Shri Raichandbhai Ravjibhai Mehta was his full name. He was born in Vavania, Saurashtra, around 1867 A.D. His family was a prominent member of the mercantile society. His mother was named Devabai, while his father was named Ravjibhai. His mother was raised according to Jain religious customs. He grew up as a devoted follower of Lord Krishna.
“I was born on Sunday, Kartik Sud Purnima (15th day of Kartik), Vikram Samvat 1924,” writes Vayacharya Shrimadji in Samucchaya. I have so completed 22 years as of today. I have learned a great deal in this seemingly brief life about the soul, the nature and changes of the mind, the purity of speech, the physical body, wealth, different impressions of the varied or multicoloured wonderful world formations of various orders, many ups and downs in this world, and the reasons behind endless suffering and unhappiness. I have personally experienced each of them in numerous ways.
Throughout my little existence, I have considered every idea that the great saints, philosophers, and sceptics have considered. I’ve been thinking about the universe of hopes and dreams that the great leaders talked about. I have also considered the ultimate form of disinterest, a calm indifference. I have given the acquisition of immortality as well as minute temporariness or transitoriness a great deal of thought. In the few years of my existence, I have experienced many comparable wonderful thoughts.
I view them all through the eyes of a seer, and I see the incomprehensible chasm between my current level of experience and knowledge and my previous state of being when I held these magnificent and diverse thought-systems in high regard.
All of these little and significant changes, together with my slow evolution as a person, are solely etched in my memory. I have never sought to make these ideas known. I believed that sharing these ideas and my experiences with a larger audience could have positive spiritual effects, but my memory would not cooperate, leaving me powerless. If it were possible to convince my memory to write down its treasures and make them available to the public, I would gladly comply.
I played alone for the first seven years. I vividly recall how much I loved having such a vivid imagination. I had a great ambition to win and rule everything even when I was playing. I wanted to be a great man with a gracious demeanour. I didn’t care if I was in a nice bed, eating nice food, or dressing nicely. My heart was still quite tender. I can still remember that aspect of my early life. If I had known then what I know now about discrimination, I would not have been as concerned about liberation. I enjoy thinking back on that existence quite a bit because it was one of such pure innocence.
I dedicated myself to studying for four years, from the age of seven to eleven. I could remember everything I had ever seen or read at that point. My memory was pure, just as my intellect was pure. I never understood the concept of fame as a child, so I was never disturbed by the publicity bug. I had a distinct retentive memory, something that, in my opinion, very few guys still have.
I still didn’t care about my education, though. I had a lot of time to converse, play, and have fun. My teacher used to be happy with me since I had a good memory because I could memorise everything I had ever read in front of her. I was naturally sympathetic and affectionate to everyone around me at the time. I discovered that the secret to happiness in a family and society was a sense of loving brotherhood. When I discovered separatist sentiments or actions in someone, it used to hurt me deeply and make my heart hurt. I wrote poetry in my ninth year that, looking back, I thought were really beautifully done.
I did so much studying that I was able to describe the book to As a devoted follower of Lord Krishna, my great-grandfather was a Vaishnava. He used to sing a lot of religious songs to me about Radha and Krishna. He would also tell me enigmatic tales about the miracles performed by Lord Krishna and other divine incarnations.
I received my religious initiation from Ramadasji, a Sadhu. Every day, I went to Darshana of Lord Krishna and participated in devotional gatherings and lectures. I held the conviction that God was truly present in His incarnation and harboured a deep want to see where He lived. In my dream, I was a fervent advocate of Lord Krishna’s religion and a superb spiritual devotee. I believed that mastering Hari Kirtana as a great Sanyasi would be the crowning achievement of my life.
I detested Jains who rejected God as the world’s creator because I was inundated with such ideas. I had the opinion that nothing could exist without a creator, that the world was a magnificent creation, and that only God could have been the creator of something so exceptional.
In my hometown, the Jain Banias recognised me as the village’s brightest pupil. However, they made fun of my Vaishnavite initiation and tried to get me to abandon my beliefs. I persisted and read the Jain holy texts, including the Pratikramana Sutra, little by bit. The promotion of nonviolence and love for everyone, no matter how high or humble, in the world was the central theme of Jain literature. This concept of unconditional love and nonviolence really appealed to me.
I would sometimes go to the ruler of Kutch’s home as a writer since people liked my handwriting the best.
When I was thirteen, I began helping out at my father’s shop. I have written numerous poems about the valiant and spiritual lives of Rama and Krishna when I have been seated in the shop. But I have never weighed less or more in my interactions with the shop’s patrons.”The knowledge of his past births was possessed by Shrimad Rajchandra. The name of it is Jati Smarana Gnan.
When his friend Padamshibhai in Bombay asked if Shrimadji had the enigmatic knowledge of his previous lifetimes, he answered “Yes” and went on to describe how and when he had come by it. It’s a lovely description. As stated by Shrimadji
“An old neighbour of mine, Amichand, who was well-built, robust, and sturdy, passed very unexpectedly from a snake bite when I was seven years old.
HIS FINAL ESSENTIAL FORMATION
Agakhan’s Bungalow in Ahmedabad was where Shrimad Rajchandra, along with his mother and wife, stayed during Vikram Samvat 1957. When Shri Devkaranji Muni once questioned him about why his physique had shrunk, he said, “I am at war with my body since it consumed unhealthful food while I was at Dharampur.
He called Shri Lalluji and Shri Devkaranji to his Agakhan’s Bungalow in Ahmedabad one day before he left for Wadhwan Camp and told them there was no difference between him and ShriMahavirswami.
The day before he passed away at Rajkot, Shrimadji remarked to Shri Mansukhbhai, Shri Revashankarbhai, Shri Narbherambhai, and others in his immediate vicinity. “Be sure this soul is eternal, it is reaching increasingly higher stages, and it has a very bright future,” You keep silent and act in a composed, peaceful manner. In the future, I might not tell you straight, and this is not the right moment to do so. All I can say is that you should keep working towards self-realization.