The Festival of Dogs — Kukkurer Mahotsava

Jai Nitai!

The Festival of Dogs, or kukkurer mahotsava in Bengali, is perhaps the most famous lila of our Dada Mosai, Sri Sri Radharaman Charan Dev. The lila demonstrates faith in Krishna and faith in the words of the guru. Also, it shows how all living beings should be respected and to see that the Lord is in everything and everyone. Recently a couple of people have inquired about this lila and on this blog, you can read where B.V. Sadhu Maharaj’s grandfather Rajarshi Raja Raghunandan Prasad Singh of Mungher actually witnessed the event. So, here it is presented as written in The Life of Love.

THE FESTIVAL OF DOGS

One day when Babaji Mahashaya was returning from Mahaprabhu’s Temple performing kirtan with his party, a bitch came and joined the procession on the way. The sankirtan-party stopped at places and sang and then proceeded with redoubled vigor, singing the sankirtan with maddening peals. Every time the party stopped the bitch would pause till the party passed by and then she would roll and toss on the ground just as a devotee would do to bless his soul. She went on doing this, and followed the party to their destination, and then she found it in her heart to stay with them at their place. They called her Bhakti Ma (Mother Devotion), for she was no ordinary dog—she was never found falling out with the rest of her species as other dogs would, but always keeping company with the devotees and regularly attending the sankirtan at home and abroad wherever it was held.

Days went on, and Bhakti Ma was taken ill. She was wasting away day by day till one day it was felt she was going to shuffle off her mortal coil, and so the sankirtan was held in her hearing to pour down the Lord’s blessings on her de­parting soul. So she passed away with the Lord’s Name on her ears, and her body was thrown into the sacred stream of the Ganges—a departure, to be envied by saints with hopes of salvation in after life. The Chira Mahotsava was duly performed, as usual after the departure of a devotee, on the fourth day after her demise, and Babaji Mahashaya thought of giving an entertainment- service to the Vaishnavas for blessing her soul in the Land of Bliss.

This entertainment was accordingly held on the four­teenth day after her departure. Babaji Mahashaya said that some of her kin must be fed to complete the ceremony in the proper way. His attendants were struck dumb with surprise to hear this strange proposal from the lips of our Barha Babaji. For, whoever heard that dogs could be formally invited to dinner and made to act accordingly?

But there was one—our old friend Navadwip Das Babaji­ who had the nerve to believe in everything that fell from Babaji’s lips. He started up and said, “Well then, please let me know what I must do to see it done?” Babaji Mahashaya said, “Why, it is so simple. You should only prostrate yourself whenever you meet any of the dogs in the street and tell them with folded hands, ‘we humbly solicit the favour of your company along with your friends and relatives at the dinner service, to be held tomorrow in memory of our late lamented Bhakti Ma, at the premises of our gurudeva in the Barhal Ghat quarter of the city,’ and so it shall be done.”

Now, this is the usual form of invitation letters addressed to our human guests on such occasions, and we may readily guess at the incredible impropriety of this address to be deli­vered to dogs for similar purposes and the heavy responsibility of the man appointed to shoulder this mighty task. Navadwip was only too keenly conscious of the charge laid to his care, and he fell at his Babaji’s feet with tears in his eyes. He felt that it was something which he could never hope to accomplish by himself unaided by the mysterious powers on high, and Babaji Mahashaya slapped him on the back and let him go.

Navadwip was surcharged—he staggered—he reeled and tottered from side to side as he walked and one would have taken him for a drunkard or a madcap who met him in the way. But on close scrutiny one might have seen that he was absorbed—the figure of a saint of power to work miracles at his own sweet will. And so he went and took a round in the city, acting up to the biddings of his master, till it was night-fall, when he returned back to his lodging.

Next morning, preparations were going on for the proposed entertainment and Vaishnavas were summoned to join the festi­val, when news arrived that some of the leading Vaishnavas came to think that their prestige would be at stake if they would go and join a festival, where dogs were some of the invited guests. Barha Babaji went personally to the Barha Akhrah to settle the affair, but to no purpose. Some of them were inexorable, but the festival was held inspite of their stout resistance, and thousand others came to witness the strange performance.

Some of these guests had a shrewd suspicion that it would end in a farce after all, for evidently it was something impossible, which could never be brought about. Others had great confidence in the Babaji, and thought he could make impossible possible when he had a mind to do it. Then came Radheshyama Baba and all stood up and prostrated them­selves before this worshipful personage. He was affectionately disposed towards Babaji Mahashaya, and he began to take him to task for setting his hands to a task which could not on the face of it be accomplished at all. He also urged that he would be sorely aggrieved if the proposed entertainment of dogs would prove a failure, for he could not brook to hear Babaji Mahashaya belittled by anybody, although our Babaji himself might not take it to heart and laugh it away.

Babaji Mahashaya argued that God—they all agree to affirm—was omnipresent, present in dogs as well as in men, and so appeals made to God in the dogs must necessarily have the same effect as those made to God inherent in men. He prayed them to remember that God came out of a pillar and manifested Himself as Narasimha, when Prahlada appealed to Him to show Himself to his demon father Hiranyakashipu. So, as it is true that God is in all beings, by the same truth shall the dogs come and take their share in the proceedings of the day. He concluded by saying that it was their want of faith in the Lord that made them suspect the practicability of the whole thing.

The day wore on, and the assembly were just hoping to see their skeptical prophecies fulfilled, when be­hold! the dogs actually began to appear, one by one. Barha Babaji Mahashaya saw this, he started to his feet at once, he prostrated himself before his canine guests, and duly received them as he showed them to their seats on the royal road at the Barhal Ghat. There was great sensation amongst the people, and they gazed on one another in dumb surprise. The news spread, and thousand others came to witness the strange performance. 0 wonder! Is it possible that dogs would accept human invitation and come as guests in response to our human appeals! May be, they are come, only in expectation of the bits and crumbs thrown away on such occasions. But no, not one, two or four of them for the matter of that—they come in crowds, some fifty to sixty of them have already appeared on the scene! And what was more wonderful–dogs would quarrel, we know, they would fly at each other’s face whenever two dogs would meet—but no, these dogs came and sat down quietly side by side, as we men should do in our entertainment halls! It was something phenomenal indeed and men stood on both sides of the public road to notice the strange proceedings of the unheard of affair.

Babaji Mahashaya was transported beyond measure to find that his God sent His grace to show to the skeptical multitude what true faith could do even at the present age in the teeth of the gigantic disbelief so foolishly entertained in the Spirit and Spiritual truths. His eyes reddened with emo­tion as he threw the skirts of his clothes round his neck, and humbly beseeched his God in the dogs to issue orders for the dinner to be served. At this, all the dogs looked up to him at once, and he knew what they said, after which he instructed his men to supply his guests with the plantain-leaves, and serve them up with all the items of the entertainment rolled into a mass for their acceptance.

So, it was done, his biddings performed, the dogs were severally served with boluses on their leaf-plates on the royal road. Now, look here, wonder again! Dogs with edible matter before them, and they would not touch, they would not partake of food supplied to them! All the leaves were served one by one, and they sat upright, when Babaji Mahashaya spoke in a broken voice and with tears in his eyes, requesting them to begin.

At this time, a black dog came and sniffed at the leaves after which the dogs fell to their leaves. Cries of “Hari! Hari!” and “Ulu! Ulu!” were heard on all sides around and they verily seemed to rend the skies above. It was a scene of scenes enacted before the wondering multi­tude, and their exclamations and roars of applause echoed and re-echoed in all quarters of the city. The service ended, the dogs turned away from the leaves, and then an earthen pot filled with water was offered to each of them. They drank of the pots and sat still—bits were taken as mahaprasada from their leaves and water in a pot as a wash from off their feet—for they were Vaishnavas indeed, and no ordinary dogs, nay, they were God Himself invoked and in­carnated by the power of the mighty faith in the Omnipres­ence of God—and then Babaji Mahashaya again folded his hands and prostrated himself before them, asking them if they were satisfied, and requesting them to pardon any shortcom­ings on the part of his attendants and retire to their own places at their own sweet will. The dog-Vaishnavas then left the scene, one by one as they came, and Babaji Mahashaya in a paroxysm of transcendental joy rolled and tossed on the blessed leaves from one side to another again and again. The men scrambled for a morsel of the mahaprasada, and our Radhashyama Baba embraced him heartily as he blessed his darling with tearful eyes before he took leave to repair to his lodgings.

Babaji Mahashaya gathered the mahaprasada all in a lump, offered it to the departed spirit of Bhakti Ma and then par­took of it in high glee along with his attendants in the Ashram. It was about ten o’clock in the night, when it was per­ceived that a plateful of prasada was lying unnoticed, and Babaji Mahashaya coming to know this, asked his men to keep it intact, for it struck him one of his guests was yet to come and it was to be set apart for him in case he would turn up in the night. After a while Babaji Mahashaya was coming out of his bed-chamber when he found a red dog lying at the door of his room. The dog saw him and got up atonce, and cast significant glances as it looked up to him. He called Chaitanya, his mate in charge of the prasada, and asked him to serve prasada up to the guest at once. Chaitanya acted up to it, and Navadwip Das now coming up and looking at the newcomer exclaimed that verily it was the same dog he met first of all and the same whom he requested to convey the message to each and every one of the kinsfolk and bring them all to the scene of occur­rence. So now, they all saw why this particular guest was late, for he had to go about and send them up, before he himself could come to take his share of the entertainment.

