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Shadhana
While Bhagwan was searching for solitude to conduct his meditations in peace. Little Bhagwan’s spiritual absorption was such that nothing else mattered to him. His mother, understandably, did not approve of his continuous wanderings and his habit of seeking solitude outside the house. Perhaps because his association with the wandering sadhu had convinced him that he needed a guru (a spiritual master)to find what he was seeking that the little boy Bhagwan took initiation in the Vishnu tradition from the village’s holy man and teacher, Shrikant Maharaja. Vaisnav initiates are worshippers of God Vishnu, and true to that tradition they must maintain a strict vegetarian diet. After initiation his teacher renamed him Bhagwan Das. Shrikant Maharaj, also called paramhans Ji by most villagers, helped Bhagwan with his ever growing spiritual thirst. He was barely nine years old when, one day, Bhagwan became totally disenchanted with domesticity and started walking towards the town of Gaya (a distance of about 120 kilometres).It was the winter season, and he did not know the way; he would spend most of his night in fields of arhar lentils. One evening, weary from walking, he reached a village after night had already felled. He went to the village temple looking fora place to stay for the night. It was late and everyone had already gone to sleep. He managed to rouse someone who gave him a piece of burlap to cover himself for the night, but there was no food for him. Bhagwan spent the night cold and hungry, but set out again in the morning. Although he was used to fasting, the rigors of this journey on foot made him ravenously hungry. When his hunger pangs became intolerable he entered a field and plucked some peas before he was chased away. He felt life and strength return to him for his journey on ward.
On reaching Gaya Bhagwan visited all the holy places, but the folk from his village were searching for him; they found him and forcibly brought him back home. A few days later he runs away again, this time on a trip to jagannath puri, a holy town in the eastern state of Orissa. Once again people from home went out in search him and tracked him down to an ashram of Ramanuja Vaisnava sadhus. This time when he was brought back he insisted he would not return to his parental home. He came back to the village but lived outside the house in various gardens and temples. Little Bhagwan Das had become initiated as a Vaisnav, but his true path was waiting for him in the holy city of kashi, also known as Banaras or Varanasi. When he left his spiritual quest was not being fulfilled in the village of Gundi, Bhagwan decided to go to kashi on the advice of Shrishna Maharaj. At that time his age was 14 years, the years was 1951, the month was Shawan (June July) Hindu lunar calendar, and the day was the eighth of the lunar month. Bhagwan left his village alone at night, went to Ara station and jumped onto a train. He alit at the Banaras Chhawani station at o’clock in the morning. The rest of this trip, which proved to be a turning point in this life, is described very well in the book Aughar Bhagwan Ram:
Coming out of the station, he asked the way to the Vishwanath temple. Leaving the station behind he came to chetganj. It was a rainy night and street dogs made his journey forward very difficult. So he lay down there on an empty cart by the side of the road and spent rest of the night. In the Brahma muhurta (divine hour of the morning) when people began to go to the river Ganga for their morning ablutions, he also started in the same direction. He followed the straight road to Dashashwamedha Ghat, but stopped near the Dershi Bridge.
While he was standing there in awe of the city, a stately old women, wearing a silk sari with a red border came to him and asked with affection ‘‘Where do you want to go?’’ he said that he want to have a darshan (a sacred glimpse) of Shri Vishwanath Ji (God Shiva as he is known in Banaras).The old woman asked him if he had taked his barth.
When he said he had not, she indicated to him to go take his bath in the river Ganga flowing nearby. He went a little ways forwords and took his bath at Ghora Ghat. While taking his bath he was wearing his loincloth and dhoti? A thought came into his mind and he let his dhoti float down the river. After his bath he came back wearing only his loincloth, to the old woman. He found the old woman standing at the place where he had left her, carrying all the puja materials in a plate. The old woman walked forward and he followed her to have a glimpse of Vishwanath Ji. On reaching the Vishwanath temple he left very happy and amazed, and he left drawn to the place. If he could stay in kashi he would come to have a glimpse of Vishwanath Ji every day [he thought]. The old woman helped him perfrom the puja Vishwanath Ji with great affection. At that time, he did not asked for anything but that God’s glory and its continuous prenence should always remain. After the darshna and worship of Vishwanath Ji he went towards the temple of Goddess Annapurna with the old woman. Even as he watched, the old woman disappeared inside the temple. He waited outside for sometime thinking that this was a rich person’s house, and since he was in a very poor condition. Finally he moved away and come to Drthsi Bridge again he saw the old woman standing there! He was surised because so for he had been thinking that the old women asked him affectionately, ‘‘what is your purpose in coming to kashi?’’ when he told her his purpose, she advised him to go towards Assi Ghat. ‘‘On the way there is a monastery of paramhans seekers. Your desire will be fulfilled there.” Before he could say anything more, the old woman disappeared! He began to wonder ‘‘who was that kind woman?’’ Before he could think more then thought came to him that he should walk on the path indicated by the woman. Having made this decision he walked towards Harishchandra Ghat.
