Bhaiji(A_biograhy_of..

171 Pages·2014·0.92 MB·English

PREFACE

The grace of the Lord that enables the cripple to scale the loftiest mountains,
the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak and the destitute to walk
with the royal umbrella over his head, that very all powerful grace descends on
earth in the guise of a saint for the redemption of all beings, „Bhaiji‟ as
Hanumanprasad Poddar was called dearly by everyone including Jayadayal
Goyandka whom he revered like his guru, was such a saint.
Swami Krishnaprem, my spiritual guide, who was closely associated
with Bhaiji, spiritually and in other ways, who had Shri Radha Baba as his
revered guru and who spent a very long period of his life in proximity of these
two great saints asked me to write Bhaiji‟s biography in English. In asking me
to do this assignment, Swamiji had obviously been urged by a pious desire to
introduce this great saint to a larger world than what he has been so far and
thus inspire a larger number of people to tread the path of God-realization, the
ultimate goal of human life.
Like God‟s sport, the life-story of a saint is beyond words; it defies
human intellect to attempt adequate narration. The task becomes doubly
difficult especially in the case of a saint like Bhaiji who not only shunned
publicity; he like an iceberg kept most of his self hidden from the public eye,
too. Then, I am not a great writer, nor had I any experience of this kind of
writing. Besides, my background being of a worldly person who in his
spiritual pursuit has not gone beyond acquiring the status of a mere pebble-
gatherer on the sea-shore of spiritualism, I felt I was grossly incompetent for
the job. Nevertheless, I did not want the opportunity to slip away from my
hands for I saw in it the rarest God‟s grace ready to shower on me and to
sanctify me. When it came to writing about the most intimate aspects of
Bhaiji‟s spiritual being, I found my diffidence rather crippling. As advised by
Swamiji, I kept on saying „Radha, Radha…‟ to myself and went ahead with
my work. I must say with all my faith at my command that it is this mantra
that steered me through. Whenever I got stuck, I remembered Lord Radha-
Madhava and Bhaiji and I was able to get over the hurdle.
I do not have words to express my heart-felt gratitude to Swamiji for
having given me the golden opportunity of my life and for all his kind support
to complete the assignment. He was kind enough to go through most of the
draft and make his valuable suggestions without which the work would have
suffered from avoidable shortcomings.
For the facts that constitute the content of the life-story, I have
depended mainly upon „Bhaiji: Paavan Smaran‟, the commemorative volume
brought out by Shri Radha Madhava Seva Sansthan, Geeta Vatika, Gorakhpur.
The editors of the volume, Mahamahopadhyaya Gopinath Kaviraj,
Chimmanlal Goswami and Dr. Bhagwati Prasad Singh have done a wonderful
job in making valuable source material available for which I am deeply
indebted to them. I have drawn upon other works also which are listed as
references in Appendix (i). I am grateful to their authors too.
I only wonder how this work would measure with the expectation of
the enlightened aspirant reader. I am certain he would find it not lacking in
shortcomings. However, I hope he would bear with me generously.
I may admit very frankly that it is indeed the Lord‟s grace that has
come to fruition in the form of this work. It is, truly speaking, the Lord‟s
creation and all along I have been only a very humble instrument in His hands.
In Bhaiji‟s true spirit I therefore dedicate the work to the lotus feet of Lord
Radha-Madhava.
“O Lord! It is Thine and to Thy Lotus Feet I dedicate it.”

Dated: Sivakasi Behari Lal Indurkhya
Mahashivaratri
7 March 1997

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I
LINEAGE, PARENTAGE AND BIRTH

Ratangarh was tehsil headquarters of the erstwhile Bikaner State in
Rajasthan, the land hallowed by the warriors and saints. The town is inhabited
by a number of Marwari Agarwal families for whom it has been the place of
adobe for centuries. Among them the „Gargs‟ and the „Bansals‟ are known for
their high lineage. One of the branches of the Bansals is called „Poddar‟ after
their profession, keepers of „poat‟ or treasury, known for their unusual
honesty, the ancestral members of this family were appointed in the medieval
period the custodians of their treasury by the Hindu as well as Muslim princes.
