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Teenage
Yogi:
In the Puranas, the name Neelkanth is associated
with Lord Shiva, who drank the world's poison to redeem it. In the process,
the poison turned his throat blue; Neel meaning blue, kanth, the neck.
Ghanshyam's sojourns, through the forests of India, also attributed Him
the name Neelkanth, for His pilgrimage was to redeem.
He first visited sacred Haridwar - 'the gateway to Hari', on the holy
river Ganga. The sacred shrines of the Himalayas open up after Haridwar.
From here He arrived in Sripur where He encountered the first of many
enticements.
The head of the mandir urged Him to lodge inside the walled area, safe
from wild animals. Neelkanth declined. He neither feared wild animals
nor death. He then sat in deep meditation under a tree. At night, a lion
hunting in the forest approached Him. The lion licked His feet, circumambulated
Him and then sat there. The inmates of the ashram observed this extraordinary
spectacle.
In the morning, with a wave from Neelkanth, the lion disappeared into
the forest. The mahant then prostrated at the feet of this eleven year
old Yogi. He offered Him the mahantship of the shrine, with its yearly
income of one hundred thousand rupees. Neelkanth explained that He neither
craved for mahantship nor money. He had come to redeem. Declining the
offer, He left for Kedarnath. From here, He trudged up and down mountain
slopes, arriving in Badrinath during Diwali, in mid October 1792.
The priest at Badrinath perceiving Neelkanth's divinity, offered Him prasad.
For the next six months the mandir closed down, since Badrinath would
be snow bound. The murtis of Nar Narayan in the shrine would be ceremoniously
paraded on an elephant, down to Joshimath. The priest urged Neelkanth
to sit in the palanquin with the murtis and stay at Joshimath, in his
personal bungalow. Neelkanth accepted the invitation to Joshimath, but
declined to stay there.
From Joshimath, He climbed the treacherous mountain terrain to visit sacred
Manasarovar - the lake of the Creator's mind. This pristine lake, at a
height of 14,950 feet, lies secluded in the far reaches of Tibet, now
controlled by China. Sven Hedin, a Swedish explorer, extolled the glory
of this lake in his diary: 'Celebrated in grand hymns by the poets of
remote antiquity, a dwelling-place of mighty gods, a mirror beneath the
paradise of Brahma and the heaven of Siva, the goal of innumerable yearning
pilgrims, the most wondrous lake on earth lies dreaming among the snow-clad
summits of lofty mountains.... The sight of the lake makes the stranger
involuntarily meditative.'1
Wearing only a loincloth, without a compass, guide, food, mountaineering
equipment, insulated clothing or boots, this part of His travels ranks
as a superhuman feat. As fiercely as the howling winds of the Himalayan
winter pierced His frail body, as snow and ice crunched and cracked under
His bare feet, Neelkanth trudged over the mountains alone, just as doggedly.
Ritually bathing in the ice covered lake, Neelkanth then returned; reaching
Badrinath in mid-April 1793. The priest had returned with the murtis and
Neelkanth took His first meal since leaving Badrinath in Diwali, six months
ago!
Here, Ranjit Singh, the Maharajah of Punjab, later to be famed as the
last and toughest adversary of the British, approached Neelkanth. Only
thirteen, one year older than Neelkanth, his heart reached out to the
Yogi. Drawn by His divinity, the king requested His permanent company.
This being impossible, Neelkanth promised to meet him again.
Later, when Neelkanth descended to Haridwar, He met the king who offered
some food. Gifting him a few words of spiritual wisdom, about the ephemeral
nature of material life, Neelkanth advised the king to recall His murti,
for peace and redemption. Placing His hands on the king's head, He blessed
him and left. From Haridwar, His route led back to Ayodhya.
He passed through the city, without entertaining the slightest wish to
return home. Later, He reached Vanshipur. Despite the grim emaciation
caused by His self-imposed austerities, His divine countenance captivated
many. Here, the king and queen enchanted by Neelkanth, offered their two
princesses in marriage. To the extremely insistent queen, Neelkanth explained
His mission to redeem infinite others. He then left Vanshipur.
