Chapter 36:Some Devotees of Ghansyam Das ji Surrender at Shriji's Feet

Shri Ghanshyam Das ji

The readers have already read  that when Shri Ghanshyam enacted the role of Thakurji (Lord Krishna) in the rasa lila he would reach the heights of elation and ecstasy. Enamoured by him, many people had become his devotees and had great faith in him. When Ghanshyamji took refuge in Shriji these bhaktas also came into the shelter of Shriji's feet in quick succession.

Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj

Shri Banwari Sharanji: Banwari Sharanji was the first one to come to Ganga Mandir. He had stayed at Sudama Kutir for a few years on coming to Shri Dham. Gradually he came into contact with Shriji and began being counted as one of his unique devotees. He would wake up at 2:30 AM every day, have a bath and sit down for chanting God's Name. This routine of Banwari Sharanji went on for years together. He could see with only one eye and cataract had developed in that eye. Because of the operation being unsuccessful he became surdas or blind. He chanted God's Name in joyous abandon even in this condition. Hailing from a Kshatriya family he had great self-respect. Besides, he never accepted dejection even in the worst of physical ailments. 

 He had a sharp receptive power so he had memorized hundreds of Sanskrit padas and shlokas. He would massage Shriji's feet, when Shriji rested after meals in the afternoon. Banwari Sharanji had been initiated into the Nimbarka Sect but he had implicit faith in Shriji. Shriji too had great affection for him and always took special care. He had once saved Banwariji's life.
 

One day Banwari Sharanji was coming after washing his hands from the water tank` in Venu Vinod Kunj when his feet stepped onto a stone coal. He slipped and fell down with a thud. Instantly his femur, the thigh bone, was fractured. 

 Ramakrishna Sewa Ashram, Vrindavan

 He had to be admitted to the Ramakrishna Sewa Ashram. The leg was in terrifying pain and he began having blood vomits the next day. Half a kilo of blood was lost in one bout of vomiting. These sort of vomits happened seven times in a span of two days. His body turned pale and the doctor's treatment brought no relief. There was no hope of his life being saved. That is when Ghanshyamji and I told Shriji of his extremely critical condition.

Hearing us out, Shri ji remarked, “ I want him to live for another couple of years and it would be better if he listened to satsang.”

We thought why should Banwari Sharanji leave his body in a dispensary. Taking Shriji's permission we went to get him and told Shakti Maharaj who was in charge of the dispensary, to discharge him. He asked us to take him home next day.

Making all the necessary arrangements we went to fetch him next morning.

“Amazingly the vomits have stopped without any medication. There seems to be some hope of his life. You all must take him to the T.B. Hospital,” the doctor exclaimed.

Thereafter, we took him to the T.B. Hospital. His leg was plastered and no other treatment was given. He returned to Venu Vinod Kunj after one and a half months and recovered gradually. In this manner, Banwari Sharanji got a new lease of life with the virtuous resolve of Shriji.

Shri Ramdasji: 

 

He had begun living in the ashram of an ascetic saint in Haridwar since the age of five. He hailed from Sindh. When Ghanshyamji would enact the role of Thakurji, the troupe would perform the 'Rasa' at his ashram. Seeing the 'Rasa' Ramdasji was passionately drawn to Shri Dham so he fled and came to Vrindavan. He had great faith in Ghanshyamji, as well. Ramdasji set up a shop at Van Khandi for making tin boxes to earn a living. Afterwards he began serving Shri Kokil Sain, a siddh saint who had been perfected and sancitified by penance. Serving saints was his natural trait. Motivated by Ghanshyamji he came under the sole protection of Shriji. He was thirty years of age at that time. He attended to the needs of Shriji for fifteen years.

 Madhya Pradesh

Shriji had once gone to Madhya Pradesh. His devotees had been celebrating Shri ji's birthday on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi (Shri Gita Jayanti) for the past several years. Devotees wrote a letter from the Dham to call Shriji for this occasion. On receiving the letter he got ready at once to leave for Vrindavan. However, the devotees of Khargone said that many  days were left for his birthday.

