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BABA KINARAM
The biography of Baba Kinaram, founder of the kinaram Sthal in Banaras, gives important clues to the lifestyle, practices, and powers of Aughar saints. Baba kinaram was born in the ramgarh village near Banaras in a year 1620 according to the vikrami calendar (approximately 1563 CE). He is regarded as a spiritually enlightened person who had taken a physical form to complete what he did not finish in his last life. According to the custom of that time, despite his resistance he was married when he was just twelve years old. However three years later, a day before he had to go and bring his wife to her married home, he insisted on eating a dish of boiled rice and milk, a dish considered particularly on such occasions because this dish is used only in death rituals. The next day his family got the news that his wife had died the night before. This made the people wonder about how he came to know of his wife’s death in advance. He neither enjoyed the chores of the home nor was his heart into getting educated. One day, disenchanted with home life, he set out to wander and reached karo village in Gazipur district, where saint’s shivaram of the Ramanuja sect lived. Kinaram devoted himself to his guru’s service and was later initiated by him.
Shivaram Ji was a householder saint and when his wife died he decided to marry again. Kinaram did not like this and told him, “Maharaj if you bring another wife, I will find another guru”. Shivaram asked him to leave and kinaram walked away. He reached the village Naidih where he saw an old woman sitting alone, crying. On asking the reason for her sorrow she told him her son had been taken away by the zamindar’s henchmen because he couldn’t pay the taxes due. Baba kinaram went to the zamindar’s place and asked him release the boy. The zamindar find, if you can pay me the amount that is due, you can pay me the amount that is due, you can free the boy. Baba kinaram asked the landlord to dig the ground where the boy had been standing, when did so, they find a whole treasure-trove of money. The zamindar not only frees the old woman’s son but also paid his respects to baba. The old woman was so impressed by this deed of kinaram that she insisted he keep her son with him. Kinaram had no option, and he started his journey towards Girnar with his companion, the boy named Bijaram.
At Girnar, kinaram went alone to the top of the to meditate, and it is said he not only met with guru Dattatreya there and received divine knowledge from him, he was also initiated into the Aghor tradition by him. He wrote the essence of that knowledge in a book called the viveksar. Baba kinaram came down from the mountain and went to junagadh with Bijaram. It was the year 1724 by the vikram calendar (approximately 1668 CE) and something very interesting happened when Bijaram went out seeking alms according to his ascetic practice. He was caught and imprisoned by the Muslim ruler of junagadh. Bijaram saw that the jail was full of ascetics and seekers who were all made to grind grain on hand mills. There were 981 hand mills in the jail and Bijaram also got one. When Bijaram did not return, Baba kinaram, in his meditative state, discovered the reason for, it and thus himself went begging for alms in the city; he too was caught and put in jail. He looked at the hand mills gives to him in the jail and asked it to move. Nothing happened. Then he struck the hand mill with his staff and all the 981 mills began to move by themselves. When the ruler got to know of it, Baba kinaram was bought before him with his disciple Bijaram. The ruler showed his respect to kinaram and presented him with some gems as a gift. Baba kinaram popped two or three of them in his mouth and then spat them out saying, “These are nether sweet nor sour”, implying, of what use were these to him. The ruler asked Baba kinaram to give him another chance to serve him. Baba kinaram said okay, if that is what you want then give two pounds of flour in my name to even ascetic and seeker who comes into your town. The ruler agreed and by Baba kinaram’s blessing he got children to continue his lineage.
