The profound Vaishnava saint, Sri Shyamdas Babaji is an exalted, non-sectarian saint in a state of constant blissful detachment and self-realisation.
I AM SPEAKING of an incident that happened 22 years ago. At that time, I was staying in the Sri Jagannath Kshetra, that is, in Sri Puri Dham. It was the summer season then. Every day in the afternoon, I would sometimes go out for a walk along the seashore, sometimes toward the samadhi temple of Jatiya Baba situated on the bank of Narendra Sarovar, sometimes toward Loknath Mahadev, and sometimes in other directions.
One day, at the aforementioned samadhi temple, I had a discussion on spiritual topics with my close friend Sri Makhan Ganguly. Sri Makhan Babu was an educated, humble, deeply religious, and highly experienced person. He was an initiated disciple (mantra-shishya) of Sri Vijaykrishna Goswami Mahoday. During our conversation about the local sadhus and mahatmas, he mentioned to me a naked Vedantin sadhu famous as Digambar Baba and a Vaishnava sadhu known as Shyamdas Babaji. Digambar Baba lived near Tota Gopinath.
After that, he came to Sri Kashidham (Varanasi) and lived for a long time across the Ganga, staying on a boat. Seeing his massive matted locks (jataajoot) and his gentle, serene appearance, one could easily perceive him as a great saint endowed with intense detachment (vairagya).
SHYAMDAS BABAJI was a Vaishnava of the Gaudiya sampradaya and lived nearby. The famous historical garden that has been renowned since the time of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is located on the opposite side of Narendra Sarovar from where Jatiya Baba's samadhi temple stands — Babaji Maharaj resided in the vicinity of that very garden. He was an ardent devotee of Prabhupada Jagadbandhu, and therefore people referred to his residence as "Bandhu Ashram."
During my stay in Sri Puri Dham, I did not get the opportunity to have the darshan of Digambar Baba.
A few years later, I got that opportunity in Sri Kashi (Varanasi). However, the circumstances under which I got his darshan is unnecessary to discuss in the present context.
After that, one day I fixed an appointment and went with Makhan Babu to "Bandhu Ashram" for the darshan of Babaji Mahashay. It was afternoon. Along with me and Makhan Babu, there was one other person — a boy of tender age.
Babaji met us and conversed with us with great respect and warm hospitality. It was then time for him to take his Mahaprasad. At his earnest request, we all partook of a little Mahaprasad.
After that, we sat in a secluded place and began a discussion with Babaji Mahashay. Earlier, he had been at Haridas Math in Swargadwar. The history of his early life is most extraordinary. In his early youth, he had stayed for some days in Kashi — at that time, the great Yogi Trailinga Swami had not yet left his body. For a long period, he resided near Kusum Sarovar in Sri Vrindavan. The influence of association with Prabhu Jagadbandhu brought about many transformations in his life.
He revealed many profound secrets of his spiritual practice under the pretext of storytelling. He described in detail the divine experience he had when Trailinga Swami placed his hand on his forehead and transmitted Shakti, and explained how this experience was connected to his spiritual life. In the present time, he openly and wholeheartedly acknowledged the influence of Sri Sri Maa Anandamayi.
Shyamdas Babaji was very advanced in age; when I met him, his age was close to 84 years, or so. His body was robust, his complexion dark, and his facial radiance reflected cheerfulness along with the humility befitting a Vaishnava. His nature was so sweet that even if someone misbehaved with him, he could not respond harshly.
Although he was known as a Vaishnava and a Babaji, he was not like an ordinary Vaishnava. On one hand, he revered Trailinga Swami, and on the other, Jagadbandhu —both of them he accepted as his Guru. Not only that, he also held a very high opinion of the accomplished Yogi of Baradi, Loknath Brahmachari. He had the benefit of the association of the said Brahmachari’s disciple, Brahmananda Bharati, for many days during his second stay in Kashi.
He did not consider Knowledge (jnana), devotion (bhakti), or Yoga to be inferior to one another.
When I asked him about his spiritual condition, without any pretense or ostentation, he simply told me that his svabhava (true nature) had awakened; he had reached such a state where he could constantly observe the play of his own nature from the stance of a witness (drashta bhava). In witnessing this, no feeling of pleasure or pain remained attached to him. He perpetually experienced a calm, blissful, and detached state.
Spontaneously inspired, he revealed to me many profound and secret experiences of his spiritual life through the medium of stories and anecdotes. From these, it became clear in what kind of exalted state he had reached at that time.
The svabhava that he had spoken of earlier was, according to him, simply another name for chidakasha (the sky of consciousness). With his inner vision, he could always perceive an entity resembling a blue-coloured, circular sky. However, when involved in external awareness, it would not remain visible. But just a few moments after the dominance of external awareness subsided, it would once again appear as before.
On the other hand, he also observed that if the inner vision remained fixed in this sky (chidakasha), there remained no possibility of becoming entangled in external awareness.
When asked what is seen in that sky (akasha), he would reply that in this sky, with the mind and so on, he could see all the play of his own nature. However, this vision is discriminative or detached vision, so it does not transform the seer (drashta) into an enjoyer (bhokta) by involving him.
He said that he had realized the Self (atma-darshan). He could clearly see his true nature (svabhava) amidst all objects of the world. He would see the formless form amidst the formed, and then in this formless sky he would see all the play. Yet, in this seeing, there was no trace of any attachment or delusion.
Whenever a subtle sense of involvement arose in his mind from time to time, he regarded it as the acting out of past impressions (purva-samskaras). He said that once these impressions are purified, even this subtle sense would no longer remain. Only the original, pure nature (praktana asamskrita prakriti – Original Nature) would remain.
BABAJI MAHASHAY was extremely fond of solitude. Many people knew him, but many did not recognize him properly. I had the good fortune of experiencing the joy of his association for more than a month. I heard that just a few days after I returned to Kashi, he gave up his mortal body.
Many of his words deeply impressed me. I am briefly highlighting a few of them here.
1. How far does the Name go? The Name and Form (nāma-rūpa) extend up to Vaikuṇṭha. Beyond that, there is no Name.
2. Pagal Haranath, considered as an avatar of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, used to say: “What will come of calling upon that Śrī Kṛṣṇa whose name is uttered? What is needed is Nikuñja-vihārī Kṛṣṇa — the One where words cannot reach. That is not attained without His grace.”
3. To worship one’s object of devotion through a devotee is a great wonder. Makhan Babu loved Gosāī (his Guru), and seeing Gosāī through him brought special bliss.
4. The sky (ākāśa) that I am able to see is my own nature; it is the sky of consciousness (cidākāśa). I am formless, the witness (draṣṭā), and detached (nirlipta). My nature performs actions; I merely observe. This is discrimination (viveka). When discrimination is abandoned, the sky is no longer visible. Then I assume the role of doer (kartā), become involved, and fall below this sky.
5. In this sky there is sound (śabda). After that, a shadow appears; that very shadow is creation (sṛṣṭi). The shadow gradually becomes denser; that is what we perceive as the visible world.
6. Trailinga Swami had placed his hand on my forehead. For five to seven days, everything appeared as a bindu (point). I could see all the three states of time — past, present, and future — simultaneously.
7. First, bestow grace upon yourself.
8. The Guru calls three times — after that, He lets go.
9. A favorable nature (prakriti) is required; great souls (mahāpuruṣas) come endowed with the competence for their work. Whatever has happened to me has happened through association (sanga).
10. The mind is extremely subtle; when it becomes so, the knots (granthīs) open.
|| Om Tat Sat ||
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