His next goal lay in a bleak and chilly valley in Muktinath, Nepal. Here
in a shrine, He performed austerities standing on one leg, in meditation
for two and a half months, without food and water.
Still in Nepal, He then visited Butol (Butwal). Here, King Mahadatt Sen
and his sister Mayadevi, experienced profound enlightenment from Neelkanth's
stay and teachings. To prevent Him leaving, they placed guards on all
exit roads. Their love and devotional service kept Him for five months,
after which He stole away; in a hurry to proceed further. Remaining aloof
from the mundane enticements, His lifework lay in uplifting those engulfed
by them.
Kingdoms, women and wealth failed to allure Him. Years later, in His teachings,
He revealed, 'It is not in My nature to reconcile with great men of the
world, since they possess ego of their kingdom and wealth. I, on My part,
indulge in the diametrically opposite attributes of, Vairagya (detachment)
and Bhakti (devotion). Worldly gifts are worthless to Me... On closing
My eyes to meditate on God, the happiness arising from the kingship of
the fourteen worlds pales into insignificance, in comparison to the unfathomable
bliss of God.'2
Two Morals
During His travels, He bore the morals of two stories from the scriptures,
at the forefront of His mind; that of Bharatji (5/7-8) and Puranjan
(4/25-29) from the Shrimad Bhagvatam.
Out of mercy in raising an orphaned fawn, Bharatji became attached to
it and so faltered from his spiritual quest. Consequently, he was born
a deer in the next birth. In his third birth, as a man named Jadbharat,
he then remained extremely wary, lest he became attached to anybody
or any object and so fall from the path of liberation.
Symbolically, Puranjan, an aspirant looked upon his Atma as a king;
the body as a kingdom and the mind and sense organs (indriyas) as the
citizens. If the king weakened, losing control over his people, they
would overcome him. In the same vein, an aspirant - the Atma, should
ever remain vigilant over the mind and sense organs.
Constantly aware of these morals, Neelkanth remained ever vigilant.
Perilous Journey
Neelkanth's route through the forests of the Himalayas and later,
the Sunderbans of Bengal, undoubtedly entailed dangers from wild animals.
We get a glimpse of the fauna from the British.
Col. Kirkpatrick, who visited Nepal two years prior to Neelkanth, in
1793, noted that, elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers infested these
forests.3
We get another account of the dangers in the Himalayan foothills from
Jim Corbett during the British Raj. Tigers and leopards which had turned
into man-eaters, had wreaked terror amongst the forest inhabitants of
the Kumaon region. Corbett, a civilian who grew up in the Himalayan
jungle, was then appointed to hunt down the predators.
On foot, Corbett had stalked and shot scores of man-eating tigers and
leopards during the day and at night, for over thirty years. Two of
his notable successes included shooting the man-eating leopards of Panar
and Rudraprayag. Between them, they killed and ate 525 human beings,
during the first quarter of this century. The latter picked off pilgrims
walking to Kedarnath, in addition to dragging people away from their
houses, thus receiving publicity worldwide .
Even a seasoned hunter such as Corbett experienced fear and describes
one memorable ordeal: 'I have been frightened times without number,
but never as I was that night, when the unexpected rain came down and
robbed me of all my defences (rifle soaked) and left me for protection
a knife.'4
Besides tigers and leopards, other dangers lurking in the forest, that
Neelkanth probably encountered, included: bears, snow leopards, pythons,
cobras, scorpions, wild bees and amongst the flora, stinging nettles.
In 1864, a forest surveyor, Thomas Webber, on a survey expedition of
these highlands and rivers, noted the occurrence of the above, and was
exasperated by: '....big yellow gadflies stuck swords in through one's
clothing, little flies called moras light on the under sides of your
hands and exposed places and will insert a poison under the skin, which
makes a round red blister.... mosquitoes abounded... and house flies
swarmed in myriads.'