Now, to whom is the credit due? Whose glory should we sing? Bhakti Ma or Babaji Mahashaya? The dog-Vaishnavas or Navadwip Das, whose fervent appeals brought them to the scene? Or God Himself and faith in God, which is at the root of this grand performance? Yes, of course, it is faith, and faith in God, which is to be cherished above everything else— faith, which would open fresh vistas for human understanding to comprehend the High God and His higher laws, whose operations would pass for miracles in the eyes of men—yes, faith, which is the source of all power and love and joy to which we are all entitled as children of immortal bliss—and faith, which would dispel all ignorance and bring us face to face with God, and Sweetness and Light and the Spirit of Love which is in Him and Him alone.

We would have more instances to show that this faith in our Babaji Mahashaya enabled him to cure many diseases, nay to stop great epidemics like the plague in Calcutta and cholera at Puri for the matter of that, and even invested him with the power of bringing men back from the horrid jaws of death to live in this world again. Such instances were only too frequent in the life-history of this great man. We would not enter here into these details, for the final triumph of faith lies not in these petty miracles to overpower the feeble men­tality of the world-wise busybodies of the work-a-day world, but in the fact that faith alone can bring to us all that we are hankering after in life. Faith alone can give us our Lord of Love, Who is the One Eternal Fountain of Bliss Profound, and we think we have seen enough of our Babaji Mahashaya by this time to get at this truth of truths to guide our destinies in the journey of life. May we all cherish this faith in the Lord in our heart of hearts, and may we all bask in the moony sunshine at the feet of our Lord of Love.

Sri Sakhi Ma ~ Her upbringing and the story of her vesh

Sri Sakhi Ma seated near her Dada Mosai (Radharaman Charan Dev)

I was speaking the other day with my gurubrother, Subrata Adhikary Ji. We were discussing the lila of Sri Lalita Sakhi Dasi (Sakhi Ma). I had posted a little bit of information and several photos related to her recently on my blog. The information is very commonly known among people who are at all familiar with her. I obtained that information from a biography on Radharaman Charan Dev titled, Carit Sudha, otherwise known as The Life of Love, which is the English translation done by O.B.L. Kapoor. The problem here is that Sakhi Ma wrote Carit Sudha, and as far as possible by her she tried to exclude herself from the events in the biography. She did this out of humility. So many of the lilas that Radharaman Charan Dev, who from here on will simply be referred to as Baba Mahashaya, performed featured Sakhi Ma as one of the main characters. Many are probably unaware of this, but she had a very strong personality. Both her and Baba Mahashaya were Simha rasi, in other words they were Leos according to their birth charts and had forceful, and outgoing personalities. Most could not stand up to Baba Mahashaya, but Sakhi Ma with her strong nature could and often did. While many of Baba Mahashaya’s sisyas would be afraid to speak in front of him, she had no fear whatsover. There was a great chemistry between them and their relationship was extremely sweet and loving, with so much intimacy and depth.

Sakhi Ma’s younger brother, Sri Dinesh Chandra Bhattacharya wrote a book titled, Sri Sri Lalita Sakhi in order to make her glories known and to portray her involvment in various lilas with Baba Mahashaya and his companions that Sakhi Ma herself purposefully left out of her own book. In this book one can learn a great deal more about the character and life of Sri Sakhi Ma. One of the lilas that Subrata Ji related to me from this book is how and when she first began to wear Sakhi-vesh and he also told me about the family in which she grew up, about her vast learning, and how she came to the feet of Baba Mahashaya and accepted him as her guru.

Sakhi Ma, was given the name Gopal Krishna, from his parents. He was born in 1873 in a family of highly advanced spiritual personalities. They were from the highest of Brahmin families and gave diksha and assumed the responsibility of thousands of disciples. During her time the traditional custom was that even the Prabhu Vamsh Goswamis were not allowed to sit and eat in the company of such Brahmins. Her eldest brother would frequently move from place to place to take care of his disciples and Gopal Krishna during childhood would stay at home and help take care of the family. Soon it became evident that Gopal Krishna possessed great intelligence and a flawless memory. He was trained and very learned in the Sad Darshanas or six schools of Indian philosophy, i.e, vaizeSika, nyaya, saGkhya, yoga, mImAMsA, and vedAnta. The school in which he studied Sanskrit gave him the title Vidyaratna.

During his childhood Gopal Krishna strictly practiced brahmacharya and yoga sadhana. He became advanced in yoga and began to seek a guru. He would leave home many times to seek a guru and to further his yoga studies, and his elder brother would send him money to survive on. He would go to many holy cities including Haridwar and Varanasi. Then one time he left home without informing anyone of his whereabouts. He was gone for a long time and eventually he went to Jagannath Puri. At first sight of Baba Mahashaya his heart was stolen and he took him into his fold. Baba Mahashaya then changed his name to Jaya Gopal.

I had written this earlier blog post about her receiving sakhi-vesh from Jagannath Dev, but that was not the whole story. The occasional or temporary donning of sakh-vesh was not uncommon at all during those times. On various special occasions or as inspired by Nitai Chand, Baba Mahashaya would dress in sakhi-vesh and dance in ecstasy before Radhakanta at Jhanjpitha Math and other places. It was common for Nityananda Vamsh Goswamis to put on sakhi-vesh while performing their puja or aroti. So for Jaya Gopal to receive the sakhi-vesh at Jagannath Mandir was not that unusual of an occurance, though certainly an instance of him receiving great kripa.

After that lila Jaya Gopal resumed his normal attire. In the book by Dinesh Chandra Bhattacharya we hear the story as told by Baba Mahashaya. On one occasion Baba Mahashaya decided to have a play performed on Braja-lila. He asked someone to write the play according to his wishes and to obtain all the necessary outfits, make-up, backdrops, etc. to produce the play. On the day of the play Baba Mahashaya first performed some astonishing kirtan that got everyone in such a spiritual frame of mind that they were easily able to enter into the mood of the character that they were to perform. Everyone got submerged in the bhav of the wonderful play and totally identified with their characters. The play went on for a long time and it got quite late and when it ended everyone took prasad and went to their rooms for rest.

The next morning everyone noticed that Jaya Gopal was missing. They searched for him and then came to realize that he was in his room, but not answering their calls. Someone informed Baba Mahashaya that Jaya Gopal was in his room still dressed in sakhi-vesh, crying many tears, and ignoring the calls of everyone. Everyone was anxious for Jaya Gopal’s welfare hoping that he was not unwell. Baba Mahashaya became angry because she was not obeying the Vaisnavas and so he went to her room thinking he would break down her door himself. When he pulled back his leg to get ready to kick the door, a miracle happened. He heard a voice in the sky saying, “Charan! Have you started thinking that you have become a big guru? You are not respecting your own disciple and the state she has already reached, by thinking I have not reached there, so how could she.” After hearing the voice Baba Mahashaya became very calm and happy. In a sweet voice he asked, “Jaya Gopal, will you please come out of your room?” Jaya Gopal opened her door and stood in front of Baba Mahashaya with folded hands while fully attired in her sakhi-vesh. Baba Mahashaya embraced her and told her, “Radharani has showered special mercy upon you so you should try to keep this bhav intact and permanent. Vesh alone will not do much until you have attained the proper bhav and behave like a gopi of Braja.” He gave her detailed instructions on how to maintain her bhav and then gave her the name Lalita Sakhi Dasi. People later referred to her simply and affectionately as Sakhi Ma or Sakhi Thakurani.

Later several people tried to copy her behavior, but they couldn’t maintain it for long. Only a couple of people come to my mind that were highly successful in their practices while adopting sakhi-vesh. Their names were Kusum Didi and Kisori Dasi. At some point I will include the story of Kishori Dasi on my blog.

Rajarshi Banamali Roy and Rajbari ~ Jagadbandhu and Radharaman Charan Dev

Rajarshi Banamali Roy

The great zamindar of Tarash in the district of Pabana, Sri Banamali Roy was born in 1863. Shortly after his birth, his mother and father gave him up in adoption to Raja Banavari Lala, the zamindar of Tarash, and they went to Brindavan to do bhajan. Banavari Lala died when Banamali Roy was only 17 years of age. The heavy responsibility of being the zamindar of Tarash rested on his shoulders. He was a good and kind landlord and he started to open hospitals and schools, and dug wells and did many other things to help the people under his care.

He received the samskars of a sadhu from his parents. At first he became attracted to the Brahma Samaj and their meditation on the formless absolute, but later he became a great Vaisnava by the influence of Prabhu Jagadbandhu Sundar. One day in Pabana he was traversing the highway in a royal fashion, riding upon a decorated elephant, and surrounded by guards and other attendants when he happened upon Prabhu Jagadbandhu performing kirtan and dancing among hundreds of devotees. Banamali Roy got off of his elephant, removed his shoes and joined in the kirtan. As if under a spell he was dancing and singing with his arms raised above his head. When the kirtan was finished he came to Jagadbandhu and offered his obeisance at his feet and asked him to visit him at his residence.

After hearing the kirtan of Jagadbandhu, an extreme change came over him. He felt the bliss of bhakti overwhelming his heart and attracting his mind. Jagadbandhu came to his house and stayed for several days and instructed him in the path of raganuga-bhakti. Now Banamali Roy’s heart turned towards Vinod-Vinodini. Previously Banamali Roy had no interest in serving the deities of his father, the Raja Banavari Lala. Banavari Lala’s life and soul was Vinod-Vinodini, but after his passing they were neglected because Banamali did not believe in the worship of Sri Murti. Please read the excellent blog post on the lila of Vinod-Vinodini written by my gurusister Bisakha Dasi for the entire story.

