First and foremost I pay humble homage and obeisance a hundred times to my Shri Gurudev Shri Shraddhanathji Maharaj since it is by his grace that I have acquired all I possess in this world.
In the words of Goswami Tulsidas,
“Even a sinner may have a son, a brother and wealth but the two rare treasures a virtuous person can have are the company of a saint and the name of the lord as in the scriptures.
Meerabai said,
“Great wealth have I aquired as I have the most precious gem- the name of Lord Rama. My true teacher has given me a priceless possession. In his infinite grace, he has accepted me as his own. The wealth that I possess cannot be exhausted, nor can it be stolen, in fact it increases manifold day by day.”
In his benevolence Shri Gurudev has granted me shelter at his feet. I am now continuously in the noble company of saints. Shri Amritnath, Fatehpur blessed me with my guru Shri Shraddhanathji Maharaj- a highly enlightened soul whose own temple of learning was Shri Amritnath Ashram, Fatehpur. He considered this Ashram to be the most sacred and sanctified shrine. It is also the eternal resting-place of the late Baba Shri Amritnathji Maharaj as his memorial shrine is situated here. Shri Shraddhanath ji Maharaj considered his life-like statue to be a great, conscious and living personality. He would converse face-to-face with it and would have question-and-answer sessions with it. He believed Shri Amritnathji to be his only and greatest possession, his deity and his god.
From the tender age of three, the seeds of devotion and dedication towards the lotus feet of Shri Amritji Maharaj were sown in him by his mother. Later in life these seeds sprouted, grew and spread like a great banyan tree. At the age of thirty-six, he became the disciple of Shri Shambhuji Maharaj, the Mahant of Shri Amritnath Ashram. He also received teachings from Shri Navanathji Maharaj, Shri Shraddhanathji Maharaj and Shri Kesharnath Maharaj.
By the grace of Shri Shraddhanathji Maharaj, I have been getting valuable opportunities to be with him, and also to see and receive blessings from several holy saints. Shri Navanathji Maharaj, Shri Shambhunathji Maharaj, Shri Dharinathji Maharaj, Shri Makdinathji Maharaj, Shri Dwarkanathji Maharaj, Shri Sandhyanathji , Shri Hanumannathji Maharaj, etc. and many more noble, reputed saints. I have greatly benefited by being in their presence.
The present Mahant Shri NarhariNath ji Maharaj blessed me with his loving kindness and I was able to meet him and interact with him on several occasions. This earth of Shekhavati has been sanctified and blessed by the re-incarnation of Shri Amritnathji at this holy spot. All living beings here are blessed and it is their good fortune that they are here. It is a great stroke of luck for them. At the age of 36 years Nath joined the Mannathi Panth of the sect, and with his wondrous powers and abilities, he brought pride and glory to his sect.
According to Shri Amritnathji Maharaj our motherland India is the best place on earth and within the country, he said the waters and the harvested crops of this land, Shekhavati, are superior to those of any other region! He felt the place was conducive to a simple and saintly way of life. For six months he walked a distance of 170 kilometres daily on this holy land in Shekhavati. He performed several miracles here. The sweet memories of these make this land dearer to us than life itself.
Shri Amritnath allowed several householders to become his disciples and pupils. He interacted with them, allowed them to interview him and to question him. He freed Shri Jyotinath from the bonds of worldly ties and declared him his successor. He blessed the blind with sight, the crippled with the ability to walk, the poverty-stricken with wealth, the childless with sons and countless diseased with good health. On reflecting on the miraculous wonders he performed, one can experience the merciful power of Maharaj, and one’s entire being is filled with excitement. There is a sense of profound peace and love. His impressive statue and his ‘samadhi’ (memorial shrine) at the temple strangely touch and attract the spirits of all the unknowing visitors. By remembering him the three-fold vices of the body, soul and mind are destroyed. As long as there is evil, “Ram-Rajya” (an ideal state) cannot be established. By his divine powers, Shri Nath Maharajji removes all obstacles in the path of his devotees. Shri Amritnathji Maharaj was the direct incarnation of Lord Shiva, the Protector of the holy cow. He said, ‘For those who believe in me, I shall live on for a thousand years, and for those who don’t, I was never even born.’ These words are the gospel truth. Whatever he said, whatever he thought came to pass. Even today the influence of Shri Nathji Maharaj prevails, it is omnipresent. For those who believe in him, he is always there. With an overwhelmed heart, I offer my humble tribute to him, a thousand times I bow before him. The essence of my feelings for him, and the wonders he performed, are expressed in the verses of the Shri Amrit Chalisa (40 lines). With folded hands I beg forgiveness of Shri Nathji Maharaj for the shortcomings in the language and I offer this Chalisa as a floral tribute at his lotus feet.
Glory be to Amritnathji, the merciful.
Who blessed the village Palani with his birth.
He took his re-incarnation in the month of Chaitra
It was the first century
It was the hour of Brahma-i.e. dawn.
As an infant the guru was sober, fair-complexioned and had teeth in his mouth.
The priest who read his horoscope was full of joy.
There was jubilation and singing in every home.
The infant was named Yamraj.
For five days he drank no milk.
He gave divine knowledge to all living beings.
At three years he walked twenty-three ‘kosas’ (unit of distance)
All marveled to see these wonders.
He worked for the good of mankind even as a child.
He was ever fearless and his heart was at peace.
He remained chaste and practiced abstinence all his life.
He considered lust and anger as enemies and destroyed them
Brigadier Lakshman singh kulhari