spirit of being a Swayamsevak, and he abided
by this ideal all his life. He kept working without a brake for
thirty-three years on its basis.

Dedication and devotion of Guruji never showed any signs
of recession. It kept on gradually augmenting. We find nothing
but doubts during his initial interactions with Dr. Hedgewar.
With the passage of time, the element of curiosity was
introduced in it. Guruji says himself: “His speeches had no
impact on my mind; but the time etched the same speeches, the
same words, the same face, the same reasoning into my mind
and heart. Doctor Saheb had conquered not only his intelligence,
but the entire scope of sentiments. This process of devotion
continued unabated, and did not stop even after the demise of
Doctor Saheb.” Later, this sentiment saw the zenith when Guruji
was wont to say about himself: “Whenever I felt shaky, the life
of Doctor Saheb inspired me and guided me.” He always urged
the Swayamsevaks to practise the life of Doctor Saheb.

Unending National Journey
It is no trivial thing to travel continuously over thirty-three

years. Did he never suffer from illness? Did his transport never
break down? Did he never get late for the schedule of rest? Did
he not confront any of the factors that could have impeded his
march – fever, feeling cold, sun and shadow, change of season?
He must have had to face a number of difficulties. However,
Guruji nursed no ambitions, no wants, and he set out on his
path with the spirit of complete devotion and firm resolve. He
kept moving ahead, working hard every moment, for thirty-

52

three years, investing every particle of body, every drop of his
blood, every moment of his life, for the well-being of
Motherland, for the glory of Mother India, for the advancement
of millions of people of this land, and this was the ardent desire
in his mind with which he kept on marching ahead as the Second
Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Once, somebody asked the venerable Guruji, “Where do
you live?” He responded quite spontaneously, “The train
compartment.” His journey continued for thirty-three years,
without a brake. He was inflicted by a terrible disease like cancer,
yet he did not stop and his journey around the country went on
unabated.

This incident occurred in the year 1943. There was a meeting
of the state level volunteers at Pune. Guruji too was present in
the meeting. After he assumed the charge of Sarsanghchalak,
he was touring the country, without a rest, without a brake. The
volunteers would display their sentimental attachment with him
and advise him for a rest. In this meeting, he mentioned this
advice and said, “Rest? What rest? Now rest will be possible
only when the work in hand has been accomplished, or it will
be possible at the deathbed.”

A Swayamsevak of Self-consciousness
In the eyes of people, he was perhaps the Sarsanghchalak,

but he himself was a Swayamsevak of continuous self-
consciousness. When the Sangh Shiksha Varga of the central
Indian region was held at Gwalior, the venerable Guruji was
one of the participants. He was sitting in the row to have his
food. The volunteer in-charge for the management of meals
informed everybody that no Swayamsevak was to rise until the
guests in the middle row finished their meals and walked away.
In the middle row were seated the respected Guruji, Rajmata
Scindia, Atal Behari Vajpayee and others. When the in-charge
informed, all people in the middle row started to rise and walk
away, but Guruji did not rise. At this, the in-charge requested
him to go too. At this, Guruji said, “You had asked only the
guests, and not the Swayamsevaks, to walk away and I am a

53

Swayamsevak, how could I go?” If we look at this occurrence, it
appears to be quite ordinary, but when we descend into its
depth, we find that his spirit of being a Swayamsevak was very
deep within him. He considered himself an ordinary
Swayamsevak even in abiding by a small instruction. He kept
sitting there itself, and rose when other Swayamsevaks rose to
walk away. Guruji, despite his being the Sarsanghchalak, always
considered himself a Swayamsevak first and last, and due to
this spirit, he touched the inner sentiments of the
Swayamsevaks. He shared their sentiments and emotions. This
spirit in him was always alert.

Expansion of Sentiments
Once Guruji was travelling from Ajmer to Indore by train.

Those days, the train stopped over Ratlam for close to two hours.
There was a Swayamsevak in Ratlam, named Gopalrao. Guruji
was scheduled to have lunch at his house. The volunteer had
planned programmes in tune with the availability of time of
two hours, which included a talk with the local Swayamsevaks
and meals. When Guruji arrived at Ratlam, he was informed
that the train was late and was about to start soon, so he should
take his meals first. But he said: “No, I will talk to the
Swayamsevaks who have come, and if there is any time left, I
would take meals too, else the lunch is suspended.” Guruji sat
down to talk with the Swayamsevaks. Whenever he talked with
them, he used to forget all about himself. Leave aside meals, it
was now time for the train to leave, and now he was forced to
leave without meals. As Guruji started to walk, Gopalrao had
tears in his eyes. He urged, “Guruji, you came to my house yet
you are leaving without meals.” The Swayamsevak was quite
sad. Guruji understood his sentiments. He said, “Brother, I am
a Swayamsevak too. I can understand your feelings. When I
return to Ajmer from Indore, I am about to pass from this place
in the evening. I promise to take meals with you then.” Guruji
was not habitual of eating at night. In Indore, he instructed to
suspend the lunch as he was scheduled to eat meals at Gopalrao’s
house. Gopalrao was an ordinary Swayamsevak, yet Guruji saw

54

his moist eyes and understood his deep emotions. He could
touch the emotions of his Swayamsevaks, he could feel them
himself, because his life had become one with the lives of
thousands of Swayamsevaks. He kept expanding his sentiments
of being a Swayamsevak, all the time.

Swayamsevak and Swayamsevak, the distinction between
Sarsanghchalak and Swayamsevak is eroded, and they become
brothers. A Swayamsevak from Rangoon, named Pravinchandra
Doshi came to India in April 1956 to take part in the Sangh
Shiksha Varga. The Sangh had been founded at Nagpur;
therefore, it is natural for every Swayamsevak to regard Nagpur
as a place of pilgrim. In India, Pravinchandra too headed for
Nagpur on 23 April, and reached at the residence of the Param
Pujya Guruji. He felt gratitude on meeting with Guruji. At that
time, about 15-20 adult Swayamsevaks were with Guruji, one
of whom was a doctor who knew Pravinchandra a little. He
asked him, “Is there any of your relatives here? Where are you
put up in Nagpur?”

Pravinchandra was confused at this question from the
doctor. He found it hard to think of an answer. At this, Guruji
understood the matter, and said, “He is my guest and will stay
at my home.”

Listening to these words from Guruji, Pravinchandra was
pleased uncontrollably, his eyes grew moist – how great
affection this was, how great attachment this was! When a
Swayamsevak meets another, they meet not like two
Swayamsevaks, but like two brothers. Such a spontaneous
conduct the most venerable Guruji possessed. Every
Swayamsevak of the Sangh was like a son to Guruji. He was
very pleased whenever he heard of a Swayamsevak’s
accomplishments. Any stranger coming into contact with him
was bound to feel ‘inaccessible, unapproachable’ on seeing the
curious personality of Guruji. Many Swayamsevaks felt
hesitation and fear when they approached the Sarsanghchalak,
yet once they came into his contact, their hesitation and fear
would evaporate away. In the company of Guruji, all distinctions
of age and status lapsed into oblivion. Guruji was like a child

55

Swayamsevak when he was among the children. Once in
Nagpur, Guruji went to attend the Gau-rakshan Upshakha (cow
protection sub-camp). After the prayers, he was walking towards
the car. He had with him other child Swayamsevaks who were
enjoying themselves. When he came near the car and opened
the door, a child Swayamsevak asked, “Is this your motorcar?”

Guruji too was in a joyful mood, he said, “Yes, it’s mine.”
“Do you drive it?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you still know how to drive a car?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You are wonderful,” the child Swayamsevak expressed
surprise. A child Swayamsevak had certified Guruji, the
Sarsanghchalak, that he was wonderful.

