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| Radharamana Charan das deva |
Sri Radharamana Carana Dasa Deva was popularly known as "Barha Baba", which means Baba the Great.' He was so called because he was truly great—great in heart, great in love, great in power to do things, which our men of reason and science would not believe even if they see. He was like a stream of love running its course and sweeping along with it every soul that came in its way toward the boundless and bottomless Ocean of Love and Peace and Transcendental Bliss. He carried Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message of love from place to place, door to door and person to person, singing and dancing, laughing and weeping in rapturous ecstasies like Mahaprabhu Himself. A veritable dynamo of love, he lovingly embraced whomsoever he met and by his mere touch transmitted a wave of love into his heart.
He was like an angel that came down to earth to alleviate our suffering and deliver us from bondage by telling us how all our suffering could be easily removed and we could attain the highest goal of life— the attainment of the Lotus Feet of the Lord only by chanting His Name. Since we, the jives of Kali would not easily believe, he took it upon himself to demonstrate to us the inconceivable power of the Divine Name by curing diseases, melting stones, making the trees dance and the animals behave like devout Vaianavas and even by bringing the dead back to life by chanting His Name.
Yes, he brought even the dead back to life by chanting Harinama on a number of occasions. The most glaring example was that of the dead body of a lady, whom he brought back to life on the cremation ground itself before a crowd of thousands of people in Calcutta.
The dead body of a young lady was brought by some maravaris to the cremation ground on the bank of Ganges, when Sri Radharamana Carana Dasa Baba Mahasaya was bathing in the river along with Jogen Babu and a number of other disciples. As Baba saw this he was for sometime lost within himself He said to himself. "Ah! The lady is going without hearing the Name of the Lord. Poor thing! She will have to suffer the unending cycle of birth and death." Then he said to Radhavinoda and Phani, "Go and see what the maravaris are doing with the body. Ask them not to burn it itill I come.'
Radhavinoda and Phani went and saw that the maravaris had placed the dead body on the pyre and were about to set fire to it. They said to them. 'Our Guru Maharaja has requested that you may please wait till he comes." They did not heed. Baba Mahasaya then sent Jogen Babu. who said to them entreatingly. "Please for God's sake wait a while, our Gurudeva is coming." The maravaris looked amazingly at Jogen Babu and at each other and did not know what to do. In the meantime Baba Mahasaya came. He said. 'Brethren, please bring the corpse down from the pyre." As he said this his heart was full of compassion, his eyes beamed with affection and his voice rang with a note that was divine and benedictory. They brought the body down. Baba Mahasaya asked Rama Dasa to sit behind the head of the body and Radhavinoda and Phani Dasa to sit on its either side. He himself sat near its feet holding its great toes with both of his hands. He then began to chant 'Bhaja Nitai-Gaura Radhe-Syama. Japa Hare Krsna Hare Rama, and asked all others to join him in the chanting. A crowd gathered on the scene. Everybody was chanting and looking eagerly and expectantly now at Baba Mahasaya. now at the dead body. This continued for half an hour. Then suddenly Baba MahaSaya exclaimed. "Jai Nitai!' and pulled the toes of the lady with a jerk. And lo! The lady opened her eyes. The maravaris sprang with joy. Everyone shouted - Haribol! - while the lady looked all round with bewilderment. Baba Mahasaya said to her, 'Do you recognize your relatives?" She replied in the affirmative by a gesture of the eye.
Baba Mahasaya asked the maravaris to bring some milk. The lady was made to drink milk. She drank it little by little. As she drank the cries of 'Haribol!’ again rent the sky.
The news spread like wild fire that a sadhu had brought a dead body back to life at Nimtala Ghata. Crowd after crowd of people began to pour in from different directions. This continued for about an hour and a half. Then Baba Mahasaya ceased to hold the lady's toes. She also ceased to breathe and closed her eyes.
Her relations fell at Baba's feet and prayed that she might be made to live and sent back home. But Baba MahaSaya said. “How can I do what Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself did not think it proper to do with the son of Srivasa? Could He not make him live longer after He had brought him back to life for a short while? He did not because He did not think it proper to undo what fate had done or God had willed. Now. God willed to demonstrate to the people, who would not believe without seeing, that the power of the Name is infinite and that it can even bring the dead back to life. So He has done it. One must know that the Name of God is even more powerful than God. It can do easily what God cannot. If one believes in the power of the Name, nothing else remains to be done. Without the mercy of the Name one can neither achieve prema nor enter the realm of the Divine lila” With these words Baba Mahasaya soothed every one and then went back to bathe again in the Ganges.
Sri Radharamana Carana Dasa was born in 1853 in village Mahishkhola in the district of Jessore in Bengal. His father was Sri Mohancandra Gho£a and mother Srimati Kanakasundari Devi. He was named Raicarana.
As Raicarana grew up his qualities of head and heart began to manifest themselves. He was so full of the milk of human kindness that he would not mind running a risk to remove the distress of others. On one occasion, when he was returning from the school, he gave away his unbrella to a boy. who had none and chose to suffer the scorching rays of the summer sun. On another occasion he found, on his way home, a poor man shivering with cold in winter. He wrapped him with his shawl and came shivering back to home.
Once Raicarana saw an old man lying on the wayside. The man had fever on his way home from the market and his bundle of foodstuffs was lying at a distance by his side. He could not muster the strength to carry his luggage. Raicarana lost no time to put the bundle on his own head and lend him a helping hand to see him home. The poor man hastened to tell him that he belonged to a servile caste, he was a washerman, and that the respectable gentleman's son should not demean himself so much as to carry the burden of a man he was not supposed to touch. But he stopped him saying. 'No matter, no question of caste. You are ill and you need my help. I must see you home.'
Instances of this kind can be multiplied, for his life was a never ending series of such loving sacrifices for suffering humanity at every stage and period of his life.
Raicarana was only five years old when his father died. After the death of his father his three brothers also died one after the other. There was no end to the grief of his widowed mother. On her insistence and to alleviate her suffering he had to marry. His father- in-law had no son. He had therefore to look after his rich estate in Ghorhakhali as well as his own.
He proved an ideal landlord. He was always good and kind to his subjects—always ready to extend his sympathy and munificence to the needy and the poor. By his amiable ways he easily won the hearts of his people. They voluntarily gave him the possession of lands, which had been out of possession for years. His administrative ability attracted the attention of the great zamindar of Srirampur and he made him the manager of his Mamudpur estate. He carried on his philanthropic activities in both the estates of Ghorhakhali and Mamudpur. He excavated tanks at his own expense, started free schools for the spread of primary education, grew vegetables of different seasons for the free use of the people.
But men like him are in the world, yet not of it They would do anything the circumstances make them do and do it well. They would marry and work and earn as others do. But they would make nothing of leaving their wives and children when the hour comes. The hour did not take long for Raicarana to come. He realized the futility of all that he did to alleviate the suffering of the people and make them happy. He began to think that he must do something to cut at the very root of the problem. A hint of what he wanted to do could be got from the following song he used to sing at this time, when he was alone:
'When. O when, will you take the Name of the Lord!
The days are numbered and they will end.
The drops of water on the lotus are unsteady.
They fall off at the breath of the gentlest wind.
Even so is life, death comes and brushes it away.
The limbs are there, you cannot move them.
There are the eyes, but the light is fled.
The ears are open they can no longer catch
The Name of the Lord in the hour of death. ’
The transitoriness of the world and the inevitability of death made him decide to renounce everything and go out in search of the Eternal.
So one day he said good-bye to the world and went out of home never to come back to it again. Ho did not know where to go. It struck him that he should go first of all to Bhavanipur in the district of Bagurha, witness the goddess Durga and then do as She would bid him do. He went and was overjoyed to see the Image of the Divine Mother. The Image was a Living Image. Raicarana Babu determined to stop there for some time and so he stayed on and his meals were supplied from the guest-house attached to the temple.
Raicarana decided to do purascarana. On the appointed day, the day of the full solar eclipse, Raicarana Babu took his bath and began the purascarana in wet clothes in a sequestered corner, free from disturbances. He was soon in a trance, silent and speechless, motionless and still, the eyes uplifted and lost in the eyelid, the counting finger firmly fixed to the numbering digit, the very image of a yogi, lost in meditation. The hairs stood on end from time to time, and he trembled in every limb. The eclipse came and went, but he was there: and then, when the sun was up again, shining with a vengeance after the eclipse, he began to perspire: and the perspiration was so profuse that everyone feared he was going to die.
A Brahmin took pity on him and tried to make him drink a cup of milk. He dipped a piece of cloth in milk, wrung it well, and dropped the milk into his open mouth. He regained his consciousness after he had drunk it off. But he could not walk. They helped him on to a neighbouring house, and the members of the Brahmin family took special care of him and requested him to stay with them till he was strong enough and fit for his spiritual adventures abroad.
Raicarana Babu thanked them for their kind offer, but he could not comply with their request He was 'in the hands of God." he said, and must act up to the biddings of the Divine Mother who spoke to him in his heart of hearts. The Brahmin was very curious to know the secret and pressed him to explain what he meant by "The Gracious Mother." He cried like a boy and then began to speak in a broken voice. "She came and set Her Gracious Hand on my head as She said that my prayer was granted and that I was to find my guru on the banks of the Saraju. He would satisfy the hankering of my soul. I asked Her how I should be able to know him whom I had never seen before. She said that She would speak to him about it and that he should be awaiting my arrival—that he was a tall man with long arms reaching down to the knees, long drawn eyes stretching up to the ears. His former name was Jogendranatha Gosvami of Khardaha and present name was Sankararanya Puri. He was not at all inclined to proselytize but that he would have me for a disciple only by Her special sufferance. He was no ordinary man but had the spirit of Nityananda Himself. Who was non-different from Sri Caitanya in his Evangelical mission in the world. So saying, the Mother disappeared and then you know how I am here in your house".
Raicarana reached Ayodhya. He was on the tiptoe of high expectation as he looked for the saint here and there on the bank of Saraju. Suddenly he found the saint entering the wood with the wooden bowl in hand after finishing his ablutions in the holy waters of the Saraju. He saw Raicarana and said smiling, “Well, are you come, my child? You are welcome. I was waiting for your arrival." Raicarana ran to him and fell at his feet. The saint laid his hand on his head, blessed him, took him by the hand, and led him to his hermitage.
After Raicarana had bathed the saint made him sit in front of him and breathed the mantra into his ear. As the mantra was uttered Raicarana quaked vehemently, his hair stood on end, tears flowed from his eyes and he fell senseless on the ground. On his regaining consciousness the saint locked him in his arms and each overwhelmed with bhava bathed the other in tears of love.
Raicarana stayed with the guru for a few days. The guru taught him the guiding principles of his new life. One day he said to him, "Look. I have an impulse from within—a bidding of the Lord. So it must be done. You need not stay with me any longer. You must set out on your mission and spread the Name of the Lord far and wide in the world."
“Excuse me. Gurudeva. I thought of clinging to your feet and serving you to the last day of my life".
"That is not to be my child, and so you must give up that idea and make up your mind to shoulder the task. God has been pleased to impose upon you. You say you want to serve me. But what is service if not doing one's pleasur ' I shall not be better pleased with anything else. If you look upon me as your spiritual friend and guide, you cannot but choose to obey me Come, be a good child and do what I say."
"Thy will be done, my Lord. But the task is great and I am so small. Empower me to accomplish the mighty task."
"O, it is done my child. Fear not and set to work. You are in the hands of God. He will be with you and lead you on."
Raicarana fell weeping at the feet of the master. He raised him. embraced him heartily, and blessed him as he bade him good-bye.
Raicarana set out. He traveled far and wide till he came to Navadvipa. Something in his appearance attracted Jagadananda Dasa Babajt. who took him to his residence and gave him a solitary room for his undisturbed meditation.
Now he lived a life of abstraction, out of touch with the men of the world. He bathed in Ganges three times a day, cooked his own food and ate only once in the afternoon. He spent the whole day in the loud chanting of the Name of the Lord. Sometimes he would laugh and sometimes cry, swimming always at pleasure in the sea of love. He was love-intoxicated and behaved like one who was gone mad. His host called him Rajen Babu. So from Raicarana he became Rajen and was known as such hereafter.
Birds of the same feather flock together. At this time he met another love-intoxicated person, Navadvipa Candra Dasa. Their eyes met and they felt they were old familiar friends. They flew into each other's arms and shed tears. They were in ecstasies. They danced together in joy and shouted the Name of the Lord. It seemed they were two only in form but one in heart. How deep, how perfect the union of their hearts. They became friends forever and would no longer part from each other.
Two other devoted souls Krsnagovinda and Rasamohana felt attracted by Rajen Babu and joined him. All together decided to go to Puri.
They started wearing a cadara and a dhoti and with karatalas in hand, dancing and singing the Name of the Lord. Rajen Babu led them. He had his own charming way of leading. As he marched he danced in samkirtana—the tall figure with hands uplifted and one foot fixed perpendicularly on the other. They were so attractive—these God-intoxicated devotees that they had a large following of men, women and children as they went.
Thus they marched on. In the evening they stopped to rest in some village or woodland and ate what providence gave them. They reached Sakshigopala. Rajen began samkirtana. He began as was his wont to explain the history of the image before him in extempore verses in the course of samkirtana. The verses came to him so swiftly that it seemed he was drawing upon memory and singing well-known songs. So exquisite were the songs that they might well be taken to be the classical compositions of some ancient bard of Vaisnava literature. The bystanders were simply charmed and whispered among themselves, "Who are these blessed souls? Whence do they come? Who is he, the tall man towering above them all? He is the true likeness and stuff of a superman. He has long arms, gracious form, sweet smiling face and he has about him a heavenly air. which marks him 0ut from the rest of mankind. He is undoubtedly the Barha Babaji—the head of the party and the others are hls followers." So he came to be called Barha Babaji and we shall henceforth refer to him by this new name.
It was midnight. All was calm and quiet around. They were lying outside the temple. There came two persons, one white, the other gold-colored, and they sat near the head of Barha Babaji. The former said. "Listen, I come to deliver a mantra, which you are to practise and proffer to anyone, who would be willing to accept it" So saying, he communicated to him Gaura-mantra' of twenty two letters and disappeared. The night wore on and it was morning. But Barha Baba was weeping all the while. He was out of his mind. He was shouting Ha Nitai! Jai Nitai!.' dancing, whimpering, rolling and tossing on the ground. He told his companions what had happened to him. He clung to them and cried aloud. They tried their best to soothe him. He came back to himself, but ran at full speed, crying Ha Nitai! Jai Nitai! on his way to NTIacala. his companions following him. Men wondered at them and wished to inquire, but they were beside themselves with joy and would not rest till they had a look at the radiant face of the Lord of Nilachal.
At last they came to Nilacala, the abode of the Lord. They went to the temple and saw the Lord. Their hearts were full and out of the fullness of their hearts they began to sing. They were entirely lost to the world, lost in the depth of love of God, and their song drew the multitude of visitors to their side. A thousand voices joined in the samkirtana. It was a scene the like of which was never seen during the last four hundred years of the Caitanya era. The worshippers and the guards enjoyed the scene. Those who came to look at the Lord remained to sing or hear the song. Some danced as they stood, some with hands upraised.
Next Barha Baba moved to Gambhira, the abode, where Sri Caitanya lived in seclusion. As he looked on the kantha used by Him and touched it with his hand, he burst out into sobs and muttered in the fullness of his heart "have mercy my Lord on Thy humble servant so may I serve the servants of Thy servants and rest under the peaceful shade of Thy sheltering Feet!" So saying he swooned away and fell down. His companions hastened to help him and restored his consciousness.
Now they did not know where to stay and what to eat. For Barha Baba resigned himself completely and depended solely on the dispensation of the Lord. He would never move an inch at his own sweet will, for his will was merged in the will of the Lord, and he himself was no longer his own, but the Lord's. Presently, however, they took their prasada in Narayana Chata. where prasada was being distributed free on the occasion of some festivity. But they were so ill-clad and so humble in their ways and manners that the man, who was serving prasada took them to be ordinary beggars. He made them sit on the public road along with the beggars and served them prasada on a single leaf, which was torn in the middle. Navadvipa Dasa spread out his bahirvasa and put the torn leaf on it. Now the mahanta came with prasadam, saw what they had done and exclaimed, "You rogues! You cannot give yourselves a dinner, and you turn Vaisnavas to cast a slur on Vaisnavas. What have you done?" Barha Babaji said smilingly, "Yes sir. you are right We are not Vaisnavas. and can never hope to be Vaisnavas. Bless us and pray we may be allowed to be servants of Vaisnavas like your honoured self. If your Lordship will give prasada to us all. give us here on my leaf and we shall take it all together." The mahanta was softened and he gave them prasada lavishly.
