Mayaram Bhatt

 

Mayaram was from Manavadar and was a disciple of Guru Ramanand. He was a Brahmin by caste and displayed all the famed qualities for his caste such as content etc. He was also a celibate and thus chose not to marry. The first contact with Maharaj was when Varni came to Loj. Muktanand Swami instructed Bhattji to take letters written by both Muktanand Swami and Varni to Guru Ramamand who was touring Kutch at the time. The letters contained news of Varni's arrival.

Maharaj has praised Bhattji in the Shikshapatri as the ideal Grihasta (householder). Even though he stayed a householder, working for a living, he had sown within him the seeds of renunciation and became firmly devoted to God. Through one incident in his life-time he decided to never again even speak to women.

Once Bhattji was riding along on his horse when he saw a mother and daughter. The mother asked Bhattji, "My daughter is ill, would you mind sitting her on your horse (to make her feel better)?" Bhattji dismounted the horse to allow the daughter to sit and then lead the horse forward. Further down the road a gentleman commented to Bhattji, "Why is it that you sit this young lady on your horse whilst you who is elderly is along walking?" The young girl on the horse made a comment, "These are the times when the younger generation is allowed to sit, who is going to allow the elderly to sit?"

Mayaram was greatly upset by this comment, when he was only trying to help out of kindness. From that day on Bhattji took a vow to never again speak to women!

Mayaram was firmly devoted to Maharaj and would spend is day in devotion and meditation of Maharaj. His work suffered as a result but he did not care as he had great love for devotion. Maharaj once came to Manavadar and noticed that all the fields had been ploughed except for one. He learnt that the field not ploughed belonged to Mayaram as he spent his days deep in meditation. Maharaj decided that if that is so then we must help and so he asked the saints and haribhaktas accompanying him to help and plough the fields. In a short while the whole field was ploughed!

Maharaj often used to ask Bhattji to deliver important letters when needed, as he was able to do it quickly. He once delivered a letter from Gadhada to Buranpur and returned in a single night - what greatness!