Every Hindu – My Brother
In the Hedgewar Bhavan in Nagpur, a brother named

Mangal Prasad was carrying out the responsibility of a cook, he
had been working in this capacity for several years. Once, on
the death of his brother, Mangal Prasad visited his parental
village, Bandhava. The most venerable Guruji wrote a letter of
consolation. He addressed him as ‘Dearest Friend Mangal
Prasad’. Mangal Prasad had not wept when he received the
information of his brother’s death, but when he read Guruji’s
letter, especially the address ‘Dearest Friend Mangal Prasad’,
his eyes watered down. It was very fortunate of him to be
addressed as the dearest friend by a great man.

Mangal Prasad too looked after Guruji in equal measure.
The Param Pujya Guruji was suffering from cancer; the final
moments of his life were approaching fast. He felt pain even in
taking medicine. It was Mangal Prasad who gave him medicine
daily. One day, Guruji said, “What is the need of taking medicine
now?” Guruji instructed him not to give him medicine, still
Mangal Prasad went to him with a spoonful of medicine. Seeing
it, Guruji said: “I suppose Doctor Abaji has sent you. Go and
tell him that I don’t want to take any medicine.” At this, Mangal
Prasad said: “No, Guruji, I have made it myself.” Listening to

56

this, Guruji gulped down the medicine. Mangal Prasad was a
cook, yet he was part of this Hindu society too, he was a son of
Mother India. ‘He is my brother’, these types of sentiments were
always displayed by Guruji in his behaviour.

“Every Hindu of the Hindu society is my brother. Every
suffering of his is mine. Every sorrow of his is mine,” Guruji
had such feelings in his heart all the time. He never
distinguished between a Swayamsevak and an ordinary
individual, when he was in trouble. He felt the same way
whether it was a coolie carrying luggage at the railway station,
or a mill worker, his heart always melted at seeing his pitiable
condition. On his way to home in Nagpur, there was an old
beggar who daily laid himself on the street. Guruji had noticed
him too. One day, when Guruji was returning, he saw that the
old beggar was not there. He enquired of him from the
neighbouring people, and he was told that he had died just two
days ago.

Listening to this news, Guruji grew sorrowful. The face of
the old beggar was appearing on his psyche repeatedly. In a
meeting of the Prant Pracharaks some time after this incident,
he even mentioned it painfully. The pain that Guruji felt was
that there was no one to look after that beggar in that advanced
stage of life. There was no one to put a drop of water or two in
his mouth; there was no hand to provide succour to him in his
dying moment. There ought to be scores of such unfortunate
people in such a large Hindu society. Who was there to wipe
their tears?

The Param Pujya Guruji took all care to shape the
Swayamsevaks’ lives and groom their personalities. This
sentiment has kept expressing itself in his life. The mother of
the Param Pujya Guruji says: “When Madhu was in the fourth
standard, there was a poem in the syllabus ‘Kevdhe Krorya hai’
(How terrible cruelty this is), that of a bird, in which a hunter
shoots down a bird. It is wounded, it tries to fly away, but falls
down every time. This scene has been delineated in it in a heart-
moving style, reading which Madhu’s eyes streamed down. His
inner-self was very delicate.”

57

Authenticity of a Swayamsevak
A few years ago, I came across a small occurrence. A Katha

(religious recitation of a holy text) was underway at Mahesana.
It was being organized to collect money for the famine victims.
A bag was being sent across people for the relief fund. In a corner
were seated a few rich, wealthy people, when a volunteer
approached them with the bag. An organizer noticed that the
bags being carried around by people bore a particular colour
and a number; but the man who approached these wealthy
people carried a different type of bag. They felt that he must be
a trickster who would flee away after collecting funds.
Therefore, the organizer caught hold of that man and took him
aside. He raged in fury as he was confident that he was a cheat.
He asked him that he had a bag of different colour, which bore
no number, then why he was collecting the funds. The organizer
kept shouting, but that man did not loose his cool, he looked
into the eyes of the organizer and said, “I am a Swayamsevak of
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.” Listening to these words,
the organizer stepped back. His face lost gleam. He said,
“Brother, I am sorry to have uttered bitter words to you. I am
sorry for the mistake.” In our ordinary life, Swayamsevaks of
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and authenticity have
become so interwoven that they have become inseparable. That
man did not need to say anything else in his defence. Later it
was found out that the man was right. The bag he carried too
was right and he was carrying out his duty well. After the
programme, a meeting was held of the volunteers. The reciting
saint too was present in it. The organizers were sentimental in
this meeting, and they expressed their emotions thus: “We all
beg pardon of our brother from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh. We were wrong to disrespect a Swayamsevak and doubt
his authenticity and integrity.”

Not ‘You Do’, but ‘We Do’
Just think how the authenticity and integrity of a

Swayamsevak has remained inviolable after such a long period
of time too! What are the factors behind this concept? Was it

58

not rooted in adequate causes? No, a continuous consciousness
awakening effort has been made for building the Swayamsevaks,
due attention has been paid to this factor. The venerable Guruji
was very careful regarding the fact how Swayamsevaks should
be cultivated. Due attention was given on even insignificant
details.

Once in a programme, a song was being sung. A poet had
emerged with a new song, and our Swayamsevaks were singing
it. The song started with a beautiful line: Tum Karo Rashtra
Aradhan (You worship the Nation). Before the first line was
complete, the Param Pujya Guruji intervened and said: “O
brother, keep standing. It should be ‘Ham Karen Rashtra Aradhan’
and not ‘Tum Karo Rashtra Aradhan’. Guruji laid emphasis on
the word ‘Ham’ (we). The poet had used very fantastic words,
but he had not thought about the traits that it would cultivate.
However, Guruji imagined about the traits that it could cultivate,
so he changed the words from ‘you do’ to ‘we do’. He
conceptualized the idea of ‘we’. He discussed that something
was not for ‘the government’ to do, but for ‘I’ to do. Whose is
the responsibility of building Motherland, for progress of
Motherland, for development of Motherland, for
revolutionizing Motherland, that our Mother India once again
occupies the high seat of world leadership? This responsibility
lies with the Swayamsevaks.

It should not be ‘you do’, rather it should be ‘we do’.
Once the Param Pujya Guruji visited a small Shakha. The
Swayamsevaks were seated in a group after the games. The
Param Pujya Guruji enquired, “Which games did you play
today?” The Swayamsevaks informed that they had played
‘Deepak Bujhana’ (extinguishing lamps). Guruji immediately
retorted, “In Hindu culture, ‘Deep Bujhana’ cannot be
acceptable, we are the inheritors of the tradition in which the
lamp of learning is lighted.” He instructed that ‘Deep Bujhana’
should not be the name of a game. He immediately suggested a
change in its name to ‘Ahwan’. How aware he was!
Once in Jabalpur town, there was a meeting of the Mukhya
Shikshaks and higher officials of the Mahakaushal Prant. It was

59

the time of morning. Guruji was seeking information from the
officials. The Param Pujya Guruji asked an official, “How many
Swayamsevaks are there in your town?” The number that the
official said was the number of Swayamsevaks who were in his
daily contact. At this, Guruji said, “Your Shakha is quite old,
the number of Swayamsevaks should be larger there. Why is it
so?” The official intimated that a large number of officials had
quit the Shakha. Guruji further enquired, “How long has this
phenomenon of quitting the Shakha been taking place?” And
then he said in earnestness: “The Sangh work revolves around
linking and uniting people of the society, and not leaving them
alone.”

