Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Baba Shri Manohar Das ji, the Pride of the Spiritual World-III

Babu Rao ji, the father of Shri Manohar Das ji, had asthma and himself treated this illness of his. He passed away on Eknath Shashti ( a day dedicated to Sant Eknath, a great saint living in Maharashtra in the 16th century) which fell after Holi.



Shri Babu Rao & Shrimati Saraswati Bai Mule, Parents of Manohar Baba


Shrimati Saraswati Bai Mule, the mother of revered Manohar Baba, was an extremely pious, religious, and sattvic or virtuous lady. She used to often say that her son had imbibed some distinctive virtues from his past life and taken birth. Saraswati Bai happened to be an expert in cooking special vegetarian dishes and delicacies. Therefore all members of the family would delight in relishing this talent of hers, from time to time. In the year 1954 she left for her heavenly abode.

Sakhyahari Mule (Vishnu Panth) was the only elder brother of Baba and he had no sister. Both the brothers were extremely fond of each other. As long as the two of them stayed together, even the anti social elements were intimidated by them. The duo could easily solve the trivial problems of people in a split second.

Sakhyahari ji was an active worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ( founded in 1925 to oppose British colonialism in India and Muslim separatism).



Jhira Bagh Palace at Dhar


He was married to Vasundhara, the daughter of Shri Keshav Rao Gangadhar Kavthekar who was the royal family priest of Anand Rao Pawar, the Maharaja of Dhar State. But after Baba's renunciation he became indifferent towards all these activities.



Manohar Das ji with Shri Balkrishan Das ji Maharaj & Sakhyahari Mule, his Elder Brother


“It seems as if my main support has collapsed; ever since my brother who is so similar to Lakshmana, left the house after becoming detached from this mundane world,” Sakhyahari Mule would lament. 



Lord Krishna & Balram in Braj


He had immense reverence for Braj and unfailingly did the parikrama or circumambulated Vrindavan whenever he ventured there.Throughout, he was blessed by the grace of highly revered Shri Balkrishan Das ji Maharaj (who had entry into the nikunj leela  of Shri Radha-Krishna) in particular. He is said to have had a celestial experience once due to Maharaj ji's blessings.

Shrimati ..., the daadi or paternal grand-mother of revered Manohar Baba was a very brilliant and devoutly religious lady.A strict disciplinarian, she did not ever cross the threshold of her house after her husband passed away. Her body stepped out of the house only after she died.



Lord Rama


Right from morning till night, she would sit in the same posture (in prayer) and constantly chant the 'Ram Mantra' or incantation in her puja room. She had perfected the Ram Mantra (as if by penance). Baba used to say that on positing one's ears next to the seat she sat on,one could instinctively hear the sound of Ram Naam, the name of Ram, being recited. It is believed that she even had the darshan of Lord Rama. In the guise of a prince and majestically riding a horse, Lord Rama came to her puja room and pervaded His idol which was enshrined there.



Chanting the Name of Ram


She had the clairvoyance of perceiving events which were to happen in the future and would alert her family members about them. Being extremely fond of Baba,she was the one who had named him Manohar (charming). Informing everyone that she was about to leave her body in advance, she worshipped her family deity as per the set religious norms in a very conscious state.Soon after, she loudly chanted Ram-Ram-Ram three times at a stretch, and abandoned her body. (page 353 of 'Smriti Kaumudi, the memoirs of Shri Manohar Das ji)

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