Another day, they finished their ablution in the Narendra Sarovara, and were going to the Temple of Jagannatha singing and dancing on the way. when they met a sannyasi at the head of a procession, walking with silver slippers under a silvered umbrella, who seemed to be a saint of note in the sacred city. They inquired about him and came to know that he was no other than Bhutanatha Svami, in charge of the Jagannatha Vallabha at that time. They made obeisance to the saint, and the latter raised his hand and blessed them on the way. They had gone but a few paces, when the sannyasi summoned them back to his presence, and at this time when they came back and bowed again, the saint himself bowed saying 'Namo Narayana" in return and said, "Mahatma, may I ask you where you are putting up?" "Father," said Barha Baba, “we have no fixed place for our residence, but at present we are staying at the out-house of Ganesa Mahanti.' "Well, well.' said the sannyasi. "You are no ordinary man. I felt transcendental joy as I looked at you. I think you are intimate with Sri Krishna Caitanya, the son of Jagganatha Misra. In fact, from what I can gather from your looks and doings. I think you are an exact copy of Sri Caitanya in your life and conduct. You are an Imitation Caitanya, I would say. But you see. you have renounced the world, you should not go and stay with a worldly man. Why not come and stay with me at my place? Do you come and occupy a room at the Jagannatha Vallabha, and sing the Name of the Lord to your heart's content". "As you bid us. mahatma, so it shall be done.", said Barha Babaji. and went away singing to the Temple of Jagannatha. So, on the third day they came and put up at the Jagannatha Vallabha, to the great joy of Bhutnatha Svami. who was very favourably disposed towards them. A jewel alone knows what a jewel is like, says the Bengali proverb, and it is so true.
A recluse came in. with matted hair on his head, and entered into lively conversation with Barha Babaji. "By your leave. Your Reverence.", said the newcomer. "May I ask you to which sect you belong?
"Sect? What sect my brother, while God is on, and all belong to Him and Him alone!"
“Yes. sir. that is true. But then, there are so many different creeds in religion, and men follow the one or the other. This is what I mean."
"Well, the different creeds are only so many different modes of grasping the same Eternal Truth. The differences cease to exist when the devotee comes face to face with the Truth. They represent the different schools of thought in our attempt to conceive the Divine Idea. They are lines of thought which can be and should be united and reconciled into a harmonious whole, which makes up the entire fabric of the Perfect Religion of all the world."
"But there are these sects, and I would like to know the sect to which you belong."
"I take objection to the term 'sect' which implies inclusion of some to the exclusion of others; for religion is in reality an undivided whole, which admits of all these different conceptions at the different stages of spiritual evolution. But then, there is one thing. Some have climbed the initial steps, some up to the middle, while there have been some, who have gone up to the top of the ladder of evolution. Those who are at the top can see the different sets of religious aspirants clinging to the ladder at the various stages of spiritual development, and they can harmonize the apparent conflicts and contradictions and proclaim Truth from the pinnacle of God-realization. So. there are these gurus, at the different stages of God-realization, who have taught their disciples according to their power of comprehension, and they have started the lines of spiritual descendants, which, in after times, have come to be grouped as the different sects of religion on earth. There is no sect in the religion of God, who is One. There were no such sects and schisms in the teachings of the Great Masters—the Loka-gurus—they have come out of the imperfect understanding of the later disciples of the Great Masters."
"Thank you very much. I am so glad that I have found one, who is above the limitations of narrow sectarianism. Now I can breathe freely, and I think I can take the liberty of inquiring about the Perfect Religion of all the world. No more of sects and schisms, but let me know, if you please, the stand-point you would take to understand the Perfect Religion of the world."
"My stand-point is that of Sri Caitanya or Sri Gauranga. Who gave us His Religion of Love and Beauty, which is the Perfect Religion of all the world."
“Then, you belong to the Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya, don't you?"
"Yes, and no, at the same time. Yes. because I have accepted the principles of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. but no, because I do not think that the Gaudiya Vaisnavas should form a clique and mar the universal character of the religion of Sri Gaurahga."
"But who is Sri Gaurahga?"
"Sri Gauranga is the incarnation of the Supreme, the High God, Who incarnated Himself as Sri Krsna in the earlier age."
"But how can you prove that Sri Gaurahga is the Lord Himself?"
"No proof like ocular proof, they say. They saw Him and knew Him to be the Lord Himself. Those who had the eyes—'the spirit's eyes'—to see Him aright. Nityananda saw Him and knew Him, and so did the other devotees, who were spiritually advanced in those days. They do see Him and know Him to be the Lord even now—they who can discern the High Spirit with the spirit's eyes. But what is ocular proof to one that 's blind? How can you prove it to the blind that the Sun is up? Yes, to those who have eyes, when the Sun rises, there needs no ghost to come and tell them that the sun is up. So it is with the Lord. They can see. who have developed their spirituality and rendered themselves fit for God-vision. But the blind cannot see, no amount of reasoning will convince the blind man of the existence and effulgence of the sun. He must wait till a doctor comes and restores his eye-sight, and then he can see the sun like those that talked to him about the sun, when he could not see. That's it, come, will it do?"
"Venerable Sire, you may be right when you say so from your own point of view. But one may think that you are just evading the question. The blind must be convinced of the possibility, if not of the actual existence, of the sun. before he can be persuaded to go to a doctor to open his eye-sight for a first-hand knowledge of the sun."
"Yes. but that is second-hand knowledge you see, and you must remember that this can only persuade you to undertake the task. It will never carry conviction before you have actually realized the truth for yourself. However, I will try."
Baba Mahasaya then went on to enumerate the sastras in which Sri Gauranga is mentioned as an avatara—the Chandogya, the Caitanya Upanisadm Ananta-Samhitasm the Srimad Bhagavatam. Padma-purana, Garuna-purana and a host of others.
The recluse was overpowered with emotion. He burst into tears and consigned himself to Barha Babaji. who initiated him and put him on the way to spiritual blessedness. This sadhu was Krishnananda Dasa, the same who accompanied Baba Premananda Bharati on his way to America for fulfiling his evangelical mission in far off lands.
After a few days came Ratha-Yatra (the car festival) day. It was a great day for Barha Babaji. He sang and danced before the ratha (car) as it went on. It appeared from his bhava and gestures that as he sang and danced, he saw in the Sri Vigraha of Lord Jagannatha the Lord Himself in all his resplendent beauty smiling at him. Who slackened the speed of the car at times to hear him sing and see him dance.
The car went on till it was evening and the men were tired. Sri Jagannatha stopped to rest for the day. Most of the devotees went away to their respective lodgings. But Barha Babaji would not go. He would stop on the way. while the Lord was on the way. and partake of the mahaprasada of the Lord. Four days passed in this way, and it was on the fifth day that the Lord reached the Gundica Mandira, the destination of His journey on the car.
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| Radharamana Charan das deva |
Gundica Mandira represents to the devotees Vrndavana. So the Lord is coming to Vrndavana after a long spell of absence. Sweet Krsna is coming at last. The gopis looked and looked at His dear face and drank deep of the ambrosial potion in that Face Divine. Then they open their hearts and begin to pour the pent-up contents of an age of separation—"O! How has He changed! It is not the same loving sweet heart as of old! What is the matter with Him? Has He forsaken us and given away His heart to another damsel?"
Barha Babaji was possessed with this sentiment. He was looking at the Lord and shedding tears as he sang to express the pangs of lost love. He wept he wailed, he cried, and made them cry who gathered round him. He sobbed aloud and rolled from one end of the Jagamohana to the other. The joints gave way, and the flexible limbs were turned and twisted in diverse ways, till breathing itself was stopped and he lapsed into a state of insensibility in the intensity of his Divine suffering.
They knew not what to do and how to bring him back to his senses, when suddenly there came a sannyasi in yellow robes, and assured them that Babaji Mahasaya was a saint of a very high order and that the state he was in was hardly to be approached by ordinary mortals, and that he could be summoned back to consciousness again if somebody would undertake to sing him a song purporting to be a response from the lips of Krishna to soothe the sufferings of His lovelorn Radha.
The song was sung, and lo! Babaji Mahasaya started up in great joy and showed signs of recovery. Tears, tremor and horripilation appeared, and the song was repeated again and again till he completely regained his senses and sat erect to the great joy of the bystanders.
Now, there were the 'Historic Foot-prints' of Sri Caitanya on a slab of marble near Garuda-stambha inside the Temple of Jagannatha—foot-prints marked on stone, converted into the consistency of clay by the magical tears that streamed down the cheeks and chest of Sri Gauranga entranced at the sight of Lord Jagannatha.
These sacred relics used to be trampled down by inadvertent strangers that came in crowds on the special occasions to have a look at Sri Jagannatha. These foot-prints were removed, under orders of the Raja in the presence of his officers, to a spot in the adjoining yard within the temple. Barha Babaji Mahasaya had them tabernacled and duly installed on a lotus of white marble.
At this time a boy, whose name was Sital Dasa, came and joined the party of Barha Babaji. He was entrusted with the seva, or service, of these foot-prints. Gauracarana Chakravarti was also at this time initiated by Barha Babaji into the life of renunciation—the taking of bheka' as it is called—and came to be known as Govinda Dasa. Thus they came, one by one, and filled the ranks, as Barha Babajo set out on his excursions against the impurity and sin of the Kali-Yuga.
After staying in Puri for about two years. Barha Babaji decided to go to Navadvipa. He started on foot He took only four or five persons with him and left the others to perform samkirtana before Jagannatha every day and to serve the Foot-prints of Mahaprabhu. He went dancing and singing all the way and preaching Harinama and initiating people in the path of Bhakti from village to village.
In Navadvipa he took sannyasa initiation (bheka) from Siddha Sri Gaurahari Dasa Babaji, a disciple of Siddha Sri Jagannatha Dasa Babaji. Gaurahari Dasa Babaji gave bim the name Radharamana Carana Dasa.
One day when Babaji Mahasaya was returning from Mahaprabhu's Temple performing kirtana with his party, a bitch came and joined the procession on the way. This samkitana-party stopped at places and sang then proceeded with redoubled vigour, singing the samkitana with maddening peals. Every time the party stopped the bitch would pause till the party passed by and then she would roll and toss on the ground just as a devotee would do to bless his soul She went on doing this, and followed the party to their destination: and then she found it in her heart to stay with them at their place. They called her Bhakti Ma (Mother Devotion), for she was no ordinary dog. She was never found falling out with the rest of her species as other dogs would. She always kept company with the devotees and regularly attended the samkirtana at home and abroad wherever it was held.
Days went on, and Bhakti Ma was taken ill. She was wasting away day by day till one day it was felt
that she was going to shuffle off her mortal coil, and so the samkirtana was held in her hearing to pour down the Lord's blessings on her departing soul. So she passed away with the Lord's Name on her ears, and her body was thrown into the sacred stream of the Ganges — a departure, to be envied by saints with hopes of salvation in after life.
The Cira Mahotsava was duly performed, as usual after the departure of a devotee, on the fourth day after her demise. Babaji MahaSaya thought of giving an entertainment service to the Vaisnavas for blessing her soul in the Land of Bliss.
The entertainment was accordingly held on the fourteenth day after her departure. Babaji Mahasaya said that some of her kin must be fed to complete the ceremony in the proper way. His attendants were struck dumb with surprise to hear this strange proposal from the lips of our Barha Babaji. For, whoever heard that dogs could be formally invited to dinner and made to eat accordingly?
But there was one — our old friend Navadipa Dasa Babaji —who had the nerve to believe in everything that fell from Babajis lips. He started up and said. "Well then, please let me know what I must do to see it done?" Babaji Mahaaya said, "Why. it is so simple. You should only prostrate yourself whenever you meet any of the dogs in the street and tell them with folded hands, "we humbly solicit the favour of your company along with your friends and relatives at the dinner service, to be held tomorrow in memory of our late lamented Bhakti Ma, at the premises of our Gurudeva in the Barhal Ghata quarter of the city.""
Now, this is the usual form of invitation letters addressed to our human guests on such occasions, and we may readily guess at the incredible impropriety of this address to be delivered to dogs for similar purposes and the heavy responsibility of the man appointed to shoulder this mighty task. Navadvipa was only too keenly conscious of the charge laid to his care, and he fell at his Babajis feet with tears in his eyes. He felt that it was something which he could never hope to accomplish by himself unaided by the mysterious powers on high. Babaji Mahasaya slapped him on the back and let him go.
Navadvipa was surcharged. He staggered, reeled and tottered from side to side as he walked. One would have taken him for a drunkard or a madcap. So he went round the city, acting up to the biddings of his master, till it was night-fall, when he returned back to his lodging.
Next morning, preparations were going on for the proposed entertainment and Vaisnavas were summoned to join the festival. News arrived that some of the leading Vaisnavas thought that their prestige would be at stake if they would go and join a festival, where dogs were some of the invited guests. Barha Babaji went personally to the Barha Akhrah to settle the affair, but to no purpose. Some of them were inexorable. But the festival was held inspite of their stout resistance, and thousand others came to witness the strange performance.
Some of these guests had a shrewd suspicion that it would end in a farce after all, for evidently it was something impossible, which could never be brought about. Others had great confidence in the Babaji, and thought he could make impossible possible, when he had a mind to do it. Then came Radhesyama Baba. All stood up and prostrated themselves before this worshipful personage. He was affectionately disposed towards Babaji Mahasaya. He began to take him to task for setting his hands to a task which could not on the face of it be accomplished. He also urged that he would be sorely aggrieved if the proposed entertainment of dogs would prove a failure, for he could not brook to hear Babaji Mahasaya belittled by anybody, although our Babaji himself might not take it to heart and laugh it away.
Babaji Mahasaya argued that God was omnipresent present in dogs as well as in men, and so appeals made to God in the dogs must necessarily have the same effect as those made to God inherent in men. He prayed them to remember that God came out of a pillar and manifested Himself as Nrsimha, when Prahlada appealed to Him to show Himself to his demon father Hiranyakasipu. He said that it was their want of faith in the Lord that made them suspect the practicability of the whole thing. The day wore on, and the assembly were just hoping to see their skeptical prophecies fulfilled, when behold! The dogs actually began to appear, one by one.
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| Kukkurer Mahotsava (dog festival) |
Barha Babaji Mahasaya saw this, he started to his feet at once, he prostrated himself before his canine guests, and duly received them as he showed them to their seats on the royal road at the Barhal Ghata. There was great sensation amongst the people, and they gazed on one another in dumb surprise. The news spread, and thousand others came to witness the strange performance. O wonder! Is it possible that dogs would accept human invitation and come as guests in response to our human appeals! May be, they are come, only in expectation of the bits and crumbs thrown away on such occasions. But no, not one, two or four of them for the matter of that — they come in crowds. Some fifty to sixty of them have already appeared on the scene! And what was more wonderful—dogs would quarrel, we know, they would fly at each others face whenever two dogs would meet—but no, these dogs came and sat down quietly side by side, as we men should do in our entertainment halls! It was something phenomenal indeed and men stood on both sides of the public road to notice the strange proceedings of the unheard of affair.
Babaji Mahasaya was transported beyond measure to find that his God sent His grace to show to the skeptical multitude what true faith could do even at the present age in the teeth of the gigantic disbelief so foolishly entertained in the Spirit and Spiritual truths. His eyes reddened with emotion as he threw the skirts of his clothes round his neck, and humbly beseech his God in the dogs to issue orders for the dinner to be served. At this, all the dogs looked up to him at once, and he knew what they said, after which he instructed his men to supply his quests with the plantain- leaves, and serve them up with all the items of the entertainment rolled into a mass for their acceptance.
So, it was done. His biddings performed, the dogs were severally served with boluses on their leaf-plates on the royal road. Now, look here, wonder again! Dogs with edible matter before them, and they would not touch, they would not partake of food supplied to them! All the leaves were served one by one, and they sat upright Then Babaji Mahasaya spoke in a broken voice and with tears in his eyes, requested them to begin. At this time, a black dog came and sniffed at the leaves after which the dogs fell to their leaves.
Cries of Hari! Hari! and Ulu! Ulu! were heard on all sides around and they verily seemed to rend the skies above. It was a scene of scenes enacted before the wondering multitude, and their exclamations and roars of applause echoed and re-echoed in all quarters of the city.
