Saturday, 30 May 2020

#देने_वाला_कौन.....?

#देने_वाला_कौन.....?

आज हमने भंडारे में भोजन करवाया, आज हमने ये बांटा, आज हमने वो दान किया हम अक्सर ऐसा कहते एक लकड़हारा रात-दिन लकड़ियां काटता, मगर कठोर परिश्रम के बावजूद उसे आधा पेट भोजन ही मिल पाता था। एक दिन उसकी मुलाकात एक साधु से हुई। लकड़हारे ने साधु से कहा कि जब भी आपकी प्रभु से मुलाकात हो जाए, मेरी एक फरियाद उनके सामने रखना और मेरे कष्ट का कारण पूछना कुछ दिनों बाद उसे वह साधु फिर मिला। लकड़हारे ने उसे अपनी फरियाद की याद दिलाई तो साधु ने कहा कि- प्रभु ने बताया हैं कि लकड़हारे की आयु 60 वर्ष हैं और उसके भाग्य में पूरे जीवन के लिए सिर्फ पाँच बोरी अनाज हैं, इसलिए प्रभु उसे थोड़ा अनाज ही देते हैं ताकि वह 60 वर्ष तक जीवित रह सके समय बीता। साधु उस लकड़हारे को फिर मिला तो लकड़हारे ने कहा---ऋषिवर...!! अब जब भी आपकी प्रभु से बात हो तो मेरी यह फरियाद उन तक पहुँचा देना कि वह मेरे जीवन का सारा अनाज एक साथ दे दें, ताकि कम से कम एक दिन तो मैं भरपेट भोजन कर सकूं।

अगले दिन साधु ने कुछ ऐसा किया कि लकड़हारे के घर ढ़ेर सारा अनाज पहुँच गया। लकड़हारे ने समझा कि प्रभु ने उसकी फरियाद कबूल कर उसे उसका सारा हिस्सा भेज दिया हैं। उसने बिना कल की चिंता किए, सारे अनाज का भोजन बनाकर फकीरों और भूखों को खिला दिया और खुद भी भरपेट खाया। लेकिन अगली सुबह उठने पर उसने देखा कि उतना ही अनाज उसके घर फिर पहुंच गया हैं। उसने फिर गरीबों को खिला दिया। फिर उसका भंडार भर गया। यह सिलसिला रोज-रोज चल पड़ा और लकड़हारा लकड़ियां काटने की जगह गरीबों को खाना खिलाने में व्यस्त रहने लगा कुछ दिन बाद वह साधु फिर लकड़हारे को मिला तो लकड़हारे ने कहा---ऋषिवर ! आप तो कहते थे कि मेरे जीवन में सिर्फ पाँच बोरी अनाज हैं, लेकिन अब तो हर दिन मेरे घर पाँच बोरी अनाज आ जाता हैं।
साधु ने समझाया, तुमने अपने जीवन की परवाह ना करते हुए अपने हिस्से का अनाज गरीब व भूखों को खिला दिया, इसीलिए प्रभु अब उन गरीबों के हिस्से का अनाज तुम्हें दे रहे हैं।

कथासार- किसी को भी कुछ भी देने की शक्ति हम में है ही नहीं, हम देते वक्त ये सोचते हैं, की जिसको कुछ दिया तो ये मैंने दिया दान, वस्तु, ज्ञान, यहाँ तक की अपने बच्चों को भी कुछ देते दिलाते हैं तो कहते हैं मैंने दिलाया । वास्तविकता ये है कि वो उनका अपना है आप को सिर्फ परमात्मा ने निहित मात्र बनाया हैं उन तक उनकी जरूरतों तक पहुचाने के लिये तो निहित होने का घमंड कैसा ?

