I Came Only For You

Like Saint Madhav Swami, Saint Anant Swami was Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar’s disciple. Anant Swami’s parents had satvik (virtuous) natures. Early on, Anant Swami was a member of the Sangha for a few years, but his mind didn’t feel settled there. He was an artist and had studied in that field. For some time, he worked for a company in Mumbai as a mural painter. But his mind kept pulling him towards spirituality, so he left home and went to Sajjangad (the place of Samarth Ramdas Swami's samadhi temple).

There, he initially received anugraha (initiation) from Saint Shridhar Swami. Later on, as per Saint Shridhar Swami’s command, Anant Swami’s sadhana began at the fort. Even if there was no formal renunciation there, he still lived by a vow of brahmacharya. Soon after, Saint Shridhar Swami went to Karnataka for solitude. After this, Anant Swami continued to ask for service in the samadhi temple and served there. He would do his daily upasana and sadhana while staying in the samadhi temple. 

One day, while Anant Swami was sitting in the samadhi temple, he saw Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar there. As soon as he saw Baba, Anant Swami thought to himself that he wanted to do a mental namaskar to Baba, and so he did. Baba glanced at Anant Swami and sat for his dhyaan in the samadhi temple. Baba had been sitting for dhyaan for quite a while, and Anant Swami noticed his bent posture. Seeing him with his head bowed and neck bent forward, Anant Swami started to form a doubt in his mind, ‘He looked like such a great, divine power, but fell asleep during dhyaan?’

As soon as he finished this thought, Baba immediately gave him a sharp look. Anant Swami couldn’t bear the radiance in Baba’s eyes. He saw those radiant eyes of Saint Baba. Later, Baba got up and left. 

Baba had come to Sajjangad to stay for some time. Anant Swami soon became restless with missing/remembering Baba. He constantly wanted to go to Baba. So he kept going and sitting with Baba. One day, Baba said to him, “Come with me.”

Anant Swami immediately said, “I want to go with you only.”

Baba then said, “I came here only for you.”

From there, Baba took Anant Swami with him to Alandi. 

Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar says that the scriptures’ decision regarding a Guru is very carefully considered and deeply insightful. That is, only one whose prakrut buddhi has been let go of, who sees only the lord and therefore does not differentiate among beings, whose speech reflects a visionary insight into the supreme truth/reality, who are themselves bliss, only they should be recognized as a Guru. This form of a Guru exists naturally within the expanse of the universe. There is no need to search for it. We only need to be approachable with affection, then it will happen. 

At the beginning, Anant Swami was a little bit confused. He felt a deep, respectful love for Saint Shridhar Swami, and once he had already taken anugraha from him, how could he change his Guru? This thought was on his mind for a while. But he said that his heart was being pulled towards Saint Baba with such intensity, that it became impossible for him to live without Baba. So when Baba said, “Let’s go,” he immediately went with him. 

Once, Anant Swami reminded Baba about having gone with him, despite having taken anugraha from Saint Shridhar Swami. Baba just laughed. But Anant Swami said that, after that, because of the intense pull of the heart towards Baba, he forgot about everything else. Until meeting his Sadguru, to be properly cared for, this [being under Saint Shridhar Swami's instruction] must have been the Sadguru’s arrangement. 

In Divyamritdhara, Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar says that, when a a soul surrenders itself with heartfelt devotion in the presence of the Guru, the unique influence of the Guru’s power awakens within and a natural disposition of love for the Guru begins manifesting in the soul. As a result, the entire soul becomes imbued with love for the Guru, and through the medium of the senses, the love for the Guru begins to overflow.