Chapter 19: Deviji Takes Refuge in Maharaj ji's Feet (part 1)

Deviji (left) with Maharaj ji (centre) & Manohar Bhaiya

Four months had been spent in the Nimar region this time. Shriji had not stayed here for so long, ever before.  Though sankirtan and satsang were being held in village after village people were keen to take Shriji to their respective villages. However, apart from a couple of places he never got the chance to visit any village, twice.

Maheshwar

A grown up sentimental woman named Shri Avantika Bai who had been initiated into the Vallabh Sect, used to live in Maheshwar. She was the head mistress of a school. I was also formerly acquainted with her since she lived in Maheshwar. She had motherly affection towards me. Moreover, she had admirable reverence for Shriji. On her insistence Shriji and I came and stayed at her house. Here too, Shriji's satsang and sankirtan continued as before.Sentimental devotees from here and there would come for his darshan, daily. 

 One day, a resident of Maheshwar, conductor Shri Babu Lalji (whose introduction has been given earlier) came with a girl about eighteen to nineteen years old, dressed as a sanyasin[1], for Shriji's darshan. Bowing before him, she sat down in front of Shriji.

Vision of the Eighteen Year Old Girl

As soon as he saw the girl dressed as a sanyasin,Shriji looked at me and indicated, “This is the same girl whose vision has flashed before me twice, in the past.”

“ She had come here a couple of years ago and I know her since then. She had been staying at the Shiv Mandir in a Barwaha Seth's garden, a few days back. I have to pass that way while going for work. On getting to know of her stay there I went to visit her. Giving your introduction, I told her that you are putting up at Maheshwar these days but she showed no eagerness to meet you at that time,on Shri ji's asking, Shri Babu Lal introduced her briefly,

Indore

 I met her at Indore again. Getting down from the bus opposite my bus she was about to go to the railway station. Instantly I went to her and making her wear a garland of flowers, I respectfully greeted her. This time round I specially urged her to come to Maheshwar. Accepting this proposal, she has come with me for your darshan.”

Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj (Shriji)

The readers would remember that the one who was has been  addressed as Deviji in the context of Ganga Mandir, this is the same young girl. How a new turn came into her already beautiful ascetic life by the unfailing spiritual association of Shriji  can be read in her own words from her composition 'Rasarchan.'

Dense Jungles

She writes: ' It is astonishing how I was spotted while wandering about in the dense jungles besides the banks of river Narmada, and given darshan. Shriji not only found me, but gave me darshan, and awakened an attraction for Vrindavan too; he gave me absolute shelter of His feet and detained me in Vrindavan, for all times to come.'

Shri Deviji stayed in the proximity of Shriji for fifteen days at Avantikaji's residence. Virtuous people get divine providence from time to time. As per the saying,'Coming events cast their shadows beforehand,' she was highly principled since childhood. Naturally endowed with qualities of simplicity, implicit faith in God, forbearance and an intense longing for God-realization, Shri Deviji's coming into the shelter of Shriji's feet was distinctly inspired by God. Moreover, Deviji had got an indication from God before she had renounced home. Above all, Shriji had also seen a super-conscious manifestation of hers, twice before. It was an unprecedented coincidence.  

Shri Vrindavan Dham

Hinting at the adverse times Shriji motivated her to live in Shri Dham to take up loving worship of Lord Krishna. Deviji was greatly impressed by Shriji's state of swooning due to religious rapture, dancing in an emotionally charged trance like state when kirtan was on (Basant Panchami, 1947), and his bhava stithi or awakened spiritual consciousness during his fifteen days stay at Avantikaji's house. 

 Deviji accompanied us to Vrindavan and started living in the Ganga Mandir under the shelter of Motiramji and Maji. As instructed by Shriji she would sit in the small dingy room of  Ganga Mandir and get absorbed in constantly chanting God's Name, repeatedly. As of now her daily regime became satsang and Naam Japa. Heated on the fire of intense detachment and endurance Shri Deviji's spiritual sphere had become fully ready, before meeting Shriji. It was only waiting for a favourable glance of a great self-realized soul. Being an important aspect of Shri ji's biography and keeping in mind the readers' curiosity it seems necessary to give some introductory information about Deviji's early life at this juncture.