Regarding the forest floor, especially the banks of rivers and streams,
he observed: 'Here there are leeches on every stone, which fasten on
your legs and suck your blood with great avidity, if you do not use
precautions in the shape of thick puttees for protection. One of us,
wearing only stockings, had thirty bites and lost half a pint and from
tearing off the venomous brutes, suffered a good deal of irritation.'5
Later, Neelkanth's route coursed through Bengal. Here, in the forests
of Sunderbans, tigers and wild elephants abounded.6 Among
Ganga's deltas, there lurked other dangers: river thugs, alligators,
buffaloes, hyaenas, wolves and jackals.7 When He entered
southern Gujarat, the dense jungles surrounding Dharampur teemed with
tigers and leopards.8 Further north, He traversed through
the ravines of the river Mahi, another tiger habitat.9 Later,
His route led through southern Kathiawad, the haven of the Asiatic lion.
Other fauna here included: hyenas, wolves, jackals, the wild cat, foxes
and porcupine.10
Barefooted and barely clad by a loin cloth, Neelkanth's precautions
against the dangers of the pristine wilderness, lay in their singular
absence. It is all the more remarkable that despite such formidable
dangers, He remained undaunted, continuing His journey with a relentlessness
that can only be regarded as divine.
Mastering Ashtang Yoga
In the forests of Nepal, Neelkanth arrived at the hermitage of an aged
yogic master named Gopal Yogi. He accepted his guruship to practice
Ashtang yoga - eight fold yoga, revealing His earnest desire to master
this formidable yoga. His yearning, so immutable, He informed Gopal
Yogi that He would be undaunted even if the body perished in the process.
He had subdued the fear of death since leaving Ayodhya.
Simultaneously, He studied the Gita daily, paying special emphasis to
the second chapter, regarding the attributes of the Atma and the Sthitapragna
purush - a person with a spiritually stable consciousness.
In only nine months, Neelkanth became proficient and mastered Ashtang
yoga. For others, it would have taken a life time of ceaseless endeavours.
As a gift to the guru, Neelkanth revealed His divine form. This crowned
the guru's yogic and spiritual quest. Thus fulfilled and redeemed, he
left his body with his yogic powers. After performing his cremation
rites, Neelkanth left. A year with Gopal Yogi, made this, Neelkanth's
longest stay at any one place during His sojourns. He then proceeded
to Kathmandu, in December 1795.
Here, He met the young king, Run Bahadur Shah. Suffering from an incurable
stomach illness, Run Bahadur used to demand a magical cure from visiting
ascetics. Hitherto, all had failed. Consequently he imprisoned them.
To Neelkanth, he made a similar demand. Pained by the plight of the
ascetics, Neelkanth cured the king and also explained to him the perishable
nature of the human body. He then requested him to release the ascetics.
Leaving Kathmandu, He crossed the Himalayan mountain chain eastwards
to Kamakshi (Guwahati) This area of eastern India was then frequented
by ascetics adept in tantra.11 One such powerful tantric
named Pibek confronted Neelkanth, casting evil spells and summoning
deities to kill Him. Instead, the deities pummelled Pibek senseless.
He then surrendered to Neelkanth12. Moving on, He passed
through the fearful Sunderbans forests of Bengal. From here, He coursed
southwards to Jagannathpuri where He spent six months. During this period,
He projected Himself in the shrine's murti and observed the deceitful
behaviour of the priests. He then resumed His journey southwards.
To the heads of monasteries and schools of philosophy in every holy
place, Neelkanth enquired about the nature of the five eternal realities
- Jiva, Ishwar, Maya, Brahman and Parabrahman. (These are dealt with
in chapter nine.) Nowhere did He receive a satisfactory reply. Observing
the level of religious and moral decadence in many sacred shrines, He
noted the degradation of the priests and heads, who in the name of religion,
propagated unethical and immoral practices amongst the masses.
