A Call by Cowherd Krishna
“ There is a call at 8 o' clock, tomorrow morning,” he explained.
Rays of the Rising Sun
“ They have not come yet?”his lips trembled and Shriji spoke in a low tone,
Shriji Looked Just Like a Sakha
In a low tone his voice uttered, “ Lord Krishna has sent twelves sakhas[12] to get me...Oh! Why has the door been kept closed...? Open it...Let them enter...”
Krishna & His four Sakhas
In those days Nirvikar Anandji, a saint of Rewa, was staying at the Ganga Mandir. He had great regard for Shriji. We had brought and kept yoghurt for him.
Quickly Shriji picked up the earthen pot of yoghurt in his hands. Running, he entered thee4s room in front and shut the door from inside. All of us were outside. Some sort of a constant sound of thudding and thumping could be heard from inside. In ecstasy, Shriji would sometimes collide with the door and at times with the wall. Sometimes he would swoon with religious rapture and fall down with a thud and then he would get up and start laughing loudly. At times he would cry out loudly. We got to know all this from the emerging sounds which could be heard outside. In the meantime we heard the sound of an earthen pot of yoghurt breaking. Even the small grating of the room had been shut by Shriji but we were able to see a little of what was happening inside through its narrow joint. The sequence of falling down, getting up, laughing and a flow of joyous tears was going on in quick succession. We were much pained by Shriji's constant falling and getting up, but what could we do?
The door was locked from
within. We could not bear his tumbling up and down for long and were scared that he might get hurt. Inserting an iron bar through its joint I finally succeeded in opening the door.
Shriji Picked Up the Yoghurt
The Door Was Locked From Within
Getting inside I began to take care of him. He kept dropping down and scrambling up in this fashion for some time. Later on he lay down in an unconscious state for about four to five hours.
Seeing his trance like state it seemed that he had gone into the forest with Lord Krishna for grazing cows. The seriousness of his bhava stithi of communion with Krishna pervaded the atmosphere. At 2 P.M., around
midday, a streak of joy became visible on Shriji's lotus face and a nectarous sweet melody loudly burst forth from his throat. Churning the hearts of people sitting next to him, it reverberated in the courtyard of Ganga Mandir. We understood that a wave of divine sport was about to surge forth. I took up a pen and paper.
Cowherd Krishna Grazing Cows in the Forest
The musical note stopped and this pada sprang forth:
Krishna is The Collyrium of My Eyes
This verse was completed in a sweet voice but its first line resonated in the atmosphere for many months. In his state of normal consciousness also Shriji used to sing the padas of rasikas[14] in a very sweet voice but what he would sing in his
bhava avesha, the emotionally charged state of religious rapture, was unique in its melody.
Shriji became silent but his lotus face was reflecting the heights of elation and ecstasy he had reached. He sat up slowly, a stream of joyous tears was flowing from his closed eyes.
Maharajji's heart was engrossed in a playful dalliance with his cowherd friends. Slowly laughter appeared on his face with somewhat opened eyes,
his state was still devoid of external
consciousness.
Light-heartedly, he began frolicking with four to five devotees who were sitting quite close to him as if he was sporting with sakhas in the forest. Laughing, he would pull someone by holding his hand or his leg. Soon after, Shriji would thump someone else with a fist on his back and laugh. At times, laughing he would thump the wall or the ground with his hands. Thereafter, he would knock down someone by holding his foot, and turn someone else round and round by catching his hand. He became engaged in such spirited antics.
Light-heartedly, he began frolicking with four to five devotees who were sitting quite close to him as if he was sporting with sakhas in the forest. Laughing, he would pull someone by holding his hand or his leg. Soon after, Shriji would thump someone else with a fist on his back and laugh. At times, laughing he would thump the wall or the ground with his hands. Thereafter, he would knock down someone by holding his foot, and turn someone else round and round by catching his hand. He became engaged in such spirited antics.
