In truth, Narendra had no connection with *Dasbodh*, *Gurucharitra*, *Dnyaneshwari*, or Tukaram’s *Abhangas*. He had never read these scriptures and knew almost nothing about them. But when he began his Chartered Accountancy studies, life slowly created situations that drew him toward these texts. Through *Dasbodh*, Ramdas Swami gave Narendra his first spiritual experience.
One day, Narendra went to audit a company. He was given a separate workspace, and the company secretary’s PA — who was also a stenographer — assisted him. While Narendra worked, the PA typed and loudly recited verses. Those verses attracted Narendra’s full attention. Just as one requests a singer to continue, Narendra kept telling him to say more. Curious, Narendra asked whose verses they were and whether a book existed. The PA replied that they were *Manache Shlok* by Samarth Ramdas Swami and that the book was easily available.
That evening, Narendra bought *Manache Shlok* and read the entire book in one sitting. The verses brought him deep joy. At the end, he saw an advertisement for *Dasbodh* and immediately felt drawn toward it. A senior neighbour offered him a copy but warned him to maintain purity while reading. Narendra frankly said he could not follow ritual purity, yet the man still handed him the book.
He began reading at night while lying in bed — without any ritual observance. The first page proclaimed *Dasbodh* as the “King of Scriptures,” which irritated him. He thought, “How can a 300–400-year-old text call itself superior to all others?” In anger, he threw the book aside. But moments later, an inner voice said, “How can you judge a book without reading it fully?” Narendra picked it up humbly and continued. Soon he reached the verse: *“He who criticizes a scripture without reading it fully is a reading-fool.”* This struck him deeply. He realised his mistake and read the entire text with sincerity.
While others complete *Dasbodh* in seven days, Narendra took nearly two months. Then, feeling strong attraction, he read it again in fifteen days. Finally he performed a seven-day parayan — the first of his life. *Dasbodh* changed his mind, attitude and understanding. He now experienced what Vyankatnath Maharaj had once said: “Everything will happen effortlessly.”
Later, Narendra visited Sajjangad. There, he felt as if Ramdas Swami himself walked beside him, personally explaining everything. A senior swami at the fort showed him around. Narendra requested to see the sacred relics — Ramdas Swami’s *valkal*, Machhindranath’s staff, and more. He even offered a donation. But the authorities said no one had ever been allowed to touch or see those items closely.
Narendra then sat at Ramdas Swami’s Samadhi and meditated for 45 minutes. When he opened his eyes, the same senior swami appeared, saying he had been searching for him. He insisted Narendra come quickly to see the relics. Narendra hesitated, reminding him of the rules. The swami replied, “We cannot rest until you receive this darshan.” Narendra was taken inside and shown everything intimately. This confirmed Ramdas Swami’s direct grace.
Narendra later wrote about these insights in simple language in his books *Navnath Bodhamrut* and *Yogeshwaranandanchya Chhayet*.
In *Gurucharitra*, the Guru transforms the disciple through direct inner experience — and the same happened with Narendra. Through *Dasbodh*, his intellect and mind were purified. Through Ramdas Swami’s grace and three *Gurucharitra* parayans, he drew emotionally and spiritually closer to Vyankatnath Maharaj. His earlier intellectual pride dissolved, replaced by intuitive understanding.
Narendra then performed *Gurucharitra* parayan with specific intentions. Each time, the intention was fulfilled. He realised the scripture is truly *prasādik*. Eventually he received a CA apprenticeship in Nashik — extremely difficult at that time — and even received a ₹100 monthly stipend without asking, unheard of in 1958–1962. Through scripture, inner experience, and Guru’s grace, Narendra’s life took a new direction.