Tuesday, November 2, 2010

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

Baba was Made to Sit in a Bus

 Baba wore the golden finger ring so as not to hurt his mother's feelings. Sakhyahari ji, his elder brother, gave him money for expenses to be incurred en route and made him sit in the bus along with Shri Umakant Dave, his friend.

Dhamnod


But on reaching Dhamnod, the next stopover, Baba had all the things he had got from home, sent back through an acquaintance. At the same time by completely depending on assets of the divine, he reached Shri Dham Vrindavan in quest of Lord Krishna, his eternal friend.


Shri Vrindavan


On reaching Vrindavan, revered Manohar Baba strongly felt that he had obtained a new lease of life. However there was no fixed place where he could live and neither was there  any arrangement for his food. Initially Baba stayed in a dharamshala  located in the Gopinath Bazaar of Vrindavan. He was not accustomed to bhiksha or begging for cooked food since he hailed from a family of jagirdars. Thus he remained without meals for a span of seven days. He would invariably eat a morsel of the foodstuff his mother had packed for him for the journey to Vrindavan, and drink water of the Yamuna, soon after.


Vanshi Vat, Vrindavan


Later on, he began to stay in the Chhoti Kunja of Gwalior situated in front of Vanshi Vat. Shri Bal Govind ji, the pujari of the temple,  would give some bhiksha from the bhoga offered to Thakur ji. 


Shri Jagannath Temple, (Jagannath Ghat) Vrindavan

With the passage of time, he began to live in a hut made on the Jagannath Ghat.


A Rasika, Moved by Passionate Religious Devotion for Krishna

Shri Manohar Das ji was desperately in search of some rasika (moved by passionate religious devotion esp for Krishna) saint of Vrindavan of the highest order, so that he could become the refuge of his life. In those days ,Shri Moti Ram ji, a brahmin acquaintance of Baba from his home town, used to live in Govind Bag of Vrindavan.


Shri Bal Krishna Das ji Maharaj


He wanted to make Baba meet Maharaj Bal Krishna Das ji, a saint who had experienced the highest ideal of religious rapture by relishing Shri Radha-Krishna's madhurya or sweet romance, and was adorned with the eternal Supreme Being.

However Maharaj ji did not show any particular interest in meeting Baba because he wanted to live in an extremely secretive fashion. When Baba began visiting him over and over again for the sake of satsang, Maharaj ji would go and hide in the upper storey of his residence, the instant he heard his footfalls. Baba was deeply pained by this act of his.

Manohar Baba had come from the mundane world just a short while ago therefore his heart was in an intensely abject state. He would burst out crying and lament,“I am a terrible sinner for sure because of which a siddh saint does not want to give me darshan.


Brahma, the Creator


One fine day when he met Moti Ram ji on the way Baba affirmed that he would abandon Vrindavan tomorrow, and leave.Even Brahma ji would not be able to stop him, as of now. When Moti Ram ji revealed this matter to Shri Maharaj ji, he asked him to get Manohar ji to him in the evening and that is precisely what Moti Ram ji did.

Amazingly, Shri Maharaj ji talked to Baba about the 'objective of life' until the day dawned at 4 o' clock. Moreover, he took Baba along with him for bhiksha, the next morning and for the next three days at a stretch. (page 356 of 'Smriti Kaumudi, the memoirs of Shri Manohar Das ji)

Monday, November 1, 2010

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

Shivlinga


And thus Manohar Baba would pluck 108 bilav patra (leaves of the wood apple tree as offered to Shiva) and worship the aforementioned Shivlinga (the phallic emblem of Shiva) with them. When he was roughly 15-16 years of age, he learnt the six duties of hatha yoga (a kind of austerity in which the body is subjected to severe hardships) form Rangnath Guru a renowned yogi in Maheshwar and simultaneously acquired perfect expertise in this field.

Maharaj Kulkarni ji, a siddh saint used to live in a hut made on the banks of river Narmada in those days. Baba would invariably go to have his darshan every day.He would also come to Baba's house to ask for bhiksha (begged food or alms) from time to time.


Goddess Gayatri


Baba did several purushcharan (a preliminary rite; repetition of the name of a deity with burnt offerings, to obtain a purpose) of goddess Gayatri under his guidance. Simultaneously he did several of the extremely tough anushthans (religious observance,1,25,000 Japas of Gayatri Mantra at the rate of 33 Malas per day. Time taken: 3-4 hours per day, to be completed in forty days) for the entire night to gather knowledge.


Maa Saraswati


Pleased by this observance, Maa Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge and arts) had given darshan to Baba in his dreams, bestowed her own mantra(incantation) on him and ordered him to compose poetry simultaneously. But Baba somehow forgot the mantra granted by goddess Saraswati.


Maharaj Kulkarni ji would often tell Manohar Baba, “The storm of renunciation is going to uproot you from here and carry you off, very soon.” Baba was also an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamseva Sangh (RSS) (founded in 1925 by Dr. K. B. Hedgewar as a social and cultural organisation in British India, to oppose British colonialism and Muslim separatism.) from the year 1935 to 1945.



Shri Kripalu ji Maharaj


When revered Baba Manohar Das ji was around 25 years of age, a young saint named Shri Kripalu ji Maharaj had propagated Naam Sankirtan (glorifying the name of the divine by repeating it) with great fervour in Madhya Pradesh. He would not merely ecstatically do kirtan but tears would stream down his cheeks constantly without fail.Because of which his eyes were always swollen. At times he even became unconscious on perceiving Lord Krishna's lila while doing kirtan.



Thakur Banke Bihari ji of Vrindavan


By being in the company of this saint for a short span of seven days made Baba completely detached from the mundane world.Simultaneously he was extremely impressed by him. Probably using this saint as a medium, Shri Banke Bihari ji Maharaj, the Thakur (deity of Vrindavan) had passionately drawn Baba to Vrindavan.

Thus the fire of asceticism inflamed Baba with greater intensity, day after day. He found it increasingly difficult to stay at home. Mixing together the wide array of vegetarian dishes which were served to him, he would eat a few morsels. Constantly he was residing in seclusion, neither meeting anyone nor conversing with them. Baba's mother was extremely distressed by this state of affairs and his father eagerly strived to bind him in the bond of a domestic life as a householder.


Vrindavan


However Baba was least willing for this turn of events to take place. An ardent longing to go to Vrindavan was escalating with increasing speed. His mother just could not bear to see his miserable plight.Hence patiently strengthening herself, she gave him the permission to proceed to Vrindavan on this condition that he would certainly come to meet her once a year, as long as she lived.

In addition when Baba was leaving for Vrindavan, she made him wear a gold finger ring on one of his fingers with this in mind that it would be of some use at the time of need. (page 355 of 'Smriti Kaumudi', the memoirs of Manohar Baba)