Brahmaviharidas Swami brought a small book and pen to ask Swamishri (Pramukh Swami) for his blessings. He wanted his guru to write for him in English today. Swamishri usually wrote in Gujarati. The sadhu was sure that a playful conversation and an important lesson would come from this interaction. He placed the pen and paper in front of Swamishri and asked him to write, ‘I bless you’.
Swamishri picked up the pen and wrote ‘I BLESS YOU’. Brahmaviharidas Swami jumped to correct Swamishri’s linguistic error. “In English, the ‘I’ should always be capitalised.” But Swamishri was writing with a different set of grammar rules. He was writing in tune with his own life philosophy—of seva and bhakti. Swamishri then corrected Brahmaviharidas Swami. “On the spiritual path, the ‘i’ must always be small.”
Conversations about identity and ego are difficult and intimidating, especially when they are read off the pages of a book. For starters, they often hurt one’s own ego. Nobody likes to draw critical attention to their behaviour.
Moreover, reflecting in silence on one’s actions incited by arrogance can be painful, for one never knows what one may uncover when one stops and introspects. It is certainly not the most popular of spiritual lessons because it can lead to the discovery of the uglier, more self-absorbed shades of oneself. Typically, our first response is to be defensive: ‘I am not arrogant, just confident; I only act in that way to be productive and efficient; I am less conceited than others around me.’ Second, these concepts may seem abstract.
As one of my first readers of this book said to me, “Is being I-less even possible? Or is this just spiritual imagination? Is it useful?” It is hard to appreciate because it seems counterintuitive to what the world expects from us and for which it rewards us. ‘Be bold, confident, ambitious—a go-getter’, we are told. The word ‘I-less’ resonates with a sense of meekness or weakness that goes against everything we are taught to do and be.
I-less, however, is not necessarily an achievement or the lack thereof, but a method. It lays an emphasis on how you do things, rather than merely the things you do. The way in which you respond and react to success, failure, praise and insult is the true test of being I-less. It defines having a bold identity with an ‘i’. This transitioning to the ‘i’ makes room for the ‘we’ and ‘us’ and ‘God’ on the spiritual path, a space that the ‘I’ does not provide.
***
Pramukh Swami Maharaj had a bold identity through which he affected change in society and accomplished the inconceivable for a non-English-speaking guru from a small town in Gujarat. But his
‘i’ left room for others. It did not carry the burden of his ego and desire for appreciation. He self-actualised without focusing on his personal, professional and physical identity. He did not carry the weight of being celebrated as a saffron-clad sadhu, an expert builder, or a spiritual master to millions.
Swamishri was focused on delivering without focusing on himself. He shared credit, faithfully submitted and patiently tolerated. His ‘i’ allowed for him to emanate humility, humanity and submission, which were markers of his spiritual transcendence. Like those flowers in the valley, his ‘i’ impressed and inspired others effortlessly.
Anyone who has met Pramukh Swami Maharaj even once will tell you that he had a commanding presence. He was not meek. He did not quit. Swamishri worked with staunch resolve to deliver results that stood apart from the rest. He competed in that manner as a young cricketer in his childhood. He continued that spirit of excellence when he studied Sanskrit as a young sadhu. With each added responsibility—from the administration of the mandir in Sarangpur to mandir construction projects in Atladra (Vadodara) and Gondal, and later, the presidency of the entire organisation—Swamishri gave it his all without desiring appreciation.
This same spirit propelled the growth of the organisation after 1971. As an ambassador of Hindu dharma and Indic culture, Swamishri built more than 1,100 mandirs worldwide. Many of these have come to be celebrated as the largest or most prolific architectural masterpieces in modern times. Most importantly, these mandirs added to the social, cultural, religious and architectural landscapes of their local communities.
They brought communities together by raising cultural awareness and focusing on their similarities. The Swaminarayan Akshardham complexes in Gandhinagar and New Delhi are celebrated as icons of culture infused with modern technology. They give Hindus a way to educate their peers, children and others about their past, without overemphasising a spirit of superiority or condescension.
The Cultural Festivals of India in London (1985) and New Jersey (1991) set the tone for Indian cultural ambassadorship for the next two decades in the diaspora. Similarly, Swamishri’s humanitarian and social reform initiatives, namely caste reform, tribal domestic reform, women’s education, and disaster relief and rebuilding operations, forever changed the Indian social landscape. One of Swamishri’s greatest contributions was creating a community of hundreds of thousands of volunteers and more than 1,200 sadhus who committed their lives to the service of society.
These volunteers and sadhus are an exemplary model of his lessons of spirituality, in the flesh. They serve selflessly for people and with people they do not know or have anything in common with. His contributions were lauded by world leaders, religious leaders, the Guinness Book of World Records, and numerous international NGOs.
Despite his accomplishments and accolades, Swamishri was indifferent to praise, insult and everything in between. His I-less persona led the way and set the standard for humility, tolerance and patience. These lessons not only helped those who followed them, but also those in their vicinity, and led to a spiritual transcendence that would become the hallmark for an entire generation of spiritual aspirants.
Excerpted with permission from In Love, At Ease: Everyday Spirituality with Pramukh Swami by Yogi Trivedi, published by Penguin Random House India
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