Divine Life of Omkarnath

This pdf file contains the Biography of Sri Sri Thakur...
This book 'THE DIVINE LIFE OF SRI SRI

SITARAMDAS OMKARNATH' was penned by C.Varadarajan, an English scholar and an ardent
devotee, who had the opportunity of having Thakur's Darshan in 1969. He was wekk established in
a job, but his spiritual thrist and Thakur's dreams inspired him to quit his job in 1996 and devote
himself to Thakur's work wholeheartedly.
[The scanned pages arent perfectly aligned, and the words in between two pages arent visible
properly. Inconvenience is regretted.]
It is wonderful to know that such men as this trod the earth, spreading
goodness and peace to those he interacted with.
ROBERT NIELD
PRESIDENT
ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY HONGKONG BRANCH.
M ay your Book have w ide circulation among all devotees of Divine
Name.
SWAMI CHIDANANDA
EX-PRESIDENT DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
The book effectively projects the perennial message of practicing

universal love.
K. R, RAM ACHANDRAN/I. A. S. (RETD.)
PRESIDENT
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF WORLD CULTURE BANGALORE.
The book serves the noble purpose of kindling spiritual light in the
hearts of thereaders.
DR. G. VEDA PARAYANA
DIRECTOR OF SEMINAR
PROFESSOR AND HEAD OF THE DEPT. OF PHILOSOPHY
SRI VENKATESHW ARA UNIVERSITY
This book has tried to explore the life, teaching and the unusual
spiritual power of Sri Sitaram Omkarnath and the fervent devotion he

inspires.
G. N. DASH
FACUL т OF THEOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA
L4EE O F
OMKARNATH
L
A book for all those w ho w an t divine inspiration and enlightenment.

Third Edition
DR. K. BALACHANDRAN
Vijaya Dasam i
PROFESSOR OF ENGUSH A N N A M A L A I UNIVERSITY
28th September, 2009
The book brilliantly sum s up the life and contribution made by Sri
To be had from iWtaramdas in the field of spirituality.

M afia m ilan M ath
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DR. CHHAYAflAI
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Girija Library RG. STUDIES 6 RESEARCH IN PHILOSOPHY
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R e ally the book has so m e com m e nd a b le ideas and is sp iritu a lly
P ub lishe r:
enlightening.
Kinkar Ram eshananda
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M ah am ilan M ath
The book is indeed a m ust have hand book for the m odern man
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is ir c h ln o fo r a b a la n c e b e tw e e n p e a c e 6 p ro sp e rity, d e m a n d s of
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i
PREFACE
CONTENTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
On the night of Christm as in 1993, my M aste r appeared in a dream and
Page
directed that I should w rite his biography. He also suggested th a t my
approach in writing his biography, should be rational and w ithout any sort of Introduction......................................... I
exaggeration and that there should be no undue emphasis on miracles that Atfvnnl ............................................. 1
had occurred in his life, for the sim ple reason that he w a s really innocent of I ilonitlon........................................... 3
them and that these m iracles had occurred solely by the grace of, either his
Quruiiva............................................ 5
Gum or God, They had made him their instrument in their kindness. He also
suggested that focus in his biography should be on his m essage rather than
Mttirtoge............................................ 1
on his personality. An uliinl householder............................. 12
lllinct vision of the lo rd .......................... 21
i w a s keenly aware o f the fact that writing the biography of the Master Inltlntlon ............................................ 24
w a s a v e ry d iffic u lt a s s ig n m e n t, a s th e s a in t s m o s tly liv e in a
Nlridlui Yoga.................................. 26
super - conscious state and are constantly in touch with the Almighty. Their
inner experiences are beyond our comprehension; a little bit-that w e can
Ли preacher of Nam e........... .........:........ 30
expereince. is aw einspiring. W h at is visible outside is only a tip of the Mnlhods of preaching..... ....................... 36
iceberg. W e cannot dive deep into the depths o f the ocean of spirit, wherein How hiиme leads to the final goal............... 49
lies its richest treasures and saints are in possession of them. W e have to ba llllfitient paths..................................... 51
content with the little that w e have seen o f him arid heard from his lips.
Л» n wrltoi ......................................... 57
Acco rd in g ly, I have atte m pte d his biography in ob ed ie n ce to his Ih» philosophy................. 64
direction and w ith all its im perfections. I am offering this w ork at his Lotus Miracles............................................. 67
Feet. llnlvnisnl love...................................... 23
InlBraullon with contemporary saints........... 77
Jnlyuru Sempradaya......................... 84
Hyderabad
Hniik to tho Source................. 86
3rd July, 1996 C. Uaradarajan
ADVENT
On 17th of February, 1892, one o f the greatest saints of modem times
w s i born at keota, a sm all village in the district of Hooghly of W e st Bengal,
Ю ■ p lo ts Brahm in couple Or. Pranhari Chattopadhyaya and Malyavati Devi.
Ill» parents w e re deeply religious in their tem peram ent. Both of them w ere
extremely devoted to their family deity "Brajanath" (Lord Krishna) to w hom
i Imy w ould offer the w orship everyday. The child w a s called Prabodh Chandra,
4 very apt n am e a s it m eans " The enlightenm ent" In 1897, his mother
Mdlyavatr Devi passed away, when he w a s only about five years old. This
wnii really unfortunate. Subsequently, his father married Giribala Devi w ho
wn« looking a fter him w ith motherly affection.
Since the childhood it w a s evident that Prabodh Chandra inherited the
■ K y from them . He refrained from taking breakfast before the fam ily deities
WMll duly w o rs h ip p e d and o b la tio n s w e re o ffered to them . A n o th e r
inportant characteristic o f him w a s that fie w a s very keenly interested in
i Henlng to the chanting of the “ Harinaam"; he w ould rush to the spot w here
the Nnam -Sam kirtan w a s taking place, w ith great delight. In this context, it
ivuuld be pertinent to mention a particular incident that took place at his
iw lern el grandfather's house at Keota. W hile listening to the chanting of
liHlnnnm there, he fell into a trance and as a result he rested his head
1
unknowingly on the lap of one of his relations. Sri Harimohan, who in ,
turn slapped the boy assuming that he had slept off. His great grandfathet
observed the w h o le incident and after N aam -Sam kirtan w a s over, hi Щ , EDUCATION
_________________________
rebuked his relative for his conduct and told him that it w a s not a spell al ifl)
drow siness but an ecstatic trance caused by his listening to the Name. I - f l
w as therefore evident that he w as particularly fascinated by the chanting d ll> 1898. at the usual age, he w as admitted to the Primary School and
the Lord's Nam e since his early childhood. mi he moved on to Bandel Church School. W hile at school his performance
» excellent in Bengali, but his record in English grammar w as far from
I
Dumurdaha, a village in the Hooghly district of W est Bengal, he w as lying b ■ №
nlmrlory. It w as obvious that the curriculum of the school did not interest
i. M h« w as not keen on pursuing English education. In the circum stances
decided that his son should be sent to an indigenous seminary, so
the side o f his father. His mother and sister too were there. The boy pointeM lie could devote him self to oriental learning and stay at home and
out to the southern w indow and told his father that Lord Shiva w a s s ta n d A tu lty perform obligatory religious duties. Such a s the w orship of the
near that window. The father, however, could not see but enquired his sdlUy deity "Brajanath
as to how Lord Shiva looked. The boy replied that Lord Shiva w as of whit I
complexion, w as w earing tiger skin and his hair w a s matted on head. H III 1905, w hen he reached thirteen years of age, he w as invested with
w as three eyed w ith a trident in the left hand and a small drum shaped tab* w cred thread w hich bestpwed on him the status of a Brahmin. From
in the right hand. He described w hat he had seen. In the meantim e Low CHI, he w as entitled to perform "Sandhya Vandana". w orship of the Sun
Shiva vanished. His parents and others did not attach much importance Mil "I llto time of sunrise, noon and at the sunset. T h e " Sandhya Vandana"
this incident, a s they thought that it w as possibly the product of the bounded the recitation o f the most sacred Mantra of Vedas, namely, Gayatri.
fertile imagination and forgot about it, nHittn, this also enabled him to undertake the arduous spiritual exercises
lilt upliftment.
**■ *■*•*•**
I hereafter, in 1909, after making several attem pts he got-his admission
Ihn le ildential school of Sri Dasarathi Bhattacharya, free of cost. This type
of education has been prevalent sin ce V edic tim e s in India, where,

student w ould stay w ith his M aste r and serve him in all possible w ays Щ
return receive education w ithout incurring any expenditure on the saiii
GURUSEVA
w as thus, his career as a student formally com m enced in the institulii
“ By the Lord's grace is the true Guru m e t” .
Sri Dasarathi Bhattacharya, at the age of seventeen.
- "Adigranth"
In 1911, he lost his father, w hen he w as barely nineteen years old. It< , . . . ...................... .. „
W hile staying w ith his Guru a t Digsui, he w a s doing the lo w lie st of
a terrible shock to him. He tried to overcome th e tragedy by concentr.. .. . ,. _ , . .. u ., . ,
B U N tl in his G u ru s household. He considered the service rendered to his
on the studies and appeared for the preliminary examination in M u g d h ^ „ „ р. For hin>| s e ra c e t0 hls Guru w as m ore lm portam ,han his
in 1912 and stood first. In 1913, he p assed his interm ediate exam,nan,|u d l„ s t r ic t c o n fo rm ity w jth th e v e d jc tra d jt io n _ he w iM ing|y
Mugdhabodh. Thereafter, he show ed no interest in pursuing his studiesjltM:|||ne a w holetime unpaid servant. Besides attending to the household
shock of his father s dem ise had raised several questions in his mind, tyiqies, he used to look after the cultivation o f his Guru's fields and at the
the transience o f life and the certainty of death. He therefore fe lt thûne of harvest, he would bring home the produce of the field. In one word,
education he w as pursuing, w as incapable o f yielding solution to the e^w W M entirely devoted to the service of his Guru. In this context, it may be
problems of life, death and rebirth. He abandoned his studies in pursifftiiiiittoned that later in life, w he n he blossom ed into a full fledged saint, he
solution to the riddles of life. »viote In his preface to “ Guru Gita", that guru and the Lord had the same
‘ "И, though they appeared to be different and he advised the readers that
me should w orship guru w ith deep devotion. He further stated that Guru
................................. Im igh t th e k n o w le d g e of B ra h m a n , th e u lt im a te r e a lity a nd
hiiiHfore. he w as superior to Brahman. Since these statem ents w e re of the
k » lh u , th e re w a s no d o u b t th a t by p e rfo rm in g G u ru se v a , e v e ry
un ion becom es blessed.
Al mentioned earlier, he w as grappling w ith the eternal problem s of the

II», Consequent to his father's sudden passing aw ay he w a s keen to possess
5
that knowledge, which could gram him absolute freedom from pain. I
if in response to his struggle to attain freedom from the manifold problems
life, his teacher Sri Dasarathi Bhattacharya became his Guru by initiating t« M A R R I A G E
at Triveni, a holy place on the bank of Ganges. -----------------------------------
On 13th day of January, 1913. the initiation took place.

. , .... . . . . . . . .. . W hile he w as studying at Digsui. a proposal w a s mooted at the
In order to attain fulfilm ent, it is a bsolutely necessary that tl
aspirant m ust be initiated into m ysteries of spiritual life, only b , '" '" 1" ™ ° f his Guru f°r his ™ ria9e wi,h a ^ " amed Siddh“ But
Master, who has realised God. It is well known that only a burning lamp o '1 Chandra w as keen in 9eMin9 married' as his health w as in a bad
light other lamps. Initiation is the first step in the spiritual life. In this resper'-l “4>" A severe attack of Pneumonia had permanently impaired his health,
neither parents nor other relatives would be of any avail. Even stnenui/* ■ result of this attack, a wheezing sound-from his chest was always
effort cannot help the seeker in realising God. Enlightenment is possible oltudible. He did not want to marry, as he w as not inclined to ruin the life of a
by the grace of a Guru. Science, contemplation, devotion and various otty..... leaving her a widow. This showed his consideration for others and
disciplines would be futile, without the grace of Guru. Just as trees brim innate unwillingness to inflict any sort of pain or sorrow on others. When
flowers and fruits only when the spring sets in, so also the devotion beaiim prussure mounted on him. the only course that was left open for him
fruit only when one is blessed by the Guru. Hence, the supreme im portant,,, ц, |eave Oumurdaha. He left his native village and after considerable
of Guru in spiritual life. In initiating, the Guru offers God as a gift to reached puri in Orissa, which is a sacred place of Lord Jagannath.
disciple. lin t ol his friends, Sri Naren was aware of the fact that Prabodh Chandra
/и* ,i very devoted disciple of Sri Dasarathi Yogeswar and prevailed upon
The grace of the Guru neutralises the poison of sensual pleasures a..... (<) (aturn ,Q 0umijrdatlai as his Guru w as interested in the aforesaid
then leads the disciple gradually to a state of ecstatic bliss. It is only l , ... . . . . . .
F M ulliince and was eager to celebrate his marriage. After a gap of fortnight or
Guru, who gives his disciple the key to the spiritual treasures and takes t .. _ . , .. . . . . . . .
a ■i I’mbodh Chandra returned to Dumurdaha. In the meantime, in the bride s
to the land of infinite hap p iness, w h ic h is beyond the realm ................................... . . . . .. .. ..
i« iimn at Digsui. the mother asked her daughter as to whether she should fix
imagination and intellect. It is certain that every object of life can
. . . . . . . . . . ..Inn imniiage elsewhere, as. "Prabodh had fled'Mn reply, she affirmed that if
attained by the grace of Guru, as nothing is im possible for him. At ,
................. „ .. . , „ a in hnd had to marry, it could only be with Prabodh Chandra Chattopadhyaya
initiation, his Guru gave him the new name Sitaramdas .
- • «Inn. she need not be married at all. After his return to Dumurdaha, there
w as great rejoicing and he was married to Siddheswari Devi, nmny inspects and particularly because of the following extraordinaiy
In December 191S. the marriage took place at Digsui. niml ttxporieivces. which occurred in his life in quick, succession.
After the marriage, the couple were on their way to Dumurdaha. Th
crassedtheGangesbyboatand then travelled byapalanquin.lnthepalanauiiii /ih of January, 1918. all of a sudden he had a wonderful spiritual
Prabodh Chandra enquired of h e r : umiiikm). A s usual, he sat for prayers at midnight in the normal posture
Im closed his eyes and meditated intensely, fixing his mind at the heart.
- ' W hat would you have done, if I had not married? iviu<hinprised to see Lord Shiva appear with a trident in one hand and
- " I would have remained a maid” . « in nftother.
- "That is not practicable tor a Hindu girl."
- "Why. I would die-kill myself." Wlm are you?", he asked.
- "If I die?"
• “ That you shall not. I will appeal to Mother Siddheswari. I will oil ' | nm your Guru". Lord Shiva replied," I cam e to you in your childhood,
worship to Her and you shall not die." miii could not recognise me. I have come again".
These were the words from a little girl of ten or eleven. The strenght и you are my Guru", said Prabodh Chandra. " Show me my Ishta
her conviction was tremendous. She had resolved to put an end to her Мри chosen deity)",
in case the marriage had not materialised. Her words took the load off t
mind. On her arrival at Brajanath's house, Siddheswari Devi changed irrj.ivii then began the " Jape" of his Ishta Mantra with each of his five
Kamale Devi of Dumurdaha. Even after his marriage, Prabodh Chantlfjjpths, From his shoulder, a female form descended,
continued his Guruseva and the spiritual exercises. He regularly studied tv
books, namely, "Vedantasar", that is. essence of Vedanta and the "Bhagav Wlm are you?", enquired Prabodh Chandra.
Gita”. Besides, he recited "Chandi" daily as a matter of routine. In additi
to his usual sittings for meditation in the morning, mid-day and evening, i nm your mother", she answered,
sat at midnight also.
The year 1918 w as a memorable year in the life of Prabodh Chandra ,iin шок the astral body of Prabodh Chandra, w hich resided within him
9
and began to recite his Ishta M antra into his ears. Shiva w e n t on r i and sincere efforts by strictly follow ing the instructions of his Guru.
ing the M antra, dancing and playing on the Damaru (tabor). Gradually!
N ext morning he w e n t to his Guru and asked him to fo llo w and the Guru
M antra faded away, leaving only "Ram -Ram ". Even tha t passed off a n d l
followed dim alongw ith his w ife and Kam ala Devi. The four met in a room
“Om -Om ” remained. That too left, giving place to N ad (soundl of a serpel
■ltd a revelation of a transcendental order w as granted b y Sitaram Das to
transcendent Hiss. He w a s experiencing a transcendent roar from w f
llm rest. This, in itself, w a s an extraordinary event as it w a s the privilege of
H is e y e s o p e n e d an d g o t fix e d to th e c e n tre o f t h e e y e - b n l
Ihe Guru to grant such a vision to his disciple. In the instant case, however,
A transcendental light appeared. W hen he cam e back to mundane re al!
w a s 4 A . M ., a s he could infer from the w h istle of the nearby jute mill)