Monday, 25 May 2020

मां का वैराग्य

मां का वैराग्य 

श्रीरामकृष्णदेव ने षोडशी पूजा के माध्यम से श्रीमाँ
के सुषुप्त देवीत्व को जागृत किया था। देहधारिणी आद्याशक्ति को जैसे उन्होंने उनके स्वरूप के विषय में सचेतन कर दिया ताकि निकट भविष्य में वे विश्वजननी होकर उनके लोक-कल्याणव्रत को पूर्ण कर सकें।
देहत्याग के पूर्व ठाकुर स्पष्ट रुप से श्रीमां को यह दायित्व सौंप गए। 
श्रीमां ने कहा -मैं एक स्त्री ऐसा ,कैसे कर पाऊंगी? 
ठाकुर ने कहा -- क्या सारा दायित्व केवल मेरा ही है ,तुम्हारा भी दायित्व है।
ठाकुर के गले का रोग क्रमशः तीव्र होता गया। शरीर एकदम जीर्ण शीर्ण हो गया ।डॉक्टरों की चेष्टा सफल न होते देख श्रीमां ने 'तारकेश्वर' मे धरना दिया। 
दो दिन निर्जला उपवास में पड़ी रहींं । 
विधि के विधान से तीसरे दिन रात को श्रीमां को परम "वैराग्य " जागृत हुआ। उनको लगा -- 'इस जगत में कौन,किसका पति है? 
व्रत तोड़कर तोड़कर लौट आयीं । 
श्रीरामकृष्ण ने मजाक करते हुए पूछा; क्यों क्या हुआ?
मां ने कहा -- कुछ भी नहीं।
अंततः ठाकुर ने 16 अगस्त 1886 को निजधाम के लिए प्रयाण किया । 
श्रीमां ,सारे आभूषण खोल देने के पश्चात जब सोने के कंगनों का जोड़ा खोलने जा रही थी कि ठाकुर पूर्ण स्वस्थ मूर्ति में आविर्भूत हुए और उनका हाथ पकड़कर कहा;  मैं क्या मर गया हूं ,जो तुम सधवा स्त्री की वस्तु ,हाथ से खोल रही हो ? 
मां ने फिर कंगन नहीं उतारे और विधवा का वेश धारण नहीं किया। पतले लाल किनारे की साड़ी पहनतीं और हाथों में दो कंगन होते ।
ठाकुर के विरह को भूलने के लिए मां ने एक वर्ष तक तीर्थाटन किया । फिर वे कामारपुकुर लौटीं।
तब एक दिन उन्होंने देखा ,सामने के रास्ते से ठाकुर आ रहे हैं और उनके पीछे-पीछे नरेंद्र, बाबूराम ,राखाल ,आदि चल रहे हैं। ठाकुर के पादपद्मों से जलधारा निकल रही है। 
श्रीमां समझ गई -- यही तो सब हैं, इनके पादपद्मों से ही तो गंगा बहती है । 
मुट्ठी मुट्ठी जवाफूल तोड़कर श्रीमां उस गंगा में पुष्पांजलि देने लगीं ।

(छवि - मातृपद आश्रित एक भक्त के गृह की)

Ma Kali and Swami Vivekanand

🙏 How many times he (Sri Ramakrishna) prayed to the Divine Mother for my sake! After my father’s death, when I had no food at home and my mother and sisters and brothers were starving too, the Master prayed to the Divine Mother to give me money. ... But I didn’t get any money. The Master told me what the Divine Mother had said to him: “He will get simple food and clothing. He will eat rice and dal”.

He loved me so much! But whenever an impure idea crept into my mind he at once knew about it. While going around with Annada, sometime I found myself in the company of evil people. On those occasions the Master could not eat any food from my hands. He could raise his hand only a little, and could not bring it to his mouth. On one such occasion, while he was ill, he brought his hand very close to his mouth, but it did not go in. He said to me: “You are not yet ready”.