From junagadh baba kinaram went into the Himalayas where, after a long time spends ascetic practices, he came to the city of kashi and reached the cremation ground at Harishchandra Ghat. An Aughar saint by the name of Baba kaluram used to live there. His particular trait was to converse with and to feed chick peas to the skulls of the corpses waiting to be cremated. Baba kinaram was amazed to seeing this, but using but his own yogic power his prevented the skulls from answering Baba kaluram. Baba kaluram found out what had happened through his divine vision and Baba kinaram asked him to stop playing and go to his designated place. Baba kaluram said he was very hungry; could kinaram feed him some fish? Baba kinaram look at the river Ganges and said, “Ganga, give me a fish”. He said and this, and big fish jumped out of the water onto the river bank. Baba kinaram roasted it and the three of them had a meal. As they moved forward Baba kaluram pointed to a corpse floating in the river and said, look, that corpse is coming our way”. “Baba kaluram said “sir, that is not corpse, it is alive”. Baba kaluram challenged him saying “if it is alive, call it here”. Baba kinaram yelled out to the corpse from the river bank. The corpse floated to the bank and then stood up. Kinaram asked him to go home. When the mother of the corpse who had been brought alive heard of this miracle she came to kinaram and said, “Maharaj, you give him a new life, from today he belongs to you”. Baba kinaram took that man with him and named him Ramjiyawanram. This incident is supposed to have happened around 1754 vikram samvat (approximately 1698 CE). After seeing all that baba kinaram had done, baba kaluram revealed his divine form to him and took him to Krin kund at shivala in kashi, and told him this was Girnar, and that all places of pilgrimage were present here. One belief is that Baba kaluram initiated him at krin kund with the Aghor mantra, the other belief being that he was already initiated into the Aghor tradition by Guru Dattatreya at gimar. From that time onwards, Baba kinaram begin to live at krin kund. He established four Vaishnava ashrams in the name of his first guru, and four more Aghor ashrams in the name of his second guru. He is said to have relinquished his mortal frame in 1771 (1714 CE) at the age of 151 years.
Gupta mentions several other stories related the life of Baba Kinaram. One story relates an episode from the life of a barren Brahman woman who used to serve an old saint. She asked the saint for children but the saint told her that children were not destined in her fate. One day she met Baba kinaram and when she asked him to be blessed with children; he hit her with his stick four times. In due course she gave birth to four children. Another story Gupta mentions narrates an episode that took place in Darbhanga with the Maithila Brahmans. Kinaram, with a cat on his shoulder, riding a donkey reached Darbhanga and asked the Maithila Brahmans to give up their food restrictions. The Brahmans, naturally, were curious and asked him to show his authority by bringing their dead elephant back to life. Baba kinaram threw his cat on the elephant and made his donkey kick the dead elephant. The elephant stood up and the Maithila Brahmans began to eat meat and fish from that day on. Yet another story takes kinaram to Surat in Gujarat:
Kina Ram was also a defender of women. One day in Surat, Kina Ram found out that the people of the village were planning to throw a young widow and her illegitimate child into the sea. Kina Ram forbade them to do it but they insisted, saying that she was a corrupt woman. Kina Ram said, “Okay, but only if you throw the father of the child along with her. Just give me the word and I will name him for he is here and is one of you.” All of the men walked away with heads bent in same. Kina Ram ordered the woman to live near the tomb of Nar Singh. Later on, a tornado destroyed Surat city, and to this day it is said that the people there fear the name of Kina Ram. The theme of Kina Ram as the protector of fallen women persists in Banaras as well, where he has been looked upon as the patron saint of prostitutes. Even as recently as the 1950’s the prostitutes and nautch girls used to make offerings the sthala once a year.
Another story tells of Baba Kina Ram’s arrival at a religious feast organized by Baba Lotadas of Banaras, to which all saints of the city but kinaram had been invited. Kinaram went to the venue anyway and the vegetarian dishes on the plates of the guests turned into fish, while water in their cups turned into wine. Lotadas came out to investigate and found kinaram sitting outside. He invited to come inside and with the use of a mantra; kinaram turned the food back to its original state. Lotadas began to serve baba kinaram but all the food that he poured from his sacred magical pot into Baba kinaram’s skull bowl disappeared instantaneously. Lotadas apologized to Baba Kinaram and everyone feasted well. Gupta narrates another interesting story dealing with Raja Chet Singh of Banaras and Baba Kinaram:
One day Raja Chet Singh was sitting in his place when Kina Ram passed by wearing one wooden sandal with a dancing bell attached to it. The Raja, who loved music and dance, taunted Kina Ram by saying “What does a sadhu have to do with dancing bells?” Kina Ram replied “What do you have to do with rulership?” He then cursed Chet Singh that his lineage would be barren and that before long he would have to abandon his beautiful palace; nothing would be left except shitting pigeons. A few years later warren Hastings drove Chet Singh across the river and until 30 years ago, no heir was born to the family. Today it is said that the present Maharaja of Banaras had to ask the forgiveness of Avadhut Bhagwan ram in order to break the curse and obtain his son.
