Discourses of Guru Maharaj Srimat Swami Paramanandaji and some of the striking incidents associated with him are enscripted in ‘Banagram Memories’ which is written in Bengali named “Purono Sei Banagramer Kotha”.
When I went there for the first time in 1983, one had to go the “Banagram Ashram” by walking 3 KM on foot after alighting from bus at Jabuidanga on Burdwan – Kalna bus route. The road up to Vandul from Jabuidanga to Samonti was not metaled even then; it was a village road. Before my first visit to the said Ashram, I had already met him(Guru Maharaaj); that incident may be told later in other occasion.
Now “Banagram Memories” is to be started. That auspicious day was the 25th of December- birthday of Guru Maharaj Swami Paramanandaji. After getting down at Jabuidanga on my coming from Burdwan, I found some companions on the way to the Ashram- Bijan Chattopadhyay was one of them. He was just married then. He was facing troubles at his home, So he shifted to a house on rent at Burdwan on the advice of Guru Maharaj and kept practicing Sanskrit( afterwards Bijan was appointed as a priest at ‘Burdwan Rajbari’ and he later attained wide spread appreciation through chanting of slokas from the Holy ‘Gita’ and ‘Chandi’ by his god gifted voice).
When we reached at Ashram, I found that “Guru Puja”, that is worship of Guru Maharaj was over and Guruji was seated on rope-bed (Charpai or Khatia) in front of his ‘Kuthiya'(Small hut). Many were coming to offer pronams (obeiscence) to him and leaving with ”Prasad’ even then. A good number of devotees sat down in front of him. A large packet of gathiya was under his khatiya (rope bed) and he was offering the same to them who approached to him to pay tribute to him. Purnananda Maharaj (Anup Da) was well-known to me. It was he who got us acquainted with Guru Maharaj and other family members led by Ganga Babu . So Anup Da grabbed me and took me there saying ” Go to him and take ‘prasad’ after offering your pranams to his feet”.
I had just passed out from college then. I was not prepared for offering pranams in that way to an ordinary person but I had nothing other than to do in this case , because he was the Gurudev of our beloved Anup Da (Purnananda Maharaj). So anyway I made approach to him in slow steps and bowed down and he was ready to offer me the handful of gathiya fry(Prasad) in his right hand. As I extended my right hand to him_ he looked at me and said _”Extend both your hands because ‘Prasad’ is to be taken with respect and in both hands”. I was totally unprepared and did the same. He loosened his fist on both of my palms and astonishingly ‘Prasad’ was overloaded and a portion of it fell down in the ground inadvertently. I thought he was a little bit upset over this phenomenon and I felt ashamed too.
Then I was wandering around the ashram. At that time at the left of Guru Maharj’s kuthiya I found a ‘Chalaghar'(a kind of hut with a longer dimension), being used as a prayer hall(Prarthona rooom) as well as the bed room of the brahmacharies. The kitchen was beside this. There was an office room of Murari Mharaj(Swami Niskamanadaji – Secretary Paramananda Mission) with a three room varandah behind it. At that time Trishan Da (Later Swami Parameshwaranandaji- President Paramananda Mission) used to sit here and at the back side of Guru Maharaj’s kuthiya there was a one and a half storied mud house. Trishan Da and Tripti Ma(Sanhita Prana) lived at the upper floor and Madan Maharaj(Swami Chitvilashananda) and one or two more persons were living with some orphan boys as there care taker at the ground floor of this house.
The tank as it is now was then in a very bad shape. The Pond with it’s sides were just made to shape. The area where the ‘Nagalingam Tree’ is found now, was cleaned. The rest of the area where now the temple has been build was then full of shrubs on the highland in the NE side.
At that time to reach Guru Maharaaj’s kuthiya one had to make a jump over a drain from the village road coming to the Ashram. Much later a bamboo-made mat was laid on it for convenience. The drain was on the right side of the road. During rains, rain water from the village used to pass from west to the east through this drain.