“No!. Only eight days are left,” replied Shriji.

Calendars and diaries were looked up. Everyone saw that merely eight days were left as Shriji had said. So they were compelled to bid him farewell. At this end a telegram of the Mahant of Satwela Ashram was received, asking Ramdasji to come to Katni. However, on getting a telegram that Shriji was coming to Shri Dham, Shri Ramdasji reached Mathura Station to receive Shriji, instead of going to Katni.

At the other end Shri Lalitji wanted to immediately take Shriji to her house in Delhi, because her brother Chakrapalji who had come from Africa had to go back soon. He had an overwhelming desire to see Shriji. Therefore, Lalitji also reached Mathura Station by car from Delhi. Shriji straightaway left for her house in Delhi along with her from the station. He took Shri Ramdasji also with him. On reaching home, Shri Ramdasji greedily began looking at the beautiful cup in which Shriji was served tea.

Shri ji instantly understood his intention and said,” Look! Do not end up asking for the cup.”

However, before leaving for Vrindavan he requested Lalitji for the new cup and stashed it away. Quietly he handed over the cup to Shri Deviji on reaching Vrindavan.

Shriji's birthday was approaching so Shri Deviji said,” We will serve tea to Shriji in this very cup on his birthday.” 

To celebrate Shriji's birthday Ramdasji even brought a bundle of candles and fireworks and stashed them.

On reaching Vrindavan they discovered that there were actually twenty days left for Gita Jayanti. This information was sent to Khargone. The bhaktas there were astonished as to how come everyone had misread the panchang or calendar. But another incident was attached to this event, which was known only to Shriji. 

 A Dog on the Banks of the Yamuna

Actually Ramdasji had been bitten by a dog in the early morning darkness while he was going to bathe in the Yamuna, in 1964. He did not come to know at that time that the dog was mad thus no special treatment was administered.

While still in Delhi, pain started in Ramdasji's arm where the dog had bitten him. He got fever as well on reaching the Dham and his physical condition became very worrisome. He was shown to Vaid Shravanlalji who said that the dog's poison had spread through his body and he would die in three days. Shriji got him admitted to a hospital and would go to see him every day.

Ramdasji would touch the feet of every devotee who would visit him and say,” Do not abandon me. Keep me in your parikar, the inner circle of associates.” 

I had gone to Ambala at that time. On getting a telegram I reached Vrindavan one day before Ramdasji's demise. He had great affection for me. On the third day that is 24.11.65 (Margshirsha Shukla Pratipada, Vikram Era 1922) he expired at 6 o'clock in the morning and was cremated at noon.  

Shri Santosh Bahenji

Seeing his painful condition, Saint Shri Santosh Behanji was very distressed.

Three hours after his cremation that is at 3 P.M. she had a dream in which someone told her, ”Why are you in distressed? Some sin was committed by him in life as a consequence of which he was to be born as a dog in the next birth, but he did a lot of service to saints and bhajan. That is why the due of his destiny was cleared up in three days time.

Shriji was very troubled by Ramdasji's pain and remarked, “Now his next birth will be in a good family and he will meet us again by joining our parikar or inner circle. I was not to come from Madhya Pradesh as yet but had to do so for his sake.”

Shrimad Bhagwat

Shriji had kept the Bhagwat Saptah or a week's reading of the 'Shrimad Bhagwat,' on a grand scale.

Two months after this tragic event, Shri Briji Gosain of Nandgaon, steeped in the sakha bhava of Lord Krishna, came to my hut in Shri Dham. When I informed him about Ramdasji leaving his body, he became silent and lay down.

Then he got up at once and prophesied, “ He will be born in some good family and he will get to meet you again after a few years. Shri Ramdasji had done bhajan in Shriji's cave in Nandgaon and in the bagicha of Nand Baba therefore Gosainji was very fond of him.