The biography of Baba Kinaram, founder of the kinaram Sthal in Banaras, gives important clues to the lifestyle, practices, and powers of Aughar saints. Baba kinaram was born in the ramgarh village near Banaras in a year 1620 according to the vikrami calendar (approximately 1563 CE). He is regarded as a spiritually enlightened person who had taken a physical form to complete what he did not finish in his last life. According to the custom of that time, despite his resistance he was married when he was just twelve years old. However three years later, a day before he had to go and bring his wife to her married home, he insisted on eating a dish of boiled rice and milk, a dish considered particularly on such occasions because this dish is used only in death rituals. The next day his family got the news that his wife had died the night before. This made the people wonder about how he came to know of his wife’s death in advance. He neither enjoyed the chores of the home nor was his heart into getting educated. One day, disenchanted with home life, he set out to wander and reached karo village in Gazipur district, where saint’s shivaram of the Ramanuja sect lived. Kinaram devoted himself to his guru’s service and was later initiated by him.
Shivaram Ji was a householder saint and when his wife died he decided to marry again. Kinaram did not like this and told him, “Maharaj if you bring another wife, I will find another guru”. Shivaram asked him to leave and kinaram walked away. He reached the village Naidih where he saw an old woman sitting alone, crying. On asking the reason for her sorrow she told him her son had been taken away by the zamindar’s henchmen because he couldn’t pay the taxes due. Baba kinaram went to the zamindar’s place and asked him release the boy. The zamindar find, if you can pay me the amount that is due, you can pay me the amount that is due, you can free the boy. Baba kinaram asked the landlord to dig the ground where the boy had been standing, when did so, they find a whole treasure-trove of money. The zamindar not only frees the old woman’s son but also paid his respects to baba. The old woman was so impressed by this deed of kinaram that she insisted he keep her son with him. Kinaram had no option, and he started his journey towards Girnar with his companion, the boy named Bijaram.
At Girnar, kinaram went alone to the top of the to meditate, and it is said he not only met with guru Dattatreya there and received divine knowledge from him, he was also initiated into the Aghor tradition by him. He wrote the essence of that knowledge in a book called the viveksar. Baba kinaram came down from the mountain and went to junagadh with Bijaram. It was the year 1724 by the vikram calendar (approximately 1668 CE) and something very interesting happened when Bijaram went out seeking alms according to his ascetic practice. He was caught and imprisoned by the Muslim ruler of junagadh. Bijaram saw that the jail was full of ascetics and seekers who were all made to grind grain on hand mills. There were 981 hand mills in the jail and Bijaram also got one. When Bijaram did not return, Baba kinaram, in his meditative state, discovered the reason for, it and thus himself went begging for alms in the city; he too was caught and put in jail. He looked at the hand mills gives to him in the jail and asked it to move. Nothing happened. Then he struck the hand mill with his staff and all the 981 mills began to move by themselves. When the ruler got to know of it, Baba kinaram was bought before him with his disciple Bijaram. The ruler showed his respect to kinaram and presented him with some gems as a gift. Baba kinaram popped two or three of them in his mouth and then spat them out saying, “These are nether sweet nor sour”, implying, of what use were these to him. The ruler asked Baba kinaram to give him another chance to serve him. Baba kinaram said okay, if that is what you want then give two pounds of flour in my name to even ascetic and seeker who comes into your town. The ruler agreed and by Baba kinaram’s blessing he got children to continue his lineage.
From junagadh baba kinaram went into the Himalayas where, after a long time spends ascetic practices, he came to the city of kashi and reached the cremation ground at Harishchandra Ghat. An Aughar saint by the name of Baba kaluram used to live there. His particular trait was to converse with and to feed chick peas to the skulls of the corpses waiting to be cremated. Baba kinaram was amazed to seeing this, but using but his own yogic power his prevented the skulls from answering Baba kaluram. Baba kaluram found out what had happened through his divine vision and Baba kinaram asked him to stop playing and go to his designated place. Baba kaluram said he was very hungry; could kinaram feed him some fish? Baba kinaram look at the river Ganges and said, “Ganga, give me a fish”. He said and this, and big fish jumped out of the water onto the river bank. Baba kinaram roasted it and the three of them had a meal. As they moved forward Baba kaluram pointed to a corpse floating in the river and said, look, that corpse is coming our way”. “Baba kaluram said “sir, that is not corpse, it is alive”. Baba kaluram challenged him saying “if it is alive, call it here”. Baba kinaram yelled out to the corpse from the river bank. The corpse floated to the bank and then stood up. Kinaram asked him to go home. When the mother of the corpse who had been brought alive heard of this miracle she came to kinaram and said, “Maharaj, you give him a new life, from today he belongs to you”. Baba kinaram took that man with him and named him Ramjiyawanram. This incident is supposed to have happened around 1754 vikram samvat (approximately 1698 CE). After seeing all that baba kinaram had done, baba kaluram revealed his divine form to him and took him to Krin kund at shivala in kashi, and told him this was Girnar, and that all places of pilgrimage were present here. One belief is that Baba kaluram initiated him at krin kund with the Aghor mantra, the other belief being that he was already initiated into the Aghor tradition by Guru Dattatreya at gimar. From that time onwards, Baba kinaram begin to live at krin kund. He established four Vaishnava ashrams in the name of his first guru, and four more Aghor ashrams in the name of his second guru. He is said to have relinquished his mortal frame in 1771 (1714 CE) at the age of 151 years.
