Bhaktaratno

Surā Khāchar, a param bhaktarāj (supreme devotee) of Loyā village, had dedicated his entire life to Satsang. He shared an extraordinary bond with Shriji Maharaj and was one of his closest friends. He strictly adhered to the code of dharma in Satsang and observed such an unwavering vow of celibacy that even Kāmdev (the god of desire) could not shake his resolve.

Once, Surā Khāchar traveled to Jasdan for work and stayed in Thākor Sāheb’s palace. However, Thākor Sāheb disliked Swaminarayan Bhagwān. A wicked thought entered his mind - to corrupt Surā Khāchar and defame both Swaminarayan Bhagwān and his devotees in society.

At midnight, Thākor Sāheb sent an immoral woman to Surā Khāchar’s room. She knocked on the door. Surā Khāchar, who was alert even in his sleep, immediately called out, “Who is it?”

With a soft, pleading voice, the woman said, “I live in this house. My son has a fever, and I need medicine. Please open the door.”

With a cautious heart, Surā Khāchar slowly opened the door, but the woman suddenly pushed her way inside. She tried to seduce him with vile gestures. Realizing the trap, Surā Khāchar immediately drew his sword. In Gunatitanand Swami’s Vāt 2/113 it says, “Before contact is made with material pleasures, be fearful like a goat (i.e., run away from them), but if contact is made, become like a lion (i.e., chase them away).

Surā Khāchar roared like a lion, brandishing his unsheathed sword and frightening the woman away. After expelling her from the house, he thought, “Staying here is dangerous.” Without wasting a moment, he mounted his horse and rode through the night to Gadhadā.

Upon reaching Gadhadā, Surā Khāchar entered the darbār gadh (royal courtyard), where Shriji Maharaj was addressing a sabhā. Seeing him, Shriji Maharaj turned to the assembly and declared, “Here comes our ‘Jati’ (celibate devotee)! Even in solitude, when tempted by a woman, he remained pure and untainted.” Saying this, Shriji Maharaj embraced Surā Khāchar with immense pride.

In this age of Kaliyug, Bhagwān Swaminarayan established a divine Satsang fellowship where such strict dharma is upheld, turning Kaliyug into Satyug (an era of truth and purity).

Shriji Maharaj explains in Vachanāmrut Gadhadā II-33, “If a person strictly observes the vow of non-lust, then even if I were a thousand miles away from him, I would still be close to him. Conversely, if a person is slack in his observance of the vow of non-lust, then even if he is beside me, he is as good as a hundred thousand miles away. And I only like the service offered by a devotee who is lust-free.”

No matter how far away we may be from the Satpurush in terms of physical distance, the key to being with him undoubtedly and without fail is following the vow of non-lust. In today’s technological age, it is easy to become careless regarding this principle. Social media, movies, web series, TV Shows, and inappropriate internet use can weaken our vow of non-lust.

To truly remain in Maharaj and the Satpurush’s divine presence, we must:

• Avoid activities that compromise our purity.

• Use technology wisely and with discretion.

• Follow the principle: for men, ‘One-woman, eternal celibacy,’ and for women, ‘One-man, eternal celibacy.’

If we hold fast to Nishkām Dharma, we, too, will always remain in the loving embrace of Shriji Maharaj and the Satpurush!