Later on, „Poatdar‟ or „Poddar‟ became the hereditary title of the members of
this family. From this family through the years descended a number of Poddar
families. Hanumanprasad Poddar was born in one of these illustrious Poddar
families which had Sakhiram for its ancestral head.
Seth Tarachand, Hanumanprasad‟s grandfather, was one of the top
businessmen of Ratangarh. He was by nature deeply religious. He married
twice and had two sons, Kaniram and Bhimraj, the former from his first and
the latter from his second wife. Seth Tarachand initiated both of his sons into
the hereditary business. His elder son Kaniram, when he grew older, expressed
his desire to set up his business out of Rajasthan. Tarachand was confident of
his son‟s prudence and industry and hence he gladly gave his consent.
Kaniram got to know from some of his relatives that Assam held out
great opportunities for trade and commerce. Hence, in the hope of making
fortune, he braved all the difficulties of travelling on camel„s back for a couple
of days upto Kuchaman Rath, the nearest railway station, exposed all the while
to the danger of being waylaid by dacoits.
Then after making a very long and exhausting railway journey of a few
days, he finally arrived at Shillong. He was the first Marwari from Ratangarh
to arrive there. Later on, his example inspired other families of Ratangarh to
set up their business in Shillong.
Within a few days of his arrival in Shillong, Kaniram got the
opportunity to make a contract with the armed forces for food supplies to
them. As it was a big undertaking, he found it difficult to manage it alone and
so he asked his father and younger brother Bhimraj to join hands with him.
Soon the business expanded and branches were opened at Gauhati and
Calcutta, the head office remaining at Shillong.
Kaniram was a clever business man and at the same time a householder
of great faith in God. He had deep and steadfast faith in Tulasi‟s „Shri
Ramcharitmanas.‟ Without performing the regular recitation of the holy book,
he would never take food or water. By the grace of god, his wife Ramkaur
Devi was a devout too. Although not highly educated, she had cultivated by
constant company of the saintly people and study of the scriptures a wonderful
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ability to grasp the essence of the shastras. Shri Hanumanji was her ideal deity
(ishtadeva). She used to perform constant jap and regular recitation of Shri
Ramcharitmanas. She was very thrifty. She would cut down her household
expenses and spend the savings on virtuous acts. As a rule, she fed Brahman
pupils on every new moon (amavasya) and full moon (poornima) day. She was
immensely courageous, forbearing and at the same time severe in the
observance of spiritual rules. Though a woman, she was fearless. She was very
humble too. By her affectionate service she could easily win the heart of any
person however dry and disconcerted he might be. As such, she exercised
great influence over a number of neighbouring families. On such occasions as
those of birth and death in these families, the entire responsibility of the social
events fell on her shoulders. Having such extraordinary qualities, she became
the pivot of the family.
As Ramkaur Devi was an adept in household affairs, Kaniram had not
to worry at all about the management of the household. Consequently, he
devoted all his time and energy to his business which thrived by leaps and
bounds beyond imagination. In a very short time, Poddars became a
flourishing business-house of Shillong.
In the course of climbing the several steps of prosperity, Seth Kaniram
had advanced in age. He stood at the threshold of old age and was a tired man.
He had not been blessed with a child yet, nor could he rest his hope for one
upon future. With the consent of his father, Seth Tarachand, and some other
relatives, he adopted his younger brother Bhimraj and declared him heir to all
his property. Bhimraj, who well deserved the favour, in his turn, treated his
elder brother and sister-in-law no less respectfully than his parents throughout
his life.
Bhimraj was by nature a deeply religious man. In his behaviour one
could not fail to notice such unusual noble qualities as truth, nonviolence,
sincerity, guilelessness and control over his senses. Honesty which he
observed rigorously had become a part of his nature. He was extremely
vigilant not to let anyone‟s money or thing find its way in his house, even
inadvertently. It was his belief that such money or thing if it remained in the
house was bound to bring ruin and hence he would not feel quite himself until
he returned it to its owner. Once talking about this outstanding quality of his
father, Bhaiji narrated the following incident which shows how he would
never accept what was not his honest earning.