II was the other w ay round.
W e shall now see the reaction of the Guru to this wonderful revelation.
The next day Prabodh Chandra hastened to his Guru at Oigsui. Th e!
He w as overw helm ed and had to remain confined to bed. For three days or
congratulated him on his experience and observed that as he had the Dad
tour days he remained in a state o f trance.
of the Suprem e God, he should be gratified.
One day ha w ro te this verse in Sanskrit and gave it to his beloved

The sa m e year on the Sarasw ati Pooja day, w he n he w a s engagi llllClple Sitaram Das :
Japa, the m em ory o f his previous life flashed vividly before him . He s
in his previous birth, he w a s a M aste r of w orld-w ide fa m e devoted t(Ji | Guru o r Sishya, w h o are you to m e? I do not know. That I am yours and
M other. It seem ed hardly credible to him. A t night he took his Guru’ you are m ine, however,. I know very w ell from m y instinct. If you ate m y Guru,
confidence and his Guru confirmed the truth o f this vision. h if t a m l your disciple com e to you for refuge; have g race on m e and redeem
m* out o f your infinite mercy. If on the contrary. I am your Guru pray tell me,
In the sam e year 1918, on the day o f Dol Purnima he attained fulfilil who you are. O f w ha t essence is your being m ade?"
It w a s revealed to him th a t he had not co m e d o w n to th is eartl

Here is a Guru p ayin g h is trib u te to his d isc ip le . T h is perh ap s is
exhausting his Karm ic load like others, but to esta blish Dharm a he
unparalleled in the w orld of spirit.
incarnated him self.
Thus he reached the sum m it of spiritual life by his constant unswa * * -* -* •* ■ * *
11
lla n d y o p a d h y a y a , his w if e S in t. K a ru n a m o y e e D evi, h is b ro th e r S ri
A N IDEAL H OUS EH OL DE R amananda B a ndyopadhyaya an d his e ld e s t b ro th e r's w ife Sm t. Kalidas or
_ _ r w x ttm o y e e Devi. They w e re keen to re ce iv e initiatio n from him. B ut ha
A fte r clim b in g th e su m m it, th e M a s te r c a m e d o w n to th e m undane И * »*Ч’вгпе1у re lu cta n t to a c c e d e to their re qu e st a n d it w a s only a t tha
w o rld and divested h im se lf of allspiritual g lo ry in order to lead th e life o f an !W V * ntion o f Ws Guru th a t th e y w e re initiated. Even w h ile being th e ho use-
id e a l householder. The rationale fo r taking su ch an unusual ste p w a s to prove a ssu m e d the role of a M aste r,
th a t every individual, w h e th e r he w a s a h o u se h o ld e r or a S a n y a si or belong- 1
ing to any o ther order, cou ld re a c h th e goal by dint o f Sad hana from the sanne year, a t th e re q u e s t of D hruvananda G iri, he w ro te h is
p osition w he reve r ha o r sh e m ight b e situated . S e lf-re a lisa tion is no t the U P o n tion " A stavakra Sa m h ita" and at the requ est o f Sri R am dayal M aju m dsr,
privilege o f any e xc lu siv e group. 11 wrote “ C ho khe r J o le M a y e r Pooja” (w orsh ip o f th e M o th e r w ith tears).
huue tw o books w e re v e ry d ifferen t in cha ra cte r. The one w a s rooted in
A s s o o n a s he a s su m e d the re sp o n sib ilitie s o f th e fam ily, he had to face iw w ltid g a an d th e other in Bhakti. Thus, he had b lo sso m e d into a w rite r and
a nu m ber of p ro b le m s in d ischa rgin g d o m e stic ob lig atio ns. He had hardly any I* ik ltin g u ish e d sc h o la rs of th e tim e w e re v e ry m u ch a p p re c ia tiv e of his
in co m e w o rth the nam e, but he had to lo o k a fter all th e m e m b e rs o f his
fa m ily an d also th e g u e sts w h o v isite d th e m un expectedly. He w o u ld se ll all ;
th a t he had and look a fter th e g u e sts b y extending w a rm h o sp ita lity to them . IH 1926, se v e ra l im po rtan t e v e n ts o ccu rre d , w h e n he w a s a p poin ted a s
H e w o u ld rath er sta rve than a llo w the g u e sts to le a ve th e house w ith o u t Sanatan , a reputed re lig iou s m onthly m a g a zine of th e day. H is
providing th e m w ith food and rest. He w a s a firm b e lie ve r in th e th e o ry that M uhnresayan" (the su p re m e elixir) w a s w ritte n in 1926 and p ublish ed next
th e g u e st is God and he sp ared no effort to m ake his g u e st a s co m fo rta b le as Уеаг again, "P a ga le r K heyal" c a m e o ut and th e M a s te r 's sc h o o l "
possible, in)iuieth C hatusp athi" w a s sta rte d an d his e ld e s t so n Raghunath w a s bom .
ulliw quently, he w a s b le sse d w ith tw o m o re children, R a d h a n a th a n d Ja na ki.
In 1924 e v e n w h ile he w a s struggling w ith his d o m e stic p roblem s, four W e B l0r sta rte d te ach in g e arn estly in h is C hatuspathi. B e ca u se of his
p e rs o n s a p p ro a c h e d h im fq r in itia tio n , The p riv ile g e o f b e in g th e firs t tbliohincy in te aching, his repu tation w a s rapidly increasing , and a s a result,
d isc ip le s o f th e M a s te r g o es to th e fo ur m e m be rs o f a fa m ily w h o belonged "* l1d rnb0r pupils in his sc h o o l in cre a se d , w h ic h m e a n t th a t so m any
to villag e B aksara in th e d istrict o f How rah. T h ey w e re Sri Prakash Chandra p e tso n s had to be fed. But fh e M a s te r w e lc o m e d all of them , b e ca u se
12 * 13
of his com plete trust in God, w hom alone he considered a s the owner M other " How can boiled mung be served as Prasad?"
the establishment. He took all of them under his care and looked after thej M aster " W e have no choice. Jet us have it."
w ith great care and affection. M other "W hat about kerosene oil?"
M aster " The lanterns of those w ho attend the chanting, w ill serve
The sam e year the fam ily fa c e d a very difficult situation, w hen the purpose."
unexpected guest arrived, w ho had to be properly treated, w hen their mear
and resources had alm ost exhausted. That day happened to be Nrisiml This conversation highlighted the acute financial distress of the family.
Chaturdashi, a sacred religious occasion and on all such occasions the enti
fam ily would fast. W hen the M a s te r's mother w a s informed about the arriv The mother made no reply, but at night, a sw e e t made o f suji w as served
of the guest, she cam e out o f the house im mediately and sa w a venerad щ praried and oil for lantern also w a s found. It is not known how she could
old Sadhu at the door. He w as singing Ram nam in a subdued voice. SfifM fligeto procure these items,
w elcom ed him and w ashed his feet. The Sadhu said :
Early next morning they w ould be celebrating "Dol Purnimaday" w hich
"I request for a plate of rice w ith mungdaal." a an auspicious celebration. The following day being a full moon day, they
would be perform ing the Pooja of Lord Satyanarayan, w h ich entailed
She managed to get the food he w anted. She prepared the meal hers* .uMItlonal expenditure for the offerings to be m ade in connection w ith the
and served it to him. In the meantime, the M aste r cam e dow n after readr ritual. But th e M a s te r w a s le a s t w o rrie d . It w a s his c o n v ic tio n th a t
"Chandi" and m et the Sadhu w ho announced him self later, as a Sadhu | idtnahow or other the Lord would manage and his job w a s only to serve.
Deoghar, named M eghnad. The sam e day for the purpose of serving Prasa Палм evening, unexpectedly the fam ily received a basket - full of rice. The
his mother required suji ( a coarse flour of w heat) and kerosene oil. Th< M a ile r attributed this gift to the grace of God. It w a s later known that Batu
w ere unable to procure these tw o items, a s nobody w a s w illing to gir Щ Mtyanandapur had brought the rice. But th e M aste r interpreted that the
these provisions to them on credit. There w a s no money left in the fa m ily 1«ipply w as made by God him self, man being the instrument, through whom ,
the circum stances, they w ere wondering w hat to do. She approached h HI* grace descended. Even before sunrise the M a s te r 's m o ther's aunt
son and the conversation that took place, is recorded below: Nnndarani offered a fe w rupees at the feet of Brajanath a s a token of
M a s te r: " Let us have boiled mung grains/” ii'vnronce. Vegetables w ere sent from the Uttamashram. W ith the help of
I
the money and matehals received, the feeding of the guests and devote there is no point in diverting our attention to others.
w e n t through smoothly. "Lord is my friend. He alone is my support in the end."
- “ Guru G ra n th S a h ib "
Another major problem that confronts the parents in every family is. To sum up, he has w ritten in h is " M oods o f m a n ia c ":
find suitable alliances for their daughters. A fter knocking several doors з
g e ttin g a n e g a tiv e r e s p o n s e , he a p p ro a c h e d S ri D eben drana "W ith all your studies of Shastras, you cannot believe that a man can
Bandyopadhyaya of Khanyan in the d istrict of Hooghly, w h o w a n nttnin supreme knowledge w hile he lives as a fam ily man. You believe that a
w elcom ed him and gladly gave his consent for accepting the M aster's daughi linnily man cannot w in p eace and bliss: but he can. Peace can be yours, if
a s his daughter-in-law. Thus, he discharged all the responsibilities d you conform to the ideals of a family life, as set forth in the Shastras."
householder w ith utm ost com petence.