The service ended, the dogs turned away from the leaves. Then an earthen pot filled with water was offered to each of them. They drank the pots and sat still. Bits were taken as mahaprasada from their leaves and water in a pot as a wash from their feet—for they were Vaisnavas indeed, and no ordinary dogs, nay, they were God Himself invoked and incarnated by the power of the mighty faith in the Omnipresence of God. Babaji Mahasaya again folded his hands and prostrated himself before them, asking them if they were satisfied, and requesting them to pardon any shortcomings on the part of his attendants and retire to their own places at their own sweet will. The dog-Vaisnavas then left the scene one by one, as they came. Babaji Mahasaya in a paroxysm of transcendental joy rolled and tossed on the blessed leaves from one side to another again and again. The men scrambled for a morsel of the mahaprasada, and our Radhesyama Baba embraced Babaji Mahasaya heartily as he blessed his darling with tearful eyes before he took leave to repair to his lodgings.
Babaji Mahasaya gathered the mahaprasada all in a lump, offered it to the departed spirit of Bhakti Ma and then partook of it in high glee along with his attendants in the asrama.
It was about ten o'clock in die night when it was perceived that a plateful of prasada was lying unnoticed. Babaji Mahasaya asked his men to keep it intact, for it struck him one of his guests was yet to come and it was to be set apart for him.
After a while Babaji Mahasaya was coming out of his bed-chamber, when he found a red dog lying at the door of his room. The dog saw him and got up at once, and cast significant glances as it looked up to him. He called Caitanya, his mate in charge of prasada, and asked him to serve prasada up to the guest at once. Caitanya acted up to it Navadvipa Dasa now coming up and looking at the newcomer exclaimed that verily it was the same dog he met first of all and the same whom he requested to convey the message to each and every one of the kinsfolk and bring them all to the scene of occurrence. So now, they all saw why this particular guest was late, for he had to go about and send them up, before he himself could come to take his share of the entertainment.
One day Barha Baba Mahasaya went with his party to Krisnanagara and stayed in the garden of Sri Kantha Babu. At four o'clock in the afternoon he set out with his party dancing and singing the Name of the Lord as usual. Soon they reached near the college of Krishnanagara. The college had just closed. The teachers and the students were coming out of the college premises. The melody of the samkirtana rang in their ears. As they turned in that direction they saw a tall and impressive looking Babaji and his party dancing and singing in ecstasy. Tears incessantly streamed out of the eyes of the tall Babaji. His hair stood on end and he trembled like one caught in a blast of emotion, which it was difficult to control. He was singing and inviting others to sing. He sang:
"Sing. O sing the Lord’s Name
They are but one—the Lord and the Name
The Lord's Name is sweet, so sweet!
I pray, Ibow down at your feet.
Sing. O sing the Lord’s Name:
The Name will bless you with Kr$na-prema."
Adhara Babu, the professor of the college, and Vrajalala Babu, the teacher of the collegiate school, found the invitation irresistible. They joined the samkirtana party and began to sing and dance with them. The students also felt forcibly drawn and began to sing and dance. The call was also heard by the shopkeepers, who came down from their shops to join the samkirtana and the passersby—the wood-cutter with the load of wood over his head and the washerman with his load of clothes— all came and joined to create a gala of samkirtana, such as the people of Krishnanagara had never seen before.
Babaji Mahasaya was so lost in ecstatic joy and emotion that he occasionally felt like losing outer consciousness and falling senseless on the ground, but he controlled himself by shouting "Nitai! Nitai!" His shouts seemed to rend the sky. Others also caught his emotion and were so transported that they sang and danced like those who had drunk deep of the cup of divine drink.
The procession marched on and on, and as it marched it swelled in numbers. Slowly night came in and Babaji Mahasaya stopped samkirtana and returned to the garden.
Days rolled on like this. Every day samkirtana procession went round Krisnanagara and every day people were carried away by the flow-tide of spiritual frenzy generated by the samkirtana into a land of transcendental bliss, they had never known or experienced before. One day as the procession was marching through a new route. Bhuvana Mohana. a devotee, was saying to his friends. “Everybody in Krsnanagar now regards Barha Babaji as truly Barha Babaji, a great Babaji or a mahapurusa. Here he is coming, singing and dancing in samkirtana. If he leads the samkirtana into my house, I would know that he is really a mahapurusa." As he said this he saw that the samkirtana procession had taken a new turn and was entering the lane in which Bhuvana Mohana Babu's house was situated. Bhuvana Mohana came forward and bowed down to the procession. Babaji Mahasaya clasped him in his arms and entered his house singing and dancing. In the middle of the courtyard of the house there was a tulasi plant on a raised platform. Babaji Mahasaya and his party started going round and round the plant, dancing and singing. Crowds of other people entered the house and joined them.
At this time Bhuvana Mohana Babu brought some batasa [A dry Sweet rnade fom sugar.] in a sala-patra [leaf of timber-plant] and gave it to Babaji Mahashaya for Harilut.Baba took the dala-patra in his hand and began to sing the song usually sung at the time of Harilut.
Baba held the sala-patra plate in his left hand and he was dancing with his right hand lifted upwards as he sang. All others were dancing and singing with him. He occasionally scattered batasas with his right hand and shouted "Haribol!" People fell upon the batasas, collected and ate them. There were many people standing outside, because the courtyard was packed to every inch. They were sorry that they could not participate in the Harilut. For their sake Baba came out and began to scatter batasas all round. The loot accompanied by dance and kirtana went on for an hour, during which everybody was transported into ecstasy. But the people were surprised to see that although Babaji Mahasaya was freely and repeatedly throwing a handful of batatas, the sala- patra plate in his hand always remained full up to the brim. Suddenly Baba became aware of this and threw away the plate for fear of fame.
The next morning Babaji Mahasaya was invited at the house of Jogesa Babu, the local sub-registrar, to take prasada in the noon and perform samkirtana in the afternoon.
In the afternoon many people started coming to the house of Jogesa Babu. Samkirtana began at about 4 p.m. Babaji Mahasaya was dancing and singing, describing the samkirtana scene of Lord Gauranga dancing in ecstasy in the midst of his devotees. He was stressing the point that the Name of the Lord was the only means and Nityananda the only guide to that beatific realization, when suddenly he cried:
Lo! There is Nitai entranced, behold.
Men high and low caught in His loving hold!
He said this and was lost to the world. Tears streamed forth, hair stood on end, and trembling like a plant caught in a blast, he fell in a trance upon the ground. His followers surrounded him and sang the name of the Lord till at last he regained consciousness and cried in a husky voice:
Bhaja Nitai-Gaura. Pabe Radhe-Syama.
Japa Hare Krsna-Hare Rama.
All others repeated in the same strain, and so on, till it was about ten o'clock in the night when the party divided itself as a dual throng, singing the kirtana by halves, one group singing "Bhaja Nitai-Gaura Pabe Radhe-Syama." the other singing "Japa Rare Krsna-Hare Rama" and vying with each other at the top of their voices in a celestial combat.
But where was our Babaji Mahasaya gone? Lo, there he stood, leaning against the wall with eyes half- closed and a radiant smile upon his face, bathed in tears. swinging from side to side in a transport of delight and raising the forefinger of his right hand, as if pointing out something on high near by.
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| Barha Baba sankirtan |
Delicious scents came floating in the air and they knew not from where, and supernatural joys were felt by those who took part in the samkirtana.
It was about midnight when the samkirtana was brought to a close, and the devotees came up to the spot where our Babaji stood to bow down to him and take the dust of his feet. There they found to their amazement a pair of foot-prints clearly stamped upon the marble slab on the floor and a pool of water formed of tears and sweat collected in the depression marked on the slab.
This circumstance naturally created a sensation among the people of the neighbourhood and they came in crowds to ascertain the truth and pay homage to the saint. Babaji Mahasaya, of course, tried to make light of the affair. But Devendra Babu came and said. "Dada! It is true, the footprints are there. I have seen them with my own eyes." Babaji replied. "May be, I do not know. But this must be due to the lila of Nitai or the sakti of the Name. It is not fair to attribute it to any particular person."
Babaji Mahasaya, who by nature shunned name and fame, now began to think of leaving Krishnanagara. The next morning he started with his companions, dancing and singing:
Bhaja Nitai Gaura. Radhe-Syama.
Japa Hare Krishna-Hare Rama
When Babaji Mahasaya reached Diknagara he heard men complaining about an unhappy event which had recently occurred in the locality. There was an old banyan tree, and some Mohammedans had taken it into their head to chop off some of its branches for some reason or another. The Hindus regarded the tree as sacred, and they were sorely aggrieved at the unsympathetic attitude of the Muslim brethren.
Next morning. Babaji Mahasaya set out with his train, as was his wont dancing and singing the Name of the Lord. The villagers came in crowds and joined them on the way, and he led them straight to the banyan tree. There he marked the mischief that was done, passed round and round and prostrated himself before the tree, and then marched asinging to the Mohammedan quarter of the town. He went his way, as if perfectly familiar with the lanes and by-lanes of the entire neighbourhood, and they soon found themselves in the residence of Haradhana Mandala, a Mohammedan gentleman, who enjoyed local reputation and had considerable influence over the Muslims of the place. The villagers of course feared a row, and they thought of desisting the samkirtana- party from venturing into the quarter, but they could do nothing. There they were, in the courtyard of Haradhana Mandala, and when he appeared, the band of singers like trained soldiers surrounded him on all sides and went on singing and dancing, oblivious of the world end anything else besides.
Suddenly. Babaji Mahasaya addressed himself to Haradhana and roared:"Say. Nitai-Gaura Radhe-Syama"
Haradhana repeated. "Say. Nitai-Gaura Radhe- Syama!"
Babaji said again, "Say. Hare Krsna Hare Rama!" Haradhana again repeated, "Say, Hare Krishna Hare Rama!" and so on for some fifteen minutes. Haradhana repeating what Babaji suggested, till tears streamed down the cheeks and the flowing beard of Mandala Sahib, and he began to dance-hands with the rosary of pebbles raised on high, and wooden sandals under his feet and when Babaji Mahasaya came forward and clasped him to his chest he was overpowered with joy and came down reeling to the ground beneath. The samkirtana closed round, and Babaji breathed into his ears, and he trembled and rolled on the ground; and then, blanched with dust he began to dance with renewed vigour in the midst of samkirtana. Off went his sandals he knew not where, the rosary slipped between his fingers he did not perceive, he fixed his eyes on the BabajI. muttered in broken accents, and went on with his dance: and when our Babajш left the scene and made for the banyan tree, he made one of the party and followed him. hardly knowing what he was doing and where he was going and why.
Now, this is hypnotism, one would say. May be, but our Babaji was not a trained hypnotist for aught we know. The fact is, that these powers come, without any seeking—yes, they come to the man of Love—the power of raising any man and every man to the Kingdom of Heavenly Bliss, where all these petty dissension's are lulled into the harmony and repose of love and joy.
So they came back to the banyan, and went dancing and singing round and round the tree, when lo! what is this!—the very branches of the tree seemed to dance in tune with the samkirtana beneath. Can this be true?—They could scarcely believe their eyes. They cleared their eyes and looked again, but only to see what they saw before. The branches were indeed dancing-" the branches just above the samkirtana below. At first they thought there might have been some birds flapping to give up this idea, for they noticed with surprise that the branches danced only where the samkirtana was going on, and that other branches danced while the former ones stopped as the samkirtana moved round and round. Rumour flew apace, and men and women came in crowds to witness the strange performance. The samkirtana continued till eleven o'clock in the morning, after which, when Babaji Mahasaya was about to retire, our friend Haradhana requested him with tears in his eyes to be permitted to stay with him. Our Babaji consoled him saying that he need not fear, for the grace of God was upon him, only he should see that the tree might not be defiled again in time to come. He gave the banyan the name of the "Wish-tree." and said that whoever would offer milk, Ganges water and lamp in the evening at the feet of the tree, should have the fulfilment of his desires. Haradhana pledged himself and his family to the sacred vow, whereupon our Babaji embraced him heartily, and bidding him good-bye, returned with his samkirtana back to his lodgings.
But things like this cannot be readily swallowed by men of the present age, and there came censors and the connoisseurs — the educated and scientifically inclined men of the neighbourhood, who still doubted the testimony of the eye-witnesses on the scene. They bad their honest doubts, and it was well that it was so for these 'honest doubts’ act as the cement of conviction, when careful experiment removes these doubts and reveals the truth.
It was not long before Babaji Mahasaya heard all this, and he wished to show them that truth like gold shines brighter when put to the proof. Personal aspersions he would never mind—we have already seen so much of him in the earlier pages—but when any one of the verities was called in question, he would at once take up the challenge and prove it to the hilt that such doubts only arise out of the ignorance of the higher laws, that work inspite of the arrogant and adverse allegations of the shortsighted coxcombs and bigoted scientists.
Said the Babaji in solemn accents. “I say, gentlemen, the Name of the Lord is Omnipotent: it is such a trifling thing to be accomplished by His Name—the dancing of the tree. Come and see, if you still have doubts, join the samkirtana. and you shall have ample opportunity of verifying the truth once again."
Next morning Babaji Mahasaya set out with his samkirtana-party, and those who were skeptically inclined accompanied him to the scene of the occurrence. It was about half past nine in the morning when they reached the banyan, and the men found to their astonishment that the tree danced again as the Lord's Name was sung beneath the branches. They saw it and yet they would not believe. One of them stepped forward and asked the Babaji if he had any objections to somebody climbing the tree for ascertaining the truth. He said he had none, provided no non-Brahmin should undertake the task. Two Brahmin boys were accordingly summoned to get up on the tree, with instructions to ransack the branches and see if there was any bird or monkey or any other animal that might have been swinging the branches that seemed to dance to the tune of the samkirtana. But they could find nothing, and so it was finally established beyond the shadow of a doubt, and universally accepted as a truth—this dancing of the branches of the tree. They naturally attributed it to the power of the saint—more so, when they looked at our Muslim friend Haradhana Mahdala. the leader of the Mohammedans regarded with fear by their Hindu neighbours- this Mahdala, who had come again and was singing with tearful eyes along with the others in the samkirtana party.
The same thing was repeated for seven consecutive days, and the branches danced whenever the Babaji sang with his party under the banyan tree.
From Diknagar Babaji Mahasaya went to Bavala, Guptipara, Satgachiya, Kalana and Gurapa. Wherever Baba went he went like one. who was well aquainted with the lanes and by-lanes of the place, without pausing anywhere, to look about or enquire from someone about the route.
This was his usual practice. He always reached the destination without making any inquiries, even if the place was new to him. If someone asked, "Are you acquainted with this place?” he replied. "If not I, Nitai is. Nitai and His Name are one. Nitai is always with us in the form of His Name. Is there any place in the universe which is not known to Nitai? Chanting the Name of Nitai you can go anywhere and you will always reach the destination. If the Name fails to take us to the place where we want to go in the material world, how shall we believe that it can take us to the eternal spiritual world of our Lord? You need have no doubt that the Name cannot only carry us where we want there is nothing that the Name cannot do for us—if only we have a pure mind and faith in it.
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| Radharamana Charan das deva |
In Gurapa Navadvipa Dasa was taken ill with high fever and cough. Towards the evening there came an astrologer and began to read everyone's hand. When he saw the hand of Navadvipa Dasa Babajji, he was taken aback. He kept gazing at him for some time. Everyone thought that there was something extraordinary in the hand, which may be very auspicious or very inauspicious. They wanted him to declare what it was. He said. "I shall let you know about it in private." But Babaji Mahasaya said, "Why in private? In this world good and evil go together and everything happens at the will of the Lord. So., there is no harm if you say it before the person whom it concerns."
The astrologer said. "I do not know what I should say. As far as I can see the life term of this young man has come to an end. If there were any means by which he could be saved I would have suggested, but his death is so sure that it cannot be prevented by any means."
Navadvipa Dasa laughed and said. "I knew this already. The astrologer who made my horoscope at the time of my birth was most competent. He had predicted from my horoscope that I would die in the first half of the month of Pausa in the year 1895. He also predicted the disease of which I would die."
The astrologer said, "As far as I can see you should die of fever and cough."
Navadvipa said. "Yes. that astrologer had also said the same. But there is nothing to worry about this. For me it would be a matter of the greatest pleasure if I die in such good company." But it was a matter of the greatest concern for all others, because Navadvipa Dasa was their life and soul. They could hardly live without him. They believed that Babaji Mahasaya could save him, but he looked so indifferent. When they asked him about Navadvipa's fate, he said. "What do I know? Nitai Cand knows what He wants to do. Whatever He does is always for our good. You need not get agitated, chant Harinama". Navadvipa's condition worsened. Both fever and cough went on increasing, till one day he became so weak that he was not able to speak. Babaji Mahasaya asked everyone to surround him and perform kirtana. Navadvipa looked at Babaji Mahaaaya for the last time and somehow folded his hands to bid him farewell. Babaji's eyes became wet. He shouted Jai Nitai! Jai Nitai!' The next moment Navadvipa breathed his last.
