The Greatest

A Biography of Bhagavan
(Vol. I)

In a futile, inconceivable and inane attempt

to confine the limitless and infinite
Swami Prajnanananda

Translated By
Sudeshna Ganguly

International Vedanta Society

The Greatest
A Biography of Bhagavan
(Vol.I)

Publisher
Swami Prajnanananda
Editor-In-Chief,
International Vedanta Society
“VEDANTA”
37/6, Prince Baktiar Shah Road
Kolkata- 700 033.
West Bengal, India
Phone: +91 33 2424 6690

e-mail : internationalvedantasociety@gmail.com
Web Site : http://www.ivsweb.org

© Copyright reserved by the President, International Vedanta Society

First Publication
16 July, 2019

Printed at
Graphic World,
19Q, Jheel Road, Kolkata - 31
Mob : 9836316248

Cover Picture courtesy : Pravrajika Vedaprana Mataji

Cover design and illustrations : Anish Roy

Price : 200/- (Rupees Two Hundred only)

ISBN 978-81-936271-4-3
 PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This world has maintained its existence through millions

of years, amidst every diversity and adversity. This world is
a melange of different people, castes, religion, countries,
culture, beliefs and wide-ranged perceptions. All living
beings have their own individualities. Inspite of this
heterogeneity, the Truth is one with no disparity. Hence, the
one who can light the path of Truth is the ‘Universal Man’.
Only a ‘Universal Man’ can redirect people towards the path
of Absolute Truth. But, the question arises- How will this
‘Universal Man’ be whom millions will follow, despite the
differences, and establish trust upon his words; the one who
will become everyone’s ideal? He will have to be enlightened
for the Ultimate knowledge is- There is nothing second except
Atman or Brahman. Whatever is visualized or reflected,
internally or externally, is nothing but Brahman, everything
is Brahman. Thus, one of His salient features will be the
visualisation of Brahman in the midst of multiplicity. The
‘Universal Man’ will have to have the manifestation of love
within. His love will open the doors and provide shelter to all.
Witnessing the true nature of every being will catapult him
to a plane beyond the distinctions of casteism, religion,
culture, preconceived notions, groupism, beliefs,
discriminations and differentiation of competencies of man.
Maintaining everyone’s individuality and characteristics, he
will eradicate the ignorance and sense of duality from within
all. He will neither abandon nor push anyone aside. This
colossal figure would exert strenuous and tireless efforts for
the liberation of mankind. He will have the immense courage
of carving out a new trail by replacing, irrespective of its
long-winding and sumptuous past, that which is old and on
the verge of decadence. He will not have a group of his own,
but, he will be everyone’s own. This ‘Universal Man’ – the
universal ideal and the embodiment of Truth is Bhagavan.
His infinite life should have been published in the form of a
book a long time ago. Though, many other publications
contain a brief illustration of the same, this time, an attempt
is being made to produce a detailed representation of his life.
The first book of the series contains the elaboration from
Bhagavan’s birth till His Self- Realisation. “May the life of
this ‘Universal Man’ enlighten the path of liberation for the
inhabitants of the entire world!”- this is our earnest prayer
at the feet of thy Lord.

16th July, 2019

Guru Purnima
Kolkata
 “dvav imau purusau
. loke ksaras caksara. eva ca
ksarah
. . sarvani . bhutani kuta-stho ‘ksara
. ucyate
uttamah. purusas
. tvanyah. paramatmety udahrtah. .
yo loka-trayam avisya bibharty avyaya isvarah.
yasmat ksaram
. atito ‘ham aksarad
. api cottamah.
ato ‘smi loke vede ca prathitah. purushottamah”
. .
“There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In
the material world every living entity is fallible but in the spiritual
world every being is infallible. Besides these two, there is the
Absolute Existence, the Supreme, Imperishable Being or the
‘Purushottam’
. mentioned in the scriptures. This Absolute Being
enters the three worlds and maintains them. Because I am
transcendental, beyond both the fallible and infallible and since I
am the Greatest, I am celebrated in both the worlds and the Vedas
as the Supreme Being.”

( Shloka 15-17, Purushottam

. Yoga,
Srimad Bhagavat Gita)
 PREFACE

. .
“asita-giri-samam syat kajjalam sindhu–patre
sura-taruvara-sakha lekhani patramurvi|
likhati yadi grhitva
.
sarada sarvakalam
. .
tadapi tava gunanamisa param na yati||”

‘O Lord, if the black mountain be ink, the ocean the inkpot,

the branch of the stout wish-fulfilling tree a pen, the earth the
writing sheet, and if taking these the Goddess of Learning writes
for eternity, even then the limit of your virtues will not be
reached.’
(Siva mahimna stotram)
When the impregnable, non- flammable, unwettable, non-
dryable, imperceptible, beyond mind, beyond perversion,
constant, omnipresent, eternal Brahman reveals itself completely
in a body and mind, then He is the God in a human form. He has
complete detachment, opulence, fame, splendour and dharma
existent in Him. He incarnates with infinite knowledge,
measureless love, vigorous dynamicity and boundless attraction.
Seeing Him is seeing the infinite because it is He who contains the
illimitable, birthless, infinity and remains as the perpetual
existence. His body is not the gross body for it is filled with
chaitanya in every pore. Hence, who will describe Him? Who will
know Him? Who has the capability of knowing Him? It is not
possible for mere beings to comprehend the diversified qualities
of the life of the One beyond attributes, beyond perversion, the
‘Avang manasa gocharam’, beyond words and thoughts, Brahman.
 ‘nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na
medhaya na bahuna srutena
yam-evaisa
. vrnute
.. tena labhyas.
tasyaisa
. atma vivrnute
.. tanugum svam’||
‘His Supreme Being cannot be attained by instruction, nor by
intellectual power, nor even through much hearing. It is to be
attained only by the one whom He chooses.’
When the Supreme Being Bhagavan, who has become the
Brahman itself after knowing it, manifests itself within someone,
He is able to know Him. As the saying of the greatest devotee of
Thakur, Girish Ghosh goes—”How can I describe Him,He who
remained immeasurable to Vyas and Valmiki.”
So it is truly difficult or rather impossible to provide
elucidations on the manifestation of the Omnipotent in human
form and comprehend the quintessence behind His divine plays.
Expositions of God will always be fettered by the mind providing
it. So it becomes not the illustration of God but the illustration of
the illustrator. Only one incarnate can speak about another. For
everyone He is in the back of beyond, but for Himself, He is
obtainable. The manifestation of the illimitable, infinite existence
in human form, ‘Bhagavan’—is the sole essence of this book. The
special feature of this incarnation is His extremely human- like
characteristics. Never did He have disdain for any facet of life
and instead had stepped ahead in all. ‘Sarvang Khalvidam
Brahman’—everything is Brahman, one of the greatest
pronouncements of Chandogya Upanishad is clearly manifested
within Bhagavan in the form of knowledge, love and actions—all
reflecting its expression to the fullest. His knowledge has become
true to the terms, ‘Ekamevadvitiyam’, one without any second
with its omnipresent nature. His facile, wilful pervasion— the
dauntless path of this royal traveller had no obstructions, has no
obstructions till now because every obstruction for Him is
Brahman. Walking on this path called life, He has ushered a new
civilisation, a hope for this exhausted- worn out- agitated- parched
world. He is undoubtedly the greatest manifestation of Brahman
which is why He is—The Greatest, among all the great men and
incarnations known by the world.
Under the directives of Bhagavan, an attempt has been made
to write the first part of His biography. This book contains the
elaboration till Bhagavan’s realisation of the Self. I have collected
some of the events from a few stories narrated by Bhagavan about
His past life. The biggest help was rendered by Bhagavan’s brother,
the monk disciple and Advisor of International Vedanta Society,
Swami Nityananda Maharaj (previously named- Swapan
Chakraborty), because being 7 years younger to Bhagavan, he
has been His constant companion since the very beginning.
Moreover, many unknown facts were also provided by the Holy
Consort of Bhagavan, Sri Sri Guruma. Many important actualities
were provided by one of the most prominent residents of Birati,
Srichittya Das Sharma, Bhagavan’s cousin brother Sri Amitabha
Chakraborty, Pavitranandaji’s disciple and the head of Sri
Ramakrishna Tapovan, Swami Chitprakashananda Maharaj, the
vice-president of this organisation and once, the co- actor of
Bhagavan, Sri Padip Kumar Roy, Swami Nirgunanandaji, Swami
Sankaranandaji, Swami Ramanandaji, Swami Sacchidanandaji, Rini
Biswas and undeniably, Bhagavan’s worthy daughter, Debjani
Chakraborty along with many others. I am grateful to all. The
pictures of the places intimately connected with Bhagavan’s life
was taken by Amitabha Ray, Ananda Mondol, Swami Bodhananda
and Tejomoyee Maa. The cover picture was clicked by Pravrajika
Vedaprana Mataji and the cover page was designed by Anish Roy—
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to them as well. I have also taken
some help from certain publications and the internet. If reading
about the life of the Living God, kindles the desire of seeing Him
or brings tears to one’s eyes, then will I consider this attempt to
be worthwhile.
May the words of Bhagavan proliferate within all, may people
try to become like Him, this is what we desire.
 ……But How much do I know about Him? Perhaps many
aspects of this great life has remained secreted from everyone’s
sight, which has never been disclosed by Him. People are like the
dolls of salt who dissolve and lose existence while trying to measure
the ocean, but the ocean remains unmeasured. Nonetheless, His
actions, His words, His life, His creation—are all but the footmarks
of His infinite Self, walking towards the infinity. Finally, His
footmarks fuses with the ocean, merges with the Brahman. His
advent heralds the journey of the civilisation towards the unborn,
infinite, limitless, ‘Avangmanasa gocaram’ or indefinable existence.
This is why, He can be desired, be seen, be spoken with, be
followed, His grace can liberate you, for Him you can surpass
every limits, you can be a companion of His divine plays, you can
submerge and dissolve yourself in His infinite existence.
But…..
Can He be comprehended? Can He be known? Can He be
grasped? Can He be touched? Who knows…
Still,
Let people seek Him. Let the society pursue Him. Let the world
be eager and wait for Him with bated breath. Let the world be
enthralled by Him.
16th July, 2019 My prostrations at your Holy feet,
Guru Purnima Yours Prajnanananda
Kolkata
 (One)

‘Truth’- The Ultimate and perhaps the most beautiful word

ever uttered by man!
‘Truth’ – that which by man is the most ruminated upon,
which by man is frantically searched and chased after and that
which has compelled man to love. It seems to contain a hidden
magical prowess!
Many have sacrificed their lives for Truth. It has triggered
blood-curdling wars throughout the millennium. For Truth, many
adopted the path of renunciation. Truth, on one hand, has given
birth to friendship but on the other, it has severed the ties among
the dearest ones and has provoked enmity. Through ages has the
Truth attracted people. At times, it has deprived some from
everything while inundated the lives of others.
Truth on one hand is simple, glistening with utmost clarity
and vividness in all its splendour but is ever mysterious, mind –
boggling and shrouded with uncertainty on the other.We want to
know Truth but yet again, we want to avoid it. This ‘Truth’ invokes
love within us but incites fear as well. It seems closest to me,
residing within the depths of my heart, but it also seems to be
unattainable and incomprehensible. So, what is this Truth?
What is Truth? This question has compelled people to think
and enquire since the very inception of existence. Since the dawn
of civilisation, seeing the vast universe stimulated questions in
the minds of man.Though the desire to know the truth was not
reflected clearly, there was an indefinite rise of the question. Men’s
minds and hearts urged to know something, remained ever restless
and wavered. This is where men differ from animals. Questions
or queries never arise within animals whereas, men experience
the never ending flow of desires which never brings peace. Men
and animals dwell in the same hemisphere, lead similar lives, see
nature daily, work for satisfaction of their desires but, within
 The Greatest

animals, arousal of questions remain absent. However, men, no

matter how happy they are, how luxurious life they lead, they are
haunted by an unknown search. Man fails in the attempt of
subsiding these queries. These queries is what makes them restless
and the quest to find the answer, helps them discover new things.
This is how ‘the wheel of civilisation’ revolves.
The evolution of civilisation is the result of this search of
man.
After visualizing the omnipresence of Nature, man tried to
perceive their existence. He saw his puny existence compared to
the vast universe. He had no strength to execute anything. He
was the slave of Nature. Nature makes him feel cold- hot, hungry-
thirsty and sleepy. He is bound to obey the laws of Nature. Man
could realize the severe limitations of their existence. He was
nothing but a puppet in the hands of Nature. Hunger can never
allow him to sit quiet, he will be forced to eat; despite of all the
chores, he will be forced to sleep. Warm clothes will have to be
adorned in winter and removed during summer. He was enslaved
by death. He will have to succumb and pass onto the hands of
death with no other alternative to opt for. There is no way out of
it!
This is where he rebelled. He was unable to remain under the
constraints of Nature. His mind refused the acceptance of this
dominance. Hence, he craved for liberation- liberation from the
shackles of slavery. His conscience dictated- “Will you be a slave
to what is inanimate? Are you so inferior, simple, insignificant
and helpless!?” He could hear the constant resonance —”You are
not unworthy or feeble!” It was as if man was trying to follow the
drifting, unspoken words of the mind, which led to the ultimate
confrontation- the confrontation with himself !His existence got
divided- One part asserted- “Let yourself afloat in the lap of Nature
and live the life as led by animals. There is no need of liberation
or any excess knowledge. Drift in the stagnant currents of the
world. Surrender to Nature and accept its powers. Accept the
subordination and the fate that it has decided for you.” On the
11
 The Greatest

other side, his rebellious mind protested- “No! Death seems more
superior than this meaningless slavery.” This was maybe because
he felt that he was not just a mere puppet in the hands of Nature.
Perhaps, he had an identity far greater….!
Since his birth, man was trying to find the answers to his
questions. Not getting the answers made him restless. Since, the
external world was what he saw upon opening his eyes, his search
began from there itself. Continuous thoughts of Nature opened up
its depths and made him discover new things. Whatever knowledge
he gained was within nature itself. This brought an obvious change
in his way of living. Churning of the nature revealed its underlying
potencies which helped man develop their way of living. He
discovered fire, began agriculture and irrigation, constructed
homes, invented wheels, thus enabling them to bring a restraint
upon nature. He was not as helpless as before. He paved way for
the further development of civilisation. The success behind this
development of man was his unspoken queries,the constant urge
of knowing the answers.
Even after forging ahead into the discoveries of nature and
elevating the standards of living for mankind, man found no
satisfaction. The never ending thoughts of his mind showed no
signs of ceasing. Even though man was advancing each day, just
as a small amount of food cannot suppress the insatiable hunger
but instead of subsiding, increases it, similarly, progress on the
path of civilisation increased the desires of man to a large extent.
Ignorance is better in a way as being controlled by nature doesn’t
give rise to doubts or questions and hence animals face no
disturbance. But, rise of questions marks the beginning of
disruptions and we do not tend to stop as the answer to one
question leads to many more questions. The knowledge about this
external world is concealed in ignorance which in turn yields
multiple ignorance’s. One answer can overwhelm the mind with
more questions and enhance the dissatisfaction of the mind. Man
was not indifferent to this phenomenon. The more he began to
know, the more he realized how little he knew. Man’s

12
 The Greatest

discontentment compelled him to discover new things which gave

rise to further dissatisfaction. Man unveiled many unknown facts
which catalysed the growth of lifestyle. But, such developments
of science did nothing to appease man for he had retained the
unconquerable longing which did not let him pacify his mind. But
then, those who were known to be ‘contemplative’ in the society
changed the trail of their thoughts and adopted a new approach.
Ancient people truly had love for the Truth. They observed
that even after multiple discoveries, extensive growth of
civilisation and accumulation of wide ranged knowledge, they
were unable to know ‘that’ which would end every problem and
hence, they altered their course of action. This is why they are
glorious. Those, who are now known as munis, rishis or saints
and sages, are considered significant for this very reason. This
was the watershed for the people of this world. This was because
human civilisation was advancing externally. The process for
knowing the truth that was being followed initially was making
man inclined to indulgences and luxuries. To change that process
was required- longing for Truth, detachment from the state of
growing affluence and immense courage. The ancient saints and
sages exhibited all the three qualities.
When man has nothing in life, he can tread upon the path of
life by clinging onto a Truth or an ideal. Countless battles are fought
for the truth or ideal and as a result man is showered with respect,
honour, kowtows; he becomes surrounded by opulence and
grandeur. Most of the time, engrossment in pursuit of amenities,
name and fame leads to downfall. That is when men diverge from
the path of his ideal. He is unable to disregard the riches and thus,
disregards the Truth itself. He tends to forget that the path of
Truth on which he strode upon had made him prosper. Deviance
from Truth and craving for name- fame and riches-Detachment
gets consumed by desires. But, the bounties of the world could not
stir the resolve of the saints and sages of that era. It seemed as if
they were bound to Truth. They could realize that Truth is the
only companion of mankind, no discovery can fulfil the needs of

13
 The Greatest

man and so they changed the process of truthseeking itself. This

made their realisation of the Self inevitable.
The saints and sages were ruminative. But, prior to this, the
subject of their contemplation was the outer world. Till then, they
had analysed the outer world. But, they felt that instead of the
outer world, it was time to bring the real seer or the consciousness
under the focal point of analysis. There are two things- that which
we see and the observer or seer that is the one who observes or
sees. “Enough with the analysis of the seen, it is time the seer or
consciousness was analysed”- this thought engulfed the minds of
the saints and sages. This was because the knowledge of any object
depends not only upon that object but also upon the one observing
it- this is what we usually see. One object can give rise to two
forms of concepts in two different people. For one, the object is
desirable but to the other, it is just the opposite. The same person
becomes an object of liking for his friends but an object of hatred
for a foe. A beautiful girl can give rise to parental love within her
father, sibling love within her brother and conjugal love within a
peer. Again, that very girl can give rise to hunting and killing
instincts within a tiger. The object is one and the same- a girl but,
it is giving rise to different forms of knowledge, thoughts and
desires. This type of phenomenon is witnessed quite often.
Therefore, behind every concept, the contribution of the observer
is much greater than that of the object seen.
The saints kept pondering. Deep contemplation was gradually
disentangling the knots. With each step inward, they began to
unfurl new trails of notions, new thoughts, new realisations which
were way beyond their petty imaginations. The current of these
new thoughts overwhelmed the sages and obliterated the older
thoughts from their minds. They witnessed that like the external
world, there was the existence of an infinite world within them.
This revelation led to a new question- Is the external world the
progenitor of the internal world or just the opposite? This
question, that arose within the intellectual and introspective men,
casted a doubt upon the sovereignty of the external world.

