Bhaktachintamani Prakaran 152

In Burhanpur, in the Khandesh region, there lived devotees of HariHariAn avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in His four-armed svarup to save an elephant from being killed by a crocodile. He cut off the crocodile’s head with His chakra.Tap to open in glossary →; hear now how Swami came to their aid.

There was a Brahmin there named Divandada, who was not himself a satsangisatsangiA person who practises satsang.Tap to open in glossary →. Knowingly or unknowingly, he once fed two of Swami's sadhus. Whatever other merit he had gained across his life was little; this merit, gained unknowingly, was added to it.

As time passed in this way, his allotted span came to its end, and his body's life drew to a close. Inevitably, the fearsome messengers of Death came to fetch him.

When the messengers of Yama arrived at the hour of death, they caused Dada great suffering, recalling and reproaching him for every sin he had committed since birth. Seeing the messengers of Yama, Dada remembered the gods and goddesses, and he also called to mind the sadhus, mahants, and sannyasis he had served, hoping one of them would come to relieve his pain. But not one of them came, and Dada, in despair, shook his head. He said, "What am I to do now? No one has come to my aid in this crisis." Saying this, he fell into hopelessness -- but just then he saw two sadhus standing nearby.

The sadhus said, "Listen, messengers of Yama -- why have you wretches come here? Go back at once; why do you stand here?" The messengers of Yama replied, "Why do you make such empty talk? This soul has never been yours -- in every respect he belongs to us. So you must not use force; leave this place, and do not try to obstruct us." Such was the dispute between the sadhus and the messengers of Yama, and Dada heard the whole exchange. Then the sadhus said, "We shall see about that -- take him if you can." The messengers of Yama then said, with joined hands, "Come with us peaceably; let us go before Dharmaraja, where sin and merit are weighed. He will examine his good deeds carefully; if he truly belongs to you, he will be given back to you."

So saying, they drew out his life -- and at that very moment, his wife too gave up her body as a satisatiA widow who, out of her total dedication and commitment to her husband, voluntary kills herself by throwing herself on her dead husband’s burning funeral pyre.Tap to open in glossary →, following him in death. Her soul came and joined his, and together, husband and wife, they set out for Yamapuri. The sadhus went along with the messengers of Yama, to where Yamnath himself was. DharmaDharma1) Universal law or principle that 'sustains' or 'upholds' the entire world. Righteousness, morality, religion,Tap to open in glossary → honored the sadhus, and then took up the account of that soul. There was no great reckoning of sin or merit; his only merit was this -- that two sadhus had once eaten at his home. Having examined that merit, DharmaDharma1) Universal law or principle that 'sustains' or 'upholds' the entire world. Righteousness, morality, religion,Tap to open in glossary → said, "Go to HariHariAn avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in His four-armed svarup to save an elephant from being killed by a crocodile. He cut off the crocodile’s head with His chakra.Tap to open in glossary →."

Then he was brought before Maharaj, and the two sadhus came along with him. Maharaj said, "Listen, sadhus -- this manmanMind. One of the four antah-karans, with the function of (pronounced mun) generating thoughts and desires, and governing all of the indriyas.Tap to open in glossary → once gave you food. So for now he shall dwell in Surapur, the abode of the gods, and afterward he shall make his home in VaikunthVaikunthThe dhãm of Vishnu, and Rãm Bhagvãn.Tap to open in glossary →." So saying, he gave the two of them garlands; wearing them, the manmanMind. One of the four antah-karans, with the function of (pronounced mun) generating thoughts and desires, and governing all of the indriyas.Tap to open in glossary → and his wife departed. All of this was witnessed by those who were in samadhi at the time, who also heard what was spoken. When they awoke from their trance, they came and told the whole account. It was said that nine years from that day, Dada would take birth again within satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary → -- both husband and wife would become satsangis, and afterward they would go to the city of Brahma. "This we have seen with our own eyes," they said, "and not a single word of it is false." All who heard were astonished; recognizing that a true miracle had occurred, they bowed their heads.

There were also, in that place, two fine merchant devotees, brothers named Shamji and Pitambar. Both brothers were satsangis, but their own brother, a VaishnavVaishnavFollower of Bhagvãn’s various avatãrs, in particular Shree Krishna Bhagvãn. Relating to Vishnu.Tap to open in glossary → named Shobharam, was hostile to satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →. Uncouth and stubborn, he worked daily to undermine satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →; he would forbid Shamji and Pitambar from attending, and would even beat them if they went. He behaved with such great perversity, and being of evil mind, would listen to no one; slandering satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary → had become his habit.