But Navadvipa was not only the life and soul of every member of the party of Babaji Mahasaya, he was also the most beloved one of Babaji himself. How could he let him go? He asked his companions to take him out of the room. They took him out. Babaji Mahasaya lifted him up and clasped him with both of his arms. Navadvipa's head lay motionless on Babaji's left shoulder and his eyes were turned upwards. All others wept as they sang kirtana around him. The kirtana went on, and after some time Navadvipa Dasa opened his eyes and lifted his head from the shoulder of Babaji Mahasaya looking all around. Then Babaji Mahasaya let him off and began to dance and say, "Bolo Nityananda, bolo Nityananda bol!" Others also shouted, "Bol Nityananda bol - Nityananda bol!" Once more Babaji Mahasaya tied Navadvipa Dasa in his arms and let him off. The moment he let him off he also began to dance in ecstasy.
Dance and kirtana went on for some time. There was no end to everyone's happiness. When the kirtana was over Babaji Mahasaya said to Navadvipa, “This time Nitai has given you a new lease on life. Go and roll in the dust where His kirtana was performed." Navadvipa Dasa smiled and said,. "I know, you can kill or revive at your will." He then began to roll in the dust.
Baba Mahasaya set out for Nagara-kirtana in Gurapa. After passing a few more days in Gurapa he returned to Navadvipa. One day Navadvipa Dasa introduced to him a boy of tender age and said. “His name is Rama Dasa. He has sweet voice and is blessed with a heart which is always overflowing with Krishna-prema." Babaji Mahasaya embraced him and blessed him. Rama Dasa surrendered himself at his feet forever.
At this time a plague epidemic was rampant in Calcutta. It was taking a heavy toll on life everyday. The bank of the Ganges was piled with corpses, and the whole city wore a weird look. People were running away to other places. But many, who could not always felt that they were in the jaws of death. They only cried and prayed.
Nitai Cand, who is always concerned with the spiritual well-being of the fallen souls, perhaps thought that the time was opportune for disengaging their minds from the meshes of Maya and turning then towards Bhakti. For the seed of Bhakti sprouts easily if cast in moments of adversity.
Who could cast the seeds more effectively than Barha Babaji Mahasaya? Therefore, it appears that Nit ai, sitting in his heart entrusted him with the task. He decided to go to Calcutta with his party. They went by train.
The train reached Sealdah Station at about 5 p.m. As soon as Babaji Mahasaya came out of the station he saw dead bodies being carried here and there and grave anxiety written on the faces of people, who, finding no other means of escaping the jaws of death, were chanting the Name of the Lord and praying for mercy. Baba Mahasaya also started singing, "Bhaja Nitai-Gaura Radhe-Syama. Japa Hare Krsna Hare Rama." His heart was filled with compassion for the people suffering from the scourge of plague. As he sang tears flowed from his eyes, and trembling, horripilation and other sattvika- bhavas appeared on his body. Attracted by his personality and bhava, people began to come from different directions and join his kirtana. It all took the shape of a kirtana- procession. The procession moved on without any plan. It marched slowly through Darjiparha and reached the market of Deoyanparha.
A shop-keeper, whose name was Mukunda Ghosa, came out of the shop, made obeisance before the procession and said entreatingly to Baba Mahasaya, “Baba! You and your party must grace my house and stay with me as iong as you are in Calcutta." Baba said. "If that is Nitai's plan, what objection can we have." and they moved into his house.
It was decided that the next day in the afternoon at about 4 p.m. they would go out for Nagara-kirtana. Mukunda Ghosa informed all the kirtana parties in the neibourhood and through them the other parties far and near.
The parties began to collect at Mukunda Ghosa s p|ace well before time and at 4 o'clock the kirtana started. Babaji Mayasaya was going ahead singing and ancing like one intoxicated. His companions and the other kirtana parties sang and danced with him. The sound of Haribol accompanied by the sound of numerous kholas and karatalas rent the sky. As the kirtana advanced, more and more parties came and joined till it assumed the shape of a gigantic procession, such as the people of Calcutta had never seen before.
Baba Mahasaya was the tallest in the procession, so he could be easily seen. He was going along swinging with emotion like a mad elephant who had drunk deep of the cup of divine love. His heart was filled with compassion for the suffering people, and tears streamed out of his eyes as he addressed himself to them and sang:
'Chant. O chant the Name over and over again.
If you want freedom
from suffering and pain.
No one knows when Yama will frown.
Death will flap its wings and sweep down.
It will reckon neither age nor time, night or day;
It will come with a stroke and sweep all away.
Then your wife and children your name and fame
Will not go with you. you will go alone, as you came.
So chant, O chant the Name over and over again.
If you want freedom from suffering and pain.
Haribol. Haribol, Haribol. Haribol’
Thus singing he embraced whomsoever he saw whether Hindu, Muslim or Christian, and his magic touch made them also shout "Haribol! Haribol!", and dance and clap as they shouted.
At 10 p.m. BabajI Mahasaya stopped kirtana and returned to Ghosa's house. Even there many people followed him: the lawyers, the shopkeepers, the teachers, the students, the vendors and others. They forgot all about their homes and their respective duties, tempted as they were by the opportunity of having a little more of the soothing, alleviating and tranquilizing company of Baba Mahasaya. He, however, asked them gently to go home and come again to join the kirtana the next day.
Babaji Mahasaya stayed in Mukunda Ghosa's house for a month. Every day he went for nagara-kirtana to some new locality of Calcutta or its suburbs. The people of that locality were informed about it well in advance, and they made elaborate arrangements for his reception and the entertainment of his party and all those who participated in the sankirtana. The locality of the township was beautifully decorated, with buntings and gates, specially erected with bamboos and decorated with leaves, at intervals on the roads through which the kirtana procession bad to pass. Arrangements were also made at different places for ice-water and daba (water of green coconut) quench the thirst of the processionists. Countless joined the samkirtana. countless, including even those who had no faith in God and never chanted the Name of the Lord, sang and danced in kirtana and went into ecstasy.
Needless to say that not only the scourge of plague disappeared totally, but the city of Calcutta was swept by a new current of bhava-Bhakti. Many surrendered themselves at the feet of Babaji Mahasaya and took initiation from him. Many turned a new leaf in their hectic and aimless life, which paved their way for ultimate deliverance.
The way in which Babaji Mahasaya disseminated the seeds of Bhakti wherever he went was natural. He did not give any sermons or deliver carefully prepared speeches on Bhakti or prema. He was himself an embodiment of prema. To see him was to realize that prema was the highest end and the culmination of all that was true, good, beautiful and blissful.
Barha Babaji Mahasaya now decided to go back to Puri with his party of eighteen persons by steamer, because there was no railway line direct from Calcutta to Puri during those days.
The journey began. The steamer started steaming and Babaji Mahasaya started samkirtana. The Muslim captain of the steamer shouted. “What is that noise!'
'No noise." replied Baba Mahasay, "but the chanting of the Holy Name. It will not do you any harm. On the other hand it will ward off evil and beget good for everyone."
"Stop it!" shouted the captain again.
So Baba Mahasaya stopped the samkirtana. Not very long after, a strong wind began to blow. The sea became turbulent and the waves began to splash the steamer and splatter. The passengers were alarmed and so was the captain. The captain saw that when the waves rose high and threatened to engulf the steamer. Babaji Mahasaya shouted Jai Nitai!- and immediately the waves subsided and the sea became calm. This happened a number of times. The captain then came running to Babaji Mahasaya and said apologetically, "Baba! I am sorry I stopped your chanting. It is on account of that offense that providence has sent this storm to punish me. Kindly start your kirtana again."
All other passengers, who had been watching the rise and fall of the waves at Baba's bidding, as it were, with surprise also made the same request. Samkirtana again started, and the sea gradually became still, but no sooner had the steamer reached Kalapani than it was lashed by a much more severe storm. It began to be tossed up and down mercilessly by frenzied waves. The passengers were all but drowned. It appeared that the steamer was soon going to capsize. The captain and the passengers in their helplessness looked aghast at Babaji Mahasaya as the only hope of their survival. But Baba sat calm and composed and confident that Harinama would take care of them all. He only asked them to chant more vigorously:
“Bhaja Nitai-Gaura. Radhe-Syama.
Japa Hare Krsna-Hare Rama."
Everyone including the captain joined him in the kirtana. This continued for four hours. It seemed that royal battle was being fought between Harinama and nature. At the end Mother Nature had to surrender at the foot of Harinama. The storm was over, and the became clear. The passengers breathed a sigh of relief. The captain came and, humbly bowing at the feet of Babaji Mahasaya, said, "It is only by your mercy that our lives have been saved, otherwise in a furious storm like this there was no chance at all of our survival." Baba said, “Not my mercy Captain Sahib - the mercy of the Name. The power of the Name is infinite. There is no difference between the Name and the Lord. The Lord has infinite forms and infinite Names: Mahommad, Khuda, Allah, Siva, Visnu, Krishna, Nitai and Gaura are all His Names. There is substantially no difference between them. The difference is only in manifestation of sakti and bhava."
The steamer reached Candbali from where the party took a boat for Cuttack.
When the boat reached Cuttack, a number of people were already waiting at the sea-coast to receive Barha Babaji Mahasaya. They requested him to stay in Cuttack for some time, but he could not stay there for more than a few days on account of the Ratha-Yatra festival. His short stay in Cuttack, however, marked the beginning of the end of widespread prejudice amongst the people against Vaisnavas. The people of Cuttack—specially the intelligentsia—were under the influence of Brahma Samaja, and for the first time perhaps, they got an opportunity to see genuine Vaisnavas, before whom they could not but bow down in respect. Such respect was gradually converted into love, which later turned into worship, as testified by the Rasabihari Matha in Cuttack, where a life-size image of Barha Babaji Mahasaya is even today worshipped independently alongside the deities of Lord Gauranga, Radha and Krisnna.
After enrapturing and entrancing the people of Cuttack Baba Mahasaya started for Puri. The postmaster of Cuttack had already informed Gopala Babu, the headclerk of the Puri post office, about the arrival of Baba Mahasaya there. The news had spread all over and the people of Puri were in ecstasy on the prospect of finding their own Babaji Mahasaya in their midst. So when the train reached Puri at night a host of devotees and admirers of Babaji were present at the station to receive him with garlands. Babaji gave each of them a loving embrace and then proceeded to the temple of Jagannatha singing and dancing.
After performing samkirtana at the temple Baba went out and sat on the snana-mandapa surrounded by many people. Many people had brought prasada, which Balarama Babu collected and served to everyone. After prasada Baba Mahasaya and his party retired to the vacant house of Harishcandra Basu, in which Balarama had made arrangements for their stay.
The next day at night Babaji Mahasaya and his party were invited for kirtana at the house of Harivallabha, an advocate. At sunset they reached his house singing, "Bhaja Nitai-Gaura Radhe-Syama. Japa Hare Krsna Hare Rama." Many lawyers and other important persons, including some sannyasis from Ramakrsna Mission had assembled at the house. They were all eager to listen to the kirtana of Baba Mahasaya. Many of them had some questions to ask, which they thought they would ask him after the kirtana was over. Some wanted to know whether he believed in Vedanta or not and with that end in view they had prepared a number of questions. Harivallabha Babu wanted to examine whether he bore
any grudge or ill will against any particular sect or person or not.
Baba Mahasaya performed dance and kirtana for half an hour and sat down. He took only a few seconds to read the questions in the minds of the people and then started kirtana again. We have said before that he rarely sang songs previously prepared by himself or by others. He had the supernatural gift of singing extempore according to the requirements of the situation in which he was placed by providence. So this time the kirtana had to be of a very special kind. It was not rasa-kirtana or lila-kirtana, but it was philosophical in content. At first the kirtana related to questions regarding Vedanta, like: "what is the relationship between jnana (knowledge) and Bhakti?""What are the different kinds of jnana?" "How does a real jnani behave?" Baba himself raised these questions in his kirtana one by one and answered them. At first people thought that verses of this kind already existed and he was only repeating them in his kirtana. Soon it became clear that there were no such verses and that he had the rare gift of composing them as he sang. The Vedantists, who were sitting at some distance now came nearer and began to listen to the kirtana with greater attention. There was no end to their surprise. The very questions they had thought of asking, and which they regarded as most difficult were being answered systematically and convincingly through kirtana. Others also got satisfactory answers to the questions they had wanted to ask. The kirtana went on to expound the great sayings of Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita like: 'adveshta sarva-bhutanam;' 'samarn sarvesu bhutesu', 'sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja', symbolizing the synthesis of all religions. That removed all doubts of Harivallabha Babu and his friends regarding the large mindedness and catholicity of Babaji Mahasaya
Thus kirtana went on till 11:30 p.m. At the end all began to sing together 'Bhaja Nitai-Gaura, Radhe-Syama. Japa Hare Krsna-Hare Rama.' This time the sannyasis, the lawyers and all others also joined the kirtana. They danced and sang, clapping their hands as they danced. Everyone was thrilled and transported. No one wanted that the kirtana should stop. But Baba MahaSaya stopped it at 12 o'clock, so that no inconvenience was caused to them.
They came near and offered obeisances to him and began to express their gratitude and surprise at his removing their doubts and satisfactorily answering their questions without their asking them. Baba Mahasaya replied with characteristic humility, 'Brethren, you should express your gratitude to Nitai Cand, not me. He is omniscient and He knew your questions and answered them. I am only a tool in His hands
One day a gentleman named Pyari Babu invited Baba Mahasaya and his party for prasada. After they had taken prasada he said to Baba Mahasaya prayerfully, "Would you kindly tell me what a fallen soul like me should do so that he can make steady progress in the path of God-realization?"
Babaji: For weak, imbecile, sinful and Maya-bound jivas like us the only remedy is nama-samkirtana
Pyari: But there are many Names of the Lord, like Rama, Krishna, Dvarakanatha. Gopala, Giridhari, Radharamana, Gopivallabha, and so on. Which of these Names should one take?
Babaji: There are so many Names because the Lord is infinite. He has infinite forms. Each form has a Name, which is identical with the form. The Name is the Lord Himself in that form. There have to be infinite forms, because there are devotees of different kinds, and their likings and dispositions are different. One has to choose a particular form according to his liking and fix his mind firmly on it
Pyari: How can one set one's mind firmly on the form of God one likes? Mind by its very nature is unfixed. It moves always from one object to another.
Babaji: The only way of fixing the mind is through prema or love. If you love your Lord with all your heart and soul, your mind will automatically turn from the other things and remain always fixed on the Lord.
Pyari: How do you get prema?
Babaji: "Prema is eternally realized (nitya-siddha). it cannot be attained by any sadhana (spiritual discipline). It is a jewel that shines by its own light. Neither sravana, nor kirtana, nor other means can 'generate' prema. All spiritual disciplines aim mainly at the purity of the heart. When the heart is purified, prema -which is already there - becomes manifest.
Pyari: But Maharaja. I would like to know one thing If someone is so fallen and weak that he can neither practise Raganuga-Bhakti nor Vaidhi-Bhakti, is there no way by which he can attain the lotus feet of the Lord?
Babaji: "Why not? Take the example of a similar situation in the mundane sphere. Suppose you are the owner of a big estate, which has to be managed well and there are a number of cases concerning the estate in the court, but you are illiterate or mentally and physically so weak that you cannot do anything, then what will you do?
Pyari: It is easy. I shall give attorneyship to a capable person, who will do everything for me.
Babaji: The same is true of the spiritual world. If you are not capable of doing anything, you should give attorneyship to someone, who is capable of doing everything for you. You should surrender yourself completely and sincerely, and depend wholly upon him. It would be his responsibility to see that you realize Krishna."
Pyari: Does it mean that in that case one need not do any sadhana?
Babaji: In that case one should try as far as possible to practice the sadhana prescribed by the guru. But if he cannot practise it, he should not do anything that is against the precepts of the guru or the injunctions of the shastras. Guru is like the boatman, who promises to carry you across the ocean. He rows and asks you to row, so that you reach the destination more quickly. But if you cannot row as he wants, you must not row haphazardly in different directions. You should remain sitting quietly, with faith and confidence that he will take you across, sooner or later.
Pyari Babu then fell at the feet of Babaji Mahasaya with tears in his eyes and said with a voice choked with emotion, "Baba! I am a fallen creature, who is drowning in the ocean of Maya, and is fighting helplessly with the waves. I do need a boatman to take me across. I do not know how and where to find one. I therefore, surrender myself completely at your feet Kindly accept me as your servant for ever and ever, and never leave me."
Baba Mahashaya said, "Do not worry. You are mine."