14
 The Greatest
Prior to this revelation, man knew that the internal world
originates from the outer but reality spoke otherwise. Deep
contemplation unravelled that the internal world gives birth to
the external. The external world acts as a stimulus that agitates
the mind. Just as a pebble creates ripples in the serene waters of a
pond, similarly, upon witnessing the external world, the mind
creates a world of its own according to its preconceived notions.
The world created within everyone is independent. His internal
world ascertains the method of action in the external world.
With further analysis, the saints encountered a much bigger
Truth. They questioned the validity of the existence of both the
outer and inner worlds. Can these two worlds be distinguished? -
This question preoccupied their pure, sharp, rational minds. It
was because when we see or form a concept about any external
object, our sense organs come into play. The mind presides over
the sense organs. Through the usage of the sense organs, it is the
mind that is projected outside upon the object. No concept can be
formed unless the mind is connected with the sense organs. If the
mind is not connected, then even if our eyes see something, it
remains unreflected to us. Hence, formation of concepts related
to the external world depends solely upon the functioning of the
mind. Therefore, without the mind, proving the existence of the
outer world becomes pointless. When the mind is inactive during
deep sleep, the outer world is not perceived. The sages discovered
the pervasiveness of the mind behind every concept about the
outer objects. They realised that there are not two worlds, but
one. The mind imagines the existence of both outer and inner
worlds and becomes uncertain. Mind itself gets divided into the
perceiver and the perceived. The part of mind which believes
itself to be the perceiver distinguishes itself from the part of mind
which perceives and while trying to know the object, becomes
agitated.
When there is only one world, when nothing second apart
from the existence of the mind can be proved, when the
imagination of the mind reflects two worlds where it aims to know

15
 The Greatest

the outer considering itself to be ignorant and unfulfilled and as a

result gets perturbed; making a strong resolve of keeping the mind
undivided, the saints delved deeper into meditation. In the
profundity of that state, it was unveiled, the Absolute and Ultimate
Truth which is- the existence of one that is infinite, illimitable
and fathomless. There is nothing second, but one
(Ekamevadvitiyam). This existence is Sat (Truth) - Chit
(Consciousness) - Ananda (Bliss). It has no birth or death, decay
or growth. This delusive world is projected upon this very Truth
or consciousness. They named this birthless, deathless existence-
Brahman. This realisation of the sages dissolved the urge of
knowing the truth. The amassment of doubts and dilemma from
over the era, ceased to exist. The paramount Truth and knowledge
gave them the ultimate serenity. The enlightened hearts boldly
echoed the assurance to mankind-
“srnvantu
.. visve amrtasya
. putra
a ye dhamani diviyani tasthuh.
vedaham etam . purusam
. . mahantam
adityavarnam
. . tamasah. parastat
tam eva viditvati mrtyum eti
nanyah . pantha vidyate yanaya||”
“O divine denizens of the world hear ye- I know He who is
beyond the grasps of ignorance and like the self-illumined sun.
Knowing him is the only means of overcoming death, apart from
which there are no other paths leading to the immortal bliss!”
(Svetasvatara Upanishad)

16
 The Greatest

(Two)

After endless queries, tireless efforts and severe austerities,

man was able to discover the Truth but it remained cloaked.
Absolute Truth is- the eternal, pure, conscious, liberated, infinite
existence, Brahman or Atman which is ever prevalent. There is
nothing second, but one. Then, the question arises- If there is
one, why is the multiplicity seen? If there is nothing but one then
why do we see this materialistic world? Why do we take birth in
duality, grow up, dwell in plurality, use it, endure sorrows and
sufferings and gradually pass onto the hands of death? There is
only one Truth, but astonishingly, what we see and feel is not one
but many. Why doesn’t man see or feel the oneness? This question
lingered into their minds even after knowing the One. Then itself,
as the answer to their queries, a second word arose from within-
Maya.
This further clears the obscurities of the world. Even though
there is just Brahman, the whole world is witnessed due to Maya
(illusion). It is because of this Maya that the birthless, infinite
Brahman is projected as the world which has creation-
preservation and destruction.Maya is what portrays the one as
many. Maya reflects the eternal- pure- conscious -liberated-
infinite Brahman as the destructible- taint- inanimate- constrained
and finite world. It is because of Maya that the Brahman which is
beyond distinction- discrimination- perturbance is projected as
the distinct- discriminated- perturbed sphere of forms. Man sees
this illusory world because of Maya. What is Maya identified as?
It is impossible to form a clear concept regarding it. Maya cannot
be proclaimed as the Truth otherwise ‘Ekamevadvitiyam’, an
existence apart from the Brahman has to be accepted which
repudiates the concept of oneness. Neither can it be False as we
cannot deny that inspite of there being only one, we see many,
nor can we say that it is both real and unreal (Sadsat) as no such
object exists in the world which is both true and untrue. Since,
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 The Greatest
Maya cannot be designated by any means, it has been defined as
being ‘indescribable’. The function of Maya is to portray the truth
as false and vice-versa. Maya is beyond birth but not beyond end
as it meets its end in the realisation of Brahman. To the ignorant
souls, Maya is true; under logical scrutiny, Maya is ineffable and
under the light of consciousness it is inconsequential as Maya is
not projected in the state of Self- realisation. Anything reflected
by the consciousness is the Absolute Truth, where Adi
Sankaracharya has stated- ‘Brahma Satyang Jagan Mithya, Jeevo
Brahmaiva Naparah’, meaning Brahman is Truth, World is false,
Living Beings are nothing but Brahman. He has clearly asserted
that this world is False. Here, the word ‘false’ does not imply
anything illusive. By ‘false’, Adi Sankaracharya has implied that
apart from Brahman, this world has no existence. That which
doesn’t exist but still seen, is unreal. Adi Sankaracharya’s Param
Guru, Acharya Gaurpada has said-
“Dharma na iti Jayante, Jayate
te na tattvatah,
. janma maayopamam.
tesam
. . sa cha maya na vidyate.”
–– Those who are said to be born, in reality, do not take birth.
It seems to be so due to the influence of Maya but neither does
this Maya exist- this is the Absolute truth.
This discussion might lead to another question as we find the
illustration of creation in the Vedas. The Vedas and Upanishads
contain the gradual and detailed representation of creation. If
creation is false, is creation mentioned in the Vedas and
Upanishads a fabrication? We are aware that in the Indian
philosophy, the Vedas have been accepted as an authoritative and
authentic source of evidence. But, Vedas speak of creation. Then
is the declaration, ‘The world is False’ untrue, or the Vedas? An
explanation has been provided to remove the doubt. This world is
false, but just as a mother, in order to show her infant a star far
away in the sky, points to a nearby mountain peak, a tree branch
or a larger brighter star beside it, similarly, ignorant beings like

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 The Greatest

the infant is guided by the Vedas which indicate towards the

creation to later prove that every creation is seen due to Maya
and it is in Maya that the world is created, sustained and destroyed.
Maya presents Brahman as Jiva (finite being) and the material
world.

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 The Greatest

(Three)

The illusive existence of the material world is reflected in

Maya. Analysis of this world reveals that in every place, a force or
power or energy is in play. Any action that is witnessed is the
outcome of this energy. This material world being insentient and
incapable appears to be dynamic because of this force. Behind
every dynamicity lies a force or power. Starting from the liquidity
of water, the burning capacity of fire, the hardness of rocks, the
gravitational force, electric energy, magnetic force, heat, atomic
power, physical strength till the strength of the mind, endurance
capacity and the strength of consciousness; the cause of every
interaction between the atoms and molecules is a force. Existence
of force or energy is undeniable. Energy is reflected in every flora,
fauna and even non- living objects. This world of forms is an
expression of this force or energy or power.
This energy cannot be seen by the naked eye. We perceive its
existence only after witnessing an action. The true nature of fire
cannot be comprehended from afar but only after going near it,
feeling its heat and seeing its ability to turn things into ashes, can
we form the true concept of fire. The power, energy, or force is
not seen but its actions and the matter in which it resides is seen.
For example- a pot was made from soil or rather, with the help of
an energy, a pot was made from a lump of soil. Here, the matter in
which the energy resides is the soil and its action or work is the
pot. The soil and the pot expresses that behind the existence of
the pot, a force was into play which remained undetected to the
naked eye.
This energy cannot reside independently. It does not have an
independent existence. Energy resides within objects. It becomes
the energy of the object or the person itself. Attempt to separate
the object and the energy is futile. Even thinking about separating
the object and its energy is difficult. For instance, fire and its ability

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 The Greatest

of heating and burning. The thought of fire leads to the direct

recall of its ability to heat or burn. Whenever, we think about fire,
we always think about it burning an object. If we think about
something burning then fire is what comes first in our minds.
‘Cold fire’- this is beyond our imagination. Whenever there is an
action, there is an outward expression of energy or power.
Dynamicity is also an outcome of a force. Shakti or energy lies
dormant when there is no action.
In general, the power and the person or object endowed with
the power is seemingly inseparate. Just as from every cause, with
the help of power there is an effect, in this context, we can say
that in this delusive world there is gradual creation. The material
object created, if analysed, will reveal its cause and then
determining that cause as the effect we can gradually reach the
origin of that cause. Following this, the cause of this Earth is water,
then retracing back we get fire, wind, and finally the space or sky.
This is how an analysis progressively evolves. Analysing the
causality (cause and effect) we will reach the conclusion that
than the effect, the cause is greater, wider and subtler. Similarly,
the object that is the cause, leading to the creation of the material
object is stronger and greater. Just as by analysing the cause of
any material object we reach its ultimate cause- the only
fundamental object, the receptor of the universe which the
scriptures have named Brahman or Param (Absolute) Atman,
similarly, searching the source of that power, we can find a power
much greater than the material power. Even if an existence and
its energy seems inseparable, when the existence reaches
Brahman which is one with no second, the need of any action and
dynamicity ceases to exist and hence the context of vitality also
ceases to remain. Therefore, even if the total existence and vital
force seems indivisible, the Absolute Truth remains to be-
‘Brahman is the Truth and the Shakti is untrue or false.’
Nothing is felt when the birthless, infinite and the only ever-
conscious existence is present. When there is fulfilment and
oneness, there are neither any feelings nor its need. It is similar to

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 The Greatest

how the eyes see all except itself. A dust particle in the eye cannot
be seen separately. In order to see it, the particle has to be
separated from the eye. Likewise, inspite of the constant- pure-
infinite existence Brahman being the consciousness, due to the
lack of a second entity, the Absolute Brahman is beyond sensation
or perceptibility. Hence, for perceptibility, through
incomprehensible means, a slight difference was created from
Brahman and the consciousness of Brahman was reflected there.
Perceptiveness arose from the embodiment of perception.
Knowledge arose from the embodiment of consciousness. From
one emerged the feeling of oneness. First from the infinite was
reflected ‘Aham’
. or the feeling of ‘I’. The Ultimate Truth is- There
is only one with no second existence, still the primal illusive
projection of the Nirguna . (that which is devoid of attributes)
Brahman is the primal Shakti, the ‘Universal I’. He is entitled as
God.
Therefore, the indeterminable awakening of the ‘I’ in the
birthless- infinite- Brahman is God. This ‘I’ knows Itself having no
doubts or faces no impediments in knowing itself. This ‘Universal
I’ is the creator of every object seen in the Universe. Within every
created being resides this ‘I’ which enables all to realise themselves.
Everyone has this feeling of ‘I’. There is no context of creation in
Param Brahman. But, within the ‘Universal I’ lies the seeds of
creation. This ‘I’ is the great Shakti (Maha Shakti), the source of
every other energy or power. This Shakti intertwined itself with
this world and created many other fragments of power or energy.
This ‘I’ and Maha Shakti lies between Brahman and the world. The
great ‘I’ which exists between Saguna( . withattributes) and
Nirguna . is the begetter of this Universe, Bhagavan or God who
isthe creator- preserver and destroyer of this world.

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 The Greatest

(Four)

We saw that the Absolute Truth,Sat-chit-Ananda Brahman or

Atman is one with no second, without attributes, beyond
denominations and discriminations. In order to feel Himself, this
was followed by the creation of the incomprehensible, illusive
Supreme ‘I’ which is God. In this delusive world, Brahman exists
everywhere, even within humans. This is why people can realise
the Absolute Truth that is Brahman, as their own true Self. Also,
due to the existence of a part of God or the Supreme Being within
people, they experience the feeling of ‘I’. But there is a difference
between the ‘I’ of God and humans. The Supreme Soul is aware of
its true Self but humans have no realisation of the same. The
Absolute ‘I’ knows that He is the eternal, pure, conscious,
liberated, one without any second, Atman or Brahman. But the
feeling of ‘I’ within humans is sullied. Humans not knowing their
true nature inspite of being Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman consider
themselves to be temporary, ignorant, sorrowful and unfulfilled.
In God, there is no uncertainty regarding the Supreme Truth but
humans remain incognizant of their True Self.
The ignorance of humans regarding their own Self is the
source of all sorrow. When the pain of ignorance becomes
unbearable, people become eager to know the Truth. Again, within
a rare few does the feeling of detachment from the falsity naturally
arise. They too aspire to know the Truth. This is when the aspirant
seeks refuge under Him who has realised the Truth, is established
on it and can make others realise. Eventually, under the guidance
of the realised one does the aspirant become capable of realising
the Truth.
Vedanta speaks about the seven planes of consciousness. The
first three planes can be accessed by the aspirant through progress
in the levels of spiritual sadhana but since the aspirant does not
experience self- realisation, ignorance prevails in the first three

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 The Greatest

planes. The consciousness is revealed in the fourth plane. The

final three planes- the fifth, sixth and seventh determines different
levels of profundity of the realisation and the aspirants steadiness
upon it. In the seventh or turiya state, the aspirant becomes
grounded in the Absolute.
The aspirants reaching the seventh stage of consciousness is
stated to be of three types as mentioned in the scriptures. The
first among them is the Jeevakoti Sadhak. Due to the blessings of
the Guru and practice of vigorous austerities, when one reaches
such state, he realises the omnipresent, infinite Brahman and due
to the lack of desires, the need of his physical existence ceases to
exist. Within a few days of the Ultimate realisation, he leaves the
mortal body, thus becoming free from the cycle of birth and death.
Another type of sadhak or aspirant is the Brahmakoti Sadhak.
Their bodies remain even after reaching the state of turiya. After
attaining the seventh plane, they return to the world but they
reside as Brahman itself. They are not mass educators. These
realised souls always remain immersed in Samadhi. Apparently,
they do not give Brahma upadesa(teachings on Brahman) but
their sheer presence or sight is enough for the benefit of mankind.
Firmly established upon the seventh plane of consciousness,
there is another type of aspirant called Ishwarkoti sadhak, who
also remain in this mortal plane of existence after his realisation.
He is returned for the well-being of mankind. He directs people
and inspire them towards the attainment of Truth. Evidently, an
Ishwarkoti sadhak benefits the world because attaining the highest
Truth, achieving firmness upon it and conveying the messages of
Truth is done by a rare few. They do not have anything to gain but
merely return to this world from Samadhi upon the direction of
the omnipotent God. After returning from the state of Samadhi,
they dwell in this world out of mercy for its inhabitants. They are
the Guru- Sad guru (True Guru)- the conduit between man and
Truth. After Samadhi, their days are spent as a marionette of the
Almighty, they abide by the directions of the Supreme deity and

24
 The Greatest

being the servant of God, they light up the path of Truth for the
seekers.
As far as realisation is concerned, an Ishwarkoti sadhak
remains resolute upon the stated- “Aham . Brahmasmi’ and feels
inseparable from it but when it comes to the Absolute Shakti,
they remain as a slave or a part of the Absolute ‘I’ or God. The
great preceptor of Advaita Vedanta,Madhusudan Saraswati has
said-
“Satyapi bhedapagame natha tabahang na namkinastvam
Samudro hi tarangah. kvachana samudro na tarangah.”
.
Meaning- “O Lord! Even if the difference ceases to be; ‘I
forever am yours’ but never ‘Are you mine’, for the waves are that
of the ocean and never does the ocean become that of the waves.”
Similarly, does the Ishwarkoti Sadhak remain as a servant of
the omnipotent God and determine the real welfare of mankind.
Being deep- seated upon Truth, there is another type of Great
men who return. They also return for the welfare of mankind. But
these types of personages are rarest of the lot. They are the
(avatars) or incarnations. Between this delusive world and the
Brahman lies the source of Maya which harbours the Maha Sakti
or Akhanda Adi Shakti (the indivisible primordial power). This is
a secret place. Great spiritual colossus’ transit from the world to
Brahman, become unfaltering, but fail to know the source. There
are some who do but they only get a glimpse of it. The glimpse of
the Maha shakti is what bestows strength within to perform and
fulfil great spiritual deeds in the world. A little touch of the power
enables them to show the path of liberation or salvation to their
disciples.
An incarnation discovers the source of this power. The Adi
Sakti resides indivisibly so it is the unlimited storehouse of Shakti.
This facilitates the descent of a tremendous spiritual power within
an incarnation which helps to bring the power of creation-
sustenance and destruction within his grasp. This creates a

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 The Greatest

variance between an Incarnation and a Mahapurusha. A realised

person knows- ‘I am Brahman’ but remains as a servant or a part
of the Omnipotent Being or God. An incarnation also knows
himself to be the eternal- pure- conscious- liberated- infinite
Brahman but along with this he also knows himself to be the
creator- preserver and destroyer of this world. Even if there is no
dissimilarity in their self- realisations, the difference is created in
terms of power or Shakti. The difference in power results in the
distinction of the levels of their spiritual accomplishments in the
world. A Mahapurusha guides his disciples and the spiritual
aspirants upon the path of Truth. But, an incarnation has the ability
of changing the course of mind of the entire human race. Their
appearance ushers a new era which propel people, irrespective
of caste- religion- faith- age- gender or them being spiritual or
material seekers, towards Truth. Every Age is marked by the
arrival of different incarnations who impart teachings suitable to
the spirit of the ages. The Mahapurusha’s work in compliance to
the teachings and ideals promulgated by the avatars.
It is said that since incarnations are the embodiments of God,
they are not bound and are ever enlightened. They do not need to
perform severities for realisation. A little effort helps them to
realise themselves. But this raises the question- “Despite of being
ever- enlightened, why do the incarnations descend into this
world- the world that they know to be unreal and infernal, undergo
intolerable sufferings, pain and face the disrespect and negligence
of man?”
This can be answered with an example. Whenever there is an
outbreak of a disease amidst Nature, the medicine lies in the place
of origin. A bit of searching can disclose the medicine of the
disease. Similarly, anger- jealousy- envy- discords can be
compared to the diseases of Nature. The medicine of these ailments
are the great spiritual men who by evoking knowledge, love and
devotion terminate the infirmities and bring an equilibrium
between the good and bad attributes. But at times, when the
diseases become an epidemy, it endangers the sustenance of

26
 The Greatest
civilisation and even the Great spiritual men fail to eradicate the
lowly natures of man, their narrow –mindedness, envy and anger.
This is when the need for the potent One arises, who would
expunge the frightening nature of mind. When society plummets
into the erosion of values; the originator of this Universe, the
omnipotent God is compelled to descend into the world in a human
form. The incarnations are the creation of Nature and the
objective of their arrival is the balance of nature. In spite of being
the creation of Nature, they are enlightened with the knowledge
of the Truth- conscious- blissful existence that lies beyond Nature.
When the scale of moral and bad attributes, virtue and evil
goes extremely out of balance in Nature, everybody is unable to
accept the degradation of the summative mind. Craving for
freedom from such calamitous situations and the deliverance of
man from ill-doings, a plea arises in their hearts. When the
languishment of few such pure, truth- seeking and loving hearts
reaches the peak, then does the Absolute Entity or God arrive on
Earth. He eliminates falsehood and re- establishes truth. This is
why, not once, but, God has to come time and again, for within a
few ages a heap of mendacity piles up in the world. Hence, Shri
Krishna has echoed these words of Truth in the Gita-
“Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glanirbhavati
Bharata, Abhyuthanamadharmasya
.
Tadatmanam Srijamyaham
Paritranaya
. .Sadhunam Vinasayaca Duskrtam,
..
Dharma-samsthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge”
Meaning- “Whenever there is decay of righteousness and
exaltation of unrighteousness, then I Myself, manifest for the
protection of good and destruction of evil; to establish virtue, I
am born from age to age.” Never has the philosophy of
incarnations been asserted with such clarity, explicitness and
directness elsewhere. Therefore, the advent of incarnations and
the complete extirpation of ignorance and sins are not fables but
very tangible and true.