Awareness of Working
How curious, how aware the Swayamsevaks are to their

work! The personalities of the Swayamsevaks have been
moulded through effort of continuous awareness. There is an
incident that occurred in the year 1957. Due to the imposition
of government ban, the Shakha could not be held in the open in
Satara district; therefore, to hold the Gurudakshina programme,
a Swayamsevak held the Satyanarayan Dev Katha in his house,
in which all new and old Swayamsevaks were invited. The priest
too had been intimated that the money collected in the ceremony
would be deposited in the Gurudakshina fund of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh. The priest accepted the condition willingly
and did not take his own Dakshina, rather he too paid it. This
was how the Swayamsevaks used to collect Gurudakshina.

A few days after the programme was held, Guruji visited
the town. He was also told how Gurudakshina was collected.
In the meeting, Guruji said: “The money that the Swayamsevaks
presented before the flag after paying their obeisance to it could
only belong to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The money
that the Swayamsevaks offered in the worship rightly belongs
to the priest; therefore, that money should be delivered to him
on an urgent basis, and confirm the action taken to me.” He did
not accept anything that deviated from the Sangh’s traditions.
He made untiring efforts to awaken the spirit of being a

60

Swayamsevak in every Swayamsevak.
The spirit of Swayamsevak is cultivated by small, tiny,

insignificant things. Guruji knew this fact well, and it was due
to this reason that he made every effort to improve upon the
Shakhas, the programmes held in them and the behaviour of
the Swayamsevaks, and he expected all Swayamsevaks to
behave themselves accordingly.

The Sangh Shiksha Varga was being held in Kanpur. A full-
dress march was conducted in the presence of the Param Pujya
Guruji. The Swayamsevaks were marching in their respective
rows. The Pracharaks and other important workers from all over
the state were taking part in it in full dress. This march was
taken out through the main road of the city.

After the dinner, the volunteers were sitting with Guruji in
the ground for informal interaction. The topic of the march that
day too came up for discussion. Then Guruji enquired: “One of
your officials in the dress did not have a cap, who was he?” He
had noticed that one among thousands of Swayamsevaks had
not put on his cap. The Swayamsevaks fell silent. Then an official
stood up. The Param Pujya Guruji said, “So, it was you who did
not wear the cap.” The official said, “Yes.” “Where was your
cap? The march had to be conducted in full dress.” He informed,
“I gave it to a Swayamsevak who was here to attend the Shiksha
Varga.” “What happened to his cap?” enquired Guruji. The
officer said, “He did not have it.” At this, Guruji laughed and
said, “Comforting this way does not make one a Swayamsevak.”

Now, let us look at another instance, in which he displayed
his concept of ‘comforting’ a Swayamsevak. The Param Pujya
Guruji was scheduled to attend the concluding meeting of the
two-day meet of the south region in Madurai (Tamil Nadu). He
had to finish his talk at five. The meeting was still on when a
Swayamsevak stood up and walked away, because he had to
catch a bus at half past five. After the programme, Guruji
enquired about him when he was informed of this fact that he
had to catch the bus at half past five, and so he went out early.
At this, he expressed surprise and said: “I had talked to that
Swayamsevak before the programme, and I had informed him

61

that my talk would be over right at five o’clock, and I had asked
him if he would face any difficulty in this way. He himself had
told me that it would be a fine thing.” After this, Guruji showed
his wristwatch to the Swayamsevaks which struck sharp five at
just that time. What we mean to say that he used to take notice
of even tiny, insignificant things like taking the bus by a
Swayamsevak, even during such a busy schedule.

In a meeting, he was enquiring of Swayamsevaks how the
Sangh work was progressing. At that, a volunteer stood up and
said that the Sangh work was not expanding well. The Param
Pujya Guruji asked why it was so. The volunteer said, “My
volunteers do not work.” At this, Guruji said: “No, it is wrong
to imagine so. You should replace the words ‘my volunteers’
with the words ‘my comrades’.” Thus, he did not approve of
any distinction. He did not accept the distinction between official
and volunteer, leader and follower. He approved of only the
united whole. He has paid attention to such minute details in
developing the Sangh and moulding the Swayamsevaks. This
hard work lies in the basis of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
We can find an effervescence, an illumination, a lamp of light
in his devotion towards his work.

Lamps Numerous – Light One
What type of work does the Sangh do? When we light a

lamp, light emanates from it. The Param Pujya Guruji says: “One
lamp should be lit from another, and thus should numerous
lamps be lit.” This is the express manifestation of the
metaphysics of Shankaracharya’s Advaitism, in which lies no
distinction. Just notice the fact that the light cannot be
distinguished whether a lamp is lit or a number of them are lit.
Science has not developed a device by which light emanating
from different lamps can be distinguished as coming from a
particular lamp, or if light is coming from a lamp lit by oil or
ghee, or if it is being lit in a silver or earthen lamp – we can find
no distinction. A lamp can be distinct, but not its light. The lamp,
in the form of Swayamsevaks, right from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari, from Atack to Cuttack, is lit. A resplendent source

62

of light exists in the whole country, without any distinction of
any kind. You cannot distinguish whether a Swayamsevak
belongs to Ahmedabad or Guwahati or Kanyakumari. All of
them emanate the same light. All are like lamps in the infinite
row of lamps, being lit together, being lit from one common
source.

This work was the outcome of the Param Pujya Guruji’s
hard work in which he built thousands of lives through his
conscious sight, continuous awareness and minute observation.
All this was rooted in the unbroken spirit of being a
Swayamsevak of Guruji, it was eternally alive and conscious,
all residing in one heart, one mind. There is no line which
distinguishes between a Swayamsevak and the Sarsanghchalak.
It is ‘Aham Brahmasmi – Tattvamasi’ manifest incarnate ‘I am
what you are’. As a result, his personality had the capability of
awakening and infusing consciousness in others. When you
touch iron to a philosopher’s stone, it too turns into gold, but
not in another philosopher ’s stone. However, a touch of a
Sangh’s Swayamsevak can make a Swayamsevak. This
continuous rosary could be formed due to continuous work of
the most venerable Guruji. In the life of Guruji, the daily Shakha
was a subject of devotion and faith. He was keenly committed
to the Shakha.

Urge for Discipline
The Param Pujya Guruji wished for perfect spirit of being a

Swayamsevak. He liked complete uniformity, there was no place
for incomplete work or imperfection in it. He always presented
before the Swayamsevaks an ideal form whether it comes to
discipline or system. He laid stress on discipline, and he himself
followed it all his life.

The Bauddhik Varga of the Param Pujya Guruji was
underway at Barabanki. Once a Swayamsevak was making
Guruji’s sketch with a pencil. With the completion of the talk,
he completed the exact sketch of Guruji. After the programme,
that Swayamsevak went to Rajju Bhaiya and showing the sketch
said: “Please get it signed by the Param Pujya Guruji.” Rajju

63

Bhaiya took him to Guruji. He looked at the sketch and asked,
“Are you only an artist or a Swayamsevak too?” The
Swayamsevak said, “I am a Swayamsevak and attend the Shakha
regularly.” At this, Guruji said, “When I was expressing my inner
feelings through my speech using all my energy, you were busy
making this sketch. This work was not meant to be done at that
time. What type of Swayamsevak you are! I shall not sign this
sketch.”

Once the Param Pujya Guruji visited Andhra Pradesh. The
scheduled time for the train to arrive was about 4 in the morning.
Because the station was a main junction, so the train had to stop
there for three quarters of an hour. The Swayamsevaks thought
that the Param Pujya Guruji would be able to finish his morning
chores in half an hour between four and five. They planned to
keep tea ready in a thermos, and to take the car for their
destination, which was about one hundred km away, so as to
arrive for the programme in time.