Srimad Vijnananda Brahm achri M aharaj, w ho w a s the head of the
A s is natural in the life of a householder, he had to face a series llltnm ashram , observed that the M a ste r w a s an ideal householder and
bereavements. iiin iiirk e d :
tn April 1931, his consort passed away. He took the tragedy in its strit "It is usual w ith men to go on a visit to Sadhu:
He w a s aw are of the fact that death w a s not an end but an ope rting for It w ill be their turn now to com e on a visit to a householder."
infinitely happier world. His second son Radhanath followed her after thn
months. Inspite of these bereavements. M a ste r continued to perform l Eight months after the passing of his consort, the M a ste r had a severe
normal duties. It may be mentioned here that only a heroic soul, w hich v. attack of Synovitis and he w a s bed ridden for three months. During these
in earn est quest of the Suprem e, could have w ithsto od th e se shod Мини months, tw o major operations had to be performed on tw o different
Ordinary mortals w ould have collapsed under the weight of such a g o n ie s1 "i i nsions by Dr. Sourendra Nath C hattopadhyaya and Dr. M an i Babu
set an example to others that if they w ere sincere in their desire for attain m ipictively. On both the occasions. Anaesthesia w as not used and during
God realisation, they should be able to w ithstand these tragedies and tb huh operation, it b ecam e necessary to m ake three deep incisions. During the
should not be obsessed unduly w ith the things of this w orld and should n " I fic tio n , the M aste r w as only chanting the Name of the Lord with utm ost
above all relationships, as the only kinsman of every soul is the Lord and i dimness and tranquility. Even when stream s of pus and blood flowed from
к
his body, he was unperturbed. Or. Mani Babu w as much impressed by Ho w a s continuing his spiritual exercise in that sacred place. Ihe
his patient and said that he had never seen a patient like the M aster in hit «Mwltiible part of every Ashram, w as " Panchavati". an assemblage of five
life and kissed him tenderly on his forehead. How did the M aster utilise the •поим) trees. These trees were planted in 1933. a cave was dug in 1934,
time during the peiiod ol his illness? He w as constantly chanting the Name vlrmo he could continue his meditation undistrurbed for hours together. His
of the Lord, as he w as not in a position to perform the daily obligatory rituals meditation became so intense that he could not pronounce any Mantra. The
like Sandhya. moment he uttered Pranava (Om), he w as immobilised. The transcendental
ii 'Heiiences, like hearing the sound of ding dong of belis and the chanting of
After long fourteen months, he stepped out of the bed and it was sees riiiin Krishna Naam continuously by male as well as a female voices in his
that he became lame on one leg. Otherwise, he w as physically fit. The Lort • <iri from within, were coming thick upon him. He also heard from within,
compensates for the sufferings that w e undergo in some form or other. Tht и io Mahamantra in many voices accompanied by musical instruments for
sufferings on the physical plane are amply compensated on the spiritual plane ■iliinit a fortnight without interruption. This w as a unique experience.
The Master w as constantly listening to the unstruck melody and he wa:
perceiving the transcendental light and w as slowly gliding into Samadhi Finally, in January 1937, the M aster assumed the name of "Omkarnath'',
which is the ultimate stage of spiritual effort. W hen he w as in a state о ‘i i hu w as being repeatedly addressed by an eternal voice during his
Samadhi, he found out that he had left the body behind and w as soarini niiidltation by that name.
high, when he heard from above a voice w hice told him :
The M aster went by a boat to Triveni alongwith Narayanji to the spot
"The work remained to be done". vlittm lie had once been initiated by his Guru. There the Master wrote the
and he began to descend to the mortal plane. mime, " Omkarnath", on a "Batapatra". a leaf of the bo-tree and wore the
• i ml garb of a Kaupin f a narrow strip of loin .cloth) and Bahirbas (a scanty
Even w h ile being a householder, he w as keen о huoii of cloth not covering even up to the knee for outer wear). The Master
intensifying his Sadhana. For this purpose, he established an Ashram in iimn assum ed the name " Omkarnath". Thus. Prabodh Chandra w as
secluded p ia ce on the Ganges at Dumurdaha. This w as know n a uiiimmuted in to " Sitaram Das Omkarnath". From Triveni he went straight to
"Ramashram",. On 28th of March, 1928, his Guru Dasarafhi Smritibhusa Hm llltamashram, where Srimad Dhruvanandan Giri prepared for him a Kaupin
performed the opening ceremony of Ramashram.
19
it
and Bahirbas out of a new piece of cloth and when the M aste r w ore the
things offered by him, ho announced :
"So from today your name is Omkarnath."
Thereafter, the M aste r returned to Dumurdaha and surrendered alii
documents relating to the properties of Brajanath and handed over thechai
of his family to him. AH along he had been acting as an agent of Lord Brajana
He now returned to Him all that blonged to Him. From that day, he ceased
be a householder, a s he had to take up m ore difficult a ssignm ent al
spiritual M aster as hundreds of thousands of devotees w ere w aiting fo ri
to slake their thirst at his feet. Henceforth, he w as to be the “ fishei
men".
Only those great spirits who are endowed w ith trem endous w ill pov I
and determination, can reach the supreme heights of spiritual life, even vtf L
discharging normal duties of a householder. The M aste r show ed us th a l
w a s prossible by his own exam ple. There is no need to despair for I
householder, as he can have a cce ss to the Supreme, just a s the Sanya I
can. This w a s the message that he w anted to convey to the w orld at la
by his example and not by precept only.
* * * -* * -* ■ *
1
DIRECT VI SION OF THE LORD
I» Mnrch 1937, he undertook a vow of silence, after relinquishing his

......... г. о householder, with a firm resolve that either God must appear
• iM i him and command him experessly by word of mouth, or he would
. ■■ ihn body and pass off in Nirvikalpa or indeterminate Samadhi.
On 22nd or 23rd of April, 1937, the Lord appea red in the form of Jagannatn
..... iniin, the Master described this experience as follows:
I lint night he first had a vision of bright light, a light stronger than the
nl any nun. but a light, fuli of life coming from the forehead of Lord Jagannath
..... lolly of Puri temple A s the light shown on his face, he opened his eyes
'ini ilnnling light and he clearly saw the black image of Lord Jagannath,
1 ...... . with dazling ornaments of diamond and precious stones, and His
... l nyns were staring at him. He stared back with unseeing eyes not
iiiting thru he w as in the presence of God Himself. The stub arms of Lord
21
Jagann ath liftedinb lessing sand fro m thefo cu sed brig htlig h tLo rd K it . . .
IMQlOn, or insisting on any other conditions or considerations nf stnct-
emerged. Lord Krishna w ith a flute in this hand and his opaque bluet
H « wmI morality. He, however, accepted Haritaki (Myrobalan, a herbal dried
adorned w ith yellow garment, the neck and chest covered w ith qarlanL ... .. . ,
I» W in medicinal property) and a sacred thread as Gurudakshina. as is
flower, danced in front of him. He then realised that he w as now m , ,
м н и iw y from the Vedic tim es. Perhaps, this is the cheapest Gurudakshina
presence of Lord Krishna and w aited for him to speak, his eyes she;L . . . „ , „ ,
tvon the poorest can afford and offer, for the im mense benefit, they
tears, tears of joy. his heart filled w ith sublime quiet and fulfilment, his L. .........................
I M u l from the Master. The M aster has deliberately made it so, in order to
shivering w ith pleasure and achievement. Lord Krishna, in a melodious v . .,
himself accessible to one and all.
directed, "Ya-Ya-nam-dige-ya" Igogo-preach the name)."Sitaram Das'st
overflowed w ith gratitude, but his soul w as soaring high w ith inspiration
his body was trembling with emotion. Before his staring eyes could I
* * * * * * *
Lord Krishna slowly becam e opaque and then vanished. The brilliant
dimm ed and there w as com plete darkness in the room and he'couK
*
longer se e Lord Jagannath. Sitaram Das crying silently prostrated tow
the temple of Lord Jagannath and from his soul the answ er came:
"Y e s my Lord, thy w ish shall be obeyed."
It is because of the intervention of Lord Jagannath that the M t
becam e a ccessible to ail people, irrespective of caste, creed and reli|
Hitherto, he w a s reluctant to initiate and even w hen he gave his initiaht
w a s for the select few w ho could undertake and succeed in passing rigo
tests, like, chanting Gayatri Mantra or Hare Krishna M antra, at leasi
lakh tim es. But after receiving the com mand to preach the Nam e fai
w ide, he initiated freely without making any distinction of creed or cast

Dtimuidaha and received initiation in January/ February 1928.
I
itubsequently. the M a ste r m ade the conditions for receiving initiation
(ним him, more difficult by increasing the number o f Gayatri Japa to three
N IТ IAT IО N
___________________ M t ll imd perform ance of Sandhya thrice daily. For fem ale candidates, they
worn inquired to com plete the M aham antra Ja p a of three lakhs. Later on he
" iimh I и to four lakhs. These conditions w e re im posed by him only to test the
A s already noted, four m em bers of the fam ily of Sri Prakash СГ|(Н, inss of the candidates for receiving initiation and also to make them
Bandyopadhyaya had the privilege of being the first disciples of the МауьHiqmiont to m ove in the spiritual path, by inculcating in them , a sense of
1924. It w as very difficult in those days to receive the initiation froû, and earnestness, w hich are e sse n tia l for spiritual life. W h en they
M aster. Every male candidate w as required to com plete one lakh of Gunn qonlilisd them selves, the M a s te r w ould initiate them . Thereafter, the
J a p a and every fe m a le , one lakh of M ah a m a n tra Ja p a . before effort w ould be easy for the aspirants. A s a consequence of the
initiated. ifin ii'iiil conditions, the num ber of d iscip les w a s very small. It w as only after
..... . vision of Lord Jagannath and His com m and that the M aster, w aived
In Ju n e or J u ly 1926. Sri Panchanan Gangopadhyaya of Hooghty d#'* 1,1,1 conditions and initiated people, w ho cam e from all w alks of life,
cam e to him for initiation. He candidly confessed to the M aste r : dtuM any exception. Hindus of all castes, M uslim s, Christians and anyone
Mm ripproached him for initiation, w ould get it w ithout incurring any expen-
ihui » Initiation from th e M a s te r meant, the opening up of a n e w w orld of
" l a m a debauchee, a drunkard, a liar, an im poster and a thief. Yoj
•A m , Itimling the aspirants to the suprem e spiritual state.
save me. I am the suppliant fo r your grace.”
The M a s te r w as reluctant initially, but because of his continued

and anguish and his frank confession, the M a s te r agreed to initial!
-*•-*-**-*-*-*-
subject to the condition, that he should com plete one lakh of Gayar
and should perform the Sandhya, thrice daily, at the appointed hours
com pleting more than the required num ber of Japa, he cam e back tc
ii lyio, the sound that com es from a conch-shell, the rumbling of clouds.
iMiiiny ill anklets, sounds such as ’ Jai Guru' and the sounds of the chanting
Ии» Niime in various combinations, such as 'Radhe Govinda Jai' Radhe
SIDDHA YO GA u|| Jai' and ' Hate Krishna Hare Krishna/ Krishna Krishna Hare Hare /
•v*r
- ................ ~ H id llama Hare Rama / Rama Rama Hare Hare' and so on and so forth. Of
There are two types of initiation. One of the ordinary type, is calkAl**' n,,(l Nad, the number is infinite and only few have been indicated, Once
'Kriyevati Diksha'. Its essence is that the Guru show s the w ay and if1" w p w iw c e of Jyoti and Wad come, the aspirant has access to medita-
disciple has to work for himself and with his own efforts, rise to the gut**'11,1,1 л wil1 not be necessary for him to attempt at meditation. It comes
heights. The other type of initiation is known e s ' Siddha Yoga", the essentN*,," ,B,100uslv and in course of time as a result of meditation on Nad or
of it is that the Guru transmits power to the disciple and awakens wWfl, H* mind gets dissolved once and for ever, leading the aspirant to the
Kundalini, which henceforth will work out its own course and the discipln^*^ (|t God, This experience has been beautifully summarised in the
only the witness to the miracles it works. Thus, in Siddha Yoga, the lines:
infuses the power into the disciple, either by touch or look or thought and;
a result, the Mantra becomes sentient and the awakened Kundalini mew N the unstruck melody rings within one, night and day, then the state
upwards, resulting in a (tightened state of con scio usness and tliH HtMlhlnss Lord is known by the Guru's grace,”
immediately after initiation. Mild as well as wild tremors are experienced l ~ A digr$r> th
him, The disciple feels electrified. He shivers all over and he has no pow
eithe r to sto p or c o n tro l the m ove m e nt of h is body. Thereafti 11111 letter addressed to Rai Saheb Bhujendra Nath Sarkar. the Master
super-sensuous experiences, like the Jyoti and Nad occur |transcendeni,"," ,,n nlM,ut Siddha Yoga, as indicated b e lo w :
light and sound appear).
! Hid articles that the Utsav publishes, relate all to the Kriyavati Diksha
Transcendental light resembles red and blue spots, stars, blazing fir(*'"l way is to be traversed and trudged w ith toil. You all have got
and sparks of lightning. It is difficult to indicate the types of Jyoti, as they a ^Mhe Yoga'; it is a lift, so far as this is concerned you need not care even to
millions in number. So is the case with Nad. The sounds like the roar of snfc",'vv im p in g about the routes. Only concentrate on the Mantra and Jyoti,
the beating of drums, the ringing of bells, the piping of a flute, the m u s ic a l «nilVindu all shall come. Meditate attha heart. When the heart is filled,
Я 27
L
г
you can go up to the centre of the eye-brow s and the Sahasrar, the higty " Suddenly I had a sensation of a touch at the root of the spinal chord
level. Concentrate on Nad, the mind w ill dissolve, the finite and the inlf mill n\ once an electric force passed sw iftly through the spinal chord into the
w ill be indissolubly merged." i mnlunl cortex, resulting in a strange experience. Suddenly, I found m yself
nlunl Into a vast w hiiling lum inous void. For me the universe w a s gone, no
In another context, the M a ste r pointed o u t : n ei.n ol it remained. It w a s an infinite sea of light th a t I found around m e and
i trill Ihnt I w a s swaying and tossing in that heaving sea.
" Once the power of Kundalini has been awakened, the Karma of(l
Yogi drops off in its entirety and his Jivan Mulcti state appears of itself" I cannot now recall how long I rolled in th a t v a st radiant void, but this
..... и I remember that I did not lose my consciousness even for a moment.
Here are tw o exam ples of the im pact of Siddha Yoga on his disciple Only a laint yet alert sense of the external w orld survived: that w a s tha
•iwniiiimss of the M a s te r standing by.

A distinguished disciple of the M a s te r Sri Anjaneyulu of Rama IMI
Kshefram in Guntur D istrict of Andhra Pradesh, described his experience N ow I felt a stirring sensation of a unique kind near about the navel ring.
fo llo w s : i inii that a sound issued forth from that region. I triad m y best to stifle that
-uni«I, but in vain. The sound exploded w ith a terrific crash and spread itself
" I w a s doing Japa on the day following that of initiation from Sri Gu «In nail. I couldn't open my eyes for a long tim e.
w hen a flo o d of light em anated from m y forehead and in that, I saw the!
of my Lord. A year after this, Sri Guruji cam e here and touched my N When I had the Power to open m y eyes, I could not find the M aster
w hen I w a s doing Japa, A t once Lord appeared before m e smiling and anywhere about me.
rounded by divine light. W o rds fail to describe the appearance of Lord
the experience I had on that occasion." Alm ost im m ediately after that, the M aster arrived. He sat by m e and
i .«и nia my M antra."