Jagadbandhu Prabhu first came to Brindavan in 1890 at the request of Banamali Roy. He stayed there for about 6 months mostly at the mandir of Vinod-Vinodini that Banamali established. Jagadbandhu travelled throughout India and reportedly even went to Paris between the years 1890-92 and then returned to Brindavan to stay with Banamali Roy. Banamali was elated to see the unspeakably charming appearance of Prabhu Bandhusundar again. All of the mahatmas of Brindavan were attracted to Prabhu. One day while standing before a tamarind tree, Jagadbandhu told Banamali that the tree was a great soul and that he would leave the body of the tree the next day at 1 p.m. Banamali arranged for Harinam Sankirtan to be sung for 24 hours around the tree as instructed by Jagadbandhu and at the time predicted the tree fell over and died. On another occasion Jagadbandhu saw the parents of a dead boy weeping bitterly at the cremation ground. Feeling compassion for the plight of the parents, Jagadbandhu said to the dead child, “Re lala, lala, lala” (Oh dear child, Oh dear child) and revived the boy. The boy then consoled his parents by explaining the transitory nature of the world and that nobody is related to anybody. Only God is permanent so you should worship the Lord with all your heart. After saying these words the boy again returned to the state of death.

Banamali Roy was a central figure among the community of Vaisnavas living in Braja. Many, many Vaisnava mahatmas graced his home with their presence, kirtan and Hari-katha. Banamali served the Vaisnavas and Brajabasis with his wealth. He built a hospital and opened a school for teaching bhakti-sastras and arranged for free lodging and free food for the students. He started a printing press where he printed the Srimad Bhagavatam with eight commentaries and other books as well, which were given for free to the sadhus and Vaisnavas. This was an extremely amazing time in Braja. There were many siddha-mahatmas living there during this period. Banamali Roy had the great good fortune of meeting and serving them and they showered their blessings upon him. Some of the more well known personalities were Sri Radhikanath Goswami, Sri Bijoy Krishna Goswami, Sri Gaurakishor Siromani, Sri Ramahari Das Babaji, Sri Krishnasundar Roy, Sri Jagadish Das Babaji, Sri Ramakrishna Pandit Baba and of course, Sri Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu. He also attained the association of my parat-para guru, Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev who spent a great deal of time with him and profusely showered his blessings upon him too. Rajarshi Banamali Roy established a mandir called Rajbari at Radhakund. Vinod-Vinodini used to stay there, but after some time they wanted to return to Brindavan. Two brothers came to stay at Rajbari and they each brought their own deities, Sri Sri Radha-Govindadev and Sri Sri Radha-Madana Gopal, who still reside there today. The samadhi of Sri Banamali Roy can be found behind the mandir. It is just steps away from Sri Shyam Kund. The pictures in this post were taken by me yesterday. I spoke with the pujari Sri Rasika Mohan Sharma and he told me a little of the history of Rajbari and Banamali Roy. He is also well known as an astrologer.

Entrance of Rajbari

Inside the mandir

Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and Sri Sri Radha-Madangopal

Portrait of Rajarshi Banamali Roy and Prabhu Jagadbandhu Sundar on the altar at Rajbari

The pujari Sri Rasika Mohan Sharma

The samadhi of Rajarshi Banamali Roy

Another view of the samadhi of Banamali Roy

In The Life of Love (Carit Sudha) some of the interaction of Radharaman Charan Dev with Banamali Roy is described in the following chapters:

TALKS AND REJOICINGS IN RADHAKUNDA

One day Sri Kamini Kumara Ghosh, the manager of Rajrshi Banamali Raibahadur came to Baba Mahashaya and said, “I have come to invite you on behalf of Sriyuta Banamali Babu to his house in Radhakunda on the occasion of Gopashtami , when his Thakura, Vinoda and Vinodini will go into the forest to celebrate Gopashtami. Baba Mahashaya said, “I will be too happy to go and have the darshan of Radhakunda, Shyamakunda, Vinoda-Vinodini  and Their devo­tee Rajarshi Banamali Babu.”

The next day Baba Mahashaya started for Radhakunda with his companions. When Banamali Babu was informed that Baba Mahashaya had reached Manasi Ganga, he went forward with Haricharan Das Babaji, Rasika Das Babaji, Vishnu Das Babaji, Nityananda Das Babaji and a number of other ma­hatmas to receive them in a garden, half way between Kusum­sarovara and Radhakunda. From the garden he brought them to Radhakunda and, after they had made obeisance to Radhakunda and Shyamakunda, to the Temple of Vinoda and Vinodini in his house. Baba Mahashaya kept looking at Their beautiful faces for some time and then started singing songs in Their praise. Tears flowed from his eyes and sattvika-bhavas appeared all over his body. After sometime he controlled his bhava and at the insistence of Banamali Babu sat down to take shital-bhoga with others. Baba Mahashaya first put a morsel of the shital-bhoga into the mouth of Haricharan Das Babaji. Haricharan Das Babaji put a morsel from his pattal (leaf-plate) into the mouth of Baba Mahashaya. In this way Baba Mahashaya fed a morsel to everyone and everyone fed a morsel to him. Everyone was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy mixed with love, he had never experienced before. Baba Mahashaya was by nature ever so joyful and mirthful, so loving and lovable that by his every single act, he seemed to disseminate joy and love and win the hearts of people he met.

Rajarshi Banamali Raibahadur had arranged for the stay of Baba Mahashaya and his companions in the Madanamohana Temple and for their mahaprasad at his own place. So, they went and stayed in Madanamohana Temple. The next morn­ing Baba Mahashaya asked his companions to bathe in the Radhakunda three times every day and also to circumambulate Radhakunda and Shyamakunda and prostrate before the kuti of each mahatma living on the bank of the kunda.’

At about 7:30 a.m. Rajarshi came and said, “Today is Gopashtami. Vinoda-Vinodini will go to the garden between Radhakunda and Kusum-sarovara to celebrate the occasion. I have come to request you kindly to accompany Them.”

Baba Mahashaya was happy to hear this. After sometime he reached Rajarshi’s Rajbari (palace), where Ramahari Das Babaji, Madhava Das Babaji, Haricharan Das Babaji, Rasika Das Babaji and others were waiting for him. As soon as he reached there they stood up and took him and his companions to a room adjoining the Temple of Vinodaji. Since all of them did lila-smarana, they started talking about the lila. They requested Baba Mahashaya to say something about lila. Baba Mahashaya said, “Baba, what can I say about lila? Let me see if by your blessings Yogamaya Devi inspires some lila in my heart.” As he said this he was overwhelmed with bhava and, as if possessed by Yogamaya, began to narrate an amorous lila of Radha-Krishna slowly in a manner, which showed that he actually saw the lila as he described it. Tears flowed from his eyes and sattvika-bhavas appeared all over his body. Everybody heard like one bound by a spell. Everyone lost outward consciousness and seemed to enjoy the lila as he had never enjoyed it before. As the talk was going on someone came and said, “Bhoga has been offered. Mahaprasad is ready.” Rajarshi said, “Baba, we have to go for mahaprasad.” Baba Mahashaya clapped happily and said, “I am ready, I love mahaprasad as I do not love anything else. It is on account of my love and lobha for mahaprasad that I live in Puri and call Jagannath Dev ‘Baba.’ It is the same lobha that has brought me here. Let us go. I go ahead.” Ramahari Das Babaji said, “Baba, I am your uncle. My lobha is greater. I must go ahead of you.”

RAJARSHI BANAMALI ROY’S VISIT TO PURI

One day Baba Mahashaya received a letter from Shyama Das Babaji. The purport of the letter was as follows:

“Vrindavan is at present suffering from the scourge of plague. Many Vrajavasis are running away from Vrindavan and Govardhana and coming to Kusum-sarovara, which is so far free from the epidemic. Banamali Babu has shifted to Calcutta with Vinoda-Vinodini and his family. Sripada Radhakanat Goswami, Haricharan Das Babaj i, Nityananda Das Babaji, Rasika Das Babaji etc., have all gone with him. Kindly let me know what I should do.”

Baba Mahashaya could not remain calm, when he came to know about the suffering of the Vrajavasis. He burst into tears. After some time he wrote to Shyama Das Baba as follows:

“Jai Nitai-Gaura!

Brother Shyama Das, I received your letter. The plague should be taken as Radharani’s device for testing the faith of the people in Vraja. She wants to know whether they are attached more to Vraja or to their body. Whatever happens you should not leave Vraja. You only do trisandhya-kirtan with the Vrajavasis and rest assured that plague will not touch you. If possible try to come to Puri before Ratha­Yatra.”

A few days before Ratha-Yatra Shyama Das, Pandit Haricharan Das and Nityananda Das came to Puri and stayed with Baba Mahashaya in the Math. Soon after a letter was received from Banamali Roy Bahadur saying that he would reach Puri with Vinoda-Vinodini and his family before Ratha­Yatra. This was followed by a telegram from Kamini Babu to Pandit Haricharan Das asking him to arrange for a suitable accommodation for Rajarshi at Puri. Haricharan Das started his search for a suitable accommodation, but could not find any. In utter helplessness he requested Baba Mahashaya to help. Baba Mahashaya said, “You need not worry. So many Raja-Maharajas come to Puri. They are all accommodated somehow somewhere. Jagannath does not turn anyone away. Let Rajarshi come. We shall see what can be done. It is also possible that he may stay in the Math and may not like to go anywhere else.”

