He was guided in all his actions by his guru, Swami Ramdas. Everything is fair in war, even trickeries, yet Shivaji actually offered his whole kingdom to his guru. He had great administrative powers, pure motives and conduct, hence he was great in every way — the only great king of the Hindus since the time of Ashoka.1
As to Akbar, he was quite a different case (similar to Dinshaw Merwan [the Poona philanthropist]). It was his greatness of spirit and nobleness of heart that made him great. The great tolerance for the religious feelings of others which he had shows the magnanimity of his heart.2
The important Hindu day of fasting, Kartika Ekadashi, fell on Saturday, 5 November 1927. At two in the afternoon, the women mandali bathed Baba near the dhuni with mugfuls of water, followed by the men mandali and boys in Raosaheb's class. Baba distributed warm woolen socks to the boys and made arrangements for each to have a new pair of chappals (sandals) or shoes made.
Three days before, another boy who had been staying with Dhuniwala Baba of Saikhed for some years arrived at Meherabad. His name was Shivnarayan, and although he was only fifteen, he was very devout. While Baba was being bathed, Shivnarayan would dunk his head in the water overflowing from the bath. When asked why he was doing this, he replied, "I am washing away my sins in the holy water of Shri Meher Baba's bath!" Baba stopped the boy, motioning him to sit beside him so that when the water was poured over him it would fall on Shivnarayan as well.
That night, Shivnarayan insisted on sleeping near Baba. Baba allowed him to sleep beside him for an hour, after which he lay down near Baba's sandals on the floor. The next morning, Baba ordered the boy to observe silence for a period of time.
Baba's father and his elder brother, Khodadad Kaka, arrived on 8 November. Baba's uncle had brought his two grandsons to enroll them in the ashram school. In this way, a number Baba's young relatives were under his direct spiritual guidance. Khodadad Kaka was small-statured, with a small white beard, and tiny bright eyes. He was humble and loved and revered his nephew. He had a habit of walking if he could manage it. He would walk the six miles from the railway station, to Meherabad, for instance.
Footnotes
- 1.Ashoka (273–232 B.C.) was an Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty. One of the greatest of the ancient rulers, he brought nearly all of India together. However, sickened of war, he turned from Hinduism to Buddhism, and thereafter professed nonviolence. He sent Buddhist missionaries from India as far as Greece and Egypt, and was largely responsible for transforming Buddha's teachings into a world religion (Buddhism).
- 2.Akbar (1542–1605) was a Mogul emperor of India. An outstanding army general, he added Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and northern India to his domain. His reign was marked by administrative reform, religious tolerance, and by the flowering of art and literature.