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

The 'Rasa Panchadhyayi'

Once Manohar Baba dropped in to visit Usha Bahen ji in the evening. Suddenly dense clouds gathered and it began to rain heavily. Baba was incapable of returning to his kutiya in this deluge. Therefore revered Usha Bahenji arranged for his stay in a room near her own. It was Baba's regimen to bathe in the middle of the night everyday and do paath by reading the 'Ras Panchadhyayi' (a quintet of chapters in the Bhagavata Purana on the theme of Krishna's relationship with the gopis).

Thence when he sat down to read the scripture, Usha Bahenji saw from her room that Baba was in gopivesh or had been completely adorned as a gopi. Baba would never hide any matter of his from Usha Bahenji. Early in the morning when Bahenji narrated this amazing incident to Baba,

Thakurji Doing Baba's Shringara

he readily accepted the fact that Thakurji had braided his hair and done his shringar by decking him at night.

Gopibhava of Total Commitment to Krishna

Revered Manohar Baba would never talk of his gopibhava of madhurya, the sweet and total commitment and love for Krishna. Although while singing the glories of Thakur ji, some glimpse of his adopted svarupa (of a nayika in search of Krishna) would certainly be found in his talk. 

 Once while speaking of Thakur ji to his close ones he had revealed,“The actions performed by an individual's body of bhavas (love flowing towards the Lord) has an impact on the tangible body as well. Its sketches are also stamped. The gross body can not be separated from the subtle body which is enjoined by religion for sure.

Sakhis Searching for Lord Krishna

Once it so happened that a couple of sakhis and I went out to search for Shri Krishna, the supreme lover. Selling curd was just an excuse. We thoroughly looked for Him and the entire day passed by. The sun was about to set but He was not to be found. The fatigue of that body of bhavas had repercussions on this earthly body for three days at a stretch.There was such weakness as if the physical body had become lifeless and frozen into immobility.” 

 With this confession his throat became hoarse and eyes streamed with tears, the anguish of not being able to meet dark-hued Krishna was apparent on his face.

The Calf Fell Into A Well

Baba was of a courageous disposition and extremely fearless. An incident occurred during the days when he used to live in his kutiya at Jugal Ghat. There was a well nearby and a cow of some person used to be tied near this particular well. One day somehow the calf of this cow fell into the well. When Baba heard the sound of the cow bellowing, he was distressed. Instantly he stepped out of his hut and tying one end of his dhoti  to the pulley like a rope, he went down into the well with its support. Thereafter he somehow managed to get the calf and come out of the well.

A Neem Tree

There was a neem tree which grew near the hut of revered Manohar Baba. One fine day when Baba saw a huge snake close to the tree he was worried. Shri Banwari Sharan ji used to live with him and he was virtually blind. 

A Slimy Snake

Concerned, Baba caught the snake with a huge pair of tongs. Soon after, he went and left the slimy snake at a great distance on the banks of the Yamuna.

Shri Manohar Baba

Very often it is found that the hearts of ordinary spiritual aspirants or sadhakas becomes very unfeeling when they do their sadhna or long standing devotion to the Divine and distance themselves from the joys and sorrows of others. But Manohar Baba was an exception to this rule.

('Smriti Kaumudi' pg373)