Another telegram came next morning saying that Rajarshi Banamali Babu was reaching Puri next morning. Pandit Haricharan Baba went to Baba Mahashaya in a flurry and said, “Look here! Rajarshi is coming tomorrow morning and you have not done anything to accommodate him.”

Baba Mahashaya said, “Why are you so much worried? It is not so easy for big men like him to move out. It is likely that you get another telegram saying that Rajarshi has stomach­ache, which prevents him from starting today.”

Panditji: That is not possible, because they have pur­chased tickets.

Babaji: There is nothing that is not possible.

At five o’clock in the evening Panditj i received another telegram. He read it and was stunned. He remained standing still for some time. Then he rushed to Baba Mahashaya and fell at his feet. He said, “Baba! Forgive me for blaming you for your indifference with regard to Banamali Babu’s visit.”

Babaji: Why? What has happened? Whose telegram is that?

Panditji: Kamini Babu’s.

Babaji: Read.

Panditji: You know it already.

Babaji: Shyama Das, you read.

Shyama Das began to read: “All of a sudden Rajarshi has developed severe stomachache. So we are not leaving today.”

This was followed by another telegram saying, “We have started today.” They arrived next morning. As soon as they reached Jhanjapita Math and went to Baba Mahashaya’s room, Rajarshi and his wife said, after making obeisance to him, “Baba, we shall stay in this room and not go anywhere else.”

Lalita Sakhi Dasi: This room is too small and not properly ventilated. How will you live in it?

Banamali: I have not come here for Jagannath darshan or any other purpose. My purpose is to enjoy the company of Baba Mahashaya to my heart’s content.

Then no one could say anything. Baba Mahashaya asked Lalita Dasi to vacate the room for them and shift his own things elsewhere.

Banamali Babu suffered from dyspepsia. He could hardly digest even old rice bound in a piece of cloth and boiled in half litre of water. Therefore someone asked Baba Mahashaya in his presence about arrangement to be made regarding his food. Baba Mahashaya replied, “No special arrangement. Since he is now an Ashram-vasi he will eat whatever is prepared in the Ashram with the other Ashramites after all other Vaishnavas have been fed.” Then he said to Banamali Babu, “Look, as long as you live in the Ashram, you will not spend a single paisa of your own.”

Banamali Babu said, “Baba, I shall abide by your wish, for am I not your own?”

Since Ratha-Yatra was near, a large number of people had come from outside and were staying in the Math. Everyday food had to be cooked for about two hundred and fifty people. Cooking took a lot of time and by the time the Vaishnavas had eaten it used to be 3 p.m. At that time Baba Mahashaya sat down to eat with Banamali Babu and the Babaj is. It is surprising that though Banamali Babu was accustomed neither to the time of the meal nor the variety of things he had to eat, he digested everything well and his health was sound as long as he stayed in the Ashram.

Ratha-Yatra arrived and the usual ceremonies began. Baba Mahashaya’s kirtans in front of the ratha were, as usual, the greatest attraction of the occasion. This time the participation of Rajarshi Banamali Roy and his Babaji companions in the kirtans added an additional charm to it. For them, however, the company of Baba Mahashaya was more important than any­thing else. They spent all their time with him either in kirtan or in conversation, in which his repartees were not only enjoyable but enlightening and inspiring. During the conver­sation they got an opportunity to ask him questions regarding some of the most knotty problems, which defied their un­derstanding, and invariably got a satisfactory answer.

Disappearance Day of Sri Sakhi Ma & Sri Sripad Ramdas Babaji Maharaj

Today is the 63^rd tirobhav of Paramaradhya Sriyukta Lalitadasi Sakhi Ma & the 56^th tirobhav of Paramaradhya Sri Gurudev Namacharya 108 Sri Sripad Ramdas Babaji Maharaj. Festivals are being held at Samaj Bari and Path Bari Ashrams, with sucak kirtan being performed, nagar-sankirtan, and grand feasts being served.

My beloved Sakhi Thakurani and my beloved param-gurudev Sripad Babaji Maharaj are such prominent and important personalities in my life, so on this sacred day I feel the need to write something about them. Their glories are beyond the reach of mere words. It is impossible for me to properly glorify them or describe their divine characteristics. So in my own simple way I will just present a small glimpse into their lives and activities, hoping that it will bring pleasure to my Vaisnava readers.

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Sri Lalita Sakhi Dasi (Sakhi Ma)

Lalita Sakhi Dasi was always engaged in seva. She had taken up the task of cooking for Thakurji and serving in the ashram, but dearer than anything else to her, was the service of her gurudev, Sri Radharaman Charan Dev. Externally, she was always engaged in service, but internally her bhava was that of a sakhi of Braja. She imagined that the ashram was the kunja of Radharani and all the Vaisnavas in the ashram were Radha’s sakhis.

Lalita Sakhi Dasi was born Sri Gopal Krishna. Later when he attained the sanga of Radharaman Charan Das Dev Babaji Maharaj in Puri, the young boy known as Gopal was given the name Jayagopal by Baba who accepted him as one of his own.

One day Madhava Pasupalaka, the sringari panda of Jagannathji came to visit Baba and gave him the carana tulasi of Jagannath and His prasadi mala. At that time Jayagopal was standing behind Baba and was fanning him. Madhava Pasupalaka said, “Baba, when I see this boy and some of his companions dancing before Jagannath they appear to me like the sakhis of Braj. You will be surprised to know one day when I was offering dhupa to Jagannath, I actually saw them wearing gaghra like the sakhis of Braj! I said to myself, ‘Perhaps Baba has made them put on the sakhi vesh today. Oh! How beautiful they look.’ Exactly when I was lost in that thought, the mala worn by Jagannathji slipped and fell down…I thought that had some special significance. So I brought it to you, and you gave it to this boy. That day I did not reveal that to you. Today prompted by Jagannath I have specially come to tell you.”

Baba said, “You are a favorite of Jagannath, and you can make the impossible possible. Kindly bless him that he may realize the bhava he covets. Baba gestured to Jayagopal who then went and offered his dandabat before the sringari panda who then placed his hand on Jayagopal’s head and said, “May Jagannath bless you.” As if a step of the immediate fulfilment of the wish and blessings of Jagannath received through the panda, Baba performed a lila. He asked Kunja Babu to sing a kirtan pada relating to Radhaji’s standing on the flat roof of Tungamani mandir to see Krishna going to the forest. Jayagopal placed the Sri Murti of Radhika on a cauki. With every change of bhav in the kirtan, he changed the dress, position, and movement of the Murti to assist in the visualization of Their gostha-lila.

When the kirtan described Radha and Krishna in Radhakunda, he made Radhaji sit by the side of Krishna. He stood behind Them and started to fan Them. Radhagovinda, Kishorigopal, and four or five others began dancing in front of the Murtis. Baba Mahasaya then began a kirtan describing the beauty and glories of Radhakunda. Everyone danced and sang in ecstacy, except for Jayagopal who was then weeping constantly.

Tears fell incessantly from his eyes. Suddenly he fell unconscious. At this time Baba Mahasaya came dancing near him and uttered a mantra in his ear. He got up, flung one corner of his cadara over his head and went and sat in the corner of the temple sobbing and weeping. Just then a man came holding a sari and said, “Jagannath sitting in my heart told me that one of you needs a sari, so I have brought it, who will wear it?” Navadwip Baba made Baba Mahasaya wear the sari. The situation aroused sakhi bhav in his mind and he began to dance like one possessed by a sakhi of Braj! Tears of love constantly streamed from his eyes and the sattvika bhavs appeared on his body. Others caught this emotional current emanating from him and they too began to dance and sing under the spell of this bhava.

After about an hour, Baba came to his own. He then gave the sari to Navadwip Baba and whispered something in his ear. Navadwip Baba then made Jayagopal wear the sari. After Jayagopal was dressed in sari, Navadwip Baba brought him near Baba Mahasaya. Baba said, “Radharani has–out of Her infinite kindness–bestowed this sublimest and sweetest bhav upon you. Retain it carefully and be happy. Vesa alone will not do any good. You have to live according to this bhav in thought, word, and deed. In this sakhi bhav don’t even once think of your own happiness. You will have to convert this bhav into your svabhav, you will have to make it completely your own, your natural disposition. The best way to do this is to constantly do the seva of Radha Krishna according to this bhav.

Navadwip Baba said, “What should we name him?”
Baba said, “What do you propose?”
Navadwip Baba said, “I wish that henceforth he be called Lalita Sakhi Dasi.”

She was a greatly learned scholar and many big pandits of Nabadwip would come to her with questions on sastra. It was seen that Radha and Krishna would be personally present when she gave Bhagavat-path. She used to love to celebrate Jhulan, Ras, and Holi lilas with great eclat and bhava. She wrote several wonderful kirtans herself which are sung to this day. She also was responsible for the writing of The Life of Love, the biography of Radharaman Charan Das Dev. She also wrote commentaries on Sri Surat Kathamrita and Sangita Madhava and had them published.

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Sri Sripad Ramdas Babaji Maharaj

Now, I will tell something about the disappearance of Sripad Ramdas Babaji Maharaj. It is intimately connected with the departure of Sakhi Ma. Inspite of illness during 1945-46 Babaji Maharaj tried his level best to perform all his duties. Babaji Maharaj was in Sri Khanda on November 18, 1946, when Sakhi Thakurani who was staying in Radharaman Bagh of Samaj Bari left to enter the nitya-lila. She did this quietly without revealing her intentions to anyone. It happened so suddenly that even Babaji Maharaj himself could not forsee the event. Babaji Maharaj commented to Basu Dada that his whole life’s deliberation became topsy-turvy because of the departure of Sakhi Ma.