When the train started at night, the Param Pujya Guruji
was informed about his schedule for the next day, by a senior
officer Bapurao Modhe. Listening to the schedule, Guruji said:
“There is a notice in the train bathrooms, have you ever read
it?” Bapurao said, “Yes, I have.” Guruji said: “It says that the
use of bathroom is prohibited when the train is standing at a
station. Because I abide by this rule, so I would not be able to
use the bathroom when the train is standing at the station.”
You can just think that millions of people travel in the trains,
and all of them must have read this notice, but how many are
the people who have abided by it?

Dedication Towards Shakha
After the demise of the Man. Dr. Hedgewar, the command

of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh came in the hands of the
Param Pujya Guruji. Prior to Guruji, there were a number of
experienced Swayamsevaks in the Sangh. The country was faced
with the question of independence, the movements were being
held at every place. In such a time, many volunteers would ask
Guruji, flowing in spirits. Once in a meeting, a volunteer said,

64

“Holding this Shakha will result into nothing. Now we should
consider on adopting some new method, else our Sangh and
our country will collapse completely.” Guruji listened to the
anguish of the Swayamsevak patiently and peacefully. Guruji
was about 35-36 years of age at that time. He said in all glory,
“If it collapses, I will begin it from the beginning.”

He said, “If it comes to complete destruction, I will once
again go to Mohite Bare in Nagpur where the Sangh place is
located, and will gather people as Dr. Hedgewar did, and then
start the Shakha, and will rest only after I have hailed Mother
India.” Such unshakable faith he had in the Shakha.

Let us know the height of his dedication to the Shakha from
another instance. This occurred at the time when the
Shankaracharya of Sharda Peeth left for heavenly abode. After
the funeral, the Shankaracharya of Dwarika Peeth, Abhinav
Sachchidanand sent Guruji a message, “Param Pujya Guruji,
the seat of Shankaracharya lies vacant, and there is none in the
world who can fit this high seat. I can see none other than you
who has a suitable personality for it.” It is a matter of honour
for anybody to get this respect, what else he would need! But,
Guruji sent back his message in all humility, “Jagadguru, your
command is supreme, but prior to this assignment, I have
already accepted a great task. The Shakha is the devotion of my
life, I would be able to serve the society better by the Shakha.
Therefore, please drop the idea of considering me for this high
seat of Jagadguru.” Humble as Guruji was, but he had also
expressed his complete dedication to the Shakha in which a few
youths, a few children and a few infants took part. Guruji went
on working with complete faith and devotion, and he gave up
the high seat of Shankaracharya. No other post, even higher
than the Sangh Shakha, could waver him from his faith and
devotion. He had no higher ambition in life than to serve Mother
India.

Height of Spirituality
Once the Param Pujya Guruji toured Madras Prant. He

wished to meet Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati, the

65

Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamkoti Peeth. A message was sent
across to the Man. Shankaracharya. In response, he intimated
that Guruji could see him at his own convenience. Guruji visited
Kanchi Kamkoti. However, when Guruji entered the Shankar
Math, at that time, the Man. Shankaracharya, after due bath
and dress, was offering prayers to the Bhagwadgita in the prayer
hall. There was a rule that nobody could enter the prayer hall
once the prayer had started, even if he were his own pupil.
However, when the Man. Shankaracharya came to know of the
arrival of Guruji, he asked to bring him in. They both offered
prayers together and talked. After that, Guruji took his leave. A
pupil of Shankaracharya was curious to know about all this. He
asked the Shankaracharya, “Swamiji, you don’t allow anybody
else to enter the prayer hall while the prayer is on, why did you
then allow Guruji inside?”

The Man. Shankaracharya replied, “This common rule is
for the ordinary mortals. Sri Guruji is Lord Shiva incarnate.”
But Guruji had no liking for any post higher than the Shakha or
Sangh work.

The Param Pujya Guruji visited the Ramakrishna Mission
and the Vidya Mandir in Mysore. On this occasion, Swami
Amitabh Maharaj said in his welcome speech for Guruji, “Guruji
had undertaken Sadhana with perseverance and patience in the
Sargachi Ashram. On the basis of my company with him during
that period, I can claim that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
has obtained ‘Narendra’ (God of men) as its leader.”

The Param Pujya Guruji was about to visit Gujarat. At this
time, Guru Maharaj Pujya Rang Avadhoot was in Vadodara too.
When he came to know, he said, “I wish to see Guruji.” At this,
the Sangh’s Swayamsevaks said, “It is not proper for the Guru
Maharaj himself to come to see Guruji. Guruji said that he would
go himself, but Guru Maharaj said that he would go. It was a
complicated situation. Ultimately, Guruji had to abide by the
command of Guru Maharaj, and the latter visited him. Just
imagine the scene when the two met! Guru Maharaj arrived at
the residence of Baspa Himmatbhai Thakkar, when Guruji, the
leader of a massive organisation of the world who had attained

66

spirituality himself, came down the stairs running like a child
to receive the celebrated guest. He opened the door to the car.
Guru Maharaj stepped out. Guruji laid himself down before
him in veneration. Guru Maharaj stood him up and embraced
him. Guruji said something which only a learned scholar can
understand. He said, “We have met scores of times before, but
it is for the first time that we are meeting in the bodies.” There
was silence outward, but the dialogue was continuing within.
They exchanged their sentiments, ideas, and thoughts – all
through their spiritual sensations. Everybody was looking at
them in a shocked state. None of them was ready to get apart
from the other. It was believed that Guruji never wished to be
photographed with anybody, but that day, he called the
photographer himself and said, “Come, take my photograph
with Guru Maharaj.” He took Guru Maharaj in his arms and
got himself photographed in this pose. This photo exists even
today. It was an eternal sentiment of Guruji. It is hard to imagine
the height of spirituality that he had touched.

Shakha – the Mantra of Life
The Param Pujya Guruji, who had excelled in spiritual life,

perhaps had the only goal of Shakha as the mantra of life. Let
us experience his unshakable faith and strong belief in the
system of Shakha.

In the month of February in 1946, Guruji visited the city of
Kolkata. One day, Guruji was scheduled to take part in a
refreshment programme with some prestigious people of the
city. In it, an old doctor addressed Guruji thus: “I am in
agreement with the goal of the Sangh, but I fail to understand
how such high goals could be realized through such trivial
means. Will you be ever able to realize such a massive and noble
goal only through Daksha-Aram-Danda-Khadga-Shool-
Kabaddi and the like?” Guruji laughed at this and said, “Doctor
Saheb, what is the master drug in your allopathic system of
medicine?” The doctor said, “Penicillin.” Guruji asked, “What
is it from which penicillin is made?” The doctor said,
“Everybody is aware that it is made from the stale, bad-smelling

67

grain which nobody would ever like to smell.” At this, Guruji
said, “It simply means that even a useless thing can be utilized
well if it goes in the hands of capable people. Does it not mean
that even the worst thing can yield the best results in the hands
of experts?” The doctor agreed in the affirmative. Guruji added
to this statement: “And here we are the experts in the science of
organisation.”

