
Beyond the bare rudiments of literacy, Shri Asaramji Bapu never had formal education. Most of Swamiji's youth was spent in the intense practice of spiritual sadhana. Pujya Shri virtually lived the life of a monk depending solely on God's grace. How can such a man be regarded as the ideal man for the modern age which idealizes film stars, sportsmen, politicians, and now for a change, miracle-working yogis? See any newspaper, or magazine and you will find almost every page displaying pictures of men and women in all kinds of dress and posture who project idealized pictures of contemporary society. No other age ever allowed lust and greed to dominate the minds of the people so completely as the modern age has done. Every thing in modern society is valued for the sake of money. Can Shri Asaramji Bapu who is a sage become the ideal for the people of such a society?
The answer is that an ideal stands for perfection & imperfect individuals cannot give these ideals. Western cultures consider beauty, truth and goodness as the criteria of perfection. However physical beauty is only skin deep, and is as evanescent as youth itself. Truth is sought through science, to another mystery beyond. The basis of goodness is unselfish love, but in the market oriented culture of modern society unselfishness is the scarcest commodity.