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Sadhu Vaswani (November 25, 1879 - January 16, 1966) born Thanwar Lilaram Vaswani was a saint who aspired to serve suffering humanity rather than attain to mukti, salvation or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. He often said, “I do not ask for mukti. I fain would be born, again and again, if only that I might be of some help to those that suffer and are in pain!” Dadaji, as he was popularly known by thousands of his followers and admirers, could have lived a life of luxury, but he spurned all the riches of the world in order to serve the entire creation. He gave hope to hearts numb with fear and anxiety; he opened up the vision of man to the beauty of God. His was a life of singular simplicity blended with selfless activity.

He was the founder of the Mira Movement in Education and inspirer of the Brotherhood Association, which was later, renamed Sadhu Vaswani Mission, a posthumous tribute in his honour. Implanted deep in Sadhu Vaswani's heart was reverence for all life. Every little thing he did was inspired by the Vision Cosmic. His heart bled at the cruelties inflicted upon animals day after day, for human consumption food. "Take my head," he pleaded," but pray stop all slaughter!' This deep awareness of the need for reverence for all life, formed a very essential part of his teachings and has been propagated by the Mission by observing Nov.25, Sadhu Vaswani's birthday as International Meatless Day and Animal Rights Day.

As a fitting tribute to such an outstanding leader among men, a hi-tech light and sound show called 'Darshan' has been opened in Pune, to enable the people to get several inspiring glimpses into his fascinating life and teachings.

Philosophy

He was a pilgrim of what he called the "little way". It is the way of love and humility. Love God, he said, and love all whom God has created. He was an ocean of love. Love flowed out of him in an endless stream. He loved also the thief, the gambler, the man or woman taken in sin. "Love, love thine enemy", he said on one occasion, "and though he hate thee as a thorn, thou wilt blossom as a rose." He also said: At the end of your life, you will not be asked, how many degrees of universities have you acquired, you will be asked if you have learnt the word of letters four: L-O-V-E.

Birth and Childhood

Sadhu Vaswani was born on the dawn of November 25, 1879 on the sacred day of Kartik Ekadashi in Hyderabad Sindh. He was the second child of Lilaram and Varandevi Vaswani; both of whom were devout and God-fearing people. It is said that a holy aura enveloped the child and a mystical light shone in his eyes.

Sadhu Vaswani was named “Thanwar”. The word means “steadfast” – established in holy contemplation, absorbed in the Eternal. Sadhu Vaswani’s mother, Varan Devi, was a devotee of Guru Nanak. On her lips and in her heart was the holy Name, “Wahguru”. She could not read or write but was full of practical common sense. She was young when her husband passed away. The responsibility of bringing up a family of four children devolved upon her.

The father, Diwan Lilaram, belonged to a noble family. He was a man of learning, of faith and tapasya. He was a worshipper of Kali, the Divine Mother of the Universe. His ancestors had been wealthy, though he himself was but a small zamindar – the owner of an unproductive farm. The yield from the land was uncertain. Sadhu Vaswani was brought up in poverty but the overall atmosphere in the house was one of contentment.

Even as a small child, Sadhu Vaswani knew that there was One for whom nothing was impossible. And he had access to this One through prayer. Whenever he found someone in suffering and pain, he would go and sit in a silent corner and pray for him. One day, his mother spoke to him of a close relative who had lost his job and the family was passing through a difficult time. All they needed was twenty rupees a month to fulfill their basic needs. At night, Sadhu Vaswani went up to the terrace and prayed ardently to God, asking Him to help the afflicted family. And he continued to do so for seven days. On the seventh day, the mother announced in joy that their relative had been given a job with a salary of exactly twenty rupees a month. Such was his faith in the Divine.

When he was a small boy, child Vaswani found that the man who came to clean the toilets, Ouka, was regarded as an untouchable. Nonetheless, considering him his brother, he sat with Ouka and played with his children. When child Vaswani’s mother found him playing with them, she caught hold of him and pushed him under a water-tap, for in those days it was believed that even the shadow of an untouchable could pollute a person. “You need to be cleansed for having come into contact with an untouchable. You must never do that again!”she said. He answered: “Why, mother? Is not Ouka my brother too?”