Bulandshahr

Shri Deviji was born in a respectable landlord family of Shri Laxmi Narayan Goel  of village Shikarpur in district Bulandshahr of Uttar Pradesh. Since childhood she was highly principled. She was called Vimala at home but her name became Rama Devi here.  

Balak Dhruva

The credit of sowing the seed of religious devotion in her innocent heart goes to her father's elder brother. He used to read the Bhagwat and the tales of devoted saints to her. She was greatly impressed by the story of balak Dhruva who attained God in six months time. Religious qualities were apparent in her since she was a child.  

A Sadhu

She would be the first one to run and give bhiksha[1] to sadhus and mahatmas who would come at her entrance door to beg for alms. A sadhu meant a person who had realized God and seen Him, for her childlike mind.That is why whenever any sadhu came she felt like leaving the house and going with him to devoutly worship God and sing devotional songs.This was her innate nature at that tender age. 

A Cave Below the Shiv Mandir

One day a sadhu came and stayed in a cave below the Shiv Mandir built by ancestors in the precinct of her building. Along with members of her family Deviji would go for his darshan. Her passion for renunciation became all the more resolute due to the contact of his saintly company. She used to weep on her own and she herself did not understand the reason for this outburst. How to realize God, where to go and what to do? These uncertainties weighed heavily on her mind all the time.

The sanyasi Baba forbade her but her desire to leave home became stronger, day by day. She conveyed her innermost vow to her cousin sister Prem (her father's elder brother's daughter, who is now known as Krishna Mata in Venu Vinod Kunj.) A group of saints come to Shri Deviji's village and seeing them her vow turned into resolve. 

 Bhagwan Ashutosh on Mount Kailash

 At that very time she had a vision of the unique, radiant, gleaming Mount Kailash in her dream. There she saw the three-eyed Bhagwan Ashutosh, huge in stature, adorned with matter hair, and seated  below a giant banyan tree.

Looking intently at her with half-closed eyes, He urged her in the abhay mudra[2],  “Leave, without any worry.”

There was no problem now! Family honour, fear of elders, the thought of impending hardships on the path, all sorts of social constraints which had been detaining her till now, broke down. Her cousin sister, Krishnaji who was almost the same age as her, agreed to accompany her. 

Red Ochre Robes

 Hiding from everyone, both of them got robes dyed in red ochre and kept them aside as they waited for an opportune moment. 

 Chaitra Navratris

One day at the midnight of Chaitra Navratris in 1944 A.D. both of them left home and set out to attain their objective in heavy rain and pitch darkness. They had no idea of the way and where they were to go. The path was not visible due to torrential rain, showering of hailstones and darkness.  

Fields Flooded with Water

Some unknown force was impelling them to move on despite thorns pricking their feet and  fields flooded with water. The addiction of intense asceticism is such. In this state the sadhaka or spiritual aspirant advances speedily towards the call of his beloved Lord Krishna and his spiritual goal. 

Anoop Shahar

Walking all night and covering a distance of 25 miles, they reached Anoop Shahar situated on the banks of the Ganges, in the dim light of dawn.

Doted upon, and happily brought up in an affluent family with loving care, these delicate maidens forgetting hunger and thirst, detached from joy and sorrow, breaking the bonds of strong family attachments and household entanglements, unmindful of the world, 

Ganga, Anoop Shahar

went and sat on the banks of the Ganges which purifies sinners, with an ardent longing to have a vision of God. After some rest both the cousin sisters journeyed together, sometimes on foot, at other times by train, leading a life of great forbearance. After leaving the house, they kept roaming hither and thither in the sites of Braj.  

Manasi Ganga, Goverdhan

Shri Deviji drank just a handful of Mansi Ganga's water and stayed without food for eight days at Goverdhan. Considering that their home town was near the Braj Mandal region they thought it was not proper to stay there for long and so they went to Dwarka Dham. Without any hitch or hesitation they would fearlessly stay on anywhere. Crowds of people would gather to see the two ascetic girls. Leaving platters loaded with different kinds of offerings and small bags of money, offered to them, exactly where they were, they would move on. If any shradhalu,  a person having faith in them, would remind them of these presents, the two sisters would simply make a gesture that he should keep the gifts himself.