The first Viraha Mahotsav of Sakhi Ma was held on December 5, 1946. After that Babaji Maharaj spend a lot of time in Orissa during 1947-48 to fulfill particular duties, but it was evident that the loss of Sakhi Ma was becoming increasingly difficult to bear. The lonliness took him to places deep in his thoughts. Travelling from village to village performing sankirtan and holding festivals went on from 1948-1953. During 1953 the 100^th year advent of Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev too place. The sucack kirtan of Narahari Sarkar Thakur was solemnized at Sri Path Bari Ashram on December 3, 1953. The loss of separation and the eagerness to meet was so aptly depicted in the kirtan that words could not describe it.

His mixed feelings were thus: When you held my hand in the form of Sri Guru, I have nothing more to expect. Nam and Namdatta are not separate.

Tie me up in your bonds of love. I have come to be tied by you.

There is no distinction between Nam, Nami, and Namdatta.

The lila vividly depicts itself whenever there is lila prasanga. That day Babaji Maharaj was uncontrollable as he continued to gift gems of his wisdom to all that were present. The atmosphere was electric. He ended the sucak kirtan by emphasizing that Nam and Namdatta are one and inseparable. Hence, we should chant Nam with utmost sincerity.

On December 4, 1953, Babaji Maharaj ended the day like any other day and went to take his rest. At about 2:30 A.M. he woke up and sat on his bed and called his sevak. He said, “No more this time—Didi (Sakhi Ma) is calling me—Didi is calling me–I have to go. Call everybody here and bring my Thakur here.”

He took bath and after finishing his necessary chores he returned to his room and paid his respects to all the photographs in his room. He sat on a chair and said, “All is gone! All of you chant Nam!” Then in a deep-throated voice he called out, “Bandhusundar! Bandhusundar! Radharaman! Radharaman!” He then said, “Let me sing on the floor.” He got down from his chair and started chanting:

“(Bhaja) Nitai Gaura Radhey Shyam ~ (Japa) Hare Krishna Hare Ram”

Tears were shooting from his eyes as if from a mechanical pump. Everyone joined in the chanting. In the meantime the photos he worshipped daily of his Sri Gurudeva and Nitai Gaura were brought from the Mandir. Babaji Maharaj gazed at Them in a reverie. Then in a booming voice, as if the essence of his whole life’s quest and it’s divine answer sprang out from his within and burst into, “Jaya Nityananda Ram!” which shook the entire ashram. The chanting continued. Babaji Maharaj was chanting, but gradually his eyes began to close and he became motionless, and entered into the realm of Sri Nam.

Sri Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika

Narottam Das Thakur

Once a high ranking government official (Judge) stayed in Ambika Kalna in West Bengal for a few days to perform some duties. At that time Siddha Sri Bhagavan das Babaji Maharaja was still manifest in this world. Having heard about Siddha Baba’s glories from the local residents, the judge went at once to see him. When Siddha Baba saw him coming he asked why he had come, and the judge said,  “Baba! Tell me how to prema bhakti can be achieved!”

Siddha Baba immediately said, “Prema bhakti can be purchased for only two anas (a very small amount of money in colonial India at that time)!”

When the judge heard these words of Siddha Baba he was a little shaken and said, “Baba! Why are you joking with me?”

Siddha Baba replied with determination, “It’s not a joke– for two anas you can buy Srila Narottama Thakura Mahasaya’s Prema Bhakti Candrika in Calcutta’s Bata-tala. Always read this and you will attain prema bhakti.”

This is actually a true story.  And the judge completely took the words of Siddha Baba seriously and purchased a copy of Prema Bhakti Candrika. By the strength of Siddha Baba’s order and because of his service to Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika which he constantly recited, he had a complete change of heart. The judge lost all interest in his job and began to stay at home reading Prema Bhakti Candrika with love and attachment. Because he gave up his job his so-called family members lost interest in him and he also became disinterested in them and his home. He began to wander and beg alms to feed himself all the while lovingly reading Prema Bhakti Candrika and offering everything to Sri Krishna. Everyone thought he was insane because of his sudden and drastic change of behavior, but he actually became siddha himself and achieved Krishna-prema through the recitation of Prema Bhakti Candrika on the order of Siddha Bhagavan Das Babaji.

Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev questioned his guru, Nityananda Vamsh Prabhupad Yogendranath Goswami about the sastras. His guru told him that of all the sastras four are sufficient for acheiving the goal of Krishna-prema and Prema Bhakti Candrika was one of the four books on the list. The very first shloka I ever heard from the lips of my gurudeva was from Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika. He had just given me diksha and was explaining to me the immense power of chanting  (Bhaja) Nitai Gaura Radhey Shyam (Japa) Hare Krishna Hare Ram and told me that I would experience many wonders while chanting it and I should keep those wonders to myself. It’s easy to guess which verse he quoted:

Apana bhajana kathA, nA kohibo yathA tathA
ihAte hoibo sAvadhAna (119)

“I will be cautious and not reveal my bhajana realisations here and there. ”

Among the many teachings and recommendations of Sri Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu he advised the one should put the entire Prema Bhakti Candrika to memory. That is how precious he found the teachings of Thakur Mahasaya to be.

So the importance of Sri Sri Prema Bhakti Candrika cannot be overestimated. In fact, some very good arguments can be made that this is the single most valuable grantha for the sadhakas of the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition.

The painting of Sri Thakur Mahasay came from Sripat Gambhila. This is the birthplace of his dear disciple Sri Ganganarayan Chakravarty. Gambhila is also the place where Thakur Mahasay ended his manifest lila while entering the Ganges.

narottama boDo duHkI, nAtha! more koro sukhI,
tomAra bhajana saGkIrtane
antarAya nAhi yAy, ei to parama bhaya,
nivedana kori anukSaNa (39)

“Narottama is greatly unhappy. O Natha! Make me happy by allowing me to perform bhajan and do sankirtan of your Names! The greatest fear I have is that my bad habits and material attachments will not leave me, so I pray to You at every moment for your mercy.”

The image of Sri Narottam Das Thakur was the courtesy of Nityananda Janmasthan from Dhimahi 2007

Prabhu Sri Sri Jagadbandhu Sundar Dashashraya

Jai Nitai!

Prabhu Jagadbandhu Sundar

Vaisnava carane dandabat! Today is the day when Sri Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu entered Trayodash Dasha, a state that resembles death and he has remained in this state since 1921. Bandusundar Prabhu is our gurudeva, not through the line of diksha, but he is our dear gurudeva and protector/guardian due to our connection to him through our param-gurudeva, Sripad Ramdas Babaji. They were childhood friends and Bandhusundar was his gurudeva and taught him the way of sadhan/bhajan of Braja-lila. Later on by the instruction of Prabhu Bandhusundar, Sripad Ramdas Babaji took full shelter of and received diksha from Sri Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev and became one of his foremost disciples. Before the departure of Radharaman Charan Dev he handed his karatals to Ramdas Babaji and told him, ” My bhajan is finished for this life.” He gave him the primary responsibility of giving diksha and leading his mission. When Sripad Ramdas Babaji was preparing to depart ( a beautiful story which I will post in the future) he uttered in a deep-throated voice, ” Bandhusundar! Bandusundar! Radharaman! Radharaman!” and began chanting “(Bhaja) Nitai Gaura Radhey Shyam (Japa) Hare Krishna Hare Ram,” and with copious amounts of tears literally shooting straight from his eyes he departed right before Nitai Gaura and the assembled Vaisnavas.

 

The altar at Bandhusundar Kunja located in Brindavan

Unfortunately, due to time constraints I am unable to make a lengthy and substantially informative post about this event today, but will include much more information of Sri Sri Bandhusundar Prabhu in the future. For now I will post a couple of brief stories to at least provide a general picture of the event.

Prabhu in Trayodash Dashasraya

Trayodash-Dasha
(a state of static-dynamic existence of self-enjoyment by an avatar)

It was Aswin 1, 1328, of the Bengali year (1921 A.D.). Jagadbandhu entered into his ‘Trayodash-Dasha’. The clinical sign of life disappeared, though the holy body continued to radiate its sparkling glow. The unexpected event came as a bolt from the blue. Devotees from all parts of the country rushed to Sri Angan. Amidst utter confusion and lamentation the devotees started chanting Mahanam Kirtan. In high expectation and with continuous kirtan, the devotees waited for eleven days, but in vain. Prabhu did not wake. On the 12th day, Krishnadasji, an ardent devotee, informed others that he had received instructions (in dream) from the Lord Jagadbandhu for keeping Him under ground after proper worshipping. Tears rolled out of the eyes of thousands of devotees. They observed the heart-breaking rites performed under the guidance of Krishnadasji. The light disappeared, the Mahanam Kirtan stopped, and the devotees dispersed.

Thereafter, Sri Mahendradasji, Sri Kunjadasji, Sri Nabadwipdasji, all devotees of the highest order, met together and initiated discussions on the contents of Chandrapat -“Bandhu Nai Jay” (Bandhu does not go) – Sri Nabadwipdasji emphatically stated that the Lord had entered into His ‘Trayodash-Dasha’. The Lord himself had given such an indication much earlier. Now it was the sublime duty of the followers to go on chanting Mahanam uniterruptedly. They reached the firm conclusion that the Lord Jagadbandhu would emerge in the same body someday. This conclusion is not based on mere belief; it based on categorical assurances given by the Lord Himself.