Sri Ramakrishna was the only person, who ever since he met me, believed in me uniformly throughout - even my mother and brothers did not do so. It was his unflinching trust in me and love that bound me to him forever. He alone knew how to love another. Worldly people only make a show of love for selfish ends.
How I used to hate Kali and all Her ways! That was the ground of my six years’ light - that I would not accept Her. But I had to accept Her at last. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa dedicated me to Her, and now I believe that She guides me in every little thing I do, and does with me what She will! ... Yet I fought so long! I loved him, you see, and that was what held me. I saw his marvellous purity ... I felt his wonderful love ... His greatness had not dawned on me then. All that came afterwards, when I had given in. At that time I thought him a brain-sick baby, always seeing visions and the rest. I hated it. And then I too had to accept Her!
No, the thing that made me do it is a secret that will die with me. I had great misfortunes at that time. ... It was an opportunity. … She made a slave of me. Those were the very words: “a slave of you”. And Ramakrishna Paramahamsa made me over to Her. ... Strange! He lived only two years after doing that, and most of the time he was suffering. Not more than six months did he keep his own health and brightness.

Let none regret that they were difficult to convince! I fought my Master for six years with the result that I know every inch of the way! Every inch of the way!

You see my devotion is the dog’s devotion. I have been wrong so often and he has always been right, and now I trust his judgement blindly.

Swami Vivekananda
(“Swami Vivekananda on Himself”, Advaita Ashrama, 2006, “Discipleship”, pp. 32-3)

Saturday, 23 May 2020

All in Proper Time

All in Proper Time
______________________

MASTER (to the Marwari devotees): "You see, the feeling of 'I' and 'mine' is the result of ignorance. But to say, 'O God, Thou art the Doer; all these belong to Thee' is the sign of Knowledge. How can you say such a thing as 'mine'? … … 

Anger and lust cannot be destroyed. Turn them toward God. If you must feel desire and temptation, then desire to realize God, feel tempted by Him. Discriminate and turn the passions away from worldly objects. When the elephant is about to devour a plaintain-tree in someone's garden, the mahut strikes it with his iron-tipped goad. 

"You are merchants. You know how to improve your business gradually. Some of you start with a castor-oil factory. After making some money at that, you open a cloth shop. In the same way, one makes progress toward God. It may be that you go into solitude, now and then, and devote more time to prayer. 
"But you must remember that nothing can be achieved except in its proper time. Some persons must pass through many experiences and perform many worldly duties before they can turn their attention to God; so they have to wait a long time. If an abscess is lanced before it is soft, the result is not good; the surgeon makes the opening when it is soft and has come to a head. 

Once a child said to its mother: 'Mother, I am going to sleep now. Please wake me up when I feel the call of nature.' 'My child,' said the mother, 'when it is time for that, you will wake up yourself.  I shan't have to wake you.' "    

 - Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, P 162 
                    (December 1882)

Gopal-Ma, an exalted devotee of Sri Ramakrishna

🌺 It is hard to understand how the infinite God actually assumes a finite human form and plays with human beings. But this play was in fact enacted in the life of a woman devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. She was known as Gopal-ma, or "Gopala’s mother”. Gopal-ma’s given name was Aghoremani Devi, but she came to be called Gopal-ma, because of her fervent devotion to the infant Krishna. ...

Aghoremani Devi was born of a brahmin family about the year 1822 at Kamarhati, a northern suburb of Calcutta. Following the custom of that time, she was married at the age of nine. Her wedding was the first and last time she saw her husband, for he died before the marriage was consummated, leaving her a widow at the age of fourteen. However, she was initiated into spiritual life by her husband’s family guru and, with the child Krishna as her Chosen Deity, she was given the "Gopala mantra”. Since a Hindu brahmin widow does not remarry, the love and energy that Aghoremani would have given her husband and children were diverted towards her beloved Gopala. It was Providence, that her one-pointed devotion was to make her a saint instead of a faithful wife. ...