Then the sadhus came to that place and spoke very good words to him, but he did not hold their words in his heart. So then, through the sadhus, the Lord's own word described to him the sufferings of Yamapuri. Hearing this, he fell at once into a trance, and in it he saw the whole of Yamapuri. From every quarter Yama's servants rose up and began to beat him mercilessly, crying out as they struck him, "Sinner! Why do you torment satsangis? We shall give you the full fruit of that; we shall beat you until we take your very life!" Thus he was punished for some four ghadighadiDuration of time equalling approximately twenty-four minutes.Tap to open in glossary →, nearly an hour and a half; then he came out of the trance. Coming to, he told the sadhus, "Today my life was very nearly destroyed. Now, as long as I live, I shall never again speak ill of satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →." The sadhus said, "Good, brother -- now sit once more in meditation."

So Shobharam satsat1) True. Real. 2) Permanent, imperishable and unchanging. Is unbound by the past, the present, and the future.Tap to open in glossary → again in meditation, and this time he beheld HariHariAn avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in His four-armed svarup to save an elephant from being killed by a crocodile. He cut off the crocodile’s head with His chakra.Tap to open in glossary → and HariHariAn avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in His four-armed svarup to save an elephant from being killed by a crocodile. He cut off the crocodile’s head with His chakra.Tap to open in glossary →'s own abode. He experienced great bliss in that trance, seeing the very form of Swamishree. He remained near the Lord for a long while before coming out of the trance again. Coming to, he told the whole account, saying, "I have beheld Swami directly, with my own eyes. Never have I seen or heard anything like it; the greatest happiness has come to me. My whole being is filled with joy -- blessed, blessed is satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →! Today I have received a true and manifest miracle; Maharaj himself has appeared before me."

Also in Burhanpur there lived a Brahmin named Narayanji. He had gone into Gujarat on business, and there he came into satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →, adopting all its vows and disciplines. Some time later, when his allotted span came, he gave up his body; Maharaj himself came to fetch him, and the Brahmin went to Brahmamahol.

Narayanji had a young son, Hariram, still a small boy at home. He too came into satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →, and once in meditation fell into a trance in which his whole being was transformed. He left his body behind and went to Brahmamahol, where he beheld boundless happiness. He saw all who dwelt there, and there he beheld his own father as well; father and son were reunited within that vision. When he awoke from the trance, he related this account.

The satsangis accepted this as true, but those hostile to satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary → called it all false, saying, "We will not believe such talk -- we will believe only if we are given a sign. Go into your trance again, and bring back the answer to this: your father, together with the two of us brothers, once went to another village. Ask him what business took us there, and what happened -- go and find out, and tell us."

So Hariram entered his trance again and went once more to Brahmamahol. He went before Narayanji, his father, and told him, "Your friend Vyankatram, and his brother Jnaneshwar, have asked this question: why did we once go to another village?" Narayanji said, "Son, I will tell you the whole matter. We went to a village called Badalpur, to eat freshly roasted grain. Having eaten it, we were returning, when we met bandits along the way. They robbed us of all our clothes -- give them this as certain proof."

Then, coming out of his trance, Hariram told the whole account at once -- exactly what had happened to the three of them, giving this proof directly. Vyankatram reflected on it and, in his heart, accepted it as true. Jnaneshwar too fell silent, unable to speak, and then said, "How can this account be called false? True are the satsangis, true are the sadhus, and true is Swami himself, the Lord." Saying this, they bowed at the sadhus' feet: "Forgive our fault, Maharaj -- everything you have told us is true; we too have received a manifest miracle."

Thus many, many such wonders occur in Burhanpur; there is no end to telling or writing them all, so constantly do such miracles take place there. At every moment HariHariAn avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in His four-armed svarup to save an elephant from being killed by a crocodile. He cut off the crocodile’s head with His chakra.Tap to open in glossary → gives his aid, continually, within satsangsatsang1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company.Tap to open in glossary →; and so men and women there remain ever joyful, says Nishkulanand, in certainty.

Thus ends the one hundred and fifty-second chapter of the Bhaktachintamani, composed by Nishkulanand MuniMuniSãdhu.Tap to open in glossary →, disciple of Shri Sahajanand Swami, describing how Shri Ji Maharaj fulfilled miracles for his devotees.