Bhimraj was in the cloth business in Calcutta. One day his accountant
made a mistake in totalling a bill exceeding it by a hundred rupees. The other
party also overlooked the slip and thus the excess payment was collected. Two
days later, the accountant on detecting his error brought it to his master‟s
notice. This upset Bhimraj. He reprimanded the accountant for his carelessness
and asked him to return the amount to the party at once. As it was very late in
the evening, the accountant wanted to do it the following morning. But
Bhimraj was too restless to postpone it any further. He told him that he would
not eat until the amount was returned and that with interest for it had remained
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with him for two days. The accountant was thus left with no choice except to
do the will of his master.
Bhimraj was a devout man. At night his shop turned into a meeting
place of religious-minded people. Here Shri Ramcharitmanas, the Mahabharat
and Shrimad Bhagwat were read out. Bhimraj established a religious
institution „Sanatan-Dharma-Pushtikarini Sabha‟ which functioned under his
sole direction and of which he was the secretary. The Sabha arranged for the
visits and lectures of scholars, saints and „mahatmas‟ from outside for the
propagation of „sanatan dharma‟, the eternal religion. Swami
Jagdeeshwaranand Bharati, the famous preacher, first visited Calcutta at the
invitation of the Sabha. Bhimraj thus came in close contact of saints and
received their unbounded grace and affection.
Bhimraj was well established in his business which demanded his
constant presence in Calcutta. But his elder brother and sister-in-law‟s love for
him and his wife drew them to Shillong quite often. Sometime, Bhimraj left
his wife with them in Shillong to look after them. Such reciprocation of love
from his younger brother and sister-in-law took away the agony of
childlessness from the mind of Kaniram as well as of his wife and the couple
lived happily.
Thus passed a few years and Kaniram became a very old man.
Ramkaur Devi‟s mind was caught hold of by a new anxiety. Bhimraj had been
a married man for several years but he had no issue. Ramkaur Devi had her
own fears. She was worried that her sister-in-law too might not turn out a
barren woman like her. In order to ward off the misfortune, she always gave
away gifts in charity. But finding her cherished desire rather far from
fulfillment, she used to be in deep anguish.
Ramkaur Devi had deep faith in sadhus and saints and was greatly
devoted to brahmans. She believed stoutly in spiritual help. But finding the
religious customs of Assam entirely different from those of her land of birth,
she gave up all hope to get such help there. With the consent of her husband
therefore she went to Ratangarh which she looked to for help. From the
beginning of the fifteenth century, Ratangarh had been hallowed by the
spiritual practices of the yogis of Nath sect. At this time, a number of Nath and
Vaishnava saints lived here. Among the Nath yogis, Motinathji (Toontia
Baba), Lakshminathji and Bakhannathji were known for their occult powers,
while among the Vaishnava sadhus, the most distinguished was Acharya
Mehardasji of the Nimbark sect. He was Ramkaur Devi‟s guru. She was
already known to them for she used to serve them when she lived there before
migrating to Shillong.
During this stay at Ratangarh, inspired by her guru Baba Mehardas,
Ramkaur Devi arranged for the reading of Vishnusahasranam one hundred and
eight times in the local Lakshmi-Narayan temple. On its conclusion, she fed
sadhus, brahmans and the poor. While Ramkaur Devi was thus seeking the
holy company and performing the sacred acts, Baba Bakhannath in the course
of a religious discourse one day got an inkling of her frustration born of
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Bhimraj‟s childlessness. He mentioned it to Toontia Baba and asked for his
favour. Thereupon, one day Baba said to Ramkaur Devi,”who else? I shall
myself come. A grandson1 would be born to you; he would be extraordinary.”
The Nath saint told her thus about the child to be born, “He would have the
mark of „Shri‟ on his forehead, hair on his shoulders, a mole on his right thigh
and a threadlike thing in his throat after removing with the help of a finger he
would start crying. After a few days, Toontia Baba gave up his body.
During these days at Ratangarh, Ramkaur Devi got an „anushthan‟, a
religious rite for the fulfillment of her desire, done by Baba Mehardas. On its
completion as desired, Baba blessed her saying that her long cherished desire
would be fulfilled and an illustrious devout son would be born to Bhimraj. He
gave some consecrated water for Rikhibai, Bhimraj‟s wife, to drink. He said to
have insisted on naming the child Hanumanbaksh, one gifted by Lord
Hanuman.
