Sadhu Vaswani

Sadhu T. L. Vaswani
Personal
Born	Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani (1879-11-25)25 November 1879 Hyderabad, Sindh, British India
Died	16 January 1966(1966-01-16) (aged 86) Pune, Maharashtra, India
Resting place	Sacred Samadhi at Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune, India
Religion	Hinduism Follower of All Religion
Nationality	Indian
Home town	Hyderabad, Sindh
Spouse	Celibate
Parent(s)	Lilaram (Father), Varandevi (Mother)
Sect	Nonsectarian
Pen name	NURI
Profession	Spiritual Architect, Spiritual Inspiration for Many
Organization
Institute	Sadhu Vaswani Mission
Senior posting
Teacher	Pramathalal Sen
Successor	Dada Vaswani
Reincarnation	Krishna
Profession	Spiritual Architect, Spiritual Inspiration for Many

Sadhu Vaswani (25 November 1879 – 16 January 1966), born Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani (Sindhi: साधू थांवरदास लीलाराम वास्वाणी; Sādhū Thāṃvaradās Līlārām Vāsvāṇī) was an Indian saint, mystic, philosopher, poet and educationist. Sadhu Vaswani's life was, in the words of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India, "a sage of unassuming service, spiritual illumination and a source of inspiration to us all". He worked on, day after day, wanting nothing for himself, seeking only opportunities to be of service to the poor, the lonely, and the lost. "Not in decorated temples but in broken cottages is the Great God - wiping the tears of the poor and singing His new Gita for the New Age!" he said.

Vaswani was a saint who aspired to serve suffering humanity rather than attaining mukti, salvation or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. He often said, "I do not aspire 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 strove to give hope to hearts numb with fear and anxiety.

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 honor. Today, his name is synonymous with Reverence for all Life. His heart bled at the cruelties inflicted upon animals, for the purpose of food. Therefore, November 25, his birthday, is celebrated as International Meatless Day and Animal Rights Day all over the world. He was the living embodiment of an unsullied love that knew no bounds, an all-embracing love that included mankind, animals and creation at large. "No nation can be free until its animals are free" - these were the words of Sadhu Vaswani.

As a fitting tribute to such an outstanding leader among men, a museum named 'Darshan' has been opened in Pune.[1]

Birth and Childhood

Sadhu Vaswani was born at the dawn of November 25, 1879, on the occasion of Kartik Ekadashi in Hyderabad, Sind. He was the second child of Lilaram and Varandevi Vaswani; both of whom were devout and God-fearing people.

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, “Waheguru”. She could not read or write but was full of practical common sense. The responsibility of bringing up a family of four children devolved upon her when Diwan Lilaram, her husband, passed away.

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, a major goddess in Hinduism. 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 child, Sadhu Vaswani knew that there was One (God) for whom nothing was impossible. And he had access to this One through prayer. Whenever he found someone in suffering and pain, he would sit in a silent corner and pray for their well-being. One day, his mother spoke to him of a close relative who had lost his job and the family was going 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 that their relative had been given a job with a salary of exactly twenty rupees a month. Such was his faith in God.

Once, young Vaswani found that the man who came to clean the toilets, Ouka, was regarded as untouchable. Nonetheless, considering him his brother, he sat with Ouka and played with his children. When Sadhu 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!” and 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 that was 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!”

Sadhu 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 sweetmeat 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 his son would be a gift of God for the entire nation.

Career

A Brilliant Student

When Sadhu Vaswani’s father passed away, the family went through economic difficulties until the eldest son, Pahlajrai had to take a teacher’s post in Karachi. Sadhu Vaswani accompanied him to Karachi and was enrolled in the N.J.V. High School, where he soon 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 Sind and won the Macleod Scholarship.

When he was a student, Sadhu Vaswani started a small group with the purpose of studying “the Mystery of God.” However, the young intellectuals decided to test him 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 lord’s name together. They realized that Vaswani was no ordinary man.  

At the age of 17, Sadhu 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.

Sadhu Vaswani passed the B.A. examination with flying colors. 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

Sadhu Vaswani soon received an offer to be a professor of History and Philosophy at 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 at the Metropolitan College, Sadhu 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 Sadhu 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 Prof. Vaswani. He asked them to pray earnestly. As they prayed together, the storm abated and the boat safely reached the other shore. Faith in God can also save you from uncontrollable events such as natural calamities, Vaswani used to say.

