Most of the women are born for marriage but some women are not, as they have ambition as well as some mission in life. But there is hardly a woman who has a divine mission to serve God in divine human form.
Laduba, a woman of the royal family of Gadhada was born with the divine mission of serving Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Who was God upon the earth Whose mission was to build the world of Truth, beauty and goodness – in short heaven called Akshardham.
She was born in an age when for a woman to remain unmarried was considered to be a sacrilege, a curse and a blemish on her parents. They also believed that the father and the mother of such woman would go to external hell. In short it was a revolution against the society.
When Laduba was just a child her royal, religious, revolutionary father – Ebhal Khachar brought Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan – God upon the earth to live permanently at his royal residence at Gadhada. There was already religious atmosphere in his family and this new arrival surcharged that atmosphere.
When Laduba came of age, her father got her engaged to a Kathi young man. But before the marriage could take place the youth lost his life in a raid upon his village. The sword sent as a symbol of the bridegroom to the bride returned to the woe of the family.
Ebhal Khachar got Laduba married to Matara Dhadhal, the ruler of Botad State. Here Laduba couldn’t adjust to matrimonial life. At times she would become so much engrossed in meditation upon Shree Hari that she would outwardly remain unconscious, at times for days and weeks and even months! So he thought of sending her back to her father’s home. But in those days it was customary for a woman to live with her husband or to commit suicide.
Matara Dhadhal knew what would happen if he sent her back to her father. Out of anger he may even murder her. So he sent her with a note of divorce for no fault of hers. The father unwillingly accepted Laduba back.
But Shree Hari expressed displeasure at her arrival and asked her to go back to Botad and to live with her husband. So she was sent back to Botad. The husband arranged for her to stay separately and gave her all facilities for devotional practice all the day.
But Shree Hari wouldn’t like his absolute devotee to keep away from him. So she was called back and she stayed forever near Shree Hari in the same royal residence practising devotion.
Through devotion she developed clairvoyance and perform many other yogic miracles. Once Shree Hari was ready to leave for Vadtal but his favourite mare Manaki wouldn’t step forward. It struck to the mind of Shree Hari that he hadn’t informed about his departure to Laduba without whose mental permission Manaki wouldn’t leave. From a distance Shree Hari read the mind of Laduba and realized what had happened. He came to Laduba and sought her permission to go to Vadtal. Shree Hari stayed at Vadtal for a month. The separation was too painful for Laduba to bear. At her request He returned immediately.
Shree Hari had a very impressive Murti (icon) of Shree Vasudev Bhagwan. Once a group of devotees, who had come to Gadhada saw this Murti and thought of getting it, so that it may be installed at a temple. Shree Hari was pleased to present the same to the devotees for this purpose. When Laduba heard about this, the Murti was already placed in a cart bound for Bhuj. Laduba thought that favouring one group of devotees would generate dissatisfaction among other groups.
So she willed that the cart should not move. And it did happen so despite the best efforts by bullocks. When they told about this to Shree Hari, the latter said: “Nothing can move against the will of Laduba.”
The Murti was then installed at a temple in Gadhada.
A garden for flowers and fruits was made on a vast plot of land. This garden at Gadhada is named as Radha-Baug as Ludaba is looked upon as an incarnation of Radhikaji the beloved of Shree Krishna (Her sister Jivuba too donated her land for such a garden. This garden is named Lakshmi Baug as Jivuba is looked upon as an incarnation of Lakshmiji – the goddess of wealth).
Once Laduba came near Shree Hari who was in sound sleep. Laduba who had come with her sisters – Jivuba, Rajuba, Amula and Amara saw Shree Hari in the form of Lord Vishnu sleeping on the bed of Shesh-Naga (the mythological serpent). She saw herself as fanning Shree Hari. She also saw Rajbai as Saraswati playing the lute, Rajbai and Amulabai as maid-servant and Jivuba as Lakshmi gently pressing Vishnu’s feet.
Once Laduba asked : “How is it possible that the sage Durvasa consumed plates and plates of food offered to him by Gopis, as the holy narration describes ?
To dispel her doubt Shree Hari asked her to prepare food for thirty guests. Then Shree Hari asked her to feed Swami Sachhidanand first as he had to look after the garden.
Swami Sachchidanandji ate food meant for six persons and yet he was hungry to the confusion of Laduba. At the suggestion of Shree Hari Laduba offered him water and the water he drank increased his hunger further !
Once when the temple of Gopinathji was under construction, stones had to be lifted up by tying them with ropes first and then they were lifted through the pulley. The rope was found to be short. Laduba asked her maidservant Kalu to bring a strong new rope from the cowshed. As Kalu didn’t want the new rope to be used and lost she concealed it and said: “The rope couldn’t be traced!”
Shree Hari said: The servants are sometimes too careful not to spoil the household items like ropes!”
Laduba understood the implication, and confessing her trick Kalu brought the rope.
Once financial stringency interrupted construction of the Gopinathji temple. Laduba presented her solid golden kadas and solid trinklets to Shree Hari for sale to pay the wages of masons etc. The temple was completed and the Murtis were ceremoniously installed. Laduba gave all her golden ornaments for making new ornaments for Murtis.
Laduba looked after the preparation of food items for dinner to be arranged on days of religious festivals falling on days of the bright half of any month. Jivuba looked after on other days.
For thirty long years she looked after homely comforts of saints and devotees coming for Darshan of Shree Hari at Gadhada.
Such was the life standards of Laduba which inspired so many women to lead the life of an ideal devotee of Shreeji Maharaj.