Shri Pramilalji Shukla:

 Kanpur

Behan[5] Pramilalji is a resident of Kanpur. She used to teach there and belonged to a prosperous family. She has two sons and a daughter. The pull of the Dham did not allow her to stay in Kanpur and taking her small children, she came to Vrindavan. She had to take up a teaching joy here too, for bringing them up. Despite bearing many difficulties she went on with her sadhana. Owing to Ghanshyamji, she  began having utmost faith and reverence for Shriji. Fulfilling her duties as a householder and retiring from government service she is living alone with dedicated devotion in Shri Dham.

Shri Sitaramji and Shri Goverdhandasji:

Banaras

Both these brothers were residents of Banaras and belonged to an affluent family. Their father had a flourishing business in Bombay but he had come to Varanasi later on. He was a wholesale trader of dry fruits here. Besides, he was a distant relative of saint Seth Jayadayal Goenka and Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar (Bhaiji.) Sitaramji had earlier been working with his brothers at their own shops but was interested in spiritual matters, right from the beginning.  

 Gita Press, Gorakhpur

So with the intent of seva he began working as a Chief Accountant on a meagre salary at Gita Press Gorakhpur, and thereafter at Gita Bhavan Swarag Ashram (Rishikesh) on Sethji's orders.  Eight accountants would work under him. He was very truthful and hard-working. Once on the insistence of other accountants Sethji gave an increment of two hundred rupees to everyone. When Sitaramji came to know of this he submitted his resignation letter. Sethji was astonished and assumed that probably he wanted a bigger increment in his salary because of being the Chief Accountant. He called Sitamramji and asked the reason for taking such a step.

“ I can’t do so much work to justify the salary which you already give me. Why have you increased it. This is precisely the  reason of my resignation,”Sitaramji replied politely.

Hearing this statement Sethji became teary-eyed and was deeply touched.

 “ Bhaiya[6] ! Our Gita Press is running on the strength of such true and self-sacrificing people! “he exclaimed.

 Rishikesh

After some time, he spent rest of the eight months in Vrindavan with whatever salary Sitaramji got by working for four months in Rishikesh and did bhajan. Some years down the line, he left the job of Gita Bhavan and settled down permanently in Vrindavan. He spent his life by getting an interest income from the wealth he had earned. Remaining unmarried throughout his life, Sitramji chanted the Name of God in Vrindavan and never stepped out of  Braj till the very end. He came into the sole refuge of Shriji through the medium of Ghanshyamji. The service of washing Shriji's clothes was done by him for years together.

Sitaram ji had come to Vrindavan in 1954. Being generally unwell for a month in 1966, he comfortably left his body in Vrindavan while chanting the Name of God.

Vrindavan Dham

Shri Goverdhandas was his elder brother. He lived a householder's life for some time, working at his own shop in Banaras. Due to his wife and only son dying a few years later he abandoned the material world, came to his brother in Shri Dham and began living here. He had great faith in Shriji and would constantly be absorbed in chanting God's Name. Shriji had equal affection for all but everyone assumed that Shri Maharajji loved him the most.

One fine day while sitting amongst the parikar, the inner circle of associates, Shriji intuitively  remarked, “ It has been many years since this parikar got together. Now, devotees will depart, one by one.”

Shri Goverdhandasji left his body and expired in the year 1986 in Shri Dham.

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[1]     Seth: was a title of greatness, generally prefixed to the name of big businessmen, money lenders or rich persons of town in South Asia

[2]     Pag ghungharu baandh meera nachi re: a bhajan by saint poet Mirabai

[3]     Vaisakha: April 21^st to 20^th May, second month of the year in Indian Calendar

[4]     Seva: service

[5]     Behan: sister, an affectionate mode of address

[6]     Bhaiya:brother, affectionate mode of address