On His way south to Rameshwar, Neelkanth met a sadhu named Sevakram,
who suffering from bloody dysentery was extremely weakened. With nobody
to serve him, he began to grieve. Neelkanth was in a hurry to proceed.
But on learning that he was knowledgeable in the Shrimad Bhagvatam -
which extols Lord Krishna's glory - He comforted, nursed and prepared
a bed of banana leaves for him.
Daily, Neelkanth cleaned up the ill sadhu's fluid excreta about twenty
to thirty times a day. From the jungle, He brought herbs to control
the dysentery. Sevakram gave Neelkanth gold coins to buy flour and grain
from a nearby village. Neelkanth also cooked for him. While he gorged
this food; Neelkanth begged for alms. Often He received none for days.
He served sincerely; Sevakram responded spitefully. Two months later,
Sevakram recovered. He then made Neelkanth carry his one maund (20 kg.)
baggage. Finally, convinced of his ungratefulness, and wanting to resume
His journey, Neelkanth left Sevakram. For those who would follow Him
in the generations to come, Neelkanth had set the ideal principles of
seva - selfless service.
MAP
Further south, in Totadri (Nanguneri),
Neelkanth visited the main seat of Ramanujacharya, whose Vishishtadvaita
philosophy He favoured. He met Jiyar Swami, the seat's head and studied
Ramanuja's philosophy for two months. Though wishing to study further,
but unable to bear seeing sadhus of the ashram freely mixing with women,
He left.
Arrival in Gujarat
Travelling southwards to Kanya Kumari, the tip of the sub-continent,
Neelkanth then turned north. After visiting over 17713 shrines,
sacred places and monasteries in His travels, He arrived in the Kathiawad
peninsula of Gujarat in 1799. In the seven years, and over 12,000 kms.
of arduous walking, He had walked for four years, remaining stationary
for three.
The effects of the austerities at the physical level had been devastating.
Recollecting His travels many years later, He revealed the condition
of His body, that if the skin was punctured, only water (plasma) exuded,
but no blood.14 This yogic achievement, though seemingly
impossible, has a parallel in the Hindu scriptures; Kartik Swami, the
elder brother of Lord Ganpati, had similarly persevered to dry up his
blood.
Neelkanth's sojourn was a planned pilgrimage to redeem. Far from being
an aimless wandering, He bestowed His grace on countless yogis in the
Himalayas and aspirants elsewhere, who had been offering devotion and
performing austerities to receive the Lord's grace.
Added to this, He visited the most important sacred shrines in India,
to observe the prevailing level of Dharma.
In Loj, a village near Mangrol in southern Kathiawad, He meditated,
lotus-postured, next to a step-well. Though reduced to skin and bone,
He radiated a tremendous aura of divinity. This divinity, ineluctably
attracted the women of the village coming to fill their water pots at
daybreak. An aged sadhu named Sukhanand, similarly captivated by the
teenager, was rooted to the spot.
After Sukhanand broke out of this mystically blissful experience, he
approached the Yogi. He invited Him to his guru's ashram, to meet Muktanand
Swami, the acting head. Neelkanth obliged.
The ashram belonged to Swami Ramanand, a notable sadhu in the state.
To Muktanand, Neelkanth posed His questions regarding the five eternal
realities. The Swami's answers impressed Him. These, coupled with his
saintly disposition, induced Neelkanth to stay, until the arrival of
the guru, who was touring Kutch at the time.
Humble Servitude
In the ashram, Neelkanth served by performing menial tasks such
as washing utensils and the sadhus' robes. He begged alms and collected
cow dung to make fuel cakes. To the fifty sadhus in the ashram including
Muktanand, He also taught Ashtang Yoga. The contrast between Muktanand
Swami and Neelkanth was intriguing. The Swami, a middle aged ascetic;
Neelkanth, a teenage Yogi. The Swami, fair-skinned and handsome; Neelkanth,
emaciated, yet lustrous. Muktanand, the guru; Neelkanth, the disciple.
And yet, at times, the roles reversed; Neelkanth, the guru and Muktanand,
the disciple.