While Bhagwan was searching for solitude to conduct his meditations in peace. Little Bhagwan’s spiritual absorption was such that nothing else mattered to him. His mother, understandably, did not approve of his continuous wanderings and his habit of seeking solitude outside the house. Perhaps because his association with the wandering sadhu had convinced him that he needed a guru (a spiritual master)to find what he was seeking that the little boy Bhagwan took initiation in the Vishnu tradition from the village’s holy man and teacher, Shrikant Maharaja. Vaisnav initiates are worshippers of God Vishnu, and true to that tradition they must maintain a strict vegetarian diet. After initiation his teacher renamed him Bhagwan Das. Shrikant Maharaj, also called paramhans Ji by most villagers, helped Bhagwan with his ever growing spiritual thirst. He was barely nine years old when, one day, Bhagwan became totally disenchanted with domesticity and started walking towards the town of Gaya (a distance of about 120 kilometres).It was the winter season, and he did not know the way; he would spend most of his night in fields of arhar lentils. One evening, weary from walking, he reached a village after night had already felled. He went to the village temple looking fora place to stay for the night. It was late and everyone had already gone to sleep. He managed to rouse someone who gave him a piece of burlap to cover himself for the night, but there was no food for him. Bhagwan spent the night cold and hungry, but set out again in the morning. Although he was used to fasting, the rigors of this journey on foot made him ravenously hungry. When his hunger pangs became intolerable he entered a field and plucked some peas before he was chased away. He felt life and strength return to him for his journey on ward.
On reaching Gaya Bhagwan visited all the holy places, but the folk from his village were searching for him; they found him and forcibly brought him back home. A few days later he runs away again, this time on a trip to jagannath puri, a holy town in the eastern state of Orissa. Once again people from home went out in search him and tracked him down to an ashram of Ramanuja Vaisnava sadhus. This time when he was brought back he insisted he would not return to his parental home. He came back to the village but lived outside the house in various gardens and temples. Little Bhagwan Das had become initiated as a Vaisnav, but his true path was waiting for him in the holy city of kashi, also known as Banaras or Varanasi. When he left his spiritual quest was not being fulfilled in the village of Gundi, Bhagwan decided to go to kashi on the advice of Shrishna Maharaj. At that time his age was 14 years, the years was 1951, the month was Shawan (June July) Hindu lunar calendar, and the day was the eighth of the lunar month. Bhagwan left his village alone at night, went to Ara station and jumped onto a train. He alit at the Banaras Chhawani station at o’clock in the morning. The rest of this trip, which proved to be a turning point in this life, is described very well in the book Aughar Bhagwan Ram:
Coming out of the station, he asked the way to the Vishwanath temple. Leaving the station behind he came to chetganj. It was a rainy night and street dogs made his journey forward very difficult. So he lay down there on an empty cart by the side of the road and spent rest of the night. In the Brahma muhurta (divine hour of the morning) when people began to go to the river Ganga for their morning ablutions, he also started in the same direction. He followed the straight road to Dashashwamedha Ghat, but stopped near the Dershi Bridge.
While he was standing there in awe of the city, a stately old women, wearing a silk sari with a red border came to him and asked with affection ‘‘Where do you want to go?’’ he said that he want to have a darshan (a sacred glimpse) of Shri Vishwanath Ji (God Shiva as he is known in Banaras).The old woman asked him if he had taked his barth.
When he said he had not, she indicated to him to go take his bath in the river Ganga flowing nearby. He went a little ways forwords and took his bath at Ghora Ghat. While taking his bath he was wearing his loincloth and dhoti? A thought came into his mind and he let his dhoti float down the river. After his bath he came back wearing only his loincloth, to the old woman. He found the old woman standing at the place where he had left her, carrying all the puja materials in a plate. The old woman walked forward and he followed her to have a glimpse of Vishwanath Ji. On reaching the Vishwanath temple he left very happy and amazed, and he left drawn to the place. If he could stay in kashi he would come to have a glimpse of Vishwanath Ji every day [he thought]. The old woman helped him perfrom the puja Vishwanath Ji with great affection. At that time, he did not asked for anything but that God’s glory and its continuous prenence should always remain. After the darshna and worship of Vishwanath Ji he went towards the temple of Goddess Annapurna with the old woman. Even as he watched, the old woman disappeared inside the temple. He waited outside for sometime thinking that this was a rich person’s house, and since he was in a very poor condition. Finally he moved away and come to Drthsi Bridge again he saw the old woman standing there! He was surised because so for he had been thinking that the old women asked him affectionately, ‘‘what is your purpose in coming to kashi?’’ when he told her his purpose, she advised him to go towards Assi Ghat. ‘‘On the way there is a monastery of paramhans seekers. Your desire will be fulfilled there.” Before he could say anything more, the old woman disappeared! He began to wonder ‘‘who was that kind woman?’’ Before he could think more then thought came to him that he should walk on the path indicated by the woman. Having made this decision he walked towards Harishchandra Ghat.
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