Gupta mentions several other stories related the life of Baba Kinaram. One story relates an episode from the life of a barren Brahman woman who used to serve an old saint. She asked the saint for children but the saint told her that children were not destined in her fate. One day she met Baba kinaram and when she asked him to be blessed with children; he hit her with his stick four times. In due course she gave birth to four children. Another story Gupta mentions narrates an episode that took place in Darbhanga with the Maithila Brahmans. Kinaram, with a cat on his shoulder, riding a donkey reached Darbhanga and asked the Maithila Brahmans to give up their food restrictions. The Brahmans, naturally, were curious and asked him to show his authority by bringing their dead elephant back to life. Baba kinaram threw his cat on the elephant and made his donkey kick the dead elephant. The elephant stood up and the Maithila Brahmans began to eat meat and fish from that day on. Yet another story takes kinaram to Surat in Gujarat:
Kina Ram was also a defender of women. One day in Surat, Kina Ram found out that the people of the village were planning to throw a young widow and her illegitimate child into the sea. Kina Ram forbade them to do it but they insisted, saying that she was a corrupt woman. Kina Ram said, “Okay, but only if you throw the father of the child along with her. Just give me the word and I will name him for he is here and is one of you.” All of the men walked away with heads bent in same. Kina Ram ordered the woman to live near the tomb of Nar Singh. Later on, a tornado destroyed Surat city, and to this day it is said that the people there fear the name of Kina Ram. The theme of Kina Ram as the protector of fallen women persists in Banaras as well, where he has been looked upon as the patron saint of prostitutes. Even as recently as the 1950’s the prostitutes and nautch girls used to make offerings the sthala once a year.
Another story tells of Baba Kina Ram’s arrival at a religious feast organized by Baba Lotadas of Banaras, to which all saints of the city but kinaram had been invited. Kinaram went to the venue anyway and the vegetarian dishes on the plates of the guests turned into fish, while water in their cups turned into wine. Lotadas came out to investigate and found kinaram sitting outside. He invited to come inside and with the use of a mantra; kinaram turned the food back to its original state. Lotadas began to serve baba kinaram but all the food that he poured from his sacred magical pot into Baba kinaram’s skull bowl disappeared instantaneously. Lotadas apologized to Baba Kinaram and everyone feasted well. Gupta narrates another interesting story dealing with Raja Chet Singh of Banaras and Baba Kinaram:
One day Raja Chet Singh was sitting in his place when Kina Ram passed by wearing one wooden sandal with a dancing bell attached to it. The Raja, who loved music and dance, taunted Kina Ram by saying “What does a sadhu have to do with dancing bells?” Kina Ram replied “What do you have to do with rulership?” He then cursed Chet Singh that his lineage would be barren and that before long he would have to abandon his beautiful palace; nothing would be left except shitting pigeons. A few years later warren Hastings drove Chet Singh across the river and until 30 years ago, no heir was born to the family. Today it is said that the present Maharaja of Banaras had to ask the forgiveness of Avadhut Bhagwan ram in order to break the curse and obtain his son.
Very Nice Biography of Baba Kinaram Ji.He personality was so towering,that till date nobody has been able to Match him except Maa Guru Aghoreshwar Baba Bhagwan Ramji.
ReplyDeleteAbhay Sahaay(Abhay Rakshet Ramji)
Very Nice Biography of Baba Kinaram Ji.He personality was so towering,that till date nobody has been able to Match him except Maa Guru Aghoreshwar Baba Bhagwan Ramji.
ReplyDeleteAbhay Sahaay(Abhay Rakshet Ramji)