Mandleshwar
On Margashirsha Dwadashi in 1948 Shriji took me
along and again set out for Mandleshwar on the extremely loving insistence of devotees. The next day on his arrival there, a wave of delight surged through the devotees on having Shriji amongst them. Hordes of bhaktas started pouring in from several villages and gathered to see him. Once again there was the joyous buzz of satsang[1] and sankirtan[2]. The bhaktas would persistently take Shriji and his parikar that is inner circle of
associates to their respective villages and the nights would be spent in satsang and sankirtan. Shriji would enamour their hearts with sweet humour, along with the satsang. He was not only a great Mahatma for them but seemed like a very close friend.
In those days the devotees of Shri Ramkripaluji had arranged for a night sankirtan for bhaktas, daily. On the invitation of devotees an old woman 'Jaani Ma,' a follower of Shri Ramkripaluji, had also come to Mandleshwar. The 30-35 year old wife of Shri Mishrilal, a goldsmith from Mahu, had accompanied her. She too would go daily with 'Jaani Ma' for sankirtan to the old Ram Mandir.
Cymbals
This woman would deck up beautifully, take cymbals in her hands, stand in the midst of people as she sang and danced, and in between act as if she was weeping because of being overwhelmed by prema [3] for Lord Krishna. Naturally she became the topic of discussion. Some low charactered men started coming there on the pretext of kirtan. This matter reached Shriji's ears through the cultured society of Mandleshwar. The
impolite behaviour of that woman did not appeal to Shriji and his associates. When she would come with 'Jaani Ma' for Shriji's darshan, Shriji would try to dissuade her from this behaviour of hers by giving saintly advice. As a result some change had become perceptible in her.
One day bhaktas of Modagram, located about four to five kos[4] from Mandleshwar, took Shriji there with his inner circle of
associate. Shri Nageshwar Baba of Dhargaon accompanied them. Shri Jaani Maji and the goldsmith's wife also joined them. Along with their families, the numerous simple village folk gave a hearty welcome to Shriji and his
associates. After the midday meal everyone rested for some time. An arrangement for night sankirtan and satsang had been made in the huge courtyard of the village. Men and women as
well as residents of the village were present in large numbers. There was exuberant kirtan for the first two hours. Everyone was delightfully participating in the kirtan with full involvement. After the singing of devotional hymns, satsang was to start so the sankirtan had to be stopped unwillingly.
After reciting two benedictory shlokas Shriji began his satsang, the religious discourse. About four hundred devotees were present. All of them were listening quietly and intently. Mangilalji and I were sitting right next to Shriji. Nageshwar Baba was on one side and Shri Jaani Manji and the goldsmith's wife were sitting on the other side. The discourse was going on in all seriousness.
Steeped in an upsurge of spiritual emotion Shriji was going on speaking
with joyous abandon.
Weeping for Krishna
Suddenly the
goldsmith’s wife got up saying, “ Save me, redeem me.” Weeping bitterly she placed her head at Shriji's feet.
“Move her as she is an impediment to the kirtan,.”
Shriji told me softly
However, I kept watching this divine play of grace in a neutral manner.
The behaviour of the woman was not pretentious, in fact she was beside herself today. Shriji asked Jaani Ma to take her away but she too sat overwhelmed.
On saying, “Take her away, remove her,” Shriji had bhava avesha [5] and entered a trance like state of religious rapture, the sattvik bhavas were awakened in him, he had violent tremors and his body leapt up by a length of four hands. Finally he fainted. The goldsmith's wife also leapt up and fell at a distance, weeping profusely. I took care of Shriji. His rapturous state affected several persons according to their merit as recipients. Shri Nageshwar Baba and Mangilal ji could not control their bhava. Mangilalji tried to leave carefully but by the time he reached the entrance, he fell down fainting. Shri Nageshwar Baba's body hair was curling due to ecstasy. With great difficulty he got up and lay down alone, in
seclusion.
Manohar Das ji, Author of Charit Vaibhav
'hans pankti manni mukta ladi lakhi, lubdh vadhu nit nav anurag | '
which means:
A Flock of Swans
'The enchanted bride feels a new surge of love on seeing the flock of swans studded with pearls and gems in a string.'
At the other end the condition of the goldsmith's was becoming strange.
“Save me! Deliver me!” she was still lying down, weeping and muttering.
Gold Ornaments
She took off many of her ornaments in this state and threw them away. The night passed
somehow. Next day Shriji left for Mandleshwar with his companions.
Bullock Carts
After much persuasion the woman was also made to sit in a bullock cart with Jaani Ma. She began throwing the remaining ornaments and money purse out of the carriage. She had no sense of her clothes which were in disorder. However, she was carefully brought to Mandleshwar. The woman had totally given up eating food. In this very state she was sent to her husband Shri Mishrilal at Mahu where he lived. Many people thought that she had been possessed by a ghost not knowing that
Nand Ka Poot, the Darling Son of Nanda
she was obsessed by 'Nand ka Poot' or the darling son of Nanda. Later it was heard that she had remained in this condition of being steeped in the divine, without any
intake of meals, and had become normal after a span of four months. She became absorbed in religious devotion for the rest of life.
The readers are well acquainted with Motiramji. His birthplace Modgram is quite close to Mandleshwar. Motiramji had been living with his wife in Vrindavan since 1944.
However, his brother Mahadeo Patwari lived with his family in this village. Some devotees of Modgram requested Shriji and brought him here along with his inner circle of associates.
Shri Ananddas Baba
Shri Nageshwar Baba and Shri Ananddas Baba also went along with him. A resident of Mithila, Shri Ananddas Baba belonged to a high class brahmin and prosperous zamindar family. Spending some years as a householder he had been initiated into the Ramanandi Sect. Travelling here and there with detachment he used to propagate sankirtan.
Madhya Pradesh
He had greatly publicised sankirtan in Madhya Pradesh, that is why people here knew him well.
Baba had come here since the past few days.
That very night sankirtan and satsang were held in Shri Mahadeo Bhai's residence. The news spread like lightning in nearby villages and hordes of devotees began pouring in from every village for Shriji's darshan. In the evening Shriji was busy in satsang as he sat with Shri Ananddas Baba, Shri Nageshwar Baba, Mangilalji, me and a couple of other devotees. Right then the sweet sound of kirtan, conch shells and cymbals of the musical troupe coming from Karondiya Village, lilted into our ears. Hearing the sound of kirtan from afar Shriji was thrilled with ecstasy, over and over again. He was delighted and moved, and was eager to welcome the troupe lovingly.
Shikshashtakam
'trinad api sunicena
taror api sahishunina
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harihi || '
(3rd verse of Sri Sri Shikshashtakam by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu)
'One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.'
Shriji's Love & Simplicity
This being the reality of
Shriji, he remained absolutely untouched by the thought of, 'I am a saint.'
Simplicity was his ornament and love was his majesty. He got immersed in the
spirit of Shriman Mahaprabhu's kirtan by the sound of sankirtan coming from a
distance. An ocean of love was overpowering his heart and he was controlling
his feelings to welcome the troupe. As soon as the residents of Karondiya Gram
reached the gate in large numbers he suddenly stood up and went ahead to
welcome them. Uncontrollable waves of love gushed forth from both sides. Shriji
welcomed them with an offering of love.
Adulating the heavenly
loving conduct of this unassuming saint, both Anaddas Baba and Nageshwar Baba
stood watching in astonishment and silence. This was a completely novel
experience for them. It has truly been said that the conduct of great souls is
always a source of great inspiration and instruction to others. Observing this
form of Shriji their regard for him had increased several folds and they
derived the benefit of Shriji's company for many more days.
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