| Spirituality is the science of infinite Knowledge. Man will have to take numerous births to study it. Spirituality is concealed even in seemingly insignificant aspects in day-to-day life. Understanding it by remaining in a learning mode continuously is the secret to finding Bliss even in insignificant aspects. Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale has taught this art to seekers and is thus, moulding seekers.
Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale curiously asks seekers questions related to the satsevas they perform and thus, imparts momentum to their seva-related contemplation. He also guides them on how to make the satseva or any task increasingly sattvik (Spiritually pure) and perfect. This has streamlined the satsevas being performed by seekers, and from this, the society has benefited. Given here are some snippets of this benefit. |
Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale asked Saint Bhaktaraj Maharaj the meaning of His bhajans and compiled them for the benefit of others !
Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale would consult me whenever He didn’t understand a difficult subject. Very rarely He would ask others. He has always had excellent comprehension ability. There is a thick book of Saint Bhaktaraj Maharaj’s bhajans. An average individual will find it difficult to understand the implied meaning of these bhajans. Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale keenly understood from Saint Bhaktaraj Maharaj the meaning of these bhajans and compiled it for the benefit of others. By understanding the implied meaning of these bhajans, seekers can experience a different state of bhav (Spiritual emotion) while listening to them. This was made possible by Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale’s curious nature and His intense yearning for the welfare of the society.
Finding the cause-effect in every aspect and revealing it to seekers
In Sanatan’s Ashrams, many unique incidents take place, such as appearance of ‘Om’ on the floor, hearing unique sounds. Insects, butterflies, birds, etc. sometimes come into the Ashrams and do not leave.
In Ramnathi Ashram, a fly-shaped insect entered Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale’s room. It sat still at one place for 2-3 days. After 2-3 days its size increased. When Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale realised this, He asked seekers to find out the reason. From this incident, I realised that Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale finds out the cause-effect relationship underlying every aspect and reveals it to seekers whenever there is something new from the perspective of Spirituality. This is the way Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale moulds seekers.
– Dr. Ajay Ganpatrao Joshi (Sanatan Ashram, Ramnathi, Goa, 17.5.2017)
Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale giving direction about performing spiritual practice through Art by teaching how to study every Art-form with curiosity
1. When a typical rangoli was shown to Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale, He tried to draw it Himself out of curiosity
In 2007, I drew a rangoli ‘Gayatri Padma’ for the Booklet ‘Sattvik Rangolis’ and explained the unique characteristics of the rangoli to Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale – ‘This rangoli is of 5 dots in 8 directions from the center and is different from other rangolis. It comes back to the starting dot in an unbroken line without lifting the hand’. Then He tried to draw that rangoli Himself out of curiosity. – Ms. Sandhya Mali
1A. Thought process of the seekers in the context of the above incident
1A 1. Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale inculcated in us the virtue of curiosity through this action : Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale taught us through His action that the important virtue in an expert, scholar and researcher in every field is curiosity. Hence, they do not restrict themselves to one activity; they always progress further. An artiste also needs to have curiosity. When he draws many rough sketches while experimenting with new art-work, he displays a combination of virtues such as learning attitude, experimentation and perseverance. We also realised that to inculcate this principle in us, Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale conducted this action Himself.
2. An artist needs to strive for ego removal instead of remaining absorbed in his own world
From this incident, Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale taught us an important aspect of Spirituality – ‘Ego should be less in any seva’.
He also inculcated in us the thought that an artiste should never remain absorbed in his own world. He should listen, accept, act accordingly, harmonise with others, appreciate others, and instead of feeling that ‘I know everything, he should have an attitude that he does not know anything and he is unable to carry out any task.
– Ms. Kushavarta Mali and Ms. Sandhya Mali (Chalisgaon, District Jalgaon, Maharashtra.)
| Individual spiritual experiences of seekers published here are according to the Principle – ‘Where there is bhav (Spiritual emotion), there is God’. It is not that every individual will have similar experiences. |
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