One morning in Gadhada, as the sabha of santo gathered around Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, a discussion arose regarding the legacy of Jiva Khachar, a chieftain of the village. Despite Jiva Khachar’s complex history and the enmities he had sometimes harbored, Shree Hari surprised the entire sabha by proclaiming that He had granted him a place in the divine abode of Akshardham.
The saints, curious about this immense act of grace, asked, “O Lord, Jiva Khachar was often caught in worldly enmities and mistakes. What hidden merit did he possess that earned him such supreme liberation?” Shree Hari looked at the assembly with compassion and revealed a deeply personal and touching secret from their shared past.
Shree Hari recounted a time years earlier when He was staying at Jiva Khachar’s home and was struck by a severe illness that caused intense dysentery. He was so physically weakened that he could barely stand, let alone travel to the outskirts of the village as was the custom. Seeing Shree Hari’s extreme physical distress, Jiva Khachar did not hesitate for a moment. Disregarding all social norms and the cleanliness of his own living quarters, he went into the very room where Shree Hari was staying—inside his own residential house—and personally dug a pit in the floor to serve as a latrine.
He did this so that Shree Hari would not have to endure the agony of being moved or the cold of the outdoors while he was ill. Shree Hari explained to the santo, “He was willing to sacrifice the purity and the very foundation of his home just to provide Me with a moment of comfort. He once told me, ‘O Lord, for Your sake, I would see this entire house destroyed’”. It was this absolute, selfless devotion—placing Bhagwan’s comfort above his own property and pride—that moved Shree Hari to forgive his sins and grant him eternal peace.
This prasang has been documented by Sadguru Shree Adharanand Swami in Pur 29, Tarang 66 of Shree Haricharitramrut Sagar.