At a very young age Asumal lost his father and the family business started dwindling. Asumal had to discontinue his education and shoulder on the family's responsibility along with his elder brother. Asumal's presence in the business improved the profits, but his mind was far away from the business. He always yearned for spiritual knowledge.After his father's demise Asumal's discrimination towards life intensified. He increased the time for mediation and realized that God alone is one reality & essence of life. His concentration increased greatly due to regular, pure meditation and unknowingly all siddhis (mystical powers) attended upon him at the tender age of ten years. No one could stop the fire of renunciation that was enveloping him completely. As Asumal grew into youth his meditation and search for Truth intensified. Asumal's growing detachment to the world worried his family and they decided to get him married. Asumal's family got him engaged.
"Granite walls however high are not high enough to shut out fate,
Iron chains however strong are not strong enough to trap a free bird."
Asumal kept postponing marriage for two & half years. Eventually, his family fixed up a date for marriage. He did not want to be entangled in the bondage of marriage so he ran away from home eight days before marriage. Members of family & friends started searching for Asumal, they found him in Ashok Ashram of Bharauch & dragged him back to home. Asumal was married to Lakshmi Devi.
He told his wife, " I don't want to be enmesh myself into this samasara. I want to be free like Shuka, Buddha, Shankara. So don't obstruct me in my way." Lakshmi Devi did gave her assent. Even a golden chain could not bind a free bird.
Asumal joined a Sanskrit School in order to grow more spiritually. He used to sleep in the school at night away from his wife & practise celibacy (Brahmacharya) sincerely. Four days before exam he was highly influenced by a shloka which meant that, "The one who has disowned expectations & materialistic desires & has adopted the desireless state, the penances & worship of such a person has reached completion." His desire to attain God got intensified. He made up his mind to break from family so as to realize God.
"Life at its best is a long drawn agony, only its pains bide,
Its pleasures are as birds that are light and fly;
Men live and die and whirl upon the wheel and hug and kiss it's spokes of agony;
It's tier of tears, it's nave of nothingness.
I have been yearning to know if these were the eternal lot of men."
Bapu as SadhakThese were the thoughts that were going on in the mind of Asumal when he renounced the world.
After leaving his dominions, Asumal went from place to place and at nights slept on the grass, homeless and alone. He did intense spiritual practices in deep forests, on hills, in deep caves, in various great temples.
At Kedarnath, the Pujari blessed Asumal to become a millionaire, but Asumal did not appreciate this. He worshipped again & made a pledge to attain God.
Asumal then went to Vrindavan, the land of Lord Krishna. Here he was inspired to go to the Ashram of the Great Guru, Swami Shri Lilashahaji Maharaj. He had to wait for 40 days in the Ashram to get the glimpse of Gurudev. There he stayed and served his SadGuru with true devotion. He waged war with so many troubles. He used to take just Moong Dal as food, sleep in a small 4.5 feet room. SadGurudev made Asumal go through several hardships for another 30 days & then finally Asumal was blessed. Swami Shri Lilashahaji Maharaj asked him to go back to home & continue his spiritual practices at home.
He came back to his Ahmedabad home. But his mind was attuned to only self-realization. No one can stop a man who is on his way to Paramapada (Ultimate Realization). He passed 13 days at his home but he became so restless that he made up his mind to leave his home again in quest of supreme beatitude.
He left his home and started doing intense spiritual sadhana on the banks of river Narmada at Moti Koral. A local saint Shri Lalji Maharaj got impressed by Asumal's intense spiritual practices. Lalji Maharaj made arrangements for Asumal to stay in Datt Kutir of Ram Niwas (Lalji Maharaj's Ashram). Asumal started the 40 day Anushthan here.
One day while Asumal was meditationg in the bank of river Narmada, heavy rain poured. Asumal did not want to stop his meditation. He went to a nearby fisherman's hut, and there he sat in meditation, soon he merged himself in deep meditation. Sometime later, the owner of the house came outside to attend his natural call & he saw our Asumal. He thought Asumal to be a thief and collected all the fishermen in the neighbourhood. Everybody in the near vicinity came with their weapons, sticks and swords etc. But Asumal was deeply merged in meditation. After some time he slowly opened his eyes and saw many people around him with all kinds of weapons, making noise. But who can do anything to a person who has conquered all sensory tendencies, like evil, animosity.
"No armor is invented till today, by man which has not succumbed to the attack of weapons and no defeat is known by him who has armored his soul with the training of the 'Self' with inward discipline."
All people that came there gazed at him in wonder and beheld him with respect. They realized that he is a great saint doing meditation. Asumal immediately left that place with heavenly dignity. All these people asked for forgiveness & looked upon him with great reverence and esteem.
When Asumal's wife and mother came to know that he was staying at Moti Koral they visited him. They requested him to come back.With Guru But Asumal told them without completing the Anushthan he cannot come. He successfully completed the Anushthan. The whole village & Shri Lalji Maharaj himself came to the railway station to see them off to Ahmedabad. As soon as the train started moving from Miyagam junction, Asumal jumped out and boarded a train towards Bombay.
Asumal reached Bombay (Mumbai) & went for darshan of SadGurudev Lilashahji Maharaj. It was the second day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashwin Samvat 2021, when after seeing his disciple's great yearning to attain the truth and his intense and resolute will against all odds, the great Guru showered Purna Guru Kripa on him at the young age of 23. Swami Lilashahji blessed Asumal with ultimate knowledge, thereafter Asumal became merged in samadhi for two and half days. Sadhak Asumal was transformed into Swami Shri Asaramji Maharaj by the golden touch of SadGurudev (master). Asumal got enlightenment.
The end of sadhana was reached at last. The human being became a divine being.
Asumal started seeing the one supreme being in all. With SadGuru's grace Asaramji discovered the absolute truth. Affinity for the world disappeared. Each moment of life was overflowing with the divine realization of existence of One in All. The stage beyond pride & material attractions was reached. The final destination where the Jiva becomes one with Parmatman was reached. The blissful state where nothing can separate one from God was finally attained.
Purna Guru Kripa Mili, Purna Guru Ka Gyan
Asumal Se Ho Gaye Sai Asaram...
Pujya Lila Shahji Maharaj instructed Asaramji to serve the humanity by staying as a householder.
After Self-Realization Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu stayed in solitude for seven years. Pujya Shri used to stay fully immersed in the bliss of the Atman (Brahmanand Masti) & give religious discourse to all those who came for darshana (meet & see Bapuji). Pujya Shri spent His solitude in various places like Disa, Naareshwar Dhaam, the Himalayas, Mt. Abu & so on.....
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