Chapter 31 (Part 2) Some Special Incidents

Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj (centre) with Deviji (left) & Manohar Baba

Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj (Shriji) spent the time span from 1945 to 1950 in great seclusion. Only Deviji and I were living with Shriji as sadhakas. We got constant satsang and Shriji's closeness. Deviji and I would chant the 'Mahamantra' for ten to twelve hours every day. We would prance around Shriji like children for attaining God-realization. He in turn besprinkled us with his doting affection. This remained our daily routine for three to four years. One day Deviji and I were weeping bitterly at Shriji's feet and praying piteously for God-realization when Shriji welled up with spiritual emotion. He watered us with his streaming tears. Shri Maharajji gave us his word that he would first do our work and then of others.
 

Manohar Baba (left) with Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj

In the meantime there was such a drastic change in the course of events that everyone was puzzled. No one but a saint knows of his conduct.  I would blindly depend on Shriji's guiding word and had been getting the constant affection and fellowship of Shriji till 1953. But I never knew that destiny would devise a strange plan for the future. In those days my single minded absorption in Shriji was such that even God-realization had been given a backseat in my heart. How could Shriji, a true lover of God, tolerate this. Probably this was his way of showering his grace on me for my own good.

Around June 1953, a high class yogi saint Shri Ranchhod Dasji Maharaj of Gujrat, who was considered to be 150 years old, was to go on a pilgrimage to Badrinath with his group of devotees. Shri Vitthalnathji was to accompany him from Shri Dham. 

 

Badrinath Dham

My mind was a bit dejected in those days so I thought that the icy pious ambiance of Badrinath would help me, and decided of going on the journey with Vitthalnathji. The ill intention of leaving Shriji and going on a pilgrimage occurred to me for the first time in my life. The sequence of separations from Shriji commenced from this juncture. Even Shriji could not imagine that I could stay away from him. Even for going to the market I would find it burdensome to leave Shriji at the Ganga Mandir. I had to undergo this span of separation for a month. Nobody could believe that I would be able to live away from Shriji.

Thereafter, I went for the pilgrimage. Apart from Lord Krishna nobody could know the pain which my heart suffered.

Shri Manohar Baba

“ I didn't imagine that Manoharji could live without me; I too can roam about by myself now,” he had remarked after I had gone.

I came back from the journey in time.

Bikaner

In the Asadh[1] month of 1954 Shriji went to Bikaner with Rasik Bhushan, without telling anyone. Coming back after two and a half months he revealed that he had gone for the darshan of Swami Ramsukh Dasji. Shriji's satsang  took place in the homes of known devotees for a few days. 

Jamnalal Bajaj was one of them. Later on he had come with his wife to Shri Vrindavan Dham in 1985. Coming to Venu Vinod Kunj he had himself told of a few incidents which had occurred. They are being reported exactly as they took place.

Shri Jamnalal Bajaj

Jamnalal Bajaj had revealed, “When Shri ji had come to Bikaner in 1954 and was staying in the garden he assigned me the task of giving heated milk to him daily, and I was asked to repeat the Name of God while heating the milk. I used to do the same and Shriji would drink the milk with pleasure. One day I thought that taking the Name of God while heating milk lacked concentration so it would be better to do so afterwards. I took the milk to Shriji without chanting God's Name.

“It doesn't taste the same as it did on the other days,” he instantly remarked on taking a sip. 

I was astonished and speechless.  Hiding the truth in my heart I said that the milk was the same as it had been on other days.

‘I shall drink freshly milked milk from tomorrow without getting it heated!' he said on intuitively grasping the matter. He did so for the rest of his stay whereas I was very ashamed in my heart.

Second Incident which Jamnalal Bajaj had narrated: “ Once, when I had come to Vrindavan I had taken my family and others to Venu Vinod Kunj at 4 pm and talked with Shriji for some time. I said, ' We have to leave day after tomorrow. Besides, I have to request you for something in seclusion.'

' All right,' Shriji had replied.

“Next day my wife and I went to Venu Vinod Kunj and knocked at the door saying, 'Radhe- Shyam.'

Shri Ghanshyam Das ji

“Opening the door Shri Ghanshyamji said,' When Shriji went to rest he told me that two people would come. Get my door opened when they come. They are leaving and I have to bid them farewell.'

‘I asked did he say two people?’

'Yes!' confirmed Ghanshyamji.

“I was overwhelmed with the fact Shriji had come to know beforehand that two of us were coming. Both of us bowed to Shriji and sat down. I prayed to him that my house was haunted and only his grace could get rid of this enigma. Shriji asked us not to worry as the spirit would be removed. Instantly I  told him that we totally depended on him.