By the 1880s Sri Ramakrishna’s name had begun to spread. It was in the fall of 1884 that Gopal-ma first went to Dakshineswar, along with two other women, to seek an audience with the holy man. ... After her first visit, Gopal-ma felt an irresistible attraction for Sri Ramakrishna, and she noticed a change in her life. Off and on she would think about Sri Ramakrishna. ... While she was practising japa, her desire to see him became so intense that she immediately left for Dakshineswar by herself. …

During the next three or four months GopaI-ma visited Dakshineswar several times, always carrying some plain food for the Master.
Invariably he asked her to bring some new food on her next visit. Sometimes she would think in disgust: "O Gopala, is this the outcome of my prayer? You have brought me to a holy man, who only asks for food. I shall not come back again”. But as soon as she returned to Kamarhati, she would again feel that irresistible attraction, and her mind would long to see the Master.

It was the spring of 1885. One morning at 3:00 a.m. Gopal-ma started to practise her Japa as usual. After finishing the Japa she began pranayama and was about to offer the result of the Japa to her Chosen Deity, when she noticed that Sri Ramakrishna was seated at her left with his right fist clenched. Startled, she wondered: "What is this? How did he come here at this odd hour?" As she later described it: "I looked at him in amazement and thought: "How did he come here?”

Meanwhile Gopala [as she called Sri Ramakrishna] kept on smiling sweetly. As I took courage and grasped his left hand, Sri Ramakrishna’s form disappeared and in place of it appeared the real Gopala - a big child ten months old. His beauty and look beggar description! He crawled towards me and, raising one hand, said: "Mother, give me butter”. This overwhelming experience bewildered me. I cried out so loudly, that if there had been men around they would have assembled there. With tearful eyes I said: "My son, I am a poor, helpless widow. What shall I feed you? Where shall I get butter and cream, my child?” But Gopala did not listen to me. "Give me something to eat”, - he kept on saying. What could I do? Sobbing, I got up and brought some dry coconut balls from the hanging basket. Placing them in his hand, I said: "Gopala, my darling, I offer you this wretched thing, but don’t give me such a poor thing in return”.
I could not perform Japa at all that day. Gopala sat on my lap, snatched away my rosary, jumped on my shoulders, and moved around the room. At daybreak I rushed to Dakshineswar like a crazy woman. Gopala also accompanied me, resting his head on my shoulder. I distinctly saw Gopala’s two tiny, rosy feet hanging over my bosom".

When Gopal-ma arrived at Dakshineswar, a woman devotee was present. Her words vividly describe that meeting with the Master: 

"I was then cleaning the Master’s room. It was seven or half past seven in the morning. In the meantime I heard somebody calling: "Gopala, Gopala” from outside. The voice was familiar to me. I looked and found it was Gopal-ma. She entered through the eastern door like an intoxicated person, with dishevelled hair, staring eyes, and the end of her cloth trailing on the ground. She was completely oblivious of her surroundings. Sri Ramakrishna was then seated on his small cot.

I was dumbfounded seeing Gopal-ma in that condition. The Master, in the meantime, entered into an ecstatic mood. Gopal-ma sat beside him and he, like a child, sat on her lap. Tears were flowing profusely from her eyes. She fed the Master with cream, butter, and sweets, which she had brought with her. I was astounded, for never before had I seen the Master touching a woman in a state of ecstasy. After some time the Master regained his normal consciousness and went back to his cot. But Gopal-ma could not control her exuberant emotion. In a rapturous mood she began to dance around the room, repeating: "Brahma is dancing and Vishnu is dancing”. Watching her ecstasy the Master said to me with a smile: "Look, she is engulfed in bliss. Her mind is now in the abode of Gopala".

(Swami Chetanananda “They Lived With God”, Gopal-Ma, pp. 359-64)

Monday, 4 May 2020

WHEN SWAMI VIVEKANANDA GAVE KNOWLEDGE TO MAHARSHI AUROBINDO

WHEN SWAMI VIVEKANANDA GAVE KNOWLEDGE TO MAHARSHI AUROBINDO 

Sri Aurobindo:  Then there is the incident of the personality of Vivekananda visiting me in jail.(1908_1909) He explained to me in detail the work of the Supramental - not exactly of the Supramental, but of the intuitivised mind, the mind as it is organised by the Supramental. He did not use the word "Supermind", I gave this name afterwards. That experience lasted for about two weeks.

