Gunatitanand Swami was a spiritual master. He had a rare gift of extracting the essence of philosophical thought from life's routine acts.
Once, Swamishri was walking down a village street with a small group of saints and devotees. Suddenly, a small boy appeared from nowhere and bumped into Swamishri. 'Where are you going, young man?' inquired Gunatitanand Swami. The little boy looked puzzled. 'Nowhere in particular', the boy uttered, and he ran without another word. Swamishri smiled and explained to the accompanying group. 'Look, this boy is in a great hurry. But he doesn't know his destination. At times, we are just like this boy. We run aimlessly in life and end up in the never-ending maze of material madness.' Gunatitanand Swami pointed out the all-important concept of fixing our goal. It is said, 'A life without a goal is like a postcard without an address.'
Life is meaningless without an aim. It is like a ship without a captain! So what is our goal in life? Many intellectual giants have pondered upon this eternal question. Pierre Gasserdi (1592-1655 A.D.) was a French Scientist, Mathematician and Philosopher. He received a doctorate in Theology and was ordained as a priest. Despite all his learning, he uttered on his deathbed, 'I was born without knowing why, I have lived without knowing why, and I'm dying without knowing why.'
Howard Hughes was the richest man in the world. He died on 26th June, 1976. It is interesting to note his last words. 'I have achieved so many things in life. But I really don't know what this life was all about - I think I have made a mistake.'
Recently, LIFE magazine asked dozens of people about the meaning of life. A cab driver said, 'We are here to die, just live and die. I drive a cab. I do some fishing, go out to eat, pay taxes, do a little reading, then get ready to drop dead.' A businessman concluded, 'Life is a big fake; you're here, you are gone.' A barber gave his response, 'I have been asking why I'm here most of my life. If there's a purpose, I don't care anymore - I'm on the way out.' This is what the majority of the world thinks. 'I don't know, I don't care - and it doesn't make any difference.' Gunatitanand Swami has defined the purpose of our human existence in his sermons (Swami ni Vato). His talks are full of wisdom and knowledge. Swamishri gave peace and solace to all those who came to him. He removed their fears and anxieties, ignorance and darkness, doubts and tensions. Gunatitanand Swami's talks reflect his own personality. He lived and served with a true purpose. In his talks, Swamishri states: 'We are born with a twin purpose - to become 'Aksharroop' (realize our true form as the soul) and to worship Purushottam (God).' (4/101). Swamishri further adds: 'We should have only one desire - to go to Akshardham.' (1/301).
Gunatitanand Swami's goal was crystal clear. Only he who knows his goal can lead others. Swamishri not only opened the pathway to perennial peace for innumerable souls but he himself never budged from his aim. He stayed in Junagadh Temple for over 40 years and inspired many souls to the sublime state of God realization. He was constantly engaged in duties for the good of 'Satsang' and devotees. Despite performing physical services, he remained mentally detached.
In one of his talks he says,' I have to manage the affairs of the temple but my mind is constantly with God. I cannot live without God - like fish in water.' (3/65). Furthermore, Swamishri points out, 'We should not get attached to our work and achievement. These are common things in life. Our real goal is to attach ourselves to God and a God-realized saint.' (1/64) and (2/22).
Thus, we can sense a deep spiritual and philosophical understanding behind Swamishri's every action. Gunatitanand Swami's life and message can be summed up in Vyas Bhagwan's words: 'I have looked at all the scriptures again and again; I have thought over them again and again - I came to the conclusion - THE AIM OF LIFE IS TO ATTAIN GOD.'