Nursing the hope for the fulfillment of her long cherished desire,
Ramkaur Devi returned to Shillong. Within a few days of her arrival there, she
got to know that Rikhibai was pregnant. This news filled the hearts of the
disappointed members of the family with great hope. In the due course of
time, the blessings of the saints bore fruit. On 17 September 1892, a Saturday,
the day hallowed by Hanumanji, Bhimraj was blessed with a son. The women
in the labour-room were surprised to find the newly-born baby bearing
extraordinary signs-a red mark on the forehead like „Shri‟ in Devanagiri, hair
on shoulders and a mole on the right thigh. Like common babies, he did not
cry after his birth. A woman of experience pushed her finger into the baby‟s
mouth and took out a threadlike thing from his throat, after which he began to
cry. Ramkaur Devi remembered the words of Toontia Baba and now she was
convinced that it was certainly he reborn. Considering the child a gift of her
favoured deity Shri Hanumanji, she named him Hanumanbaksh as desired by
her guru Baba Mehardas. Later on,‟baksh‟ in his name was replaced by
„prasad‟ and the child came to be known as Hanumanprasad. At home he was
called Mannalal which the near and dear ones chose to shorten as Mannu and
they still preferred to call him Mania affectionately.

Notes

1. Kaniram had adopted his younger brother Bhimraj as his son. Hence a son
born to the latter would naturally be the former‟s grandson

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II
CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

With the birth of Hanumanprasad, God‟s grace descended upon the
family. The members of the family acquired a mental state of purity (satva)
and became God-aspiring. It is said that Rikhibai had in her infant son a divine
vision accompanied with effulgence. As the saying goes „God‟s grace does not
come alone, it is accompanied with calamities‟; the Poddar family became the
target of misfortunes. Only two years after Hanumanprasad‟s birth, in the year
1894, a short and ordinary illness made a victim of his mother, Rikhibai. At
the time of her death, it is believed, she was blessed with the Lord‟s vision.
But before his mother, death had already claimed one more person of the
family, his great-grandfather, Seth Tarachand. As he passed away at the ripe
age of eighty-four with God‟s name on his lips and as he like a fortunate
householder left behind him a growing family, his death was not looked upon
untimely and as a calamity.
Hanumanprasad‟s grandmother, Ramkaur Devi, undertook to bring
him up. Ever since his birth she had been attached to him. But now when she
had to take care of him, her attachment to him became still deeper. When the
child grew up and began to recognize persons, he identified her as his mother.
He addressed her as „Ma‟ (mother) which he continued to do till the end of her
life.
In order to manage the affairs of the household, Bhimraj very much
needed a wife. So he married again. Thus the child Hanumanprasad came to
have his stepmother in Ramdevi who began to take interest in his upbringing.
But her love for him was found lacking in spontaneity. She could not help it;
she had not the mother‟s heart.
After a year of his mother‟s death, the child Hanumanprasad suffered
from rickets. At this time he was at Ratangarh with his grandmother. Ramkaur
Devi consulted the local Ayurvedic physicians and arranged for the best
available treatment. But it was of no avail. His condition went on
deteriorating. A disappointed Ramkaur Devi offered worships, gave away in
charity and performed „anushthan‟. By the grace of God, the child began to
show the signs of recovery. In the due course of time, he regained his health.
Ramkaur Devi returned to Shillong with him.
The child Hanumanprasad had hardly recovered from his illness when
he was in the face of another calamity. In the year 1896, Assam was rudely
shaken by a violent earthquake. Hanumanprasad was then about four years
old. The tragic event took place about five in the afternoon. Within a few
seconds, the city of Shillong was turned into heaps of rubble. With thousands
of people buried under the debris, the city wore the look of a huge graveyard.
Gaping chasms and sunken earth here, there and everywhere presented the
scene as it were of the final destruction.
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Kaniram‟s mansion fell into ruins. Under the debris were buried two
children of his sister who was then his guest. Kaniram, his wife Ramkaur Devi
and his sister escaped unhurt. At that time the child Hanumanprasad had been
to neighbour‟s house to have „prasad‟ (the food offered to a deity in worship).
