Query : You have earlier referred to a word ‘Kartabhaja’ which means in Bangla worshippers of the master. Is there any sect in this name?
Gurumaharaj : Yes, there is a sect named ‘Kartabhaja’. Aul Chand Gosain is the founder of this sect. It has been avoided by many as the sect places emphasis on spiritual exercise with woman. But a large number of people have chosen this spiritual path. There are many advanced seekers among them. If you ever pay a visit to the famous fair of Sati Maa at Ghoshpara village near Kalyani in Nadia district, you will encounter lakhs of followers of this sect. The legends have it that during the disappearance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Gora Chand also disappeared from the temple of Tota Gopinatha located at Sri Kshetra Jagannath Puri dhama. Nobody found his trace after that. It is believed that Gora Chand appeared as Aul Chand at Ghoshpara area.He founded the Kartabhaja sect for the familymen.Sati Maa refers to Saraswati Devi who was the wife of Aul Chand’s closest disciple Ramsharan Pal. The very name ‘Kartabhaja’ suggests that Guru or the spiritual master should be worshipped as one’s preferred deity. In this sect Guru is above everything else. They preach that one can satisfy his or her preferred deity by worshipping his Guru. The spiritual practices of this sect has changed over time. At a certain period the sect held a tremendous sway over the common people.
That apart, once I came across a few seekers belonging to ‘Kalachand’ sect. They perform a ritual called ‘ karanga bhojan’. They sit in a circle to have a drink made from feces and urine. Why do they do so? They say that the chief impediment to spiritual progress is repugnance!They believe that one can get rid of repugnance by performing this specific ritual.
However, while commenting on the austere ascetic practices of different sects Sri Ramakrishna said, ” There are many doors to enter a house. The door of the lavatory is also one of such entrances. If one enters the house through that door, he may be nauseated with the extremely unpleasant smell.”
So, Sri Ramakrishna did not reject this practice. At the same time he never asked his followers to perform such rituals.When Sri Ramakrishna was doing intense sadhana under the guidance of Jogeswari Bhairabi, she asked him to taste feces. Sri Ramakrishna initially said,” I would rather not be do this.” But Bhairabi was adamant. Sri Ramakrishna had to obey her. Jogeswari Bhairabi also forced him to sit and perform higher spiritual practice on the lap of young lady. While doing this Sri Ramakrishna lost his consciousness and went into divine trance.
This was why Sri Ramakrishna later said to his disciples, ” I have done one hundred percent of all the spiritual practices. So, you need not go to great pains to achieve your spiritual goals .” Sri Ramakrishna himself was the true embodiment of compassion. He did all such things out of compassion for all the future generations of seekers.
Translated by Amitava Saha
Gurumaharaj : Yes, there is a sect named ‘Kartabhaja’. Aul Chand Gosain is the founder of this sect. It has been avoided by many as the sect places emphasis on spiritual exercise with woman. But a large number of people have chosen this spiritual path. There are many advanced seekers among them. If you ever pay a visit to the famous fair of Sati Maa at Ghoshpara village near Kalyani in Nadia district, you will encounter lakhs of followers of this sect. The legends have it that during the disappearance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Gora Chand also disappeared from the temple of Tota Gopinatha located at Sri Kshetra Jagannath Puri dhama. Nobody found his trace after that. It is believed that Gora Chand appeared as Aul Chand at Ghoshpara area.He founded the Kartabhaja sect for the familymen.Sati Maa refers to Saraswati Devi who was the wife of Aul Chand’s closest disciple Ramsharan Pal. The very name ‘Kartabhaja’ suggests that Guru or the spiritual master should be worshipped as one’s preferred deity. In this sect Guru is above everything else. They preach that one can satisfy his or her preferred deity by worshipping his Guru. The spiritual practices of this sect has changed over time. At a certain period the sect held a tremendous sway over the common people.
That apart, once I came across a few seekers belonging to ‘Kalachand’ sect. They perform a ritual called ‘ karanga bhojan’. They sit in a circle to have a drink made from feces and urine. Why do they do so? They say that the chief impediment to spiritual progress is repugnance!They believe that one can get rid of repugnance by performing this specific ritual.
However, while commenting on the austere ascetic practices of different sects Sri Ramakrishna said, ” There are many doors to enter a house. The door of the lavatory is also one of such entrances. If one enters the house through that door, he may be nauseated with the extremely unpleasant smell.”
So, Sri Ramakrishna did not reject this practice. At the same time he never asked his followers to perform such rituals.When Sri Ramakrishna was doing intense sadhana under the guidance of Jogeswari Bhairabi, she asked him to taste feces. Sri Ramakrishna initially said,” I would rather not be do this.” But Bhairabi was adamant. Sri Ramakrishna had to obey her. Jogeswari Bhairabi also forced him to sit and perform higher spiritual practice on the lap of young lady. While doing this Sri Ramakrishna lost his consciousness and went into divine trance.
This was why Sri Ramakrishna later said to his disciples, ” I have done one hundred percent of all the spiritual practices. So, you need not go to great pains to achieve your spiritual goals .” Sri Ramakrishna himself was the true embodiment of compassion. He did all such things out of compassion for all the future generations of seekers.
Translated by Amitava Saha