Barha Babaji Mahashaya was a skilled builder of human personality. Like a skilled sculptor he shaped and moulded everyone whom he met whether atheist or theist sinner or saint jnani or yogi into the mould of shuddha (pure) Bhakti. His strategy was simple. He first established a rapport with the new man by giving him a loving embrace, then he peeped into his heart. If he found there any angularity that would not let him fit into the mould of pure Bhakti, unmixed with jnana, karma or yoga, he tried to round it off by appropriate means. A typical example of this is the metamorphosis of Baba Basanta Kumara Dasa, a Hatha-yogi, who was proud of his attainments in yoga and looked contemptuously upon Bhakti. An interesting account of how in a trice he was cast into the mould of Bhakti by Babaji Mahasaya is given in Carita Sudha in his own words, which are as follows:
"I went to Jagannatha Puri at the time of Ratha-Yatra in the year 1897. I saw that a group of people, who looked neither like sadhus, nor sannyasis. nor grhasthas (householders), were dancing and singing aloud:
Bhaja Nitai-Gaura Radhe-Syama
Japa Hare Krishna Hare Rama.
"All of them wore a tulasi-kahthi around their neck and tilaka on their forehead. On their body they wore a cadara (a sheet of cloth) in such a manner that it covered them up to the feet in their midst there was a tall person, who particularly attracted my notice, I concluded from the aprakrta (transcendental) bhava that seemed to radiate from his face that he was a mahapurusa. His darsana aroused an inexplicable feeling in my heart and I kept on looking at him like one who was under a spell. After some time the group came dancing and singing near me. I bowed down to them with reverence. As I did so, the mahapurusa also bowed down to me and gave me a loving embrace. Oh! the magic of that divine touch, the soothing effect it had, the thrill it sent in my body. I felt as if I was completely sold out to him. I kept standing like one who was at a fix and did not know what to do. The mahapurusa took me along with him to the Temple of Jagannatha. There they performed samkirtana for some time and then they proceeded to the Kotabhoga Matha, where they were invited for mahaprasada. They took me along with them. We were made to sit in a room of the Matha. Soon after it began to rain torrentially. The courtyard of the Matha was filled with water, which was knee-deep. A little later we were called for mahaprasada, which was to be served in a room on the other side of the courtyard. The mahapurusa eclaimed like a child, "I will not wade through water, aomeone should take me there in his lap" Such was the magic of his words that inspite of his massive figure. I had to say, "Come, I will take you there into my lap." Immediately he sprang like a child into my lap. I felt that he was light like a doll made of cork and I had no difficulty at all in carrying him. But I had just crossed the courtyard when he became so heavy that it was impossible for me to carry him even a step further. I had to make him get down in the verandah, instead of taking him inside the room. The mahapurusa made me sit by his side in the dining room. The mahaprasada was served and we were asked to start eating after Hari-dhvani. The mahapurusa then took three or four peppers and a small quantity of each of the other things from his plate and mixed them all into a lump. He put a portion of it into my mouth with his own hand. It was so pungent that as soon as I swallowed it I felt that my mouth, throat and stomach were burning. Tears came out of my eyes. The mahapurusa said. Oh! It is troublesome. Then take this, it will be soothing.' So saying he put another morsel into my mouth from the same mixture. Oh! It was so soothing, so delicious and sweet-smelling!
I have never eaten such a thing before. How wonderful! In both cases it was one and the same thing affecting in two different ways at one and the same time. I had seen so many saints in my life, but never one with power to do such impossible things. I understood that the mahapurusa had performed this lila only to humble me. The pride of my yogic attainments was now gone, and along with it was gone my contempt for Bhakti. I was convinced, as I had heard sometime before, that all the different siddhis, which the yogi attained after a long course of arduous exercises, came to a devotee of their own, even though he never wanted or tried for them. I surrendered myself completely at the feet of the mahapurusa and began to live with him, and do as he ordained, for the rest of my life"
Once Babaji Mahasaya was going with his samkirtana party along the highway of the city of Puri, when a bitch was found sitting on the road, giving out piteous outcries which attracted the notice of our Babaji Mahasaya. He stopped short in the middle of the samkirtana, and inquiring about the cause of her distress, came to know that she was mourning for her four puppies, taken away from her to be reared by some gentleman of another part of the city.
She was sorely aggrieved and could not be persuaded to take food or drink. Babaji Mahasaya approached her, bowed down to her, and started sermonizing her thus: "Ma. this is after all the way of the world. The union of friends and relatives is inevitably followed by separation. All beings are in the hands of God, bound to live and move as He wishes. Attachments of all kinds—filial, affectionate and all the rest arise out of ignorance of our true selves in duty bound to serve our Lord. Being born as you are in the Blessed Land of the Lord, and having already had enough of the world to be tired of, it is high time that you should turn to godly ways of life—hearing the Name of the Lord in the company of devotees, and partaking of nothing but the mahaprasada to keep you alive. Now Ma, if you accompany us to our lodging, you will have a hundred sons in the person of myself and my attendants instead of the four you have lost by chance. There you would find all possible care and comfort at our hands". The bitch looked steadfastly in his face as he was thus speaking to her, and then when Babaji Mahasaya went on, she followed as she heard him say, "Come with us. and Vou shall have mahaprasada." The devotees were struck with wonder to see and hear all this, and they all took the dust of the road where she was seated to bless their soul with it.
The bitch came. She was served with mahaprasada every day. She would go with Babaji Mahasaya wherever he went at the head of his samkirtana party. She would never partake of anything but mahaprasada, even when other kinds of food were offered to her. She would sound like the blowing of conches, when evening arati service was going on in the temple, and would uplift her forefeet and cry out 'Ho! Ho!' whenever Babaji Mahasaya shouted 'Haribol!' at the pitch of his voice.
One day Babaji Mahasaya decided to go out for nagara-kirtana. He first went to the house of Gopala Babu, the headclerk of the local post-office, so that he might also participate in it His party followed him dancing and singing. As the kirtana was going on in the courtyard of Gopala Babu's house. Gopala Babu took Navadvipa Dasa aside and said, “I have to go to the post office earlier today on account of some important work. So, I cannot accompany kirtana." Navadvipa Dasa said, "Then you bow down to the kirtana and go to the office, and we go out for nagara-kirtana."
Just when Gopala Babu was about to start for the office, Babaji Mahasaya took the khol out of the neck of Jai Gopala and put it round Gopala Babu's neck. What could Gopala Babu do? The samkirtana-party moved and he moved along with it playing on the khol. Others in the party got anxious about him and thought of relieving him somehow. But Babaji Mahasaya liked him playing on the khol so much that he always kept him near him in samkirtana. This time also he was so close to him that no one had the courage to do anything to relieve him. The kirtana-party circumambulated the Jagannatha Temple and proceeded towards Harchandisai, the place where only the pandas and pujaris of Jagannatha live. The samkirtana was so thrilling and enchanting that all of them came running and began to sing and dance in it. Their children danced joyfully in front of the kirtana. Everyone was in ecstasy. The kirtana-party went to Tota Gopinatha and the samadhi of Haridasa Thakura, and marching through the road leading to the court reached back the asrama at about one o'clock. Gopala Babu then kept the khol aside and made obeisance before Babaji Mahasaya. Looking at him Baba said with a start “Gopala! Didn't you have to go to the office?"
“Yes. I had to go.” replied Gopala Babu.
“So. what is the time now?“
“It is one o'clock.“
“It is one o'clock and you have not yet gone! Will you not get in trouble?“
“How can I say? You know all about that.“
“At what time do you go to the office every day?"
“At ten. and sometimes even earlier. Today I had to go at nine.“
Baba Mahasaya was taken aback, but he said, "However, Nitai Cand wishes that you do not go to the office at all today." Gopala Babu obeyed.
He went to the office the next day and started his work. Nobody said anything. The postmaster was all the time talking of Barha Babaji Mahasaya and praising him. At the end Gopala Babu went to sign the attendance register. While signing he thought, “Since no one has said anything to me about yesterday's absence, it is obvious that Babaji Mahasaya himself came to the office in my guise and did all my work. Did he not prove thereby that I was not absent? Why shouldn't I therefore sign the register for yesterday as well, as if I forgot to sign yesterday?" So he turned the page and signed for the previous day as well.
When Gopala Babu returned from the office, he told everything to Babaji Mahasaya. Babaji Mahasaya said, "If absolute surrender to Harinama and faith in its unlimited power can solve all problems relating to the spiritual world, why can't it solve the trifling problems of this world. What is necessary is faith. If Harinama does not give any result it is because we are lacking faith."
Gopala Babu fell at the feet of Babaji Mahasaya and said with tears in his eyes. “Prabhu! I am a sinner and I do not do any bhajana, yet you take so much trouble for me. Kindly forgive all my offenses and bless me so that birth after birth I get the shelter of your lotus-feet” Babaji Mahasaya lifted him up and hugged him, thereby assuring him that his prayer would be fulfilled. Others sitting near him shouted together, 'Jai Nityananda!'
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| Radharamana Charan das deva (Barha Baba) |
One day Kisori Mohana Sena, the local subjudge and Babu Jagatcandra Roy, the local deputy magistrate, came to Babaji Mahasaya. Kisori Babu said to him, "I beg to propose that you should have a Matha of your own. It is not good that you should always be moving from one place to another and be dependent on others.”
Babaji Mahasaya: What you call dependence, Kisori Babu, is really independence. I am not bound to a particular place and I can freely go where I like. If I own a Matha it will not be possible for me to move about freely. I shall have to make proper arrangement for the Math before I think of going anywhere. Why shoud I take that botheration upon myself?
Kisori Babu: You tell us that devotional service is the highest dharma. It is not possible to attain the Lord as easily through any other means as through seva (service). What I actually want to propose will provide you with excellent opportunity for service. You see, there is a Matha here, which was established by Sevadasa Babaji, a siddha saint on the advice of his guru, Sri Narottama Dasa Thakura Mahasaya, the great saint and disciple of Sri Lokanatha Gosvami. The last in the disciplic succession of Narottama Thakura, who was the sevaite of the Matha, was Adhikari Krsna Dasa. Krina Dasa is dead and there is no one left to receive the property. All moveable property of the Matha, including Radhakanta and other deities have been shifted to the police-office and are in their custody. If you agree to receive the Matha I can do something about it. The Matha is called Jhanjapita Matha. It is also called Viraktasiddha Asrama.
But Baba Mahasaya did not agree.
Another day Kisori Babu and Jagatcandra Roy met Baba Mahagaya when he and his companions were going dancing and singing as usual, to Radhakanta Matha, where they were invited for prasada.
Kisori Babu said, "Baba! You are going to Radhakanta Matha for taking prasada, but your Pranavallabha has been lying there [police-post], unattended and unfed for over a month. Day-after tomorrow He will be auctioned along with the other properties of the Matha. No one knows in whose hands They will go and what Their fate will be. The very thought of it breaks my heart. But I wonder how you have all along been so indifferent to it? Baba Mahasaya could not remain unmoved. He burst into tears like a child and said, "I feel so helpless I do not know what to do."
Kisori Babu said, "You do not have to do anything. You have only to give us your consent for what we do." "You do what you like.", said Babaji.
Jhanjapita Matha was cleaned and arrangements were made to carry the deities in the right royal manner in a palanquin with a kirtana party performing in front of the palanquin and a large number of devotees, who had assembled there on hearing about the homecoming of the deities, following the palanquin. On reaching the Matha the abhiseka (bathing ceremony) of the deities was duly performed. They were properly dressed and fed. Baba Mahasaya and his companions began to live in the Matha.
Once an English man, who was a Christian priest, went to see Babaji Mahasaya. He, as usual, received him with a loving embrace and made him sit by his side. The priest was both surprised and impressed. After making some courteous inquiries he said, "May I know what your religion is?"
Babaji: In a very general way I would say that my religion is what you may know as Hindu religion. But amongst the Hindus there are five main different classes: Sakta, Saiva, Ganapatya, Saura and Vaisnava. I am a Vaisnava.
Priest: Whom do you worship?
Babaji: We worship Radha-Krisnna and Nitai-Gaura.
The priest then started narrating Krsna-lila with special reference to those parts of the lila, which he thought were disgraceful. He described Krishna's stealing the butter of the gopis. His stealing away their clothes while they were bathing unclothed in the Yamuna River, His rasa-lila and other amorous pastimes with them in the Yamuna and the bowers of Vraja. He also described Krishna's killing of Putana and Vatsasura and other lilas.
He was describing and Baba Mahasaya was quietly listening. He was stunned and stupefied to see how from time to time Baba Mahasaya's body trembled like a tree stormed by tempest, hair stood erect on their ends like thorns and streams of tears incessantly flowed from his eyes. After he had described the lilas he began to point out the faults in Krishna’s character. He said, "So you see. the God Whom you worship is a debauch, a liar, a thief and a killer." Still he did not see any change in the expressions of Baba Mahasaya. He was amazed, he said, "I said so much against your God and religion, but you were not angry. Instead you showed signs of ecstatic joy and blissfulness. Why so? If you say anything against my religion or Christ I would feel very unhappy."
Baba replied. "Our Bhagavan is not only purna (perfect), but purnatama (perfection at its highest). Imperfection or any fault or vice cannot even touch Him. What appear to you as His faults are His embellishments, what appears as His weaknesses or imperfections are the very signs of His perfection, because He is essentially Love, and whatever He does is an expression of His love—Love that is transcendental, pure and selfless. He says in Padma Purana: 'madbhaktanam vinodartham karomi vividhah kriyah—'Whatever I do, I do in order to please My devotees, and not for self- enjoyment' He says in Srimad Bhagavatam: aham bhaktaparadhino hyasvatantra iva dvija — 'I have no freedom. I am complet,ly subjugated by My devotees'. He is so much under their subjection on account of their love that He can even lie or steal, or do anything that is generally looked upon as immoral to please them. This is why He is so sweet and attractive. He would not be perfect if He were not so.
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| Radharamana Charan das deva |
"Looked at from another point of view—the metaphysical point of view—however, He does not lie, when He actually seems to lie, because He is the essence of truth and what He says must be true. For instance, He seems to lie when after eating earth as a child. He says to Mother Yasoda that He did not eat it. Actually, He does not lie, because everything including the earth is already within Him. Who can say that the earth, which He seemed to eat and in fact the whole earth planet was not already in His mouth? Did not Ma Yasoda actually see it when she asked Him to open His mouth? Similarly, how can He steal anything, when there is nothing that does not already and truly belong to Him? How can He be accused of seduction or adultery in His amorous pastimes with the gopis, when there is not a single woman that does not already and truly belong to Him, of whom He is not the parama-pati (Supreme Husband)? Lying and stealing, etc., are only His prema-lila or love pastimes."
Priest: Well, that may be as you say, but what will you say about Krona's killings? You regard cow- slaughter as the worst sin, yet you regard Krishna, the killer of cows, as your God. Our Christ never harmed anyone. He even sacrificed himself for the sake of others
Babaji: Christ was truly a mahapurusha, who was specially favoured by God. We shall not hesitate even in saying ttiat he was an incarnation of God. It is against our religion to calumniate any other religion or person. But you are not right when you call Krishna a killer. Krishna did not kill or do harm to anyone. When the demons started coming to Vraja in various forms and oppressing innocent men, women and children, Krishna demolished their devilish existence and gave them mukti (freedom from bondage of Maya). He never killed any cow. On the other hand He was the supreme protector of cows. But when the demons came in the form of a bull or a calf He killed them, and by killing delivered them from that sinful existence.
Priest: I would like to know whether according to you. God can be worshipped in some particular form or in any form that one may choose?
Babaji: God is infinite. He has infinite forms. All the things that exist are the various forms of God. There is difference only in the degree in which God is manifest in them. In His incarnations He is manifest more fully than in any other thing, though the incarnations also differ in the degree in which He is particularly manifest in them. But all His incarnations are His forms. There is no difference between Krisna. Allah, Khuda or Christ. For God all religions are His religions and He favours all those who love Him, irrespective of their caste and creed. Our Jagannatha Deva is worshipped by the followers of different religions in different forms. The Buddhists worship Him as Buddha, the Brahma Samajis as Ornkara, while others worship Him as Narayana, Dvarakanatha, Nandanandana (Krishna, the son of Nanda), and He favours them all accordingly. Even the Mohammedans are not denied His favour. The shastras say that He also accipts the food prepared by a Mohammedan.
The priest was fully satisfied. He said, "I have no more doubts. I am convinced that Vaisnava religion is the highest religion. I have travelled so much and met so many saints, but no one has impressed me so much. I feel that after meeting you I am not only richer in my knowledge of Vaisnava religion, but of religion as such."
The priest then placed a ten rupee note before Babaji Mahasaya and said, 'I shall be obliged if you kindly offer some food to Jagannatha Deva on my behalf.'
Navadvipa Dasa said, "Give the note to me. for he does not touch money."
