GAUNGA SHARANJI

During this period another of my childhood friend took initiation in Muzaffarpur. Later on he became acarya. Gaunga Sharanji and myself were together in our school days and stayed in the same hostel although Gaunga Sharanji belonged to Muzaffarpur itself, yet his father got him admitted into the hotel for getting proper environment for studies. From the very beginning his life style was that of arch family. After leaving school Shri Gaunga Sharanji joined Benders Hindu University and studied science, while I continued my studies at Muzaffarpur.

In the meanwhile I joined service, after years I met him again in 1951. Those days, I was also posted at Muzaffarpur. We recalled our younger days and began to live again as close friends. Those days, Shri Gaunga Sharanji was an Inspector in Indian Life Insurance Company and his profession required him to mix with rich ask well-to-do people persons. He had, therefore, imbibed all the qualities of that class. He was already fond of luxurious food and clothing.

Meanwhile, I was again transferred from Muzaffarpur and we reported again. After four years, I was again transferred to Muzaffarpur. By them, I had become a Sadhaka of Ananda Marga and by Baba a Grace had also become an acarya. Due to our old friendship and intimacy, I explained to him the philosophy of Ananda Marga. For a couple of days he heard me and then he expressed a desire to be initiated. But he put down one condition that he was not prepared to accept any restriction on his food and other living habits. Really, by then, drinking and smoking had become his regular habits. I said, alright, if you cannot give up any of these habits then you will not start any new ones, to which he agreed.

I said the mantra has a force of its own and after initiation when the mantra was imparted to him he would have to practice meditation with the mantra with devotional regularity. After a little thought he agreed. I said, if these habits of yours start being dropped your would at least not cling to them willfully? He agreed to this also. Then I told him that he could be initiated wherever he wanted. I would take him to another acarya who would initiate him. He asked me as to why I was not Initiating him I told him than we were chums since our boyhood & therefore it would be in the fitness of things if he got the initiation from some other acarya. But he began to insist that I should initiate him, and he stuck to this. Next Sunday was therefor fixed for the date of initiation. On Sunday, he arrived at the given time and took initiation. This was my third opportunity to initiate someone. After initiation almost everyday he used to meet me and after about week he informed me that he no longer felt like drinking. I reminded him that if his interest was lost he should give up drinking when after three days he meet me again, he informed me that he had given up drinking up drinking. After a couple of days, he expressed a desire to have the darshan of Baba. I asked him to dosadhana for some more days and then I would take him to Baba. But he insisted on Baba darshan and would not listen. I tried to convince him in many kinds of ways, but he was adamant.

I then told him to do his sadhana intensely and create a strong desire for guru darshan, “Then Baba will give you darshan at the very door of your house”, I said. Hearing this he began to think and returned home. After about five or six days he came to me at about eleven in the night and began to ask me the meaning of “Shubhamastu”. I was a bit surprised, as this is the way Baba blesses his disciples. He has not yet had Baba’s darshan, how is he then referring to Shubhamastu?

Upon my enquiry, he informed that, “Today when I was doing my pranam, I saw two legs up to the knees and I heard this blessing and I further heard in Bengali language the words, “I am mad and all mine are mad!” He was relating his experiences and I was getting overwhelmed with emotions as I was hearing him. Praise be to the Lord that He comes to hear the prayer of His devotees in person.

After a few days, he got all the members of his family initiated. By now he had also given up smoking. He received the love and affection of Baba only a few days later in Patna. He had been doing sadhana with regularity and sincerity right from the day of His initiation and therefore very soon he had the special grace of Baba. His sadhana was full of devotion. Due to this, very soon he became tattvika and acarya. Later on, he was initiated into Tantra sadhana.

As an acarya, Gaunga Sharanji was a very industrious and courageous person. He propagated the philosophy of Marga throughout North Bihar and gave sadhana to a great number of persons. Many of those whom he initiated are tattvika and acaryas today. It is by his efforts and grace of Baba that the Marga spread rapidly throughout north Bihar. His devotion to sadhana and fondness for propagating the ideology were both praiseworthy and unfailing. He is found with a smile in the most difficult circumstances, full of courage, bravery, valour and perseverance. Steadfastness was his nature, his conversations are full of humour and satire and the sharpness of his intellect and his clear logic flow from his talk.

Many a time, Gaunga Sharanji solved difficult problems and managed critical situations, through sheer wit and originality of approach. His study of philosophy was deep and he had his own particular way of making philosophical subjects easy and interesting. He converted the dry philosophical discussions into very moving, interesting and lovely events. His devotion was infectious. He had a rare combination of devotion, sentiment and knowledge and was decorated by a rich combination of all these. He is an example before the world as to what sadhana can make of such a luxury-loving princely hunter of a man. Now he is the embodiment of simplicity. Service, sacrifice and charity have become regular parts of his life. It was he who immediately registered an acre of land in the name of the Marga when the question of constructing a jagrti in Muzaffarpur came up in 1960. He left his body to attain salvation on the 22 October 1981.