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!!