One day, on his way to school he noticed a butcher’s shop, where he saw the carcasses of goats and sheep with blood dripping from their entrails. The boy stood there shocked and resolved then and there never to eat meat again. He told his mother, “I would rather starve than eat food of violence!” He became a vegetarian for life. When he grew up he prophesied that meat-eating would one day be condemned as murder.

A Mystic on the Rise

At the early age of eight he had his first mystical vision while sitting out in the moonlight. He saw a white figure with silvery hair translucent with light. The figure beckoned to him and he was lost in a trance, out of which he was awakened by his mother, who carried him inside the house.

From the beginning of his days, he was filled with a spirit of compassion for all who were in suffering and pain. Sometimes, as he sat down to his meals and heard the cry of a passing beggar, he would take away his food to share it with the hungry one.

Again and again, his mother found him awake, shivering in the middle of cold, wintry nights. “What keeps you awake, my child? May I give you another blanket to keep you warm?” she would ask him. He said to her, “Mother, the cold I feel cannot be overcome by a hundred blankets or quilts!” Seeing the confused look in his mother’s eyes, he further explained, “I am thinking of hundreds of homeless ones who, in this severe cold, are lying on the roadside. Their cold seems to pierce my frame.”

The young boy would spend hours together all alone on the terrace in the darkness of night and commune with the spirit within. Having been born in a mud house, situated in a narrow winding lane, so narrow that two could not walk together, he learnt one of his early lessons. “Man must learn to walk alone. Live in fellowship with all, but in the heart within, know that you are alone. You belong to no one: no one belongs to you! Alone and empty-handed must you wend your way to the Alone!”

Thanwar Vaswani was 11 years old when his father passed away. It was the sacred day of Deepavali (1890) and child Vaswani had just bought some sweetened nuts from a sweet meat stall when he heard a ‘voice’, which seemed to come as if from nowhere. The ‘voice’ bade him return home immediately as his father was about to breathe his last. Vaswani threw the nuts and ran home. At 11:00 p.m., the sick father cast a loving glance at his wife and sons and blessed them. Before dying, he predicted that Thanwar Vaswani’s name would be carried by the wind to lands and shores near and distant.

A Brilliant Student

When the father passed away, the family went through economic difficulties until the eldest son, Pahlajrai had to take a teacher’s post in Karachi. Thanwar Vaswani accompanied him to Karachi and was enrolled in the N.J.V. High School, where soon he won the affection of the teachers and the Principal. Their dwelling was a rented room shared with other working men who spent much of their time gossiping, so he had to stay up late in order to study in quiet. Nonetheless, he topped the list of successful candidates in Sindh and won the Macleod Scholarship.

At the age of 17, young Vaswani enrolled in the D.J. Sind College, in Karachi. During an English pre-degree class, the Principal asked the students to write an essay. After examining the essay, Principal Hasketh suspected that the essay Vaswani submitted was plagiarized from the works of Dr. Annie Besant. Sadhu Vaswani humbly requested to be tested again by writing another essay in the Principal’s presence. After reading the second essay, the Principal was convinced of his brilliance.

When he was a student, Vaswani started a small group with the purpose of studying “the Mystery of God.” But the young intellectuals decided to test his character before accepting him as their leader. So they took Vaswani to the house of a prostitute, and left him there. The prostitute tried to entice the young man. But he calmly told the woman: “Sister! Physical beauty blooms for a while only to fade away, while the body, too, perishes one day. Forget the body, but forget not the soul and pray for inner beauty. Then may your life be truly and richly blessed.” Half an hour later, the young collegians returned and found the two of them singing the Name Divine. They realized that Vaswani was no ordinary man.

