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

The 'Shrimad Bhagavatam'

Once again Manohar Baba kept his volume on the table and began making tea. Baba could figure out now that Shri Maharaj ji was least interested that he go elsewhere to study the 'Shrimad Bhagavatam'.

Revered Manohar Baba

While sipping tea, Bal Krishan Das ji Maharaj explicitly told Manohar Baba, “ Have you come to Braj to become a professional narrator of the scripture? Do precisely what you have come for.”Consequently Shri Baba gave up this firm resolve.

In the year 1955, after staying for around six months in the Gopal Mandir, highly revered Shri Maharaj ji went again to reside in seclusion by himself, without telling anyone about his whereabouts. Manohar Baba and Thakur ji frantically looked for him in Dakor, Rajkot,

ShriDwarkadish

Dwarka, Junagarh, Jagannath Puri, Calcutta,Banaras and several other places, but he was nowhere to be found.

Hanuman Prasad Poddar ji & Radha Baba

Meanwhile a train had left Gorakhpur for pilgrimage under the directions of Shri Radha Baba, a great renunciant who was a selfless saint and Hanuman Prasad Poddar (Bhai ji),a renowned saint who lived a domestic life. Thence Manohar Baba and Thakur ji who were extremely disappointed and dejected because they had been unsuccessful in finding Shri Maharj ji, entered this train which was taking pilgrims on a religious journey. After the trip was over they returned to Vrindavan.

Shri Ranchhordraiji, Dakor

Exactly after fourteen months, Manohar Baba and Thakur ji came to know that Shri Maharaj ji was in Dakor. Going from there to Rajkot they saw Shri Maharaj ji doing satsang at the residence of Shri Popat Bhai.

All the members of his parikar (inner circle of devotees), who were staying in the Gopal Mandir were ecstatic when Shri Maharaj ji returned to Vrindavan after living secretly in isolation for a long span of fourteen months. Intoxicated by bhava unmada( divine madness) Shri Maharaj ji went into a trance, after a month.

Most Intimate Transcendental Exchange of Sri Radha-Krishna

Manohar Baba was of the opinion, “The trance like states which Shri Maharaj ji entered in the year 1947 consisted of the Vraja Bhava. But this time round, the bhava avesha (frenzied madness) was serious and concerned the most intimate transcendental exchanges (lilas) of Shri Radha-Krishna.This condition of religious rapture continued for about a year.” Baba noted down all the sincerely emotional lilas or divine plays perceived by Shri Maharaj ji, day and date wise and even clicked their photographs.

Shri Bal Krishan Das ji Maharaj

All of a sudden Maharaj ji totally stopped showering his grace on Manohar Baba when the state of bhava avesha got over in 1957. Alongside his favours radically transformed into outbursts of anger in quick succession. Baba began being rebuked and downgraded by Shri Maharaj ji for every trivial matter. When Maharaj ji would see Baba in front of his eyes, his fury would escalate further. He just could not tolerate the sight of Baba.

Even the parikar (inner circle of devotees) who stayed with him could not understand at to why this unbelievable and unwanted transformation had taken place in Shri Maharaj ji. Precisely for this reason, Manohar Baba left the Gopal Mandir for this very reason.

Sri Radha-Krishna in the Madan Mohan Temple

He began staying in a separate kutiya or hut near the Madan Mohar Mandir just for Shri Maharaj ji's happinness. Shri Banwari Sharan ji used to also live with him in his kutiya. (page 366 of 'Smriti Kaumudi',the memoirs of Manohar Baba)