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 beautiful 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 and Peace

In the year 1910, at the age of 30, Sadhu Vaswani accepted an invitation to participate as one of India'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 photographs 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 as he had laid his whole-hearted trust in God.

On his way back to India he was carrying with him 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. Vaswaniji was warmly greeted by family and friends when he returned.

In the year 1912, he was invited to become the Principal of the Dyal Sing 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 1918, Sadhu Vaswani’s mother fell seriously ill. After receiving a telegram of her condition, he rushed to her bedside and tended her night and day.   She passed away on the third day of the 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 from 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 meagre sum of ten rupees per month.

Inspiring the Youth

Vaswani 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 wholehearted 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 Sakhi 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 giant movement comprising 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.  

Relocation to Pune

As a result of the 'partition' of India, migration on a large scale started in 1947. Vaswaniji too had to take the hard decision to come to India.

Vaswaniji made Pune his home and restarted the school and later established a college for girls in Pune. He started Gita classes and fellowship prayer meetings. His reputation in Pune 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 also by people all over the world.

Last Years and Mahasamadhi

In August 1959, Sadhu Vaswani had a fall and broke his femur bone. For 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! in Sindhi language) on his lips. From then on it was not possible for him to walk again, but never did he utter a word of complaint.

The last six years of Vaswaniji'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, he left the earthly realm. Messages and telegrams began pouring in from all over India in the 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 its ever-living presence.

To his devotees, the spirit that was Vaswaniji is ever alive. People say that he still 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.

Vaswaniji lives on in the state-of-the-art museum called ‘Darshan’ located 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!”

Teaching and Philosophy

Vaswani's life was a long chain of little deeds of love. His philosophy of life was simple. His prescription for happiness was, "Make others happy and you will be 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 from the Spirit.”

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. 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 into the English language. It is regarded as a universal scripture which carries a universal message.

His other works include 'India Arisen', 'India in Chains', 'Life and Teachings of Sri Krishna', 'Sri Krishna, The Saviour of Humanity', 'Saint Mira', 'The Secret Of Asia - Essays on The Spirit of Asian Culture', 'The Spirit and Struggle of Islam', 'Torch-Bearer: Some Reflections on Rishi Dayanand and the Aryan Ideal', 'Youth and the Nation', 'The Face of the Buddha', 'What Mira Movement Stands For', 'The Voice of the Voiceless Ones', 'Gandhi: The Man of the Ages', 'Prolegomena to a Religious Philosophy', 'Ecstacy and Experiences: A Mystical Journey', 'The Call of New Education', 'Youth Renaissance', 'Tukaram: Poet and Prophet', 'Breakfast With God', 'Guru Nanak: A Child of Light', 'Why India Lives', 'Kagawa: Gandhi of Japan', 'Sri Rama: Beloved of Aryavarta', 'Gita: Meditations', 'Heroes of History', 'The Ancient and the Modern', 'The Wisdom of the Rishis', 'The Life Beautiful', 'The Soul of Sindhi Literature', 'Sind and the Sindhis', 'Creative Revolution', 'What is Yoga and other Talks', 'Witness of the Ancient', 'A Pilgrim’s Faith', 'Shri Ramakrishna', and 'India’s Adventure'.

Sadhu Vaswani Mission

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

It is now a worldwide humanitarian non-profit organization with Didi Krishna Kumari, a disciple of both Dada J.P. Vaswani and Sadhu T.L. Vaswani—as its Spiritual Head. After Sadhu Vaswani’s passing away, Dada J.P. Vaswani- disciple and nephew of Sadhu Vaswani led the mission for over 50 years. 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.

The Sadhu Vaswani Mission has grown tremendously, with over 60 centers spread across the continents. Several schools and colleges have also been established. A multi-specialty medical complex with state-of-the-art equipment comprising of four hospitals - a general hospital, a multi-modal cancer hospital, a Super Specialty Eye Care Hospital and a comprehensive cardiac-care hospital has also been established. In bearing witness to the great ideals of Sadhu Vaswani, who believed that to be happy we must make others happy, innumerable social service programs are carried out tirelessly at different centers all over the world.  

Sadhu Vaswani Circle, Pune at which busy arterial roads meets

Awards and recognition

• The Government of India issued a postage stamp in his honor.
• Darshan Museum Pune is a biographical museum that is based on his life.

External links

• Biography of Sadhu Vaswani at Sadhu Vaswani Mission
• Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Official website
• Darshan website dedicated to Sadhu Vaswani