singursaga: Fwd: Desiyatra Greatness of India -- Mahans-Rama Nama -- Contradictions and Confusion

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ashok T. Jaisinghani <ashokjai@sancharnet.in>
Date: Sun, May 29, 2011 at 5:05 PM
Subject: Re: Desiyatra Greatness of India -- Mahans-Rama Nama -- Contradictions and Confusion

Contradictions and Confusion

There are contradictions and confusion in what Ravishankar Gopal has quoted about Sant Kabirdas in his email of May 29.

Ravishankar Gopal: "Kabirdas was a deeply dispassionate man who would not accept anything from anyone. . . . Kabirdas runs to the market and begs the shopkeepers, who have not yet closed their shop, for a little wheat flour and ghee."

Why should Sant Kabirdas beg for a little wheat flour and ghee from shopkeepers if he would not accept anything from anyone?

I did not know that Sant Kabirdas had any wife called Jijibai, whom he had mortgaged to a shop-keeper to get wheat flour and ghee. I cannot believe that a great saint like Sant Kabirdas could mortgage his wife just to get a little wheat flour and ghee.

Ravishankar Gopal: She (wife of Sant Kabirdas) prays to Lord Rama, "Oh! Lord! Are you not more interested in the protection of your bhakta's wife than your own? Is that not the reason that while you took ten months to restore your wife Sita from Ravana's kingdom, you rushed immediately to the call of Draupadi, wife of your bhaktas, the Pandavas? If you are truly interested in the protection of your bhakta's wife then protect me. Save me."

How can anyone pray to Lord Rama, reminding him, "you rushed immediately to the call of Draupadi, wife of your bhaktas, the Pandavas?"

According to the epic story of Mahabharata, it was Krishna who had saved the honor of Draupadi. It definitely was not Rama.

Ravishankar Gopal: "Immediately two policemen knock at the doors of this shopkeeper and order him to open the doors of the room where Jijibai is locked up."

I don't know whether there were any people who were called the "policemen" during the time of Sant Kabirdas.

Can anyone enlighten the readers about the real facts connected with the incidents, which had supposedly occurred in the life of Sant Kabirdas, as mentioned in Ravishankar Gopal's email shown below my letter?

There is one more absolutely false statement in Ravishankar Gopal's email:

    Ravishankar Gopal: "But, what is surprising is that the streams of gutter that we saw while going to the Ganga, also finally mix only in the Ganga! . . . Though it was gutter earlier it has become pure on mixing with the holy Ganga; in the same way, it does not matter what was our state earlier."

    If the gutter water could become pure on mixing with the holy Ganga, why has the Government of India been spending thousands of crores of rupees to clean the Ganga River? In spite of spending massive amounts of money, the Government has still not succeeded in cleaning the Ganga. It is just wishful thinking of the prejudiced and superstitious Hindus to believe that the dirty water of the all the gutters entering the Ganga does not pollute the river.

    How can the dirty water containing massive amounts of sewage from millions of homes, and the highly toxic chemical effluents from many thousand factories, not pollute the Ganga? Among the major rivers, the Ganga is the dirtiest river in the world. We can even call the Ganga as the largest gutter on Earth, which is spreading many diseases among the millions of Indians every year. Many poor people who are using the dirty water of the Ganga are dying at a young age.

   Ashok T. Jaisinghani.
    Editor & Publisher:
www.Wonder-Cures.com
www.Nutritionist-No-1.com
www.Top-Nut.com    Top Nutritionist
www.SindhiKalakar.com

_________________________

----- Original Message -----

From: Ravishankar Gopal <ravishankar_g@yahoo.com>

To: desiyatra@googlegroups.com

Sent: 29 May 2011 7:16 AM

Subject: Desiyatra Greatness of India – Mahans-Rama Nama

              -- By Sri.Sri.Muralidhara Swamiji – Part-9

Radhe Krishna all,

Discourse contd.....

Kabirdas speaks of the glory of Sants in his 'dohas'. Once the great Mahatmas Jnaneswar and his brother Namadev during their pilgrimage visit Varanasi. Knowing that Kabirdas lived in this Holy City, they knock at his doors at the late hour of the night.

On opening the door Kabirdas was overjoyed to find the great Sadhus at his door. Jnaneswar who wrote 'Jnaneswari' (commentary on the Gita) even as a child was a great Jnani. Namdev was a great bhakta of Lord Panduranga. Namadev is to Lord Panduranga what Chandikeshwara is to Lord Parameshwara. Kabirdas thought, 'How blessed am I that these Mahans who would not go to anybody's doors even if invited have come home on their own!'

He rushes to his wife, Jijibai, inside and tells her, "Great Sadhus have come home. Arrange food for them." Jijibai sheds tears, "What I am to label myself - Blessed or cursed? There is nothing at home with which to serve them."

