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Motibhai was reminded of the time when Shastriji Maharaj gave the infant Shantilal vartman and said, “He is ours.

In the letter Shastriji Maharaj had instructed that Shantilal be sent to become a sadhu. Shantilal showed the letter to his parents. All the children appointed Shantilal and Shankarlal to go to Vadodara to buy the equipment.Īs they were getting ready to leave, a youth from Bhaili, the neighbouring village, approached Shantilal with a letter from Shastriji Maharaj, addressed to his father, Motibhai. 500, quite a substantial sum in those days, for new equipment.

The children decided to get together and raised Rs. Roughly a year later, Ramlal was transferred elsewhere and he took the equipment with him. He had bought a bat, ball and stumps and taught the children how to play. Cricket was introduced to the village of Chansad by a government worker called Ramlal. Cricket and swimming in particular were his favourite. Listening to these tales made Shantilal want to go to these places with his best friend, coincidentally also called Shantilal.Īs well as studies, singing bhajans and offering bhakti, Shantilal loved sports. It was at the Swaminarayan Mandir that Shantilal would sit and listen to Haridas Bawaji’s tales of Haridwar and Rishikesh. This simple menu meant that less time was spent in eating and thinking of food and more time was spent studying.Īfter school hours, Shantilal spent his free time at one of three mandirs: Hanuman Gadhi Mandir, Satyanarayan Mandir and Swaminarayan Mandir. Dhebra, vada, gadipuri and pickles was the daily menu. Shantilal daily cycled to school, carrying his lunchbox and water bottle. He would happily cycle away without a single complaint.”Īfter some time Motibhai bought Shantilal a secondhand ‘Hercules’ cycle for Rs. We would both take a long time in cycling but when it came to hills I would stop cycling and let Shantilal pull me uphill. His childhood friend, Ambalalbhai, recalls, “I used to be lazy, but Shantilal would always insist that we left on time. When he began studying in Padra, a village 6 km from Chansad, he would insist on getting there early.

His first puja was presented to him by Nana Akshar Swami.Īs a child, young Shantilal excelled in his studies. Shantilal started doing daily puja from the age of seven. Shantilal had nine siblings, of whom four passed away at a young age. Motibhai and Diwaliba decided to name their child Shantilal, meaning peace.

Motibhai was in regular contact with Shastriji Maharaj, while Diwaliba’s family had been satsangis since the time of Bhagatji Maharaj. His father’s name was Motilal Prabhudas Patel, and his mother’s name was Diwaliba Patel, who came from the village of Menpur. THE CHILDHOOD YEARS… Pramukh Swami Maharaj was born in a very small village called Chansad on 7 December 1921 (Magshar sud 8, Vikram Samvat 1978).