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three years, investing every particle of body, every drop of his
blood, every moment of his life, for the well-being of
Motherland, for the glory of Mother India, for the advancement
of millions of people of this land, and this was the ardent desire
in his mind with which he kept on marching ahead as the Second
Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Once, somebody asked the venerable Guruji, “Where do
you live?” He responded quite spontaneously, “The train
compartment.” His journey continued for thirty-three years,
without a brake. He was inflicted by a terrible disease like cancer,
yet he did not stop and his journey around the country went on
unabated.

This incident occurred in the year 1943. There was a meeting
of the state level volunteers at Pune. Guruji too was present in
the meeting. After he assumed the charge of Sarsanghchalak,
he was touring the country, without a rest, without a brake. The
volunteers would display their sentimental attachment with him
and advise him for a rest. In this meeting, he mentioned this
advice and said, “Rest? What rest? Now rest will be possible
only when the work in hand has been accomplished, or it will
be possible at the deathbed.”

A Swayamsevak of Self-consciousness
In the eyes of people, he was perhaps the Sarsanghchalak,

but he himself was a Swayamsevak of continuous self-
consciousness. When the Sangh Shiksha Varga of the central
Indian region was held at Gwalior, the venerable Guruji was
one of the participants. He was sitting in the row to have his
food. The volunteer in-charge for the management of meals
informed everybody that no Swayamsevak was to rise until the
guests in the middle row finished their meals and walked away.
In the middle row were seated the respected Guruji, Rajmata
Scindia, Atal Behari Vajpayee and others. When the in-charge
informed, all people in the middle row started to rise and walk
away, but Guruji did not rise. At this, the in-charge requested
him to go too. At this, Guruji said, “You had asked only the
guests, and not the Swayamsevaks, to walk away and I am a