The great devotees shook off their melancholy state of mind and resumed their assigned duties. After a gap of about three weeks, Mahendraji and Kunjadasji entered into Sri Angan Gambhira temple and started Mahanam Mahakirtan on 2nd Kartik of 1328 Begali year (1921 A.D.). This Mahakirtan  has been going on continuously and uninterruptedly since then.

In the mean time, the Divine Body of the Lord was put into a wooden casket and placed inside the Gambhira temple. During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, the holy casket was brought to Maha-Uddharan Math at Maniktala Road in Calcutta. In 1991, the casket containing the supernatural body of Prabhu Jagadbandhu had been shifted to Mahendra Bandhu Angan, Ghurni, Krishnanagar, West Bengal. But there has not been any break in the chanting of Mahanam. It is the firm conviction of the followers of the Mahanam Sampraday that the Lord would definitely reappear amidst Mahakirtan. He would surely come out of the ambrosial state of Trayodash-Dasha and embrace and emancipate all beings.

Continuous chanting of the kirtan shall bring back Lord Jagadbandhu before the eyes of mortal beings. The entire universe would dance in harinam and all beings shall conglomerate in joy and bliss.

Again, the Chandrapat and Harikatha give some symbolic indications about His Trayodash-Dasha as well as restoration therefrom.

Birth of Mahanam Yajna or ceaseless Mahanam Kirtan

While Sripad Mahendrajee was busy with his mission work, the Lord assumed the appearance of a dead man, though inwardly full of intelligence and bliss, on 17th September 1921 AD (1328 B.S 1st Aswin). It was Sripad Mahendrajee who diagnosed the same condition of the Lord as only a unique stage in the life of the Lord; a metamorphic condition for a higher culmination of the realization of Mahabhava (a sublimated condition of Divine Love); and giving up his itinerant preaching, according to the Lord’s previous instructions, preserved the holy body in a casket of sandal wood and started his Great Sacrifice of the hallowed name of the Lord in the Sri Dham Sri Angan, Faridpur on 18th October, 1921 (2nd Kartik 1328 B.S) Sri Haripurusabda 51. This Sacrifice is known as the Mahanam Yajna, the main function of which, celebrated in this Sacrifice, is the incessant and unintermittent recital of the name of the Great Lord in accompaniment to the music of Khola and Karatala (a kind of drum and cymbal). Now this Sacrifice is inspired by vow taken by Sripad Mahendrajee that consistent with the saying of the Lord, He will have to rise up and awake through the mysterious influence of Mahanam and will complete the final synthesis of all religions and save the world from going asunder under the influence of Maha Pralaya (the Dissolution of the Universe).

First, the holy body was preserved in a casket of sandal wood. The divine immortal body of the Lord went through many stages of change and was finally preserved inside a metallic hollow replica of the Lord (more commonly known as “Samput”).

The Lord Jagatbandhu Hari in His great trance or Mahasamadhi is lying in the form of a skeleton inside the samput (earlier at Sri Angan, Faridpur, Bangladesh and now at Mahendrabandhu Angan, Ghurni, West Bengal, India) and though outwardly there is nothing to attract or impress anybody, still thousands and thousands of the Lord’s followers have been coming and worshiping the same as the Living Incarnation, and the monks of the Mahanam Sampraday under the guidelines laid by Sripad Mahendrajee have been performing daily seva or worship of the Lord in strict Hindu manners, and a continuous vibration is being produced in the atmosphere and in ethereal spiritual regions through the incessant chanting of the Lord’s name, viz:-

Hari purusha Jagadbandhu Maha – Uddharana:

Charihasta Chandraputra Hakitapatana

(Prabhu Prabhu Prabhu Hey) (Ananta – nantamaya)

–from “CHANDRAPAT”.

This ceaseless Mahanam Kirtan is still continuing for last 87 years around that Holy body. That Hari Purusha will come back is the belief of the Mahanam Sampradaya. The incessant Kirtan will not stop until the Great Awakening comes and the whole world is reborn. Thus tremendous power is being generated day and night. The Brahmacharis of Mahanam Mission are broadcasting these world – purifying vibrations through both the physical and spiritual atmosphere of the world.

Sripad Mahendraji ~ Founder Acarya of the Mahanam Sampradaya

Birth of Mahanam Yajna or ceaseless Mahanam Kirtan

While Sripad Mahendraji was busy with his mission work, the Lord assumed the appearance of a dead man, though inwardly full of intelligence and bliss, on 17th September 1921 AD (1328 B.S 1st Aswin). It was Sripad Mahendraji who diagnosed the same condition of the Lord as only a unique stage in the life of the Lord; a metamorphic condition for a higher culmination of the realization of Mahabhava (a sublimated condition of Divine Love); and giving up his itinerant preaching, according to the Lord’s previous instructions, preserved the holy body in a casket of sandal wood and started his Great Sacrifice of the hallowed name of the Lord in the Sri Dham Sri Angan, Faridpur on 18th October, 1921 (2nd Kartik 1328 B.S) Sri Haripurusabda 51. This Sacrifice is known as the Mahanam Yajna, the main function of which, celebrated in this Sacrifice, is the incessant and unintermittent recital of the name of the Great Lord in accompaniment to the music of Khola and Karatala . Now this Sacrifice is inspired by vow taken by Sripad Mahendraji that consistent with the saying of the Lord, He will have to rise up and awake through the mysterious influence of Mahanam and will complete the final synthesis of all religions and save the world from going asunder under the influence of Maha Pralaya.

First, the holy body was preserved in a casket of sandal wood. The divine immortal body of the Lord went through many stages of change and was finally preserved inside a metallic hollow replica of the Lord (more commonly known as “Samput”).

The Lord Jagadbandhu Hari in His great trance or Mahasamadhi is lying in the form of a skeleton inside the samput (earlier at Sri Angan, Faridapur, Bangladesh and now at Mahendrabandhu Angan, Ghurni, West Bengal, India) and though outwardly there is nothing to attract or impress anybody, still thousands and thousands of the Lord’s followers have been coming and worshiping the same as the Living Incarnation, and the monks of the Mahanam Sampraday under the guidelines laid by Sripad Mahendraji have been performing daily seva or worship of the Lord in strict way, and a continuous vibration is being produced in the atmosphere and in ethereal spiritual regions through the incessant chanting of the Lord’s name, viz:-

haripuruSa jagadbandhu mahA-uddhAraN
cArihasta candraputra hA kITa patan
(prabhu prabhu he) (anantAntamaya)
~from candrapAt

This ceaseless Mahanam Kirtan is still continuing for the last 87 years around Bandhusundar’s  Holy body. That Hari Purusha will come back is the belief of the Mahanam Sampradaya. The incessant Kirtan will not stop until the Great Awakening comes and the whole world is reborn. Thus tremendous power is being generated day and night. The Brahmacharis of Mahanam Mission are broadcasting these world-purifying vibrations through both the physical and spiritual atmosphere of the world.

Sripad Mahanambrata Brahmachari

Sripat Mahanambrata Brahmacari

All round development and growth under the leadership of Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari

After Sripad Mahendraji left this mortal world, Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari became the Acharya of Mahanam Sampradaya and took total charge of the organisation. Activities of the Sampradaya really flourished under his leadership and overall development took place in all the sectors. Number of temples and ashramas were set up at many places in India and Bangladesh and also at religiously important places like Vrindavan, Puri, Nabadwip etc. The main message and philosophy of Lord Jagadbandhu Sundar were spread widely to various corners of the Indian subcontinent and millions of people accepted him as their spiritual preceptor or Guru. Mahanam Sevak Sangha – a subsidiary of Mahanam Sampradaya was established for the non-ashramite followers to render all services to the Sampradaya and to undertake all social and benevolent activities. The Publication Trust was set up and more than a hundred very valuable books with immense spiritual depth were written, edited and published by him.

Mahagambhira at Mahendrabandhu Angan

Sripad Kunja Dasji

Sripad Nabadwip Dasji

Sri Kishori Sakhi Dasi’s disappearance lila

Jai Nitai!

As I mentioned in my previous post I had lost internet connectivity for nearly 24 hours so the date of this post is off by a day. Yesterday was the tirobhav of Sri Kishori Sakhi Dasi, a close disciple of Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev. She was an upasaka of sakhi-bhava and an intimate companion of Lalita Sakhi Dasi (Sakhi Ma). She attained siddhi at a very early age There is a chapter about her in carita-sudhA titled, “sakhi kizorI dAsIra bibaraNa” in the SaSTha khaNDa which gives a brief account of her life and I will reproduce it here for the pleasure of the Vaisnavas and in hope of receiving the kripa of Sri Kishori Sakhi Dasi.

One day, when Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev was staying in the Agaraparha Garden in Calcutta he suddenly spit up some blood while washing his mouth in the morning. This made his companions anxious about his health. They said, “What could this be due to? Does it indicate some disease?” Baba Mahasaya replied, “This is due to some sorrowful happening in Puri.” Then he went and lay in his room and covered himself with a cadara from head to feet. After half an hour he uttered, “Kishori!” Then again he was quiet.

At about 10:30 AM he got up and said to someone, “I will go to Puri today, inform Pulin.” He had hardly said this when Pulin came with a telegram in his hand. He said, “What news Pulin?” Seeing that Pulin was hesitant in replying he said, “I know that on the day following Radhastami, Radharani accepted Kishori Dasi. She is blest. Arrange for my journey to Puri, I shall go today.”

The news spread in Agaraparha that Baba Mahasaya had suddenly decided to go to Puri. Many people came to inquire the reason for his sudden departure.

