Gayatri Sadhana- III = Pujya Gurudev

Miraculous Rewards of Gayatri Sadhana

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

(Akhand Jyoti Sept.Oct.2006)

Swamiji started eating and I stood by the side - sad and sullen. Swamiji occasionally looked at my face and after finishing the meal enquired, ’Khushal Chand! What is the matter? Why are you so downcast today? At these words of compassion I began to sob. Swamiji sat me on his lap and asked, ’What has happened?’ Why are you so miserable?’ I narrated the whole tale of my woes to him. I told him that I was mentally dull and could not recollect any lesson even after trying my best. Swamiji soothed me. He wrote out Gayatri mantra on a slip of paper, gave it to me and said, ’Here is the medicine for your ailment. Get up very early in the morning, about 2 or 3 a.m., when other members of the family are fast asleep, take bath and recite this mantra.’ He also explained to me at that time some meanings of the mantra, which I have not forgotten even after such a long time.

From then onwards, I began to get up early. But I felt sleepy during japa. To solve this problem I would tie my choti with a long rope to the iron hook on the ceiling. After 5 or 6 months the effects of the japa were discernible. Previously my answers would be invariably wrong; now I began to pass the examinations. My teachers thought that I was copying someone. I told them that it was not so, that I was only chanting the Gayatri mantra regularly.

They were skeptical, but nevertheless I started securing good marks. I wrote a poem too and got a reward of one pound from my teacher. I showed the poem to my father who gave me another pound. A few months after this another significant even occurred. The annual festival of the Arya Samaj of Jalalpur Jattan was being held. Mahatma Hansraj had delivered a lecture. I prepared a report of this lecture and showed it to him. He asked, ’Whose son are you?’ I replied, ’The secretary of Arya Samaj Lala Ganeshdasji is my father’. Mahatmaji enquired from my father about the work I did. My father said, ’He is poor in studies. So I have installed a socks-weaving unit for him.’ Mahatmaji said, ’Munshiji, this work is not suitable for the boy. Assign him to me. I will put him to the work for which he is suitable.’ Father replied, ’How can I refuse? He is your child. Do as you think fit.’ "Sometime later Mahatmaji summoned me to Lahore. There, I began to work in the Arya Gazette on a monthly salary of thirty rupees. With time I rose to be its editor. During those days there broke out the Moplah revolt in Malabar region.

Thousands of Hindus were killed or forcibly converted to Islam. Something had to be done. But the press of the time was adopting a posture of complete silence on this happening. No one wanted to print and bring to light this tyranny on the Hindus. I felt that this was no way to bring about Hindu-Muslim unity. After much deliberation we started Milap magazine with a view to organize the Hindus. Its aim was to usher in Hindu-Muslim unity based on right behavior and conduct and to generate a sense of security.

Thanks GOD,Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma