Schooling

When Tirthram grew up to school going age he was admitted to the primary school of the village. The boy threw no tantrums like other boys and willingly went to the school.
He showed no aversion to learning letters. During 19th century the children largely displayed dislike of school and took education as a juvenile punishment.
The teachers liked young Tirthram. He was a teacher’s delight. An obedient, punctual and fast learner pupil, he was. His good memory retained whatever he was taught. He was particularly fond of poems and songs.
Tirthram knew an amazing number of verses by heart. He was in the habit of humming and singing them whenever allowed to.
Maulvi Mohammad Ali was the headmaster of the school. He was very fond of the school’s child wonder.
There was a free inn (Dharmashala) near the school where travellers, pilgrims and religious groups often stayed. One day a group of sadhus put up in the inn. They sang religious songs at the afternoon. Tirthram heard them sing and he went in to join the devotional singing. The experience overwhelmed him. The kid had never felt such ecstasy before. He just wanted to carry on singing. Something unmanifest within him was trying to express itself.
That day the school was off.
The next day he came to the school as usual. At afternoon the sadhus again began their devotional singing. Their singing could be heard in the school. Suddenly the sound made Tirthram restless. An irresistible wish to join the singing seized him.
He sought permission from the teacher to go to the inn to sing with the sadhus.
The teacher looked sharply at Tirthram.
It was a very odd request from a student of a primary class. Naturally the request was turned down.
Suddenly, Tirthram burst into tears and began to weep bitterly. It shocked the teacher he had seen children crying for sweets or play things but never a boy crying for a devotional song.
He stared at Tirthram.
Was the kid really so taken up with devotion? The teacher felt guilty and corrected his error by allowing the kid to go to the sadhus.
The teacher narrated the incident to the headmaster. The headmaster, Maulvi Mohammad Ali could not believe it. Could a small kid be so devoted to God?
But seeing was believing.
Maulvi admired the devotional spirit of his young pupil.
That school had a rule that after every annual examination every student offered two rupees to the headmaster as a token of their gratitude to guru for imparting education to them. After the exams all the boys paid two rupees each to Maulvi Mohammad Ali except Tirthram.
He had no money.
Infact, he was not given the money by his family. The sensitive boy was feeling very ashamed and embarrassed. He was fighting hard to hold back his tears.
When he returned home, he again put forward his demand to his father, “Father, give me two rupees.”
“I said no,” the father reminded him.
“Please give me,” Tirthram pleaded.
“What for do you need money?” The father growled.
“I must give Dakshina money to Maulvi saheb.”
“Is Maulvi demanding?” Hiranand angrily asked, ‘‘Why should a salaried teacher ask for extra money from you? Did he?’’
“No.”
“Good. Then you need not give. It makes no difference,” the father announced.
Tirthram asked for money a few more times. Hiranand ignored him.
The boy argued, “Father, Maulvi saheb had imparted education to me very sincerely. That education will become meaningful only if I pay his debt of dakshina.”
The pestering by Tirthram angered the short tempered father. He reprimanded his son in harsh words and slapped the boy a couple of times to add sound weight to his words.
The boy screamed and shed tears in utter frustration and despair.
Maulvi learnt about the incident.
He didn’t want the poor boy to suffer for him. He ran to the boy’s house where the father was still fuming.
Maulvi begged, “Please Punditji, don’t thrash your son for no reason.”
Hiranand said, “Maulvi saheb, you can put sense in this boy. He is asking for money for you, he says so.”
The headmaster went to sobbing Tirthram and patted him comfortingly.
He said, “Son, I don’t want money from you. I want you to study carefully and become a great man. Earn glory for all of us. That is the dakshina I want from you.”
But Tirthram was inconsolable.
He had read so many mythological stories and heard also from elders. It was impressed everywhere that unless a student paid formal dakshina to his guru the knowledge gained by him would not fructify. He had come to believe in it with such firmness that no cajoling could shake it off.
Tirthram became adamant on that issue.
“I will eat food only after paying dakshina,” he declared to his aunt Dharamkaur in a determined voice. She sensed that her principled little nephew was ready for a do-or-die battle.
There was no money in the house. Thakurdas had gone out of town on business.
During those days two rupees was a considerable sum. Dharamkaur talked with her brother. Hiranand had to yield.
The family had a cow to take care of its milk needs. It was sent to the home of Maulvi saheb as dakshina on behalf of Tirthram. The teacher had to accept it for the sake of his pupil’s peace.
After completing primary education, Tirthram had to go to Gujranwala for education of higher classes which was ten kilometres away. It was not possible for young Tirthram to walk twenty kilometres everyday.
Hiranand arranged his son’s stay with a close friend of his who lived in that town.
The friend named Dhannaram Bhagat had a business of manufacturing brassware.
He was unmarried. Wrestling and akhara gym were his passions. He used to fill his celibate life with religion which earned him the nickname of ‘Rabbji’ literally meaning ‘God’. Dhannaram everyday did his worship rituals with great devotion and regularity.
At night he would recite the scripture ‘Yoga Vashishta’. Many people used to gather at his house to hear the recitals.
He had also become an amateur preacher.
Dhannaram had taken a big liking to his friend’s son, Tirthram and treated him like his own child. He taught the boy to be religious and guided him on the path of spiritualism.
Upon his urging Tirthram had started attending akhara gym session every morning and evenings. He would also listen to the recitals of Yoga Vashishta. The boy had even learnt several Sanskrit couplets of the same scripture by heart.
Thus, the boy was getting into the religion.
After sometime Tirthram formally accepted Dhannaram as his spiritual guru. The two would discuss the spiritual and religious matters and interact. Young disciple would pose a lot of questions. The guru would clarify to the best of his knowledge.
During vacations when Tirthram stayed with his family he would write to his guru about his activities and spiritual exercises.