Once there was a Shivir (camp) for all Pracharaks of the
Sangh at Sindhi near Vardha. It was being attended by numerous
Pracharaks including Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. It was so
arranged that all Pracharaks would serve food in turn. One day,
it was the turn of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. He had to serve
chapattis. As he walked with the basket of chapattis, he reached
the row in which Guruji was sitting. When he reached near him,
a chapatti fell down. Deendayal felt bad. He picked up the
chapatti immediately. At this, Guruji said laughing, “Why
Panditji, it appears that you are not attending Shakha these
days.” Just match the three things – the chapatti falls, the
personality of Deendayal and the remark of Guruji. He meant
by his remark that agility is part of life, and you cannot get that
agility without attending the daily Shakha.

Sangh – A Family
Guruji had a clear vision and expectations about the moral

responsibilities of a Sangh official. Once in a village, the Param
Pujya Guruji requested a prestigious and elderly gentleman to
take the command of the Shakha as a Sanghsanchalak. The
elderly gentleman said, “What do you expect of me as a
Sanghsanchalak?”

“Just suppose that you are the senior most member of a
joint family. Your family comprises of sons and daughters,
cousins and nieces, grandsons and granddaughters. What will
be your duties as the senior most member of the family?” Guruji
asked him in a natural manner. The gentleman replied, “I shall
take care of each of them. I shall make effort so that they all live
peacefully and happily.” Guruji asked, “Will you allow them to
quarrel with each other?” The gentleman said, “No, never. I

68

will not allow them to quarrel with each other, rather I shall
make effort to ensure increase in their mutual love and
affection.”

“Will you pay attention when sons and daughters grow up
in the family after due education?” Guruji asked. And the
gentleman replied, “Yes, of course. I shall think of their future.”
Guruji enquired further, “Will you pay attention to the aspect
that they settle down well in life.” The gentleman responded in
the affirmative that he would. Guruji then asked, “Will you pay
attention to the fact that your sons become persons of good
qualities?” The gentleman agreed that it was his moral and
natural duty. Finally, Guruji said, “Accept the Sangh as your
family. You have to do all this for the Sangh as the
Sanghsanchalak.”

Guruji never approved of any types of distinctions in terms
of caste and race, language or region, small or big, volunteer or
official. Therefore, he kept bulldozing the walls of separation
through his conduct from time to time.

The Sangh Shiksha Varga was in progress in Nagpur. It was
the day of inauguration of the Varga. The most venerable Guruji
too was in attendance. At noon, the introduction session with
the Swayamsevaks was underway. During this process, a
Swayamsevak introduced himself, “I have come from Belgaum.”
Guruji asked, “Is it the same Belgaum which is a subject of
dispute?” The Swayamsevak said, “Yes, the same one.” Then
Guruji said, “Then which state are you supporting?” The
Swayamsevak said, “Sir, I am supporting Maharashtra.” Guruji
said, “Brother, there is only one to be supported by a
Swayamsevak that is the nation. All other isms other than
nationalism are not allowed in the Sangh. If you follow any other
ism than nationalism, you can pack up with bag and baggage. I
seek permission from the respected chief officer to allow me to
do this violation of his rights. The Sangh and the nation cannot
carry such people with them.”

Humility of Great Man
In people’s views, Guruji was great. He had attained

69

greatness. He was extremely humble, but a large number of
intellectuals of India could not recognize him during his lifetime.
He adopted the Sangh’s dress and discipline. Due to the Sangh’s
tradition of keeping away from propaganda and engaging itself
in the service of Motherland, there were scores of people who
spread all kinds of rumours about the Sangh and Guruji. One
such rumour too spread that Guruji possessed a personality just
like that of Hitler, Lenin or Mussolini. Many writers never knew
Guruji well, they never met him, and still they wrote lengthy
articles on him without having to mention the true aspects of
his personality. They characterized Guruji with a prejudiced
mind and kept themselves busy in false propaganda. It became
difficult to know about humility and virtue of Guruji. The
people, who projected him as the autocrat, could know him
correctly only after his death.

In the final moments of his life, Guruji wrote three letters.
All these three letters are a source of inspiration for every
Swayamsevak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as well
those who wish Mother India to progress. Guruji writes in these
letters: “Working with me for the past thirty-three years, due to
strangeness of my nature, due to defects in my personality, there
might have been some instances when I could have disrespected
you, I could have hurt you, I could have made you feel pain;
however, dear Swayamsevak friends, I entreat you all in all
earnestness to pardon me. I beg pardon of you all, I bind my
hands to beg pardon of you.”

Just imagine of a man who ruled the hearts of millions of
Swayamsevaks, on every command of whose millions of
Swayamsevaks were ever ready to sacrifice their lives, and in
the final moments of his life he begs pardon of all the
Swayamsevaks, all the people of the country, and all the people
he had met in life. His spirit of being a Swayamsevak was
conscious at every moment of life; how humble that seer was,
how authentic his life was!

The most venerable Guruji turned away from fame. He
never allowed anybody to photograph him. At that time, we
felt that it might be quite ordinary when he did not allow

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anybody to photograph him. But when we glance through the
entire life of Guruji, we find that his turning away from fame
had reached the unexpected heights.

Once the most respected Guruji was invited to attend a
Gauraksha conference being held at Prayag. It was being
attended by a number of well-known saints, seers and hermits.
When Guruji arrived there, some of the zealous people hailed
him: ‘Param Puja Guruji Amar Rahen’, ‘Param Pujya Guruji Ki
Jai’, and the like. When Guruji heard of such slogans, he felt
shocked. He was flabbergasted. He turned and sat back in the
car, and asked the driver to go back. Prabhudutt Brahmachari
saw this. He ran from the stage. He stopped the car before it
could move away. He entreated Guruji, “Please come back,
Guruji.” Guruji said, “A place where you should hail Mother
India, a place where you should discuss the welfare of
Motherland, you are using that place to raise slogans for an
individual. I cannot approve and accept any slogan which hails
me here.” At this, everybody begged pardon of him and
requested him to attend the conference. Only when everybody
raised slogans in the honour of Motherland that Guruji ascended
the stage. The respected Guruji wished to lead the life of an
ordinary Swayamsevak all his life. He never liked anybody
raising slogans for him. He would refuse if anybody ever came
to photograph him. Not only this, he would get any of his
photograph removed if he saw it on a wall or the like. He would
say: “The picture of Doctor Saheb is more than sufficient for
motivation and inspiration.” This great man lived to the last of
his life with this sentiment.

Not I, You Alone
Once the editor of the Dharmayug, a periodical, wrote to

the renowned people of India to write a few sentences on the
topic ‘Goal of Your Life’. A number of well-known people wrote
what they had to. Somebody wrote two pages and the other
wrote five. Everybody wrote as they wished to. However, the
Param Pujya Guruji did not write despite repeated requests. In
the end, the editor himself came to meet Guruji. When he urged

71

earnestly, Guruji wrote only four words: “Main Nahin, Tu Hi”
(Not I, you alone). Uttering ‘Tu Hi’ were not mere words, they
displayed his dedication, his conduct in life. The entire life of
Guruji is encompassed in just these four words. The word ‘Tu’
(you) signifies Sangh, society and God. He had unified these
three together, they were one for him. There was no controversy,
no dispute in the service of anyone of these. ‘When you serve
one, you serve all’ was the motto of his life, and he kept himself
busy in the service of the Sangh, the whole society and the
nation. In other words, his life itself had transformed into work
for the society and nation. Therefore, in the second of the three
letters that he wrote in the final moments of his life, he wrote:
“I command the Swayamsevaks that no memorial should ever
be raised in my memory after my death.” You can see how
opposed he was to any kind of fame.