The priest gave the note to Navadvipa Dasa. Baba Mahasaya asked the devotees to add fifteen more rupees to it. A number of delicious things were offered to Jagannatha and the prasada was given to the priest, when he went there again the next day. He took off his hat and bowed down to prasada and ate it with great relish.
The priest liked Babaji Mahasaya so much that he continued to go and meet him almost every day as long as he lived in Puri.
Once Barha Babaji Mahasaya was going, singing and dancing along with a number of devotees, to Jagannatha Temple, after circumambulating the samadhi of Vijaya Krishna Gosvami Mahasaya on the bank of the Narendra Sarovara. As soon as he reached Sudarshana-vallabha, the old house of Vijaya Krishna Gosvami, he lay prostrate on the ground and began to roll and weep. At that time there came a disciple of Vijaya Krishna Gosvami Mahasaya and began to kick him right and left. Babaji Mahasaya's companions kept on looking and began to weep in utter helplessness. They could not say anything to the man for fear of incurring the displeasure of Babaji Mahasaya. But Babaji Mahasaya stood up and began to dance in ecstasy, and embrace the assaulting man. At that time there was such effulgence of light from his face and body that his companions could hardly look at him. He held the man by the arm, and dancing and singing in a state of trance, entered the Simhadvara of Jagannatha Temple. The man, however, not satisfied with what he had done so far, began to throw dust on the face of Babaji Mahasaya with both hands. While Babaji Mahasaya's other companions continued looking at him angrily but helplessly, Nityasvarupa Brahmacari could not tolerate this. He held the man's arm and began to reproach him for his outlandish and barbarous behaviour, but Babaji Mahasaya reproached him in turn. He said soothing words to the man and sent him home after giving him a loving embrace.
A mahapurusa, who is by nature benevolent and forgiving, does not take anyone's offense. However, the Lord, Who loves His pure devotees more than His own self, cannot forgive a person, who does any harm to them. As the Lord wished it therefore, the man developed high fever that very night. He experienced such excriciating pain in those very parts of his body which corresponded to the parts of Babaji Mahasaya's body had struck, that he could not sleep the whole night. the fire of repentance burnt his whole body. The next morning he went running and fell at the feet of Babaji Mahasaya and said, “I am a great sinner, I have committed a great offense at your feet. God has therefore punished me and I have been suffering miserably ever since returned home yesterday. I do not know what my fate is going to be. if you do not forgive me." So saying he began to weep bitterly.
Babaji Mahasaya clasped him close to his heart and said, "I can say on oath that I have not taken any offense on account of your behaviour. You take Harinama and be at peace."
But the man would not be convinced and would not stop weeping and wailing. Baba Mahasaya then took pity on him and said, "Look here, if you really feel that you have done some wrong, then go and submit to your guru. It is the guru, who feels offended if his disciple does any wrong, and he alone can forgive him. If he is pleased and forgives, no one else can do any harm to him, not even Krishna. Has not Sanatana Gosvami said in his guru-vandana:
If Krsna is displeased, the guru can protect.
If guru is displeased. Krsna cannot protect.
When one surrenders to the guru, the guru takes him under his protection. He alone can favour or disfavour him. punish or reward him. no one else."
So. the disciple went to the samadhi of Vijaya Krsna Gosvami Mahasaya, lay himself prostrate before it and wept and prayed. Afterwards, everyday before going to the sea for bath, he also went to Babaji Mahasaya and requested him for pardon.
Both Govinda Dada and Navadvipa Dada had sakhya (friendly) bhava towards Baba Mahasaya. This is borne out by an interesting episode, which is as follows.
According to the instructions of Baba Mahasaya the daily routine of his companions in the Jhanjapita Matha was trisandhya-kirtana (kirtana in the morning, noon and evening), sea-bath, Jagannatha darshana and kirtana before Jagannatha. Madhukari-bhiksha for the Matha was usually done by Madhu Dada. But sometimes Baba Mahasaya asked others as well to go for bhiksha. One day he called Navadvipa Dada and Govinda Dada and said, “Both of you go for bhiksha in the lanes and bylanes of the city and on your return give everything you get in bhiksa to me.“ So, everyday they went for bhiksa and on their return gave the bag containing bhiksa to Babaji Mahasaya. Baba Mahasaya bowed down to the bag, and put it over his head as something most sacred and valuable before he gave it to Lalita Dasi for cooking. This continued for a number of days. One day, as Navadvipa and Govinda returned from bhiksa, chanting the Name, Baba Mahasaya came out of his room and took the bag containing the bhiksa from the hands of Govinda. As he did so humorous Govinda Dada, animated by sakhya-rasa (friendly sentiment) showered a volley of abuse upon him and went and sat down in the pangat-ghara (dining room). Everyone in the Matha was surprised to hear this. Baba Mahasaya remained listening quietly and amazedly with the bag held over his head. After sometime he went to the pangat-ghara and said to Govinda Dada, "Govinda! Have you gone mad?"
Govinda: Why? What has happened?
Babaji: Why did you deliver abuses while surrendering the bhiksa?
Govinda: The abuses were given to me by the People to whom I had gone for bhiksa. You had enjoined that whatever I got in bhiksha I must deliver to you. I delivered to you rice, pulses and the other things I got How could I keep the abuses with me? If I did, it would have been difficult for me to digest them. They could have aroused in my mind the feeling of hatred or anger against the people, who abused me. So, I delivered them to you."
Baba Mahasaya expressed happiness at Govinda's attitude of intimate loving friendliness, free from fear or hesitation, by smiling and giving him a loving embrace.
One day, when Navadvipa Dada and Govinda Dada were going for bhiksa through a lane adjoining the royal palace, chanting Harinama as usual, the guard on duty at the palace shouted, "O Baba! Chanting Harinama in this area is prohibited. Go away from here." Navadvipa Dada smiled and said. "Why Baba? Does not the rule and order of Yama (the regent of death) prevail here? Harinama is effective against Yama." He said this and continued to chant. The guard vituperated and threatened to beat them. Still they continued chanting, caring little for his threat, and chanting came out of the lane.
The Lord may tolerate an offense committed against His own Self, but He cannot tolerate the offense committed against His Name or His devotees. Soon after this episode cholera broke out in Puri and it affected most of the area in and around the palace, so much so that the Maharaja himself fell prey to it. He called his guru Sripada Raghunatha Deo Gosvami and his minister Kali Babu and said, "I am laid up with cholera, medicines have proved ineffective. I do not know what to do." Raghunatha Deva Gosvami said, "If medicines have failed, the only other remedy is Harinama. I have seen that on two or three occasions, when an epidemic broke out in Puri, it disappeared as soon as Sri Radharamana Carana Dasa Deva went round the city performing nama-kirtana with his companions. I believe that if he performs kirtana in the palace, you will soon recover.' Kali Babu said the same. The Maharaja asked them both to go and request Baba Mahasaya on his behalf to kindly come and grace the palace by his presence and the kirtana of the Holy Name.
They went and conveyed his request to Baba Mahasaya and insisted on his accompanying them to the palace with his companions immediately. Baba Mahasaya complied. The night had already fallen, when he reached the palace with his party' singing: Bhaja Nitai-Gaura Radhe-Syama. Japa Hare Krsna Hare Rama. The employees of the palace came out with two torches and escorted them to the room where the Maharaja was lying. The Maharaja asked his attendants to help him to go in the midst of the kirtana. His mother objected, but he did not listen. With the help of his two attendants he went and bowed down to the kirtana-party and then stood aside. Baba Mahasaya and his party encircled him and began to move round him singing and dancing. The Maharaja felt inspired and energized by the kirtana. He raised his arms and began to dance himself. Tears constantly flowed from his eyes and his face was radiant. It appeared that he had drunk deep of the nectar of Divine Name and was in ecstasy. After sometime Baba Mahashaya clasped the Maharaja in his arms and began to dance with him. The rest of his party and the employees of the palace all danced around them, singing and clapping their hands with the beats of khol and karatala, while Navadvipa Dasa leapt and jumped shouting aloud "Jai Nitai! Jai Nitai!" The shouts of Haribol also rent the sky from time to time. The whole palace seemed to have gone into ecstasy. When Babaji Mahasaya left the Maharaja, he was in tears and the sattvika-bhavas appeared all over his body. He said, "I am blessed, My illness has proved a blessing in disguise. All that was evil in me is gone for ever." He then asked one of his men to take the samkirtana-party in and around each room of the palace. He did the same. When the samkirtana was over, the Maharaja rolled on the ground to purify his body with the dust of the feet of the Vaishnavas. He then requested Baba Mahasaya to bless him thus by performing kirtana at the palace everyday. Baba Mahashaya said, "We shall do as Nitai Cand wills." He returned to his asrama at 11:30 p.m. dancing and singing with his companions.
The Maharaja did not take any medicine thereafter, yet he was fully cured. He sent his men every day to bring Baba Mahasaya and his party to the palace for kirtana.
The party continued the samkirtana for seven days, but Baba Mahasaya accompanied it only for two more days. From that time onwards the employees of the palace did not obstruct anyone from chanting the Name.
A few days later cholera broke out in Puri. Hundreds of lives were lost every day. Baba Mahasaya said to his companions, "Look, we are today going to wage a samkirtana-war against cholera. You must all gird up your loins as soldiers of the samkirtana-army. The army will go round the city performing samkirtana under the command of Nitai Cand. No one must go out of the ring of the army during samkirtana. If any one goes out Nitai Cand will not be responsible for his safety."
The samkirtana started from Jhanjapita Matha and reached Simhadvara. At Simhadvara Babaji Mahasaya sang and danced with unusual vigour in a manner in which he appeared to be the very image of war rather than of love, in which he ususally appeared in his samkirtana. The shopkeepers round about, the pandas and pujaris and the passers-b, young and old, men and women, all joined his samkirtana. The samkirtana army swelled more and more in numbers as it marched through the streets with Babaji Mahasaya singing:
"Yama flee. O flee. Nitai has come.
Gaura has come. Advaita has come.
On Gaura s register is registered our name.
No more, no more on us thy claim."
Others repeated the song and leaped and jumped like frenzied soldiers on march to conquer Yama. They were confident that Yama would at last be conquered.
Slowly the samkirtana-party reached Harchandi Sahi. But God knows how and why Phani, who never disobeyed Baba Mahasaya, got separated from the party and was seen trailing behind, against the order and warning of Baba Mahasaya. After sometime he had stomach-ache and hurried into the Auliya Matha to ease himself. He had one motion and his face became black. Then he ran to Jhanjapita Matha, had one or two motions more and lay completely broken on the bed. Lalita Dasi Was very much alarmed to see his condition. When Baba Mahasaya returned from nagara-kirtana, she said to him, "Phani is laid up with cholera. His condition is serious."
Babaji: No surprise. I had warned that whosoever would go out of the samkirtana-parti would come to grief.
Sometime later Lalita Dasi came again greatly disturbed and weeping and said, "Come and see! Phani is dying. His limbs are cramped, body has become icy cold, motions, sweating and vomiting continue. He does not recognize anyone. There is no hope of his survival."
Baba Mahasaya wore a long face and said, "What can I do? Go and speak to Baba." By 'Baba' he meant his siksa guru sri Gaurahari Dasa Babaji, who had come to Puri and was presently staying in Jhanjapita Matha. Lalita Dasi went to him, while Baba Mahashaya went to see Phani in his room. When Lalita Dasi supplicated to Gaurahari Dasa Babaji, he said. "What can I do? Go and speak to Yadava (Baba Mahasaya)." He then went to see Phani. Lalita Dasi followed. She looked at both Baba Mahasaya and Gaurahari Dasa Babaji and said weeping and wailing, "Look, both of you, father and son, if this boy dies, I shall break the kahthi of each of the other boys in the ashrama and send them home. I shall go about and preach that neither the Name nor the mahatmas have any power. I say, you are the well- wishers and benefactors of mankind. Is this boy not a human being? You are so cruel to him that for a small offense, which he has inadvertently committed, you are going to punish him with death! Now I have said what I had to say, and I shall see."
Baba Mahasaya saw that Phani was about to die. He sat near him cross-legged and asked those performing kirtana to sing louder. His condition worsened. His eyes turned upwards and his body became still and motionless. Suddenly he breathed his last. All began to weep. Baba Mahasaya shouted 'Ha Nitai!', His body trembled. He touched Phani's forehead with the great toe of his right leg. His eyes became red and moistened and seemed to be fixed on someone nobody could see. He seemed to say to him something in broken words, but in a manner that was bold and spirited. Immediately Phani's dead body began to move and breathe and his face became bright. Lalita Dasi, who was sitting near his feet, turned her eyes towards Baba Mahasaya. She was surprised to see that there sat instead of him a tall, white and lustrous mahapurusha with hala [plough] and mushala [weapon of Balarama]. But as she said to the person sitting by her side, 'Look, how handsome and lustrous' - she saw Baba Mahasaya and not the lustrous mahapurusha. Phani was revived. Baba Mahasaya asked his companions to continue kirtana and left the room.
At four o'clock in the afternoon Baba Mahasaya called Rama Dasa and said, "Rama, collect everyone in the Sirama and go for nagara-kirtana and return home before sunset." Rama Dasa went out for nagara-kirtana. Towards the evening Baba Mahasaya went and stood at the gate, waiting for the return of the kirtana party. He asked Lalita Dasi and Kusuma Dasi to stand on either side of the gate with a pitcher full of water. As the Sun Was about to set the kirtana-party returned. Before the party entered the asrama, Lalita Dasi and Kusuma poured out water at the gate. The kirtana-party then began to enter the gate. Baba Mahasaya remained standing on one side. Lalita Dasi brought one more pitcher of water, which he held in his hand. Soon after he saw a tall, fearful looking person, with long yellow hair standing on end, and copper coloured eyes sinking deep into its sockets, trailing behind at a distance of about five yards from the tail end of the party. Everyone was frightened to see him. Baba Mahasaya poured the pitcher of water over his head and said. "Fly. fly!" The fellow began to shout and shriek. Then as Baba MahaSaya ran after him with a lathi (bamboo stick) in his hand, he took to his heels. Baba Mahasaya got the place, where he stood smeared with cow-dung. Then he said. There is no danger now. Rest assured. That frightful figure was cholera. He is now gone and will not come again."
One day Baba Mahasaya was sitting in the asrama surrounded by his companions. He burst out with a start, "Oh! How awful! The whole dharma is going to be in turmoil. All the nine stars (nava-graha) are terribly agitated. Lawlessness will prevail everywhere. The service of Jagannatha will be jeopardized. Dissension and discord will destroy the peace of every home."
After three or four days this began to happen. One morning when the inner temple of Jagannatha was opened a bundle containing fish was found lying in front of the altar. No one knew how it happened inspite of the fact that all the doors were locked and sealed as usual. A two-year old calf fell in the well from which water was drawn for the bath of Jagannatha on the snana-purnima day. The calf died. Every day some untoward things happened in the temple and outside. There was conflict and disturbance everywhere in the city.
Baba Mahagaya called Balarama Dasa and said, "Something must be done to contain the stars, otherwise things will worsen. We shall have to worship the stars and do homa and mantra-japa. But before we do that we shall have to do nama-samkirtana-yajna for nine days. During the first three days the stars will try to torment and torture and create as much disturbance in the yajna as they can. We will have to do the nama-yajna with determination and single-mindedness. Samkirtana will be done in a closed space. No one will go out of it and no one from outside will be allowed to come into it. From time to time I shall ask you to do what Nitai wills. You will have to do it blindly without making any protest or inquiring about its purpose or propriety."
Baba Mahasaya made everyone living in the asrama drink a glass of purified water, boiled with some herbs and leaves. He drank a glass himself. Then smearing his body with water he began to say to himself, "Maya has started entering slowly into the asrama in the form of articles unsuitable to the life of non-attachment and bhajana. These must be discarded. If they are given away to others they will be detrimental to their bhajana. Therefore they must all be consigned to fire."
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| Radharamana Charan das deva |
So, after returning from the Jagannatha Temple that day he asked one of his disciples to bring from his room a costly silken cadara. which someone had brought for him a few days back. As soon as he brought the cadara he lighted a match-stick and set it on fire. When the cadara was in flames he went dancing happily into his room and brought one by one his cotton cadara, mosquito net cushion, quilt pillow and every other tiling he had and consigned it to the flames. Everyone watched the bonfire in surprise and dismay, but no one had the courage to say anything to him.
