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.)