The Life and Sadhana of Mota Maharaj (Bhagat)4

Pujya Shree Mota Maharaj
Pujya Shree Mota Maharaj

The Life and Sadhana of Mota Maharaj (Bhagat)

Guru’s Search for the Disciple
An excerpt from “Pujya Mota Jeevan Darshan” by the Hariwani Trust. Their website is www.pujyamota.com
On the sands of Sabarmati at the farther end of Ellisbridge in Ahmedabad, wandering sadhus often stayed temporarily. So did young full-blooded sadhu called Balayogi (a child yogi) Maharaj who used to keep his fire always bright. Much of the time he would be in samadhi (a totally concentrated super-conscious state in entire oblivion of the body and its needs) and sometimes in a mad state.’ To all and sundry he would go on muttering this effusion: “Nadiad Ka Chunilal KO Bolao” (Call Chunilal from Nadiad). His adoring visiting could not make head or tail of it, but one Shree Nanubhai Kantharia, who came from Nadiad, understood him. On his return to Nadiad he told Chunilal that most probably it was he who was called by a sadhuji, (ji – a suffix of respect) Balayogi Maharaj staying in Ahmedabad.
Chunilal’s innate love for service had indeed brought him rich dividends from two sadhus and yet his intellectual belief that sadhus were an economic burden on society had not lost its hold on him. But a disturbing question faced him: “How ever could a sadhu whom I had not even heard of, know me by name and my where-about?” he tried to forget the inconvenient question. But the more he tried, the more the question stared at him and robbed him of his peace of mind. At last he came to the conclusion! “Let me see. There might be some meaning in the call.” But again the money- block! Where to get the means for the trip to and fro? That same Nanubhai Kantharia came to his aid and gave him the required amount. So at last he went to Balayogiji whose deep love was a pleasant surprise. .
Guru or Superhuman

Guru of Mota: Balayogiji
Guru of Mota: Balayogiji

On the very first day Chunilal was asked to eat all that he was given – too much and too heavy in all conscience like Sweets weighing about 13 lbs! The next day and the next and the next, all the first four days, he had to be a ravenous glutton (starving food lover). But wonder of wonders! No bad effect at all on the body! During the nights, Balayogiji would let loose his ‘lunacy.’ Like a mad elephant he would rush headlong into the river and jump up and dance for hours. Chunilal was puzzled and did not know what he should do. He tried to do what Balayogiji did.

Thus he spent the first four days in complete forgetfulness of the world and his own serious problems. He was in fact in a kind of samadhi all the while. He came out of his supernormal state on the fourth day, and felt that he had but to go back to his own world. Reluctantly he requested the Balayogiji to let him return to Nadiad. “Kal jana.” (Go tomorrow) said Balayogiji. On the fifth and last day he was given simple khichri (mixture of rice and lentils) to eat, but so full of chillies that in the ordinary course his mouth and tongue would have felt an unbearable burning sensation, got even blisters, but nothing of the kind happened to him.
Saints are not miracle-mongers, but sometimes they do perform miracles in order to create faith in the heart of a fit person and draw him to the right path. Usually they do not care to do so, either to show off their powers or accept challenges thrown out by rank unbelievers. These mystic experiences did their work and Chunilal was convinced that Balayogiji was the Guru destiny had decreed for him. Before he left for home, Chunilal offered a silent unspoken prayer to his would – be Guru to deign to visit Nadiad and guide him on the path towards the real goal of life, without fully knowing the meaning of ‘the real goal.’
Many an aspirant has to spend years in search of an able Guru who could lead him to his cherished goal. It is significant that Chunilal’s case was just the reverse. It was the Guru who sought out the disciple. This happens rarely – chiefly in the case of one having tremendous potentialities lying hidden within him for their fruition.