Thanwar Vaswani passed the B.A. examination with flying colours. He obtained the prestigious Ellis Scholarship and became a Dakshina Fellow at the D.J. Sind College, Karachi. After completing a brilliant academic career that culminated in an M.A. degree, his natural inclination lay in following the life of a fakir (mendicant spreading the Lord’s message). But this was not consistent with the wishes of his mother who took a promise from him not to renounce the world while she was alive. So he submitted to her will and pursued a teaching career, becoming a professor and Principal of prestigious colleges in the country.

An Admired Professor

The young Vaswani soon received an offer to be a professor of History and Philosophy in the famous Metropolitan College, Calcutta. He began his illustrious career there and made a deep impression on the young minds of the students. While working in the Metropolitan College, Professor Vaswani earned a handsome salary and sent most of the money home to his mother. When he went home for his first vacation, his mother tried to persuade him to get married but Professor Vaswani resisted all talks of holy matrimony. He remained a bachelor all his life.

During his term as a professor, he and his students had gone on an excursion across the Ganges. He urged them to return as he felt the first inkling of an approaching storm. While they were in the boat, the storm overtook them and it started to rain heavily. All the students were filled with fear. The boatman said that only a miracle could save them. The students turned to Professor Vaswani. He asked them to pray earnestly. As they prayed together, the storm abated and the boat safely reached the other shore. Even the elements are subservient before the prayers of such a supra-being like Vaswani.

Meeting his Guru: The Professor becomes a Pupil

Prof. Vaswani was a much sought-after figure in Calcutta. The students found themselves drawn to him and were influenced by his spiritual energy. His worldly status was indeed well taken care of but the yearning for a spiritual Guru increased in his heart and he prayed to the Lord to lead him to a man of God.

God, surely, heard the young aspirant’s prayers. One day, as he was walking the streets of Calcutta, the lilting sound of kirtan emanated from a dwelling and unbidden his feet moved in that direction. He climbed up a staircase that led to a few modest rooms where in the midst of a group sat a man whose eyes met those of the new visitor. For what seemed to be an unforgettable moment of stillness, their eyes locked together and his heart whispered, “Here is the Master of a million hearts.” The saint-to-be had met the Guru, whom he had sought eagerly for so long. The Master he now beheld was none other than Sri Promotholal Sen – referred to in great affection and reverence as Naluda – nephew of Sri Keshab Chandra Sen, the founder of the Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj.

In the year 1908, Sadhu Vaswani returned to Karachi and joined the D.J. Sind College as Professor. His lectures were an intellectual feast for the students.

Messenger of Hope: India’s Representative at the Parliament of World Religions

In the year 1910, at the age of 30, Sadhu Vaswani accepted an invitation to participate as one of lndia's representatives in the Welt Congress—the World Congress of Religions—in Berlin, Germany. His message at the Welt Congress concentrated on “the message of the Atman, which is the need of Western theology and Western life.” The young professor was a great success and everyone listened to him with awe and respect. Newspapers were eager to carry his photograph and articles.

After the conference, he received invitations to address meetings held in different parts of Europe including France, England, Italy and Rome. Wherever he went he spread the message of the rishis and saints of India.

When he was ready to return to India he did not have enough money to purchase a ticket for the return journey. Nonetheless, he knew a ticket would come to him at the right time. That same afternoon, he received an invitation to tea from the Maharani of Cooch Behar, who was in England on a holiday. She had learned that he had finished his work in Europe and was returning to India. She asked him to permit her to purchase his return ticket to India. Prof. Vaswani was not surprised. He knew that the life of him who completely trusts in God is full of miracles.

On his way back to India he was carrying with himself a bag of newspaper clippings giving an account of his triumphant tour of Europe. One night, as he was pacing up and down the deck of the steamer, he realized that he was carrying ‘a bag of vanity’. Following a voice within him, he threw into the sea the bag containing all the newspaper clippings about his success in Europe. "Fame and name, are as waves on the surface of the sea. True life is that which is lived in the depths. It is the life of the Spirit," he said.