As the worthy son of Motherland, he always thought of
welfare. He did not wish to know the distinction who did and
who didn’t. I did but I don’t want a memorial for me, and he
was of this firm view. All his life, he did not get himself
photographed, nor did he allow slogans to be raised in his praise.
When he said ‘not I, you alone’ his faith in life was manifested
expressly. These were not mere words, they were the
manifestation of a whole Swayamsevak incarnate. This was the
dedication etched in the heart of the Param Pujya Guruji. He
always aspired that such sentiments of devotion to the
Motherland should reside in the heart of every Swayamsevak.

The Sangh Shiksha Varga for central Indian region was in
progress in Gwalior. Guruji attended this Varga for two days.
On this occasion, some Swayamsevaks went to present him a
copy of a book titled Rashtriya Suraksha Ke Morche Par (On the
Front of National Security). This book also mentioned of the
contribution of the Swayamsevaks of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh during the Indo-Pak war. The book
delineated in brief the details of renunciation and sacrifice made
by the Swayamsevaks. The Swayamsevaks felt that Guruji would
be happy to see this book and would shower his blessings.

However, the sentiment of devotion to Mother India

72

occupied the complete heart of the venerable Guruji. The
Swayamsevaks were surprised to listen to his reaction when he
saw the book. He said, “I shall not accept this book.” It was for
the reason that he did not approve of any propaganda for any
service, sacrifice and renunciation by the Sangh’s
Swayamsevaks. The Param Pujya Guruji said to his
Swayamsevak softly, “Brother, will you consider a person
worthy if he propagates about his service to his mother?
Whatever the Swayamsevaks did in the service of Mother India,
it was their natural duty, then why should they need
propaganda?”

He lived all his life as a Swayamsevak of the Sangh. He felt
bliss in this capacity. He saw many ups and downs in the life of
the Sangh, yet this great man never lost his equilibrium, he did
never lose his patience.

Oneness with Motherland
After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, a ban was

imposed on the Sangh. Guruji was arrested, but the Sangh came
out unscathed. Guruji was released from the jail. A programme
was being held in Delhi to honour this Swayamsevak of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh who talked of love with the
entire humanity. He was forty years of age then. Millions of
Swayamsevaks were ready to sacrifice their lives at one
command of his. Lakhs of people were eager to listen to him in
the public meeting. The renowned journalists of India and
abroad were present in the meeting. They were all eager to listen
to him what he was about to tell his Swayamsevaks. Will he ask
to bring down the Nehru Government? However, that great
man, who had suffered behind the bars for nineteen months,
said in his address: “Forget all that has happened. All those
who have done all this, they too are our own. If the tongue comes
between the teeth and is cut, we don’t break the teeth, because
the teeth are our own too. Therefore, forget about everything.”
Just think of the man, how self-controlled and patient was the
behaviour of this man who led such a massive organisation at
the mere age of only forty years.

73

He lived a life of a Tapasvi, a life of penance, for thirty-three
years without a break. He possessed in his heart a firm desire
to remain a Swayamsevak in order to attain welfare of
Motherland, and sacrifice himself on the altar of this high goal.
His oneness with Motherland was unique, strange and
wonderful. The day Guruji was being honoured in Delhi, there
was all around a loud applause in his honour. At this hour, sitting
on the stage, Guruji was writing something. People felt that he
must be writing something in response to the ovation that he
was being accorded there. However, Guruji was completely
detached from his applause. At that time, he was writing the
song ‘Vande Mataram’. He wrote the complete song and gave
it to the singer, so that he could sing it well, without omitting a
line from it.

Uninterrupted Hard Work Until the Last
The Param Pujya Guruji kept on working hard until the

final moments of his life. He was afflicted with cancer from the
year 1969. Now, his life became uncertain, death was certain, it
was staring in his eyes, the only factor was time. Still, Guruji
did not lose patience. He was like the sun that spreads its
splendour whether it rises or sets, it feels no sorrow in both
situations; the same way, Guruji felt no delight or sorrow in his
rise or decline, he remained completely detached.

After his ailment of cancer was diagnosed, it was essential
for Guruji to undergo surgery. Even a slight delay could lead to
death, so the officials of the Sangh as well as the doctors decided
that he should undergo surgery as soon as possible. However,
Guruji said clearly that the Sangh Shiksha Varga had been
planned for the summer vacation, and it would not be
appropriate for him to undergo a surgery until its completion.
The suffering was unbearable, the future symptoms were bleak,
but Guruji favoured Sangh work, he preferred Sangh work to
personal work. He kept on undertaking tours for close to two
and a half months. He kept meeting the Swayamsevaks in every
corner of the country. He did not undergo a surgery until his
resolve had been completed. He underwent the operation only
when his schedule was over.

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Guruji transformed the hospital into a temple of devotion
to the society. After his surgery, he set out to enquire after the
other patients in the hospital. It was a strange phenomenon for
the doctors. Such a task could have been accomplished by a
soul that was replete with spiritual spirit, free from the corporeal
burden; only such a great man could have shared the suffering
of other people in the hospital in such a situation. Guruji had
not allowed any letup to intervene his spirit of social service
even while lying on his deathbed in the hospital.

Guruji had devoted every particle of his body and every
moment of his life in the service of holy Motherland. He did
not pray to God for this mortal body. The mantra of his life was
to undertake continuous service to Motherland. How exalted
his life was, could be seen from the final days of his life. Those
days, Guruji went to Kottaikal in Kerala for treatment. The
process of oil bath was underway. One day, a Vaidya (medicine
man) came there, he lighted a lamp and prayed. Then he
requested Guruji, “Please pray God for your quick recovery.”
Guruji did not get ready for this prayer. He clearly refused it.
He said, “You can do all for my health what you like, I shall not
interrupt you in between, but what is the need to pray God for
this mortal body? He would be able to extract as much work
from it as He wished. When He would feel that my work is
over, He would call me back. I shall not pray to Him only for
the sake of this body.”

Everybody who was devoted to the Param Pujya Guruji
went to meet him in order to share his suffering. Somebody got
a havan conducted, and another some religious ritual; somebody
got a mantra chanting done while another undertook some other
ritual. Everybody had their respective faiths, but everybody
wished that Guruji should recover as quickly as possible.

One such day, Bhaurao Devras and Rajju Bhaiya went to
Allahabad. They wished to get a religious ritual performed by
a brilliant priest. As they reached the threshold, the priest said
from the front, “I know what brings you gentlemen here. You
have come for a ritual to be conducted for a scholarly, devoted,
social worker, but I cannot foresee his life beyond the seventh

75

of June. He is a saint, he is a holy soul, he is not bound for rebirth,
and he is eligible for Moksha, emancipation. He has attained
the stage of Paramhansa.”

The Param Pujya Guruji was in the form of a body, he was
in the form of deed. He was away from body and material world.
He kept spreading happiness even during his time of illness.
Even in the final moments of his life, he talked to the visitors
about the country, society and Sangh.

Aggregation of Light
On 5 June, 1973, in the morning, Dr. Abaji said that the bell

had been rung. Why did he utter such words? It can be possible
only after a person attains the zenith of spiritual life. Bell, temple
and idol are all linked together. The indication to visit God’s
house and the forecast of the Allahabad’s priest about his certain
emancipation could be found to blend strangely.

In the year 2006 was celebrated the birth centenary of
Guruji. The fragrance of unbroken, continuous, attentive
meditation of an ascetic can be felt even today. Attaining or even
knowing the life of Guruji is beyond our capacity. It was only a
humble effort to recall those happy moments. These happy
moments will lead you all to bliss, it is solemnly anticipated.



Rashtraya Swaha, Rashtraya Idam Na Mam.
(Sacrifice for the Nation. I Have No Existence beyond the

Nation.)