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 The Greatest

(Five)

When society suffers from the degradation of moral values;

where the mind generates greed, envy, hatred, differentiation and
anger; detrimental to love, affection for Truth and respect for
elders, incarnations descend upon the Earth. We have witnessed
this in the previous epochs. In the Treta Yuga, the peerless
proprietor of conduct ( Maryada Purushottam) Sri Rama(the
seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu), descended upon Earth. He
upheld the idealistic life of Truth, selflessness and sacrifice for
millions to follow. Along with this, He annihilated the arrogant
tyrant and despot, Ravana.
After this came Sri Krishna. Before His birth, people were
uncertain and ignorant about the Ultimate Truth. The Brahmins
had started to exploit the common people through various
meaningless rites and rituals to keep them confined under their
spheres of influence. They had begun to emphasize upon the
superiority of theVedic Karma-kanda ( path of actions or work)
to gain recognition and compel people to give them the highest
status in the society. But, the common men, bound to follow the
scriptural teachings and actions, were craving for a separate path
which could guide them to the Absolute Truth. The birth of Lord
Krishna ushered in the path that the people yearned for. It helped
them to comprehend that the Vedic rituals and rites were not the
absolute but the real aim was to realise one’s ‘Self ’. Lord Krishna
synthesized the different paths of knowledge (jnana)-
devotion(bhakti)- action( karma) and Raja yoga which are
seemingly against and differ from one another. Lord Krishna didn’t
refute any path but all paths lead to one is what he etched into the
minds of people. He taught his devotees about the pure,
unconditional and supreme devotion of Bhakti Yoga. He
popularised Karma Yoga by preaching the necessity of detachment
for discharging duties and responsibilities. His love for people
accentuated their skills, qualities and work rather than their caste

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 The Greatest

or creed. He encouraged people to face the reality– to not avoid

but overcome it. He exemplified through his life that for Truth
can everything be sacrificed, for it is closer to us than any of our
closest ones. Following the Truth is more important than
following the society, elders or relatives.
After Lord Krishna left the mortal plane for his heavenly abode,
the world once again started to stagger upon the actions and the
hollow, jejune explanations of the Vedas. The Brahmins and the
Kshatriyas (the warrior class) were engaged in a strife for
dominance. The misleading dictates of the Brahmins and the
Kshatriyas use of might for hegemony deteriorated the conditions
of the people. Soon after, as an answer to their prayers was born,
the great unifier, Lord Buddha. Uprooting the meaningless rituals
of the Vedas, he gave the needy, the touch of a pure heart. His
touch rejuvenated Dharma (religion). Abdicating his throne, he
descended amidst common men. He became a ray of hope for
those who had to succumb to the atrocities of the priests and
kings. He conquered the world with his spell of love. Forsaking
the riches, hordes of people from various castes, creeds, age, both
men and women sought refuge under his tutelage. According to
the Hindu scriptures, Lord Buddha is the ninth incarnation of Lord
Vishnu.
It is true that Lord Buddha’s teachings drew a lot of followers
but his disciples were unable to accept his integrity, righteousness
and ideologies. Every caste perceived Buddhism through their
own preconceived notions. Without undergoing purification of
the mind, men tried to follow those lofty ideals and principles
which resulted in indiscipline and deviation from the path of Truth.
Moreover, negation of the Vedic religion gave rise to smaller sects.
It led to the rise of many gods, temples, various procedures of
prayers and rituals. In the midst of such disarray and confusion,
came the world preceptor, Sankaracharya. Possessing radiating
intelligence and brilliance, He completed his study on Vedas,
embraced sannyasa (monkhood), accompanied his Guru, attained
the highest realisation and composed many spiritual books all by
the young age of sixteen. He re-established the glory of Advaita
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 The Greatest

Vedanta by illustrating the essence of the Vedas, Upanishads,

Srimad Bhagavat Gita and Ved Vyasa’s Brahma Sutra or aphorisms
on Brahman which enunciates that Brahman, the only existence,
is one without a second. He became a wandering ascetic and
travelled all over India. With his exceptional capacity, reasoning
and realisation, he integrated all the religious sects under one
umbrella. He embedded the Vedic principles in India. He created
the ten sects and Shankar Math or monastery for monks which
are illuminating the spiritual path for the past 1200 years.
Sankaracharya’s philosophical elucidations on the highest
ideals of Vedanta and subtle analysis gained so much prominence
in the minds of people that they failed to accept his altruistic side
where he did not fail to demonstrate his will to sacrifice his life
for the sake of others. He did love people irrespective of their
caste and religion but his preference to Brahmins and monks as
the most competent ones to realise the Self;him being an
uncompromising, devout and dedicated monk; his dispassion for
the world, society and interaction; ignoring the local languages
and preaching in Sanskrit deprived the common men from his
immortal teachings. His teachings became confined within some
erud ite scholars, Brahmins and monks. This created a
discrimination among people. This age also marked the advent of
the Islamic rulers from the Central- West provinces who
conquered a major portion of India. Due to the lack of ties with
the Sanatan or the sempiternal religion, the so-called ‘lower caste’
men of India came under the influence of the Islamic teachings of
brotherhood and acceded to the forceful attempts of conversion
into Muslims by the Islamic rulers.
For the deliverance of the despondents, came the potent
embodiment of love, Sri Chaitanya. He was the educator of nyaya
(laws and judgement). But, a sudden inexplicable event
transformed this rational and analytical man into the most fervent
devotee of Lord Krishna. The Bhakti movement in India gained
impetus under his headship. He sheltered people of every religion
and creed. He became renowned as an incarnation of Lord Krishna
himself. He inspired people with his teachings of the ideal love
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 The Greatest

that the Gopi’s had for Lord Krishna. His teachings helped man to
abandon the arid, fruitless intellectual debates, accept unity and
follow the Sanatana dharma or eternal religion with devotion.
Sri Chaitanya’s teachings gradually got misconstrued with the
passage of time and led to the emergence of many sects, doctrines
and practices. Men were again overshadowed with doubt
regarding Truth and the ideal path. It was in the nineteenth
century when the time came for the messiah, Sri Ramakrishna’s
birth onto the mortal plane of existence. With almost no formal
education, the Brahmin priest performed severe austerities in all
the established paths of religion and faith and attained realisation.
‘As there are a number of beliefs, there are a number of ways’ –
the proponent of this statement, Shri Ramakrishna, ascertained
through his life and sadhana that each and every path leads to
God or Truth.
‘God is the real object, the rest are abstract’- through this
proclamation, Shri Ramakrishna, the nonpareil God incarnate,
firmly carved into the minds of people that the objective of life is
God-realisation. Under the leadership of Swami Vivekananda, his
brother disciples and the preaching of Sri Sri Ramakrishna
Kathamrta (Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna) by Mahendranath Gupta,
His teachings and words spread like wildfire not only in India but
worldwide.
Society resembles the machine-like human body. When the
body is afflicted with a disease, different medications are required
to keep the body alive and functional. The incarnations are
comparable to the medicines. They reinvigorate this moribund
world by preaching the ideals suitable to the surging needs of the
different eras. The manifestation of each incarnation has
spiritually replenished India as well as the entire world. Their
arrival became a ray of light for the world. Whenever the world
was on the brink of demolition, they took birth to show humanity
the path of survival. Amidst all the violence and envy, the
existence of civilisation has been preserved by the incorporeal,
selfless contributions and efforts of the incarnations or avatars.

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 The Greatest

(Six)

Through ages have incarnations taken birth on Earth,

protecting it from the hands of catastrophe. But, observing the
current societal collapse seemingly shows, that the results of their
great deeds are on the threshold of decline. They came and taught
people how to love, but now, people have forgotten how to love.
Human beings are unable to trust one another. Even if the human
body and mind is the greatest temple of God, birds and animals
seem to be more trustworthy than them. Everyone has become
self-seeking. Man is only busy in the fulfillment of his own needs.
Doing good, selfless deeds are just mere words now. But it was
man who had formed the society to live in harmony and render
help to each other during times of need. Humans were not civilized
then, but now that we take pride in our civil manners, we do not
recognize anything apart from our needs which triggers the
question- Are we really as civilized as we consider ourselves to
be? To use the word ‘civilized’ to describe ourselves would be a
misnomer for it is actually synonymous to the word ‘savage’.
Brothers fought against one another in the war of Mahabharatha,
which continues till today. Currently, severing every limit, we
often hear the news of life-threatening conflicts between fathers
and sons.
Every country is engaged in discords. We still have the
imperialistic tendencies of colonizing and establishing sovereignty
over the less powerful states. The superpowers never missed the
opportunity of enriching themselves by exploiting the poverty-
stricken countries. Caste conflicts prevail till today. Religious
violence has accelerated. Extreme terrorism has also reared its
head which has petrified the human populace. Every year, people
die and become the victims of terrorism. No longer is this world
secure for mankind. Intolerance for opposing views have led to
the curbing of people’s freedom of speech and opinion. People no
longer have any regard for merits. Wealth is all that matters to
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 The Greatest
man. Women, who occupy almost fifty percent of the entire world
population, are being subjected to exploitation and persecutions.
Even helpless children are falling into the hands of inhuman
torture. Killing of conserved wildlife persists. Destroying the
ecosystem for the fulfillment of self- interests has brought the
world to the brink of ruin. Scientists are fearful due to global
warming. It is us who have pushed the world into the hands of
destruction.
At present, every country has nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons capable of wiping out the entire human race. We cannot
deny the probability of outflow of such weapons into the hands
of terrorists. This Earth, blessed by the presence of Great spiritual
men is experiencing a turn towards moral degeneration. Most of
the people appointed to the higher ranks of the society is affected
and influenced by venality. The leaders make empty promises and
after annexing power they fill up their own pockets. There is a
gradual rise of economic disparity causing resentment with rise
of revolts being an eventuality. Even children are carrying
incendiary weapons and they feel no remorse over killing other
people. The minds of people are completely inclined towards
material enjoyments. Science and technology has flung open the
doors of material pleasures for people. Side by side, there is a steady
rise in the number of people diagnosed with mental illnesses. These
numbers exceed in the developed countries and amongst the rich.
Little stress is leading to depression and suicidal rates are on the
rise. People are agitated, the environment is unsettling. People
cannot tolerate one another. The people and government have
failed to resolve this chaotic situation and suppress the upheavals.
Disrespecting and unheeding the words of saints and sages is a
common phenomenon.
Not only this, the saints and sages who are supposed to
redirect mankind towards the light of Truth have plunged deep
into the darkness of ignorance. The news of saints engaging
themselves in unsocial and inhuman practices is heard every now
and then. Failing to comprehend the insubstantiality of this

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 The Greatest

changeableworld, they are aspiring for material gains and

pleasures. When, those, who are created by God to guide mankind,
surrender to falsehood,’ God’s throne becomes unsteady.’ He will
be unable to remain calm for it was He who had uttered, as
mentioned in the Gita- ‘Paritranaya
.
. Sadhunam’. Hence, there has
been a reemergence of the decline of Dharma, rise of Adharma,
downfall of saints and rise of malefactors. The world is now
saturated with falsity and sins, hence now is the time. When will
the embodiment of Truth and consciousness descend if not now?
After the fall of night comes the effulgent rays of the sun. During
such times do people wait in anticipation to hear the resonating
sound of the advent of the Absolute, infinite Being. Therefore,
the emergence of the present disturbances, indiscipline,
deceptions and ignorance directs towards a huge probability which
will be unveiled in due course of time.

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 The Greatest

(Seven)

The symbol of energy is vibration. Energy is expressed

through dynamicity or vibration which can be in any way or any
form. When a volcanic mountain becomes active, it emits smoke,
sparks and finally it erupts a thousand degree celcius of molten
lava which gushes out from the craters. Similarly, before the advent
of the Absolute embodied power, we can witness the emergence
of several small segmented powers which can be spiritual, social,
political and cultural or of any other type. The vibrations of the
fragmented powers creates a stir in the world and society at that
period of time. But, the rise of these smaller powers- be it good or
bad, tells us about the oncoming appearance of a greater power
in Nature.
From the second decade of the twentieth century, the world
was being ravaged by the turbulent waves of the First World War.
The skirmish between Austria and Serbia eventually engendered
the World War. The belligerent forces included the allied forces
namely England, France, Russia, America, Italy, Romania, China,
Japan and Portugal while the Central forces included Germany,
the Ottoman Empire, Austria, Bulgaria and other nations. This
global war lasting from 1914 to 1918, for four years, made heavy
use of military combatants, aircrafts, tanks, explosives and
poisonous gases which made the world sustain heavy losses and
damage. This War came to an end after Germany admitted defeat.
During the ongoing World War, the Russian Revolution in 1917
dismantled the Tsarist autocracy and gave autonomy to the
Bolsheviks under the leadership of Lenin. Inspired by Marxist
teachings, the socialist revolution started by the workers and
peasants, crossed the boundaries of Russia and based upon the
principles of communism, came to be established as Socialism in
many countries. The aftermath of the war was not favorable for
Italy as she was deprived of her rights by the allied powers.
Meanwhile, inspired by communistic ideals, the workers began to
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 The Greatest

revolt and plunder the factories. When the then prevalent

democratic government failed to appease the recalcitrants, Benito
Mussolini rose to power through a coup d’état and established a
fascist rule in Italy. A war- ravaged Germany, enduring economic
depression and political instability, witnessed the downfall of the
Weimer Republic, the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party which
began a dictatorial rule in Germany. Dictatorial or fascist rule also
began in Spain under the leadership of General Franco. In
conjunction with these events, Mustafa Kamal Pasha assumed
power and agreed to constitutionalize the Turkish Empire.
Influenced by Russia, Mao Zedong initiated the communist
revolution in China which after a series of conflicts led to the
establishment of a democratic rule in the country. Japan also
emerged as an Imperial power and extended its sway over other
countries.
In 1939, began the Second World War. Against the allied
powers, the main central powers were Germany, Italy and Japan.
This war was far more destructive and terrifying than the First
World War. This war resulted in 5 Crore deaths and 4 Crore ended
up being severely injured. Every country had to pay the price of
its venomous results. The Central Powers lost to the allied powers.
To avoid submission, Hitler committed suicide. Italy’s Mussolini
accepted both defeat and death. The United States detonated two
atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki which killed lakhs of
people and Japan was vanquished. This War lasted for 6 years.
After its conclusion, to ensure peace and harmony in the world,
the UNO or the United Nations Organisation was formed. After
the War, many subordinate countries gained independence. The
field of science witnessed new discoveries of computers, jet
planes, automobiles, missiles, transistors etc. which greatly
impacted the way of life.
During the outbreak of the War in the first half of the 20th
Century, when the world was feeling the tremors of combats,
revolts and counter- protests, India was also experiencing the
ignition of the spirit of nationalism. Netaji, Gandhiji and many

36
 The Greatest

revolutionaries took a dynamic lead in India’s Struggle for

Independence. In 1920 began the Non- Cooperation Movement,
followed by the Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movement in
the years 1930 and 1942 respectively. Gandhi’s leadership united
the majority of the Indian population. Netaji initially joined the
Congress and had become its President but later he abandoned
the post and met Hitler of Germany, Mussolini of Italy and Tojo of
Japan to seek help for India against her fight with the British. He
also took the reins of Azad Hind Fauj from Rashbehari Basu. The
Azad Hind Fauj was able to defeat the British units and re-occupy
many places. Later under suspicious circumstances, Netaji
disappeared and his disappearance has remained unexplainable
till date. The British Government had become afraid of Netaji’s
rise to prominence. The success is also owed to some patriotic
freedom fighters who kindled the sparks in India. Finally, after
the naval and agricultural laborers’ uprisings and other incidents,
India, after being divided, gained complete Independence on 15th
August, 1947.
From 1940 till the end of that decade, many fateful incidents
occurred in India. In 1943, Bengal was struck by famine which
resulted in the deaths of nearly 30 lakhs of people. This distressing
incident ravaged Bengal. The Hindu- Muslims riots took more
lives. Turning the pages of history reveals the world being engaged
in horrendous battles. My aim is not describing the political and
social events but to indicate towards the series of display of smaller
powers which is seen before the advent of the greatest power. In
the fullness of time, we will be introduced to that Greatest power!