In the year 1912, he was invited to become the Principal of the Dyal Sindh College of Lahore. He was then 33 years old.

In the year 1915, he became Principal of the Victoria College in Cooch Behar and, in 1917, the Principal of the prestigious Mahendra College in Patiala.

Renunciation

In 1919, Principal Vaswani’s mother, fell seriously ill. After receiving a telegram of her condition, he immediately rushed to her bedside and tended her night and day. She passed away on the third day of the sacred month of Vaisakha. The death of his mother had redeemed him of his promise not to renounce the world during her lifetime. He was now free to pursue his spiritual mission. He immediately resigned his Principal’s post and threw off all worldly bondages. He was barely 40 years old then.

Renouncing all, he became a fakir. To spend time in silence, he escaped to a secluded spot in a nearby village. Away from the maddening crowds, he lived a very simple life surviving on a meager sum of rupees ten per month.

Inspiring the Youth

He then entered into the struggle for freedom of the country and worked alongside Mahatma Gandhi in his Satyagraha Movement in 1920. Sadhu Vaswani gave his whole hearted cooperation, as he thought this initiative would spiritualize even the political life of India. He became one of its strong supporters and wrote several books – India Arisen, Awake! Young India, India’s Adventure, My Motherland, Builders of Tomorrow and Apostles of Freedom – exhorting the youths of India to dedicate their lives to the Motherland. The very first issue of the new series of Mahatma Gandhi’s weekly journal, Young India, carried on its front page, an article by Sadhu Vaswani.

For the proper training and revitalization of the young, he opened Bharat Yuvak Sanghas (Youth Centers) in different parts of the country. He organized Youth Conferences and opened Youth Ashramas. One of them was the Shakti Ashram in Raipur, which drew the attention of a number of prominent leaders including Mahatma Gandhi. He lectured in different places on the ‘Mission of Indian Youths’, pointing out that freedom was nigh, and that he looked to the youths of India for taking up the responsibility of rebuilding the nation.

In 1929, after his brother passed away, Sadhu Vaswani decided to stay in Hyderabad, his birthplace. Here he started the Sakhi Satsang, a devotional fellowship association open to girls and women. Sadhu Vaswani taught that 'the noblest work is to cultivate the soul'. Gradually, a number of brothers also felt drawn and later the satsang was renamed 'Brotherhood Association'.

Founding the Mira Movement in Education

Sadhu Vaswani believed that the Nation walks on the feet of the little ones. So, he turned his attention to education, emphasizing that character-building is nation-building. On the evening of June 3, 1933, as he paced to and fro on his house-top with a far-away look in his mystic eyes, he heard within him a Voice urging him to initiate new lines in education. It was a great task; it would need a lot of money. He looked into his shirt-pockets, he opened his purse. There was only a two-paisa coin in it. That was all he had at the moment. What should he do? Again, the Voice spoke, “Give all you have and the All-in-all will not fail you!”

In the early hours of the dawn of June 4, amidst the chanting of Vedic mantras, and in the presence of the holy havan fire, he announced the opening of St. Mira’s School for Girls . Sadhu Vaswani solemnly handed over the coin to Mrs. Parpati Malkani, the secretary of the Sakhi Satsang. “Our school will be started with this blessed two-paisa coin,” he told the assembled devotees—words which have gone down in golden letters in the history of the Mira Movement in Education.

From a humble beginning of a small school housed in a simple dwelling, it has now grown into a mighty banyan tree comprising of several schools, a college for girls, a management college and a nursing college where over 6000 students receive education that stretches from the pre-primary to the post-graduate level. The Mira Movement in Education attempts to blend training of the intellect with developing deeper moral and ethical values. The students receive a ‘triple training of the head, the hand and the heart’. The education is global in perspective, but Indian in approach.

In the year 1945 Dr. Radhakrishnan paid a visit to Sindh and presided over the Annual Function of the St. Mira’s High School at Hyderabad. He re-visited the school once more in Pune, India.