Next morning he asked everyone in the asrama to bring his clothes and every other thing he possessed. They began to bring them out. If anyone tried to conceal anything he could not because the moment he came out Baba Mahasaya said angrily, naming that particular thing, "You, slave of Maya, why have you concealed that? Go, and bring it at once!" When everything was brought out and collected at one place, including chair, table, cot and almirah. Baba Mahasaya set fire to the collection. Flames blazed up and Baba MahaSaya asked everyone to circumambulate the fire with kirtana. Many people gathered to see the blaze. But Baba Mahasaya was busy all the time going round the asrama to see if anything was left out - if he found anything he brought it and consigned it to the flames. When he was satisfied that everything was consigned to fire, he said to Balarama Dasa in a grave tone, "Look Balarama! Tomorrow nama-yajna shall begin. Ask everyone to be ready. Close all the gates of the asrama. During the yajna no one inside the asrama must go out and no one outside must come in. Whatever I need during this period you must provide from outside. Just now you give me one hundred rupee coins."
Balarama Dasa went to bring the coins. In the mean time there came Balarama Bhramaravar. a Zamindar of Kendrapara, who wore a ring studded with nine different kinds of jewel, each corresponding to one of the nine stars. Since the nine jewels were required for the yajna, the ring was taken. The coins brought by Balarama Dasa were put in nine earthen pots, which were filled with water and kept at a proper place for the yajna. At night Balarama brought the mahaprasada of Jagannatha, which everyone took and went to sleep. But Baba Mahasaya did not sleep. Throughout the night he was busy cleaning every nook and corner of the airama. He had already warned everyone against criticizing his action, or obstructing it or asking him why he did it. Therefore no one could say anything.
Early next morning kirtana started. The ring with nine jewels. Salagrama-sila and a number of other things were put in a pot and the pot was kept over the tulasi-manca under the tulasi plant.The asramites circumambulated the manca while performing kirtana. While they were doing kirtana Baba Mahasaya drew water from the well and poured it over them with a lota. When he had thus bathed each of them, he asked them to throw their dhoti, kaupina and bahirvasa outside the boundary-wall. At first they objected, but when he infused sakti in them by giving each one of them a blow with the lota, they readily obeyed and began to sing and dance, as nude as they were bom, like children without any self-consciousness.
In the Asrama there were two birds, a suka (parrot) and a sarika (a black bird of the parrot species). The sarika used to say to suka. "suka parah Baba parha, din ta jaya—O shuka, chant the Name, for the time is passing. " The shuka incessantly repeated, "Bhaja Nitai- Gaura Radhe Syama. Japa Hare Krishna-Hare Rama." "Radhe-Govinda." kaha sakhi Lalita Krsna tattva-katha— O sakhi Lalita, talk of Krishna." - and similar other sentences. Baba Mahasaya bathed the two birds, first in the water boiled with barks and leaves, etc., and then with purified water of the well and left them outside the cage. He then began to sing:
Tell me, O shuka and sari.
Where is my Rai Kisori.
I cannot live without Rai
In the blazing fire of separation I die.
As Baba Mahasaya sang, both the birds kept looking at his face instead of flying away, as everyone had apprehended they would as soon as they came out of the cage.
When Baba Mahasaya stopped singing they began to circumambulate the tulasi-manca with the party performing samkirtana. After sometime they flew into the temple and sat before the vigraha of Sri Radhakantha.
At midday the parrot flew and sat near Salagrama-sila in the pot placed over the tulasi-manca. The asramites began to sing and dance with renewed vigour and Baba Mahashaya began to lovingly caress the parrot with his left hand. Suddenly the parrot left his physical body and entered the Divine lila. Baba Mahasaya clung the parrot's body to his chest and began to dance. Grieved by the separation of the parrot everybody began to shed tears, though everyone wondered at its most auspicious end, which even the Rishis would covet. But Baba Mahashaya was not separating the dead body of the parrot from his chest. After sometime he went to his room and lay down with the body of the parrot on his chest.
It was evening. Baba Mahasaya was still inside. The asramites were worried, because the bhoga had not yet been offered to the Thakura. Balarama Dasa was waiting outside for Baba Mahasaya's command. Suddenly Baba shouted, "Balarama! Bring some prasada. fruits and sweets." Balarama brought everything. Lalita Dasi began to serve. The asramites, all nude and pure in heart like children, started taking prasada. After taking prasada everyone slept. Towards the end of night it began to drizzle. Baba Mahasaya came out of his room and began to dance and exclaim, "Oh Lord! Nectar is falling. Come one, come all. Raise your hands and dance and chant. Let the sea of love swell and destroy the thirst and suffering of the world." All came out and began to dance and chant After sometime Baba Mahasaya went and slept in his room with the body of the parrot on his chest as before. Slowly the day dawned. Baba Mahasaya was still asleep, but the body of the parrot was not there. Everyone was mystified. When asked as to what had happened to the parrot, he replied. "It has entered the nitya-lila (the eternal Divine lila).
Lalita: But where has its physical body gone?
Babaji: The parrot has entered Vraja-lila with his body.
Lalita: The parrot entered Vraja-lila yesterday, leaving the body here. How could the dead body enter the lila?
Babaji: Though the parrot left its physical body, it was still here in its subtle body to enjoy the bliss of sankirtana. But when nectar rained it again entered the physical body and flew with it to Nitaya-nikunja. where it began to chant the Names of Radha-Krishna.
Everyone was surprised to hear this and to think of Baba Mahasaya’s mercy upon the parrot.
At dawn the next day, the kirtana was resumed. But this day the ordeal was even more difficult for the ashramites. Baba Mahasaya made them lie down one by one and pressed their body with his feet and poured water over them. He pressed so hard that it appeared they would not survive. But as soon as he left them they felt that he had breathed new life in them and new Bakti and they began to dance and sing with redoubled energy and enthusiasm. But he did not do this to everyone. Only a few of the young ashramites were fortunate enough to be so treated.
At this stage the stars, already on the look out for an opportunity, vitiated their understanding. The seniors among the asramites began to think that Baba Mahasaya's total absorption in non-worldly affairs had made him mentally unsound. They forgot all about the warning given by him and began to devise ways and means for deflecting his mind from the yajna. At night they asked the asramites to stealthily go out of the Asrama one by one. Five or six of them went out. When Baba Mahasaya did not see them in the ashrama, he went out to search them with a bamboo in his hand, but could not find them.
He saw the lamp-post in the lane shining bright and shouted, 'Maya. Maya!' He put it off by throwing water over it and began to dance singing:
yogamaya citshakti vishuddha sattva parinati, tara sakti jive dekhaite sei rupa ratana bhaktaganera gurha dhana. prakata kaila nitya lila haite
The lines speak of the inconceivable power of Yogamaya, which is the same as Svarupa-Sakti or the Internal Potency of Krishna. Yogamaya is the prime minister, the prime designer and executor of Divine lila. As against Gunamaya, the external potency of Krishna, which clouds the vision of the jiva and causes bondage, Yogamaya brings about his emancipation and union with Krsna. Since Baba Mahashaya was at this time engaged in a fight against Maya (Gunamaya) he often repeated these lines, perhaps by way of a challenge to Maya.
One may wonder why Babaji Mahashaya indulged in seemingly erratic behaviour of this kind, and may even be induced to regard it as a sign of madness, if suitable explanation cannot be found. Explanation can perhaps be found. Perhaps he imposed such actions upon his followers as exercises in total, unquestioning surrender, which is necessary for spiritual progress; perhaps he wanted thus to help them rise above body-consciousness and overcome such human weakness as shame (lajja). fear (bhaya) and hatred (ghrna) etc., which are obstacles in spiritual development. But whatever the explanation, we cannot escape the conclusion that the actions were extraordinary and indicated an extraordinary state of mind, which may be called madness. But the question is what kind of madness. It cannot be ordinary madness, because Baba Mahasaya was much above that level and his very touch or will could cure that kind of ailment as we have seen it did in the case of Balmukunda Baba, the deputy magistrate. It must be divine madness or divyonmada, as the sastras call it. For his actions were not his own. He was only an instrument in the hands of the Lord, to Whom he was completely surrendered His actions, therefore, must be beyond the level of our finite understanding. If we judge them we must judge them not by their appearance but by their consequences, which were wholesome, both physically and spiritually, not only for his followers, but for the whole city of Puri, for, as we shall see, he was able to subdue the stars and bring about peace. The divine character of his actions is also borne out by the miraculous nature of the happenings that followed.
On reaching Calcutta. Baba was made to stay in the garden-house of Kedar Babu. He was still in the state of mahabhava. On entering the garden he saw that some plants were tied up. He untied them and began to dance in ecstasy.
There was a pond in the garden with a ghata. He got two more ghatas constructed The ghata which was on the side of the garden, he called Radhakunda and those on either side of it were called Lalitakunda and Syamakunda. He imagined these ghatas to be Radhakunda, Syamakuhda and Lalitakunda of Vrndavana and began to behave accordingly in respect of them.
Once an old man, who was an asthma patient came wearing a talisman. Baba Mahasaya wanted his talisman to be thrown in Radhakunda. He objected to the talisman being thrown, because, he said, the moment the talisman was removed, asthma aggravated and life became unbearable. Baba Mahasaya said, “Do not worry. Your asthma will be cured the moment you dip into Radhakuhda”. The old man threw the talisman into the pond and dipped into it Surprisingly his asthma was cured for ever.
One day came Dinabandhu Kavyatirtha. He was wearing a golden ring, golden chain, a number of talismans and a wrist watch. As soon as Baba Mahasaya saw him, he asked him to throw everything he was wearing, except the clothes, into the pond. For a minute he stood still. Then saying, "The guru's order must be obeyed.", he went to the pond and threw everything one by one in the pond and came back. He sat before Baba Mahasaya for two hours talking about various subjects relating to Krishna-lila. During this period he saw that the rings, chains, watches and talismans of a number of other people were also thrown into the pond. He began to think, "Why should Baba Mahasaya do this? Has he really gone mad? Instead of throwing the costly things into the pond he could use them in some way or the other in the service of the poor and the needy. In case he intended thereby to teach detachment that was a mental process and had nothing to do with the externals." Baba Mahasaya came to know this. He smiled and said. "Kavyatirthha! You need not be sorry for the loss of all those costly things." Immediately he went and plunged into the pond and in a single dive brought out all the things that had so far been thrown into it. Then handing over to Kavyatirtha the things belonging to him he said, "See if these are yours." All those sitting were surprised. They began to say to one another, "How amazing! Things belonging to different people were thrown at different places in the pond at different times and Baba Mahasaya brought them all together in a single dive!"
One day Baba Mahasaya was talking with a number of visitors, when a woman came weeping and wailing and fell at his feet. He said. "Ma! Why do you weep?
Woman: Baba, my only child is suffering from Plague. There is no chance of his life. If he dies I cannot live. Kindly save him or I commit suicide at your feet.
Babaji: Ma! Do not lose heart Go and chant the Name of the Lord and give him the Lord's caranamrta. The merciful Lord will have mercy on you.
Woman: Baba! I do not want to listen anything. I cannot do anything. If you do not save him. I shall commit suicide here and now at your feet and leave the world even before my child. The woman said this and began to weep and cry. Baba Mahasaya tried his best to soothe her by his sweet words, but could not. Her heart rending cries made everyone weep. At last Baba Mahasaya said, "Can you bring the boy here?" "'I can, said the woman. She went running and brought him. The boy was about ten years old. Baba Mahasaya said to the woman, "Go and give him a dip in Radhakunda." The woman obeyed unhesitatingly. After three or four minutes the boy got new life and came out of Radhakunda without anyone's help. The woman got her lost child. She took him to Baba Mahasaya and made him lie and surrender at his feet. Baba Mahasaya embraced him and said to his mother, "Ma. you also go and have a dip in Radhakunda and then take the boy home. Nitai Cand has saved him. Now there is nothing to fear." The devotees sitting near Baba Mahasaya began to admire the illiterate woman for her implicit faith, which enabled her to save her child and cursed themselves for their lack of faith.
At this time there used to be a crowd of patients of all kinds around Baba Mahasaya. He had only one medicine for all kinds of disease. He asked every patient to go and have a dip in Radhakuhda.
At this time Baba Mahasaya's mental condition was like that of a child. Generally he was nude. If anyone gave him some clothes to wear, he wore, but soon gave them away to someone. Sometimes he said, "No, I shall not bathe". He was always disinclined to eat and could with great difficulty be cajoled into eating a little.
After Baba Mahasaya had stayed in the garden for a few days, Jogen Babu took him to his house in Darjiparha. One day Girish Ghosa, the famous dramatist came to Jogen Babu's house for the darsana of Baba Mahasaya. He was wearing a number of talismans and was hardly able to speak on account of severe asthma. Baba Mahasaya said, "Girish Babu, throw away all the talismans you are wearing. Nitai Cand will bless you and your asthma shall be cured." Girish Babu had great regard for Baba Mahasaya, but he could not believe what he said. He took off all the talismans and put them in his pocket. Baba Mahasaya saw that he lacked faith. Still he gave him an embrace, which cured his disease forever. Since then Garish Babu had desired that Baba Mahasaya should go to his theatre hall one day and watch the performance. In reciprocation Baba Mahasaya said to Jogen Babu one day, "Jogen. I shall go and see the theatre today." The same evening Girish Babu came and said. "Baba, today we shall perform Caitanya-lila. If you kindly come and see it would be fine." Baba Mahasaya smiled and said, "Let Nitai's will be done."
Baba Mahasaya reached the theatre well in time for the performance along with his companions. Seats were already reserved for them in the first row. When they had taken their seats the performance began. That days performance was different from the performance on other days. With Baba Mahasaya sitting in the hall as the veritable dynamo of Bhakti the whole atmosphere in the hall was so charged with the current of Bhakti that the actors forgot their identity and were acting as if they were themselves the persons, whose parts they were playing, as if it was not a drama that was going on. but the eternal, transcendental lila itself that had come down on the stage. Everything was going well The audience felt that they were transported into the transcendental Navadvipa Dhama itself, where they were watching Sri Gauranga singing and dancing in ecstasy in the house of Srivasa, and Nityanand, going singing and dancing from door to door to preach Harinama and to convert sinners like Jagai and Madhai into saints. But as soon as they saw Madhai attacking Nityananda with a brick-bat Baba Mahasaya made a loud inarticulate sound ad fell senseless on the ground. Dinabandhu Kavyatirtha tried to hold him, but as soon as he touched him, he was charged with the current of divine love and began to dance in ecstasy. All others, who touched him, were similarly affected, irrespective of the fact whether they were devotees or non-devotees, believers or nonbelievers.
Girish Babu had to stop the drama. He was surprised to see all the sattvika-bhavas appearing on the body of Baba Mahasaya. He was also overwhelmed by a new current of devotion, which swept away his pride as a dramatist and made him as humble as a blade of grass. When Baba Mahasaya regained consciousness he fell at his feet and said with folded hands, "Baba. I took pride in the thought that I wrote Caitanya-lila and presented it on the stage. But by your grace I have now realized that Caitanya-lila manifests itself. I have also realized that I have wasted all my life in sinful activities on account of which I will not find place even in hell. But your kirtana-song, which I heard the other day still rings in my ears:
"What is bygone is bygone, let it be gone.
Now hold on Nitai's feet for ever and anon.
For there is time yet. let it not fly.
Make hay while the sun shines and the weather
is dry."
So bless me so that I do not waste my time in trifles and hold on Nitai's lotus feet to win His grace before I die." Baba Mahasaya was happy to hear this. He embraced and blessed him and took his leave.
After sometime Baba Mahasaya returned to Puri. Balarama and other devotees started coming to him. Balarama said, "All that you had said has come true. As instructed by you I had gone to Konark for worshipping the nine stars. As soon as I returned from there, it was heard that the government had proposed the appointment of an English manager for the temple and the approval of the Maharaja was awaited. At first everyone got apprehensive but everyone is now satisfied to see the gentle behaviour and religious attitude of the new manager."
Babaji: I am happy to learn all about the management of the temple and the service of Jagannatha. Now go and bring Jagannatha's mahaprasada. Mahaprabhu has come with me. He has to be offered the prasada.
Prema Dada was surprised. He said to Baba Mahasaya, "Mahaprabhu is Bhagavan Himself. Narayana and other Gods are His partial manifestations. How can Vou offer to Him the prasada of Jagannatha or any other deity?"