There was and still there is, a baniyan tree at the middle of the Ashram. Swami Tapeshwaranandaji(The oldest monk of the asharm) made a cave like structure at base of this tree and he used to live there.
When I went there for the first time in 1983, one had to go the “Banagram Ashram” by walking 3 KM on foot after alighting from bus at Jabuidanga on Burdwan – Kalna bus route. The road up to Vandul from Jabuidanga to Samonti was not metaled even then; it was a village road. Before my first visit to the said Ashram, I had already met him(Guru Maharaaj); that incident may be told later in other occasion.
Now “Banagram Memories” is to be started. That auspicious day was the 25th of December- birthday of Guru Maharaj Swami Paramanandaji. After getting down at Jabuidanga on my coming from Burdwan, I found some companions on the way to the Ashram- Bijan Chattopadhyay was one of them. He was just married then. He was facing troubles at his home, So he shifted to a house on rent at Burdwan on the advice of Guru Maharaj and kept practicing Sanskrit( afterwards Bijan was appointed as a priest at ‘Burdwan Rajbari’ and he later attained wide spread appreciation through chanting of slokas from the Holy ‘Gita’ and ‘Chandi’ by his god gifted voice).
When we reached at Ashram, I found that “Guru Puja”, that is worship of Guru Maharaj was over and Guruji was seated on rope-bed (Charpai or Khatia) in front of his ‘Kuthiya'(Small hut). Many were coming to offer pronams (obeiscence) to him and leaving with ”Prasad’ even then. A good number of devotees sat down in front of him. A large packet of gathiya was under his khatiya (rope bed) and he was offering the same to them who approached to him to pay tribute to him. Purnananda Maharaj (Anup Da) was well-known to me. It was he who got us acquainted with Guru Maharaj and other family members led by Ganga Babu . So Anup Da grabbed me and took me there saying ” Go to him and take ‘prasad’ after offering your pranams to his feet”.
I had just passed out from college then. I was not prepared for offering pranams in that way to an ordinary person but I had nothing other than to do in this case , because he was the Gurudev of our beloved Anup Da (Purnananda Maharaj). So anyway I made approach to him in slow steps and bowed down and he was ready to offer me the handful of gathiya fry(Prasad) in his right hand. As I extended my right hand to him_ he looked at me and said _”Extend both your hands because ‘Prasad’ is to be taken with respect and in both hands”. I was totally unprepared and did the same. He loosened his fist on both of my palms and astonishingly ‘Prasad’ was overloaded and a portion of it fell down in the ground inadvertently. I thought he was a little bit upset over this phenomenon and I felt ashamed too.
Then I was wandering around the ashram. At that time at the left of Guru Maharj’s kuthiya I found a ‘Chalaghar'(a kind of hut with a longer dimension), being used as a prayer hall(Prarthona rooom) as well as the bed room of the brahmacharies. The kitchen was beside this. There was an office room of Murari Mharaj(Swami Niskamanadaji – Secretary Paramananda Mission) with a three room varandah behind it. At that time Trishan Da (Later Swami Parameshwaranandaji- President Paramananda Mission) used to sit here and at the back side of Guru Maharaj’s kuthiya there was a one and a half storied mud house. Trishan Da and Tripti Ma(Sanhita Prana) lived at the upper floor and Madan Maharaj(Swami Chitvilashananda) and one or two more persons were living with some orphan boys as there care taker at the ground floor of this house.
The tank as it is now was then in a very bad shape. The Pond with it’s sides were just made to shape. The area where the ‘Nagalingam Tree’ is found now, was cleaned. The rest of the area where now the temple has been build was then full of shrubs on the highland in the NE side.
At that time to reach Guru Maharaaj’s kuthiya one had to make a jump over a drain from the village road coming to the Ashram. Much later a bamboo-made mat was laid on it for convenience. The drain was on the right side of the road. During rains, rain water from the village used to pass from west to the east through this drain.
There was and still there is, a baniyan tree at the middle of the Ashram. Swami Tapeshwaranandaji(The oldest monk of the asharm) made a cave like structure at base of this tree and he used to live there.