Having eaten the prasad, he was coming out when suddenly the earth began to
a shake and houses fell with a terrible crash. Like thousands of people of
Shillong, the child Hanumanprasad too might have been crushed to death
under the falling rubble. But then happened a miracle. The invisible hands of
God almighty piled around him the stones of the crumbling buildings to form
walls and on them rested a huge piece of stone forming the roof. This closed
space became the haven for the child. It is said that Hanumanprasad‟s mind
was filled with God. And lo! the Lord bearing the conch, disc, mace, and the
lotus in his four hands stood before him smiling at him, warding off all
dangers and giving him protection.
The earthquake was followed by a downpour. Meanwhile, there was a
fire in the vicinity. When the downpour abated, Kaniram, his sister and his
wife Ramkaur came out. They were shocked to find the sister‟s two children
buried dead under the debris. From a heap of stones nearby was recovered the
dead body of Kaniram‟s another sister‟s grandson. These sights filled Kaniram
and Ramkaur with despair although the latter had unshakable faith in God‟s
grace. Gathering all their courage Kaniram and Ramkaur started calling
“Mannu, Mannu….” As soon as the call fell on his ears, the vision disappeared
and the child gathering all his courage shouted,”I‟m here. Take me out of it
quickly”. These words helped them to locate the place. Within minutes, the
debris was removed and out of the God-made shelter ran Mannu into the
stretched arms of his eager grandfather who hugged him with all the warmth
of his heart. But Ramkaur Devi was all the time reminding herself of the grace
of Shri Hanumanji, her favoured deity, and was silently offering her tender
feelings of devotion to His lotus feet. She was convinced that Shri Hanumanji
had saved the child from the calamity.
Kaniram was badly shaken by the terrible destruction and the
irreparable loss of money and lives of dear ones. His financial loss ran into
lakhs of rupees. He did not want to remain any longer in Shillong. He made up
his mind to wind up his business there and move with his family to Calcutta.
But the business was so extensive that in winding it up in hurry he feared to
incur a heavy loss. Tormented by worries, his health broke down and before
his plan could materialize, he died in the year 1899. Bhimraj could not mange
singlehanded the business in Shillong, Calcutta and Gauhati. He therefore
closed down the Shillong shop.
After the death of her husband, Ramkaur Devi lost all her interest in
Shillong where she was living with child Hanumanprasad. Grief-stricken, she
could not bear to live there alone. So with her beloved Mannu, she moved to
Calcutta where the child‟s parents were living. Now Hanumanprasad‟s
schooling began. He was sent to Vishuddhanand School. But this arrangement
did not last long. Ramkaur Devi‟s stay in Calcutta could not soothe her
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tormented mind. It seemed to her that Rajasthan alone could give her the much
wanted peace. Hence with Mannu she left for Ratangarh.
Hanumanprasad was about six now. Ramkaur Devi directed her
attention to his education which had almost been neglected in the previous
years. Ratangarh had a government primary school. Besides, there were a
number of private schools run by different tutors. In these schools in addition
to the usual curriculum was taught Mahajani whose mastery was considered
essential for the boy to prepare him for the paternal business. These schools
were known for the special attention that was paid to pupils in them.
Hanumanprasad was enrolled in one of these schools called „Jorji‟s School‟
after its tutor Joravarmal popularly known as Jorji. Here he was taught
Mahajani, Hindi and arithmetic. He acquired the skill of writing the ledger. In
his business career in Calcutta and Bombay, his elementary skill in Mahajani
turned into a highly developed one. In later years, through his own efforts he
became proficient in the use of the various Mahajani scripts such as Bikaneri,
Jaisalmeri, Bhiwaniwali and Haryanvi.
Ramkaur Devi‟s parental home was in Amritsar. She had been
besought for years to visit the place. In the year 1900, accompanied by Mannu
she went there. The boy‟s schooling thus got suspended. In continuing his
education there, he was confronted with the problem of learning Urdu which
was the medium of instruction at the primary and secondary stages. Urdu
dominated, more or less, the scene of education in the then Punjab. The
teachers of the school which Hanuman Prasad was admitted to, on account of
the influence of Ramkaur Devi‟s brother, took special interest in teaching him.
But the acquisition of the new language did not interest the child at all. Even
after a month‟s hard work, the teachers could not teach him the syllabary. In
his later life, Bhaiji regretted his early failure to learn Urdu.
