Rewards of Gayatri Sadhana = Pujya Gurudev

Miraculous Rewards of Gayatri Sadhana

=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya

(Akhand Jyoti Sept.-Oct.2006)

Mahatma Anand Swami was among the greatest Gayatri sadhakas of his time. He held many high positions in Arya Samaj from time to time and was also known for his journalistic attainments. He spread the message of Mother Gayatri inside and outside the country till the ripe old age of 92. His personal sadhana of Gayatri was of the highest order and was reflected in equal measure in all dimensions of his personality - his words, thoughts and actions. Mahatma Anand Swami wrote Gayatri Mahamantra, Anand Gayatri Katha and many other books on spirituality. Anand Gayatri Katha among these has descriptions of the many miracles of Gayatri sadhana that he personally experienced in the course of his life.
Some of these experiences are being given below in his own words. "In my childhood, when I was studying in the 6th or 7th standard I was a very dull student. The teachers would routinely stand me on the bench at the very beginning of the class and this practice would unfailingly continue in every succeeding class for hours together. Upon returning home, the father would beat me and say - ’you are a moron, wholly incapable of doing anything’! I would weep and reply - ’Father! I do study attentively. But what can I do? Whatever I read I just cannot retain it in my memory’. But the father would not believe me. This routine of daily beating and humiliation depressed me so much that even at that tender age I began to seriously think about committing suicide. Death would be better than this humiliating life.

One day, after the classes were over, I went to the small stream flowing by the side of my village. It was rainy season and the river was full. I advanced to the bridge across it and flung myself into the swirling waters underneath. I was determined to die but God had willed otherwise. Probably He had some other scheme for me. The fast currents carried me two miles downstream and threw me on the bank in an unconscious state. The locals there recognized me and took me home. "One day Swami Nityanand of the Arya Samaj came to visit our village, Jallalpur, and camped in my family’s orchard. My father assigned me the duty of taking meals to him daily. One day, upon my father’s instruction I took our buffalo to the village pond. The buffalo slowly advanced to the deep waters. I was a kid; I began to shout at her and throw pebbles.

Finally the buffalo emerged on the other side of the pond and crossed into the zamindar’s fields. By the time I could skirt the pond and reach there, she had ruined a good part of the standing crops. The zamindar came running and thrashed me severely. My bones began to ache. Earlier that day I had taken beatings in school, too. When after the buffalo episode I finally came home, the father was angry at my being so late and he also beat me. I began to pray to God about what I should do. Father then ordered me to take food to Swamiji in the orchard. I did accordingly.

Thanks GOD,Thanks Sadguru,

Shiv Sharma