Maheswar bhai, whom many of us affectionately called papa, left this earthly existence on the 19th of May 2002. His life served as an inspiration to many who came in touch through him with The Mother. Deceptively simple in its outward appearance, his inner life was nevertheless a rich and complex synthesis of the heart, the intellect and the dynamic will. The dhoti, which adorned his beautiful figure was perhaps symbolic of his many-sidedness, which flowed from some secret sense of oneness that he always carried along with him. It is little wonder that he had found his home everywhere and was loved and admired by many of Her children in India and abroad. Yet, his global comprehension did not diminish his innate love for India and Indian-ness. He truly represented the genius of India in both his body and soul. His simplicity of living concealed behind itself a keen and sharp intellect, a childlike heart full of wonder, a youthful dynamism that wanted to serve the Divine till the very last days of his life. Behind all this was a noble soul that would not compromise with falsehood and strive to act always from the summits of consciousness.
A tapaswi by temperament and a karmayogin by choice, he remained in his heart a child of the Divine Mother loving Her with full trust even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. He was a hero who never let himself succumb to difficulties nor waver in his faith in the face of contrary appearances. No doubt he had his own cross to bear as all of us must, but he bore it well, never letting its shadow fall upon even his closest ones. An exceptional exponent of the Gita, he truly lived its message:
santushtah satatam yogi yatatma dridrhaniscayah
mayyarpitmanobuddhiryo madbhaktah sa me priyah”
The yogin who is ever contented, self-controlled and steadfast
in will and resolution, whose mind and reason are dedicated to Me,
he, my loving devotee, is dear to Me.
Dear he must have been to the Divine so as to have been made His instrument to distribute Her Light as Prasada among all, uncaring for his own inconveniences. Such a one never dies. They continue to live forever shedding their fragrance upon earth and lightening the burden of the way. They live in their deeds too and therefore return not out of compulsion and bondage but out of a heroic aspiration to battle upon earth as a force of Light for the Divine consummation in humanity. Such a one was papa, our loved and dear Maheswari ji.
The last words I exchanged with him a few hours before he chose to leave were beautifully significant. On asking him if he needed anything he replied with a faint smile, “Grace.” That was it and I am certain he is indeed in the bosom of Grace preparing to return for Her Work here upon earth. For indeed,
“After we have served this great divided world
God’s bliss and oneness are our inborn right”
and,
“Therefore at all times remember Me and fight; with thy mind and buddhi given up to Me, to Me verily shalt thou come beyond any doubt.”
To such a child of the Divine Mother our love and salutations.
Dr Alok Pandey
This tribute has appeared earlier in the ‘Mother India’
