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Who is Bhaktaraj Maharaj? And what
does he do?
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Mr. Bejon N. Desai
“No mind state” is a MEDIATOR'S
prerequisite and a paradise. It is the first step to go into the CENTRE
of one’s own being gradually, but, assuredly. Hindu yoga scriptures have
shown two main paths to achieve, this ‘State of being’. One is DHYAN
i.e. through the knowledge of one’s own BEING and the other is through “BHAKTI”,
i.e.. one of the nine types of devotions (NARMADA-BHAKTI) But the most
well-preferred one is NAMSMARANA remembrance of the Lord’s names some
hundred or thousands of times.
Both these are not the primrose paths;
but with the grace of a fully realized MASTER (Guru) their attainment
becomes easy to a real SEEKER (SADHAK) Scriptures of almost all the
religions knowingly have advised seekers to hold on to a more practical
mode and that is of NAMSMARANA (Hinduism); rosary bead remembrance
(Christianity) Zikra (Islam) “Yak-sad-o-Yak –esma 101 names of God for
daily practice (Zoroastrianism) JAPUJI (Guru Grant saheb of Sikhs)
turning-wheel (of the Buddhist religion) and so on and so forth!
Our most revered master “Bhaktaraj” has
mastered this technique through another of the nine items of Bhakti i.e.
KIRTANA (praising the Lord at every breath of one’s own life) He has
made this technique totally suitable to the 20th Century person, who
could attain the ‘meditative state’ through KIRTANA within a very short
space of time.
Bhaktaraj means the king amongst the
devotees. He prefers therefore to remain a DEVOTEE always and for ever.
Like our 20th century’s incarnation of the Lord SAI he never prefers to
be or to act as a Guru. He has therefore no disciples, because he
himself is a devotee (BHAKTA) of the lord. His main aim in life is to
turn every devotee towards the Lord through KIRTANA. At every beat of
his heart is the Lords name and his only and main objective is to see
that every one who comes is his contact, starts with the constant
uttering of HARI OM TATSAT at every moment.
Bhaktaraj moves about everywhere in a simple attire of an ordinary Hindu
(Grihasti) gentleman; loves everyone who loves the Lord and always talks
to them in a simple and piercing language about the Lord and always
talks to them in a simple and piercing language about the necessity of
remaining in constant remembrance of the Lord; thereby remaining in
constant contact with the lord! He partakes simple food. Although a
perfect man on the PATH, never betrays anyone through the show of some
divine pomposity. He wears only one face. All the time he remains
constantly on his move. He checks up with his devotees( all of them are
his best friends) how far they have progressed.
During late evening hours (like sufi’s
ZIKRA) he brings out his DAFLI (small hand drum) and with or without any
musical accompaniment, he draws all his friends close to him through his
KIRTANA all of which contain his own devotional songs.
The
most remarkable aspect in all these activities, is to note his
naturalness his through mastery in the presentation of his self composed
songs, although he has neither learnt any PINGAL (prosody) for composing
his devotional songs, nor he has ever learnt MUSIC during his
life-time. And lo and behold, most of the audience, after some time,
come into the no mind state, and go in to the center of their own BEING.
Bhaktaraj got his grace from the last
incarnation of SAI at INDORE in the name and form of ANANTANAND SAISH.
He left his lucrative business, his own wife and family members; left
his last garment and plunged head on into the depth of the ocean of
spirituality held roaring before him by Shri Anantanand his mentor.
Calamities did not deter him. On the
contrary, the poet the singer and the saint peeped out of his gentle and
God intoxicated heart and at the end of the line was a King among the
devotees. His gurubandhu Ramji bhaiya (P.P. Ramanand Maharaj) and his
few contemporaries are ever helpful to me in knowing Baba as he was then
and now. I had the great pleasure of listening to the narration of one
ardent devotee of Maharaj whom he refers to as Babaji.
The devotee is, Shri Ranmanan, who had
gone with P. P. Bhaktaraj to Badrinath on a pilgrimage in May 1994. His
unique experience of having the first ever encounter with his true self
in the Himalayas in the presence of Bhaktaraj proves my point that
Bhaktaraj mission is to acquaint everyone coming in his contact with the
persons true BEING through ‘Nama Smarana’ and ‘KIRTANA’. Out of his so
many disciplined devotees, I wish to make a mention of one ardently
devoted couple Drs. Kunda and jayant B. Athwale. Their inspiring book’
The Teachings of Bhaktaraj Maharaj, is so well written that I feel
should inspire the readers of this essay to have this book as a precious
possession. Another book in Marathi ‘MAJHE SADGURU’, by Baba's longtime
friend and devotee Shri Dada Dalvi, be kept by every Marathi knowing
lover of Baba.
I wish to dedicate this my small thesis to
Bhaktaraj Maharaj on the Ashadhi Guru Poornima day falling this year on
22nd July 1994.
It was my late Master Hazrat Kamu Baba who
had taught me the scientific technique of watching ones true self
through the night long remembrance of the Lords names through ZIKRA for
years together and now and here is Shri Bhaktaraj Maharaj whom I owe so
much for guiding me further on the same PATH through another scientific
technique i.e. KIRTANA (although both are one and the same) leading me
to enter always and to stay for ever in to the center of my BEING- i.e.
meditative state of BLISS!
- Mr.
Bejon N. Desai
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