In Sarangpur, Swamishri was once meeting some devotees after completing his daily morning routine. A devotee came and Swamishri enquired, “Do you have an addiction?”
He replied, “Yes, I smoke bidis, and I need to. I can’t remain without them.”
“Quit smoking now,” Swamishri urged.
“No. If I give it up, my soul will get hurt. I don’t want to hurt my soul.”
“The addiction will lead you astray,” Swamishri stated.
“Oh! Not at all.”
“Even if you are a devotee, it will,” Swamishri underscored.
“It might take others astray, but not me!”
“Your mind has surrendered and become weak. That’s why you are talking in this manner,” Swamishri diagnosed.
“I have been smoking since I was ten. Now, I am sixty-two. I smoked in the brief halts I took while steering my pair of oxen to pull water buckets from the well.”
“Do you still steer your oxen?”
“No, not anymore. But I have to keep the bidis with me, because when the labourers come what will I give them? When I give them bidis they start working.”
“You will die because of your addiction,” Swamishri spoke solemnly.
“Let me die in that way. One has to die one day!”
“Since you smoke two packets every day, why not reduce it to five to six bidis daily?”
“That sounds okay. I will quit gradually.”
In spite of the devotee’s chronic habit, Swamishri tried his best to unhinge him from his addiction. Swamishri’s inexhaustible patience and perseverance are apparent from this incident.
In USA, an American, Ricky Prejacti, who regularly attended a yoga centre, came for Swamishri’s darshan. He sat in vajrasan. After enquiring from him, it seemed that he had a fair knowledge of the Upanishads. However, he drank liquor, ate meat and smoked two to three times a week.
Swamishri told him to quit them all. He asked, “I can’t quit. With what perspective should I give them up?” Swamishri replied, “Where is the need for having a perspective? It is poison. Will you take poison? See, we don’t smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, still we remain blissful.”
He responded feebly, “I will try.”
“Don’t say try, just quit them. Let me know if there are any benefits of drinking and smoking,” Swamishri argued. Ricky remained quiet and started sweating profusely.
Swamishri said, “You have learnt spiritual knowledge and are also studying the Upanishads, yet how odd it is that you drink and smoke.”
He said with resignation, “I am bound to my base nature (swabhavs).”
Swamishri explained, “Because you are under the influence of addictions, you are unable to quit your swabhavs. If you do what I say, you will be able to control your nature. If you continue drinking and smoking, you will not be able to progress on the spiritual path. You meditate on God, but your thoughts about addictions disturb your meditation. Addictions are like shackles. Even a slight thought about it will not allow you to progress spiritually. This disturbance will hinder you in everything you do. So, quit your addictions and bad habits.”
Ricky remained quiet again. He cast his eyes downwards and started wiping his sweat. Swamishri enquired, “What are you thinking? At least say something.”
He said, “What can I tell you Swamiji! I came here to beg for just a drop of your compassion, whereas you are totally submerging me in an ocean.”
Swamishri smiled and said, “Just imagine, when you give up addictions what will happen to you? What do you think?”
He answered, “If I quit smoking and drinking, I will be gripped by fear, tension, pain and worry.”
Swamishri commented, “You are already gripped by them. You are in fear. You worry even at the mere thought of quitting! You should think that nothing will happen to you if you quit.”
Ricky said, “If I am not able to follow the pledge, I would incur sin upon myself.”
Swamishri emphasized, “You are already sinning by taking addictions. Though you call yourself spiritual, but because of your addictions to drinking and smoking you are committing sins.”
He remained silent. Finally, Swamishri asked, “Do you like it when others in the world take drugs?
“No.”
Swamishri said, “Your next step will be indulging in drugs. Will you like that?”
“No.”
“Then why not give up your bad habits now!”
For the first time in his life, he had found someone like Swamishri who was lovingly and personally explaining to him. Finally, he gave a promise to make an honest attempt, offered panchang pranam and asked for Swamishri’s blessings. Swamishri’s eyes were full of compassion while blessing him and said, “Write a letter to me when you quit.”
Countless were drenched in the river of Swamishri’s compassion. Swamishri drastically transformed the life of Mahendrabhai of Surat, who used to spend almost two thousand rupees in drinking and other addictions every month. After a year, Mahendrabhai’s father narrated to Swamishri the story of his son’s life prior to his transformation, “I am surprised to see my son’s change. In 38 years, he had never woken up before 10 a.m., whereas now he daily wakes up at 4.30 a.m., does puja and takes all his friends early in the morning to the mandir. After doing darshan, he sweeps the entire mandir grounds. Formerly, he was so fond of eating different dishes on all seven days that he would get irate if they were not served to him. But now, he has completely changed and has stopped eating at hotels. Indeed, my family and I are very happy. Only God has transformed him. It was not a small deal that he stopped drinking and started attending satsang.”
Due to Swamishri’s inspiration, devotees also inspired others to quit addictions. Swamishri had inculcated the lessons of pure living in the lives of devotees such that their conduct ignited change in others.
Most of the people who quit addictions remained firm in their pledges because of Swamishri’s spiritual influence and affectionate persona.