Shri Jagannath Puri
The pilgrimage was undertaken in the year 1980. Shriji, Ghanshyamji and Kusumji had gone to Delhi. At Shri Lalji's insistence the programme to visit Shri Jagannath Puri was made all of a sudden.
Saint Shri Ushaji
Saint Shri Ushaji had been to Puri in 1975 along with her parikar and
this was the main reason of their going. I too had joined them in that pilgrimage. After having darshan of Shri Alaranathji[1] we had seen the large flat stone posited in the mandir’s courtyard. Twenty-eight marks had been imprinted on that shila which is said to have melted by the touch of Shriman Mahaprabhu Krishna Chaitanya's limbs due to the great anguish of his separation from Lord Jagannath. This had made a great impression on our hearts. On returning from the pilgrimage I had narrated this incident to Shriji in great detail. Ever since Shriji was very eager to behold that sacred stone slab. The episode is as follows:
Rath Yatra, Puri
During the utsav of Rath Yatra[2]
taken out in Puri, Shri Jagannathji suffers from indigestion because of excess of food offered to Him. His darshan closes for fifteen days
due to ill health. Jagannathji is treated in seclusion by digestive[3] powders administered to Him. When darshan of Lord Jagannath in the Mandir was closed for fifteen days, the anguish of not being able to see the Lord became unbearable for Shriman Mahaprabhu. Pained by the torture of separation he went to Alaranath which is
about forty miles away from Puri. There is a huge Vishnu Mandir there and the village has supposedly got its name Alaranath from the Mandir.
The Shila in Alarnath Temple
In his
tormented state of separation Shriman Maharpabhu came and lay down on the huge shila, a flat stone slab, which is six feet long, four feet wide and two feet high, and is kept in the mandir’s courtyard. Due to the heated touch of his body suffering from intense anguish, the stone slab melted at whichever portions the body came into contact with the slab.
Thus the marks of those very limbs got imprinted on it.
Calcutta
As scheduled, Shriji left for Puri, accompanied by Thakurji, Kusumji and Lalji along with his family. They stopped for a day at Shri Ramchandra Dammani's house in Calcutta and then went to Puri. Shri Dammaniji also accompanied them from Calcutta.
Shri Jagannath, Balabhadra & Subhadra
After bathing in the sea on the first day they had darshan of Shri Jagannathji.
Shri Tota Gopinathji
In the evening they had darshan of the Tota Gopinathji Deity[4], the samadhi of Haridas Thakur[5] and the bakula tree[6].
Mangal Arti
Next morning they went to have darshan of Shri Jagannathji's mangala[7]. The traditional system of seva is very emotional here. A big bronze mirror is placed in front of Shri Jagannathji at some distance and the reflection of
Lord Jagannathji begins gleaming in
it. A soft twig and tongue-cleaner are shown to Jagannathji with appropriate mudras as if He is brushing His teeth. Thereafter, along with chanting of Vedic Suktas, water mixed with camphor, amla, sandalpaste, milk and curd are poured on the reflection of the deities and it is considered as if they have taken their bath. All the bhaktas who have come for darshan are allowed to see this seva. Having seen this emotional system of seva, Shriji went into a bhava
stithi, a serious state of awakened spiritual consciousness for the entire day.
Ashtapadi, Gita Govinda
On the third day Shriji's group again went for darshan of Shri Jagannathji, early in the morning. The ashtapadi of 'Gita Govinda' were being sung melodiously at that time. Hearing them Shriji's body became tremulous-hair of his body stood on end, eyes became red and the body became lax. With a slow serious pace he entered the jagmohan of the temple. That is when he saw the line of sevakas carrying sea water in pots for bathing Shri Jagannathji, entering the temple, one after the other. Seeing this scene his state of religious rapture doubled and becoming slack he sat down in the jagmohan of the temple. Shriji's eyes were constantly shedding tears and he was trying to control his bhavas. Sitting near him Shri Ghanshyamji was taking care of Sriji and when he settled down somewhat after an hour, he slowly took Shriji to the place where he was staying. Even on reaching there Shriji kept lying down with eyes closed.
