Gurumaharaj was discussing the Anumana Bhajana and Bartamana Bhajana about which he had written in his book ‘ The Mysteries of the Bauls’. The discussion culminated into Guru Tattva. Here is the following part.
Gurumaharaj : But the most interesting thing is that a seeker can eventually have the Madhura Bhava or Avaidhi Bhava at the final stages of Anumana Bhajana. For example Sadhak Ramprasad (a great saint of eighteenth century Bengal) practised Anumana Bhajana. In his advanced years he became quite infirm.One day he was fixing the broken fence around his house. His teenaged daughter named Mangala who was helping him suddenly went away to play with her friends. Being absolutely indifferent to his daughter’s absence, Ramprasad kept on singing songs in praise of the Divine Mother soulfully while tying the fence. Tears welled up in his eyes as he was filled with passionate devotion for the Divine Mother. In the absence of Mangala, the Divine Mother appeared as a little girl and started passing him the rope for tying the fence. This was a true event.
In his early life Sadhak Bilwamangal was traumatised by the rejection of his ladylove. This turned him into a devout disciple of Sri Krishna. One day under the spell of his intense longing for Sri Krishna he undertook a journey to Vrindavan. On the way he felt attracted to a gorgeous lady. Immediately after this he punished himself for this folly by blinding himself. Later when the wounds in his eyes healed, blind Bilwamangal again again set out for Vrindavan, the home of his true Beloved . But he lost his way due to his blindness. Just then Sri Krishna himself appeared as a teenaged boy and gripped his hand to show him the path to Vrindavan. At times the boy playfully loosened the grip and hid himself. As Bilwamangal could not see anything, he had to grope around for the naughty boy. While looking for his boy guide he stumbled over the thorny bushes time and again. Gradually he was wounded all over. Once after falling down he desperately said to his cherished divinity , ” O Krishna! You can leave me behind. But you can never leave my heart.” In this case as well Bilwamangal had this divine experience through Anumana Bhajana.
Trailanga Swami of Benaras lived close to three hundred years.On innumerable occasions in his life people witnessed his mystical powers. His way of worshipping God was quite unusual. He had a very heavy structure and he remained naked all the time.He used to float on the Ganges and did not return to the shore for days together. He never had regular meals. One day he came straight out of the Ganges and entered Shri Kashi Viswanath Temple. Then he started urinating on the Shiva linga. Thus, the Jyotirlinga was bathed in the stream of his urine. He repeatedly said,” Gangodokong, Gangodokong ( water of the Ganges)…. ” Can this be a form of worship? Can we ever unravel the mystery behind this form of worship by any Vedic ritual? Everyone will call this ” a terrible act of filthiness”. The brahmins of that time also condemned this act by saying so. But the common people and the monks of Benaras revered this man as ‘the walking Shiva’. So, the brahmins kept mum. Otherwise none would have tolerated such behaviour.
But the most interesting thing is that nobody would ever realize how much pleased Lord Viswanath became after being worshipped by the urine of ‘the walking Shiva’. It is not possible through a full fledged ritualistic worship.
Translated by Amitava Saha
Gurumaharaj : But the most interesting thing is that a seeker can eventually have the Madhura Bhava or Avaidhi Bhava at the final stages of Anumana Bhajana. For example Sadhak Ramprasad (a great saint of eighteenth century Bengal) practised Anumana Bhajana. In his advanced years he became quite infirm.One day he was fixing the broken fence around his house. His teenaged daughter named Mangala who was helping him suddenly went away to play with her friends. Being absolutely indifferent to his daughter’s absence, Ramprasad kept on singing songs in praise of the Divine Mother soulfully while tying the fence. Tears welled up in his eyes as he was filled with passionate devotion for the Divine Mother. In the absence of Mangala, the Divine Mother appeared as a little girl and started passing him the rope for tying the fence. This was a true event.
In his early life Sadhak Bilwamangal was traumatised by the rejection of his ladylove. This turned him into a devout disciple of Sri Krishna. One day under the spell of his intense longing for Sri Krishna he undertook a journey to Vrindavan. On the way he felt attracted to a gorgeous lady. Immediately after this he punished himself for this folly by blinding himself. Later when the wounds in his eyes healed, blind Bilwamangal again again set out for Vrindavan, the home of his true Beloved . But he lost his way due to his blindness. Just then Sri Krishna himself appeared as a teenaged boy and gripped his hand to show him the path to Vrindavan. At times the boy playfully loosened the grip and hid himself. As Bilwamangal could not see anything, he had to grope around for the naughty boy. While looking for his boy guide he stumbled over the thorny bushes time and again. Gradually he was wounded all over. Once after falling down he desperately said to his cherished divinity , ” O Krishna! You can leave me behind. But you can never leave my heart.” In this case as well Bilwamangal had this divine experience through Anumana Bhajana.
Trailanga Swami of Benaras lived close to three hundred years.On innumerable occasions in his life people witnessed his mystical powers. His way of worshipping God was quite unusual. He had a very heavy structure and he remained naked all the time.He used to float on the Ganges and did not return to the shore for days together. He never had regular meals. One day he came straight out of the Ganges and entered Shri Kashi Viswanath Temple. Then he started urinating on the Shiva linga. Thus, the Jyotirlinga was bathed in the stream of his urine. He repeatedly said,” Gangodokong, Gangodokong ( water of the Ganges)…. ” Can this be a form of worship? Can we ever unravel the mystery behind this form of worship by any Vedic ritual? Everyone will call this ” a terrible act of filthiness”. The brahmins of that time also condemned this act by saying so. But the common people and the monks of Benaras revered this man as ‘the walking Shiva’. So, the brahmins kept mum. Otherwise none would have tolerated such behaviour.
But the most interesting thing is that nobody would ever realize how much pleased Lord Viswanath became after being worshipped by the urine of ‘the walking Shiva’. It is not possible through a full fledged ritualistic worship.
Translated by Amitava Saha