“He responded,' When you have faith in me, the problem will surely go away.'

Salasar Balaji

“Coming to Bikaner I went to Salasar Balaji[2] after a few days. There was a person there who could get possessed by the spirit of Hanumanji. I requested him to deliver my house from the evil spirit.

“He sat down in front of the idol of Hanumanji and started speaking in a possessed fashion, ' A saint had come to your house and his svarupa was such. You didn't pay heed to what he had said. The statements of saints should not be ignored.'

“I understood which saint he was referring to but to test him I asked, 'Many saints keep coming to my house. So how can I know which saint said what? You tell me his name.'

“At this query of mine his eyes reddened with anger and he fumed, 'Knowingly you are testing me. Then listen to me, his name is Shri Balkrishan Dasji. He assumes the bhava of a sakhi and stays in Vrindavan. Do you want to know anything more? In future if you test me or someone else you shall come to harm. You have committed a grave offense by this act of yours.'

I begged for pardon with folded hands.

“You are innocent and simple, so I forgive you,” his anger cooled down soon after.

“After some time my house became free from this haunting disturbance.”

Third Incident: Shri Jamnalal Bajaj had further said, ”Two months had passed by of Shriji's stay in the  bagicha in Bikaner. 

Shri Radha Rani

He had to go to Vrindavan for the coming Radhashtami. I had made all the preparations as per the instructions of Shriji. It was time to leave. Meanwhile, some satsangis came to Shriji and he began to talk to them about the Divine in an exalted mood, least conscious that he had to reach the station.

 ' Maharajji! It's time for the train to leave and you have to even take prasad (have meals) at Shrinathji Rathi's place, ' I said by intervening.

'No dear! We will certainly be able to catch the train,' Shriji said with conviction.

“Then he went to Shri Rathi's place for food. We were also accompanying Shriji but he walked so fast that we had to almost run. I was perspiring profusely.  On reaching there he began eating without any worry. Anxiously I rang up the railway inquiry. They said that the train had reached the station at the right time but the engine had not yet arrived from where it usually did. I gave this information to Maharajji.

' Dear! How can the train leave without taking me.' Shriji laughed boisterously, saying

“We reached the station after the meal. Moving ahead Shriji occupied a three tier seat which was vacant.

“The railway conductor boarded the train and bowing respectfully told Shriji, “ Sit with utmost ease.”

“Unwillingly we bade him farewell.”

Radhanpur, Gujrat

On listening to these miraculous incidents from Jamnalalji, we were greatly astonished . So be it! Again in the Magha[3] Month of 1954 Shriji went to Radhanpur in North Gujrat to some previously acquainted devotees. From there letters containing his preaching used to come to us. One of them is being given here without any change:

                                                                                                                  Radhanpur

Most beloved group of devotees, Jai Shri Radhe, Jai Shri Radhe!

Gita Govinda

yadi hari-smaraNe sarasaM mano yadi vilAsa-kalAsu kutUhalaM |

madhura-komala-kAnta-padAvalIM shR^iNu tadA jayadeva-sarasvatIm ||3||

(Gita Govinda 1.4-1)

Sri Jayadeva has clarified the subject of eligibility in his auspicious invocation:

'If your heart yearns to delight in remembrance of Sri Hari; if you are hankering to contemplate upon Him with intense affection; if you are overwhelmed with curiosity to know about His skill in amorous pastimes; then by all means read this book. You will find my lovely poetry to be extremely relishable. Although it is so emotive and mellifluous, if you are not possessed of the afore-mentioned qualifications then you must not read the sweet, soft and savoury string of Jayadeva Saraswati's verses. This literature is not for you.'

Idol of Jayadeva

Again this human birth so rare to attain even for gods and seers has been obtained through the selfless grace of that All-Merciful God so as to fulfill the long desired and ever contemplated meeting of Lord Krishna by being completely prideless, unveiled and fully surrendered.

Union With Lord Krishna

Until man is not steeped in this unfailing, marvellous, incomparable, ever new  pleasing union and dalliance with Lord Krishna, developing every moment, he will remain a worthless worm of the empire of natural whims, devoid of the basic mystic knowledge, deprived of divine intimacy.

The Lotus Feet of Krishna

Man must understand the mysterious nature of the identity of his self by the root of his heart. Without his dharma and the actual nature of his own identity, man only sees, hears, smells, touches and tastes under the cover of ignorance. Man should now give up this labour of enjoying himself and completely surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord so as to frolic with Him by being one of those who are given to close and sweet proximity of serving Him.