Nirodbaran: Was that a vision?

Sri Aurobindo: No, it was not a vision. I would not have trusted a vision.

It was Vivekananda who used to come to me in Alipore Jail and showed to me Intuitive plane and for about two to three weeks or so gave me training as regards Intuition. Then afterwards I began to see still higher planes. I am not satisfied with only a part, or a flash of Supermind but I want to bring down the whole mass of the Supermind pure, and that is an extremely difficult business.- Maharshi Aurobindo .

Swami Vivekananda died in july 1902
Source internet

Panchmukhi Hanuman

Panchamukhi Hanuman:
The Origin of the Legendary Panchamukhi Hanuman

After Ravana’s son Indrajit is killed, Ravana calls his brother Ahiravana for help. 

Ahiravana, after Making Several Failed Attempts takes the form of Vibhishana and Hanuman lets him enter. Ahiravana quickly enters and takes the sleeping Rama and Lakshmana away.

Hanuman realizes it. Hanuman enters Patala and encounters Ahiravan . Ahiravan has a strong army and Hanuman is told by Chandrasena that the only way to Utterly defeat Ahiravan is by blowing out FIVE different Candles located in FIVE different directions, all at the Same Time. To accomplish this Hanuman took the form of Panchamukhi Hanuman his five-headed form & blows out the Five different fire Lamps and thus kills Ahiravan.

The five faces of Panchamukhi Hanuman with their directions are
◆Sri Hanuman  – (Facing East)
The significance of this face is this face removes all blemishes of sin and confers purity of mind.

◆Narsimha – (Facing South)
The significance of this face is this face removes fear of enemies and confers victory. Narasimha is the Lion-Man avatar of Lord Vishnu, who took the form to protect his devotee Prahlad from his evil father, Hiranyakashipu.

◆Garuda – (Facing West)
The significance of this face is this face drives away evil spells, black magic influences, negative spirits and removes all poisonous effects in one’s body. Garuda is Lord Vishnu’s vehcile, this bird knows the secrets of death and the beyond. The Garuda Purana is a Hindu text based on this knowledge.

◆Varaha – (Facing North)
The significance of this face is this face wards off the troubles caused by bad influences of the planets and confers all eight types prosperity (Ashta Aishwarya). Varaha is another Lord Vishnu avatar, he took this form and dug up land.

◆Hayagriva – (Facing Upwards)
The significance of this face is this face confers knowledge & victory

By RK Nayak

Trailanga Swami of Varanasi

TAILANGA SWAMI PART II

After staying in Prayag for some years, Tailanga Swami went to Kashi and stayed there for hundred and fifty years. He stayed at the outskirts of Kashi, near Lolark kund. When people got to know that the saint had come from Telangana region, they started calling him Tailanga Swami (this is another view with respect to his name). Swami was at a stage now when he was above body consciousness. He would wear no clothes and roam around naked.

A woman passing through the ghat where he was sitting stark naked got very upset with him. She scolded him and shouted at him for staying naked. She told him it was impossible for the ladies to move around in that area because he was not following the decorum required. Swami listened to all she had to say and said nothing. When the lady went home, she saw a terrible dream where Lord Shiva reprimanded her himself, telling her that she had insulted not his gana, but himself. The woman understood that the only person whom she had shouted at (Swami), he was a true saint. She went to him in the morning, folded her hands, then did Sashtang pranam (to pay respect by lying down at the feet) and asked for forgiveness. Swami was too kind to her - ‘Mother, do not worry. You are my mother and it is the right of the mother to scold. You go to the temple to ask for the health and well being of your husband, now he would be well. Some of his karma is left, You take this bhasma (soot), give him some to eat and make a paste of the rest to put on his stomach, he would get well soon’. In a few days, the woman’s husband recovered.

People were in awe of this yogi who had amazing super natural powers. He could heal people. He could bring the dead to life. He could walk on water and sit on water.