37
 The Greatest

(Eight)

India- one of the countries in the South West part of the largest
continent, Asia. It is the seventh largest country of the World. It
has the world’s second largest population and largest democracy.
India is surrounded by Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, China,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Since ancient times, India
has reached the heights of excellence in spiritual heritage, art,
architecture, sculpture and music. The most ancient civilization,
also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation had originated in India.
In the later years, great empires flourished here. The empires of
the Indian rulers had expanded to many other countries of Asia.
The Indian rulers used to maintain trading and commercial links
with many countries of the World through land and sea routes.
India is the source of origin for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and
Sikhism. Later, India was introduced to Judaism, Zoroastrianism,
Islam and Christianity. The economic prosperity of India was also
illimitable. This is why India had to face multiple invasions from
foreign powers. India was known as ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ or ‘the
Golden Bird’. In different periods of time, the Portuguese, Dutch,
French and British had established colonies in India. This country,
sheltering people of various religions, caste, and creed had gained
prominence in science, sports and mathematics.
The largest religious belief followed in India is Hinduism. It is
also known as the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ or the ‘eternal religion’.
Hinduism is an admixture of uncountable religious philosophies
and traditions. Unlike other religions, Hinduism has no distinct
propounder. It is the most ancient religious belief of the world. It
is the third largest religion of the world after Christianity and
Islam. Apart from India, many Hindu followers reside in Nepal,
Bangladesh and Bali. But now, almost each country has a certain
number of Hindu followers. The main religious book of the Hindus
are the Vedas. Vedas were not composed by any great spiritual
man, they are apauruseya. or the unauthored dictums of Truth.
38
 The Greatest

The revelations seen by the ancient rishis and munis is Veda. Veda
is the guide for Hindus not only in terms of spirituality but also
material life. Apart from Veda and Sruti, Puranas
. and the epics
Ramayana . and Mahabharata also contain teachings on Truth,
knowledge and dharma through the stories of various gods-
goddesses, kings and emperors.
The term ‘Hindu’ originated from the word ‘Sindhu’. People
dwelling along the banks of river Indus were previously known
as Hindus. Since then has India been known as ‘Hindusthan’. This
is the most unique religion existing on Earth. This country has
uncountable religious views and philosophical doctrines among
which the theistic philosophy includes six main doctrines- Nyaya,
Sankhya, Yoga, Vaisesik,
. .
. Purva Mimamsa and Uttar Mimamsa.
Hindus believe in re-birth. Hindus believe that people take birth
after death. Among the theories regarding the relation between
Truth and this world inhabited by people, the most important
theories are- Dvaita, Vishishtha Advaita and Advaita. In some
theories, the aim of life is utmost devotion to God, in some it is
attaining heaven while in others it is attaining liberation. Hinduism
is so liberal and generous that it gives place to even atheism. The
main essence of this religion is not negation but acceptance. Thus,
it has provided place to the principles of all other religious beliefs.
This can be seen where Hindus hailed Lord Buddha, the founding
father of Buddhism as the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Somewhere, this religion has some power endowed within it,
which has protected its followers from getting converted inspite
of India being ruled by multiple foreign rulers of different creed
through the passage of time. It is the foreign rulers and their
religion that lost its existence in the varied culture and religious
beliefs of India.
Hindus are categorized in four Varnas. The four Varnas are-
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Shri Krishna has
mentioned in the Gita that He had created the four Varnas based
upon the qualities and profession of man. Among the four, the
Brahmins represent noble thoughts, Truth and knowledge. They

39
 The Greatest

were the priestly class of the society. Their work was to perform
worships for the welfare of the society, to endow themselves in
Satvaguna or virtues through the practice and delineation of
knowledge and preach the ideals of Truth and knowledge.
According to the scriptures, the one who has realized Brahman is
a true Brahmin. He who has attained the Absolute state is a
Brahmin. This is why Lord Krishna said that he has divided people
according to their attributes and profession. A person’s Varna or
class does not indicate his lineage. Four sons of a father could
belong to any of the four varnas. But in the later years the lofty
ideals of Krishna failed to exist and the class mobility became rigid
where a Brahmin’s son would always be a Brahmin. The highly
realized, propagator of Advaitism, known as the incarnation of
Shiva, Adi Sankaracharya
. also gave preference to Brahmins who
he deemed to be fit for Self- realization. The symbols of an honest,
knowledgeable, generous, simple, sacrificing and idealistic way of
life are the dedicated Brahmins who are the real benefactors of
the society.
Amidst the diverse culture in India, a special position has been
occupied by the Bengalis. The history of this race dates back to a
few thousand years. Bengalis are a mixed race. This race is a blend
of different religious beliefs, cultures and behaviors so the
characteristic features of Bengalis differ in language, behavior,
taste and sculpture varying from one region to the other. Due to
this, this race is generous, tolerant, hospitable and free from pre-
conceived notions. Apart from the state of West Bengal, Bengalis
reside in Bangladesh and all around the world. Being unbound by
strict rules and etiquettes, acceptance of every religion- caste-
race and culture is their forte. Bengalis are introspective. The
capacity of reaching the depths of every matter falls under their
zone of reasoning minds. This is why they have attained heights
in philosophy, spirituality, literature, architecture, science and
music.
It is said that some portions of the present parts of Bengal
and Bihar were previously joined in ancient India which was

40
 The Greatest

known as Magadha. In the 700 C.E, the first independent ruler of

Bengal was the mighty Shashanka. His reign had expanded over
many regions. After the reign of Sasanka, the Buddhist Pala
dynasty, Hindu Sena Dynasty and later Islamic Empires were
established in Bengal. From the era of Ram Mohan in the 18th
Century till Rabindranath in the mid-20th century, a renaissance
occurred in Bengal. This period was marked by the rise of various
men in the fields of social reforms, spirituality, patriotism,
literature, poetry, architecture and science. Bengalis were the
most progressive in India at that time. Hence, there was a saying-
“What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.” In the freedom
struggle of India, the freedom fighters from Bengal were
Chittaranjan Das, Netaji, Rashbehari Basu, Kshudiram Bose, Surya
Sen and other uncountable revolutionaries. The First Nobel Prize
of Asia was awarded to Rabindranath Tagore. Fearing the rising
force of Bengal, the British had decided upon Partitioning Bengal
in 1905 but had to stop their course of action in 1911 due to
severe protests and uprisings. The Bengali race is now an asset of
the whole world.

41
 The Greatest

(Nine)

Asia is the largest continent of the world. In the South- Eastern

part of it is located Bangladesh. With rich hurrying streams, bright
gleaming orchards and green fields moving to and fro- this is why
by us has Bangladesh been glorified. The entire country is
surrounded by India sharing a small portion of its coastal area
with Myanmar. Drained by the rivers Padma, Meghna and its
emergence upon the confluence of the mighty rivers of Ganga-
Brahmaputra and Bay of Bengal makes the country a fertile region
with great surplus. But, due to natural calamities, many people
lose their lives every year. The geographical location of this place
attracted people for settlement almost 4000 years ago. Back in the
time, when India was integrated, Bangladesh was under the rule
of the Gupta Empire. Their rule was successively overthrown by
Sasanka who was followed by the Pala and Sena dynasties. During
medieval India, Bangladesh fell under the clutches of the Sultanate
and Mughal Nawabs. In the year 1757, Bangladesh came under
the occupation of the British East India Company. It was the time
when India and Bangladesh was still undivided. Bengali speaking
people inhabited West Bengal and Bangladesh which amounted
to a large number of the total population. Bengal took the lead
when it came to India’s struggle for independence. Bengal, a state
with great political sagacity and extraordinary prescience was
the lighthouse of India. Bengal inspired India to fight for
independence. The British became wary of the rising force of
Bengal and in 1905, decided upon its partition. Against this divide
and rule policy of the British, the Anti- Partition Movement gained
a great momentum which compelled the British to decide upon
the annulment of the partition. But, the British succeeded in
dividing Bengal when India gained its independence. India was
fragmented to form India and Pakistan whereas Bengal was also
split to form West Bengal and East Pakistan which later came to
be known as Bangladesh. During the India- Pakistan war, with the

42
 The Greatest

help of India, East Pakistan was able to free itself from the
domination of West Pakistan and gain an independent status. In
1971, what later came to be known as the Bangladesh Liberation
War, sealed the fate of Pakistan and Bangladesh emerged as a
separate autonomous state. Countless spiritual leaders,
intellectuals, poets, litterateurs and revolutionaries took birth in
Bangladesh. In Indian music, the touching Bhatiyali, Baul, Lokgeet
or folk songs enraptures our hearts. The geniality and hospitality
of these people are incomparable. They can sacrifice all to provide
hospitality to their guests.
In the South- West region of Bangladesh is located the district
and city of Barishal. It is a beauty in the lap of nature. Located on
the banks of a river, the city was previously known as
‘Chandradvip’. The main source of food and water supply comes
from Barishal. It is known as the ‘Venice of Bengal’. It is the main
port of the country. It also occupies a great place socially-
culturally- politically. The renowned poet Jeevanananda Das,
Mukunda Das, the great actor of theatre and cinemas Utpal Dutta
were all born in Barishal. The lush region of Barishal has given
birth to many such great men.
The Barishal district has a sub-district called Babugunj. The
most prominent union council of the sub-district is Rahamatpur.
Initially it was known for being a rural area. In the year 1913,
more than 100 years ago, a book named ‘Chandradviper Itihaas’
or ‘The history of Chandradvip’ was published. The author was
Vrindavanchandra Putatunda. The book was re-published in 1963.
According to the author, Chandradvip consisted of many regions
including Barishal or Bakhargunj, Noakhali, Faridpur and Khulna.
The author had done some research on the kings and zamindars
of Chandradvip. There he described the origin of the name
‘Rahamatpur’- “During the time King Kandarpanarayan Ray was
dwelling beside the Jahapur river in Khudrakaathi to establish
his capital, in the dense forest area on the northern side of the
present Rahamatpur canal lived Rahamat Ulla, a bandit leader.
He had many bandits in his group. They used to rapine the areas

43
 The Greatest

around the nearest river.Their habitat was within the thick woods,
they had 18 axes which was used for human sacrifices. They
mercilessly killed the detained people during the times of pillage.
Upon his immed iate arrival in Khudrakaathi, King
Kandarpanarayan, with his armed forces, executed the bandit
leader. Named after the bandit leader, this village remains popular
as Rahamatpur. In present time, the Western side of the canal
that is seen was known as Goshashan and its North- Eastern side
was known as Rahamatpur in previous times.”
Hereafter, from the book, ‘Chandradviper Itihaas’, we get to
know that the region was named Rahamatpur after the name of
the vicious bandit, Rahamat Ulla. This rare book provides us with
many such invaluable historical facts. This book was carefully
preserved by the resident of Birati, the most respected, Chitta Das
Sharma. We extend our gratefulness and heartfelt gratitude to Him.
.

44
 The Greatest

(Ten)

With the advancement of Science and technology, the most

important discovery has been the Computer Internet System. The
Internet System has ‘Google’ in which we can see pictures of Earth
taken from space. The pictures are so flawless that from any corner
of the Earth, pictures of rivers, not only cities but pictures of
houses and even roads can be taken immaculately which is
captured by the high-tech cameras of satellites and preserved
indefinitely. It feels as if the picture is taken from a short distance.
The process primarily focuses upon the entire Earth and
gradually narrows its focus to a continent, a country, a city which
leads to a particular region and finally the focus rests upon a house.
Surprisingly, a picture clicked from thousands of kilometers away
can give us a high definition shot of a region covering a few square
miles. Similarly, the focus of our text was initially, Brahman, then
Maya, Shakti, God, Incarnation, World, united India, Bangladesh,
Barishal and narrowing it down more we have arrived to
Rahamatpur. This will naturally pique the readers’ curiosity
towards the direction that we are heading to. It is now high time
to mitigate the curiosity!
Now, the focus of our discussion will be upon a special lineage.
This lineage is of the Diwan Chakraborty family. The ancestor of
this family was Ramnarayan Chakraborty. Here, once again, we
will seek reference from the book ‘Chandradviper Itihaas’,
authored by Vrindavanchandra Putatunda. The translation of the
description he provided of the above mentioned bloodline is being
quoted below:-
The Chakraborty dynasty of Dewan Rahamatpur
The twelfth king, Pratapnarayan had visited Kolkata to bathe
in the Ganges and from there he was returning to Chandradvip; it
was a time when there were no steamers. The King was sailing
back to his country on a boat and he was passing through
45
 The Greatest

Kanchrapara, the present district of 24 Parganas. Due to certain

work, the boat was anchored upon the shores where the King
saw a young Brahmin and upon asking about his identity realized
that the young man was intelligent and gifted. The king wished to
bring the young man along to Chandradvip. Finally, according to
the wishes of the king, the young Brahmin man accompanied the
king to Madhavapasha. He earned fame for his proficiency in
handling state affairs and was appointed as a Dewan or the
highest government official of the state within a few days. He was
the progenitor of Rahamatpur’s Chakraborty dynasty-
Ramnarayan Chakraborty. Due to the king’s request, he had to
travel to Delhi many times. Ramnarayan’s sons, Rupadeva and
Raghudeva were not as brilliant as their father. In this dynasty of
Dewans, the next important name known after Ramnarayana was
of his grandson, Ramjeevan. He was fearless and adept in
character. He was the Dewan of Raja Shivnarayana.
Baradaprasanna Chakraborty was born as the eight successor of
this dynasty. His sons named Surendra, Yogendra and
Rajendranath are living till date. They have two houses in
Rahamatpur which are populary known as ‘Nutan Bari’ (New
House) and ‘Maajh Bari’ (Middle House). Due to the royal favor
of Chandradvip, the property and wealth gained by the ancestors
of this dynasty have been divided into 1752, 1753, 1755, 2698,
1729 and 1449 numbered wards under the Bakargunj district.
These are each different taluks or administrative districts
comprising of a number of villages for collection of revenues.
Ramjeevan’s son is Chandrashekhar. After the name of
Chandrashekhar, the taluk numbered 1729 named
Chandrashekhar Chakraborty has been formed. A resident of
‘Nutan Bari’, Sri Saradacharan Chakraborty is a well- renowned
literary figure of this district.
Thus, it was known from the book that the generations of
the above mentioned Chakraborty dynasty were the masters of
pronounced name- fame- riches and assets. Through many
successive generations, they remained as the Dewans of the
former kings. The progenitor of this dynasty was an erudite
46
 The Greatest

scholar. This is why the then prevalent king, entrusting trust upon
his wisdom, used to send him to Delhi on official trips. After this,
many other competent people were born in this lineage. They
belong to the Bharadwaja gotra or clan. A family chart of this
zamindari dynasty is being provided below:
Ramnarayan Chakraborty (Bharadwajag Gotro, Mukhuti Panchi)

Rupdev Raghudev

Ramjibon

Chandrasekhar Nandakishor Rajkishor

Bhavaniprasad

Bhairavchandra

Baikunthachandra Mohanchandra

Mahatapchandra Bilashchandra Umeshchandra Yogeschandra

Borodaprasanna Satiprasanna

Surendranath
Yogendranath Nripendralal Gopalchandra Girijaprasanna
Rajendranath
Paresh Sushil Tapas
Gyanendranath

Laxman Ram Gouranga Nitai Nimai Kanailal

Chiranjib Sanjib Amitav

Sajal Swapan Tapan Sekhar

Snehasish Asish

In the dynastic genealogy, there is a confusion regarding the

ancestor of Ramjeevan Chakraborty being Rupadeva or
Raghudeva Chakraborty, but the rest of the portions have been
noted accurately.
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 The Greatest

(Eleven)

The Idol worshipped in the zamindari household of the

Chakraborty family of Rahamatpur was ‘Kalachand’, most
popularly known as Lord Krishna. The idol made of graphite was
known as ‘Kalachand’. The deity, Kalachand, was not just a lifeless
idol made of stone. Many stories were heard regarding Kalachand.
It was heard from the eleventh successor of this dynasty, residing
in Srirampore of West Bengal, Amitabh Chakraborty that among
the twelve Bhuiyas or feudal chiefs of Barishal, one was
Kandarpanarayana Ray. The deity, Kalachand, was worshipped in
his house. When Kalapahar, the Muslim General, started to demolish
the Hindu Temples after his conversion, Kandarpanarayana Ray
entrusted the responsibility of protecting Kalachand to his Dewan
who was one of the successors of the Chakraborty dynasty. The
successor of this dynasty had then buried the idol of Kalachand
someplace in Rahamatpur.
It was known from Amitabha Chakraborty that one of his
ancestors, most probably Sri Ramjeevan Chakraborty had once
decided to visit Lord Jagannatha in Puri. Accordingly, resolving
all the zamindari related work, he commenced upon the journey
towards Nilachal (Puri). After the fifth or sixth day of his journey,
he dreamt of his Lord Jagannatha telling him-”Why are you going
to visit me? I remain there where you live.” The Lord had directed
him towards a place and had asked him to establish Him in his
home after retrieving Him from that place. Digging up the indicated
place revealed the captivating idol of Kalachand. But, while digging
up with the spade, one of the fingers of the idol was broken.
Attaching the broken finger to the idol, Ramjeevan Chakraborty
established the idol at his home with utmost reverence. This was
followed by the search of an idol of Maa Lakshmi. The same place
was dug up again. The digging resulted in the formation of a pond
but the idol was nowhere to be found. After a few days, another
divine command was heard in a dream, which gave instruction of
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 The Greatest
making an idol of Maa Lakshmi with eight elements and
establishing it beside the idol of Kalachand. Hence, Maa Lakshmi
was duly seated beside Kalachand. Since then and till now, the idol
of Kalachand is being worshipped by the zamindari household of
the Chakraborty dynasty of Rahamatpur.
The people of Rahamatpur had plenty evidences of Kalachand
being imbued with life. There are many accounts regarding
Kalachand. One such incident was heard from Amitabha
Chakraborty. One day, an aged Muslim man, wearied out from the
whole day’s hard work, sat dejected, beside the waterway of
Rahamatpur. He experienced unbearable pain throughout his body
and somehow mustering his remaining energy uttered- “Allah! I
can do no more!” Just then he saw a glowing dark-skinned young
boy sprinkling water on him and saying- “It will be fine! It will be
fine!” Within moments, he saw that all his pains and sufferings
had disappeared from his body without a trace. Amazed, while
trying to look at the boy, he saw that the boy was nowhere nearby.
The old man made desperate efforts to look for the child. He even
bought a two rupee sweet to convey his gratefulness and love to
the young boy. Even after asking people for the whereabouts of
the boy, no one could help him to find the boy. At last, crestfallen
from his frantic search, he arrived in front of a temple porch and
upon looking, the old man became stupified. Astounded, he saw
that the boy who had sprinkled holy water and subsided his pains,
was seated right in front of him, in the temple, in the form of
‘Kalachand’.
Once, two tantrics took shelter in the holy abode. The
zamindar who was presiding over the place then, provided them
with shelter in the temple with utmost veneration. All of a sudden,
in the middle of the night, the zamindar had a dream of Lord
Kalachand telling him- “I cannot stay here. You come and rescue
me.” He woke up with a start. He thought that till then, their Lord
was served with no irregularity, so why did he see such a dream?
Was it a figment of his imagination? Somehow, he couldn’t put his
mind at ease. He climbed off his bed and went to the temple. He

49
 The Greatest

saw that the two tantrics had littered the temple by throwing
rubbish and there was a foul smell everywhere. He immediately
cleaned the clutter and chased away the tantrics. He realized that
the dream he saw was real and that their deity was not lifeless.
The Zamindar family of Rahamatpur remains witness to many
other such miraculous events. Worshipped through many
generations, coming under the dreadful grasp of Partition, when
the former generations were compelled to come to West Bengal,
they did not forget to bring the idol of Kalachand and Maa Laxmi.
At present time, at the house of Sri Amitabha Chakraborty in
Srirampur, the idol of Kalachand is being worshipped with great
devotion. To Sri Chakraborty, his family and neighbors, the idol of
Kalachand is still infused with life. It is their firm belief that their
Lord is protecting them from every misfortune. The neighbors of
Sri Chakraborty worship and offer obeisance’s daily to the deity
of their house. Even they have received ample evidences of their
Lord’s blessings through many ways. The Chakraborty house is
known as ‘Kalachader Bari’ or ‘the house of Kalachand’. While
passing by, people offer their homage to this house. This is how,
through many generations, the Chakraborty zamindar family of
Rahamatpur is worshipping their divine deity, the Flute- player
Lord Krishna- ‘Kalachand’.