Sporting with Krishna & His Sakhas
Godhuli Bela
“ Shri Radhaju's doe was seen...in the forest...” these words sprang from Shriji's bhava stithi.
' Look at
that, the doe of Radhaju...”
said Shri Dama.
“ 'Do not remind Lord Krishna of Radha or else He will run to Barsana right now, to be close to Radhaju...Look!
Look! Just by gazing at the doe He has become emotional and run away just by
gazing at the doe,'” piped in another sakha.
Saying this Shriji became quiet. He kept sitting quietly with eyes closed.
Dark-hued Krishna's Eyes
Shriji
became quiet for a short while. It appeared from the efforts of his bhava dasha that they had approached the village of Gokul after gathering the cows...Lord Krishna is escorting Shriji to his destination.
“If you will accompany me , I will never come again,” these words sprang from Shriji's lips
We could gather from Shriji's spiritually emotional state that Lord Krishna had asked his sakhas to see Shri ji off.
“ No, No! I will go alone, for sure,” these words sprang forth from Shriji's mouth.
Shriji's Trance Like State of Religious Rapture
[1] Normal waking
consiousness: refers to the states of consciousness associated with being awake and aware of our thoughts, memories, feelings and the sensations we experience from the outside world.
[2] Bhava avastha:
or spiritual emotion is a
state of communion with
God. It is related
to the sub-conscious mind
(chitta). When one’s
spiritual emotion is awakened,
for that time one
transcends one’s usual
state of identification with
a worldly existence. The
awareness of one’s
own existence also reduces. Thus
in a state of
spiritual emotion one transcends
the little ‘i’ and
identifies with the big
‘I’. Spiritual emotion
gives us a spiritual
experience of Bliss (Ānand).
[4] Jyesth: third
month of the Hindu
calendar,Traditionally,
Jyeshtha is associated with
high summer, and corresponds
to May-June
[5] Religious rapture:
emotionally charged state or
trance like state of
religious rapture, through deep
absorption one may directly
experience the feelings and
moods of another realm.
[6] Bhava stith:
spiritual emotion
is a state of
communion with God. It
is related to the
sub-conscious mind (chitta). When
one’s spiritual emotion
is awakened, for that time
one transcends one’s usual
state of identification with
a worldly existence. The
awareness of one’s
own existence also reduces. Thus
in a state of
spiritual emotion one transcends
the little ‘i’ and
identifies with the big
‘I’. Spiritual emotion
gives us a spiritual
experience of Bliss (Ānand).
[7] Sattvik Bhavas:Involuntary bodily
responses or Satvik Bhavas
like Sveda (sweating), Romancha
(hair standing on end),Svarabheda (changes
in one’s tone
of voice), Vepathu (trembling),Vaivarnya (changes
in the colour of
one’s face) and may also
give rise to complementary emotional
states or the Vyabicari
Bhavas
[9] Gambhira Mandir:Gambhira is
situated south east of
the Jagannatha temple in Bali
Sahi, and is also
known as Kashi Mishra’s house or
Radha Kanta Matha.When Mahaprabhu
came to Jagannatha Puri
after taking Sannyasa and
After he toured South
India, on His return
to Jagganath Puri he stayed
at Kashi Mishra’s
House, in a very
small room called Gambhira.
He stayed in it constantly for
the last twelve year
of His manifested pastimes.
[11] Bhava dasha:
or state of spiritual
emotion, a state of
communion with God. It
is related to the
sub-conscious mind (chitta). When
one’s spiritual emotion
is awakened, for that time
one transcends one’s usual
state of identification with
a worldly existence. The
awareness of one’s
own existence also reduces. Thus
in a state of
spiritual emotion one transcends
the little ‘i’ and
identifies with the big
‘I’. Spiritual emotion
gives us a spiritual
experience of Bliss (Ānand).
[15] Hour of
cowdust: the hour before
sunset when cows usually
return home from grazing
and stir dust in
the process
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