In 2003, Yogi Trivedi, a young devotee in New York, had come to India for Swamishri’s darshan and to participate in satsang activities. However, in the second week, he got jaundice, along with a high fever. He told Swamishri: “Since my relatives live in Ahmedabad, I should go live with them, so that our sadhus don’t have to worry about me.”
At once Swamishri told him, “You don’t need to go anywhere. Just stay here with us. Yogicharan Swami will take care of you.”

He, then, told the sadhu taking care of him also to take care of this young man.

Two days later, when the young man came for darshan, Swamishri asked him: “How are you now?” Yogi said: “Bapa! It is now unbearable. I feel I am going to die.”

On hearing this, Swamishri looked straight into his eyes, saying firmly: “I am here! How can you die?” He then placed his hand on Yogi’s head and blessed him.

Within about three to four weeks Yogi recovered. When he came for Swamishri’s darshan, he was eating. Seeing Yogi Swamishri asked him to come nearer and gave him prasad from his wooden bowl and said, “Eat all of this. You haven’t had much food for a month.”

Such loving care brought tears to the young man’s eyes.

A year later, when Swamishri came to New York, seeing Yogi he immediately asked, “How is your health? Is it good now?” Hearing this the young man was awestruck, thinking that “During this whole year Swamishri must have met countless persons. He must have heard innumerable things from them. And yet he remembers me!” So deeply moved, he had tears flowing out of his eyes.

“When did I ever desire anything from you?

And still you consecrated me with rain from clouds.

When did I ever ask for anything from you?

And yet the rising sun always inquires about me.

No, O Lord! I want nothing!”

Swamishri’s loving care leaves the young naturally moved. The lines quoted above seem highly appropriate for the events described below.

On 12 February 1995, Swamishri was in Atladara. The thal offered to Thakorji at noon had already been placed before him. Suddenly, the news reached him that Dinesh, Bhavnagar’s dedicated young devotee, had an accident and had been taken to a hospital. He had suffered brain injury and was unconscious.

On hearing this, Swamishri right away started reciting the Swaminarayan mantra. Intensely focused and with his eyes closed, he prayed for the young man’s health and then only placed a bit of prasad in his mouth.

Swamishri’s care was always so loving that even one’s illness becomes sweetly memorable.

Once, Swamishri had gone to the Sushrusha Hospital in Mumbai to inquire about the health of a devotee, Vajubhai Khatri. There, he heard that Arvind, the son of Mumbai’s then-Mayor Shri Ramesh Prabhu, had suffered an accident. Immediately, Swamishri went to see Arvind. His father gave Swamishri details about the accident. Gently running his hand over the young man’s head, Swamishri said, “Your father has told me everything. God has protected you, and we are praying for you. You will be fine. Have confidence.”

With Swami’s loving care the young easily overcame the blows of illness.

Harshad Chavda had served for years in numerous construction activities. When he suddenly suffered a serious accident, Swamishri wrote four letters to him within a month and showered so much loving care on him that we are all left deeply moved.

Swamishri wrote to Harshad Chavada: “Your news gives me pain. I pray to Maharaj and Swami for your quick recovery. You are like our hands and feet, so your illness causes pain to me, too. I should serve you in this time of your suffering because you have served us with great understanding. Whatever we can do for you is not enough.

When I am not able to serve you in such circumstances, it naturally pains me… Do not worry about expenses necessary for your recovery. We can never forget the seva you have done for us all. Even if we must spend hundreds of thousands of rupees or much more than that, that is nothing. Your life is more important than that of even a sadhu. You are a quiet, true, and faithful worker for our institution. Whatever we can do for you is never enough….”

The loving care that Swamishri showered on the young was so evident on innumerable occasions that they were inexorably drawn to him. It is impossible to resist selfless love. It has the capacity to affect us in the innermost sources of our being.

On 3 March 2008, a devotee from Sydney, Australia, had come for Swamishri’s darshan. The car taking him from Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar had an accident. A young woman from Dallas travelling in the car suffered some injury, but because of her intense desire for darshan she disregarded the injury and reached Bhavnagar. When informed about this, Swamishri said, “Since she has come here arrange for her medical treatment.” He even asked a devotee doctor to provide all necessary treatment.

A young man from Toronto wished to receive diksha from Swamishri. Hearing about this, Prakash Patel, the brother of this young man, felt the shock that “I have lived like a friend with my brother for 18 years. If now he becomes a sadhu, what will I do alone by myself?” Prakash decided to inform Swamishri about his anxiety.

Before long an opportunity arose to deal with this issue. He got a chance to go with his father to meet Swamishri. The brother planning to take diksha in future was also with them. Swamishri immediately asked Prakash, “If your brother becomes a sadhu, is there any objection from you or your mother?”

Prakash instantly responded: “No, I have no objection.”

Awed by being in the presence of Swamishri, Prakash could not say a word. Perhaps catching what was there in his innermost being, Swamishri said: “Do not worry. I will be your mother, father, and brother.”

What an other-worldly assurance!

This is such a concrete substantiation of Victor Hugo’s prescient remark, “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved.”

Many young men have experienced Swamishri’s loving care at such an unforgettably right time.

Kanti (now Yogeshdas Swami) and Suresh (now Yagneshdas Swami) had done tremendous amount of running around bringing stones from Rajasthan to Gandhinagar for the construction of Akshardham. Once, they came for Swamishri’s darshan in Ahmedabad. During their seemingly casual conversation Swamishri asked them, “When you go by train, do you take some snacks to eat during your journey?”

The two of them remained silent in response. Swamishri understood right away and told them, “You must ask for them. You still have a lot of work to do. Make a reservation in the sleeping compartment. Money spent for this is not wrong. When we run around so much, health is likely to suffer. If we are careless about health, we end up spending money for treatment and work also doesn’t get done. So you must reduce fasts also.”

Swamishri never failed to consider the smallest details for the well-being of the young.

Once, Harshad Chavada came to Mehsana for Swamishri’s darshan. During the conversation he told Swamishri about the stone-cutting work going on in Rajasthan. He said, “Right now the workers have gone to their native places to celebrate Holi. Kanti has been taking care of everything. He is also running the machine by himself.”

Hearing this Swamishri immediately told his attendant sadhu, “Kanti is there. Send some packages of prasad to him so that he will have more food.”

Swamishri’s love for these young devotees had something deeply maternal about it.

Once, Swamishri had come to Ahmedabad in 1977. It happened to be winter. The young men accompanying Swamishri had their stay on the first floor in the mandir complex. Swamishri stayed on the ground floor. When they reached Ahmedabad, Jagdish, a young man who had joined Swamishri’s vicharan (now Narayancharandas Swami), had become ill. Rajendra (Narendraprasad (Acharya) Swami) looked around for a blanket for the ill young man, but he couldn’t find one. It was already midnight. While Rajendra was wrestling with what to do, Swamishri himself showed up with a blanket, saying, “Cover him up with this,” and left.

Next morning, everyone came to know that the blanket Swamishri had given was meant for himself. On that bitterly cold night Swamishri had only his upper cloth (gatariyu) to cover himself, but he made sure the ill young man slept in comfort.

The young who experienced such deeply maternal affection from Swamishri naturally became gentle, compassionate and kind. No difficulties or challenges could prevent such young men from developing in ways that Swamishri desired for them.