Happy Durga Puja

Dear Guru brothers/sisters! I wish all of you a Very Happy Durga Puja! The full world is busy now in celebrating the Shakti Puja!! This Shakti & Matri Aradhana would continue till the Jagatdhatri Puja in Kolkata!! Really bengal is great because of its various festivals and I feel myself to be very lucky to be born in a bengali community! Without mother's help one cannot reach out to his father and mother would only tell you who is your father!! Moreover, if sometime a child commits a mistake it is only mother who saves you from the anger or wrath of one's father!! It once happened that Sri Sri Thakur was staying at a devotee's house in Kolkata and his room was full of many devotees and He was busy in talking with them and then suddenly He stopped talking to them and joined His both hands and paid His respects to somebody in the vaccum and even asked to accept a seat near to Him! Everybody was astonished at this!! The room was filled a divine fragrance and all devotees were wondering from it is coming!! Sri Sri Thakur started talking to that invisible entity for a while in a low tone and suddenly asked how is Devadhidev?? Then  after a while He laughed! After that again He said as Yes, definitely I would certainly attend the Devi Puja!! and again joined His hands and see-off that divine entity in the vaccum!! That divine fragrance also slowly went off!! Everybody was astonished at this. Sri Sri Thakur suddenly asked one of the devotees to immediately bring the year calendar and to check the dates of Sri Sri Durga Puja!! Sri Phanindra Malakar babu asked as to who has came to which Gurudev replied that Maa Durga herself had came to invite Sri Sri Thakur to the Devi Puja!!  Maa Durga came to invite our Lord Sri Hari!! Our Gurudev also initiated the worshipping of Maa Durga in his own portrait and termed it as Durgotsav!! not only Durga Puja any puja of any diety can be performed on the portrait of our Gurudev!! I had once the opportunity of doing the morning puja (the mangal arti puja at 4.00 a.m.) in an ashram in assam during the holy Durgotsav and Friends I must tell you the experience was just mind boggling!!   Jai Ram! 