Babaji: You have asked a good question. I have told you on several occasions that you must not mix tettva, or the ultimate reality as it is in itself, with lila. Tattva and Illa are two different aspects of the same thing. As far as the aspect of Bhagavan as tattva is concerned He is infinite, omnipresent and perfect in all respects. In this form He is neither conceivable nor worshipable. His lila is out of question. His appearance and disappearance, childhood and adulthood, marriage and sannyasa, dance and kirtana all are meaningless But He is by nature rasa (transcendental bliss) and rasika (enjoyer of bliss). Rasa is not possible without lila. For the sake of lila He hides within Himself His infinitude, perfection, omnipresence and all other qualities that go with His intrinsic Self as the Ultimate Reality or the All Perfect Being and submits to His own lila- sakti, which makes Him dance as it wills as an ordinary human being. Under the spell of lila-sakti, He allows Himself to be tied by mother Yasoda, carries the shoes of Nanda over His head, and His friends Sridama, Sudama. etc., upon His shoulders, and dances to the tune of the gopis and enjoys it all. Mahaprabhu is undoubtedly the All Perfect Being, since He is no other than Sri Krishna. But in lila He assumes the role of a devotee. He not only worships Jagannatha and takes His prasada, but goes to the extent of taking the dust of the holy feet of the Vaishnavas and in doing so He realizes a higher kind of happiness than He derives from His own Self as the All Perfect Being. Mahaprabhu as tattva is different from Mahaprabhu in lila. In tattva it is His aisvarya (power) that predominates. In lila it is madhurya (sweetness) that predominates. If we mix aisvarya with madhurya, the sweetness of lila disappears.
After sometime there was a sweet disturbance in Baba Mahasaya's heart and he came to know that four other Thakuras also longed for his service. He called Lakshamana Maharana, a carpenter, and asked him to make a beautiful and spacious simhasana (altar) for the deities.
Laksamana said, "I will make. I think a simhasana big enought for Radha and Radhakanta will do."
Baba said, "No, four other deities are expected soon. The simhasana should be big enough to accomodate the guests along with Radha and Radhakanta."
The simhasana was made. After Radha and Radhakanta were seated on it one of the disciples of Sri Radharamana Carana Dasa Babaji said. "When will those other Thakuras arrive?"
Babaji: They will arrive in ten or twelve days.
Disciple: Where will They come from?
Babaji: Two of Them will come from Haridvara, two from Calcutta.
Disciple: Are all the four Images of Radha-Govinda?
Babaji: The two Images from Haridvara are Radha- Govinda. They are called Radha and Radhavinoda. Those from Calcutta are Gaura-Nitai.
One day Baba Maha£aya wrote a letter to Jogen Babu of Calcutta asking him to send a hukka with a long pipe and the best type of tobacco that was available.
One day Baba Mahashaya wrote a letter to Jogen Babu of Calcutta asking him to send a hukka with a long pipe and the best type of tobacco that was available. Lalita Dasi, who was standing behind, read the letter. She said, "What will you do with the hukka and the tobacco?"
Baba replied, "A Thakura is coming from Haridvara. He will be the guest of our Radhakanta and He smokes hukka." The stage was set for the right royal reception of the royal guests.
Soon after a Brahmacari arrived in the Matha with the deities. The deities were bathed and duly installed in the temple and named Sri Radhavinoda. The Brahmacari told Baba Mahaaaya the whole story regarding the discovery of Vinoda Bihari and His insistence on being brought to the Matha so that They could enjoy his loving service. At the end he said that Vinoda Bihari was accustomed to smoking hukka. As he said this he brought out the hukka, which the Thakura used to smoke, and some tobacco. But Vinoda Bihari was served tobacco in the new hukka that was sent from Calcutta. The pipe of the hukka was placed in His hand and the door of the temple was closed. After sometime, when the door was opened, it was found that the temple was filled with smoke and the sweet aroma of the tobacco. This happened day after day and the people came to the temple to see this lila of Radhavinoda.
After sometime Baba Mahasaya twice went to Vraja with a number of his disciples. He stayed mostly in Radhakunda and Kusuma-sarovara surrounded always by the Babaji's and other devotees, who asked him all kinds of questions relating to sadhana. During his conversations with them he often emphasized the role and importance of kripa or the mercy of Krishna.
An old man once asked him, "Baba, what is the easiest way of attaining Radha-Govinda?"
Babaji: For the jivas of Kali there is no way except the kripa of Radha-Govinda.
Old man: By what means can we attain kripa?
Babaji: The only means for attaining kripa is kripa. Krishna is eternally dominated and controlled by kripa. He does whatever kripa makes Him do. He goes and blesses the jiva to whom kripa takes Him, like a doll pulled by a string, without for a moment judging him by his caste or creed, learning or ignorance, virtue or vice and bhajana or anything else. Putana wanted to kill Him by making Him suck her breast smeared with poison, yet kripa impelled Him to bless her in a manner in which He would bless His foster-mother.
Old man: If kripa is causeless and indiscriminate it should flow towards the virtuous and the vicious alike. Krishna should be as merciful towards all demonic women as he was towards Putana.
Babaji: True, but one should at least have a longing or lobha (greed) for kripa. A physician wants to give medicine to a patient out of mercy, but if he knows That the patient does not feel any need for it and is likely to throw it away, will he give? Though Putana did not have any longing for Krishna-krpa, she had intensely lodged for His death. Longing for Krishna even if it be in an adverse form automatically attracts His kripa.
Old man: I follow that one should have lobha or intense longing for kripa in order to attain krpa. But how to get the lobha?
Babaji: Man is by nature lobhi (greedy). He is unhappy because he has, out of ignorance, made the things of this world the object of his lobha. He has only to divert his lobha towards Krsna and His kripa.
Old man: But is that not a difficult thing to do? The worldly objects are within our reach. We see them and feel attracted. But we do not feel so attracted by Krishna. It is difficult to develop lobha for a thing, which does not attract.
Babaji: Attraction for Krishna and His kripa can be developed if one has the grace of a mahapurusha, who has himself been blessed by Krishna-kripa. Company of such persons by itself generates attraction for Krishna.
Old man: So, it means that the kripa of a mahapurusa, who has realized Krsna, is the chief means for the attainment of Krishna-kripa?
Babaji: Yes. Caitanya Caritamrta says that, "without mahat-kripa (the kripa of the great ones) nothing is possible. Krishna-kripa is a far cry, even freedom from bondage is not possible. (Cc. 2.22.32)"
One day Sripada Raghunandana Gosvami came from Vrindavana and said to Baba Mahasaya angrily, "I understand that you extol krpa to the skies and undermine sadhana and preach accordingly. I have come to protest against this. Krpa is not a fruit that falls from the tree. It cannot be obtained without sadhana."
Baba Mahashaya made obeisance to him and gave him asana to sit. After Sripada had cooled down a little, he said with folded hands, "If you kindly permit I may say something in this connection."
Sripada: Yes. I would listen.
Babaji: I submit that if kripa can be attained by sadhana, it is not kripa. If it is incumbent on the Lord to give us what we want according to our sadhana, how can we call Him kripamaya (merciful)? We can call Him kripamaya only if he shows mercy upon those, who do not have any succor or support from anywhere and who are so weak that they cannot do any sadhana and bhajana. We, jivas of Kali, are so much under the clutches of Maya that it is almost impossible for us to do any sadhana without kripa. Our minds are unsteady. We are always running after the material objects and seeking the fleeting pleasures of life. It is difficult for us to withdraw our mind from them and think of or meditate upon the Lord. I do not undermine sadhana. Sadhana is necessary, but it is neither possible nor fruitful without kripa. You say sadhana first then kripa. I say first kripa, then sadhana. Kripa always precedes sadhana. Those who believe in jnana, karma, or yoga may to some extent succeed in attaining something by sadhana, but the upasana of Vraja-bhava is not possible without kripa, because in this kind of upasana-anugatya, which means guidance of or dependence on the guru and all those who are superior, is necessary and anugatya implies kripa. Sadhana is necessary both for the sadhaka and the siddha. But in each state anugatya is necessary.
Sripada: Do you mean to say that the example of sadhana and bhajana, the Six Gosvamis and the other associates of Mahaprabhu have set before us, is of no importance whatsoever?
Babaji: The Gosvamis renounced the world and lived under trees, sometimes under one tree, sometimes under another, sometimes getting food to eat, sometimes going without it sometimes sleeping and sometimes keeping awake throughout the night and doing bhajana.
It is difficult for us to follow them. Their bhajana is the object of our meditation. They have out of mercy for us, the jivas of Kali, set up an ideal of sadhana-bhajana before us so that, if we cannot follow it we may attain the goal of Bhakti-sadhana only by meditating upon it. We should, however, follow in their footsteps as much as we can, depending all the time and with all our heart and soul upon their kripa, without which all our efforts will be futile.
Sripada went back satisfied.
One night Babaji Mahasaya was lying under a tree in front of Daujis temple in Kusuma-sarovara and Syama Dasa, a Babaji whom he loved very much, was massaging his feet. All others were asleep. All of a sudden a light, as radiant and dazzling as a thousand luminaries, emerged from the body of Baba Mahasaya. Syama Dasa had to close his eyes. After sometime, when he opened his eyes, he saw some wondrous things, such as he had never seen before, emerging out of the light. He was bewildered and lost in speculation about them. At that time Baba MahaSaya withdrew his legs from his lap and everything disappeared. He said, "Krishna, Krishna, then called out "Syama!"
Syama: Yes, Baba.
Babaji: Tell me what you want.
Syama Dasa was taken aback. He kept looking at Baba's face, but said nothing. Baba himself said, " Look, it is easy to find Nitai-Gaura and Radha-Krishna. They are always near and round you. You cannot recognize Them, because your heart is not pure. In order to recognize Them you need a suitable heart in a suitable spiritual body. All the different kinds of sadhana-bhajana prescribed by the acaryas are for the attainment of that body. As soon as that body is attained Krishna is also attained."
On being told about sadhana-bhajana Syama Dasa pulled a long face. Then Baba Mahasaya said, "But don't worry, bhajana or no bhajana, by Nitai's grace you will attain everything. I have said, you will attain."
On Baba Mahasaya's return to Puri, one day Raja-guru Sri Raghunatha Deo Gosvami, who was a great devotee and used to come to Baba Mahasaya every day, once said to him, "Look Dada. I am getting weaker and weaker everyday on account of diabetes. I have to pass urine several times at night." Baba Mahasaya said, "Don't worry. We shall go to the bank of Ganges one day. There, water shall mix with water, and you will do bhajana happily the rest of your life."
Sripada was happy to hear this and said. "When do we go?"
"Let us go next Monday, " replied Baba Mahasaya.
Lalita Dasi was alarmed. Later, on getting suitable opportunity, she asked Baba Mahasaya what he meant by saying "water shall mix with water". He replied, "You need not bother about that. You do your seva with single-minded devotion. Seva is the means as well as the end."
Lalita dasi: But I am very much alarmed to hear at howsoever much I try. I cannot be at peace.
Babaji: What do you think I meant?
Lalita Dasi: I think you meant that on the bank of the Ganges you would take upon yourself the malady of Sripada.I
Babaji: Suppose I do so. will that be wrong? If by forsaking this wretched and good-for-nothing body I can save a good life, will it not be a matter of great good fortune for me?
This caused consternation in the hearts of Lalita Dasi and others, who were present there. They began to weep. Then Baba smiled and said, "I do not understand why you should suffer under a false apprehension. Life and death depend upon Nitai Cand. He has so far made me live and dance like a doll in His hands. If He wants He will make me dance more, otherwise not. What He does is always for our good. You need not entertain any fear. Do Harinama and seva." He tried to soothe them with these words and went to Jagannatha Temple for darshana.
The next day Baba Mahasaya started for Navadvipa with Raghunatha Deo Gosvami and some others. On reaching Navadvipa he deputed Govinda and Phani in the service of Raghunatha Deo.
The time had now come for Baba Mahasaya to withdraw himself and his lila from the mundane plane. The end had to be in conformity with his life—an act of service and sacrifice for someone he loved. And so it was. He had already hinted this in his conversation with Raghunatha Deo Gosvami in Puri.
One day Raghunatha Deo Gosvami Prabhu said to him, "Dada! I am getting weaker day by day. I have to pass urine twenty-five times during day and night. The asramites are very much inconvenienced on account of me."
Baba Mahasaya looked at him for sometime, then said, "Have you taken your bath?"
Prabhu: Not yet.
Babaji: Well, then let us go to the Ganges.
Both of them went to the Ganges. After making obeisance to the sacred river, they went down and stood in water, deep up to the waist. Baba Mahasaya suddenly turned grave and said to Gosvami Prabhu, "Tell me where you stand at the moment."
Prabhu: I stand in the Ganges in Navadvipa.
Babaji: Promise that standing in the Ganges in Navadvipa you will do as I say.
Prabhu: I promise standing in the Ganges in Navadvipa that I shall do as you say.
Babaji: Now take Ganges water in your hand and repeat what I say.
Gosvami Prabhu cupped his hands and filling them with Ganges water began to look at Baba Mahasaya, wondering what he would ask him to say.
Babaji: Say "Mother Ganga!"
Prabhu: "Mother Ganga!"
Babaji: "I offer to Radharamana Carana Dasa Baba all the diseases that plague my body. You stand witness."
Gosvami Prabhu was aghast! His whole body trembled. But like one spell-bound he said with tears in his eyes, "I offer to Radharamana Carana Dasa Baba all the diseases that plague my body. You stand witness." So saying he poured the water into the hands of Baba Mahasaya as he had requested. Baba Mahasaya sprinkled the water over his head and embraced Gosvami Prabhu.
As soon as he did this he began to look pale. He then asked Gosvami Prabhu to dip thrice into the river. When Gosvami Prabhu came out of the river after the third dip, his face looked radiant and the body healthy.
One day Baba Mahasaya went to see a garden in front of Srivasa Angana with Sri Hari Majumdar a resident of Navadvipa. The garden had a number of fruit trees, flowers of different hues and a drawing room. Baba Mahasaya said to Hari Majumdar, "This is just the type of place where I want to sit. I would like to purchase it. Will the owner sell?"
Majumdar: The owner of this garden is Mahitosh Babu and he has been anxious to sell it
Babaji: Very good! Then settle everything with him today and now. I do not want to leave this place for a moment.
The garden was purchased. Labourers were engaged for repairing, remodelling and giving it a new shape.
But how could Baba Mahasaya live in the garden without Radha and Radhakanta (Krishna), the twin divinities of his heart the life of his life and the soul of his soul? His heart began to pine for Them and Their prema-seva (loving service).
Any disturbance in the heart of the devotee invariably produces corresponding disturbance in the heart of Radha and Krishna. They also began to long eagerly for his seva. One night They appeared to Baba Mahasaya in a dream and said, "Look. We are in distress. You will have to rescue Us."
Baba Mahasaya was overwhelmed. He said, "Prabhu, Where are You?"
Krishna: We are lying buried under the floor at the temple of Pranakrishna Mullick in Satgachiya.
Babaji: How will I know in which part of the temple You are lying buried?
Krishna: I am lying under the garbage in the Northeastern corner of the temple. Sri Radha and a Caturbhuja-Narayana-murti are lying behind two brass pots under the South-west corner.
Baba Mahasaya: If the owners of the temple do not let me enter the temple or do not allow me to bring You, what shall I do?
Krishna: Anyone can go and bring Us. The owners will not object because they are worldly-minded and are not at all interested in Us.
Baba Mahasaya was very much distressed to hear about the miserable condition of the deities. He began to weep and could not sleep anymore. Early next morning he sent a man to Satgachiya to call Kunja Dasa Gosvami. When Kunja Dasa came he explained everything to him and asked him to go and bring the deities. Kunja Dasa went with Vipina Bihari Gosvami.
Baba Mahasaya began to wait impatiently for the arrival of the deities. He went again and again out of the asrama to see if They were coming, but returned disappointed. Once, however, when he went out he saw Kunja Dasa Gosvami and Vipina Bihari Gosvami coming. He ran towards them and embraced the sri Yigrahas of Sri Radha and Sri Radhakanta. He was enraptured. Sattvika-bhavas appeared all over his body.
He went dancing to Sti Gurudeva. Gurudeva was happy to see the deities. He enjoined that They should be duly installed after abhiseka. On the auspicious day of the appearance of Nityananda Prabhu They were installed in the newly purchased garden, which was now completely renovated and named Radharamana Bagh. A sign-board was put outside the garden bearing the following inscription:
Sri Vrindavana-lila
Sri Radharamana Bagh. Anahgananda Sukhamaya Kunja.
Seva by Ananga Manjari Devi of Sri Lalita Sakhis group.
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| Ashtadhatu murti of Baba Mahashaya |
Adequate arrangements were made for the astakalina-seva of Radha and Radhakantha.
On the second day of the month of Phalguna, Sukla Paksha, Bangabda 1312 (1905 A.C.), Babaji Mahasaya joined the nitya-lila in his manjari form to serve Radha- Krishna in the Nitya Anahgananda Sukhamaya Kunja, while in the form of Baba Mahasaya he sat in samadhi in Radharamana Bagh, where he sits still [His life-size statue of ashtadhatu (combination of eight metals) in sitting posture is installed over the samadhi]
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