In 1810, Raja of Ujjain paid a visit to Kashi. He along with Kashi Naresh, was on a boat going towards Manikarnika ghat when he saw the shining figure of Swami sitting on water. On inquiry, he was told about the extra ordinary powers of the saint. The King was very impressed and as if sensing his wish to see him, Swami appeared on the boat. The King was glad and showed his extra ordinary bejewelled sword to him. The saint did not even think for a moment and threw the sword in water. When the King got in a fit of rage and grief, Swami put his hand in water and extracted two similar swords from the water. He asked the King to recognise his sword, which he obviously could not do. Swami told him sternly that he was troubled for the sword when he could not even recognise which one was his sword. That was his way to show him the futility of the physical attractions of the world.

Sometimes he brought a great change in the thinking of a person when he so desired. A retired Judge of Calcutta High Court was an atheist, he did not believe in the existence of saints or Gods. He paid a visit to Vishweshwar mandir but was too stubborn to join his hands to pray. He stayed in Kashi for some days and hearing about the Swami, he went to the temple to see him. He was so much attracted to the aura of Swami ji, he kept staring at him but did not go further. Then it was like someone telling him to go and touch Swami ji’s feet, then some invisible force pushed him so that he fell on the feet of Swami ji. This became a moment which changed the whole life of the judge. He had such a change of heart and he too became a devotee of the mahatma.

Swami was considered the incarnation of Lord Shiva and people treated him so. He would sit in a pit and people would hold pots of water over his head, the pots permeated with numerous holes so water will go over him gently; this was the abhishek done for him by his devotees; this kind of Rudrabhishek is generally done for worshipping Lord Shiva. Such strong was the faith of the people.

He could read the thoughts of the people like a book and knew who had come to him with what purpose. Once two Bengali men came to meet him from Calcutta. They both bowed to him and stood quietly. Baba gestured to them that they should leave. One of the man who was sensible, moved towards the door but the other one stayed back. When the sewak (helper) tried to show him the door, he got furious and grumbled - “We have come from so far away for his darshan (meeting) and updesh (preaching). Why are we being pushed away? What kind of behaviour is this etc.” Swami was under a vow of silence. He gestured to this Bengali man to wait awhile. He pointed some shlokas written on the wall to Mangaldas Thakur and he wrote the same. When the writing was complete Mangal Das was gestured to read it - “You have left shoes worth eighteen rupees outside. If the shoes would be stolen you would have a tough time returning home. Your focus and thought is on the shoes and you say you have come to see me. Your shoes are still outside, wear them and go back!” Another man nudged the Bengali man to ask if that is what he really was thinking. The man said - “Yes, I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday only and was thinking about them. I bought them for eighteen rupees. My shraddha (deep feeling of respect) for Swami ji had not awakened, now I shall not leave him ever.”

Trailanga Swami had the capacity to digest any form of poison. There goes a story that he had gone to meet a great saint and Guru of Aghoris ‘Keenaram’ where he sat on the seat of Keenaram antagonising his disciples; though when Keenaram came, he indicated his men to stay silent and the two saints chatted for a long time. The disciples of Keenaram served Swami five pots of intoxicant which he drank. While going back, Keenaram instructed his disciples to escort Swami expecting Swami to be inebriated but escorts were so amazed when Swami just disappeared and later appeared at Panchgangaghat.

Swami had a huge body but he had no regular eating habits. At times he would eat voraciously; one time Sri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa offered him 25 pounds of rice pudding ‘kheer’ which he ate in one sitting. It was said that he would never refuse an offering made with love.

At times, he would fast for days together which is actually surprising when we think of his 300 pounds body. When he fasted, he opened it after weeks, with clabbered milk which devotees offered to him. But there were jealous people too who wanted to expose him to be a charlatan. One such nasty man gave him a mix of water and lime (used for white-washing walls) to drink instead of clabbered milk, which Swami drank right away but it had no effect on him and he threw it out through his anus through a spiritual technique called ‘sang prachar kriya’. In a movie made on Trailanga Swami, it is shown differently; Swami segregates water and lime which come out as separate fountains from both his ears. Well, the miscreant went home, suffered extreme stomach ache at night, realised his mistake and came crying to the Swami in the morning. Swami touched his forehead and mercifully cured him of all his pain.