Baba Mahasaya replied, “Sometime ago a twenty year old boy named Advaita Das took mantra from me and went to Braja. After seeing all the holy places connected with the lila of Sri Krishna, he went to Barsana. There he lived with vairagya and swept the Sriji Mandir. He did not talk with anyone. In the evening he covered his head with his cadara and danced before the Sri Vigraha of Radharani. While dancing he often lost himself in bhava. The people of Barsana loved him very much because of  his bhava-bhakti.

“One day Radharani asked him in a dream to dance before Her in gopi-vesh. He ignored this as a mere dream. After three days Radharani again appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘You did not dance as I had asked. Tomorrow I shall send you the dress of a gopi. You wear the the dress and dance before Me. Remember that is your siddha-vesa.’

“The next  evening an old lady came with a sari and a blouse and said to him, ‘Baba, you dance before Radharani everyday. I like your dancing very much. I am giving you this sari and blouse so that you may wear them while dancing.’  He put on the sari and began to dance. Slowly he became so much attached to it that he could not give up wearing it. People began to call him Kishori Dasi. After one year he went to Puri and engaged himself in the service of Radhakanta Deva in Jhanjapita Math. Everyone was charmed by his bhava and loving service of the Thakurs. During the period of his service the Thakurs put on a new appearance. They looked so beautiful that sometimes I would wonder if They were the same Sri Vigrahas or not.”

“Radharani accepted him yesterday and engaged him in Her loving service in nitya-lila for all times. I am happy  because of this, but I am sorry to have been deprived of his company because the very sight of him inspired Krishna-lila in my heart.

What follows is Lalita Sakhi Dasi describing the passing of Kishori Dasi:

Kishori: “Believe me, I feel that by Radharani’s grace and your blessings I shall leave this body tomorrow between 8:30 and 9:00 AM.”

Lalita: “I burst into tears and said, “Kishori! Will you really leave us all and go?”

Kishori: “Ma! By your blessings it appears that it will be so. You decorate me and send me to Braja happily. I am sorry I have to leave your sweet company and to go without having the darshan of Baba Mahasaya.”

Lalita: “As she said this she threw her arms around my neck and began to cry like a child. After some time she contained herself and asked for some mahaprasada. Kusuma Dasi brought Radhakanta’s and Jagannath Deva’s mahaprasada. With her own hand she put a little of the mahaprasada in the mouth of each of us and then she took our remnants.”

“The next day early in the morning we assembled around her and started kirtana. At 8:30 I saw the she was slowly sinking. According to her desire I uttered her siddha name in her ear. As soon as she heard her name she became radiant and a smile came to her face. I placed a garland of Mukundavilasa around her neck. Others decorated her by putting a vermillion mark on her forehead and alta on her feet. We were singing, ‘Bhaja Nitai Gaura Radhe Syama, Japa Hare Krishna Hare Rama.’ She started singing with us. Suddenly she shouted, ‘Radhe Pranesvari!’ and she became silent forever. Her face was still radiant with a smile and her eyes were wide open and fixed on some object. It appeared as if she was looking at something extremely astonishing and attractive when she took her last breath.”

As Lalita Sakhi Dasi concluded the story of Kishori Dasi’s entrance into the nitya-lila, she began to cry. Baba Mahasaya was moved to the core of his heart. He said with a voice choked with emotion and tears in his eyes, “Kishori Dasi has left an ideal for the upasakas of madhura-rasa.”

Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu

On a Vaisnava forum that I am a member of someone asked in a general way, who is Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu? I am reproducing my reply here.

Bandhusundar Prabhu

The followers of Jagadbandhu Sundar Prabhu worship him as the combined form of Nitai and Gaurahari. Radha and Govinda combine as Gaurahari. Gaurahari then expands Himself as Nitaichand. Gaura and Nitai combine to form Bandhusundar Hari. His followers also consider his essence to be Hari Nam. He asks to be kept alive by constant recital of Hari Nam. Another way he is viewed is as the combination of Braja and Gaura lila.

brajalIlA gauralIlA mahAsanmilan haripuruSa jagadbandhu mahA uddhAraNa

He came to give Maha Uddharan, or universal emancipation. You can read some words about it from Mahanambrata Brahmachari:

¨To the query how can we realise that stage in the transcendental world of Love, Maha-uddharana is the reply. The word ´Maha´ means the Great, but I cannot translate the word ´Uddharana.´ You are familiar with terms like release, salvation, emancipation or ´Mukti´ as the Hindus call it, or ´Nirvana´ as the Buddhists call it. ´Uddharana´ is a term like them but it has a totally different connotation. All those terms – salvation and the like – are negative, while ´Uddharana´ is positive. ´Uddharana´ begins after salvation. We are said to have salvation when we free ourselves from bondage getting rid of limitations. ´Uddharana´ means something beyond that. ´Uddharana´ is positive realisation of ‘Hari’. This idea of positive and negative freedom can best be explained by showing the difference between work and play. Work is disciplined habit; play is free impulse. When we work in an office, which is like a big machine we do our parts mechanically. We are free of course, but negatively free. In work we are only partially personal, really impersonal. While we play and enjoy leisure in the association of friends we are fully personal.
Each member adapts himself to the thoughts and sentiments of the other. Each regards the other as a unique individual to whom he adjusts himself in a special way. The complete individuality of each is evolved. We are completely free – this is positive freedom the free play of the total personality. In an office or an impersonal group – for example, the Bell Telephone system, or a life insurance company, there is no such recognition of individuality, nor is individuality evoked. Each may respond to some act on the part of the other, just as one would respond to some physical object or mechanical signal. But in play, in the family circle or among friends, we spontaneously bring into operation the full personality of each. There exists an easy interplay of sentiments.
Salvation or Emancipation is to get a job in God’s office – to work in harmony with the world-order. But ´Uddharana´ is more than that. It is the enjoyment of God in His family Circle. Who constitute this family of God? Each unit of being – each unit of consciousness. Herein lies the significance of ´Maha.´ We need a circle, we need an association of friends. We depend upon playmates for the fullest realisation of one another’s individulity. So long as one friend is absent, the enjoyment is not complete. A single man remaining in bondage cannot be tolerated by a true lover of freedom. So long as there is one soul left outside, there will be no ´Maha-uddharana.´… Pray for all, take all home and make the family circle complete and truly enjoyable. Suns, moons and stars are workers in God’s office; we are players in God’s family.¨

If you wish to read the chapter about Jagadbandhu Sundar from The Saints of Bengal by OBL Kapoor, click here.

I am a follower of Dada Mosai (Radharaman Charan Das Dev) and we do not worship him in that way. He was the guru and dearmost associate of my param gurudeva, Sripad Ramdas Babaji in his youth. When Ramdas Babaji Maharaj left this world he called out the names of Bandhusundar and Radharaman Charan Dev. We consider Bandhusundar as our guru. Personally speaking, I do occasionally relish the bhav of worshipping him as Bandhu Hari, though as I said this is not the mood of our lineage.

Dada Mosai and Natua Gora

Jai Sacinandan! Jai Gaura Hari!
Bishnupriya Prananath Nadiyabihari!

In The Life of Love Dada Mosai (Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev Babaji Maharaj) mentions that whenever he thinks of Mahaprabhu in his mind He looks just like Natua Gora that is worshipped at Hari Sabha in Nabadwip. I took the following pictures on Gaura Purnima 2009. The image of Dada Mosai was taken at his purna samadhi at Samaj Bari and Natua Gora at Hari Sabha, about a ten minute walk away.

Dada Mosai’s purna samadhi murti on Gaura Purnima 2009

Natua Gora at Hari Sabha, Gaura Purnima 2009

The Dancing tree of Dig Nagar

Jai Nitai! About an hour drive from Nabadwip is a village known as Dig Nagar. There is an annual utsav held there by the followers of our param-gurudev, Sripad Ramdas Babaji Maharaj commemorating a special lila performed there by Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev. The lila involves a banyan tree that danced to the kirtan of Sri Radharaman Charan Das. There is a full account of the lila in Carit Sudha and I have reproduced the English version done by Dr. Kapoor below. This is the first time I attended the utsav which was held this year on the 4th-6th of March. The remote village of Dig Nagar is very picturesque and peaceful. This is one of the most blissful utsavs that I have attended and it left me feeling imbued with the grace and shakti of Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev. The original banyan tree left its body some years back and the tree that is now being worshipped grew up directly in its place. Note: In the photos you will see a sadhu whose name is Raman Das Babaji, we refer to him simply as Raghunath Da. He is our dear gurubhai and the chief organizer of the event. Since this event he has become the Mahanta of all our ashrams. Due to the poor lighting conditions I was unable to take decent photos of the adhivas kirtan and the dancing tree lila-kirtan which is quite sad.

The holy dancing tree

The dancing tree decorated prior to the adhivas kirtan

Some of the surrounding scenery

Raghunath Da with his new sisyas

New initiate getting first mahaprasad from yours truly

More of the surrounding scenery

Big banyan tree in the courtyard of the dancing tree

A crowd forming for bhoga aroti and feast

From: The Life of Love

The Dancing Tree

When Babaji Mahashaya reached Diknagara he heard .men complaining about an unhappy event, which had recently occurred in the locality. There was an old banyan tree, and some Mohammedans had taken it into their head to chop off some of its branches for some reason or another. The Hindus regarded the tree as sacred, and they were sorely aggrieved at the unsympathetic attitude of their Muslim brethren.