Great Devotee - Sri Phanindra Malakar Part III

Dear Guru brothers/sisters! Jai Ram! sorry for the little delay in posting new posts in the blog. This post is in continuation of the earlier post about Sri Sri Thakur's great disciple Sri Phanindra Malakar babu! Malakar babu had a house in a place called Belonia at Tripura, a small state which is in the north eastern part of our country and falls at the border with our neighbouring country Bangladesh. Sri Sri Thakur whenever used to visit Tripura very often would stay at that house and it was during one such time that Gurudev was not well and was staying at Malakar babu's house at Belonia, Tripura quite secretely. After some days had passed suddenly some devotees like Sri Upendra Saha etc. from Chowmuhani, Bangladesh arrived there much to the astonishment of Malakar babu as very few people were knowing about Sri Sri Thakur's presence there! Upendra babu informed Sri Sri Thakur only had written him to take Gurudev from there to Chowmuhani!! Malakar babu was surprised and taken aback!! The writing of this letter to Upendra babu was not under knowledge of Malakar babu and so it seemed to him that Sri Sri Thakur had secretely written that letter!! I have already told earlier that the relation between Sri Sri Thakur and Malakar babu was very close, Malakar babu went to Gurudev and started shouting on Him! He asked Sri Sri Thakur that if He is not happy here or if He had felt some discomfort here, He could have just told Him! or if He had asked him to write a letter to Upendra babu, had he denied it & or had he ever denied anything to Him in the past?? like that many questions etc. Malakar babu felt his ego as hurted by this act of Sri Sri Thakur!! Gurudev was quiet and didn't said anything!! Malakar babu went out of the house and returned home late in the evening!! On seeing Malakar babu Sri Sri Thakur started lamenting and said to Upendra babu that "No! I cannot go to Chowmuhani until and unless Malakar babu gives permission!" Upendra babu then started pestering Malakar babu to give permission but he didn't agreed at all!! The argument carried for long time and it became night but Malakar babu didn't agreed! Hearing all their arguments for long, Sri Sri Thakur said that "what to do? Malakar babu hasn't agreed, so there is no question of my going to Chowmuhani!! All of you may leave tomorrow for your home!" Everybody agreed and went to sleep. Then late in the midnight, when everybody was in deep sleep, Sri Sri Thakur said that "you know that as per my Guru's orders I cannot enter any ashram" Malakar babu replied "Yes" Gurudev continued "if I leave my body here, is it not that this very house would be changed into an ashram?" Malakar babu was stunned!! He cried "what are you saying Rambhai?" (Malakar babu used to address Gurudev as Rambhai always) Sri Sri Thakur said "Yes! I like this house very much, its atmosphere and so what I want is to go to Chowmuhani and leave my body there and come here & live in this house for ever!!! But if you didn't permit I cannot go!!!" Malakar babu cried and cried and fall at Gurudev's feet. Sri Sri Thakur consoled him and said that "allow me to go to Chowmuhani, I would leave my body there and come here & live here in this house!!!" The rest of the night went in crying by Malakar babu by the thought of Sri Sri Thakur going to leave this world. Next day morning, Gurudev told Upendra babu that Malakar babu has agreed and given permission to go to Chowmuhani. Everybody became very happy without knowing the actual truth behind this journey of Sri Sri Thakur towards Choumuhani, Bangladesh!! Malakar babu who was obviously under oath to not to reveal the secrets was crying profusely to everybody's astonishment!! When Sri Sri Thakur was in Choumuhani, Malakar babu was actually knowing the day also of Sri Sri Thakur's departure from this world and on that very day his pain was unbearable and uncontrollable!! It is said that after Sri Sri Thakur left His holy body, His presence has been felt by Malakar babu many times in the house like sound of wooden sandals while walking by Sri Sri Thakur, holy footmarks of Sri Sri Thakur on the bed of Him which were quite big in size, taking food and water etc. like this many other signs!! Even now in that house which has been renamed as "Sri Sri Ram Thakur Smriti Mandir" after Malakar babu left one can feel the vibration of presence of our beloved Gurudev!! Few people knows about the story and thus that house has not been changed into an ashram as per wish of our beloved God Sri Sri Ram Thakur!! I have a long desire to visit that place sometime in the near future as I belong to Tripura only! I could not visit that place earlier as it was unknown to me otherwise by this time I would have definitely gone to that place many times and would have pasted some photographs also.

The level of devotion that Malakar babu or other disciples had who were present in that period can never be expressed in words or I think we can never understand it also!! It all depends on the mercy of holy Gurudev and it is His divine mercy only which helps us to love Him and do His bhakti!! The author of the above story who was an aged sadhika (lady saint) happened to meet Sri Phanindra Malakar at his daughter's residence at Agartala, Tripura. When she went to met him, she saw that as if Malakar babu was seemed to be talking very slowly to somebody in the vaccum and seemed to be in a trance state!! She sat beside him and waited. In the meantime her daughter came kept a cup of milk for him on the table!! The trance went for little long and the sadhika noticed that the milk had become cold, and later on draws the attention of Malakar babu towards it that "the milk has become cold, why didn't he drink it?? He replied "how can I? Sri Sri Thakur is there!!" After some time he said "Yes, now it can be taken!!" All Glory to Holy beloved Gurudev Sri Sri Ram Thakur and His divine disciple Sri Phanindra Malakar Babu!! Jai Ram!!    

