Thoughts of HH Shri Babaji Maharaj (1867-1940), the father of HH Shri Nathji, and my Grandfather.
Shri Babaji was a millionaire who gave away all his wealth to the poor and took to the spiritual path. Multitudes began to throng to him to find peace and beatitude and a release from their sorrows and sufferings. He loved everybody and everybody loved him. He was regarded as a great sage and prophet of his times by those who came into touch with him. People saw the Light of God in him.
His sayings still guide humanity today.
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While people speak of the universal brotherhood of mankind and hold
spiritual conferences where they sermonize and preach and sing together,
do they sincerely and genuinely believe that they are all brothers?
The incidents in the world as seen in the daily news give a very contrary picture. There is so much of adversity, man's inhumanity to man, so much of jealousy, hatred and revenge in the hearts of people, that thinking of each other as brothers appears to be the last thing on their minds.
SHRI BABAJI MAKES A BROTHER
HH Shri Babaji was on a train journey. He was carrying a heavy steel trunk which contained his clothes. At one point of time he had to change from one train to another and to cross a tall bridge to get to the other train on another platform.
The trunk was much too heavy for him to carry up the stairs leading to the bridge. It was 3 am and dark.
He saw a man walking on the platform and called out to him:
"Brother! Can you help me carry this trunk? I shall be very grateful if you take it across the bridge to the train waiting there!"
The man was dressed in a business suit and he flared up:
"What! How dare you! Do you think I am a coolie, a railway porter, that I should carry your trunk for you? This is an insult!"
HH Shri Babaji said: " I did not call you a coolie! I called you my brother!"
The man flared up further: "I am NOT your brother!"
HH Shri Babaji said: "Oh, but you ARE my brother!!"
The man was puzzled but angry still: "NO!" he shouted, "I am NOT your brother!"
HH Shri Babaji said: "But I can prove that you are my brother! Tell me who created you? Was it not God? The same God who created me? The same God who is the Father of both of us, of all of humanity!
So if the same God is our Father, does that not make us brothers?"
The man stared, stone-faced.
HH Shri Babaji Maharaj then took out the key to his trunk and placed it on the trunk and said:
"From today this is your trunk, and the key to the trunk is yours! Now you may take your trunk wherever you will!
I suppose there is no shame in carrying your own trunk and it will not convert you into a coolie, or porter!"
And saying this, HH Shri Babaji left the trunk in front of the man and walked away and went up the stairs and crossed the bridge and then sat down in the other train on the other platform.
Just then he saw the man come running after him with the trunk in his hands.
The man placed the trunk in front of HH Shri Babaji and fell at his feet saying:
"Sire! I beg your forgiveness for my rudeness! Yes, you have taught me today, that, in reality, we are all the children of the same God and therefore in fact are brothers! You have revealed the secret of life to me! I shall be forever grateful to you for awakening this feeling within me!"
Shri Babaji was a millionaire who gave away all his wealth to the poor and took to the spiritual path. Multitudes began to throng to him to find peace and beatitude and a release from their sorrows and sufferings. He loved everybody and everybody loved him. He was regarded as a great sage and prophet of his times by those who came into touch with him. People saw the Light of God in him.
His sayings still guide humanity today.
====================================================
The incidents in the world as seen in the daily news give a very contrary picture. There is so much of adversity, man's inhumanity to man, so much of jealousy, hatred and revenge in the hearts of people, that thinking of each other as brothers appears to be the last thing on their minds.
SHRI BABAJI MAKES A BROTHER
HH Shri Babaji was on a train journey. He was carrying a heavy steel trunk which contained his clothes. At one point of time he had to change from one train to another and to cross a tall bridge to get to the other train on another platform.
The trunk was much too heavy for him to carry up the stairs leading to the bridge. It was 3 am and dark.
He saw a man walking on the platform and called out to him:
"Brother! Can you help me carry this trunk? I shall be very grateful if you take it across the bridge to the train waiting there!"
The man was dressed in a business suit and he flared up:
"What! How dare you! Do you think I am a coolie, a railway porter, that I should carry your trunk for you? This is an insult!"
HH Shri Babaji said: " I did not call you a coolie! I called you my brother!"
The man flared up further: "I am NOT your brother!"
HH Shri Babaji said: "Oh, but you ARE my brother!!"
The man was puzzled but angry still: "NO!" he shouted, "I am NOT your brother!"
HH Shri Babaji said: "But I can prove that you are my brother! Tell me who created you? Was it not God? The same God who created me? The same God who is the Father of both of us, of all of humanity!
So if the same God is our Father, does that not make us brothers?"
The man stared, stone-faced.
HH Shri Babaji Maharaj then took out the key to his trunk and placed it on the trunk and said:
"From today this is your trunk, and the key to the trunk is yours! Now you may take your trunk wherever you will!
I suppose there is no shame in carrying your own trunk and it will not convert you into a coolie, or porter!"
And saying this, HH Shri Babaji left the trunk in front of the man and walked away and went up the stairs and crossed the bridge and then sat down in the other train on the other platform.
Just then he saw the man come running after him with the trunk in his hands.
The man placed the trunk in front of HH Shri Babaji and fell at his feet saying:
"Sire! I beg your forgiveness for my rudeness! Yes, you have taught me today, that, in reality, we are all the children of the same God and therefore in fact are brothers! You have revealed the secret of life to me! I shall be forever grateful to you for awakening this feeling within me!"
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