Shila at Alarnath Mandir
On the fourth day Shriji went to Alaranathji to behold the shila which had melted by the touch of Shriman Mahaprabhu's limbs. The instant he saw the stone slab Shriji's mood turned serious and becoming lax, he sat down there itself. Due to the surge of sattvik bhavas Shriji's condition became strange with tears constantly streaming down his cheeks, his body trembling, hair standing on end and the colour of his face changing. Shriji got up in that state of emotional ecstasy and touching every mark imprinted on the shila, he gazed at the imprints again and again, anointing them with his streaming tears. Who could have kept a track of time in that state?
Priest at Alarnath Temple
When the priest of the temple called out, “ Have darshan as the temple is about to close,” Shriji regained some normal consciousness.
Supporting him lightly Ghanshyamji took him to the mandir. Having darshan of Shri Alarnathji, Shriji left for Puri. He rested for a while at Gauri Kund on the way. Further on lilies were blossoming at Pandava Kund. Someone got him a few flowers from this cluster of lotuses and he was carried away by emotional ecstasy at their sight.
Navadwip Dham
Coming again to Calcutta from Puri Shriji left to visit Navadwip, the site of Shriman Mahaprabhu's lilas or divine pastimes. He had barely come out of the Navadweep Station and sat in the rickshaw when he jumped out of the rickshaw in a moment, and prostrated[8] in supplication to Navadweep Dham, applying the dust of that place on his body. Shriji entered the Dham in a state of serious spiritual emotion and all of them stayed in a bhajan ashram. Shriji did not sleep even for a moment at night as he was in
steeped in bhava stithi[9] ,a state of
awakened spiritual consciousness.
It was Purnima[10] next day. The instant he got up in the morning Shriji kept humming this line, “neem ke neche jhoola jhule sab koi kahe Nimai” which means “He swings under the neem tree so everyone calls him Nimai.'
The Neem Tree
After the morning bath Shriji urged Ghanshyamji, “ Come on, let's go and behold that Neem tree below which Shriman Mahaprabhu was born .”
Shri Vishnyupriya
The priest showed them the home of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the padukas[12] offered to Shri Vishnupriyaji. They went to the merciless river bank from where Shriman Mahaprabhu had jumped into the Ganges after secretly leaving home in the bitter cold at midnight, and swimming across had reached the opposite bank.
Shri Vishnupriya Merges with Mahaprabhu's Vigraha
Ultimately Shriji went to have darshan of that site where Shri Vishnupriyaji had merged with the vigraha[13] of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Having beheld this site Shriji went into a state of religious rapture and kept sitting in that state for hours together.
Calcutta
While returning Shriji again stayed in Calcutta for a day at Dammaniji's place. Shri Lalji went with his family to Delhi.
Banaras
Whereas Shriji came with Ghanshyamji and Kusumji to Banaras and stayed at the house of Shri Ram Onkarmal Pasari, brother of Shri Sitaramji, for three days. Here he saw the 250 year old samadhi of Shri Trailanga Swami [14]and the wooden four-legged seat on which Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa used to sit. They even had darshan of Shri Bindu Madhavji[15]. In this very temple, Shri Prakashanandji (Prabodhanandji) had taken the refuge of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Gita Vatika
Hearing of Shriji's unexpected arrival Shri Baba was very delighted and began exulting, “ Bhaiya[16]! Ganga itself has walked and come here.”
Makar Sankranti
Shri Radha Baba
Shri Baba's state of health deteriorated considerably on the fourth day. He was suffering from double pneumonia and kept lying almost unconscious for four days. There was no hope of his staying alive. The whole of Gita Vatika was distressed and in extreme sorrow. All the loving inmates would repeatedly come to Shriji and express their worry and ask him in a begging tone to save Baba's life.
“There is no need to worry as Baba will recover,”
consoling everyone in a serious voice, Shriji would say.
“Shri Baba's condition is very serious whereas you are assuring everyone that he will be fine?” Ghanshyamji would ask Shriji when all the people would leave.
Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj (Shriji)
“Shri Baba is bound to recover. God will protect our honour, for certain,” Shriji would reply soon after.