Sri Puranjay Roy Bandyopadhyaya, the M a s te r's biographer in Ben
has described his experience w hen the M aste r touched him. w hile her
* - * ■ * * • * * *■
w aiting to be initiated:
29
than a thousand. Of them about three hundred w ill excel in knowledge
mill teeming. He w ill w ander about from place to place to disseminate Dharma.
Many will receive from him the e sse nce of truth. He will be dear to Sri Sri
lefleonath Oeva. He will be known to a good many w ise men. A s a house-
1чпМяг lie w ill be known as Prabodh Chandra R o m very early

AS PREACHER OF NAME
ihilrth rjo d . he w ill p o s s e s s k n o w le d g e a s w e ll a s an a ttitu d e of
nWHittachment. A t the second stage of life, he will have one leg damaged.
After receiving the command of Lord Jagannath, the m ission of M astei'i
W»ll, ye, for the advent of the Lord, in him w ill the Lord incarnate Himself.
life becam e crystal clear. He shall be a great preacher of Nam e. His m issicl
1la will com e on a visit to Niladrinath and his identity gets revealed. He will
w ould be to provide a shortcut to the fulfilment by chanting the N am e of iff
Imvw many disciples w ith him and he w ill be forever wandering."
lo rd . This role of the M aster w a s predicted nearly four centuries ago. A t tht
beginning of 16th century, Sri K rishna Cha ita nya M ah a pra b hu knowt
Hnving been com m issioned by the Lord to propagate the Name, the
throughout India as the incarnation of the com bined form of Lord Krishna anj
M arin i uxerted him self to preach the Nam e in e thousand and one w ays. His
Shrimati Radharani, had selected five renowned scholars and devotees front
-nuiint w ould be to provide a shortcut to the fulfilment by chanting the
O rissa a s his c lo s e s t d isc ip le s and a sso cia te s. A m o n g st them , P a n d l
Nellie of the Lord. He w a s fully aw are of the fact, that in this iron age,
Achyutananda, a renowned sage of very high reputation, had predicted tin
10*11111» me incapable of austerity or renunciation. In his book, “ M oo d s of a
birth of a great Bhakta w ho w ould grace the w orld in the years to com e. Hit
■••i.ii.". he w rote :
prophecy runs as follow s :
* litis is not the age of austerity or renunciation. People of this age

” Listen to me again Oh you devotees of Krishna. In the district of HoogHi
huikIni and quail at the thought of renunciation. In th is age the recipe has
in North Bengal, a Bhakta w ill be bom, in the family of devotees of Krishna!
"i hn vniy much simplified and shortened. The people have lost the capacity
He will be known as a Bengalee because of his birth in Bengal. He will N
1 uiiiliiratanding the Gita, but have gained the capacity of bragging and
vastly learned and attain to the fell knowledge of the Suprem e and will bi
huutiiifl out the name of Gita. That is w hy a much sm aller thing suited to
known as belonging to the Sri Sampradaya of the Rama-huti order. The cut
um munis of the age is called for, a thing by m eans of which m en can easily
of Sri Sampradaya of the Rama-huti order w ill be his daily Practice. Vast wii
' "'M n thing that can transm ute base worldly-m inded men caring only for
be his knowledge, m editation and learning. His disciples w ill number morn
31
30
ш
gold and sensual gratification into very sa ints devoted e xclusively to Gtxl How long have I been in this stage?'
such a thing as can g ran t them the v isio n o f th e Su pre m e . Oh, you « i nr two days' I said.
enlightenm ent, let that light suprem e d aw n and shine upon humanity."
Il<l then said. 'I had b een t o a s tra n g e r e a lm .' There w a s an a ssem bly
This w a s the M a s te r's m ission. To m ake a gift o f that light Supreme 11 И тя н у transcendent beings, w h o w e re very tall w ith form s as soft a sc re a m .
the blind so uls of this W o rld . H o w did the M a s te r go about his m ission? Щ |ka muni a s I w ent, m y form also b ecam e e xactly like theirs. A m eeting w a s
did it by em phasising the glory of M aham antra and by continuously chantu w o o d to find o ut a com m on course, w h ic h all people m igh t follow w ith
the Nam e. W h erever he w ent, he w ould in sist tha t the d iscip les around him kuMhil results. One am ong them sug g ested ," a c h ie v in g n o n -v io le n c e '. Then
should chant this Nam e. This w a s his con stan t refrain. The e a sie st and thi ....... Him b eing s sp o ke w h o w e re se a ted in a c ircu la r form , one after
m o st practicable course for attaining eternal b liss w as chanting th e Nam e liar, each giving his v ie w s w ith a references to the Sh astras. The first
the Lord and in particular, the M aham antra: M i %tiltin g ended. On th e second day cam e m ine (that is, Sri Gurudeva's
•m| Than I suggested w ith adequate references to the Shastras, that chanting
“ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna 1Mahamantra w a s the b est method, that can be resorted to by every m an
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare 1 • .illuming God realisation in this age.
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare H are” 1Ниге Krishna Hare Krishna
Minim a Krishna Hare Hare
The M a s te r in his letter to his disciple, Sri Anjaneyulu of Ram a Nanv Itare Ram a Hare Rama
K shetram in Guntur D istrict o f Andhra Pradesh, ha s explained reasons f# Urmia Rama Hare Hare"
adopting M aham antra as the chief instrum ent of his m ission.
An soon as I concluded, all w ith one vo ice a ssented by saying :

"In 1922 in the month of A sw in (Septem ber/O ctcber) after Durga Pup
Sri Gurudeva had an atta ck of Pneum onia; he seem ed to be unconsciou ' Hari Om . Hari O m "
for tw o days and cam e back to him self only on the third day. Then he askor
me : Hum Sri Gurudeva returned from that invisible realm . A fte r his recovery,
3?
■
he sang daily 'Hare Krishna..." in the Sadhan Samity, an institute] mng by many voices in accompaniment to many instruments in the in
spirit! al culture tounded by him. W e joined him and sang too. He used to w u M i sphere. No one w as in sight, but the music of ‘ Hare Krishna' Naam
i ..iillnued without break. After a fortnight or so, the ' Hare Krishna' Naam
"I shall go to Arabia and Turkey. Even the mussalmans w ill receive uLyMigd itself to him and absorbed him and made him a part and parcel of
Name. I shall preach the Name from door to door." ,..„11
He lived for ten years more. Later, before passing on to the eternal r e a l цм further affirmed that the words of the Shastras, the meeting of the
he had started work through this medium, (that is, myselfl. At DumurdalLûjndentai beings with Gurudeva. the grace of Mahamantra to himself
on every eleventh day of the moon, there used to be loud and non-siL„| ц|(| singing aloud of Mahamantra by saints, conclusively proved that the
singing of the name for twentyfour hours or for three days and nights г»т я nncj g,e only way for men in Kaliyuga, is singing of Mahamantra. By
stretch. He often graced these functions with his presence. , i„«iiting the Mahamantra, one can meet God face to face. About it there
«I Ini no doubt - none, none, none at all.

In 1933, M aster him self stated that by the grace of Gurudeva, 1
capacity for performing Sandhya, Puja and study of scriptures, left him a
only Omkar remained with him. A s a result, he used to be absorb ed in Saimj
for ten or twelve hours. At that time, he took the vow of silenc e for a moil , * # * - * - * x- ■*
with effect from the Uttarayana Sankranti, that is, about 14th of Jarnu
1933. During Pranava Japa, he could hear the ringing of bells. Then he ho| ’
with both his ears ;
" Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare"
After that, he w as hearing the sound of ’ Hare Krishna', that was Ixi
■I
i n Kaliyuga, Nam e is the clear and straight path. Ju st as all clouds are
id by sun's rays and the sun appears, similarly. Nam e destroys the
varieties of delusion (that is. the im perfections enveloping the soul)

METHODS OF PREACHING
:ht Paramatma (Lard) appears in person in the heart of the singer. The
question w as relating to the M antra that w ou ld be m ost effective in

"In Kaliyuga the Lord’s Nam e is the only emancipator"
and w hich could be chanted by all persons, irrespective of their
- ~ Adigran
creed, com m unity or religion. B hagw an Shankar anticipated this
(AJ S p e e c h e s
and told M oth er Parvati in Yoga-SarTantTa, that in Kaliyuga for those
One of the m ethods adopted by the M aste r for preaching the Nai
ild have faith in the Tantras, the M antra w ou ld be :
w as to address large gatherings of disciples and devotees, w ho w ere ea|
to listen to his m essage. He w a s never tired of exhorting everyone that t i l

• Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
should d ing to the Nam e. He w ou ld speak, quoting from different S h a s t r l
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
that the chanting of Nam e w as the sw ifte st and sm oothest w ay of a t t a in !
Hare Rama Hare Ranga
the direct vision of God. He would continue to speak until Sam adhi a b s o r !
Rama Rama Hare Hare"
him.
. . ____ . . . . . ... According to the Radhatantra, M o th e r Parvati g ave th is M an tra to

In his speech delivered at the 25th annual conference of the Divine it a
'.'ItaQwan Vasudeva.
society at Calcutta on 28th of December, 1979, he pointed out once 3|
the im portance of chanting the Lord’s N a m e in this terrible kaliyuga, I

И you ask me. w hether by taking Nam e once, all sins w ill be burnt to
attaining salvation. Inspite of all its draw backs, Kaliyuga has one gtJ
N lM ? I reply, that it must happen. Take for example, a huge heap of straw
advantage in that, the results of spiritual exercises can be obtained quicj
« s large quantity of cotton, w oo l or a dark cave. Do you require dozens of
in this age.
ним» boxes to reduce the heap of straw to ashes? No. If you apply even one
mulch stick, it w ill start burning and gradually the w hole heap w ill burn
" W hatever is attained in Satyayuga by meditation, in the Treata I
•vygy. In the sam e w ay the heap of cotton or w o o l w ill be quickly burnt by
sacrifices, in Dwaparyuga by w orship, in the Kaliyuga, it can be attainedl
tl* implication of one single match stick. If you strike one m atch stick, it will
singing Nam e alone."
37
dispel the century old darkness of the cave immediately. Like a s t ia

* In this Kaliyuga, what is that Dharma by observing a little of winch
heap, the sins of a very stnful person burn slowly. If a man is moderate
fluid a person get full result? 'This Dharma' • this path, is that of ’Nama’.
sinful, his sins are burnt away rapidly. The dark ignorance of the mind of J
«Mch alone is capable of reaching one to the highest."
otherwise virtuous person is immediately dispelled."
In this context, it is also relevant to note what Lord Krishna told Arjuna :
From the foregoing, it is seen that Mahamantra can be recited by o f
and all at any point ot time of the day or night and without observing .11
'0 Partha, whoever sings my Name, either with respect or disdain, his
formalities. Coming to a particular individual, which Mantra will suit him
««M always remains in my heart."
best?
The Master eleborates on this note struck by the Lord:

Vishnu is the presiding God of Akasha (Sky). Parvati is the presidri
Goddess of Fire. Sun or Fire is the presiding God of Vayu, Ganesh is i l l

* How is it that even if one utters His Name in disdain, the result is
presiding God of Water and Bhagwan Shankar is the presiding God of til
«iiunlly beneficent? W hy should it not be so? M aterial strength is
Earth. A person worships the God according to the abundance of one or til
•«l#()ondent of all other forces. Material strength, without waiting for anyone's
other constituent in one’s body. If he has Akasha as the main constituent. i{
nih, respect or bhakti, exhibits its own power. Name also is like that power,
will worship Vishnu. On the other hand, if he has fire as his main constituent
u* tosult of chanting (he Name, comes of itself. If you dip your hand even
he will worship Parvati and so no. It is the Guru, who determines the suitatti
1Klainfully in nitric acid, will it not burn your hand? If you take poison making
Mantra for his disciple. When one gets the Mantra from the Guru, then Ц
ч|1|| ul it. will it not cause death? In the same way, whether you utter Name
doing Japa of that Mantra at the time specified by the Guru, the discipJ
•vilh respect or love or with disdain, it will be active and produce results,
attains the Purushottama.
'nit us a well is filled up if you go on dropping brick bats in it, similarly, one's
'« u l is filled by constantly singing Name."

" without the grace of Sadguru, none can attain salvation"
" Sing the Name of Hari
Sing the Name of Hari

- 'A n Indian proverb' Sing the Name of Hari"
38
39
(В) W r it in g s gain, in th is w ork, the M a s te r has m a d e it am p ly cle a r that the p o w e r
i d o e s not depend on the devotion or faith of the singer, a s it has the
"Не w ho con te m p la te s the Lord's Nam e pnt pow er to d estroy sins, w h e th e r th e singer has faith or not.
is not ca st into the w o m b "

he p o w e r of m y N a m e d oes not c o m e from your devotion. A s the
- " R a v i da |
great fire destroys creation in the hour of dissolution, so does the Fire of
m y N a m e con sum e th e sins a ccu m ula te d through crores and cro re s of
M a ste r has w ritten a num ber o f books w herein he has laid the strest
birth. Oh sinner Here am I - w aitin g for you. Fear not."
the e ffica cy o f th e N a m e in a ttain ing th e Su p re m e S ta te of b liss, at]
In y e t another exq u isite poem w ritten by the M a s te r in this book :
evident from the fo llo w ing e xtra cts from different books :
G reat E lix ir (M aitarasayanJ He w ak e s u p th e slum bering m an and pursuades him to chant the name,
.0~ if he w a n ts to avoid te rrib le suffering at the tim e o f death. His role
1. " Listen. M y N a m e is your support in the journey o f life. Sing the Na appears to be that o f th e Hound of H eaven.’
Today you are alive, but you w ill not be ative forever. A day w ill <
w hen your se n se s w ill c e a se to function and life w ill leave corp “ S le e p N o M o re , M y M in d '
fram e, and the m ortal rem ains w ill be either devoured by jackali|
“D ay after day death beats his drum"
burnt to a sh e s. If you d o not o b ta in th e m e a n s of su p p o rt fo r i
"Slee p no mere, w a k e up pleasure-beguiled mind!
journey, then you a re doom ed. From th is m om ent earn m e a ns - sing ^
H o w long 0 fool, w ilt thou revel in this w orld?
Nam e, let yo u r w ho le system utter the w o rd s 'R am a Ram a' and ‘
Hari'. This is the b est m eans o f leading yo u to the right path of life.1 Death stands grim by the bed-side.
w ealth, yo u r w ife and children w ill not go w ith you. W h ile there is 4 skewing th a t the body is the soul
tim e, sing the Nam e and obtain w h a t is m o st w orth your w h ile in | Thou h a st m ad e the body th y all in all.
D on't fo llo w too m any path s to «he higher life, better stick to one- |j And rovest day by day like a m aniac.
singing o f the N am e - this w ill be the b est of your attainments* Ц Even n o w thou thousand c rie s go up.
need not be proficient in all the scriptures. " H ow long w ilt thou lie se n se le ss in d e lusio n's sleep ?
Thou hast obtained this body, desired of Gods. A s man, w om an, bird, beast, w orm and in s e c t
A s reward for strivings of a million lives. The Nam e in its myriad form s enjoys its sport M anifesting itsoll in tiny
Alas! thy days have passed aw ay in vain. as night.
Deep disgrace w ill aw ait thee on thy last day. A s half month and month and the six seasons
The days Ogone by w ill not return The name is a l l : it is the sun, the moon.
Though hundred tim e s thou w e rt to sacrifice thyself. The planets: the Nam e is light and darkness.
Yet there is time; chant the Lord;s Nam e The basis of all things is the Name,
That carries the e ssence of im mortality." It is river, hill and sea, tree and creeper.
Rem em ber Rama, sing Rama, Rama.
S tre a m s o f N e c ta r (Sudhar Dhara) And thou w ilt attain bliss, о Sitaram !"
1. In this m arvellous book consisting of the e ssence o f Vedas, the m a sll I, In another poem , the M a ste r has categorically stated that it is possible
has, em phasised the efficacy of Nam e and has clarified that N a irn ! to see the Lord face to fa ce by sim ply chanting the Name.
synonym ous w ith God and therefore, chanting of the N am e s h l

ce rta in ly lead one to im m ortality. In the fo llo w in g poem , he h * " N o t a p o et's fancy but seeing face to face!
conveyed the m essage, that chanting of the Nam e not only leads н Surely, devotee w ill m eet his Lord.
the conquest of death, but also to the realisation that all that e xists* j
Unfortunate is the man w ho keeps away
this world is God.
Thinking it is all a figm ent of the brain.
How sw e e t to hear. Thou Lord! Thy servant I!"

