Autobiograpy Of Gnani Purush A.M.Patel Autobiograpy Of Gnani Purush A.M.Patel | Page 43

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I carried out penance normally practiced by the Jains. I used to
believe that if the nail affected the soul as I walked, I had not
yet acquired the soul. So I let the penance continue and the
scars of that penance still remain. The scars of penance never
go away. I eventually understood that it was a wrong path.
Penance has to happen within.
Silently Accepted The Penance, Without Anyone Knowing
Once I had to travel from Bombay to Baroda in a car.
As soon as I sat in the car, I told myself, ‘You will have to sit
in the same place for seven hours. This is penance that has
come your way.’ Such internal talks are constantly taking place
even as I am talking to you all. That day I told Ambalal Patel,
“Today you have to accept this penance, and you are not to say
a single word.” People tried to make the journey easy for me
by asking me if I was comfortable and I would tell them, “I am
very comfortable”. I never give any commission by telling others
of such difficulties. I accept everything without any complaint.
Some other Dada may speak up, but not this one. That is called
accepting and going through the penance that presents to you.
So Much Suffering In Waiting: Convert It To The Use
Of The Self
Once at the age of twenty-two, I missed my bus by a
minute. Actually I had come to the bus station an hour earlier,
but I got delayed at a restaurant and missed the bus by a
minute. This situation was one of turmoil. It would have been
understandable if I were late in reaching the bus station in the
first place; I would have accepted the fact that I was late and
would not have been so annoyed. But here I had come an hour
early and yet missed the bus and had to wait an hour and a half
for the next one.
Now let me tell you what state I was in when I had to