Glorious National Life

People may call us communal
Yet belief is uniform – theirs and ours,
The only difference being
We have the courage to speak the truth
And they out of fear
Try to appease and suppress.
Of course, this is quite evident
They cover their fear
With large-heartedness and secularism and the like.
There being no other distinction,
So, we arrive at the inference
Is that all those races
That inhabit this land
Yet are not loyal to it,
Have not assimilated its culture,
Have not approved its lifestyle
Which this country has evolved over centuries.
That don’t believe in
Its philosophy, its national persona
And the fundamental elements of this nation.
In brief,
They all are foreign to our national life.
Only the life of Hindu society
Has been the true thinking
And glorious national life
of this holy land.

—Param Pujya Guruji



Revival

Reviving is the sole goal
Of complete glory and
Greatness of our Hindu nation.
To understand our goal
We speak in the prayer
That we ought to understand the sense
Of complete glory of the nation in this way.
Besides, we ought to understand
How we can make our nation
Tall and glorious,
How we can make it stable.
Generally, the glory of a nation
Is measured by material prosperity.
No doubt, a nation must be prosperous
In every way.
All needs of everybody in the nation
Must be met.
But is the concept of glory
For our nation
Is any similar to this?
This is a solemn and vital query,
We ought to think over it earnestly.

—Param Pujya Guruji



Duty, Not Rights

Today, we hear around us
The commotion for rights.
Our government too talks
of equal rights
And cultivates ego in people.
There is no stress
Anywhere
For duty and selfless service.
The soul of the society
Is the spirit of cooperation,
Yet it can live no more
In the atmosphere of self-centred rights.
So, we see different types of struggles
In different fields
of our national life –
Be he teacher or student
Be he worker or industrialist.
By assimilating our cultural view alone
Can revive in our national life
The true spirit of cooperation
And spirit of duty.

—Param Pujya Guruji



Venerate Ideal, Not Person or Book

The Sangh has approved this symbol of life
As its guiding Guru.
Doctor Saheb presented this Bhagwa Dhwaj
As our Guru, our ideal,
His comrades were not happy.
They looked at Doctor Saheb
Made from blood and flesh
And looked at him as their ideal,
They asked, “Why should we not
Adopt Doctor Saheb as our ideal?”
Our founder established dialogue with the spirit of organisation,
And established as our ideal
The indestructible eternal Bhagwa Dhwaj.
No man however great he might be
Cannot replace the national ideal.
Because man is only a quiet being
That flows in the infinite current of the nation.
It is meaningless to expect of man
However great to keep his fragrance
To eternity.
It is not possible for all people
To possess spirit of equal respect for an individual
Who is filled with finest possibilities.
Many people accept Sri Ram as their deity
And others Sri Krishna as their Lord,
And still others have their own deities.
So, the Sangh has chosen a symbol
That has eternal, omnipresent inspiration.

—Param Pujya Guruji



I have taken the vow to serve Motherland out of self-
inspiration,

It is our endeavour to become a true Swayamsevak.







Transparent Gem – Pappaji
Dr. Pranlal Doshi

Pappaji inseparably bound himself with the daily Shakha for the
development and expansion of basic tasks of the Sangh. His
dedication to the daily Shakha was manifest in his conduct even
in the advancing stage of ninety years.

Dr. Pranlal Brijlal Doshi – when you say this name, no
picture emerges on the mind. When you call Dr. P.V. Doshi, you
feel as if you know him a bit. But as soon as you hear the words
‘Pappaji’, you can find a streak of bright light in the eyes of a
large section of people not only in Rajkot, but all over Gujarat.

A personality filled to the brim with diversity, still you feel
not an individual, but the essence. His personality was like the
soft wind that refreshes everybody – young or old – felt this
way.

I tried to recall when I met Pappaji first. I tried to remember
it hard, but could not when I met him first. Maybe, it was the
special feature of that mortal body that had transformed itself
from an individual to essence. Of course, there is some feeling
that several decades lapsed between the time when I met him
first and the time when I bade him farewell. His conduct, his
behaviour was uniform in all aspects of life – body, mind, speech,
interaction. There was a series of events, there were mountains
of questions. The time of calamity came and passed off. All these
manifested in the tests of ideas at one time and momentum to
the working at another. The calamity was natural at one time
and manmade at another. In every moment and instance, he

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made us feel the shade of a dense banyan tree and gave us cool.
Not only this, he made us feel the massiveness of the banyan
tree.

Pappaji became a dental surgeon in Kolkata. There is a class
of gentry in Kolkata’s way of living that is still influenced by
English way of living. Pappaji lived his youth in Kolkata and
did his practice. He returned to Rajkot and started his
professional life as a doctor. Even in Rajkot, he expressed his
youth of Kolkata. You could not miss his western influence. His
life was replete with daily evening visits to the club, playing
cards and smoke of cigarette flying all about him. If we peep
into the life of Sardar Patel, we would find something of the
sort. He was a Barrister by profession, he visited the bar, played
cards in the club, and mimicked the freedom fighters while
puffing out dense cigarette smoke, and he cut fun at even
Mahatma Gandhi. It was a natural way of life for Sardar Patel.
However, a touch from Mahatma Gandhi transformed the life
of Sardar Patel like never before. He sacrificed ‘self’ for the sake
of freedom. ‘The words of Mahatma Gandhi were the ultimate
words for him. He displayed this commitment and resolve and
lived it. This transformation in Sardar Patel was like a pleasant
surprise for his bar associates. We can find some such
fundamental transformation in the life of Dr. Doshi – Pappaji.
He lived a life of club under the western influence in Kolkata,
but a touch from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh transformed
him wonderfully. Doctor Saheb moulded himself according to
the ideals of the Sangh in no time. He kept on sacrificing
everything of his for the sake of Sangh’s culture, Sangh’s traits
and Sangh’s work. He kept moulding his ‘self’. At that time, the
prestige of the doctor was known as the excellence of social life.
In such a period, he parted away from the prestige of ‘self’, and
moulded himself into a true, devoted, dedicated Swayamsevak
in order to establish the prestige of the Sangh. This task he
carried all his life.

Fragile and thin body. Thrifty in speech, weak body, yet
experiencing the Sangh every moment. No one ever needed to
explain any form of the Sangh after he met Doctor Saheb –

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Pappaji. His life was the Sangh incarnate. He did not even look
like an individual, nor did he show his aura of personality. No
outwardly show, nor any means, yet the wonderful speech. He
talked everything, but his words and letters lacked any
ornamentation; rather we can say that his speech showed no
signs of language. We can think of the matter, the essence, but
not the talk. When you are in his company, you feel his wordless
speech, his personality-less existence, with a touch of traits, with
a touch of firm resolve, with a touch of unshakable optimism
and belief, with a touch of affection not rooted in any material
choice. When you come in his proximity, you cannot but
experience his fragrant presence coming out of calamities and
thorns, his freshness existing despite the ripe age of ninety years.
He was being invited to lead a prestigious life as a doctor, yet
he passed his youth in jail for the sake of ideals and principles,
and yet emerged as a conqueror despite his trail body but
determined heart, and you cannot miss all these features of him
when you come into his contact.

Smt. Indira Gandhi, in order to save her post of Prime
Minister, imposed artificial lawlessness (emergency) on the
country. Democracy was coerced, a life-threatening attack was
launched on press freedom. The entire country was turned into
a prison. It was as good as a crime to talk of democracy. All
leaders had been put behind the bars. The people were forced
to live a life in the dark. The black law of MISA was terrifying
crores of people of the country. In such a time, Pappaji started
his struggle for the re-establishment of democracy. He went to
jail during this time of lawlessness (emergency). Looking at his
age, prestige and health, all his comrades entreated him to go
back home on parole, but his firm mind was not ready to
approve of that suggestion. He always said: “I shall not try to
go out of the jail without having attained my goal. I cannot take
an immoral step, that is to leave alone my comrades who are
struggling for democracy.” And he remained in prison until
victory was his, he fought for this on moral grounds.