Kabirdas was a deeply dispassionate man who would not accept anything from anyone. Hence, there was nothing but empty pots in their home. Kabirdas runs to the market and begs the shopkeepers, who have not yet closed their shop, for a little wheat flour and ghee. Since they had all closed the accounts for the day, none helps him.

Kabirdas holds on to the feet of one of them and pleads, "Please do not refuse. I have Sadhus at home. I have to feed them."

The shopkeeper agrees and demands money. But, he gets angry on learning that there is no money with Kabirdas to pay for the flour and ghee. However, he uses the opportunity to covet Kabirdas's wife whom he knows to be a beautiful lady. He points out to Kabirdas, "Well! If you have no money, you can pledge some article" Kabirdas pleads, "There is nothing with me to even pledge!" It is then that the shopkeeper points out, "You have a beautiful wife at home whom you can give me in return for the wheat flour and ghee!"

The statement that would make any man rage with fury fell like sweet notes in the ears of Kabir. This is because his mind was only filled with the thought of feeding the great Sadhus at home. It is a 'prema avastahi' (that is incomprehensible by ordinary mortals). Such is the state of Mahans. He thanks the shopkeeper for reminding him of something that was in his possession, rushes home, catches hold of Jijibai's hand and brings her to him. Leaving her with the shopkeeper and accepting the flour and ghee he rushes back home. He had no thought of his wife at all. Jijibai knew this very well.

Difficult indeed it is for those who live with Mahans. Theirs is greater tapas, indeed! One cannot so easily understand the state of Mahans. One should know how to behave according to their state. However, this is very difficult. Not for a moment does Jijibai mistake her husband. Locked up in a room by this evil-minded shopkeeper she realizes that the Lord was her only refuge.

She prays to Lord Rama, "Oh! Lord! Are you not more interested in the protection of your bhakta's wife than your own? Is that not the reason that while you took ten months to restore your wife Sita from Ravana's kingdom, you rushed immediately to the call of Draupadi, wife of your bhaktas, the Pandavas? If you are truly interested in the protection of your bhakta's wife then protect me. Save me."

Immediately two policemen knock at the doors of this shopkeeper and order him to open the doors of the room where Jijibai is locked up. They lead her by hand to her home. Leaving her safely back at her home, the two disappear! It was verily Lord Rama and Lakshmana who had come. Thus, it was not as if Kabirdas only uttered mere words in his 'dohas' about the glory of Guru, Satsangh and Sant Seva (Service to Sadhus). He showed them in deed, in his life.

Association of Sadhus is so great. If only one gets Satsangh (association of Sadhus), he attains everything in life. He becomes totally pure. It does not matter how one was earlier. We go to the Holy Ganga for a holy dip. On the way we find lot of gutter water running in streams. We walk across them very carefully and reach the Ganga for the holy dip. After the holy bath we take the holy water in a pot to be given to our relatives and friends at home, after doing puja to the 'kalasa' carrying the holy water.

But, what is surprising is that the streams of gutter that we saw while going to the Ganga, also finally mix only in the Ganga! It is verily this water that we have brought home in a pot as the holy water and performed puja to it! Though it was gutter earlier it has become pure on mixing with the holy Ganga; in the same way, it does not matter what was our state earlier.

Once we earn the association of Sadhus we also become pure. As soon as we see such Mahatmas we would feel that we are not sinners, for, if we were sinners would it be possible to get their darshan? Moreover any sin performed gets burnt away on the very darshan of such Mahans. We would feel that there is none as rich as we are because we have got such a Guru Ratna (Gem of a Guru)!

It is enough if we hold tightly to Sadhu sangh (association). Everything is secured through Sadhu Sangh and Sadhu Seva. Through 'apachara' (disrespect) everything is very lost.

In Ramayana, initially, we find that Sugreeva (the monkey king) had lost his kingdom, wife, children, relatives and citizens. He was seated all alone on a mountaintop to save his life from his brother Vali who had abducted his all. But, later we find the same Sugreeva back in his kingdom, enjoying his wealth, wife, children and citizens. What was reason for the great change in his life? While in distress and all alone he held on to the company of the Sadhu, Hanuman! He held on tightly to Hanuman, the Sadhu - Hanuman, the Mahatma - Hanuman, the Guru, even in such distressing situation. This great Guru brought the Lord (Rama) to him and the Lord got back all that he had lost!

In Sundara Kandam, the description of Sri Lanka as Hanuman makes his entry makes one wonder if the wealth of the kingdom was that of Kubera or Indra or Rudra! The kingdom overflowed with such wealth. But, at the end of Ramayana we find the same kingdom totally destroyed and the ruler Ravana dead.

What is the reason for this?

Ravana, lit the tail of the Sadhu Hanuman with fire. Harassment of a Sadhu brought about the downfall of Ravana and his kingdom while embracing a Sadhu Sangha brought about prosperity for Sugreeva.

!!! Will Continue !!!
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from May 29-31, 2011 - Click here for the invitation
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