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 The Greatest

(Twelve)

In Rahamatpur’s zamindar family of Sri Ramnarayan

Chakraborty, Gopalchandra Chakraborty was born in the ninth
generation. He had a concrete character on one hand and
generosity on the other. He had such presence that no one dared
to walk past him wearing shoes or slippers. If anyone did so then
he was beaten with his own slippers. He was very religious as
well. He was dedicated to worships and rites. He was often heard
uttering the name of Kalachand, the deity worshipped by their
lineage. His wife was Niradasundari Devi. She was married off by
the age of nine. It is said that Niradasundari Devi received so many
ornaments at her wedding that she was always weighed down by
the adornments. Gopalchandra Chakraborty was a great
benefactor. Once, when a poor man requested his aid for the
marriage of his daughter, Gopalchandra Chakraborty took all the
ornaments off his wife and gave it to the man. Due to this, a time
came when Niradasundari Devi didn’t have any ornaments left
with her. Zamindar Gopalchandra Chakraborty had the heart to
selflessly distribute everything he had. He passed away while
uttering the name of Kalachand. His deserving wife Niradasundari
Devi’s simple, detached lifestyle attracted many people.
Rahamatpur’s zamindar household was a joint family. Many
relatives coexisted in peace. The house bustled twenty four hours
a day. The zamindari house was greatly extended, their own land
measured 1 kilometer x 500 meter which is equivalent to a big
college. The house had everything from porticos, natmandir or
dance halls and even a lion gate. The house hosted festivities oft-
times, in which the entire village participated. Bull sacrifice was
a ritual of the pujas. The villagers enjoyed the offerings of the
puja during the days of the festivals. They had no need of shopping
for groceries. Everyday, vegetables, fish and meat were sent to
them from the markets. Elephants were tied at the gates of the
zamindar mansion. Taxes were levied on the subjects but they
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 The Greatest

were abolished for the poverty stricken. During the pujas, popular
drama companies came to perform from Kolkata. This concludes
that the zamindari family of Barishal had such opulence, name-
fame, influence and regard that it had spread till Kolkata.
Gopalchandra Chakraborty had fathered six sons. Their names
were Ram, Lakshman, Nimai, Nitai, Gauranga and Kanailal. His
eldest son was Kanailal Chakraborty. He was calm- natured but
extremely honest and dedicated as a person. He had something in
him which compelled people to respect him. During his school
years, he was a very bright student. Being dedicated to studies, his
study room was far away from others where just like a true monk
he spent his days studying. Despite of being a zamindar, he lacked
the dynamicity of his father. There was no trace of arrogance or
indulgence in his life. He had a lot of respect towards his parents.
During that time, he qualified in his matric or secondary exam in
the second division and further pursued higher secondary
education or known better as intermediary in those days, in the
humanities stream. He had great knowledge in English and
Sanskrit. Hard challenges and the harsh reality of life could not
deter him from the path of honesty. In his later life, he became a
teacher. Only after establishing the ideals of honesty, dedication
and Truth did he depart from this mortal plane.
Kanailal Chakraborty was married to Induprabha Devi. She
was the daughter of the renowned Siki Chowdhury family of
Kotalipara in theFaridpur district, Bangladesh. Their ancestors had
received a quarter of land of that region with zamindari rights,
hence their family was known as the Siki Chowdhury family, In
Bengali, ‘Siki’ implies ‘quarter’. Induprabha Devi’s father was Sri
Motilal Ray Chowdhury. He was a renowned businessman of that
region. He was a man of great talents. He was proficient in kirtan(
singing devotional songs) and playing khol (an instrument). He
had his own group of singers dedicated to kirtan. His wife was
Surbala Devi. She was a pious and religious lady. She had even
made progress in the spiritual path. Due to her devotion, she had
spiritual experiences like having visions of divine light. Hence, a

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 The Greatest

talented father and a pious mother bore a skilled and qualified

daughter. Extremely brilliant, this woman had a great heart which
had learnt to think about the people of the entire nation and not
just herself. In her childhood, she had taken part in the Bratachari
Movement. She had expertise in stick game and knife fighting.
Since, her elder brother, Manoranjan Chowdhury, was a freedom
fighter and was even imprisoned for his struggle for freedom,
Induprabha Devi was greatly influenced by him and also
participated in India’s struggle for independence. Their house was
once visited by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Induprabha Devi
received the opportunity to garland him. She had a very melodious
voice. After her marriage, the famous litterateur Sri Tarashankar
Bandyopadhyay visited the zamindari household of Rahamatpur.
Induprabha Devi was just fourteen years old at that time.
Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay somehow got to know that the eldest
daughter-in-law of the household was a good singer. The
daughters-in-law of zamindari families were forbidden to sing but
upon his request, Induprabha Devi sang behind covers. She had
great love for the people and worried about everyone. In the later
years of her life, she became an active and influential member of
Satisangha. Religious, honest, free-spirited, generous and
vivacious, this woman remained as the epitome of self- sacrifice
for people till her last breath.
Now, it is time to fulfill the purpose of composing this book
and step forward towards the major keynote. The journey upon
this uneven and unrelenting path of life makes it insufferable. Each
passing day makes us feel that we can no longer go on. In this self-
seeking world, no one is found alongside. People turn their backs
when one goes through a rough patch. This is when death seems
like the better option. When the mind yearns for a way out; unable
to walk through the darkness, when the mind spirals down the
blackness, the one who comes to stand beside is God or Bhagavan.
The one I never thought of, the one for whom I had no time to
spare, it is He who comes uncalled for, to stand by me.Life lights
up and gets deluged with peace cascading over the mind. This is
when the lonesome life becomes illumined. This is when we see
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 The Greatest

that He was forever present beside me. Just as everything is left

behind while walking on the road but the moon stays overhead;
similarly, the one who stayed with me in times of sorrow or joy
was God. Just as the figure in a painting gazes at me
uninterruptedly, irrespective of my position, similarly the one
who is continuously watching over me is God. I realize that it
was I who had failed to look up to Him. Then, in an auspicious
moment, we are introduced to the Truth; the dark life becomes
saturated with the light of Truth. The revelation of the birth,
unbelievable divine works, establishment of pioneering spiritual
deeds in the world and the cosmic divine play of the closest
companion of man, the apple of the eye, the life and soul, the
innermost existence of every object, the creator- sustainer-
destroyer of this entire universe, the messiah of human beings,
the Purushottam or Supreme Being ‘Bhagavan’, is the sole subject
of this book. It was the embodiment of love with the fullness of
the knowledge of consciousness, the greatest Karma Yogi or the
one who performs without attachment and the one ever
immersed in the Supreme consciousness, Bhagavan Himself who
was born in the Rahamatpur village of the Barishal district of
Bangladesh in the Chakraborty lineage to Zamindar Kanailal
Chakraborty and Induprabha Devi, thus, blessing the Earth with
His presence.

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 The Greatest

(Thirteen)

Today, the house is in a hubbub. As it is, everyday, there is a

hustle in the house due to the presence of many relatives. Being a
zamindar mansion, there is also the presence of many needy and
equitable subjects. Then there are friends, the house is also
swarmed by the well-wishers and sweet-talkers. Hence,the
palatial house of the Chakraborty family of Rahamatpur always
has a flurry of activity. Despite of this, this day had a special
significance because the eldest daughter-in-law of the household
is experiencing childbirth. This is why the entire house is in a
mood of celebration. But, they also have a repressed fear since
prior to this, Induprabha Devi had suffered a miscarriage. Will
everything be alright this time? – The anxiety remained within
all. Even the villagers showed signs of concern, for the infant,
who was about to take birth, would be their future leader. Even
the zamindar couldn’t get a wink of sleep at night.
Finally, the moment came when ending every speculation,
the infant was born, the eldest child of the zamindar family. The
newborn was healthy. The year was 1348 and the day was the
19th of the ninth month of the Bengali Calendar, while according
to the English calendar, it was the 3rd of January, 1942. The time
of birth was recorded at ten past ten at night. The infant attracted
everyone’s attention at first sight. He had an enthralling
appearance- with an effulgent dark complexion and endearing
face. The small, dark locks framing the tiny face made the sight
more captivating. The zamindar, Gopalchandra Chakraborty came
running, cradled the baby in his arms and stared intently, perhaps
foreseeing his future which would carry forward the name, glory,
prestige and lineage of the zamindar family. Embracing the child,
He mumbled the words- “Kalachand! Kalachand!” Finding his idol
of worship within the baby, his eyes flooded with tears of joy.
The father of the newborn, Kanailal Chakraborty smiled from ear
to ear- the smile that showed contentment and satisfaction. The
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 The Greatest
smile of fulfillment had ruptured his tough exterior to reveal itself.
Induprabha Devi also underwent a silent change. Preceding this,
she was just the daughter-in-law of the zamindar family but now
she had become a mother, her heart overflowing with maternal
love. Her own child, whom she had nurtured in her womb for so
many months, was now born which filled her with nurturing love.
Turn by turn, everyone in the household and the neighbors took
the baby in their arms. The zamindar became busy in distributing
sweets among the villagers. The child came as a herald of happiness
for all. From the moment of His birth, He became the light of their
lives, their spearhead, it was as if He had brought heaven amidst
the villagers of Rahamatpur with His advent.
The birth of the eldest son of Kanailal Chakraborty changed
the atmosphere and trend of thoughts of the entire village. It was
as if a wondrous ecstasy had descended within all. Since morning,
people flocked to the zamindar mansion. Everyone waited eagerly
to embrace the child for once. The infant attracted everyone
immeasurably. He had become the matter of focus for every
villager. Everyone had forgotten their household chores. People
fought to cuddle him. The child was extraordinary! He accepted
every embrace and never cried. Seemingly, since the very
beginning, He belonged to everyone. He was not only the child of
the zamindar family but everyone’s. But, the child was very
restless. You simply cannot take your eyes off Him for even a
minute! Seeing his grandchild, made Gopalchandra Chakraborty
forget his prowess and temper; picking up the child, he used to
utter the name of Kalachand with tears rolling down his eyes.
Even the villagers were transfixed under the bewitching spell.
Such great affection and attraction for someone else’s child! If
this is not strange then what is! Induprabha Devi also spent her
days in inexplicable bliss. A heavenly child had descended on the
Earth, bringing good tidings of joy for the mother. The smile of
her child entranced her. The infant differed from other infants.
Everything was different about Him. From His birth itself, He had
become a boon for the villagers. He had swept everyone away in
torrents of happiness. He was born, as if to take the place of the
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 The Greatest
deliverer. The villagers were unaware about the spiritual
austerities that they had performed. Never once did they think
about how fervently they longed for God or how intense their
prayers were. But it is true that, the one for whom the saints,
sages, ascetics and monks renounce their homes and dwell in
caves performing tough spiritual practices to catch a glimpse of
Him and attain realization, even putting their lives on the line;
had taken birth so easily and simply for the liberation of mankind,
in the form of a true friend and only shelter. He manifested in a
human form within the bloodline of the brilliant Ramnarayan
Chakraborty, the progenitor of the zamindar dynasty; as the
grandchild of the gallant Gopalchandra Chakraborty; as the child
of an honest, dedicated, idealistic and humble father, Kanailal
Chakraborty and as the son of a spirited, forthright, well-versed,
patriotic and compassionate mother, Induprabha Devi. The child
was named ‘Sajal’.

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 The Greatest

(Fourteen)

In the Barishal district of Bangladesh in the Rahamatpur

Chakraborty Zamindar family, God Himself has been born. He was
named ‘Sajal’ meaning ‘moist’. He who will pine for the liberation
of mankind, He who will go from door to door for the welfare of
the common mass, whose eyes will remain welled up in tears to
distribute love amidst the world, is this why He was named thus?
No matter whatever it is, we will address him as ‘Bhagavan’
because since His birth He is God Himself. In the scriptures, the
word ‘Krishna’ denotes the one who attracts. When God incarnates
into the world, He takes the form of a human. He has the same
arms- feet and body, similar to other humans. But, He remains a
bit different from the rest which even if remains hidden at first, it
discloses later. God contains an immense power of attraction
within and people tend to naturally accept Him as a leader. People
remain oblivious to why they feel attracted to Him but they feel
a strong attraction. Everybody accepts Him as their leader and
guide. This is also unintentional and involuntary. For Bhagavan,
this became evident since His birth. During his infancy, people
fought over him as if He was the manifestation of the attraction.
Everybody carried Him to their homes in their arms. Since then
had Bhagavan become, not only of his zamindari family, but the
treasure of entire Rahamatpur.
In the meantime, India was coalescing under the ‘Quit India
Movement’, led by the ‘Father of the Nation’, Mahatma Gandhi,
based upon the ideals of ‘Ahimsa’ or non-violence in a full- fledged
attempt to uproot the British domination and Bengal had always
been a pioneer in the movements. Apart from this, due to the rise
of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and repercussions of the Second
World War, British rule over India had slackened. The British
leaving India was just a matter of time. But alas, the human nature—
when nothing remains, people merge and fight with one mind to
reclaim their rights. But, when the time comes when they are
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 The Greatest
finally rewarded for their efforts, they fail to keep the unity. At
the outset, the unity which determines the fruits of hard work is
forsaken as people become engrossed in the play of dividing the
produce. With complete independence in mind, Indians became
one creed, one country and gave a leap to their deaths in the
freedom struggle but the possibility of Independence instantly
created disunions among them. Emerged communalism— Hindu-
Muslim conflict. The fire of this conflict was set by the leader of
Muslim League, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the helpless British
also added fuel to the fire. India witnessed the simultaneous rise
of both nationalistic movements and communalistic struggles.
After gaining Independence, the Muslim League adjudicated on
the dispute by dividing India on the basis of religion and
demanding a separate country for the Muslims.
The rise of communism and after independence, the
probability of India’s partition on the basis of religion, led to
communal riots in various regions. The small religious
communities abandoned their lands and went to join the majority
of their own religion because they felt that living with people
from a different faith was no longer safe. This dread was however,
not ill-founded. In various places, people of the small religious
communities were being attacked. Due to the rise of religious
fundamentalists, the news of fierce riots were heard often. Hence,
peace- loving and prudent men were compelled to leave their
homes and start lives afresh. Some people left their homes prior
to the independence but afterwards lakhs of people sacrificed their
countries. During the partition, Bengal, Punjab and Assam were
mainly divided hence people came here from Pakistan and vice
versa. In the past, the present Bangladesh was known as ‘East
Pakistan’. Provoked and assisted by the Muslim government, the
Muslim Fundamentalists made lakhs of Hindus homeless.
Those who apprehended this event, came to India before its
independence. Bhagavan’s father, Kanailal Chakraborty was

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 The Greatest

worrying about the probable outcome for quite a few days.

Perhaps, he could foresee the ominous days of the future. His son
was only an infant of three. Not his own but, the thoughts of his
child made him restless. After pondering and seeking advice from
his well-wishers, Kanailal Chakraborty made up his mind to come
to Kolkata with his family.
Before relocating to Kolkata, at the age of three, with His
mother, Bhagavan went to visit His maternal uncle’s house in
Bogura, Faridpur. There, He was once affected by Meningitis
which became fatal. Many doctors failed to cure him so as a last
resort, Induprabha Devi took the help of an Ayurvedic doctor. He
said that it was possible to save the patient’s life but to keep up
the blood circulation, the child had to be hit on the back and the
body throughout the night. The doctor advised Induprabha Devi
to not stay in front of the patient since she won’t be able to tolerate
it. Unwillingly, they tolerated this heartless scene but, the child
survived from the hands of death.
In 1945, Kanailal Chakraborty finally came to Kolkata with
his father, Gopalchandra Chakraborty, his mother, wife and child.
The things they left behind was their palatial house, capital- wealth,
hundreds of well-wishers, subjects, respect, name, dignity and
aristocracy. Due to Nature’s inexorable compulsion they went
from riches to rags, unable to bring anything with them. They,
who had once sheltered many people, were now out on a search
for a roof over their heads in the unknown, unfamiliar, unseen
city of Kolkata.
In a dungeon, during a tempestuous night was born Shri
Krishna. On that fateful night, Vasudeva paved his way through
the storm with his son to the secure abode in Nandgaon. Bhagavan
was not born in a prison cell but after His birth, Bangladesh had
become prison-like. Bhagavan’s father, like Vasudeva, had
safeguarded Bhagavan by bringing Him to Kolkata. After the birth
of Sri Krishna, unsolicitedly, just as the closed doors of the dungeon
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 The Greatest

were flung open, prison guards were put to sleep and the fetters
on his parents were unfastened, just as Mother Nature had
protected her ideal son from the hands of the tyrant, Kansa,
through a divine intervention by transferring Him elsewhere;
Bhagavan’s parents also felt the urge of moving their son
someplace else. Born and brought up amidst luxury, this calm,
composed man who never had to face adverse conditions; for his
son had to come face- to- face with rigorous uncertainties of life.
It was as if Mahamaya (the Goddess of illusion) herself, in order
to protect her most beloved creation, had evoked the desire,
within Kanailal Chakraborty, of bringing his child to Kolkata and
this is why they had descended from the peak of affluence, to the
hard- severe land of harsh reality.

