Prasang 68
Prostrations to Devotees’ Belongings
On December 7, 1956, Yogiji Maharaj went on a pilgrimage to South India by train. This 45-day journey included a group of around 650 devotees. Before heading to Setubandh Rāmeshwar, they decided to stop at Pondicherry (Puducherry, TN). While all the devotees went to visit the Aurobindo Āshram, Yogiji Maharaj stayed on the train with a few others, including Vinubhāi (now Mahant Swami Maharaj), Jashbhāi, and another swami.
After completing his morning rituals, Yogiji Maharaj said, “Come, let’s do pradakshinā of the train carrying the devotees.” The train had 18 long meter-gauge compartments, making it a long pradakshinā. After completing one and a half rounds, Yogiji Maharaj suddenly started doing dandvats before the train. Seeing this, Jashbhāi curiously asked, “Bapa! Whom are you doing dandvats to?”
Yogiji Maharaj replied, “I am doing dandvats to the devotees.”
Jashbhāi said, “But there is no one here! All the devotees have gone to see the āshram.”
With a radiant smile, Yogiji Maharaj responded, “But their belongings are here, aren’t they?”
Witnessing such an extraordinary display of reverence, everyone stood speechless! In the world, disciples bow before their Guru, but how often does a Guru prostrate before even the belongings of his disciples? Such humility is exceptionally rare!
In 1954, Yogiji Maharaj visited Bandhiyā for a murti-pratishthā ceremony. That night, several young devotees slept in the mandir courtyard. At midnight, Yogiji Maharaj needed to go to the restroom. Coincidentally, Vinubhāi also woke up at that time. To his astonishment, he saw Yogiji Maharaj doing dandvats!
Shocked, Vinubhāi ran toward him, helped him up, and asked, “Bapa! Whom were you doing dandvats to?”
It wasn’t towards the mandir’s deity nor in any specific direction of worship. Instead, he was doing dandvats in the direction of the young devotees who were sleeping. Out of curiosity, Vinubhāi asked, “Why were you bowing down to them?”
With great love, Yogiji Maharaj replied, “These yuvaks have renounced worldly comforts, leaving behind cities like Mumbai to serve selflessly. My heart is filled with respect for them. We must recognize their greatness!”
Overcome with admiration, Vinubhāi asked again, “Bapa! How many times have you done this?” With his usual humility, Yogiji Maharaj smiled and dismissed the question, “Nothing much, just as much as I can.”
Yogiji Maharaj’s heart overflowed with pure devotion, humility, and respect for everyone. Even in the middle of the night, he bowed down to the devotees without anyone noticing. Such unparalleled humility truly reflects his divine vision—seeing greatness in others and serving them selflessly. If we learn to appreciate and serve others with the same respect, we too can experience the same joy and enthusiasm that flowed endlessly from Yogiji Maharaj.
