The heart of one of the most prominent devotees of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan always echoed the famous prayer:
Take my heart, it is thy own
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, My lord, I pour
At thy feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be
Ever only all for thee.
In one of His sermons Shree Hari says that with some of his true devotees He behaves like a relative or a friend and there is no place for formalities in such a relationship.
Sura Khachar was a princely landlord of Loya. This small village offered the warmest hospitality to several saints and devotees who accompanied Shree Hari on his visit here. Shree Hari once spent two months delivering sermons in Loya. This discourse is a part of Vachanamrit, a holy book.
Even though Sura Khachar owned vast tracks of fertile land in Loya and Nagadka he could hardly make any income as he was addicted to opium and gambling. His family suffered such a plight that they fed on cheap coarse food grains bought on credit from Kunverji, a local trader.
Ever since he formed a close association with Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan his life went on changing for better. He saw his God in Shree Hari and remained His bondman. Even after that he did commit mistakes and when gently taken to task for the same he would apologized and made sure they were never repeated.
In the Kathi community stealing was considered to be an act of bravery. Once he complained to Shree Hari about the theft of his two bullocks, Shree Hari expressed regret about the loss and that his fields couldn’t be irrigated without the bullocks. Sura Khachar said: “Don’t be sorry, my Lord. I have stolen four excellent bullocks from a distant village to compensate my loss.”Shree Hari expressed anguish at this and asked him to return the bullocks to their owner. Sura Khachar also got back his two bullocks that were stolen.
The influence of Shree Hari over him changed his personality. Shree Hari inculcated in him virtues of a sacred man and this led Sura Khachar to take a vow of celibacy at the age of 26.
Vasur Khachar, the ruler of Jasdan state, heard about this and he wouldn’t believe it. He knew how tempting sex was for a young man. So he invited Sura Khachar as a guest at his house and at night sent to him a young beautiful woman who was expert in enticing men to his room. She entered his room at midnight under the excuse for taking some medicine from the inner room. She closed the front door and started taking off her clothes and asked him to have the best of time with her.Enraged at this Sura Khachar took out his sword and the woman at once put on her dress, apologized and fled.
Sura Khachar had a constitution of an athlete. He was a master of humor. His appetite consisted of delicious food and a variety of items such as pickles, chatni, papad etc. His wife Shantibai always had hard time whenever Sura Khachar was dining.
Shantibai complained to Shree Hari about this. Shree Hari instructed him not to ask for anything while dining. Sura Khachar agreed but he found a way out of this. He instead asked for everything before starting to dine. Shantibai approached Shree Hari again and He amended his order to check this trick.
In the village of Jhinjhavadar of Alaiya Khachar, Shree Hari ordered all his followers to close their eyes at the dinner meeting and to eat only that item they touch first by their right hand. Sura Khachar touched the pickle of carrots. He felt baffled and twisted the moment by composing a light humorous song about Shree Hari. On watching this everybody started laughing.
Once while going from Gadhada to Kariyani a group of armed saints belonging to a fraudulent cult stoppedShree Hari and asked Him: “Are you that God Swaminarayan? We are out to destroy him, His saints and His philosophy.”“Certainly not, that strong and stout Swaminarayan riding on a horse is following us”replied Shree Hari.
The group marched onward and met Sura Khachar on the way and asked him: “Are you Swaminarayan?” Sura Khachar at once judged the situation and said: “No I am in search of a Guru greater than Him as I want to be initiated into a Mantra. Is there any such mighty Guru among you?”
Puffed up with pride, the head of the group stepped forward and said: “I will initiate you into a Mantra but the Mantra has to be told into the ear.” Saying this he climbed on a nearby rock and while he was uttering the Mantra, Sura Khachar who was on the horse seized him in his own armpit and rode away him into the jungle.
There were many thugs who claimed to be saints. One such person met Sura Khachar and started abusing Shree Hari and His followers. The more Sura Khachar tried to pacify him the more he spat venom. At last Sura Khachar doubled the leather reins of the horse into a thong and started whipping him till he apologized.
Shree Hari along with Sura Khachar, Matara Dhadhal (a devotee of Shree Hari) and other followers were traveling from Gadhpur to Vadtal. On their way they saw a suspicious saint pretending to be in a state of samadhi.
Sura Khachar said: “I have decided to give five rupees to a genuine saint. This saint in samadhi seems to be quite genuine but where should I keep these five silver coins, as the saint hasn’t spread a piece of cloth before him nor are his hands in a position to receive this gift? Had he kept his mouth open, I would have kept these coins therein.” The saint keeping his eyes closed opened the mouth. Sura Khachar gathered dust and threw it inside his mouth.
One could meet an obnoxious person almost anywhere. So did it happen as Shreeji Maharaj along with Sura Khachar and some followers were crossing the Narmada in a boat. The smoke coming out of the earthen pipe lit by another passenger smoking dhatura was unbearable. Sura Khachar asked him to stop smoking but the person replied back with filthy words. The next thing he knew was a blow to his body by the elbow of Sura Khachar. He got up and sat in the corner of the boat. Here he now started smoking tobacco. Not to any one’s surprise he got the same treatment again. Then he had no choice but to stop smoking and remain quite.
The humorous was implied in Sura Khachar’s nature. He enthralled people by his jokes. Whenever Shree Hari felt sullen his followers called him to cheer Him. Sura Khachar would compose hilarious couplets and songs that made Shree Hari laugh.
Habits are hard to die. Shree Hari wanted his devotees to enshrine the best habits. Sura Khachar’s diet was not a healthy one and he was crapulent.To correct this habit Shree Hari once asked all the devotees to run as fast as possible and reach the next village immediately after a delicious lunch. Sura Kahchar came last and was completely exhausted. From that day he reduced his diet forever.
Sura Khachar was very fond of delicacies. At Panchala, Jhinabhai, a prominent follower of Shree Hari, at the instance of Shree Hari served loaves of coarse jowar. Then Sura Khachar gradually adapted to such simple food.
Shree Hari sent a message to eighteen of his followers asking them to immediately appear before him dressed as saints.Sura Khachar who came with other devotees was first to wear a loincloth covered by ochre-colored lower dress. He was clean shaven too. Others who were asked also followed. Then Shree Hari asked all of them to wear their usual dress and return home as householders with saintly minds.
Swaminarayan saints played great role during the famine of 1868. During this period Sura Khachar took care of all the needs of twenty five saints.
His association with Shree Hari was changing every aspect of his life. The new way of life brought prosperity and wealth. Once thieves broke into his house and took away his strong wooden safe that was full of money and ornaments. They couldn’t open it and left it at a place near the village. Later on it was recovered. On the suggestion of Shantibai Sura Khachar decided to celebrate the event in the presence of Shree Hari in Samvat 1889 on Vasant Panchami day in a novel way. Hundred mounds of best brinjals from farms of Alao village and twelve mound of ghee along with several valuable spices were used to cook a delicious vegetable. Shreeji Maharaj himself wearing silken Pitambar seasoned the brinjals.
For seven long days the festival called Shak Utsava was celebrated in Loya. Since then it is celebrated every year by the followers and saints on a grand scale. It was at Loya that Nityanand Swami presented the manuscript of Vachanmrita to Shree Hari.
It was in Loyathat Shree Hari churned curd for butter with his devotee’s daughter, Valu and whom he gave forty footprints on a cloth piece.
One may have vile habits but all can change by adopting Swaminarayan way of life. Sura Khachar’s life is a testimony to this fact.