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 The Greatest

(Fifteen)

West Bengal is one of the states of Eastern India. The capital

of West Bengal is Kolkata. It is one of the most important centre
for trade and commerce. Kolkata, the second largest cosmopolitan
city of India is the eight largest city of the world. Preceding Delhi,
Kolkata was the capital of India till 1911. It is the centre of
education, science, architecture, culture, music and politics of
modern India. Through many decades the leftist movement of India
has been conducted from Kolkata. Kolkata is also known as the
cultural capital of India. Though it is the main habitat of Bengali’s,
many people from other caste, religion, diverse cultural and
linguistic backgrounds co-exist here peacefully. It is also known
as the ‘City of Joy’. The cordiality, astir fervor and hospitality of
its citizens attract everyone’s attention. Before the British set foot
upon the Indian soil, there were three villages namely Sutanuti,
Govindapur and Kolkata. The Kolkata we see now comprises of
these three villages. Situated along the banks of Ganga, Kolkata
has been densely populated since more than a millennia.
Uncountable renowned saints, litterateurs, scientists,
revolutionists, singers, artists have been born in the city of Kolkata.
During the Partition, the clouds of terror and uncertainty
loomed over Bangladesh which compelled the higher and upper
middle class Hindu zamindars and business magnates to abandon
their lands- property- interests- shelter and relocate to India. They
desired to start from scratch in a new place and a new environment
rather than living with their properties in their homelands amidst
fear. Hence, people who were owners of great fortune immigrated
to Bengal from across the borders as refugees and became busy
with their newly found life struggles. Amidst an insecure life in
India they earned the security that they longed for.
Kanailal Chakraborty started living in Narkeldanga in Kolkata
along with his parents, wife and son. He rented a small place. The

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 The Greatest

servant’s quarter in their abandoned mansion was bigger than

the place rented for the five members. It was extremely difficult
for Bhagavan’s paternal grandfather, Gopal Chandra to live amidst
such dire constraints. The man, whose formidability made men
tremble with fear, changed drastically. Sometimes he sat looking
glum and sometimes he shouted at the tiniest of mistakes. He was
stung by the memories of being a zamindar. Not finding any
similarity between the past and the present, his mind became
engrossed in the thoughts of Kalachand. Calling out this name, he
used to break down in tears. It was evident that he had not been
able to digest the unmerciful blow of fate.
In such an undesirable condition, Bhagavan’s father strangely
remained unruffled. He had always been a composed man. He had
realized that breaking down in such adverse conditions would
further worsen the condition of his family. Bhagavan’s mother
also adjusted with the changed environment. She was a worthy
spouse to her husband. She never let anyone know about her
sufferings. Even though she belonged from a Vaishnav Brahmin
family, she had an unprejudiced and combative mind which
enabled her to adapt to every circumstance. Like every other
women, she was never heard cursing her fate or blaming her
husband for the economic or other predicaments. She remain
engaged in silent battles. Facing her own struggles never made her
think about herself, on the contrary, she showed concern for her
neighbors’ well-being and rendered her help in their times of need.
This is why, Induprabha Devi was much loved and respected by
her relatives and neighbor’s. Bhagavan’s father always remained
immersed in his books and studies. Everyone had great admiration
towards his erudition. After settling down in Narkeldanga, he
started giving in-home tutoring lessons to students. Unable to bring
any wealth or possessions from Rahamatpur, they were facing
intolerable levels of misery. Working as an in-home tutor for the
subsistence of five family members was clearly an infeasible
solution. Even a few days prior, they were the owners of grandeur
and glory so spending life in such extreme conditions had become
the most difficult feat for them.
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 The Greatest
Amidst such extremities, an incident took place.By then,
Bhagavan’s father had already resided in Narkeldanga for quite a
few months. During that time, the mephitis of communalism had
already spread throughout India. Various places witnessed brutal
conflicts among different religions resulting in the deaths of
hundreds. The situation was no different in Kolkata. Many places
were marked as sensitive zones as they were prone to riots. It
was a time when Bhagavan’s father was a home tutor. He used to
return home late after teaching. Since, Kanailal Chakaborty did
not keep news of the outer world apart from his studies, he was
not aware of Kolkata’s state of affairs. Like any other day, he was
returning to his rented house one night, after teaching his students.
He was walking alone in the night through the Rajabazar area.
Suddenly, he saw some people standing on the path with sticks,
axes and weapons. They seemed agitated. They caught up with
Kanailal Chakraborty and started asking his name, address and
religion. This is when it struck him, he realized that he had fallen
into the hands of fanatic Muslim miscreants. He recalled people
telling him to avoid that area which was fraught with danger. His
heart skipped a beat. He thought that this was his last day on
Earth, they would take his life. He prayed to God. One man told
the others,” Let him go, he is a teacher.” Instantly, the others let
him go and said,” Go home, Sir.” Offering his repeated obeisance
to God, he returned home. He realized that he was able to return
alive that night due to the blessing of God. But, after hearing this
incident, Bhagavan’s mother prohibited him from giving in-home
tutoring lessons.
Bhagavan was aged four or five at that time when He did
something unthinkable. One day, Bhagavan went missing from
His Narkeldanga residence. This brought chaos in the entire
household. Repeated search but the child was nowhere to be found.
The house, roads and the entire Narkeldanga area was searched.
Wails and cries echoed through the house. Bhagavan’s uncles
reported the incident to the police. The next couple of hours
passed in anxiety. Finally, the child was spotted in Maniktala- He
was seen drinking coconut water with a young girl. Uncle Nitai
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 The Greatest

Chakraborty brought Him home and everyone let out sighs of

relief. Later, Bhagavan narrated the incident. But, the distance
between Narkeldanga and Maniktala was not short. However, He
cannot recall how He reached the place through the busy main
roads at such a young age.
At that time, Kanailal Chakraborty’s nephew, Sri Haridas
Bandyopadhyay, lived in Narkeldanga. He was a much favored
leader of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s political party ‘Forward
Bloc’. Bhagavan’s father stopped giving home tutoring lessons
which again brought an indecisive situation because something
had to be done to make ends meet. Haridas Bandyopadhyay helped
Kanailal Chakrabortyto secure a teacher’spost in the Deshbandhu
primary school in Narkeldanga. This relieved the family from the
thoughts of uncertainty. After living in Narkeldanga for quite some
time, they shifted to a newly rented place in Beleghata. After living
there for a few days they again shifted to Chetla in his cousin’s
place. Bhagavan’s father worked as a teacher in a school in Chetla
during his stay. After this, the time the family stayed in Kolkata,
they spent their days living in Chetla. During their struggle in
Kolkata, Induprabha Devi did every task single-handedly. Cooking
meals for the family, serving her father and mother- in-law and
caring for her son, which was not a matter of joke. After coming
to Kolkata, her father-in-law, even though he had lost his
zamindari rights, did not lose the temper. Negligible errors incurred
his previously-known temper and fury. Calming him down was
equal to giving a test of patience. On top of that, the four or five
year’s old child had become very mischievous. He used to
disappear within the blink of an eye. Handling him was quite a
tough feat. Hence, looking after her family efficiently proves what
great prowess Bhagavan’s mother, Induprabha Devi possessed.
Many years passed in Kolkata, by living in various rented
houses and teaching in various schools. But, Bhagavan’s father
was unable to find a stable job. Due to this, the family was always
surrounded by the shadows of insecurity. During that time, one of
his brother’s went to Orissa. Orissa’s Talcher was famous for coal

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 The Greatest

mines. The place has a school for the children of those working in
the coal mines. Bhagavan’s uncle realized the need of teachers in
the school. Since he was not eligible for the job, he advised
Bhagavan’s father to join the colliery school as a teacher. It was a
time of extreme financial deprivation for his family. So, after
discussing with his wife, Kanailal Chakraborty decided to move
to Talcher. They did as decided. Within a few days they relocated
to Talcher. This time they were accompanied by Kanailal
Chakraborty’s niece, also the sister of Haridas Bandyopadhyay.
After the untimely death of her mother, Kanailal Chakraborty’s
sister, Bhagavan’s mother and father took the responsibility of
Bhagavan’s cousin sister.

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 The Greatest

(Sixteen)

It was again the start of a new journey. A new place, new

environment, people with new mindsets- in the midst of these
started the new struggle of the Chakraborty family. Orissa’s Talcher
city is based upon the coal mines. The city is eye- catching. Many
trees and green foliage, but, with extreme temperatures. It is
difficult to leave home during the scorching heat of summer. From
ten o’clock in the morning till four in the evening, it is toilsome to
leave home. There is high probability of falling ill due to hot and
dry summer winds. Kanailal Chakraborty came to Talcher with
his father, mother, wife, son and niece. After coming to Talcher,
he found no difficulty in securing the post of a teacher in the
school. The school administration accepted the composed,
scholarly man with open arms. The school in which he taught,
still exists. It has now been named- “Colliery High School, Dera.”
Whether it was a higher secondary school then is still unknown.
The children of the miners were admitted in the school. The
workers were given specified quarters. Kanailal Chakraborty
received the same. This region located in Talcher is ‘Dera’. After
relocating from Bangladesh, wandering from Narkeldanga to
Beleghata and Chetla had made their lives similar to that of a
vagabond. Being unaccustomed to such restless, troubled life led
them to exhaustion. After coming to Dera, the new settlement
brought the most- awaited peace into the family.
The inhabitants of Talcher were polite, well- mannered and
calm- natured. Bhagavan’s parents being peace- loving developed
an affinity for that place. Leaving behind the quick paced, zestful,
erratic lifestyle of Kolkata gave them a peace of mind. This gave
them an opportunity of putting their family together. Bhagavan’s
mother being open, warm- hearted and friendly, bonded quickly
with the neighbors. She started receiving affection from all.
Moreover, she had a mellifluous voice. People wanted to hear her
sing and were never disappointed. Kanailal Chakraborty got his
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 The Greatest

beloved son admitted in the same school. The students had to sit
on the floor while learning. Bhagavan’s life as a student began from
there itself. The embodiment of knowledge embarked upon the
path of gaining knowledge.
A few years passed. It was the time when Bhagavan’s sister
was born. She was named Bithika. By then, Bhagavan had also
become a regular student of the Colliery school. Since, Bhagavan’s
father was a teacher of that school, he always kept an eye on
Bhagavan. Bhagavan was mischievous since His childhood. But,
because of His father, He had to desist Himself from mischief. He
was good at studying since His youthful days. He didn’t study for
long periods of time and remained immersed in playing with His
companions instead. His inattention to studies worried His mother
greatly. None was able to catch a glimpse of Him after school. He
used to return covered in dust, dirt and mud. No one knew when
He studied but His results spoke for themselves. He was very
bright. He was among the rare who effortlessly remembered things
even if heard once. Once, Bhagavan also received a ‘double
promotion’ for being a student of high- caliber. Bhagavan’s father
was well- aware of his Son. Their son was their pride and joy.
Time rolled on. Bhagavan’s younger brother, Swapan was
born. Bhagavan had also grown up. He had made a name for
Himself in Dera. He had become a leader. His neighbors showered
love with Him, wanted to see Him and He had also made a lot of
friends. The tall, dark, curly-haired boy received affection from
all. What strange attraction this boy possesses which makes
everyone want to speak with Him, see Him and go to Him! But,
the boy stays in His own world. But, everyone wishes to be with
Him. There was a football field in Dera where Bhagavan went
with His friends to play. No matter what He played, He was
unbeatable. Every friend wanted Him to be on their team, for
they knew that whichever team Bhagavan was in, that team would
surely win. Bhagavan was also the class captain in school. He was
the leader as well. Every teacher was fond of Him in school.

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Kanailal Chakraborty was an honest, dedicated and idealistic

man throughout his life. Never did he deviate from the path of
honesty. He believed that a teacher was a teacher not only in a
classroom but twenty- four hours a day, twelve months a year
and every passing moment. The knowledge of a teacher was not
confined within the walls of a classroom. He was also a teacher of
the mass. Therefore, not only through teaching, through his
honesty and behavior, he expressed that he was a teacher. His
honesty made his family face antagonistic circumstances and
incurred the displeasure of his relatives but no affliction could
deflect him from the path of Truth. Whenever Kanailal
Chakraborty set the question papers for his students’ exams, he
didn’t even allow his wife to enter his room lest her motherly
love and weakness would entice her to reveal the questions to
her son for Him to secure good marks. Induprabha Devi endured
every trouble but never once did she complain. She supported
her husband’s attachment and love for Truth and took pride in
him.
Bhagavan’s father loved Him dearly. But, the love of a father
and a mother is unlike one another. When a mother loves a child,
she pays no attention to rules or ideals. But, when a father loves a
child, the ideal stands in between. His love for his Son is based
upon the ideal. If the child gets inspired by the ideal, the relationship
between the father and son stays protected. But if the ideal fails to
inspire the child, then both the father and child grow apart. There
is no resistance of ideology between a mother and her child, but
love. Hence, it is often seen that the mother is more near and dear
to the child and the child discloses every word to his mother but
not his father. A father wants his child to abide by principles and
ideals but a mother just wants her child to be with her.
Bhagavan’s father was idealistic but loved his son deeply. Like
every other father, he too wanted his son to walk on his footsteps.
He never wanted to bow his head in shame for his son. Kanailal
Chakraborty became sterner in school. He never compromised
with his teachings. He never said anything to the other students

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when they failed to answer his questions but when his son did so,
He was severely punished and made to stand outside the classroom.
This hurt Bhagavan deeply and He complained to His mother. Even
His mother was infuriated with the harsh treatment meted out to
her son by her husband. Whenever she expressed her anger, her
husband used to say, “He is my Son! Being my Son, why won’t He
be able to answer the questions?! Do not pamper and spoil Him!”
Hearing this, Bhagavan’s mother kept silent realizing her
husband’s love for his Son. He wanted his son to grow up into
someone respected by all and His ideals inspiring all. But, did
Kanailal Chakraborty ever imagine his son to outshine all his
expectations and hopes and grow a thousandfold?
Another incident occurred between the father and son.
Bhagavan used to do well in studies. He was among the top two
rankers of His class. One time, Bhagavan’s father was examining
the answer scripts. He saw that his son had received the same
marks as another classmate and had both ranked first. Bhagavan’s
father was well- respected for his honesty by everyone in the
locality. And so, he wondered that if his son received the same
marks as His classmate, then people might question his honesty
regarding the scrutiny of the answer sheets. This thought made
him wrongfully deduct one mark from Bhagavan’s sheet as a result
of which Bhagavan placed second instead of first. This incident
had a grave impact on Bhagavan’s innocent heart for He felt that
His own father didn’t let him take the first place. Even, Induprabha
Devi supported Bhagavan and engaged himself in a heated
argument with her husband. The feelings of anger lingered within
Bhagavan’s heart for quite some time but increasing age and
maturity gradually converted this anger into respect.
Time went by. Bhagavan had grown considerably. He had
another sibling called Tapan. Induprabha Devi had a brother,
Subodh Raychowdhury. He worked in the North- Eastern Frontier
Railway as a pay- clerk in Manipur. He purchased a house and
land in Birati, North Kolkata. But, at that time, Birati was yet to be
incorporated within Kolkata. The house was two and a half kattha

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or 1800 square feet approximately. Birati bus- stand was adjacent

to the house. Birati station was a three- minute walk away from
the house with a market place just beside the house. The area was
always full of commotion. Subodh Raychowdhury didn’t live
there, but in Manipur. His mother, Surabala Devi, who was also
Bhagavan’s maternal grandmother lived in that house. She lived
there alone. The house had two rooms. Sometimes, Subodh
Roychowdhury came on a leave to visit his mother, spent a few
days with her and then returned to resume his daily life. He was
worried about is mother living alone. She was growing old as well.
By this time, Bhagavan had grown up. Subodh Roychowdhury
advised his sister, Induprabha Devi, to send her son to Birati. It
was also because there was neither a good school in Talcher nor
any opportunity to pursue higher studies so it was important to
think about her son’s future. He persuaded Bhagavan’s father and
mother to send their son to Kolkata. This would give Bhagavan
the opportunity of staying and studying in Kolkata and secure a
bright future through the city’s educational set-up. Along with
this, He could also take care of His grandmother. His grandmother
could also overcome her loneliness if her Grandson stayed with
her. The suggestion of her elder brother left a mark on Induprabha
Devi’s mind. After talking to her husband, they came to a
conclusion. In due course, Bhagavan, leaving behind His parents,
paternal grandparents, aunt and siblings, came to Birati.
Two years after Bhagavan had come to Birati, his entire
family was compelled to return to Kolkata due to an incident.
Bhagavan’s father had brought his niece to Dera along with him
after her mother passed away. She lived with them and the
responsibility of her upbringing was shouldered by Bhagavan’s
parents. Induprabha Devi was loved by all in Dera. When
Bhagavan’s sister arrived at the age of marriage, Induprabha Devi
gave her ornaments as ransom, collected money from her relatives
and got her married off at Ranigunj. But, Bhagavan’s parents had
failed to recognize the true colors of their relatives for which
they had to pay a heavy price. After the marriage, Bhagavan’s

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sister and her husband conspired and spread rumors that the
money collected for the marriage were not used for the said
purpose but instead taken by them. Bhagavan’s parents felt greatly
insulted. They decided to leave that place for good. They returned
to the place of Bhagavan’s uncle in Birati. Later, their relatives
realized their wrong- doings and went to Birati to plead for their
forgiveness. But, as the saying goes- “Old sins cast long shadows.”
Bhagavan’s cousin sister never lived a good life. Mysteriously,
she died in a fire. Bhagavan’s uncle had embraced monkhood but
failing to maintain it, he had returned to the life of a house- dweller.
But, later due to a grave accident, he broke his hips and remained
paralyzed till his death. Anyhow, Bhagavan began a new phase of
His life from Birati.

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(Seventeen)

Birati- one of the regions lying next to Dum Dum in North

Kolkata. The Jessore Road from Dum Dum passes by Birati. When
the British soldiers travelled from Gorabazar in Dum Dum
Cantonment to their lair in Barrackpore, they rested here. This
place was named ‘Biroti’ meaning ‘interval’ as the resting place
for the white soldiers but became distorted due to
mispronunciations and writing in English and came to be known
as ‘Birati’. Initially, Birati was inhabited by Muslims. After
Partition, when lakhs of people emigrated to West Bengal from
East Bengal, they settled here as refugees. People living here at
that time had to pay taxes to the zamindars. Kolkata’s Sabarna
Roy Chowdhury family had lots of property in Birati. Most of the
people settled here from Barishal and Khulna of East Bengal (Now
Bangladesh). They established colonies under the same name they
had in East Bengal.
Then, Birati, for the most part, was a forested area. It was full
of foxes and wild boars. The British used this area as their hunting
ground for birds and pigs. The land purchased by Bhagavan’s uncle
was next to a graveyard. It was surrounded by Muslim families.
Bhagavan’s uncle’s house was the only one made up of solid bricks
in that area. It had two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The
house had a roof made up of asbestos. Bhagavan, probably came
to Birati around 1954. He got admitted into Birati High School.
Now, the Birati High School is located someplace else. Before, it
was a bit far from home. At that time, there was only one school
in the area. Bhagavan got admitted in the seventh standard after
coming to Birati. Bhagavan’s new school life began from Birati.
Leaving behind his father- mother- brothers and sister, He stepped
out alone at the young age of twelve.
Bhagavan’s grandmother, Surabala Devi, was thrilled that her
grandson had come to stay with her. She was living a solitary life

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till then. Her youngest son had to live in Manipur for work and
hence was not able to visit her often. Her loneliness faded with
the presence of her cherished grandson. Moreover, her grandson
was someone whom everyone is bound to love. Her grandson
became her haven. Bhagavan called her grandmother, ‘Didimoni’,
which means grandmother in Bengali. Bhagavan’s grandmother
was an extremely honest and devout woman. She was always
immersed in worshipping God so she had spiritual experiences
like seeing divine visions of light.
She was also fearless. There was a graveyard just beside her
house. If anyone died, the Muslim families living around would
bury their relatives just beside her house. One day, someone’s
mother died in the house next to the house of Surabala Devi. They
wished to bury their mother just beside their house but Surabala
Devi intervened and told them that she lived alone with a young
boy. If they buried the body just beside their house then the young
boy would be frightened and also since she was a Hindu woman,
she requested them to bury the corpse in the graveyard. The
daunting words of Surabala Devi compelled them to do as they
were told.
A Muslim boy older than Bhagavan, lived in the house of
Surabala Devi. Bhagavan’s grandmother was a dedicated Brahmin
but not a conformist. The boy lived with Bhagavan as His elder
brother. He had a great bond with Bhagavan. Both were
inseparable. Bhagavan called him, ‘Kelo Da’. Bhagavan’s
grandmother loved her grandson but since she was hardworking,
she also made Bhagavan perform all sorts of household duties. As
a result, Bhagavan became capable of doing all sorts of work from
a young age. He was diligent and efficient. Apart from shopping
for groceries with ‘Kelo Da’ and going to the market, Bhagavan
used to grow vegetables in His grandmother’s empty garden. Since
this childhood days, Bhagavan was an avid nature- lover which
made Him dedicated in planting, watering and tending to the trees.
This was a big convenience for His grandma. Bhagavan was not
idle as far as work was concerned. He was never heard saying