To refrain from being an extrovert, Swami would often take a vow of silence. People who did not know him called him Mauni Baba.

In 1868, when Ramkrishna Paramhamsa was on his trip to Kashi, he visited Lord Vishwanath and then right after he visited Swami. Sri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa introduced the Swami to his nephew as “The Walking Vishwanath”. Swami was under a vow of silence and the two great ones just sat and gazed at each other for more than an hour. Swami gave him a snuff box as a gesture of welcome. Saints have their ways. “Attaining true knowledge, you become silent. Trailanga Swami is like that.” was what Sri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa told Mahendra Gupta [Ref. Sri Sri Ramkrishna Kathamrita]

Swami Dayanand Saraswati came to Benares in 1869. As the founder of Arya Samaj, he was strictly againt idol worship. Swami wrote two lines on a piece of paper and sent to him. No one knows what he wrote but Dayananad Saraswati went back next morning.

There were many religious and spiritual people that Trailagna Swami met. One of his well known friends was Lahiri Mahashaya.

In Autobiograpy of a Yogi, Yogananda in conversation with Srimati Kashi Moni (wife and later disciple of Lahiri Mahashaya) wrote: “Lahiri Mahashaya had a famous friend, Trailanga Swami, who was reputed to be over three hundred years old. The two yogis often sat together in meditation. Trailanga’s renoun is so widespread that few Hindus would deny the possibility of truth in any story of his astounding miracles. [Pg 284, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda] At one time when Trailanga Swami broke his silence to pay public honour to Lahiri Mahashaya in Benares, one of his disciples objected. “Sir,” he said, why do you, a swami and a renunciant, show such respect to a householder?” “My son”, Trailanga replied, “Lahiri Mahashaya is like a divine kitten, remaining wherever the Cosmic Mother has placed him. While dutifully playing the part of a worldly man, he has received that perfect Self-realization which I have sought by renouncing everything, even my loincloth!” [Pg 288, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda]

Trailanga Swami did not care whether it was hot or cold, he roamed around without any clothes in the lanes of Benares. Despite of being a heavy man of 300 pounds, he could run fast, he could walk on water - sometimes against the current. He would just go under water and stay there for many hours. Sometimes he would just sit on water which amazed people. He lying on the scorching hot slabs on Manikarnika Ghat was a usual site.

People knew that he was a great saint, they came to him to be relieved of their troubles and never questioned whatever he did. It was the police who would object to him roaming naked in the streets. The police would follow him but he would keep teasing them. He would run in front of them with his heavy frame and rotund belly, remaining at a one hand distance from them. Then he would move towards a lane which would lead them to the Ganges where he would run on water or go beneath water for many hours at a stretch.

The police arrested him one day on the pretext that he was not wearing any clothes and that was against the decorum of society. He was brought in front of the magistrate who asked him to wear a dhoti; on not being taken seriously, magistrate ordered the officers to handcuff him and put him in prison. The police moved towards him but he simply disappeared and none could find him.

Another time when strict police officials were appointed in Benares, he was again imprisoned for the same crime of not wearing any clothes. His huge body was thrust in a small cell of the prison. When the policeman came out, he saw Swami on the roof, he went back inside and saw Swami in the prison also. He was so confused but it was a simple task for Swami to appear and disappear at his own will.

In another account, we get to know that just like in Middle Ages, there were stout wooden “cages” at the intersection of streets where the police would put criminals to be abused and pelted at. Putting Swami in those cages was a task in itself and no sooner that the police had done that, he would be seen sitting on the roof and the chase would begin again. After some time, another magistrate came in Benares. He made sure that Swami should be put in jail; his efforts succeeded and Swami was locked in jail. In the morning, officers were shocked to see Swami’s cell flooded and Swami moving around in the corridors of the prison. On asking him what happened, he smiled and told them that he wanted to urinate in the night and the door was locked, so he used the cell itself. Swami would keep the police wondering how exactly he operated. No lock and key would keep him inside.