Relocation To Pune

As a result of the 'partition' of India, migration on a large scale started in 1947. Sadhu Vaswani did not wish to leave the land of his birth. However, to safeguard the lives of his devotees who would not leave without him, Sadhu Vaswani too had to take the hard decision to leave Pakistan and come to India.

In India, Sadhu Vaswani made Pune his home. He started Gita classes and fellowship prayer meetings. He served the poor and needy and opened a charitable medical dispensary. On one occasion, he found a leper-patient lying by the roadside. With his holy hands, he washed the body of the beggar and gave him his own shirt to wear. The beggar pointed to the cap which Sadhu Vaswani wore. Readily, he gave the cap to the beggar and said, “The cap and shirt and everything that I have is a loan given to me to be passed on to those whose need is greater than mine!” Indeed, for Sadhu Vaswani to live was to give, to live was to serve, to live was to love, to live was to bear the burdens of others, to live was to share his all with all.

He re-started the St. Mira’s school and later established the St. Mira’s college for girls in Pune. His reputation grew to such an extent that he became a leader and inspirer and was recognized as a saint by people not only in India but by people all over the world.

Last Years and Maha Samadhi

In August 1959, Sadhu Vaswani had a fall and broke his femur bone. The next six weeks he was confined to bed in his room. The shooting pains did not let him sleep, but in spite of all the suffering, there was always a smile on his face and the one word: “Shukur” (Thank you God!) on his lips. From then on it was not possible form him to walk again, but never did he utter a word of complaint.

The last six years of Sadhu Vaswani’s life were years of great physical pain and agony. He suffered severe physical setbacks. But his face always wore the same serene smile and his lips never failed to thank the Lord.

On January 14, 1966, two days before Sadhu Vaswani dropped his physical body, he said: “Bring me all my clothes. Keep only two shirts and two dhotis for me. They will suffice! I want to give away the rest to the poor!” The people around him did not understand the concealed meaning behind the words. Two days later, on January 16, his soul merged with the Eternal. Messages and telegrams began pouring in from all over India in hundreds. The very first telegram came from Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, President of India, a friend of Sadhu Vaswani for several years. He wrote: - “I am deeply grieved to hear of the passing away of saintly Vaswani.”

In Pune, at the place of his work and final rest, has been built a Samadhi, a beautiful shrine which is visited by hundreds of pilgrims every day. The shrine is vibrant with his ever-living presence.

To all appearances Sadhu Vaswani was no more. But His spirit is ever alive. From the Unseen Realm he keeps guiding struggling souls to face the problems of life, comforting the care-worn and sorrow-stricken. In 1969, the Government of India brought out a postage stamp in his memory.

Sadhu Vaswani lives on in the state-of-the-art Light and Sound show called ‘Darshan Museum’ located the Sadhu Vaswani Mission Campus in Pune. Here, Sadhu Vaswani comes alive through the use of modern technology and his message resonates down the corridors of time never to be forgotten.

Influence

Tributes were paid to him by men and women of light and leading in East and West. In the West, they spoke of him as a “Herald of the New Age”, a “Faraday of Spiritual Science”, a “Pioneer and a Path-pointer”. The Irish Poet, Dr. Cousins, saluted him as “India’s modern Mystic”, a “Fore-runner of the New Age”, and a “Thinker and Revealer of the deep truths of the Spirit”.

Sadhu Vaswani, however, was a picture of humility. He answered his admirers in the following words, “I know not much. I only know that the longing within me grows, day by day, to be consumed, more and more, in the Flame of Sacrifice to Him, whose Beauty blooms in all the worlds and whose Love I see shining, shining everywhere!”

In the words of our first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad: “The life of Vaswaniji has been a saga of unassuming service, spiritual illumination and source of inspiration to us all.”