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‘No’ or refusing to run errands, but He did all spontaneously upon

His own will. This made Bhagavan shoulder a lot of household
responsibilities after coming to Birati from Orissa. Her grandson’s
adeptness and readiness amazed Surabala Devi. This became the
cause of their blissful life.
Bhagavan was a mischief- maker since He was young. No one
could restrain Him. His mother used to keep Him under strict
supervision in Talcher so Bhagavan had to keep Himself in check.
But, since His grandma had grown old, she was unable to keep up
with Bhagavan. This gradually increased Bhagavan’s headstrong
impulsiveness. Bhagavan’s intrepid character had a remarkable
resemblance to ‘Srikanta’s’, ‘Indranath’, a fictitious character in
the novel authored by the renowned writer, Saratchandra
Chattopadhyay. Since He was young, Bhagavan was free- spirited
and detaining this child was next to impossible. Whenever there
was an obstruction or barrier, charging through it and paving His
way made Him happy. The most deserving companion for these
antics was ‘Kelo Da’. In Birati’s Shaktigarh, there were swamps
where they used to catch carps from the muddy waters. It was
also filled with snakes. But both the friends had neither fear nor
any worry. They waded through the muddy swamps and caught
fishes to their heart’s content. Bhagavan’s grandmother used to
cook the fishes caught by them and feed them with greatest care.
She was vegetarian but free from bigotry, hence, she cooked fish
for her grandson. Birati’s Mandirpara had a pond which was
named ‘Kundu’s Pond’. The pond still exists. Bhagavan used to go
to the pond and swim across back and forth. Beside His house,
there was a trough full of crabs. Fearless as He was, Bhagavan
used His bare hands to catch crabs from the trough. His
grandmother repeatedly prohibited Him from doing so as the
trough also had venomous snakes but all her words used to fall
upon deaf ears. Bhagavan dined, slept beside, played together and
conversed with ‘Kelo Da’. Venturing deep into the woods, they
used to collect and bring back esculent roots, spinach, drumstick,
wild flowers and stems. Once, while gathering spinach leaves,
Bhagavan’s face was stung by a hornet. But, even a swollen face
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was not enough to stop the young boy. Most of the land in Birati
was occupied by Muslims and Bhagavan used to collect these from
their lands. Since, ‘Kelo Da’ was a Muslim, no one said anything to
Bhagavan. Also, Bhagavan’s grandmother used to help everyone
in need which made her earn respect from everyone in return.
There was no economic prosperity in the family. The family lived
on the little money sent by His uncle through ‘money-order’. The
person who brought the money had to be paid since they were
dependent on him for the secure delivery of the amount. So, amidst
such financial crisis, the vegetables grown by Bhagavan, the fishes
caught by Him and the vegetables brought by Him from people’s
gardens helped Surabala Devi to a certain extent. In the time being,
Bhagavan was diagnosed with both typhoid and pneumonia at
the same time. The treatment of typhoid was very costly at that
time. Bhagavan’s life was endangered but He survived through a
divine miracle.
Living in Birati, Bhagavan had befriended many people apart
from ‘Kelo Da’. He was outgoing and adored by all. Bhagavan
disliked being alone. He loved the company of people. His intense
curiosity and urge to know and learn helped Him develop new
relations. He observed everything thoroughly and minutely. Apart
from mugging from books, Bhagavan learnt from nature, the world
and common people passing by on the streets. He had come to
observe the world and did so whole heartedly. This is why,
Bhagavan’s innate nature made Him wander around in the woods,
swamps, fields and river banks just like ‘Indranath’. Nature taught
Him. Bhagavan also made friends with people older than Him. He
was on good terms with them. He was treasured by everyone.
Bhagavan learnt a lot by accompanying His older brothers. Leaving
behind His parents, Bhagavan had come from Orissa to Birati and
the two years that He had spent in Birati had changed Him inside
out. Here, His inner Nature underwent a massive transformation.
Within a short span of time, He had become the son of not only
Kanailal Chakraborty and Induprabha Devi but of the entire world
or nature. This is why, when His parents came to Birati, they
couldn’t find the son they once knew. They clearly saw a new
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person, even though He was young at that time. Usually people

might call Him ‘over- smart’ or imprudent but these are incorrect.
This period of life made Bhagavan stand on His own feet. In these
two years, his academic results were not at par with His results in
Talcher but the main knowledge is that which makes us self-
determined. Accordingly, like sage Satyakama, the span of two
years taught Bhagavan the true knowledge where He physically
grew two years older but mentally He grew beyond bounds.

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(Eighteen)

I have already mentioned earlier that while Bhagavan was

growing up in Birati with His grandmother, simultaneously the
unfortunate turn of events in Talcher, Orissa eventually compelled
His parents, grandparents and siblings to return to Birati.
Bhagavan had spent two years with His grandmother after which
His close ones came to Birati with a heavy heart. But, seeing their
son after a long time made their hearts tranquil. Induprabha Devi
had sent her son to Birati quite unwillingly. Her heart would ache
to see her eldest child but there was no means of fulfilling this
desire. The agonizing event of Talcher came as a blessing in disguise
for Bhagavan’s parents for they once again received the
opportunity of being with their son. After shifting to Birati, they
commenced upon a new journey of life. They once again relived
the rush hours, liveliness, noises and chaos– the bustling city life.
Bhagavan’s father accepted the work as a teacher in Birati high
School. The salary he received was only 30 Rupees.
Bhagavan’s paternal grandfather, Gopalchandra Chakraborty
was a powerful zamindar. His sway kept the entire village of
Rahamatpur and even the members of the zamindari household
on their toes. Abandoning his palatial house in Bangladesh, he had
to face severe conditions with his eldest son and daughter-in-law.
This did hurt his pride but he endured it without complaints. But,
after coming to Bhagavan’s maternal uncle’s house in Birati, he
grew out of patience. The house had two small rooms
accommodating five grown-ups and five children with an asbestos
roof overhead. Seeing such a pitiful state, Bhagavan’s grandfather
failed to hold back his tears and said, “Where have you brought
me, my daughter-in-law? Even my dog didn’t live in such a place!”
Unable to address the cries of her father- in-law, the eldest daughter-
in –law of the household remained mum. What would she do
against the harsh play of destiny that had led them there?
Bhagavan’s grandfather took some time to overcome the
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conditions. When the government wished to provide a 500

Rupees loan to the refugees for their lodging and property, his
pride kept him from accepting the proposal. He had said, “Being a
zamindar, I will take money from the government? Never!” But
getting reunited with his beloved grandson, Kalachand, eased the
grief of Gopalchandra Chakraborty. In the present time, in place
of the zamindari house of Rahamatpur, a regional agricultural
research centre has been established under the Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Institute.
The people who had come to West Bengal from East Bengal
at that time, had lost all their possessions. The government had
provided shelter to the refugees. They stayed in refugee camps
and ate food from the langar or community kitchen. Their
conditions were woeful, but due to the grace of God, Kanailal
Chakraborty’s family escaped from such deplorable conditions.
They had to live with sorrows but the Almighty had not abandoned
His dear children to fend for themselves. Living in Birati was hard,
but despite the lack of space, they had a roof over their head and
four walls around protecting them. Their faith in God helped them
to accept the Partition as God’s Divine will. The government had
endorsed provisions of ‘Refugee Cerificates’ which would allow
the boys and girls to study in any school for free till the tenth
standard. The refugees also received supplies from ration shops.
With these, Bhagavan’s parents were somehow able to lead a
respectful life. Bhagavan’s cousin, Haridas Bandyopadhyay, who
after losing his mother was supported unconditionally by Kanailal
Chakraborty, had grown into a fine young man.Haridas
Bandyopadhyay was involved in politics. He was an active
member of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s ‘Forward Bloc’. Hence
during the time of trouble, Haridas Bandyopadhyay, stood beside
them as a strong source of support.
At that time the standard of education in Birati High School
was not up to the mark. No one used to score good marks in the
Boards. The school lacked efficient teachers and no intelligent
student took admission in the school. This was the reason why

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some friends adviced Bhagavan’s parents to get him admitted in a
good school keeping Bhagavan’s future in mind. This advice made
them have second thoughts about Bhagavan’s future. At that time,
Vaidyanath Institute in DumDum cantonment was considered as
a good establishment for education. Bhagavan got admitted in
Vaidyanath Institute in the ninth standard. This proved to be
beneficial for Bhagavan as He got the guidance of efficient
educators along with focused and studious students. Living with
His grandmother and being away from His parents had made
Bhagavan very mischievous and He did not concentrate on his
studies. His grandmother, be it for her age or love for her grandson,
did not pay much attention towards Bhagavan’s studies. Bhagavan
was somehow managing through His studies. But, Vaidyanath
Institute compelled Him to pay more attention to it.
Within a few days after Kanailal Chakraborty had come to
Birati, a dreadful incident took place which came as a big blow to
the family. Bhagavan’s sister, Bithika, who was born in Talcher
was diagnosed with typhoid. It was a time of grave financial crisis.
Kanailal Chakraborty was engaged in a tireless search for a job.
He was unable to find work with more pay. Looking after the
family was becoming more difficult with the passage of time. In
such difficult time, his only daughter was diagnosed with a fatal
disease. Her mother and father did not have the money for proper
treatment. Within a week Bhagavan’s beloved sister passed away
due to fever. She was just a young girl of nine at the time of death.
Induprabha Devi broke down in wails. Bhagavan cried His eyes
out. She was Bhagavan’s cherished sister. It was during these
painful moments that the harsh reality of this world was seen. A
renowned doctor of that area, Souranshu Roy, to whom Bhagavan
and His mother had gone for treatment various times came and
declared Bhagavan’s sister, dead. His declaration was followed by
cries and wails that echoed through the house. Bhagavan’s mother
burst into tears, Bhagavan started wailing, His brother Swapan
cried holding the window, but, the doctor stood quietly at a corner
waiting to take his fee for examining the patient.

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The untimely death of their daughter Bithika came as a sign

of omen for the family. The pain of losing a daughter had made
Bhagavan’s mother lifeless. Such a misfortune had come within a
few days after coming to Birati so they were thinking about
leaving the place for good. Bithika was loved by all. ‘Birati free
Primary School’ announced holiday for a day to observe the
untimely passing of the young girl who was a student of the third
standard. But neither did they have the time to divulge into the
sorrow of losing their beloved daughter. The house belonged to
Bhagavan’s maternal uncle. After a few days a date was fixed for
his marriage in the same house. Gulping down their pain,
Bhagavan’s parents fulfilled their duties with sincerity. Bhagavan
was then an adolescent. The intense pain left a huge impact on
him. At such young age He was witnessing the selfishness of those
who were well established in society with no lack of money or
fame like that of the doctor. He observed his uncle’s rush for getting
married just after His niece died. Burying the pain of her
daughter’s death, He could see his mother working ceaselessly for
her brother’s wedding. He was watching his parent’s silent
suffering and helplessness. The endless sufferings was leading to
the rise of the staunch desire in His mind- “I will not let my mother
and father suffer any more!”
Amidst these occurrences, Bhagavan’s grandfather passed
away, who was once the mighty zamindar of Rahamatpur,
Gopalchandra Chakraborty. Having great sway, temper on one
hand and great love and devotion on the other - his character had
the amalgamation of diverse attributes which were not even
inherited by his sons but Bhagavan. He had a hard shell outside
but was soft within. After being a zamindar in the former part of
His life, He was forced to live a usual life in his later years. He
loved his honest, idealistic, peace- loving eldest son and his
daughter- in- law a lot, so he spent his final days with them.
Bhagavan’s father always had to fight poverty. Whenever, his
siblings prospered economically, thinking about the hardships of
her father- in- law, Bhagavan’s mother sometimes used to tell
him, “Father, your other children are thriving financially, so you
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can go and spend your days with them.” The old man used to
reply,” I will not go anywhere leaving you my daughter.
Irrespective of whether you feed me or not, I will be with you
forever till death.” During the last few days of his life, he was only
heard uttering the name of Kalachand. His eldest grandson was
the apple of his eye. He called him, ‘Kalachand’. He was also greatly
adored by his grandson. It cannot be known if he had recognised
his grandson as God Himself but seeing his love for him clears the
doubt that he did attain heaven after departing from the mortal
plane.
One or one and a half years after the death of Bithika, the
family was blessed with another daughter who was named ‘Gouri’.
The baby came as a herald of happiness as everyone believed
that Bithika had returned again. Even if Bhagavan was young, he
was the eldest son of the family. Since then, He had the tendency
of ceaping into people’s troubles. He was not the one to avoid his
responsibilities despite of being young at age. He had independent
thoughts about how to solve problems even at the young age of
thirteen or fourteen. Bhagavan thought,” My sister Bithika has
returned. Now, I will not let her leave us. I will protect her by all
means.” But, what could He do for His sister? He didn’t have money.
Thinking this through, Bhagavan started keeping a goat as a pet
so that He can feed its milk to His sister. He named the goat,
Lakshmi. No one had asked Bhagavan to do anything. All this was
done by the affectionate heart of a dutiful brother.
Kanailal Chakraborty’s family had great economic
depreciation. A teacher’s salary was meagre and insufficient to
look after a big family. Bhagavan’s father’s income was not enough
to minimize the expenditure of the family. It took great efforts
and this is where Bhagavan had become a big support to His
mother. After coming to Birati, Bhagavan’s younger sibling,
Swapan, had become His closest companion. To decrease the
burden of the family’s expenses, the means adopted by Bhagavan
and His mother might be morally unacceptable but it seems that
survival amidst extreme indigence becomes the only moral duty

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for the ones enduring it. During those times, there was a rail line
in front of the house in Birati. Everyday a steam engine of the
Jesop Company, carrying petrol used to pass through that line
towards the airport. The driver of the steam engine was known
in the area. Coming to Birati, he used to reduce the pace of the
train or sometimes even stop it. Bhagavan, His mother and brother
used to run upto the train along with the neighbours; sticking one
anna coins on sticks, they used to hold it high. Taking the money,
the driver used to throw chunks of coal which was taken home
by them. The coal was used for cooking. Sometimes, fights used
to breakout between the neighbours in an attempt to determine
for whom the driver had thrown the chunk of coal. During that
time it was difficult to get coal or kerosene, moreover no one had
money to buy them. So this was how they collected coal. For
cooking, cow dung was also used besides coal, which was collected
by Bhagavan and his younger sibling, Swapan. They used to hop
onto the streets carrying buckets. They kept their watchful eyes
upon the cow and waited for it to raise its tail. The moment the
cow raised its tail, the two brothers used to run within the blink
of an eye- whoever would keep the bucket first would take the
dung. This was somehow a competition among the neighbours.
The more the brothers would fill up their buckets, the happier
their mother would be. Hence, in this matter, there was no end to
the brothers’ readiness and spontaneity. Their mother used the
cow manure as compost by mixing it in soil and drying it under
the sun and sticking it on walls. Her son’s also learnt the art of
composting cow manure. Bhagavan’s mother also made balls out
of coal dust which was used for cooking.
Since his childhood, Bhagavan was lively. His eyes always
searched for new things, he was eager to learn new things. He had
readiness and capability in work. It was His nature to help people
and leap forward during their times of need without putting any
thought about His well- being. He was eager to help people even
being uninvited. This is why He was loved by all. It was a time
when Birati was inhabited by goons. Even they adored Bhagavan.

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They devotedly organised and did Kali puja and even invited people
to dine. Voluntarily, this responsibility was taken up by the young
boy of thirteen or fourteen. He served people with great care and
Himself ate after everyone else. The organisers felt relieved after
giving the responsibility to Bhagavan. They knew that the young
boy would complete His task with full dedication. Even the
neighbours received help from Bhagavan when it came to their
household chores. Love towards people from a young age brought
Bhagavan close to mankind. No one told Him to help people but
He who is God Himself in the guise of a boy would definitely differ
from other ordinary boys. Some innate power made this young
boy render help to people. However, the reason behind this
remained unrevealed to Him at that time.
A man named Sri Gopi Bhowmik lived in Birati. He was
engaged in various welfare activities. Once, Mr. Bhowmik opened
a water hut, where arrangements were made to provide water to
the thirsty train passengers in summer. He appointed some youths
for this purpose. Seeing this Bhagavan also volunteered saying
that He also wanted to do that work. Mr. Bhowmik became pleased
with this pure hearted boy and agreed to his request. With great
inspiration, Bhagavan, with His brother Swapan and His friends,
began the work. The sweet, bright, dark, curly- haired thin boy
distributing glasses of cold water really amazed the people. At an
age when children play; leaving it aside in the intense summer
temperature, demanding no gain in return, eager to quench the
thirst of people and inspiring His friends- who is this boy, what is
His name, what is His aim? This scene had no similarity with the
scenes known or seen every other day- doubts lingered within
the people who had had their thirsts quenched.
Bhagavan had His thread ceremony when he was in the ninth
standard. Adorning Saffron robes, this young boy look
mesmerizing! But, many rules need to be followed for the thread
ceremony. But, who will control this carefree boy. He knew no
barrier of religion, caste or creed. On the contrary, most of His
friends and acquaintances were Muslims. The day after His

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initiation He went to the house of a Muslim artisan. Bhagavan

often used to visit their home. The eldest son of a high caste,
dedicated Brahmin family ate at their house. The advent of the
One who will shatter the imaginary bindings of caste- Creed-
religion of the world and give people their true identity of the
constant, pure, enlightened liberated Brahman; is it possible to
confine Him within the shackles of such religious rituals, principles
and rites?
I have discussed earlier about how Bhagavan contributed to
the earnings of the family and render help to run errands while
living with His grandmother. During His stay with His
grandmother Bhagavan used to make paper pouches with her.
That time plastic bags where not used; the shopkeepers used to
give the commodities to the buyers in paper pouches. After
Bhagavan’s parents came to Birati, at dusk the entire family used
to sit together and make paper pouches which was later sold in
the shops to add little to the earnings of the family. Besides this,
Bhagavan also grew vegetables in the front yard. For this, He
worked very hard. In His small garden He grew- radish, cauliflower
and potatoes. After growing the gourd trees He used to keep them
on their asbestos roof. They grew a lot of gourds. They ate the
vegetables, gave it to the neighbours and even sold them to the
vegetable sellers. This did help the poverty stricken family to some
extent. Therefore, since His young age when other children were
busy playing, Bhagavan had the heart of looking after His parents
and family. He thought about ways to reduce their worries about
trying to earn the daily bread and keeping this in mind, Bhagavan
had many fruitful contributions in the family which was really
beneficial for them. Taking care of others at such a young age,
looking after the menial things of every family member, it is
surprising how such a heart was created within the young child.
Due to this nature was Bhagavan near and dear to others. But
despite of loving Him it is clear that the probable rise of greatness
within Him was not understood by the struggling people.