Hanumanprasad‟s schooling was resumed on Ramkaur Devi‟s return to
Ratangarh. He started learning Sanskrit. He was introduced to the language
through Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta and that too not by any scholar of Sanskrit in
any school but by a Nath saint Baba Bakhannathji in his ashram. During her
stay at Ratangarh, Ramkaur Devi accompanied by Mannu used to visit the
saint everyday. The saint was especially kind to the boy probably because he
had lost his mother. On the ashram grounds, there were „jharberi‟ (a kind of
fruit) bushes, whose fruit were unusually delicious. Nobody could pick the
fruit without Nathji‟s permission. While his grandmother remained absorbed
in the saint‟s discourses, the boy would fidget casting his covetous glances
every now and then in the direction of the fruit bushes. Sensing his keen desire
to have the fruit, Nathji would gladly permit him to pick and eat them. His
desire thus fulfilled, the boy would frolic with joy, pick the ripe fruit from the
bushes and eat them. Sometimes the saint would have the fruits gathered, keep
them with him and give him them in instalments. This brought the boy closer
everyday to the saint and helped him to get rid of the awe in which he held
him. Taking advantage of the situation, every time the boy visited the ashram,
Bakhannathji would recite to him a „shloka‟ (a Sanskrit couplet) from the
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Geeta and then ask him to say it after him until the boy got it by heart.
Occasionally, discovering that the boy was disconcerted, the saint would ask
him first to pick and eat the fruit and then take his lessons in the Geeta. Thus
went on the Geeta lessons. Within a year, the boy committed the whole Geeta
to memory and recited it to Nathji. Ramkaur Devi was immensely pleased
with Mannu‟s performance. Even at this young age, Hanumanprasad‟s
pronunciation was perfect. The only word in pronouncing which he faltered
was the word „Ashvatthaama‟ in the shloka (8, chap. I) „Bhavaan
Bheeshmashcha Karnashcha Kripashcha Samitinjayah, Ashvatthaama
Vikarnashcha Samudattistathavia Cha.‟ which he pronounced as
Ashvasthaama‟. Nathji corrected him again and again, sometimes coaxingly,
sometimes in pretended anger, while at other times he whispered the correct
form in his ear but so stubborn was his mispronunciation that all efforts to
correct it were of no avail.
Hanumanprasad thus continued to learn Sanskrit at the feet of the Nath
saint until the age of eight. This was not followed by any formal instruction in
the language. Neither he went to any Pathshala (a Sanskrit school), nor could
he ever obtain the good offices of any Sanskrit scholar to learn the language
systematically. It is remarkable that on this kind of foundation was erected the
grand edifice of his editorial work. He edited the voluminous Sanskrit
literature and the special number of „kalyan‟ published by the Geeta Press.
Besides his editorial work, his learned articles interspersed with quotations
from the scriptures speak volumes for his self-attained scholarship in Sanskrit.
Hanumanprasad remained deeply indebted to the Nath saint for the rest
of his life. Whenever he visited Ratangarh, he would make it a point to pay his
respects to him. The saint instructed him to live a moral life, to have deep faith
in the Lord, to constantly remember Him and to sing praises of Him. Although
he himself practiced renunciation and yoga and lived a Vedanta-oriented
spiritual life, he recommeded to Hanumanprasad in view of his inclination the
path of „bhakti‟. He exhorted him to serve the cow, the sick and the destitute
thus emphasizing to him that the Lord dwells in every being. It is through his
contacts with the saint that Hanumanprasad developed firm faith in the
omnipresence of God. His heart was filled with kindness to all beings and he
was inspired with a strong urge to serve the mankind.
Hanumanprasad learned the syllabary of Hindi in Jorji‟s school and
acquired the working knowledge of the language through his contacts with the
native speakers of the language and private study. Later on, during his stay in
Calcutta he enriched it through his regular meetings with contemporary Hindi
scholars and editors. His creativity had started budding in his very adolescence
when he had begun to write on social and political topics for newspapers and
magazines. It is a too well known fact that his craftsmanship as author and
editor attained great heights in his service to the Geeta Press.
Another language which Hanumanprasad used with great facility was
Bangla. He was born in Assam and brought up in Calcutta. Thus Bangla came
to him more or less as his mother-tongue. Moreover, his father was highly
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