Next morning, Babaji Mahashaya set out with his train, as was his wont, dancing and singing the Name of the Lord. The villagers came in crowds and joined them on the way, and he led them straight to the banyan tree. There he marked the mischief that was done, passed round and round and prostrated himself before the tree, and then marched asinging to the Mohammedan quarter of the town. He went his way, as if perfectly familiar with the lanes and by-lanes of the entire neighbourhood, and they soon found themselves in the residence of Haradhan Mandal, a Mohammedan gentleman, who enjoyed local reputation and had considerable influence over the Muslims of the place. The villagers of course feared a row, and they thought of desisting the sankirtan-.party from venturing into the quarter, but they could do nothing. There they were, in the courtyard of Haradhan Mandal, and when he appeared, the band of singers like trained soldiers surrounded him on all sides and went on singing and dancing, oblivious of the world and anything else besides.

Suddenly, Babaji Mahashaya addressed himself to Haradhan and roared:

“Say, Nitai-Gaura Radha-Shyama! ‘”
Haradhan repeated, “Say, `Nitai-Gaura Radha-Shyama!'”
Babaji said again, “Say, ‘Hare Krishna Hare Rama!”
Haradhan again repeated, “Say, ‘Hare Krishna Hare Rama!'”

And so on for some fifteen minutes, Haradhan repeating what Babaji suggested, till tears streamed down the cheeks and the flowing beard of Mandal Sahib, and he began to dance— hands with the rosary of pebbles raised on high, and wooden sandals under his feet; and when Babaji Mahashaya came forward and clasped him to his chest, he was overpowered with joy and came down reeling to the ground beneath. The sankirtan closed round, and Babaji breathed into his ears, and he trembled and rolled on the ground; and then, blanched with dust, he began to dance with renewed vigour in the midst of sankirtan. Off went his sandals he knew not where, the rosary slipped between his fingers he did not perceive, he fixed his eyes on the Babaji, muttered in broken accents, and went on with his dance; and when our Babaji left the scene and made for the Banyan tree, he made one of the party and followed him, hardly knowing what he was doing and where he was going and why.

Now, this is hypnotism, one would say. May be, but our Babaji was not a trained hypnotist for aught we know. The fact is, that these powers come, without any seeking—yes, they come to the man of Love—the power of raising any man and every man to the Kingdom of Heavenly Bliss, where all these petty dissensions are lulled into the harmony and repose of love and joy.

So they came back to the banyan, and went dancing and singing round and round the banyan tree; when lo! what is this!—the very branches of the tree seemed to dance in tune with the sankirtan beneath. Can this be true?—They could scarcely believe their eyes. They cleared their looks and looked again, but only to see what they saw before. The branches were indeed dancing—the branches just above the sankirtan below. At first they thought there might have been some birds flapping their wings and moving the branches. But they had soon to give up this idea, for they noticed with surprise that the branches danced only where the sankirtan was going on, and that other branches danced while the former ones stopped as the sankirtan moved round and round. Rumour flew apace, and men and women came in crowds to witness the strange performance. The sankirtan continued till eleven o’clock in the morning, after which, when Babaji Mahashaya was about to retire, our friend Haradhan requested him with tears in his eyes to be permitted to stay with him. Our Babaji consoled him saying that he need not fear, for the grace of God was upon him, only he should see that the tree might not be defiled again in time to come. He gave the banyan the name of the Wish-tree,’ and said that whoever would offer milk, Ganges-water and chirag (a lamp; small clay pot with oil and a wick) in the evening at the feet of the tree, should have the fulfilment of his desires. Haradhan pledged himself and his family to the sacred vow, whereupon our Babaji embraced him heartily, and bidding him good-bye, returned with his sankirtan back to his lodgings.

But things like this cannot be readily swallowed by men of the present age, and there came censors and the connoisseurs—the educated and scientifically inclined men of the neighbourhood, who still doubted the testimony of the eyewitnesses on the scene. They had their honest doubts, and it was well that it was so, for these ‘honest doubts’ act as the cement of conviction, when careful experiment removes these doubts and reveals the truth.

It was not long before Babaji Mahashaya heard all this, and he wished to show them that truth like gold shines brighter when put to the proof. Personal aspersions he would never mind—we have already seen so much of him in the earlier pages—but when any one of the verities (we have mentioned before) was called in question, he would at once take up the challenge and prove it to the hilt that such doubts only arise out of the ignorance of the higher laws, that work inspite of the arrogant and adverse allegations of the shortsighted coxcombs and bigoted scientists.

Said the Babaji in solemn accents, “I say, gentlemen, the Name of the Lord is Omnipotent; it is such a trifling thing to be accomplished by His Name—this dancing of the stocks and stones. Come and see, if you still have doubts, join the sankirtan, and you shall have ample opportunity of verifying the truth once again.”

Next morning Babaji Mahashaya set out with his sankirtan-party, and those who were skeptically inclined accompanied him to the scene of occurrence. It was about half past nine in the morning when they reached the banyan, and the men found to their astonishment that the tree danced again as the Lord’s Name was sung beneath the branches. They saw it, and yet they would not believe. One of them stepped forward and asked the Babaji if he had any objections to somebody climbing the tree for ascertaining the truth. He said he had none, provided no non-Brahmin should undertake the task. Two Brahmin boys were accordingly summoned to get up on the tree, with instructions to ransack branches and see if there was any bird or monkey or any other animal that might have been swinging the branches that seemed to dance to the tune of the sankirtan. But, they could find nothing, and so it was finally established beyond the shadow of a doubt, and universally accepted as a truth—this dancing of the branches of the tree. They naturally attributed it to the power of the saint—more so, when they looked at our Muslim friend Haradhan Mandal, the leader of the Mohammedans regarded with fear by their Hindu neighbours— this Mandal, who was come again and singing with tearful eyes along with the others in the sankirtan-party.

The same thing was repeated for seven consecutive days, and the branches danced whenever the Babaji sang with his party under the banyan tree.

One Radhika Babu approached Babaji Mahashaya and asked him respectfully to explain the mystery of the dancing tree. Babaji Mahashaya said, “Vegetables have internal consciousness as well as the animals, and they are more or less sensible of pleasure and pain. The shastras say that the tree can see and taste as we men do, and we can demonstrate the truth by noticing that the tree evinces selective action as it takes in air, light, water and salts for its consumption and subsequent growth and development, and also that a creeper planted at a distance of five or six yards is always sure to surmount the obstacles and make its way to the neighbouring tree. Facts like these go to show that vegetables can see and they have their tastes and tendencies in common with the animals, with the difference that in the latter they are more clearly pronounced and more strongly manifest than in the former. But they are there, and so we should think twice before we carelessly harm these plants, for then we might be guilty of some such offense as cruelty to animals when we try to injure them.

“Our shastras go further and say that even men may sometimes, for some serious offense on their part, find themselves transformed into plants in the course of the future transmigration of their souls. This may sound rather strange, and men may be disinclined to accept it as truth, as the Theory of Evolution may have got a firm hold on their minds. But it is not the less true on that account, for if ‘Evolution’ is true, ‘Involution’ is also true, the one being necessarily implied in the other.” Then he proceeded to point out that the being in the tree was a saint, who came to be born as a tree for some serious offense (and there is a list of such offenses with like consequences recorded in the scriptures) committed in a previous life, and as such danced like a saint and a devotee when the Name of the Lord was heard. He then asked all present thence-forward to regard all beings with the love and respect due to them.

Bodo Babaji, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and the farmer’s son

 

The Bodo Babaji

Once during the middle of the month of Vaisakh in 1883 a farmer brought his dead son to Ramakrishna Paramhamsa at Dakshineswar Kali Temple. His son was dead because he was bitten by a king cobra in a nearby jungle. He was praying to Thakur Ramakrishna to help his son. Ramakrishna assured him, “Do not worry, wait a little bit. Someone will arrive soon and he will revive your son.”  Thakur Ramakrishna then ordered the farmer to keep his son’s dead body outside the door of the temple, and to cover it with new cloth and to place a full bowl of milk and a banana next to the body. Within a short while Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev (Bodo Babaji) came with a large procession of Vaisnavas doing Nam Sankirtan. They were completely absorbed in chanting,

“Nitai Gaura Radhey Shyam 
Hare Krishna Hare Ram“

 

Bodo Babaji was wearing a Punjabi kurta made of fine silk with buttons made of gold, stylish shoes, and had a walking stick in hand. Bodo Babaji had a peculiar appearance but he was completely absorbed in kirtan and was totally unaware of his surroundings. Thakur Ramakrishna jumped up and garlanded him with a flower mala from Ma Kali and gave him a hug. Both went mad and exhibited asta-sattvika-vikara and fell unconscious. After sometime when they regained external consciousness Thakur Ramakrishna told Bodo Babaji Maharaja, “He has kept me here at Dakshineswar, has He kept you at Nadiya?” as if he knew Bodo Babaji for a long time. 

Thakur Ramakrishna told Bodo Babaji Maharaj, “For the reason He has sent you here, please finish that job”. In reply Bodo Babaji Maharaja said, “You can also do that, why you are asking me?” After a little quarrel over this issue ended Bodo Babaji Maharaj started kirtan. Everyone went mad. They started laughing and dancing with divine pleasure. The gold buttons flew off the body of Bodo Babaji along with his silk kurta and dhoti. Only his dor-kaupin remained. 

Suddenly a large king cobra appeared from the jungle and kissed the feet of the dead body of the farmer’s son and drank the milk with the banana. After that the snake made his exit towards the west, back into the jungle. The farmer’s son opened his eyes.  The kirtan went wild in ecstasy. Thakur Ramakrishna started laughing and clapping his hands like a child and shouted “Jai Ma Dayamayi!”

Charit Manjusha – 22