Great Disciple - Sri Phanindra Malakar Part II

 

Dear Guru brothers/sisters! There was another incident mentioned in the book written by Sri Phanindra Malakar about himself. It was so that once he had a desire of taking sanyas from the sansar or renouncing the material world and go in search of God and do sadhana in a forest. But he didn’t revealed it to anybody in his home. Instead he thought he would quietly leave his home without anybody’s knowledge and take sanyas. It can be mentioned here that he was unmarried at that time. But our almightly Lord Sri Sri Thakur who is antaryami and nothing could be hidden from Him, was knowing everything and on the night of his escaping Guruji alerted the family members of Malakar babu and he was caught and stopped from going. Malakar babu was quite surprised and when he came to know that they were informed by Gurudev Himself he felt very dejected at heart also felt being betrayed by Him. Next morning, when he went to met Sri Sri Thakur along with the family members He explained in detail as what is actual sanyas. Gurudev asked Malakar babu that "have you acquired that qualification to stay in forest and amongst the animals? Do you have the basic eligibility? If you have violence in you heart, your violence will attract the animals to attack you!! First gain that qualification!! You have previous births karmas due to which you have taken birth here in this family otherwise you would have taken birth in some isolated part of the world and until and unless you pay all your debts you cannot escape from here. Where will you go? Wherever you go, your prarabdha will also follow you!" (Guruji used to say that our forehead is our fate and you cannot keep your forehead at a place and go to some other place, it will go with you wherever you go! Further also when you die and your body is fully burned into ashes your forehead bone only remains!!) Sri Sri Thakur further said that "Don’t try to run away from your karmas instead face them (like Arjuna who also tried to run away from his duties but was ultimately brought back by Sri Krishna) Guruji also said that instead of going to aranya (forest) stay in this sansar aranya (world forest) and do tapas or sadhana through bearing with patience all sorts of miseries, blames given by family members, society etc. different types of difficulties, agony, sorrow etc. keep your mind at the lotus feet of God and do all your duties with an akarta bhav (detached state). This is called nitya tapasya and I bless you to be able to do that." So here we can see that how beautifully Gurudev explained that sanyas is not meant to be escaping from your home instead it means facing all difficulties with patience and keeping your mind in the holy feet of your God/Guru.

 

In my earlier post I had revealed one secret told by Sri Sri Thakur that Sri Phanindra Malakar babu was none other than a Gopi during the Vrindavan leela and our Gurudev was none other than Lord Sri Krishna Himself!!  I would like to reveal some more unkown great & divine facts about this great disciple of our Gurudev!! Most of you would be knowing that Sri Sri Thakur had the habit of addressing everybody as "Apni" in bengali whether it was a young boy or an old man, therefore Gurudev used to address Malakar babu also as "Apni" but that was in front of all only!!! Whenever Malakar babu used to accompany Sri Sri Thakur, he used to sleep in the same room along with our Gurudev so as to look after Him during night. Sri Sri Thakur would be sleeping on the bed and Malakar babu would be sleeping on the floor. Sri Sri Thakur very rarely used to sleep and almost all the nights when everybody went to sleep and the whole world is in deep sleep, Malakar babu on seeing Sri Sri Thakur awake used to enter inside the mosquito net of Gurudev & start pressing His holy feet or His body and during that time Sri Sri Thakur used to address Malakar babu as "Tumi"!!! Malakar babu also used to address Sri Sri Thakur as "Tumi"! During this time they used to discuss about various highly spiritual matters and Sri Sri Thakur would explain him many secret facts about the spiritual world! Malakar babu would ask Him those questions which he couldn't ask Him during the day time owing to the presence of many devotees and it is at this time only when suddenly Sri Sri Thakur once asked Malakar babu to stand on the back of Gurudev's body to give Him comfort!! Hearing this Order Malakar babu was totally dumbstruck and taken aback!! He pleaded that "how is it possible?? You are my Lord and I am your devotee, how can I put my feet on your holy body??" Gurudev smiled and asked malakar babu that  "Have you forgotten everything about your previous birth?? Have you forgotten the type of relationship we had in the past??" Malakar babu replied in negative. Sri Sri Thakur told him that "you were my Gopini and our relationship was of prema bhakti!! and in this relationship there is no question any sin!!" Malakar babu understood everything and followed the Order of Sri Sri Thakur and did exactly what was told by Gurudev!! Dear Friends! these were those secret facts which throws light on the type of divine relationship this great disciple used to share with our Gurudev!! Keep an eye on the blog..there are more to come!! Kindly tell your other Guru brothers & sisters about this blog where they can know many unknown divine things about our beloved Gurudev!! The main motive behind narrating all these incidents is know how to do bhakti or how to love one's God which these great devotees have shown to the world!!

