Friday, December 24, 2010

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

Rishikesh


Satsang was going on at the Geeta Bhavan located in Rishikesh. When Baba stepped out after listening to the devotional hymns, he did not have the slightest inkling of where he had to go and stay as of now. He did not have any wealth with him. 

Precisely then a saint named Swami Shri Krishnanand Ramayani came and asked him, “ Where will you go?” 

 “I do not know,” Baba replied instinctively.

 “ Come along with me,” urged the Swami.



Manohar Baba


Baba thought why not, since he just had to pass his time. He accompanied him to Shahjahanpur. Baba began to live in the orchard of Shri Shiv Prasad ji, a rich businessman known to saint Krishanand Ramayani. An elderly saint by the name of Shri Ram Bhikshuk ji was already staying in the orchard before Babar arrived. He also developed great affection for Baba.

When Baba would go to the well to bathe he would wash his clothes and left them out to dry in the sun. Swami Krishanand Ramayani would invariably fold those clothes when they had dried and keep them at the head of Baba's bed. 

On Baba's asking as to why he took so much trouble, Swami ji would say, “Aren't you our child.”

While living here Baba had looseness of the bowels (diarrhoea). He took several medicines but they were of no use. Then on the suggestion of Swami Krishanand Ramayani he began to eat boiled vegetables and lived on this diet for a span of six months.



The Ramayana


Swami Shri Krishanand Ramayani used to give discourses on the Ramayana. Once it so happened that he zealously insisted that Baba also speak on the Ramayana at a place which was closeby. Baba had no practice of giving lectures therefore he could barely speak for fifteen minutes on the first day. He managed to speak for half an hour on the second day.

Then onwards Baba got into the habit of speaking in an unbroken stream but he soon got bored with this regimen  within a period of four-six days. He contemplated as to what he would ultimately achieve by this routine. So Baba considered to safeguard himself from this entanglement. And that is the reason why he vanished the very next day, during the time of discourse and returned in the evening. Swami Krishanand Ramayani could figure out the mindset of Baba. Ever since, he never persisted that Baba should give a discourse.

Manohar Baba stayed there very peacefully with Shri Krishanand ji. And he would only eat fruits which the seth who owned the orchard had arranged for. All of a sudden, Baba began to see very fearsome and bad dreams. 

When Baba asked Shri Ram Bhikshuk, the saint who stayed with him, the reason for this development, Bhikshuk ji foretold, “The ordeal of death is going to befall you. If you carry out the anushthan or religious observance according to my prescribed method then your ordained death can be averted.” 

 On this suggestion, Baba retorted, “ I will not be able to follow this observance since I am from Vrindavan," Baba replied to this suggestion of his.


The Gajendra Moksha


That is when Ram Bhikshuk coaxed him, “ The siddh stotra of Gajendra Moksha is given in the Shrimad Bhagavad. You must start its paath (recitation) as a daily regimen.” 

Baba instinctively accepted this solution and he experienced the miraculous impact of this sanctified devotional hymn, soon after. (As per mythology elephant Gajendra's leg was caught by a crocodile in the pond and the two struggled for a thousand years. Gajendra lost a lot of blood and called out to Lord Narayan to save him. Lord Vishnu appeared on Garuda, his vehicle and killed the crocodile with his discus. Shri Hari it sure to save whoever prays to him.)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

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

The Swaminarayan Temple, Rajkot


Once when highly revered Shri Maharaj ji had gone to Rajkot, the condition of Manohar Baba deteriorated considerably on being separated from him. It seemed as if he would not live now. However he completely recovered, most unexpectedly.

Balkrishan Das ji Maharaj Blessing Manohar Baba


On coming back, revered Thakurj ji who had accompanied Shri Maharaj ji to Rajkot secretly revealed to Baba, “One fine night, Shri Maharaj ji woke up drowsily, all of a sudden and sat down in Rajkot. Tears were streaming down from his eyes, constantly. He explained that Manohar ji is very distressed and longing for him Therefore I hugged him to my heart and bathed him with my flowing tears. But you must certainly not tell him this matter.”

 Hearing this exposition Baba was speechless. And he just could not figure out whether he should call this incident an expression of Maharaj ji's blessing or curse.

Dark-hued Krishna Playfully Dallied with Shri Girija


During those days Bhaktimati Shri Girija, an accomplished saint of the royal family of Jamira, used to live in Vrindavan. She used to claim that she was a yagna patni of the dwapara era and Thakur ji used to playfully dally with her. She had immense respect for highly revered Shri Maharaj ji.Off and on, Manohar Baba would go to meet her.

 “This great man is playing a game to wash out the harsh deeds performed in your earlier birth and this birth. Otherwise, his heart is brimming with affection for you,” she replied when he asked her the specific reason for Maharaj ji's separation from him.

Shri Radha Baba, Gorakhpur


When Shri Thakur ji, a great well-wisher of Manohar Baba, revealed the plight of Manohar ji to Shri Radha Baba, the renowned divine saint of Gorakhpur, who was not evidently known to highly revered Shri Maharaj ji in any way whatsoever,

“Bhaiya! It is only a siddh saint who can play such a game with his own servitor," replied Shri.Radha Baba . 


The Anguish of Separation from Krishna

He wants to heat him in the furnace of separation and offer his own attendant in the form of pure gold to Krishna, the Supreme Lover,.”


Bhaktimati Usha Bahenji,Vrindavan


In the year 1959, Bhaktimati Usha Bahenji, a pious saint, had renounced everything and come to Vrindavan for the sake of long standing devotion to the Divine. She had immense regard for Manohar Baba in her heart. Holding him in high esteem, she would always pay her respects to him. She would address Baba as Bhaiya and that is the reason why her entire parikar  called him 'Bhaiya ji'. 


Pujya Baba with Bhaktimati Usha Bahenji


She too was extremely distressed to see Baba's miserable condition. 

In those days she had written to one of her very close friends, “I have been introduced to such a saintly and eminent person in whose laughter also weeping is apparent, every moment.”


Rishikesh

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Revered Manohar Baba was very miserable for all these reasons and left for Rishikesh, soon after. But the shelter of Shri Maharaj ji's grace protected him even there.