He drove the police crazy with his tactics. He was like a problem child for them. Yoganand ji told his highly advanced disciple Oliver Black that there were some more of naughty feats by Swami [as told to Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)] which were not added in “Autobiography of a Yogi”: Having decided that I would not be shocked at the account, Mr. Black then told me that often Trailanga Swami would stand in the Ganges and make his genitals as large as a fire hose and spray the pilgrims (and police) with the same force as a fire hose. But it was not urine, it was marvelous perfume! He would also go into a Shiva temple and either urinate on the linga or urinate in his hand and then pour it over the linga. Of course, the priests and worshippers went wild, but it would be discovered that it was heavenly perfume, and not urine at all. For him there was no difference between Gangajal (water of Ganges) and urine; all being the creation of Supreme power.

He worshipped Maa Kaali in the form of Mangala Devi, the young Kali. He was with his disciple Umacharan when Maa Kali came to life, came out of the idol, talked to Swami and then went back again in the idol. Such was his grace and connect with Maa Kali.

He was trikaalagna i.e. the one who knows the past, present and the future. To his disciple Umacharan, he described his past life and the house of the past life. Swami told him to go and check that house. Swami had described the house and the shlokas written by Umacharan in past life on the walls of the house, which Umacharan found exactly as described.

He decided to take samadhi in 1887 - it was Pausa maas, Shukla paksh ekadashi. He sat in a wooden box in ‘padmasan’ (lotus posture) and as he had already instructed his disciples, the lids were closed and locked. Loaded in a boat at Panchganga Ghat, they took it out in a procession from Assighat to Varunaghat. Before sunset, box was slid in the waters of river Ganges. So many of his devotees were left crying on the banks.

Now, there is Trailangaswami Mutt at Panchganga ghat in Benares with many pictures of him and the saints he met. It has a large Shivlingam in the center of the temple, about five feet high and twenty inches diameter. It is believed that similar length is under the floor. Mutt and the temple are two hundred feet above the ghat.

There is a story which states that Trailanga Swami pulled out the massive boulder from the bottom of the Ganga, carried it under his arm-pit, placed it in the center of the temple, got it carved as linga, did ‘prathista’ and worshipped it as Shivlinga. He himself was a big man, but it would have needed 20 people to get the stone up through the steep steps, how he managed it is beyond our comprehension. Furthermore, there is also the idol of Maa Kali that he worshipped.

The ‘Mutt’ is a living remembrance of the saint who spread his fragrance, his cheer in the lanes of Benares.

Sri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa answers the questions of his disciple Mahendranath Gupta about his worship in Sri Sri Ramkrishna Kathamrita: “Those who believe in God with form, even after attaining the knowledge of Brahman, live with love for God in order to teach mankind. It is like pouring water from a full pitcher into others.” “All the spiritual practices they have performed to realize God, they tell others about to help them. People dig wells for water with great effort, using spades and baskets. Some of them throw the spades and other tools into the well itself after it is dug, thinking, What use are they now? But some put the tools on the edge of the well so they may be of benefit to others. “There are some who eat mangoes and then secretly wipe their mouths. There are others who eat and also share the mangoes with others. They work for the benefit of mankind “ 

 There are so many stories about him,  hv just described a few here. His life is a divine inspiration for the sadhus (saints) and sadhaks (seekers) of the whole world. It was miraculous that only those who really wanted to see him devoutly, got his darshan. It is humbling that one could pen down a bit here as  obeisance to him.

[References: 1) The Walking Shiva of Varanasi by V.V.B. Rao; 2) Bharat ke Mahaan Yogi by Vishwanath Mukherjee; 3) Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda; 4) Patanjali Yoga Sutra]

Courtesy Anju Sachdeva of Bhartiya Vidyapeeth

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