Jai Ram!

The Great Devotee - Sri Phanindra Malakar

With Sri Guru’s unlimited grace and divine blessings and with His permission I would like to sing the glories of our beloved Guruji's greatest disciple Sri Phanindra Malakar babu. There are many incidents of our beloved Sri Sri Thakur where he showed the true way of doing bhakti which is total saranagati at the holy feet of our Guruji through His various great disciples & one of them was Sri Phanindra Malakar babu. Once  Malakar babu was returning home late night in bangladesh. That place is full of ponds, lakes & rivers etc. and those days it was raining very heavily and due to this all the rivers & lakes were overflowing. When he came nearby to a pond on his way home he found that a pond is overflowing more than earlier. He decided to cross that pond through the water itself. While crossing it when he came to middle of the pond suddenly he saw a very big and gigantic snake or rather say a python kind of snake eating fishes, insects etc. Seeing that creature Malakar Babu was totally shocked and stunned and couldn’t understand what to do?? His feet were totally stuck in the mud of pond and was thinking that what will happen if it saw him now?? Suddenly that ferocious creature turned its hood and looked at Malakarbabu, its eyes were looking like two fire balls and within a moment it rushed towards him!!! Seeing this Malakarbabu was totally dumbstruck and forgot the Sri Naam also given by our Guruji because of ultimate fear!!! When that creature was just a feet away from him he cried out saying Jai Ram! Jai Ram!! and become unconscious and fall on the water and exactly at that moment in an half unconscious state he saw that our beloved Guruji appeared there in a big and huge form. He saw that he fall on the lap of our Guruji and Sri Sri Thakur was staring angrily on to that creature and after that Guruji throwed him towards the bank of the pond without any type of injury to him. After sometime he gained his senses and in a drowsy state fully covered with mud somehow he managed to reach his home. Seeing this his mother asked him what had happened and he narrated the full incident. At this his mother advised him not to reveal all these things to anyone. Next morning, he went to meet Guruji, when he peeped inside his room, Guruji immediately asked him to close the door & to come near to Him. After closing the door, he cried and cried and fall at the lotus feet of our Guruji. Guruji consoled him and said why to fear when I am here!! Malakar babu asked that how you had came there and I had forgot the Sri Naam also at this Guruji smiled & said that you had called & attracted me by my name, that itself is sufficient, your target should be correct, if your target is correct then everything can be achieved. Then Malakar babu asked that "what was that creature, I haven’t seen such type of ferocious snake in my whole life, from where it has came?" At this Guruji said that "your fate or prarabdha has brought it to you but what it can do when I am here?? It all had happened due to your previous births karmas only but it couldn’t any harm to you because of me!!" So here we can see that our whole life is controlled by our previous births karmas which is called prarabdha also but those karmas can do no harm to us if we are always in the saranagati of our God or Guru. 

Some more posts are to follow after this about this great disciple of Sri Sri Ram Thakur who was infact a Gopi in his previous birth as disclosed by Sri Sri Thakur very secretely who was Lord Sri Krishna Himself. But at the same time Malakar babu was also instructed by Sri Sri Thakur to not to disclose all these secret facts till Sri Sri Thakur was present in His human body form!! Like this there were many many secret and unbelievable things about our God & His divine devotees which were not disclosed among the common people as per instruction of our God Himself!!

Jai Ram!Jai Sri Sri Kaivalyanath!Jai Sri Sri Satyanarayan!

Story:Courtesy Rambhai Sarane by Sri Phanindra Malakar