Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj (Shriji)
Shriji had hernia for the past one and a half years but the ailment had not been yet been rightly
diagnosed.
“ It is hernia and it will have to be operated upon,” the doctors ascertained when the pain increased due fluid filling the cavity.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Delhi)
Kamalaji, a resident of Kashmir, took Shriji to Delhi and had him shown at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The doctors working there advised an early surgery.
Chandigarh
However, on seeing Shriji's unwillingness Kamalaji took Shriji to Chandigarh. Shri Thakurji, Kusumji and Lalji Chadda were accompanying them. Her relative Shri Sahib Singh was a doctor there. He kept hernia belts in his medical store.
Shri Guru Nanak Dev
The doctor was a dedicated devotee of Guru Nanak Dev. He had not touched the feet of any saint till
then. But the instant he saw Shriji, he came forward and touched his feet with tears streaming down his cheeks. He took Shriji home
with great warmth and gave him a loving welcome. It was the first time he had come in contact with a saint. Greatly impressed by Shriji, he shut his shop for the whole day and remained by
his side. Taking the measurement of his waist Sahib Singh made a hernia belt for Shriji and gave him a packet of pills for diabetes. He vowed to distribute belts and pills free of charge to patients from
now onwards, and had them given by Maharajji's hands to those who were ailing. People were astonished to see him. The person who would never leave his shop for even a minute had forgotten everything and was roaming around with a saint. Later on Sahib Singh revealed that he had seen a reflection of Guru Nanakji in Shriji.
Ambala
Taking leave from the Doctor Sahab, as soon as Shri Maharajji came to the bus stand for going to Shri Vrindavan Dham he chanced upon Inspector Sharmaji. He took Shriji to Ambala with great insistence. Shriji stayed at the residence of Professor Rameshwar Prasad Gaur in this city. The Gaur couple began thanking their stars for this stroke of good luck.
The parikar [1] of Saint Ushaji, a renowned saint of Vrindavan, was
overjoyed on hearing of Shriji's arrival. Before proceeding with the narration it seems necessary to give some introduction of Shri Ushaji at this juncture.
Shri Ushaji, Lovable Saint of Vrindavan
Shri Ushaji
had come to Shri Vrindavan Dham in 1959. Born into a Bhatnagar family, her parents were delighted to see signs of innate religious devotion in Shri Ushaji, right from the age of five. They gave her full chance to develop and nurture her inborn religious bent of mind. Beautiful vigrahas, the idols, of Shri Radha-Krishna were being served and worshipped in their house for the past 100 years. She used to see her paternal grand-mother attending to their needs like offering them bhoga and decking them in the best of finery.
Blue-hued Krishna
The blue-hued
ineffably beautiful Krishna had taken control of her tender heart since childhood and did not allow her to be a part of this mundane world. As soon as she came of age Shri Ushaji took over the service of the Yugal Sarkar (Shri Radha-Krishna) from her old grandmother. Not only did she take over attending to the needs of the divine couple but surrendered her heart and life to them.
Shri Ushaji worked as a successful professor in Ambala after her post-graduation. She was often invited to religious conferences. Hearing her impressive speeches, highly learned brahmins and scholars were astonished. She was always a recipient of the saints' affection. Venerable Ushaji was endowed with an unprecedented poetic talent. She held her own special position in big gatherings of poets.
However, after coming to Vrindavan Shri Ushaji composed only devotional verses. At one end her padas (verses) were very savorous, sweet and loaded with poetic dignity and at the other end they carried the fragrance of self-experience. Impressed by her idealistic devotional persona, about fifty girls of schools and colleges decided to remain unmarried like her and tread on the path of religious devotion under her guidance. In this manner a very big following of highly educated students set out on the path of sadhana, on whom Shri Ushaji would keep control with strict and affectionate discipline.
Shri Vrindavan
Bhaktimati Usha Baheni (left) & Sushilaji
Sometime after Shri Ushaji's coming to Vrindavan Sushri[2] Sushilaji, a former colleague who had taught with her came, to Shri Dham. Staying by Ushaji's side she assisted her in serving Thakurji, lifelong. Shri Ushaji never touched the feet of a male saint and asked her followers to do the same. However, her adorable Thakurji once gave an order in her dream that revered Maharajji was a saint of the highest order therefore his feet should be touched. Then onwards she along with her parikar began touching Shriji's feet and had great regard for him. Shriji too had great affection for her. He would go to her residence to have darshan of her Thakurji and she would keep coming to see Shriji. Satsang or talk of spiritual matters would go on for hours together between them.
When saint Ushaji had an untimely nikunja pravesh and passed away Shriji said ,” Lightning has gone from our midst!
Truly, joy and agility would keep flashing from Shri Ushaji's frail petite frame. The seva of her Yugal Sarkar and the entire responsibility of her parikar has been sincerely taken up by Sheela Behanji and her favourite disciple Vijayji.
Shri Ushaji loved me as her own brother.
“ He is my twin brother!” she would exclaim whenever she introduced me to someone.
Ambala
Now I draw your attention to the main topic, once again. Shri Maharajji wished to be operated at
a place which was neither known to his inner circle of followers nor did he want anyone to be near him. He went alone to a couple of places and talked of the possibilities.
Finally he decided to have the surgery done in Ahmedabad, and readied Ranchhod Das of Dakor to attend to his needs. However, some devotee of Madhya Pradesh sent this information to Vrindavan. Hearing the news everyone was worried.
Dakor
Ghanshyamji immediately wrote a letter to Shriji,” What you have thought of is all right, but my only request is that if you have the slightest affinity with us, you will have the surgery done in my presence. Be it as you wish!”