“ Recite the Nam e, my mind! w ithout a break
and thou w ilt find peace and conquer death. A s thou interest if thou art rid of pain.
From the Nam e has this universe arisen, M ake a firm resolve to see Him face to face.
In the Nam e all objects find their support.
W ithout a doubt thou w ilt see Him thus.
The Nam e objectifies itself into the world,
Thy heart strings are attuned to the loved Name,
Ih e Nam e becom es all form s of life and moves
43 43
Recite it constantly and move forward. assuming form of b lis s : in the great deluge Of bliss the mortal universe
I
Even now my Lord appears before me. writ totally dissolve leaving no trace behind; everywhere you will see Myself
who am all bliss.

Recite the Name and make it all in all.
■ Г
with recitation expectation w ill arise.
Nam-Samkirtan is the smooth, straight and easy way. The lustre ol M y
And thou wilt look out for Him day by day. Name goes beyond the Vedas and Vedanta, They become adorable to the
He, thy life's joy. w ill smilingly appear. Hires w orld s w ho say the Nam e constantly. Their grace can rescue
The Lord's servant Sitaram! Recite the Nam e!" numerous sinners and sufferers.
Neglect no more, time flies fast. Say the Name, Practise saying the
A b h a y Vani (Hops Abounding)
Name continuously So long as you can utter a syllable, don't give up saying
Iho name. Heedless of whether you are holy or unholy, ignoring whether you
In this book, the M aster assures that he w ill take full responsibility to
luive reverence and faith or not. say the name every moment. It is the Name
those, who sing the Lord's name. While in the other books, he has been
Indeed that w ill fetch divine love. By silent repetition of the Name you will
emphasising that the Lord in His infinite mercy will grant them immortality, it
•no M e face to face. Say the Name, say the Name, say the Name,
they sing His Name. In this book, he has given that assurance himself having
realised that he and the Supreme Power w ere one. He has identified himsrf
Fear not Fear not Fear not"
with the Almighty and has given the assurance directly The veil has Ьем|
rent as under and we see the M aster as Lord Himself.

f, In another passage in the aforesaid book, the Master has revealed that
he has come down as Namevatar (Incarnation of Lord's N a m e ):

1. " la n d my father are one”
- H o ly B ib k
"D e are st! Listen, Dearest Mine! To do away with all your pain I have
come down as the Name. Say the Name and all your worries shall cease: I
"The Name and I are not distinct, you know, To say the Name and lo
Will fill you, within and without, with light and delight. You will be thrilled
stay with me amount to the same thing. Say the Name unceasingly, and
livery moment with M y beautific touch, the world w on’t flash upon your
disease, sorrow, pain and distress will be dancing in your presence.
44
sight any longer, you w ill only see blissful Myself. I say oo oath M y name Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Hama Rama
can quicken death itself." Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Roma
Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Hama
tC) W ritin g The N am e Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Hama
Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
The M aster has also suggested one more method for preaching the
Name by writing the Name of Rama, taking into account of the total. Each
page has to contain 325 Names. The grand total has to be kept and each
book when finished, shalt be forwarded to M aham ilan M ath for onwanl
transmission to a temple, w hich has been built specially for the purpose, al Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
Digsui. the M aster's Guru's village. The M aster has assured that whoever Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
w rites the Name of Rama in the manner suggested by him, shall certainly Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
obtain whatever he desires. W hatever that desire may be, recovery from Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
incurable disease, pleasures of the world, knowledge and bliss, or whatever Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
else may be w anted by the writer. And of course, the M aster never requires Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
that the Nam e should be written w ith faith or devotion. Even when tiro Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
Name is written without faith, the purpose of the writer shall be achieved Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama
The m aster has given the choice to utter any Nam e of the Lord,
although, it is the Mahamantra. which he especially prescribes. But when ii
com es to the writting of the Name, he insists on one and only one : the
name of Rama, For the purpose of writing, no other form of Name w ill do. In
this regard, the M aster strictly follows the injunctions of the Shastras. In a
booklet entitled, " Sri Sri Ramanam a Likhan M ah im a " "(The supreme
efficacy of writing the Name of Rama), the M aster has specified the form in
which, it has to be written. The same is given below :
46 47
. 1
HOW NAME LEADS TO THE FINAL GOAL
In his "Kalir Path'- (the way in Kaliyuga), the Master observes as
M ow s :
Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama "Let us now discuss, how by simply chanting the Name, man can
Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama Sri Rama Rama Rama jmlify himself.
Sri Rama
That out of word (sabda) creation emerged is dearly mentioned in the
VMas. IntheShrutis.word (Sabda) has been called Prana-Spandanor tremor
n( life. It is from Sabda that all come. That Sabda Brahma, the Supreme,
iitays in the human body as para in Muladhar (below the navel region), as
IMiyanti at the navel, as Madhyama at the heart and as Vaikhari in the
mouth. The key to the secret of creation is found in the w ords : I will be
пипу, I will be bom',. The Vaikhari word, inclined towards creation, moving in
ih« direction of creation, builds up life in the world. Wandering from life to
do through a cycle of births and deaths, when at last man is sick of torment
•I turning the mind outwords, longs to return to the centre of his being, then
'«i has to adopt" Vak" or word in order to return. That is, the direction of the
•luistras. So you chant the Name with word of the mouth, with the Vaikhari
iVokl. When as a result of this chanting, your tongue and throat are gratified,
iliit Vak or word arrives at the heart or Madhyama. A t this stage, the body
к
shivers and shakes and numerous other symptoms appear, Gradual!
Jyotiand Nad come, trancendental light and sound reveal themselves. W ldl
transcendental experiences of sound, touch, sight, taste and smell com*
you grow indifferent to the sensuous appeal of the physical sound. toiKl
taste etc. With the blazing of red, blue, yellow, white and numerous otN
glaring lights within yourself, you find yourself immersed in a sea of hirst
S e v e ra l hundred crores of Jyoti are there and several thousand crores of N.nl
No one can ever succeed in enumerating all of them. Rumbling of the cloud
the roar of the sea, the hum of bees, the droning of large black bees, ill
music of the flute, of the lute, of so many other stringed instruments, Hi
sound of drum, of cymbal and so on. And many many other kinds of Nad at
there. It is impossible to draw a complete list, 'Jai Guru- N a d ,' Guru Gun
Nad, 'So-ham' Nad, Om Nad, these are part of one's experience. When
Nad goes on continuously and unceasingly without a moment's pause, 01
has no power to stop it or arrest its course. At the end, one loses onesell
the Om Nad and is frozen in Samadhi.

■ I
DIFFERENT PATHS
In the M aster's scheme of things, chanting of Name has the top most
HtWflty. as it has the inherent power to grant salvation to each and every
•«tvldual w ho chants the Name. Further, the Name can be chanted at any
Hilnt of time, during the course of the day or night and with or without faith
мм| In any state of mind or body. Such is the glory of Name. The next point
ilMI is to be addressed to. relates to ascertaining as to whether there is any
•ah«r path to reach the sublime heights of spirituality, even in this degener-
.io nge. The M aster affirmed that there were other routes also. The details
■if those paths are indicated below :
i Ouruseva
"He who, has faith in the Guru
Unto him com es Lord, the God
He is renowned as a Bhakta in the three worlds"
- ~ A d ig r a n th ~
The M aster would not preach anything that he had not practised.
According to him. one of the most effective methods leading to self relisation.
4 nervicetothe Guru. As w e have already seen, he w as rendering unstinting
•«vice to his Guru and his family members in all possible ways. In later life,
i« was wearing his Guru's wooden sandals right on his chest, to indicate his
|
■
love for his Guru. He w a s a lso w illin g to sa crifice everything to serve his Ciu'J “ Sky. air, fire, w ater, earth, moon, sun and all other heavenly bodies,
If by nothing else, one can reach the goal by sheer devotion and service ■ buds and b easts, w o rm s and insects, the directions, trees, rivers and the
his Guru. Has, w hatever is there, ail, have to be regarded as the Body of God and to
ill, should the true Bhakta the devotee bow."

2. D e vo tio n To Parents
This direction of Bhagavatam form ed the basis or the rationale behind

A p a r t fro m w o r s h ip o f G uru, d e v o tio n to p a re n ts is one. H His c u lt o f o b eisan ce . He p ra ctise d th e a b o v e m e n tio n ed in stru ctio n s of
w orshipped his m other as a G od d ess in hum an form. He used to go round Im Jhagavata Purana scrupulously. Every morning, he b ow ed to the sun and
with folded hands and prostrate at her feet, thrice a day. He used to w o r s iJ limn to the Tulasi plants. A fter that, he w ould visit e a ch and every tem p le in
her and offer flo w ers a t her feet. He used to dip her toe in w ate r and drink d ihe vicinity and bow ed to the deity, next to his m other and to every other
w hich is know n as "Charanam rita." The M a s te r explained in hi$ booklri I person, w ho w a s senior to him. O nce he had an o cca sio n to visit a jail at
Yugavani' that a person w ho w orshipped his father and m other a s the L unin Burdwan and the first thing he did before entering th e prison gate, w a s to
the universe and divine m other respectively, w a s not reqired to practise Н У his obeisan ce to the jail. He w a s lying prostrate before it, to the great
other spiritual d iscip lin e . His se rvice to p a re n ts w o u ld lead him to titl •ilonishm ent of th e officers. He did so. a s the jail itse lf w a s God in one form.
highest spiritual level. He w a s never tired of quoting th e exam ple of Pundit'll # by nothing else, by she e r ob eisan ce one can attain Him. If w e are not
of P an d arp ur to sh o w th a t to a person, w h o se rve d his p a re n ts w ill Mpable of any spiritual effort, w e can surely ad op t this m ethod, as it is
devotion. God w ou ld com e of His o w n accord. To th is day the Lord is n Prfthin our reach. The M a ste r in his m ercy has given th is e a sie st form ula for
standing in the te m p le of Pandarpur, in the sam e sta te in w hich. Pundm* Iplntual upliftm ent.
had found him.
I Path o f S h a stra s
3, P ath o f O b e is a n c e
The M a s te r prescribed Sw adh yaya or th e study of the scriptu res as

One im portant m e ssa g e of the M a s te r w a s that, by o beisance punI
«other m ethod. He had studied Shastras w ith great enthusiasm . He read
and sim ple, it w ou ld be possible for anyone to a ttain to the suprem e hoiyHI
Iht Vedas, Upanishads, Itihasas, Puranas and every other scripture that he
and he p ractised it in his daily life. He w a s very fond of quoting from Siinuf
could lay his hands on w ith one end in v ie w - to realise th e infinite through
Bhagavatam , th e follow ing lin e s :
S) 53
L
study and tie achieved his purpose. He firmly believed that the so«t|
vowed that until I die, as long as my tongue can utter a syllable. I shall
of Shastras in the true spirit, was capable by itself of granting God-realisation j
fctiare with all the emphasis at my command that the Shastras are true,
Study of Shastras revealed ultimate truth to him. In a memorable spemli
I I Shastras are infallible, One that will take refuge in the Shastras, the
delivered in Rama Nama Kshetram of Guntur. Andhra Pradesh, the Masin i;
Urd. God Himself shall receive him unto His bosom."
sa id :
► Yet again in his book, 'Kshepar Jhuli’, the Master writes:

" Tired and sick of the ceaseless coming and going along the 1огц I
toilsome way of life, fatigued creatures have forever been running in quesld
I " The words of the Shastras can never go wrong. It may even be
unalloyed joy of the bliss ofthe infinite. Things of the world cannot, of couui
JWsible for the sea to cross the shore. Mount meru to move and for the
fetch the bliss ofthe infinite. They only lead from torment to torment - limn
Won and the sun to deflect from their orbit, but the words of the Shastras,
anguish to anguish. By no worldly means whatsoever, can this bliss of llnlj
rnn never - never - never-go wrong. The way of the Shastras is the safe royal
infinite, the ultimate, be attained. When one longs to return to the centio ill
oed, guarded by sentries. He, who takes exclusively to this way, goes
one's being, one has to take recourse to the way of the Shastras. The Ved,n I
*ughi ng and secure to the realm of that nameless, formeless King and Lord,
Vedanta, Upanishads, Sankhya, Patanjali, Tantras and Puranas of India Iviwl
the Shastras are true. The Shastras are very ture. The Shastras are most
only told us about the way to the bliss of the infinite"
iwfoundly true."
He could say so as he had known from his personal experience. M l

r If by nothing else, exclusively by his study of the Shastras, the Master
the study of Shastras could lead to final fulfilment.
illained to his great heights and showed another path to us. to move
'wards the kingdom of God.
in another book, entitled,' Varnashrama Viplava,' or the upset in m l
social order, the Master writes :
;. 5. Path of Austerities.
" My Shastras, I do not know how to extol you. Yet, I declnifl
categorically today that I love you with all my heart. I have not banl Master was practising penance of all sorts, as laid down in the
privileged to follow you in toto, but the little of you I have observed, iml tetlptures. The triple panance of body, mind and speech, he practised with
gratified me. I have been immersed in the sea of bliss and have solemnly jurat zeal. Worship of God, ofthe respectable and the wise. Worship of holy
<i*n and of teachers, purity, uprightness, non-violence and self restraint,
511
55
which formed the bodily penance were practised by him. Similarly. Hit
verbal penance, consisting of avoiding harsh words, speaking only the
pleasant wholesome truth and reading the sacred texts, was a part of hit I
AS A WRITER
daily routine. To these austerities, he added the penance of mind, consistinj I
of the cultivation of peace of mind, gentleness, silence, self control and