Soon after residing in the ashram, Neelkanth remarked to the Swami,
that the hole in the common wall between the ashram and a devotee's
house, for exchanging burning embers to light the kitchen fire, was
in essence a hole in Dharma. There would often be female members in
the house. This could potentially hamper the sadhus' strict observance
of brahmacharya. He requested the Swami to have the hole sealed. Amazed
at Neelkanth's foresight, he gladly agreed. The guru obeyed the pupil.
When Neelkanth introduced separate seating arrangements for men and
women while they listened to the sadhus' scriptural discourses, The
Swami concurred.
Impatient to have the darshan of the guru, Neelkanth requested the Swami
to sit in meditation and visualise the physical body of Ramanand Swami.
Neelkanth then projected Himself into the Swami's mind, enjoyed the
darshan and then described the details to an astonished Muktanand!
Meanwhile, Ramanand Swami, whilst preaching in Kutch, commanded his
disciples to visit Loj, to have Neelkanth's darshan : He who is greater
than me, greater than Dattatreya, Rushabhadeva, and greater than Ramchandra.
Just as Krishna is greater than all other incarnations, He is even greater
than Krishna. He is verily the cause of all incarnations.15
He reminded them of his oft repeated proclamation of himself as a mere
drum beater, heralding the arrival of the chief player.
Now, that player had indeed arrived.
Viharilalji, Maharaj Acharya. Shri Harililamrutam.
Amdavad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,
1997, Neelkanth, the lion and declining mahantship in Sripur - 4/3/41-42.
Adharanand Swami. Haricharitramrut Sagar. Gandhinagar: Shri Swaminarayan
Sahitya
Prakashan Mandir, 2nd. ed.,1995, Vol.I., Forest sojourns.
1 Hedin, Sven. Trans-Himalaya. Vol.III. Stockholm, 1912, Reprinted
edition, 1990, New
Delhi: Gian Publishing House, Manasarovar, pp..236-7.
Varma, Rommel & Sadhana. The Himalaya-Kailasa-Manasarovar. Switzerland:
Lotus
Books, 1985.
2 Shri Swaminarayan's Vachanamritam. Amdavad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith,
3rd. ed.,
1992, Vadtal 16.
3 Kirkpatrick, Col. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul: (in
1793). New Delhi: Manjushri
Publishing House, rpt. 1969, Wild fauna in Nepal, p.19.
Corbett, Jim. Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. Oxford University Press,
1954, p.159
4 Hawkins. R.E. Jim Corbett's India. Oxford University Press
1978, p.100
5 Webber, Thomas. The Forests of Upper India and their Inhabitants,
London: Edward Arnold, 1902, Himalayan fauna & flora, pp. 76-77.
6 Hunter, W.W. Annals of Rural Bengal. London: Smith, Elder &
Co., 1872, pp.85, 86.
7 Bacon, Lieut. Thomas. First Impressions of Hindostan. Vol.
I. London: W.H. Allen &
Co., 1837, pp.305, 306, 309.
8 Dumasia, Naoroji, M. Dharampur. Bombay: The Times Press,1928,
p.72.
9 Majmudar, M.R. Cultural History of Gujarat. Bombay:Popular
Prakashan.1965, p.28.
10 Jacob, George Le Grand.,et.al. Province of Kattywar. Bombay
Education Society's Press,
1856, p.38.
Regmi,D.R.Modern Nepal.Vol.I.Calcutta:Firma K.L.Mukhopadhyay, 1961,
Run Bahadur
Shah's illness, p.580.
11 Ghosh, J.M. Sannyasins & Fakir Raiders in Bengal. Calcutta:
Bengal Secretariat Book
Depot. n.d.
12 Dave, H.T. op.cit. Vol.I., pp. 231-237.
13 Akshardham CD ROM. Amdavad: Swaminarayan Aksharpith, 1998.
14 Vachanamritam, op.cit., Kariyani 3.
15 Harililamrutam, op.cit., 3/12.
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