BANAGRAM MEMORIES – (74)

[We are now going to discuss the reason for Bapi’s premature death.]
When God comes to this mundane world to make happen His dalliance taking the body, He has a large network, He has a great activity, He has so many duties – the men in general do not know all these things. We had heard from Guru Maharaj earlier the birth story of Bapi and Buni – the son and youngest daughter of Chhoto Kaka. Bapi was ‘Buro Karta’ i.e the father of N’Kaka of that house. He was a very honest man. He used to engage in worship and the lands of that house. Once I saw that when Guru Maharaj went to the Mukherjee house one evening of a summer, then many of the family members of that house were sitting on a mat in the premises of that house. One of them was Bapi. ( Bapi was then 8/10 years old.) He was sleeping touching his chest to the ground, due to tiredness – happened for the restlessness all day long. Noticing this, Guru Maharaj left His seat at once and came to Bapi. Then He had made Bapi lie in one side. After then, He said, ” If anyone sleeps touching his or her chest to the ground, it is not good for him or her. Because it makes pressure to his or her heart.”
After this, Guru Maharaj asked N’Kaka, “N’Kaka, does Bapi remember his previous birth? You had collected some of his favourite things. Does not Bapi stir this things?” Then N’Kaka said, “Yes, I have collected a hookah, a small box made of tin and a net of catching fish, a purse (made of clothes) etc. of Karta(N’Kaka’s father). But he is not interested in these things.” Guru Maharaj said, ” It will not happen – do you know, N’Kaka? This time, he has born taking a new intuition. He has done severe ascetic practice in the body but he has done more ascetic practice after leaving his body.”
After Bapi’s death, a few days later – a devotee’s a query drew the other devotees to that topic and the devotee asked Guru Maharaj about his ascetic practice in the subtle body. Guru Maharaj then told us, ” I had relationship with Buro Karta (N’Kaka’s father) in his subtle body after my visit to this house. ( Buro Karta passed away before Guruji’s visit to Banagram.) He said to me that he will go to visit the holy places with me. When I visited Amarnath with the devotees from the northern India, then Buro Karta accompanied me. That time he was going and talking to me. Then I was nodding. Perhaps, I was responding in Bengali language. Hindi devotees noticed this matter. Later they asked me about this matter. I saw that if I tell them about the subtle body, the devotees – especially the woman devotees will frighten. So, I said to them, ‘I saw a Bengali who was in the subtle body and I talked with him also.’ However, that time he requested me to make him bear in this house and make him meet in this house. But he affirmed to keep a condition that he will leave his body before appearing the dark side of youth in his life and he will come back to his particular world. That’s why, he passed away at the age of 12.”
[Translated by Ramprasad, a former student of Banagram Ashram.]