[ The Master had a very sensitive mind and a poetic temperament
purity of spirit to such an extent, that he was able to visualise God in every ngrained in him. When he lost his father in 1912, he felt the pangs of
creature and in every bit of creation. By his strict and continuous austerity,
M ovem ent. This incident brought him face to face with the stark realities
he attained the fulfilment. 4 life and the problems of life, death and rebirth. In a brilliant essay written
'К him after the tragic incident, but published later, a glimpse of his pain is
In this context, it may be stated that it was astonishing to note thtti
'•fleeted in the book, entitled, 'Pagaier Kheyal' or 'Moods of a maniac-. The
he was sitting in meditation for long hours, even when he was approaching I erects from the book are given below :
the age of ninety years. He used to sit in meditation at the Bhagirathi Math I
in Uttar kashi from early morning, before sunrise, till about 10 RM. in th tl x " A year is gone. A year since I lost my father. I do not know, where and
night in one stretch and this went on from day after day for nearly six months I
il whose house you may have been bom and whether, I may be privileged to
He was also observing 'MOUNA' (or SILENCE) for indefinite periods,I meet you again in this life."
sometimes it extended for a year or more and the maximum spell of Mourn I
was at Omkareswar, where his M ouna lasted for eithteen months at a stretch I
He continues his introspection as to why men are bom at all on this
He practised severe austerities and as a result, reached the supreme height I nth?
of spiritual glory.
“ Why do you come to this earth? How long does your novelty last?
Since he had practised severe austerities and got excellent results, hr |
•nice, in a moment, in a fraction of a moment, in less even than that, you
preached this path to all those, who had the inclination and the capacity toI «I old, why do you come at all?'
follow the same.
Thereafter, he enquires as to whether there is any meaning in his
•lining to this world

-
№
1 " well, why do 1 come? W hy should 1come? Only to drift with the tide i i. ’ Sri Sri Namrasayan', Maharasayan' etc. are some of the books that fall
time and toss and whirl in the sea of life?" under this category.
In another essay, entitled, " Pain", which forms part of the Moods d I " 0 tongue, I w ill cut thee up in a hundred bits
Maniac", the Master writes : If thou utterest not the Lord's N am e"
f
- " N am dev"
" For pleasure w e crave, though pleasure never comes. For Pleasun
that is never to be found we give our precious lives away. But look at pain In one of his monumental works, 'Sri Sri Namamrita Lahari', published in
pain comes unsolicited. For pain we need not strive or pine. Pain needs к Uleven volumes with innumerable quotations in Sanskrit, taken from Shruti.
invocation. It comes of itself. Why cannot we hail pair, saying 'come pa» Pliranas and the Tantras, he has emphasised the efficacy of the chanting of
Thee. 1am prepared to meet.' W e do not do so for the simple reason thu Ihe Name of the Lord, for attaining life Divine. A few extracts from this book
pain is distressing. Therefore, w e long for pleasure, the pleasures that an will convey the message of the master in this regard :
short lived, whereas the pain can bestow everlasting bliss."

"There can be no doubt that one can gain all one's desires and can
After writing a series of philosophical and introspective essays. betwi» attain God by simply chanting the Name. It is very very ture. Those, who have
the years 1912 and 1918, the Master blossomed into a writer. Ihe ability, should, with body, mind and speech and with Bhakti, sing Nam.
Those who have not that ability, may only repeat Ram Ram. Krishna Krishna.
As noted earlier, in 1924, he worte his exposition o f ' Astavakra Samlm» Hari Hari, Even they do not have to bother about either this life or next. Nam
and'Chokher Jole Mayer Pooja.' In 1926, he wrote his 'Maharasayan', whirl Itself will take charge of their lives in this or the next world. You are crying on
was published next year. account of vrious shortages - shortage of food, shortage of money, shortage
Of clothes? Go on singing Nam, food will come to you without your asking for
Thereafter, Master wrote about two hundred books, of which, abou II and you will be able to feed thousands of people. Even if you do not pray for
160 have so far been published. The M aster's writings can be broailli money, heaps of it w ill fall at your feet on its own. You do not have to bother
classified into three categories. In the first category comes the booli about the lack of clothes, you yourself will be able to clothe innumerable
relating to the glory of Name. 'Sri Sri Namamritam', Sri Sri Namamrita Lahivi people. Even if you give up everything, property and wealth will run after you
У 69
II J U I
I
to serve. I am not exaggerating Nam 's capability. I am not colouring my [ In the second category of his books, come 'Sri Sri Gurupuja'.' Asrubadal',
words. If you want to see actual proof. I can show it to you. Blow off the Bhakta Leela', 'Siva Vivaha', Dasya Madhur' etc. These plays emphasise the
insignificant sorrows and disappointments of this world by the explosion ol llgnificance of spiritual values, like Guruseva. Sharanagati (or surrendering to
Nam and com e along to that abode of eternal b liss. If there is anything to be ihe lord) and also other virtues that are conducive for leading a spiritual life.
desired in this world, it is to see Him face to face. Nam alone will make m Ily reading and watching these plays, when they are enacted, the minds of
possible for you to have that Darshan. ihe viewers rise above the platform of mundane life and reach sublime heights.
Ihe very purpose of writing these dramas, was to inculcate in the readers, all
So - the noble virtues, that are required to be cultivated for attaining freedom
from human bondage. In Sri Sri Gurupuja, the glory of Guru has been
Sing Nam, Sing Nam, Sing Nam" beautifully described as fo llo w s :
In yet another passage in this book, Master has stated that Kali has no " Guru himself is the Supreme Brahman.
power to come near those w ho constantly chant the Name of the Lord.
Guru is the greatest treasure.
" Kali has no power to come near and not even try to approach those Guru is the greatest of all desirable things.
w ho constantly chant the names, Hari, Keshava, Govinda, Vasudevn. I

Guru is the most secore refuge.
Jaganmaya etc. You have been born as a human being: you have a tongno
Guru is the embodiment of the knowledge of Brahman.
which is the great instrument of chanting Nam, then why worry? Go on
singing Nam. dancing and swinging. You are lying immersed in the grear I Guru is the Supreme God
ocean of God; the playful God is dancing in front, rear, left and right of you I
Guru is your helms-man for crossing this worldly ocean.
He is above and below you. He is dancing inside you and also outside, in I
every atom and electron of your body. You keep step with Him and dance and I There is none greater than Guru.
sing Nam. the curtain will disappear in front of your eyes. You will see thru I
He is the means to realise God.
there is no world as such. Only Sri Bhagwan alone is dancing taking the form I
of the entire world. Then you will find 'Ananda' and 'Ananda' only 'Ananda' And God Himself too is he."
60 61
У j I
Keeping Vaikuntha in darkness to te ach the art of Guruseva.
Further, this dram a also d e p icts an extraordinary service rendered hy
I B lessed a m I for being your Guru.
one o f the d iscip le s of Sri Ramanuja. On one occasion, Sri Ramanuja visilml
From today this Sam pradaya
the house of Sri Varadacharya and his w ife Lakshmi, w h o w e re his disciple»,
rather unexpectedly. W h en Ram anuja cam e to their cottag e, Varadachary.i W ill be known as Sri Sam pradaya in this w orld.
had gone out for collecting alm s. His w ife, Lakshmi w a s alone a t hom e ami A s long as the sun and the moon w ill shine in the sky.
did not kno w how to serve her Guru, w h o had com e to their cottage alongwiili The story o f your Gurubhakti w ill be sung
ten or tw e lv e d isc ip le s, a s there w a s nothing at hom e. Suddenly, sh«
By m illions and m illions of voices.
rem em bered that in their neighbourhood there w a s a rich m erchant, who
Rem em bering your noble exam ple.
w a s coveting her, b ut sh e had been re sistin g his a d va n ce s w ith great
M e n and w om en w ill be freed from all sin s."
determ ination. She now found herself at cro ss roads. She had no option but
to get the provisions from him . for serving her Guru. So she w e n t to him amt
I To the third category, belong the books like. 'Brahm anusandhan', 'S ri Sri
then brought the required provisions, prom ising him that she w ill be at hit
Noda Leelam rita' etc., w herein, he has established his philosophy of Omkar.
disposal a fter the departure o f her Guru. A fte r preparing th e Bhog (food) loi
During his long periods of Sadhana, it w a s revealed to him , that Om kar w a s
her M a s te r, sh e se rve d her Guru and o th e rs and o b ta in ed her Guru'',
(lod; Om kar w a s life and everything cam e from Omkar. Life played in Omkar
b le ssin g s. A s prom ised, she w e n t b a ck to the m erchant in the evening),
itnd ultim ately d issolved in Omkar. There w a s nothing else than Omkar in the
a longw ith the Prasad and Charanam rita (w ater that has w ash e d the feet ol
universe. Thus, he rem ained as a g re a t protagonist o f "O m karvada", and
Gum) for him. By the grace of her Guru, the m om ent the m erchant took tlm
therefore. 'Omkarnath' w as the fitte st nam e for him.
Prasad, he becam e pure and sin le ss and suddenly, realised w h a t a terrible sin
he w a s about to com m it. He repented and fell at her feet for her forgiveness
Th is in c id e n t has been su m m a rise d m o st im pre ssin gty in th e following
v e rse : * * * * * -* *
"The w om an , chaste, honest and devoted to he r husband has dmm

S e va to her Gurudeva at the c o s t of her chastity.
M ah alaksh m i h a s m ade H er advent on this earth.
6?
realisation that all that exists, is God, that there is nothing on the earth
tiich is not God : The realisation of the fact t h a t :
“ Vasudevam Sarvan Iti"
HIS PHILOSOPHY
that all is God and everything is God ought to be the ultimate aim of the
seeker. W e need not concern ourselves, as to how w e should reach that
ultimate state of illumination. Once the God is seen, the rest w ill be His
The M aster has emphatically stated that God is both personal as v w ).
responsibility. W h at is the ultim ate truth? This is the question that the
as impersonal, with form and without form, determinate (Saguna Brahm» I
Master has been continually asking and answering in all his philosophical
that is Brahman with attributes! and at the same time, indeterminate (Nirgiiiu I
treatises. The final truth according to the M aster is, Pranava. It is out of
Brahma, that is Brahman without any attribute), and that both aspects of
Pfanava that creation springs, it is in Pranava that it rests and it is into
Him are equally valid and valuable. The general im pression among И* I
Pranava that it w ill dissolve. Pranava is Nirguna as w ell as Saguna Brahman.
seekers, that the realisation of the indeterminate (Nirguna Brahma) is a high*
II is both the Indeterminate Absolute and the Determinate personal God, To
stage of experience than the vision of the determinate (Saguna Brahma) I
attain Omkar, one has to take at first to other forms of this Pranava, to Nama
w as not correct, and he pointed out that God and the Absolute, stood on.* I
and to Mantra free from Pranava and then proceed stage by stage, until the
equal footing. On the strength of his own experience, he asserts that tin I
height is reached and fitness to receive the quint-essential Pranava. The
vision of the personal God is not just a stepping stone to the attainmeni id I
most striking point in the M aster's exposition of the subject is that Pranava
the im personal, the A b solute fo r even after and during rndetermin.il* I
was not to be taken from without. It rises from within and fills the seeker
realisation, visualisation is possible. The vision of God may follow as it did in I
With infinite bliss.
his own case, the Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
To sum up, Omkar is the Supreme Truth. This knowledge comes when
In that case, w hat should be the object of the spiritual seeker? The
the Sadhaka gains perfection. The M a s te r arrived at this truth by his
immediate aim in the M aster's opinion ought to be the direct vision of tl* I
rlrenuous Sadhana. But he did not preach the philosophy of Pranava to the
Lord, the privilege of meeting God face to face and of exchanging wordi
delusion of other Indian Philosophical systems. Earlier Acharyas had held
with Him. But this immediate aim should be followed by the ultimate
65
Г
that Omkar w as indicative of Brahman. But the M aster says that О т Ы
itself is Brahman. If one gains the Supreme Truth Omkar. then Omkar taken
possession o f him and then all differences disappear. MIRACLES
However, the M aste r does not propagate this as a new philosophy. Ho Though the M aster w as very much averse to publicity, yet there are
only describes his ow n realisation, after prolonged Sadhana. He discoverixl itfienticated records of the miracles, performed by him. He asked his
this eternal truth and he felt that there w a s no point in adding a new •triples not to attribute any o f these miracles, w hether they belonged to
philosophy to the existing SIX and in creating more confusion. His main diterial or spiritual spheres to him, as he w as com pletely unaware of these
purpose w as to show the seekers a w ay to achieve the Truth and for that Im N e e le s and tha t e ither God or h is Guru w e re re spo nsib le for their
preached "Mama" the Tarakbrahma Name : «mrrence He w as only their instrument. 8y nature, he w as self-effacing.
" Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare I A Person brought his only son. w ho w a s suffering from double
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare " * Pneumonia, to the feet of the M aster and sought his help, as he w as
too poor for m eeting the expenditure on his treatm ent, and that
By constantly reciting this Name, w hether sitting or standing, walking Doctors also had told him that his child w ould not survive. M aste r
or lying down, the Name arouses the Kundalini and Omkar Nada appears and asked him to recite the Nam e of the Lord and touched the child, w hich
leads the aspirant to the direct vision of the Lord and thereafter, the Lnid cured him. but brought the disease upon the M aster. The child w ent
Himself w ill show him that, "All that exists is He." home cured by the miraculous feat o f the Master, but the M aster w as
left lying in the bed for tw o w eeks w ith double Pneumonia.
I In another incident, a panel of eminent Doctors, w ho w ere either his