Only till our full entitlement and eligibility to attain the ever existent birth right of union with Lord Krishna remain unfulfilled will desires, pride as well as self-esteem, and lust for sex exist. By keeping Him(Lord Krishna) aloof from nature and oneself, one's senseless participation is only to be attached to the mundane world.

Dark-hued Krishna's Ineffable Beauty

This gifted human birth is solely to attain Lord Krishna and to be in perfectly beautiful sweet harmony with the limbs of Lord Krishna. Give it to Him, drown it again in the ocean of His ineffable beauty what is His. Dear ! What else has to be done?

The mind is full of body-sense, there is a wish and a desire to enjoy sensual pleasures. This feeling has made the mind grossly constituent in enjoying pleasures of the flesh. How unfortunate it is, being madly crazy about sense objects and not longing to seek refuge in the all-merciful Lord Krishna, solely worried about one's own wife, children and relations, from birth after birth.

Alas! There is just sorrow and sorrow, hellish pain, rebirth and death, old age and disease, all being results of aversion to Lord Krishna. One only experiences absolute distress. One must ardently long to get freedom from this terrifying fire. Then, why is there no yearning?

The only answer to this is that there is a certain a longing to attain Lord Krishna but it is minimal and of a short duration. Consequently, the heart reverts to the former, painful worldly desires, the very next moment. When the seed of these sensual desires does not exist and an intense constant craving for God-realization remains that averted heart keeps in touch with Lord Krishna's beauteous form and divine play which is so sweet, auspicious and joyous. Simultaneously, attraction to the material world goes on decreasing

Shade of A Tree & Water in a Desert

As the longing to meet Lord Krishna increases in great measure, the desire for sensual pleasures and worldly enjoyments decreases accordingly. Just as a tired, sweating, thirsty traveller walking in a desert, in the month of June (Jyestha) restlessly longs for the shade of a cool tree and wishes for some fruits and water, and soon gets a consoling sign of some refreshing air blowing from a beautiful garden laden with fruits and flowers; similarly the grace of Lord Krishna flowing through saints, sends an inviting call for eternal rest and respite to the forlorn man, lost in the wilderness of the mundane world..

The Company of Saints Brings Us Close to Krishna

By getting the company of saints and physically associating with them, the terror of worldliness turns out to be a dreamy void to the person who finds himself amidst saintly Lord Krishna's natural world and gets a chance of union with the Divine. As such, this experience connotes that there was absolutely no obstruction in uniting with the Divine.

In the creation conceived by dark-hued Krishna, every human being has the resolve to unite with Him, yearns just for Him and is filled with thoughts of realizing Lord Krishna at the core of his heart. Man is imbued with the agitation of attaining ecstatic joy, happiness and being fully satisfied on uniting with Lord Krishna.

When this basic need and desire manifests nature  becomes the only site of dallying with the Lord in that clean, pure and savoury sight, devoid of sensual desires.

The mind which is not in touch with the mundane world which had assumed the form of a veil between the Lord and the individual soul, is non-existent now. It appears that Lord Krishna has removed the veil with His own lotus hands and embraced us fully because of his causeless mercy.

Lord Vishnu's Maya

Since eternity Lord Krishna has been standing in front to meet us and dally with us. But forgetting his manhood, man is clinging to Lord Vishnu's slave girl maya , His power of illusion. Man has no sense at all that this maya or illusory power is Lord Krishna's servant girl, His slave.

He just does not have this knowledge that 'jo kadapi madhav bhaje to maya cheri hoye '

'If man worships Madhava, maya automatically becomes his slave.'

Autumnal Full Moon Night Studded with Stars

For whom is this bright autumnal night? For whom is this firmament decorated with clear blue studded stars created, the vault of the sky ornamented with the moon, and this entire forest reverberating with the flute like sound of the threefold gentle breeze of the Yamuna, the cooing of birds, full of trees laden with charming fruits and flowers? Lord Krishna has arranged all this for the sake of mankind. So that  man reaches the heights of elation and ecstasy on relishing His divine love.

The Gopas & Gopis of Braj are Passionately Drawn to Krishna

We can understand our own essence by thinking of ou real svarupa, our true identity, of the Braj gopas and gopis, and grasp the mystery of Vrindavan. Because these characters are passionately drawn by Krishna. They are imbued as well as inspired by the love of Lord Krishna.

The divine sport of Lord Krishna can take place only with the involvement of His recipients. We can also become one of the characters and get engrossed in the delight of dark-hued Krishna's lila or playfull dalliance.

