Gurupournima Series: Part 3: Willingness to Face Even Danger to Serve Guru: Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress.

Quality 3: Willingness to Face Even Danger to Serve Guru

Samartha Ramdas Swami had several disciples, of whom the most prominent was Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great ruler of the Maratha Empire. One day, the Guru was traveling with his disciples through a forest when suddenly, he clutched his stomach and began to groan with pain. The disciples quickly took him into a cave to rest and asked him of the medicine that would help to get rid of his ailment. Samartha Ramdas Swami responded that it was too difficult to obtain the remedy and that they should not bother to obtain it.

In the meantime, Shivaji had come to the ashram to seek blessings from Samartha Ramdas and hearing that he was traveling, decided to meet him at whichever place he was. He arrived at the cave to find the Guru in great distress.

“Is there any medicine for this pain, Gurudev?” he questioned.

“No Shiva, there is no easy remedy for this rare illness. The only one medicine is too difficult to obtain, so it’s okay, please don’t worry about it,” replied Samartha Ramdas.

“Gurudev, please tell me what the remedy is. I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. I will try my very best to get the medicine for you,” insisted Shivaji.

“Only the fresh milk of a tigress can cure my pain,” said the Guru.

Shivaji Maharaj picked up a kamandalu (ascetic’s water pot) and bowed down to his Guru and left immediately. After going deep into the forest, he saw two tiger cubs and soon the tigress herself appeared, and began to growl seeing the intruder. Shivaji bowed down respectfully to the tigress and spoke softly to her, “Mother, I have not come to harm you or your cubs. I need your milk to cure the stomach ache of my Guru. Please grant it to me and after I have given it to my Guru, I will come back to you, and you can eat me if you wish.”

Sensing the kindness of his words, the mute tigress stood quietly purring, and let Shivaji milk her and fill his kamandalu. He returned to the cave and offered the milk to his Guru who blessed him, and then, threw a pointed look at all the other disciples standing there.

The entire episode of the stomach pain had been faked by the Guru! The other disciples thought that Samartha Ramdas doted on Shivaji because he was a king unlike them commoners. However, the Guru wished to show them that it was some particular qualities of Shivaji he held dear.

Points to ponder

Even when the task appeared to be impossible, Shivaji Maharaj did not quit. He was willing to go to any length – and to even sacrifice his very life – to render service to the Guru. This quality of being willing to face anything, even danger, to serve him, is what endears the shishya to the Guru.

In fact, a famous saint Shri Bhaktaraj Maharaj of Indore, has proclaimed that “Guru sets the question paper for the shishya, inspires and guides him to answer the questions, and then declares him as having passed the exam! Such is the grace of the everloving Guru!”

Let us pray for divine grace to develop a spirit of Guruseva like Shivaji Maharaj! May the Guru bless us to keep away from the jealous attitude of the other shishyas!

To know more about this incident, read here:

https://www.myculturestory.com/story/story-of-guru-and-disciple/story-of-chatrapati-shivajis-obedience

https://powerfulvlog.wordpress.com/2019/12/24/have-you-know-this-beautiful-story-the-tigress-allows-shivaji-milk-her/