d is c ip le s or a d m ire rs and w h o w e re re g u la rly exa m in in g him ,
discovered in an X-Ray, that the M aster had Large patches of T.B. in
both the lungs. They had examined him tw o months earlier and had
found that the lungs w ere clear. They could not understand a s to how
this disease could attack the M aster so extensively, w ithin tw o months.
In their natural anxiety they advised him to take complete rest led his disciple to take him to his house in the village. The disciple was
prescribed appropriate drugs, to which the Master said: extremely grateful to his Master for arriving in the nick of time to save
his wife and led him to his village. On the way, there was a big lake and
"Can this treatment be postponed by one week? the disciple walked straight into the water and would have been drowned,
had he not been saved by som e villag ers, who saw him
During this week, I shall try to clear it myself by meditation. It ml walking into the lake so recklessly. He talked of his Master who was
week's time, you find that the disease still persists, you can start щ following him, but nobody could see him. His story of leading the
treatment." Master to his village through the lake made others think that he had
gone mad. Everybody sympathised with him because of his wife's
The Doctors agreed, but they w ere certain that no amount il sickness and his own poverty and assumed that his distress had caused
meditation could cure T.B. A week later, the X-Ray showed that lin^ mental imbalance in him and took him to his residence. They were also
the lungs were clear to the astonishment of these eminent pltysiciail amazed to find his .wife standing outside the house, while a few
All that they could say was that he was beyond their comprehensii r. minutes earlier she was unable to move from her bed. She w as looking
for a Sadhu, who, she said, had come into their house asking for alms,
It was obvious that the Master had absorbed the disease ot a disert which she had given after getting up from her bed with great difficulty.
and he had cleared it by meditation. Immediately afterwards, the Sadhu had left. She had never met him
earlier, but her description of Sadhu was exactly like that of Master. But
In yet another incident, one of his disciples narrated that his wile vw w here had he gone ? Having met both husband and the w ife
chronically ill and bed ridden for years, during which time, media separately, the proof of his physical presence was unmistakable. As an
treatment had failed to help her and that she was on the brink of den* irrefutable proof, the ailing woman had left her bed and appeared fully
In a desperate effort, he went to the local village temple to pray. On m recovered. All of them were wondering about the powers of his Master,
way he was intently thinking of the Master, perhaps for the first lint who was perhaps hundreds of miles away from them at that time.
as all his efforts had failed, On reaching the temple he found that it «* In yet another case, a retired I. G. of Police has confirmed that he was
locked and that the priest was no where to be found. When he ak suffering from Hernia for seven years and one day when the Master
helplessly crying at the temple door, someone touched him and win jokingly caught hold of his hand and gave a sudden jerk, his Hernia
he opened his eyes, he saw the Master standing close by. The M.n»j disappeared.
и 69
One of the m ost amazing incidents relates to the iltness and death it
ф гу . Then he exposed his back and there w ere several severe lessions. It
Sri Padmalochan Mukherjee in the M edical College Hospital in Calcuiu
w a s therefore evident that he had taken the blow s on himself and pro
M rs. Mukherjee sent a w ire to the Master, w ho w a s then at Benaraj
te cte d his d e vo te e s, w ho w e re chanting the Lord's nan - /hile
asking him to go and see her husband in the hospital. The M aster tho4
com ing to him. The place where they w e re attacked, w a s three to four
w ent by air to Calcutta, but on going straight from the airport to ll*
m ifes away from the M aste r's place of stay and he had not left the
hospital, he w a s informed by the Matron that Mr. Mukherjee had di(4
place.
som etim e back. The M a s te r w ent to the bed of Mr. Padmalochm
Mukherjee and sat silently w ith his hand on the dead m an's chest
i. It has been reported by Sri Rai Saheb M urarilal Adhikary, a retired
After sometime, the pulse and the heart beat returned. Padmaloclut
S u p e rin te n d e n t o f P o lic e and th e a u th o r o f a v a lu a b le bo ok,
opened his eyes and said :
" Vaishnava-Dig-Darshani", a treatise on Vaishnav philosophy, that on
2nd day o f November. 1947. his w ife asked him to find out the location
Baba, I w a s being taken aw ay when you arrived and stopped them l
and address of Dumurdaha Ashram . She told him that while she w as
thought it w a s only a dream, but w hen l opened my eyes I saw yot
circum am bulating the Tulasi plant after having com pleted her daily
sitting on my bed. Strange!"
w orhsip. she saw a Sanyasi standing behind her, w ho w as lame of a leg
A ll his relatives sa w this m iracle and the M atron tore up the death
w ith matted hair and held a stick in one hand. W hen she asked him as
certificate and said :
to w ho he w as, he replied w ith a gentle sm ile :
Baba is Christ reborn."
The principal of the College Dr. Sarvadhikary and some of the ProfessunI
" M other, m y name in the previous ashram w as Prabodh Chandra
of M edical CoHege. becam e his disciples.
Qtottopadhyay, my present name isSitaram das Omkarnath, my Ashram is at
lltimurdaha. You w ill m eet me again w hen you chant the Nam e in the
In yet another incident, three people cam e to see the M aste r a t Howi.ihl я . ..
tvening.
in a highly disturbed state of mind, and told him that w hile they w u r l
com ing to him. they w ere chanting the Name o f the Lord. On the way I
i W ith th e se w o rd s he le ft. T h at e v e n in g he d id a tte n d th e
they w ere attacked by several miscreants and they w ere beaten up I
Ч ю т -Sarnkirtan. After the chanting w as over, he gave detailed information
The M aste r enquired as to w hich parts of their bodies w ere affected byI
•bout him self and left the place, after assuring them that he w ould visit
the beating. They showed their backs, but there w ere no marks ot
'horn again. He visited them daily and joined in their Naam-Samkirtan.
711
It w a s later learnt that the M aster was far away in Deccan (in Souili
India), at least hundreds of m iles away at that time.

UNIVERSAL LOVE
There has been several such incidents w here the M aster appeninif
before his devotees or disciples, whenever they w ere either in distress cind His universal approach towards all men and wom en of t h e w orld is
praying to him for help, or wherever Naam-Samkirtan w as taking place. ksed on his realisation that the Lord pervades the entire u n iv e rs e and that
I is in all and He is afl. That w as the reason of his love fo r th e entire
The above mentioned miracles wherein the dead have been raised И etion and his heart was large enough to accom m odate e v e ry o n e and
the diseased have been cured, pale into insignificance, w hen it is seen iM 'thing that existed in this world. In his Maharasayan. or th e G re a t Elixir,
the master literally took the mind of the disciple into his hand, which w.n | identified himself w ith the Supreme Truth and declared th a t he alone
fully absorbed in the sensual pleasure of this world, at the time of initialiod Isted and nothing else and nobody else,. This itself show ed th a t he had
and tur.ned it inwards and gradually led him into the deepest recesses ol hit ched the stage of ultimate reality, w hich formed the basis o f h is love. The
heart, wherein lies the Kingdom of God. That w a s his greatest miracle, at; ii bwing extract from Maharasayan clearly bears it o u t :
granted eternal bliss, whereas other miracles were transitory in nature and
yielded temporary results. I am Chirst, I am Christain: I am M oham ed. I am the M u s lim : I am
(nhmana and I am Chandala, I am God and I am the Devil: I a m th e sinner

However, these miracles also have their value, as they tend to creu!» j fl(j | am ^ у ^ о и з ; | am the w ise m an as w ell as the d u n ce : I am the
faith in the Master, which is the first condition for assimilating his message i ^ g as w e u as g uru: ц jS | t hat |jgleJ1 an(j | that Speai( | a m certitude
which has the capacity to emancipate the bound souls. md I am doubt: I am Heaven and I am Hell: la m darkness and I a m light: I am
toga and Iam Bhoga: I am Freedom and I am Bondage: I am eve rythin g. Look.
uok, look close, I am there in every atom , in every molecule. H o w can you
•ar grudge or hatred against anybody? I am all: there is nothing w h ic h is not
* •* * * -* ■ * * nyself. I alone w as in the past: I alone am in the present, I a lo n e sh a ll be in
if* future. Whom soever you envy, you envy me. In this vast u n iv e rse , it is I
ilone, w ho exist."
73
His m ethod of distributing love, w a s giving 'N am e 'w h ich is God Hinisll I «composed a song and recited it in Bengali. The poem w heni translated into
and God is nothing but love. He w e lco m e d a ll. irre sp e c tiv e of cast nglrsh r e a d s :
nationality or station in life and w ould give a w arm place in his heart, whli
w a s large enough to accom m odate everyone. He did not turn aw a y anyone ” I love because I m ust love.
w h o w a s in difficulty, as he m ust relieve his distress. Even a thief or | I know not w h y 1 love.
m urderer received his kindness. He w a s never tired of asserting that ho 1мй Love is all Japa and Тара,
c o m e more for the sake of the fallen than for the good. In fact, he oserl l« Love is real Sadhana."
b e s to w maximum attention on such persons, w ho had violated sli the non
o f m oral law s. If people could not com e to him to get their share o f love, hi It is w e ll know n that even in the parents' love for their child, there is an
w o u ld go to them to give it. In order to distribute his love a s widely К element of selfishness, as they expect some return, but the M a ste r's love
p o ssib le, he would move about like a Hurricane from place to place, lakirn was totally unselfish and he asked for nothing in return for his love.
the 'N a m e ' to every door step. »
He w a s constantly urging everyone to cultivate love for God and for

A couple who w ere h is disciples, cam e from Holland to see him, who* their Guru. This love does not ask for any return or rew ard or recognition.
he w a s seriously ill at Srirangam. W hen he heard of their arrival, h e a sk a l Im

d isc ip le s to carry him to the gate, a s he w as unable to w alk. The coupK This type of love reminds one of the incident in the life of Rabia Vasria.
w e re overjoyed and fell at his feet. He enquired of them as to w hat theylwl .Rabia Vasria w a s regarded as a Sufi of the first order. Her chroniclers w rite
brought for him. They w ere embarrassed and the M aster said in English that one day she left the house in such a state that in one hand she held a
Cauldron of fire and in the other, a vessel of water. People asked her w here
"S a y love. \Л'е have brought love for you. She w a s going. She answ ered :
This is your greatest gift to your Guru.”

It w as obvious that their love for Guru had brought them from Их» 'By this fire I w ant to burn Heaven.
hom etow n in Netherlands to Srirangam in India. The M a s te r immediately and by this w ater I w ant to extinguish the blaze of Hell, so that, both
may be destroyed and people w orship God for the sake of God and not for the
M
reward of Heaven or for the fear of H e ll"
The breadth of vision of the M aster w as such that he could not make
any distinction between a Hindu and a Muslim, a Christian and a Buddhisl
They were all the creation of God and the same God, call Him by whatever
name you like, w as present in all of them. It w a s a quality in a person thnl
counted and not the religion which he followed. So all people, whether they
were Hindus, M uslim s, Christians, Buddhist or even Atheists, flocked to him
and found refuge w ith him. tn modem times, he w a s the greatest unifier ol
people of all sects. He w as keen to integrate all the religions of the world. In
the result, he had risen above all religions and w as practising and preaching
universal love.
* * * ■ -» * * -*
76 Sri Sri Prabhuduttji Brahm achari with Sri Sri Thakur