Shri Ghanshyamji
On reading this letter Shriji deferred his decision.
And Ghanshyamji reached Dakor at once.
“ You have ruined my entire program,” Shriji complained to Ghanshyamji as he laughed.
Dakor
Shri Hiralal Gupta had seen Shri Maharajji at Seth Balkrishan Ganpat's place in Khargone. He was related to Guptaji. Shriji decided to have the surgery while staying at his residence. A saint's discerning eyes had recognised the dedicated devotion hidden in Shri Hiralal and he had instantly become a recipient of Shriji's grace.
He was Under Secretary Finance in Bhopal had earlier been Under Secretary Health. Therefore, he was well acquainted with senior doctors of the well known Hamidia Hospital. He had also been Private Secretary to the Maharaja of Barwani. After the surgery his entire family took complete refuge in Shriji.
Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal
17th December, 1968 was the day fixed to go to Bhopal and Shri Hiralalji was informed telegraphically. All close followers of Shri Maharajji went to Mathura Station to see him off. They were so very dejected because of the surgery but Shri ji cheerfully took
their leave. Leaving by Punjab Mail at 10 AM in the morning he reached Bhopal with Ghanshyamji. Taking the Finance Minister's car, Hiralalji was present at the station along with some affectionate devotees. He and his whole family were very delighted at Shriji's arrival.
Shri Deviji had asked Ghanshyamji that information about when the surgery was going to be done must be sent by telegram to them. She had also decided to reach Bhopal at the time of the operation. Ghanshyamji wrote that after giving injections for blood pressure and sugar to Shriji, Surgeon Dr. Kumar had gone to Madras for seven days. The surgery would be performed after his return.
Great Saint Shri Deviji, Venu Vinod Kunj Vrindavan
The date was not disclosed to anyone except Shri Hiralal. Without telling anyone Shriji quietly remained indoors in
Bhopal. Dr.Kumar performed the operation at 10 AM in the morning on 23rd December. The next day, a telegram was sent to Shri Vrindavan Dham that the surgery has been successfully performed today.
Nidhi Van, Vrindavan
Manohar Baba, Author of Charit Vaibhav
On inquiring it was found that the scene which Deviji had seen was absolutely true. Receiving the telegram, Manoramaji, Kusumji and I started for Bhopal by the morning train. We reached Bhopal at 10 o' clock in the night. Going to the hospital, we saw Shriji in the morning. He was cheerful. He first introduced us to Shri Hiralal and asked him to get tea served to us as soon as we reached. We saw that Guptaji's entire family was absorbed in serving Shriji with their wealth, body and soul. Ranjit Singh, a clerk of Guptaji was also dedicatedly attending to Shriji's needs.
Ghanshyamji told us there that during the surgery, he along with Hiralalji and his wife were standing outside the operation theatre. Tears were streaming down the cheeks of all three of them.
” Look! If anything happens to Shriji my life will pass away.” Guptaji cautioned Dr. Kumar.
Dr. Kumar was a friend of Hiralalji and he assured him that everything would be fine. Hernia had affected both sides of the body so the doctor wanted to operate with a gap of fifteen days.
” Do not be afraid! Operate on both the sides, simultaneously. I am assuring you nothing untoward will happen,” Shriji had directed the doctor.
Shriji was made to smell anesthetic vapors and surgery began. Hearts of the three people standing outside were palpitating with the sound of surgical instruments. Endowed with motherly emotions, Guptaji's wife was shedding tears due to extreme nervousness.
Once, when surgeon Kumar stepped out during the surgery, a weeping Hiralji caught hold of his feet and begged, “ Be careful, or else I will have a heart failure.”
The doctor consoled him. Both sides were successfully operated upon within an hour and forty-five minutes. Shriji was shifted to the surgical ward after the operation. He
opened his eyes after an hour and twenty minutes and said,
'Krishna-Krishna!' but he was not fully conscious.
“Tell me! How do you feel?” Surgeon Kumar asked him
“ I am absolutely fine.”
Smiling faintly, Shriji responded.
” He is very mischievous. He makes me dance, dances Himself and makes all the others dance,” these words were uttered from his mouth, unknowingly
Shriji
“ The operation has been performed. You must not move,” replied Shri Ghanshaymji.
Shriji had
been specially operated upon on a holiday. A minister of that place also wanted his brother to be operated upon before Shriji on that day.
Hoevever, being extremely sentimental and faithful Dr. Kumar asserted, “ No! Shri Maharajji will be operated upon first. Shriji is a minister for all times to come whereas he is a minister for a transient period ,”being extremely sentimental and faithful Dr. Kumar asserted.
Vrindavan Dham
One day after coming back to Shri Dham Shriji revealed, “ I say! I When I entered the operation theatre, I felt as if I had come to some mandir on seeing the cleanliness and decorative set up. The atmosphere of the theatre was very peaceful.
When nurses would step out from different rooms, one by one, it seemed as if Braj gopis were coming(Shriji's bhava or spiritual emotion
was in accordance with the Braj bhava[3].)Making signs, when the doctor would silently call out to each one of them in turns, it
seemed so strange. The ambiance appeared to be heavenly.”
Braj Gopis
People tremble with fear on
hearing the words 'hospital' and 'operation', but a saint was visualising his
own realm of bhavas and was lost in it. What greater proof can we get of
sainthood than this.
[3] Braj Bhava:
herein the aspirant is
withdrawing his mind from
all worldly objects and
desires and trying to
cultivate an ardent longing for Krishna. To
accept Parama Purusa Krishna
as his only goal in
life; to accept Him
as his sole object of
adoration and
thus experiencing
bliss in return.
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