Teaching some of the basics of spirituality to young toddler usually starts when they start speaking few words. As Ayaansh also started picking some words we tried to teach him saying Jai Jai and join his hands 🙏🏼 in front Puja place in our home. He wasn't able to follow back then before December and we also never pushed him much.
Aakanksha's spiritual journey started before mine. She started following Shree Swami Samarth whose math (monestry) is in Akkalkoat near Solapur in Maharashtra. She didn't know much about him before she had her spiritual awakening but with time she was enlightened.
Shree Swami Samarth is an incarnation of Shree Dattaguru himself. As per my knowledge, since the time I started reading Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, there are 2 different ways how Shri Krishna appears on the earth in different forms, out of them one is partial way but that doesn’t mean he is lesser than his true form as Shree Krishna. In every divine form he always plays divine acts .
Like popular shloka in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 8 says -
परित्राणाय साधुनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थानार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥ ८ ॥
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge
Translation :
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
In the month of December 2020, on one fine evening when we were cooking, playing with Ayaansh and listening to bhajans, etc., Aakanksha expressed her wish to visit Swami Samarth's math at Akkalkoat, on the day of our anniversary 25th December, 2020. Coincidently, it was also Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti on the same day. However, we were not aware of it at that moment. I responded to her with affirmation and planned a trip immediately. Amey also decided to join us and travelled from Dehradun before our travel plans.
On 24th December, 2020, we stared from Bangalore early in the morning and reached our stay at Solapur by evening. We were exhausted a bit because of 9-9.5 hours of continuous travel. Rest of the day we just spent in leisure. Next day morning we started our journey to Akkalkoat. Google Maps navigated us to Samadhi Math.
Samadhi Math is in the premises of Cholappa Maharaj's house. Swami Samarth had decided to take Samadhi at this place. Cholappa Maharaj was Swami's one of the dearest devotees.
We had brought Besan Laddoos with us prepared by 3 of us (Aakanksha, Amey and myself) to offer Swami. Besan Laddoos used to be his favourites when he stayed in Akkalkoat. When we entered the math, Pujari Kedar Guruji called us. We offered Laddoos to Swami. Guruji asked us if we made them. The reason behind his question was to shed some light on the importance of making it by ourselves.
When you are rounding laddoos on your palm, all the lines on your palm are imprinted on those laddoos. Lines on your palm also has significance from the perspective of palmistry. You are not just offering laddoos but offering him fruits of your karma. And that's why it's important that you make them yourself rather than purchasing from outside.
Shri Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 9 Verse 27 -
यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् । यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥ २७ ॥
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam
Translation :
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift, and whatever austerities you perform, O son of Kunti, do them as an offering to Me.
Meanwhile all the 3 of us were taking care of Ayaansh. Now, all of a sudden when we were not even expecting, Ayaansh joined both his hands and said "Jai Jai" 🙏🏼 .
We were awestruck ! What had just happened !!!
Later while talking to Guruji, we learnt that we could perform the Rudrabhishek next day early morning after Mangal Aarati. We returned to Solapur, had lunch, then visited Pandharpur and came back to Solapur at our stay.
To attend Mangal Aarati at 04:00 am we had to start from Solapur at 03:00 am and for that we had to get up at 02:00 am. We were little concerned as we had to wake up Ayaansh and bathe him in the middle of the night. We decided to not think too much over it and leave it to Swami. If he wishes us to come he will take care of our concerns. It’s not us who decide to meet Him, it’s him who chooses whether to meet.
Next morning, when I woke up at 02:00 am, I noticed a message from Kedar Guruji. It was a copy of notice issued by government. Notice Said -
Due to increase in Corona cases, entry for all devotees in Akkalkoat is prohibited from 24th December, 2020 12:00 am to 1st December, 2021 12:00 am.
Date of Notice - 23rd December, 2020
We were again in a shock ! We already had our darshan on 25th December. We couldn't imagine disappointment we could have faced after coming all the way to Akkalkoat only to visit Swami's math and to seek his blessings on our wedding anniversary.
All we could think of is -
अशक्यही शक्य करतील स्वामी 🙏🏼
[ Swami can make impossible happen ]
Although we couldn't perform the Rudrabhishek and had to cut short our stay we were still glad to get an opportunity to seek his blessings. We convinced ourselves saying we get only what we deserve. We got what we had asked for. Let's not be greedy even if they are blessings. Ultimately, Man Proposes, God Disposes !
Comments