In the capacity of the first Sanghchalak of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh, he did everything that was possible to

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expand and develop the Sangh work in Gujarat. His proximity,
his affection inspired everybody to work. His way of working
had a unique characteristic. He thought more about the progress
of a volunteer rather than the progress of work. He was of the
firm view that if you cared for the volunteer, you would not
need to care for the work.

For the development and expansion of the basic Sangh
work, Pappaji had linked himself with the daily Shakha –
inseparably. Even in the ripe age of ninety years, his behaviour
displayed his unflinching faith in the daily Shakha. His urge
towards the Shakha had its influence over the whole of Gujarat.
He was greatly committed to his work. Moreover, he had
profound and wonderful attachment for the tribals, their
progress and welfare. In Gujarat, about 15 per cent of people
live in the forests. Even after forty-fifty years of independence,
the tribals are deprived of the developmental process, he felt
this agony in his heart. He resolved to do something in the
direction of all-round development of the tribals.

When he was seventy-five years of age, he travelled all night
by bus to go to a place called Dharampur in Valsad. He went to
the forests there every month, lived among the tribals to
understand their problems, to infuse vigour in them, to make
arrangements for resolving their problems, to settle a system –
and thus he absorbed in all these tasks. He paid attention to
even trivial matters. He accepted several tribal families as his
own. When the dental surgeon in Rajkot was giving up his
mortal body, at that time, the tribals right from Umargram to
Ambaji, were streaming down tears – what could be better than
this zenith of life?

We can notice in the life of Pappaji a continuous current of
a particular feature, that is the feature of continuous pity
blending with duty. If we glance through the life of Pappaji, we
find it essential to know about the deaf and the dumb. And
when we think of a school for them, we remember of an
institution that was in the form of Pappaji, manifest in his
continuous stream of pity and duty. Pappaji’s daughter suffered
from physical handicap. He linked this personal or family

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disability to the society, and considered all such disabled
children as his own; and we can seldom find such merciful
people as Pappaji was; he extended his mercy and emotion to
everybody suffering in this way. This school of Pappaji in Rajkot
is a living memorial of his pity and mercy.

Pappaji was affectionately attached to this deaf and dumb
school. Sometimes it appeared that he loved the school more
than his family members.

The viewpoint of Pappaji towards the disabled is the
practical form of the Sangh’s doctrine. How should our society
feel for the disabled? If there is a disabled person in a family,
his responsibility does not lie on the family alone. If the family
alone has to fight this calamity, if it has to suffer from it, if it has
to sacrifice everything of its own for it, we cannot call it a healthy
sign for any society. A healthy society is the one that considers
all disabled people as its own who are suffering from some
deformity or disability by birth, and the responsibility to look
after such people lies not on the family alone; rather the entire
society should come out collectively to carry out this
responsibility.

If the healthy society took over the responsibility of a
disabled person, the people of his family and other people of
society would become happy, and they would not take it as a
burden. You must not show pity or mercy for the disabled, but
you must look at them with dutifulness. They are not the subject
of sympathy, they are the subject of sensitivity. There should be
homogeneous pity and emotion; the society should feel the pity
as a disabled person feels. The feeling that the world is mine is
equally shared by a disabled person too. This emotion of his
should be respected, this emotion of his should be cultivated,
and if the society falls back in doing so, it would be considered
disabled – we ought to think so.

The shortcoming or disability of a body organ cannot be
considered a handicap, it is erroneous to think so. If I cannot
feel the situation and agony that a disabled person is passing
through, I must be a disabled person myself despite having
healthy legs, hands, eyes and nose – we are bound to think this

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way. Everybody must examine himself if he is disabled from
within.

Pappaji had expanded his inner-self greatly. As a
consequence, the deaf and dumb school was more important to
him than the temple. His glorious personality, like a
philosopher’s stone, had its influence over this school. Due to
his untiring work, every worker in this school appeared to be a
devotee. The reason in its basis was Pappaji’s resplendent
personality.

In our country, it was compulsory for both healthy child
and handicapped child to attain equal marks (35 marks) for
passing in an examination. How can a disabled child be
compared with a healthy child? In any aspect of life, a disabled
child has to work much harder than a healthy boy. He needs a
longer time too. Nobody had ever paid attention to this agony
that disabled people go through. In the whole country, it was
the BJP Government in Gujarat that took significant steps in
this direction. A new practical rule was formulated by which a
disabled child will have to score 20 marks if a healthy child was
supposed to score 35 marks. This decision made Pappaji
indescribably happy.

The firm mind, residing in the fragile body, was the source of
energy. His blooming life continues to spread fragrance all around
even today. As a single ray from the sun provides succour in
chilling cold, so were love and attachment from Pappaji. Like a
twinkling star in the unfathomable dark, his life was like a streak
of light.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is chiefly an attitude to
culturisation and refinement. Pappaji always favoured
culturisation as well as indoctrination. The tendency to
indoctrination could be seen all over India, but little effort had
been made in this direction in Gujarat. Pappaji took upon himself
the task of the continuous flow of indoctrination and
culturisation, just like he had taken steps for the welfare of the
tribal people. His commitment to this task was so firm that could

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shame even the young. You will not find any individual in the
Sangh family who might be interested in teaching, yet he was
not included in discussion or planning for spreading education.
He had made a successful endeavour to select pearls, gather
them and weave them all into a rosary. In no time, a number of
educational institutions came into being that were cultured and
indoctrinated. His contribution was no less in achieving such a
massive work in a limited time.

It is natural for an individual to have in his life vitality,
vigour, coordination, adjustment, maladjustment. Good or bad
effect of an individual can be seen on his favourite work. It is
natural to have joy in a favourable situation and disappointment
in an adverse situation. There are few people who display
uniform emotions or qualities under all circumstances. We
cannot miss the unique personality of Pappaji. He lived a goal-
oriented life, with complete attention to it, and kept working
towards achieving it, and made untiring efforts in order to attain
higher goals – all these factors establish a unique example in
respect of him. You can find individuals who are continuously
inclined towards one goal, but you will seldom find people who
have uniform attitude and aptitude. The reference to Pappaji is
quite significant in this respect.

We can see in the life of Pappaji how a substantial life can
overcome calamities. Whether the difficulty was manmade or
natural, Pappaji took everything in its stride. He had a positive
attitude to think that what God does is for the good, and
therefore, he kept himself engaged in working towards
excellence. Whether it was the terrible breach of the Machchhu
dam at Morbi or the earthquake at Kutch, whether it was famine
or tempest, he did not look back an iota and ensured that the
Sangh did not lag behind even a bit so far as help to mankind
was concerned.

It was the resolute heart in his fragile body that transformed
itself into energy and vitality for others. His fragrant life
continues to spread its fragrance even today. As even a single
ray of the sun provides succour in chilly cold, love and
attachment of Pappaji was something like this. His life was a

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streak of light in the pitch dark, just like a twinkling star. The
other name for a transparent life was Pappaji. His touch was
like that of a philosopher’s stone. His mere proximity led to
make the path simple and easy. I bow to such Pappaji again and
over again.

He is not pained at seeing the poor, he is not attached to the
wealthy;

He loves the palace, as he does the thatched hut.


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