Gopis' Romantic Dalliance with Krishna

Our own eligibility and worthiness can be recollected by meditating on the love life, beautiful behaviour, domestic duties and dalliances of Krishna's beloved gopis in the forest.

Our heart becomes charming by constantly remembering Lord Krishna, singing the glories of His Name and deeds by ruminating over them and the sensitivities of the gopis, as it is the basic nature of our consciousness. The satttvik[4] guna goes on increasing and the craving to meet Lord Krishna arises. Then the heart wants nothing else except wanting to be passionately drawn by Krishna for relishing His shringara rasa, the sentiment of sweet romance.

That is why it has been said:

yadi hari smarane saras manah yadi vilas kalasu kutuhalam  |

madhur komal kant padavali, rhinnu tada jaydev sarasvatim  ||

                                                                             Your well-wisher,

                                                                                   Balkrishan Das

Shri Vrindavan

After six months Shriji came to Vrindavan from Radhanpur. Staying here for a few days he  took all of us to Radhanpur. Thakurji, Deviji, Krishnaji, Rasikbihariji  and I accompanied him. There he imparted the joy of satsang  by singing glories of the Divine for a month. On the urging of Narayandasji Khuteta stayed for a day at Jaipur  and had the darshan of Shri Govind Devji[5]. Thereafter, we came to Shri Dham Vrindavan.

After coming back from Radhanpur (in 1954). Shriji's younger brother Rajgopalji who had been searching for him for the past so many years came to Shri Dham Vrindavan, locating him. Nineteen years had passed since Shriji had left home. Neither Shriji nor his family had any information about each other. After many years this meeting between Shriji and his brother took place.

Ahmedabad

Jawaharlal Jadiya, a former acquaintance of Shriji, was a big merchant of gold and silver in Mathura. He had begun living in Ahmedabad since the past few years. He had become acquainted with Rajgopalji there. Once, when they were conversing the topic of Shriji had cropped up. Sethji had told Rajgopalji that Shriji was a guru for him. He would come to his place in Mathura, off and on, but stayed in Shri Vrindavan. That was it! Rajgopalji instantly took Shriji's address  and met him at Shri Vrindavan Dham. For all these years, Shriji had no inkling as to who all were there in his house.

Mysore

His parents used to live in Mysore when he had renounced home. He came to know from Rajgopalji that they 

 

Chennai

were now living in Chennai along with the family. Hearing all the details of Shriji's family from Rajgopalji we eagerly wished to visit Shriji's family. On pretext of a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram we kept the proposal of going there in front of Shriji. Getting his permission we busied ourselves in preparing to leave with him.

Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj (Shriji)

There is a strange incident related to this period. A tumour had developed in Shri ji's throat and was not getting cured for the past so many months. Shri Gangaram came to know of this predicament from Dr. Hotichand.

One day he came with a doctor early in the morning.

After seeing the tumour he told Shriji, “There is some defect in your urine. I can identify it as I have earlier worked in a hospital. You must urinate in a tumbler and show it to me. I will be able to diagnose the problem after seeing the sample. Simple-natured Shriji did as he was asked to. Gangaram took the tumbler and standing in the courtyard drank its contents. Whatever was left in the tumbler was given to Dr.Hotichand who drank it.

Shriji kept asking repeatedly, “ What are you doing? What are you doing?” but it had no effect on both of them.

The two of them left quickly without saying a word after they had drunk the urine. Dr Sahab had told us later that ever since Gangaram had been in an enraptured state of joyous abandon for many days. He had implicit faith in Shriji and his feelings for Shriji had crossed all limits. Gangaram was a householder and had been staying in Vrindavan for some years. He had an intimate friendship with Dr. Hotichand. After some time he became detached from the world and took up sanyas  by renouncing the material world.

---

[1]     Asadh: month in the Hindu calendar that corresponds to June/July

[2]     Salasar Balaji:  is a place of religious importance for the devotees of Hanuman. It is located in the town of Salasar, Rajasthan. The temple of Balaji, another name of Hanuman, is situated in the middle of Salasar and attracts innumerable worshippers throughout the year.

[3]     Magha:  elevent month of the Hindu calendar, corresponds with January/February

[4]     Sattvik guna: goodness, one of the three constituents of nature

[5]     Thakur Govind Devji:The Hindu temple of Govind DevJi is situated in Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. It is located in the City Palace complex. The temple is dedicated to Govind DevJi (Lord Krishna). The image of the deity was brought here from Vrindavan  by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. According to a popular legend, Lord Krishna's image in the temple looks exactly like Krishna's form during his incarnation on Earth.