Barwani, Madhya Pradesh
Venerable Shri Maharajji had not been able to visit Barwani for nearly the past three years. Constant insistence of the people of Barwani to call him went on escalating. Shriji had begun keeping quite unwell during this period. Members of his parikar or inner circle did not want him to undertake a long journey or go anywhere from Shri Dham. Everyone was apprehensive that much of travel could have an adverse effect on his health. Shriji was the very life of the close associates of his inner circle. Staying without him would certainly become intolerable for them. Shri Deviji would be very anguished and unhappy, in particular. Therefore, when Shriji had to go somewhere he would usually leave without telling a word to anyone. They would come to know later where he had gone and why. It was Shriji's mischievous nature to astonish his close followers, all of a sudden.
Shri Balkrishna Das ji Maharaj
Shriji was determined to go to Barwani but did not reveal this matter to anyone. On 16th June he went with Ghanshyamji for a morning walk like every other day. He had wrapped just a sheet around his kurta[1].Strolling he went to Kamalaji's house. Shri Thakurji had no inkling of what was going on in his mind. Instantly Shriji kept the proposal of going to Delhi and taking Shri Kamalaji's car he went there along with Ghanshyamji. He stayed at Lalji's place as usual and phoned Shri Dham that he would return in four to
five days after getting his health examination done.
Rajkot
When Shri Deviji rang up after a couple of days she came to know that Shriji had gone to Rajkot on 22nd June. He stayed there at Mannibhai's place for ten days. In fact, he had gone to Rajkot after a span of seventeen years. All devotees of that place had gathered to reap the benefit of his kirtan and satsang.
The Bhagwat Saptah of Shri Krishna Shankar Shastriji was going on in Rajkot in those days. He had been acquainted with Shriji for the past many years and held him in great esteem.
Shri Bhagwat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad
A huge Bhagwat Vidyapeeth had been built in Shastriji's ashram in Ahmedabad where students would study the Shrimad Bhagwat.
News of Shastriji's Bhagwat Saptah had been published in newspapers. Shriji read about it at Mannibhai's place and expressed his desire to attend the same. Shriji left in Natwarlal's car on 1st July.
Shrimad Bhagwat Katha
When he reached the site of the Katha it was the first day of the Shrimad Bhagwat Saptah. Shastriji was about to recite the mangalacharan when he became so overwhelmed with the joy of Shriji's presence that he became speechless. Respectfully folding his palms, he gazed adoringly at Shriji. Shastriji got a seat arranged for Shriji and made him sit on the stage itself. Besides asking about his health he got Shriji's local address noted. Soon after, he remarked that Shriji's advent on the very first day of the 'katha' was an auspicious beginning.
Shriji sat hearing the katha for a while and then returned to his place. As soon as the katha got over, Shastriji reached there and began insisting that he come along with him for having prasad or meals. However, Shriji expressed his inability to do so as he had a programme
fixed at some other place.
Shri Krishna Shankar
Shastriji explained, “I am tied down here due to the katha so I cannot take you
with me. However, you must vast the Sola Bhagwat Vidyapeeth at Ahmedabad Ashram
on your way back. Shriji agreed and accepted his request.
Shri Shashtriji got this
news prominently published in the daily newspapers of Rajkot: 'Shri Balkrishna
Dasji Maharaj, a great saint of Vrindavan, has come to the Bhagwat Saptah
Katha.'
Sola Bhagwat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad
While leaving Rajkot Shri
Maharajji went to see the Sola Bhagwat Vidyapeeth in Ahmedabad and stopped there for
a few hours. The workers of the Vidyapeeth gave him a very warm welcome. Mannibhai's brother Dheerajlal and his niece
Rukmaniji were also with Shriji at that time.
Shri Ranchhodraiji
Starting from there all of them
reached Dakor at 4 o'clock in the evening. The festival of Shri Rancchodraiji's
rath yatra was to be held the next day. The archaka or Hindu temple
priest had made special arrangements for Shriji to see the procession.
Shri Ranchhodraiji Temple, Dakor
A huge group of spectators
throng the place during this festival. Only Goswami boys draw the chariot of
Shri Ranchhodraiji. Arti is done from place to place and the vault of the sky
resounds with exultant cries of 'jai jai!'