Teaching and Philosophy

Sadhu Vaswani’s life was a long chain of little deeds of love and compassion. His philosophy of life was simple. And his prescription for happiness was, “If you want to be happy; make others happy"

An English man once asked Sadhu Vaswani: “Will you tell me, in three words, what is the essence of religion?” Sadhu Vaswani answered: “The essence of religion in three words! The first word is Love.” Then he paused for a brief while and added, “The second word is Love.” Another brief pause and then, “The third word is Love!”

And when asked, “What is it to tread the Path of Love?”, Sadhu Vaswani said: “To tread the Path of Love is to be humble as dust, for the heart must be emptied before it can receive the treasures of the Spirit.”

Literary Works

Sadhu Vaswani was a prolific writer-the author of several hundreds of books in English and Sindhi. He was a soulful singer of immortal songs in English and in his mother-tongue, the lyrical Sindhi language. Poems and articles flowed out of his pen like gushing streams down a mountain-side. Although his writings embrace many subjects, they are all in praise of the Lord and portray Divine Love and deep longing for the Beloved.

Sadhu Vaswani's collection of Sindhi songs, the Nuri Granth, is one of the largest books in the literature of the world, enshrining the songs of a single poet-saint. The Nuri Granth is revered by many as a Scripture and has also been translated to the English language. It is a world-scripture with a world-message.

Some of the books written by Sadhu Vaswani are listed below:
Nuri Granth (A collection of his Sindhi songs)
Ecstasy and Experiences
Kindle The Light
The Heart of the Gita
Heart-beats
Pilgrimage to God
Discover Yourself
Gita Meditations

Sadhu Vaswani Mission

After Sadhu Vaswani’s Mahasamadhi, in 1966, the Brotherhood Association was renamed to Sadhu Vaswani Mission to honour its founder and to carry on the good work started by him.

It is now a worldwide humanitarian non-profit organization with Dada J. P. Vaswani—disciple and nephew of Sadhu Vaswani, as its Spiritual Head. The Sadhu Vaswani Mission is a non-sectarian institution which believes in the unity of all religions and reveres the Great Ones of all faiths. The Mission serves all sections of society with no attention to caste, creed or community. Its service activities include several spheres that influence people’s lives – social, educational, medical, environmental and spiritual.

In less than half a century, under the aegis of Rev. Dada J. P. Vaswani, the Sadhu Vaswani Mission has grown into a huge banyan tree with over 60 centers spread across the continents, where innumerable social service programs are carried out tirelessly. Several schools and colleges have been established, a multi specialty medical complex with state-of the-art equipment, comprising of five hospitals at Pune - a General Hospital, a multi-modal Cancer Hospital, a Super Specialty Eye Care Hospital and a comprehensive Cardiac-Care Hospital have been established. The good work of help and healing continues. In all these institutions, the poor are treated free and those belonging to the lower income groups receive generous concessions.

Sadhu Vaswani believed that Reverence for All Life is the first step to World Peace. To create and foster reverence for ALL Life, an association called SAK ‘Stop All Killing’ has been established by the Sadhu Vaswani Mission and Sadhu Vaswani’s birthday November 25, is celebrated all over as International Meatless Day and Animal Rights Day.

Quotations

If you want to be happy, make others happy.
Religion? Let us talk of it less, practise more.
Children of the earth, ye all are one!
Service of the poor is worship of God.
The noblest work is to Cultivate the Soul!

References

1. ^ J.P. Vaswani (2002). Sadhu Vaswani: His Life and Teachings. Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd. ISBN 81-207-2462-3.
2. http://www.stmiraschool.org/
3. http://www.dadavaswanisbooks.com/index-org.html
4. http://www.sak.org.in/about_sak.html

External links

• Biography of Sadhu Vaswani at Sadhu Vaswani Mission
• Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Official website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Youtube
• Darshan - A light and sound show
• In Vedic Books
• The Pluralism project at Harvard university

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• Indian educationists
• 1879 births
• 1966 deaths
• People from Hyderabad District, Pakistan
• People from Pune
• Sindhi people
• Indian philosophers
• University of Mumbai alumni
• University of Calcutta faculty
• University of Karachi faculty