1
т . м . T h e D j f a t £ .a /? w а о * ф я д B a J x a s
m a t t e d r y a ir i n c u / j o s t t y
xa Aniivlmayce mVi $ri Sri Thakur
it
INTER-ACTION WITH CONTEMPORARY SAINTS
I During his life-time, the W a ste r m e t a large num ber of contem porary
Bints, w h ich resulted in mutual re sp e ct and reverence for each other. A fe w
loch instances are given b e lo w :
I. H .H .Sw am i ChidanandajiMaharaj
President, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh.
During the Durga Puja in Rishikesh in the year 1972, th e M a s te r invited
all the heads and the inm ates of the many A shra m s for taking part in
M o th e r's Puja. Sri Chidananda S w am i readily agreed to co m e to the
A shram on the morning ot the A sh ta m i Puja. A s the Sw am iji cam e near
the M aster, he fell flat on the ground in Sashtanga Pranam to him . The
latter raised him and held him in a d eep loving em brace. Thereafter,
w henever and w herever th e se tw o saints m et, they evinced sam e love
and a ffe c tio n . In h is h o m a g e to the M a s te r, S w a m i C hidananda
w r it e s :
' The scriptures had declared clearly that in the iron age (that is Kali
Yugal, the only resort is the Divine N am e o f the Alm ighty. The great
77
I
W hen IV/laa Anandam oyee fell seriously ill in June 1902 at Dehradun and
Gauranga Mahaprabhu (Sri Krishna Chaitanya) cam e in order to spread, broad,
Baba w as at Kanyakumari, a Telegram w a s received by him. informing
cast, propagate and establish this Yuga-Dharma. After several сети,
him of M aa's illness. Baba, who w as him self very sick, left immediately
ries. Babaji has now com e to revive and give a fillip to this all important
by car for Trivandrum where he caught the flight for Bombay and then
saving and liberating work, commenced by Gauranga Mahaprabhu. If Inr
took another flight to Delhi and from there he went to Dehradun by car.
were described by the appellation of 'Nam-avatara' this would be no
W hen he reached the place w here M a a w as staying. Baba got the
exaggeration, but would indeed be fit and appropriate. Beloved B;i Im |I
room emptied and asked his disciples to recite 'Omkar' They recited for
is verily Namavatara. His entire life and personality is a radiant exampln
half an hour. Baba said that in M aa's Cbinm ayee state, only 'Omkar'
and expression of Namabhakti and Nama-shakti. I bow down in silent
would apply to her. M aste r's love for M aa w a s so great that even when
reverence and love at his holy feet, I deem it a very great privilege mxl
he w as very sick, he undertook the extrem ely long and tiresome journey.
a matter of greater joy to write these few lines as my tribute to hit
divine personality."
I. M a h e sh Yogi
r
2. Anand am o yee M a a
I The M aster invited Sri M ahesh Yogi to a conference of great saints in
I India at Kurukshetra for devising means to bring about unity amongst
W ith Anandamoyee Maa. the M aster had a very special and swenl
к various religious factions of the Sanatan Dharma. In the afternoon the
relationship. She used to call him 'Father' (Baba) and he used to call her
I world famous M ahesh Yogi arrived. Baba w an ted him to sit on his bed.
'M other' (Maa). It w as a pleasant experience to w atch these tw o sainls
II But he would not and w anted to sit on the ground. But M aster would
sitting together and talking to each other. If Baba were at Rishikesh anil
I not allow him to take such a lowly position. Finally, he sat on a chair,
M aa at Dehradun or Kankhal, Baba would invariably go to visit her
holding Baba's hand and hearing Name and after sometime appeared as
W hen he w a s questioned as to w hy he always w ent to M aa and she
if he w as melting in love and bbakti.
never cam e to him, he would say :
On another occasion, Sri M ahesh Yogi invited the M aster to open the
international conference he w as holding in his Ashram at Rishikesh, on
" A son alw ays goes to his mother; he does not w ait for his mother to
the Vedasand Science. When the Master reached Mahesh Yogi's Ashram,
come to him."
he w as m ost cordially received.
In his inaugural speech, the M aster stated that the Vedas had cornu [lapsing in shreds, w hile the pow er com ing through him w a s tli.it ol n king In
out of the mouth of God and everything tha t th e Vedas said w a s iiur fact, in my estim ation he w a s embodying at that moment Ihn u llii <■ n!
and that there w a s nothing beyond the Vedas. So modern science win w h a t w e , in o u r S u fi la w , c a ll th e Q utub , th e p ln im c lo o l
also a part of the Vedas, particularly, the Atharva Veda. M ahesh Yogi hierarchy of the incarnated M a ste rs on the planet at that m om onl in
also spoke in support of w h a t the M a te r had said. He also stressed ilwi history. He conferred upon m e w hat I consider as a precious jawol, ii
everything that science taught, could be found in the Vedas, provideiln tra n s c e n d e n ta l M a n tra m and in v e ste d m e w ith th e c b a rg o o l
com p e te n t person learned both in the V e d a s and in S cie n ce m i continuing the tradition that he represented in the W est. In view of Urn
interested in looking for it. enormous universal com pass of the m essage of Hazrat Inayat Khan, I
think of this in term s of w hat one of our great Sufi predecessors, Prince
4. P it V ila y a t Inayat Khan Darashiku called Majm ua-al-Baherein, the merging of the oceans."
.
Sri V ila ya t Inayat Khan, th e head of Sufi s e c t has thousands »t 5. Acharya Sushil Kumar Jain
fo llo w e rs all over the w orld, including Europe, A frica, A m erica and
India. Sri Vilayat cam e to India w ith nearly a hundred of his disciplin Acharya Sushil Kumar Jain, President, Acharya Sushil Ashram , one of
His chief purpose w as to meet the M aster. On the day of the sotoi 1he em inent contem porary sa in ls of Jainism , m et Baba in Delhi and
eclipse, Sri Vilayat and his disciples spent practically the w hole rljty sa w the unusual g low on his face, w h ich lighted up further, w hen he
w ith Baba. During the e clip se itself, all the assem bled people, including bow ed before him in reverence. The M a ste r im m ediately said referring
Baba, sat in meditation. Then there w a s som e discussion w ith B a ll to him that he w as out of the ordinary. Baba then clasped his head in
and he replied to the q ue stio ns raised by them . In course ol iltit hand and blessed him profusely.
proceed ing s. B aba held Sri V ilayat c lo s e to him se lf and sa id Unit
"Sri Vilayat and he w e re the sam e s o u l." Sri Vilayat w a s so moved by It w as an experience that he could never forget. In his hom age to
this gesture that he b ow ed his head at Baba's feet. In his tribute to ilia M aster he w r it e s :
M aster. Sri V ilayat Inayat Khan has w ritten :
"He w a s a realised soul in the true sence. His touch w as divine and
" I w ill never forget the im pression of this magnificent being, his body emanated charging vibrations to all those having receptivity. Such souls
1
w I
c o n s ta n tly ha ving an e c s t a t ic joy, im m e rse d in th e sea nl I w as impressed with his spiritual experience as well as his physical
consciousness, are rare. appearance, which reminds me of the Indian Siddhas of the past. Since
Buddhism came to Tibet from India, which w e consider as Aryabhumi,
Achievement of self realisation is one thing, but when that blessed soul even as a child, I had been interested in studying the images of these
is endow ed to im part this pow er to other evolving souls, it is n Indian Siddhas in paintings. There were for example many paintings of
remarkable thing." Indian Siddhas at Tibet, like those 84 great Indian Siddhas. I used to be
very fond of this.
6. H. H. Dalai Lama
I benefited from the spiritual exchange w e w ere able to have then. He
One of the m ost historical meetings in the spiritual world took placti was deeply concerned about the tragic situation of Tibet and recognised
between H. H. Dalai Lama and the Master. Both w ere keen to moot deep spiritual relevance of the Tibetan people's just struggle.
each other and when they met, it appeared as if it w ere a meeting ol During that memorable meeting, Baba gave me a w hite woollen mat,
the great brotherhood of saints. After exchanging views, they paitud which I still use."
full of love and respect for each other. H. H. Dalai lama w as requested
by his high officials, not to go to meet Baba, because of his own stall» * * * * * * *
of an incarnation and king. But he ignored their advice and said:
"Baba is an older man and a great Sadhu.
It's my duty to go to him”
This w as the test of the spiritual greatness of H. H. Dalai Lama. In hr.

tribute to the Master. H. H. Dalai Lama records :
* I w as very happy to meet with Baba Omkamath.
87
[ This Sampradaya has many branches all over India, from Uttar Kashi in
Orth to Kanyakumari in south and Puri in east to Dwaraka in w est, covering
Ihe entire length and breadth in India. The primary purpose of establishing
JAIGURU SAMPRADAYA hese Ashram s w a s to spread the m essage of Naam-Samkirtan to each and
ptery com er of India. A s m ost of his disciples w e re spread all over India, it
In 1973, the M aster resolved to form a new sect after his own idea «I would not be possible for all of them to com e to Calcutta. Therefore, in order
Divine Life and established Akhil Bharat Jaiguru Sampradaya. It is a school ol D enable them to have access to M a ste r's m essage, he established these
religious association without any sectarian view, w ithout any critical review jshrams. Worship of deities, reading of scriptures and Naam-Samkirtan formed
of any sect or path followed by other religious sects. Even though he w in Ihe part of the daily routine in each Ashram. Besides, at his instance, a large
rooted in Sanatana Dharma, to him, Christians, M u slim s and others ol lim ber of religious magazines w ere introduced, v iz . ' Devjan', Ja i Guru'.
non-Hindu faith w e re all equal and he c o rd ia lly w e lco m e d them In jharat Mari' in Bengali and 'The M o th e r’ in English, ’ Pranab Parijat' in
reverence, he used to prostrate before M osques and Churches alike. To thn Sanskrit. 'Paramanand', 'Param Katha' in both English and Hindi and the like.
M aster, religion w a s fundamentally the relationship betw een one's soul and
■
God. His school of thought w as constantly making attem pts to keep one ill | A separate Organisation for boys and youths w a s also set up by him.
the highest altitude of revelation, through chanting of the Nam e of God or w om en he encouraged participation in Sati Sangha. Besides, he .also
istablished a centre for study of Vedas and its propagation at Calcutta,
He w a s extrem ely b usy in taking th e Nam e to e ve ry door stop

I
throughout the length and breadth of India and w a s spreading Nam e in oil I The administrative headquarters and the largest A shram o f the Jaiguru
directions, w hen he w as not undertaking Chaturmasya. During Chaturmasy.i, Bmpradaya is the M aham ilan M ath at Calcutta, w hich w orks as the nerve
from about 15th July to 15th Novem ber every year, there used to bo n fentre and looks after the day to day administration of all the activities of
programme of spreading Naam-Samkirtan from one centre. He w as also ihe Sampradaya, w hich include. Tunning of the Ashram s, publishing books of
utilising the period of Mouna ( or Silence) for writing voluminous literature on he Master, overseeing all the activities of the educational centres and the
the efficacy of Nam e and other aspects of religion and philosophy. He also lublication of magazines etc. It is run by a Board of Trustees, appointed by
he Master, who are earnestly and sincerely carrying on to this day. the
undertook a number o f organisational activities for the purpose of spreading 1
the Name. directives of the Master.

\
84
85
„__ I A I - i
A t that juncture, Doctors advised that he should be insulated from the
I
crowds, as his condition was very critical. Thereafter, he was given oxygen.
Even at that point of time, he w as keen to listen to the Naam-Samkirtan
end asked his disciples to continue with the chanting of the Name, sitting
BACK TO THE SOURCE |>y his side.
Life w as never a bed of roses for the Master. From his childhood hehnd
A t last, on 6th of December. 1982 at 1.29 Л.М., he uttered the most
to face innumerable difficulties. Pain, disease and bereavements came In
sacred syllable of Vedas. "Dm", thrice and shed his mortal coil and reached
quick succession. He faced them heroically by placing his entire trust in God
his immortal abode.
Notwithstanding all the sorrows, he never forgot the goal of God-realisatiwi
even for a moment. He pursued his Sadhana relentlessly and attained tlm
■*•*■**■*■*-*
direct vision of the Lord and received His command for spreading His Nam»
far and wide. He plunged into his mission with his heart and soul. He w,«
not content with obtaining the nectar of Name for himself. He w as keen In
distribute the essence of immortality to one and all, to all those who worn
interested and those who were indifferent.
By constant catering to the material and spiritual needs of hundreds nl

thousands of his disciples over a long period of fortyfive years, his health
broke down under its strain. Even when he w as terminally ill in 1982. thou
sands of his disciples were flocking to meet him. Even then he refused non»
He was listening to their problems and w as trying to solve them. It w»i
evident that he was shedding his life-blood for them. His physical form w»i
weakened. There was hardly any strength in his body. He w as reduced to «
skeleton. The unprecedented strain at last took its toll. He was immobilisod
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This pdf file contains the Biography of Sri Sri Thakur...

This book 'THE DIVINE LIFE OF SRI SRI

goodness and peace to those he interacted with.

M ay your Book have w ide circulation among all devotees of Divine

The book effectively projects the perennial message of practicing

SRI VENKATESHW ARA UNIVERSITY

spiritual power of Sri Sitaram Omkarnath and the fervent devotion he

FACUL т OF THEOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA

A book for all those w ho w an t divine inspiration and enlightenment.

To be had from iWtaramdas in the field of spirituality.

On 17th of February, 1892, one o f the greatest saints of modem times

w s i born at keota, a sm all village in the district of Hooghly of W e st Bengal,

Ю ■ p lo ts Brahm in couple Or. Pranhari Chattopadhyaya and Malyavati Devi.

extremely devoted to their family deity "Brajanath" (Lord Krishna) to w hom

wnii really unfortunate. Subsequently, his father married Giribala Devi w ho

wn« looking a fter him w ith motherly affection.

Since the childhood it w a s evident that Prabodh Chandra inherited the

WMll duly w o rs h ip p e d and o b la tio n s w e re o ffered to them . A n o th e r

inportant characteristic o f him w a s that fie w a s very keenly interested in

ivuuld be pertinent to mention a particular incident that took place at his

iw lern el grandfather's house at Keota. W hile listening to the chanting of

i. M h« w as not keen on pursuing English education. In the circum stances

decided that his son should be sent to an indigenous seminary, so

of education has been prevalent sin ce V edic tim e s in India, where,

Al mentioned earlier, he w as grappling w ith the eternal problem s of the

On 13th day of January, 1913. the initiation took place.

After the marriage, the couple were on their way to Dumurdaha. Th

- " I would have remained a maid” . « in nftother.

- "That is not practicable tor a Hindu girl."

- "Why. I would die-kill myself." Wlm are you?", he asked.

continued his Guruseva and the spiritual exercises. He regularly studied tv

Gita”. Besides, he recited "Chandi" daily as a matter of routine. In additi

sat at midnight also.

w a s 4 A . M ., a s he could infer from the w h istle of the nearby jute mill)

One day ha w ro te this verse in Sanskrit and gave it to his beloved

It w a s revealed to him th a t he had not co m e d o w n to th is eartl

Thus he reached the sum m it of spiritual life by his constant unswa * * -* -* •* ■ * *

lla n d y o p a d h y a y a , his w if e S in t. K a ru n a m o y e e D evi, h is b ro th e r S ri

A N IDEAL H OUS EH OL DE R amananda B a ndyopadhyaya an d his e ld e s t b ro th e r's w ife Sm t. Kalidas or

_ _ r w x ttm o y e e Devi. They w e re keen to re ce iv e initiatio n from him. B ut ha

A fte r clim b in g th e su m m it, th e M a s te r c a m e d o w n to th e m undane И * »*Ч’вгпе1у re lu cta n t to a c c e d e to their re qu e st a n d it w a s only a t tha

th a t every individual, w h e th e r he w a s a h o u se h o ld e r or a S a n y a si or belong- 1

huue tw o books w e re v e ry d ifferen t in cha ra cte r. The one w a s rooted in

in co m e w o rth the nam e, but he had to lo o k a fter all th e m e m b e rs o f his

fa m ily an d also th e g u e sts w h o v isite d th e m un expectedly. He w o u ld se ll all ;

possible, in)iuieth C hatusp athi" w a s sta rte d an d his e ld e s t so n Raghunath w a s bom .

ulliw quently, he w a s b le sse d w ith tw o m o re children, R a d h a n a th a n d Ja na ki.

w elcom ed him and w ashed his feet. The Sadhu said :

Early next morning they w ould be celebrating "Dol Purnimaday" w hich

would be perform ing the Pooja of Lord Satyanarayan, w h ich entailed

w e n t through smoothly. "Lord is my friend. He alone is my support in the end."

householder w ith utm ost com petence.

bereavements. iiin iiirk e d :

things offered by him, ho announced :

"So from today your name is Omkarnath."

Thereafter, the M aste r returned to Dumurdaha and surrendered alii

documents relating to the properties of Brajanath and handed over thechai

be a householder, a s he had to take up m ore difficult a ssignm ent al

spiritual M aster as hundreds of thousands of devotees w ere w aiting fo ri

to slake their thirst at his feet. Henceforth, he w as to be the “ fishei

discharging normal duties of a householder. The M aste r show ed us th a l

w a s prossible by his own exam ple. There is no need to despair for I

householder, as he can have a cce ss to the Supreme, just a s the Sanya I

can. This w a s the message that he w anted to convey to the w orld at la