Every since Baba began to recuperate gradually and he was absolutely
fine in a few days’ time.
“ O Merciful One! You knew everything beforehand. That is the reason you came here from Puri,”Shri Baba remarked one day when Shri Maharajji was sitting with Shri Baba.
Vrindavan Dham
Shriji returned to Shri Dham Vrindavan After staying for a few days in Gita Vatika.
One fine day while sitting with his parikar Shri Radha Baba began talking about his ill health, “Bhaiya, I was going from this world for sure but a saint of Vrindavan stopped me. I will not reveal his name. “
[1] Alalanatha: Alalanatha
is also known as
Brahmagiri. It is about
forty miles from Jagannatha
Puri and is located on
the beach. There is
a temple of Jagannatha
there.
[2] Rath Yatra.
The Jagannath triad are usually
worshiped in the sanctum
of the temple at
Puri, but once during
the 44month of Asadha
(Rainy Season of June
or July), they are
brought out onto the
Bada Danda (main street
of Puri) and travel
(3 km) to the
Shri Gundicha Temple, in
huge chariots (ratha), allowing
the public to have
darśana (Holy view). This
festival is known as
Rath Yatra, meaning the
journey (yatra) of the
chariots (ratha)
[4] Tota Gopinath:
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ended His manifested
pastimes in Jagannatha Puri
by entering into the
knee of the Tota
Gopinatha Deity.
[5] Haridas Thakur:
About a quarter mile
from the Jagannatha temple,
walking towards the beach,
is Sidha Bakula, where
500 years ago, the
great saint Haridas Thakur
used to live and
chant the Hare Krishna
mantra 300,000 times a
day, and where Sri
Caitanya would visit him
[6] Bakula :Since
Haridas could not enter
the Jagannatha Temple, being from
a Muslim family, Lord
Caitanya took the stick
He had used as
His toothbrush and stuck it
in the ground. It
immediately grew into a
beautiful shade tree, under
which Haridas Thakur lived.
[7] Mangala: is
the morning ablution of
the deities just like
human beings, this includes
cleaning of the teeth;
scrapping of the tongue
of the deities and
thereafter giving them a
pleasant bath symbolically.
[9] Bhava stithi:
or awakening of spiritual consciousness is
a state of communion
with God. It is
related to the sub-conscious mind
(chitta). When one’s
spiritual emotion is awakened,
for that time one
transcends one’s usual
state of identification with
a worldly existence. The
awareness of one’s
own existence also reduces. Thus
in a state of
spiritual emotion one transcends
the little ‘i’ and
identifies with the big
‘I’. Spiritual emotion
gives us a spiritual
experience of Bliss (Ānand).
[11] Vishnupriyaji: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's second wife
was Srimati Vishnupriya who
bore separation of
the Lord throughout her
life because the Lord
took the order of
sannyasa (renounciation) at the age
of twenty-four, when Srimati Vishnupriya
was barely sixteen years
old."
[12] Padukas: the
sandals (padukas) that Sri Gauranga
Mahaprabhu used to wear
and Mother Vishnupriya used
to worship. They are
also still present in
the same temple…
[13] Shri vigraha:
After Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sanyas and
left for Puri, His
wife Srimati Vishnupriya began
to pine
in separation from her beloved.
Mahaprabhu himself gave her
a vigraha or form
of His own self
to comfort her .
This archa vigraha was
made of robust neem
wood with two palms
facing forward in a
gesture of embrace or
welcome. Vishnupriya began worshiping this
Thakurji in her hom
. Towards the end
of her life she
is said to have
merged into this very
Thakurji one morning after
her daily puja .When
the gates were opened
people found her pearl
nose bead hanging from
the nose of Gauranga
Mahaprabhu !
[14] Shri Tailanga
Swami: was a Hindu
yogi famed for his
spiritual powers who lived
in Varanasi, India.[ He is
regarded as a legendary
figure in Bengal, with
many stories told about
his yogic powers and
longevity. According to some accounts,
Trailanga Swami resided at
Varanasi between 1737-1887. He
is regarded by devotees
as an incarnation of
Shiva.
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