For several days Tirthram was not going to the university due to a boil he had developed in his leg. He could not stand up and walk. It was extremely painful. A severe fever inflicted him when the boil trouble was over. The regular treatment was on. It took more than three weeks for him to fully recover.
The eating of food had become distasteful business to him. So, he was living on milk only. He was getting a good salary. No financial problem was worrying him.
But the worry arrived in the form of Indian family system. His financial stability brought hordes of relatives to him to be his guest, camp, eat good food and to borrow some money if possible. They knew the helpful nature of Tirthram which could be taken advantage of.
Tirthram had to send some money to his father every month. His elder brother Gurudas would also demand money. He was a big spender. No amount of money was ever enough for him.
Any delay in remittances evoked angry protests from them. It sometimes anguished Tirthram. He found solace in thinking of Lord Krishna. To escape from the greedy world he would mentally shift himself into Krishna mode. His eyes would show him Krishna miracles.
For hours he would stare at sky and watch puffs of clouds become Krishna in various moods or cows grazing or gopis dancing. Sometimes a dark cloud appeared like Krishna playing his flute to Tirthram’s delight. His ears would create melodies.
The experience overwhelmed him. He would gleefully squeal, ‘‘O Krishna! Take me into your fold. I want to surrender myself totally to your kindness and mercy!’’
During the college vacations he would go to Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna. He wished to wallow in the holy mud of that sacred place. He would sing and dance to the glory of Krishna.
Once he gave a discourse to the Krishna devotees at Mathura. He spoke for two hours feeding everyone the honey of the devotion to Lord Krishna. Tears kept rolling down his cheeks. The atmosphere become so surcharged that the audience also wept.
In 1897, Shankarcharya Madhavatirth of Dwarka descended on Lahore. Tirthram met him and gained spiritual knowledge. From Lahore Shankaracharya proceeded to Kashmir. Shortly later, the university closed for summer vacation. Tirthram made a bee line to Kashmir and studied Upanishad scriptures under the supervision of Shankaracharya.
At the end of the vacation when Tirthram met Shankaracharya to take leave, the later blessed, “Keep up your mediation. Immerse yourself in the devotion to God. That will make you a great man. The glory will be yours.”
Tirthram returned to Lahore. He gave many discourses on Upanishads. He had indeed added a new chapter to his religious learning.
His mind was a bit edgy before. Now it was agitated. He wanted to meditate. But the worldly obligations denied him time for that.
He started slipping away to Haridwar and Rishikesh to meditate peacefully. Many a time he forgot to eat food. He lived on fruits and milk only. The meditation gave him immense inner satisfaction.
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