Shriji stood up on seeing
this beautiful scene and proceeded towards the chariot. He became charged with
spiritual emotion on touching the chariot. Sattvik bhavas like romancha
or horrification, ashru or shedding of tears and kampa or tremors
were awakened in his body. Shri Ghanshyamji supported him with great
difficulty. Shriji became normal in a couple of hours and had food on coming
home.
Barwani
Shriji stayed in Dakor for
merely a day and reached Barwani on 2nd July.
Shri Nigam Sahab had had an
amazing change of heart during the continuous sankirtan which had been held for
ten and a half months. He left his body in great peace while remembering God in
1990.With the inspiration of Shriji his adopted son Shri Sushil Nigam had
organised a grand 'Bhagwat Saptah' for the welfare of his departed soul and
Shriji had visited Barwani for this reason. Shriji had sent Katha Vyas [1]Shri
Krishnamurariji from Shri Dham. The Bhagwat Saptah Katha started on 3rd July.
Shri Manohar Bhaiya (author of Charit Vaibhav)
Invitation cards had
reached us at Shri Dham on 2nd July. It had been several years since
I had gone to Madhya Pradesh. Its loving people were very insistent that I come
but I wanted to do so only in the presence of Maharajji. As soon as I got the
invitation letter I considered this opportunity to be perfect and reached
Barwani on 7th July.
Thousands of people had
come from every village to listen to the katha. Loving devotees had thronged
the place to have darshan of Shriji. Shri Sushil Babu along with his wife
listened to the katha in rapt attention. Moreover, they happily bore the burden
of all the incurred expenses. Arrangements for the boarding and lodging of
bhaktas had been made in a huge dharamshala named Tulsi Mandir.
Shri Laxminarainji who was
fond of devotedly serving others, was looking after all the arrangements with
expertise. Kailash Bhai, Moti Bhai, Purushottam Bhai and other reputed people
gave full support. All of them were working with this thought predominant in
their minds that this arrangement was not being done for some person but their
very own Maharajji. How could there possibly be any kind of shortcoming in Shri
Maharajji's work they felt.
A Grand Bhandara Was Held
The Shrimad Bhagwat Saptah
was concluded very joyfully and a huge bhandara [2]
was held for two thousand partakers after the Katha's conclusion.
Thereafter, a week long
non-stop sankirtan was immediately kept on behalf of Sushil Babu, ending with a
huge bhandara on its conclusion.
Shriji Was Garlanded
The festival of Guru
Purnima was also celebrated with joyous abandon during this period. Thousands
of people present there garlanded and worshipped Shriji at Motibhai's place,
which took about seven hours. Outside Shriji's room long queues of devotees
were lined up, right up to the road. All of them would come in turns and offer
their flowers of faith to him. Once again, a feast was held on behalf of
Motibhai on a large scale. Thus for a span of fifteen days Shri Maharajji made
everyone relish the rasa amrit of
religious devotion. When he was leaving all the devotees bade him farewell with
tears streaming down their cheeks.
Maheshwar
On his way back Shriji went
to my elder brother Shri Sakhya Hariji's place in Maheshwar for a few hours. He
went to Indore from there. Shri Balkrishna Seth of Khandwa insistently took
Shriji to his home town Khandwa. A non-stop sankirtan of 24 hours was held at
his house. In fact, the people of Khandwa wanted to arrange for a continuou
sankirtan lasting for seven days but
Jhulan Utsav, Vrindavan
Shriji had to reach Shri Vrindavan Dham
for the jhulan utsav (swing festivalof the Sawan[3]
month.) Therefore, promising to come back again he left for Bhopal. Shriji
stayed here at Shri Hiralalji's place for three days and bestowing the joy of
satsang and sankirtan to formerly acquainted devotees he reached Shri Dham on 7th
August.
[3] Sawan: is
a month of the
Hindu calendar. It is the
fifth month of the
Hindu year, beginning in
late July and ending
in the third week
of August.
Mannibhai's brother Dheerajlal and his niece Rukmaniji were also with Shriji at
that time. Starting from there all of them reached Dakor at 4 o'clock in the
evening. The festival of Shri Rancchodraiji's rath yatra was to be held the
next day. The archaka or Hindu temple priest had made special
arrangements for Shriji to see the procession.
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