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(Ninteen)

The readers who have read this until now is likely to have
certain doubts or uncertainties in their minds. Whenever, we read
the biographies of great men or saints, we see that their childhoods
have occurrences of many miraculous events which hints towards
their future spiritual lives. Analysis of the historical lives of the
great men tells us that they were not ordinary since their
childhood. Some stayed away from every sort of commotion since
they were little while within some had awakened the desire to
realize God. Sri Ramkrishna, since his juvenile years, used to
experience spiritual trance upon seeing the Nature, Swami
Vivekananda in his youthful days used to lose his outward senses
in deep meditation. We have read about many such spiritual
instances in the biographies of great spiritual men. But, here,
someone who is being called Bhagavan; has no extraordinary,
supernatural occurrences since His childhood. Yes, it is absolutely
true, this is where Bhagavan is free and like none other. He is
different because for Him, Truth and Spirituality does not exclude
life. In the next chapters of His life, we will see that for Bhagavan,
spirituality does not signify detachment from the world or daily
life, everything this world and life has is the Truth or Brahman-
this realization has driven His life till today. This is why we find
Him thrusting His way through the life struggles with His
grandmother, mother and father. Regardless of being young, He
fought shoulder to shoulder with His family instead of detaching
Himself from the world and steering clear from troubles. This is
the reason why His life is the never ending warzone for
establishing Truth. His battle, starting from His childhood
continues till today. He has no repose, as overcoming the
realization- ‘Brahman is real, the world is unreal’, He is established
upon the realization- ‘Brahman is the Truth, the world is the Truth,
everything is true’. The foremost spiritual practice of His life was
the struggle to establish the Truth or ideal, whenever He deemed

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it to be the absolute, amidst the world and such spiritual reflections
were seen since His childhood.
But, since His early years, Bhagavan was devoted to Sri Rama.
The love for Truth that Lord Rama possessed had inspired
Bhagavan. Whomever it was, their duplicity was always greeted
with the reproval of Bhagavan. Truth was the dearest to Him more
than anything. Seeing the adults deviating from the path of honesty
did not keep Bhagavan from correcting them. Thus, not only His
classmates, friends or siblings, but even His parents and neighbors-
everybody feared His sharp-tongue. They knew well that any
falsity in their behaviors would earn them some condemning
words. His affection for Truth made Him love Sri Rama whose life
was established on Truth. His battles, sacrifice were all grounded
upon Truth. Bhagavan’s life was similar to this. Another of
Bhagavan’s respected spiritual soul was Sri Chaitanya whose love
for humanity really attracted Bhagavan. The love for mankind
was clearly reflected within Bhagavan. He used to keenly render
help to erase the woes of people. But, it would be wrong to think
that Bhagavan had attempted to develop an affinity for Truth and
love under the inspiration of Lord Rama and Sri Chaitanya. He
had always exhibited the inner disposition He had for Truth and
love since His boyhood. In general, a young boy, engrossed in the
grinding battle of life is dishonest and self- absorbed, but on the
contrary, Bhagavan’s penchant for Truth and His selfless love for
the common mass, for me, is the greatest miracle.
Kanailal Chakraborty’s family spared no effort to survive
through the days of great financial pinch. The job he had made
him change schools repeatedly due to less salary. For this, he had
taught in Birati High School, Birati Vidyapith and Birati Vidyalaya.
In the morning, Induprabha Devi used to make rotis after ligating
the stove and the rotis were lighting kept for dinner. It was a
period with no electricity so the stoves were not lighted at night.
They had to eat the cold hard rotis made in the morning. In the
afternoon, it was hardly rice and one curry. Some of that curry
was also kept aside for dinner. They ate it with roti. Preparation

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of eggs was luxury and like a festival for the siblings. Bhagavan’s
mother used to mix the yolk of one or two eggs with flour and
deep fry them. It was divided into eight pieces but those tiny pieces
were very delectable to the children. They had early dinner at night.
Along with these, the young boy was also conducting the
welfare activities. It was a time when Birati was the home for
many refugees. To provide nutrients to their toddlers and children,
the government had organized packets of powdered milk. The
social activist, Gopi Bhowmik had taken the responsibility for
this noble cause from the government. Bhagavan used to mix the
powdered milk in water and distribute it from door to door at
such young age. There was nothing for Him to receive from this
work but working for people gave Him happiness. Inspired by
Him, even His friends used to lend hands in these works. And so,
even after being with others, He was the most independent. He
was poles apart due to His love for the Truth, His love for others,
having no desires for Himself, having a distinct vitality- but, did
this catch anyone’s eye?
Within a few months of Kanailal Chakraborty shifting with
his family to Birati, Anukul Bhattacharya and his family came as
their neighbor. Anukul Bhattacharya had seven brothers.
Originally from Bangladesh’s Sylhet, all of the seven brothers
appeaced very intimidating. They were feared by all in Birati. It
was a Muslim settlement prior to their advent. No matter how
domineering they appeared outside, Anukul Bhattacharya
respected Kanailal Chakraborty and Induprabha Devi a lot. Anukul
Bhattacharya called Kanailal Chakraborty, ‘Master’ or ‘Sir’. They
had a special liking towards alcohol, so in the evening, the seven
brothers fighting in a drunken stupor had become everyday’s
phenomenon. Bhagavan’s mother often went to stop their fights.
Anukul Bhattacharya’s family also had a poor economic condition,
hence, Induprabha Devi extended her hand for help as much as
she could afford. They also looked after the necessities of
Bhagavan’s family. They used to call Bhagavan their ‘nephew’.
Kanailal Chakraborty and His family were quite relieved due to

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this family. They had offered protection to Bhagavan’s family

during the hard times.
Till then, Birati had become densely populated. In front of
the house in Birati lies, Madhusudan Banerjee Road or M.B Road.
Now it is difficult to cross this road due to the oncoming buses
and taxis. Before, this road was very deserted. There was a big
tamarind tree beside the road. Due to the sizzling heat in summer,
it was impossible to stay indoors, so taking a mat, Bhagavan’s
mother and her children used to go lie down beneath that tree. In
the morning, a cart used to pass by making weird noises and used
to return by dusk. Apart from this, there were no other vehicles.
Birati station existed then but only two to three passengers
boarded the local train from Birati. There was a signal with
chimney in the station. The porter used to light up that chimney.
Every morning at eleven, the Barishal Express used to depart from
Sealdah and pass through Birati for Barishal, Bangladesh.
Bhagavan loved His mother deeply. The bickering’s between
the mother and child never lasted long. The younger siblings were
afraid of their eldest brother for any mistake would lead to
scoldings. But despite of this fear, they loved their brother for
they knew that even their brother loved them. Bhagavan had the
extraordinary specialty that whenever anyone became close to
Him they felt a touch of His love. This is why, no one wanted to
leave Him— be it His relatives, friends, anyone old or young. They
could understand that no matter how heedless and strong- willed
this young boy was, His love was pure. We all want pure things
despite of contaminating this world. This is why no one minded
even when Bhagavan condemned any act of falsity because
everyone had fallen in love with this boy.
The living example of Bhagavan’s love for His mother is the
event narrated in the following. After the birth of Gouri, some
time had passed. The expenditure increased amidst the poverty
with the advent of the new member. Induprabha Devi had a
mother’s heart. She spent her days worrying about feeding
nutritious food to her children. The daily household chores also
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increased; tending to her children, she started neglecting her health.

She sometimes ate, while most of the times she starved. She was
also unaware of feeling feverish and having dry cough. She had
fever everyday but chose to ignore it. This is how the days passed.
Suddenly, one day, she coughed up blood. This is when she returned
to her senses. She recalled her eldest son repeatedly telling her to
visit the doctor. The head of the household, Kanailal Chakraborty
was an extremely good natured man. But He was detached and
busy reading and teaching all day. Apart from Bhagavan, her other
children were very young. No one cared much for her apart from
her eldest son. There were no proper hospitals in Birati. Upon
having slight illnesses, they used to visit the Municipality Hospital
and bring medicines. But, now she needed proper treatment.
Induprabha Devi’s brother- in- law lived on the other side of
Kolkata in Khidirpur. There was a Tuberculosis Hospital there.
Bhagavan forcefully took His mother to His uncle’s house. It was
a time when His uncle was leading a peaceful life with His family,
comparatively living in better conditions. From there, Bhagavan
took His mother to the hospital. Upon examination, doctor advised
her to do blood tests and a chest X-ray. Two to three days later, the
medical reports came and as they had feared, it was tuberculosis.
Bhagavan had thought that He would get His mother treated
staying at His uncle’s place since it was not safe to travel with a
patient far from Birati. Secondly, it was troublesome and
impossible as well due to monetary problems. But, He was yet to
realize the true nature of this material world. Bhagavan’s uncle
had a thriving family then. He didn’t have any problem in keeping
Bhagavan and His mother at His house till she was diagnosed
with tuberculosis. But, the day the medical reports came,
Induprabha Devi was informed to return to Birati to keep their
child and the other members of the house safe from the disease.
Bhagavan was startled at His uncle’s words. His own uncle,
who had once received enormous amounts of help from His eldest
Brother, was able to say such words! More surprisingly, Bhagavan
was only thirteen or fourteen years old at that time. He had not

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seen the hideous face of the world before, he had no impression

about people’s natures. He Himself used to render help whole-
heartedly and had seen His mother do the same. Perhaps,
Bhagavan’s mother had not informed Him about the events that
had transpired in Talcher with His cousin sister since He was
young. That is why, it was natural for Bhagavan to be stunned.
But, Induprabha Devi was calm. That day Bhagavan felt that He
was alone in this world. He had to do whatever was needed to be
done. They left that house and arrived at the bus stand. Bhagavan’s
mother vomited blood at the bus stop. Bhagavan thought that He
would pay any price to save His mother. No money, no one to
help, the detachment of His father towards family matters, tending
to His young siblings- not one, but there were many battles for
Him to fight. Good, nutritious foods has to be fed to a person
suffering from tuberculosis. Where would He get them? The young
child was thinking about ways to save His mother. Those who
were supposed to think were not giving this any thought. The
obstinate, determinate boy decided upon giving His all. This was
like young Abhimanyu fighting with the mighty warriors in the
war of Mahabharatha. Induprabha Devi always supported her
neighbors in their times of need but Bhagavan found them turning
their backs when it was time for them to lend their hands. A
neighbor gave them tea in a broken cup which was not used by
them. After working tirelessly throughout the day, Induprabha
Devi used to visit this neighbors place and ask them about their
sorrows but this came to an end from that very day.
By then, Bhagavan was a student of the tenth standard. His
selection tests had ended and the board exam was just around the
corner. In order to alleviate their family’s financial problems,
Bhagavan had started giving home tutoring lessons to young kids.
Most of them were Muslim families. He received five rupees each
month for teaching the children. Most of them being poor could
not even afford to pay five rupees. They used to give the produce
of their gardens- radish, gourd, spinach, arum etc. to Bhagavan.
This is how, compared to the responsibilities He used to fulfill
while living with His grandmother, Bhagavan had increased the
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weight of shouldering the responsibilities to a greater extent. His

father used to receive a salary of thirty rupees per month and
Bhagavan’s earnings now added to the income of the family.
Bhagavan used to teach five to six students per month for five
rupees each. Putting together the earnings of the two,which were
roughly the same, the family somehow managed to make two
ends meet.
After Bhagavan’s mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis,
Bhagavan visited the parents of His students and told them- “My
mother has been diagnosed with Tuberculosis. The doctor has
asked her to eat eggs every day. You don’t have to give me the
salary but it will be a big help if you can give some eggs instead.”
They used to give eggs to Bhagavan every day and Bhagavan used
to bring them home for His mother. His mother used to eat eggs
every day. But she was a mother after all! Not telling her eldest
son, she used to give half of the egg to her two younger sons.
Bhagavan’s brothers, Swapan and Tapan loved to eat eggs. Being
so young at age they did not understand that the eggs were like
medicines for their mother. Bhagavan’s mother was careful
enough to hide this from her eldest son for she knew that Bhagavan
would throw a fit if He ever knew. Apart from these, He used to
accompany His mother to Khidirpur every week. The doctor used
to give injections and medicine for the teeth. Bhagavan’s mother
sometimes refused to visit the doctor, but, fighting with His
mother, He had compelled His mother to eat medicine, healthy
food and to take injections. The fight to protect the life of His
mother had somewhat become a one- sided battle for Bhagavan.
After His mother fell sick, Bhagavan had to do all the household
work alone. There was deficiency of drinking water at home at
that time and it had to be collected from the platform of Birati
station. Bhagavan used to carry the heavy buckets of water. It
was not easy to drag the big buckets of water from far. He also
used to go to the Ganganagar market on Keloda’s cycle to buy
cheaper groceries. As seen, there was no healthy food at home
and on top of that Bhagavan lacked a good metabolic system. In
such a condition, doing all the work had started to take a toll on
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His health. But Bhagavan had pledged to nurse His mother back to
health. Starting from giving tutoring lessons since morning,
bringing drinking water from the station, tending to the garden,
looking after His siblings, taking His mother to the hospital- trying
to do everything single- handedly, the more His mother started
getting better, Bhagavan started getting thinner than He already
was. The relatives thought that the boy would die. But, after a
year of dealing with the battle of life with clenched fists, the young
boy was able to nurse His mother back to health. But this had
become fatal for His life. His mother lived for many more years
to come. During the last days of her life, Bhagavan had saved His
mother again, but that is a different story altogether which can
be mentioned in due course of time. The battle that the young boy
had fought did not go in vain! His intense love for His mother and
His determination to give up everything in this battle had pleased
the Lord and that was the day when He let the boy gain victory in
the battles.
When God incarnates upon Earth, He is God since His birth.
Probably, no one recognizes Him, even He Himself doesn’t
recognize Himself, let alone others. But this doesn’t change the
fact that His activities will be different from others. He who
resides beyond this world, even unknown to Him, His activities
point towards a different place. Hence, an attraction develops
within incarnates since their childhood. What more astonishing
is that the reason behind the attraction remains unidentified to
the centre of attraction as well as to the ones getting attracted.
Later, in an auspicious moment, when His identity is revealed to
Him, the mystery behind the attraction gets disclosed to Him. Even
if an incarnation is unable to recognize Himself, the Almighty
residing within Him keeps up the divine play surrounding Him.
Bhagavan’s life was the same- since the very beginning His
activities had taken Him upon a different path, even if the reason
had remained unknown then; future had cracked the mystery in
due time that it was in this body that God had manifested Himself
amidst the world.

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(Twenty)

Many days passed. It was time for Bhagavan to appear for His
Secondary exams. Bhagavan had already given the selection
exams. He was eligible to sit for the final exams. But, His results
were not at par with His results of Talcher. The foremost reason
behind this was His engagement in household chores where He
had to devote most of His time. But unarguably, the second reason
was the time He gave towards playing with His friends. Cricket,
football, playing with marbles- nothing was excluded. Bhagavan
was very good in cricket. He was a good batsman, not easily
dismissed and also a fast bowler. There are many instances where
He had taken three to four wickets in an over. Because He gave
hundred percent in whatever He did, He also played cricket with
dedication. This is why people fought over Him to get Him in their
teams. Bhagavan also used to play with boys older than Him. Even
there, His level of play equalled the performance of the older boys.
But, no one was anywhere close to Him when it came to playing
marbles. Bhagavan could aim at the targets perfectly from afar. He
used to win whenever He played. He seemed to have an unusual
knack for being on target. No matter how far the target was kept,
the probabilities of Him missing the target was slim. Bhagavan’s
fondness for playing with marbles was similar to Swami
Vivekananda’s interest for golf. Bhagavan had a fixation on playing
marbles. Waking up in the morning, He someway used to sit with
His study books, but more than the books, His eyes used to remain
fixed on the clock waiting for it to strike nine for that was when
His father went for teaching and His mother became busy with
household duties. When the clock struck nine, the two brothers
used to tiptoe out of the house and used to play endlessly till
noon. No one agreed to play with Bhagavan for they were certain
that He would win. Students get most of the study time after
selections to prepare for the Secondary exams as it is one of the
important stepping stone that determines the making of their

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future. Wasting such golden times, Bhagavan used to get scoldings

and beatings from His mother. But nothing had effect on Him!
The jars in the houses were getting filed with marbles day after
day. When she failed to restrict Bhagavan from playing marbles
even after repeated beatings and scoldings, one day she flew into
rage and flung the jars of marbles into the well of their house.
This finally worked! Seeing His mother’s fury, Bhagavan
unwillingly gave up playing with marbles which He loved the most
but this however did not stop Him from playing other games.
In those days, the tenth was not known as Madhyamik or
Secondary exams but Matriculation or Matric. After the tests or
selections, the Matric exams finally neared. There is a three month
gap between the selections and Matric exams. Certainly the
studious students but even the careless mischievous students study
diligently because this is when they get to stay home from school.
This gives an indefinite time for studying. Studying dedicatedly
during this time, many improve their results. This is why it is seen
that no matter what they do in other times, after the selections,
everyone invests all their attention in studying. But, nothing
mattered to Bhagavan. He was not seen studying at all. On top of
that, not having to go to school made things easier for Him. He
roamed around all day. There was no end to the worries of
Induprabha Devi. Inspite of telling repeatedly, her son didn’t study.
Finally, in a state of anger, throwing away the jars of marbles in
the well taught Him a lesson but He continued playing other games.
What more could Bhagavan’s mother say! Bhagavan’s father was
a detached person. She didn’t wish to disturb Him with the
complaints of his son. She found no hope of Him passing His exams
without studying. If He doesn’t return to His senses now then
when? But, the boy was brilliant. After hearing or reading anything
attentively for once, He used to retain everything in His mind. He
would have scored well if He had studied. But it was not possible
to nag all the time! She had so much work to complete. She had to
resolve all the family matters because Bhagavan’s father couldn’t
devote much time there. She even had younger children to look
after. The responsibility of their upbringing was also on her. She
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had to take care of their food and studies. Leaving this, her mother
and mother in law both stayed with them and she had to take care
of them as well. With meagre income she had to take care of the
family. Even multi-tasking did nothing to help her. How long will
she complain about her eldest son? Let it go, let Him do whatever
He wants- thinking this, she stopped saying anything to Him. You
cannot force anyone to do anything for long.
Bhagavan somehow managed to give His Matric exams. The
results were published. The mark sheet of Bhagavan amazed His
mother. She was tired with the amount of nagging she had to do
for His studies, being fed up she had even stopped telling Him.
She had thought that her eldest son was not cut out for studies.
During their stay in Talcher, Bhagavan’s used to score well in
exams, but His performance had declined after coming to Birati.
The results showed that Bhagavan had got promoted. His mother’s
face lit up. At least her son had received promotion. Though the
results were not satisfactory considering the intelligence and
comprehending capability of Bhagavan, His mother was more than
happy with His results. Induprabha Devi had thought that her son
had no opportunity of getting promoted with the amount of time
He had devoted to studies. But she realized that till then, she had
underestimated the abilities of her son. Bhagavan gave His matric
exam from Vaidyanath Institute and got promoted at the age of
only fifteen which is normally a bit lower than the general age
group.
An important time approached in Bhagavan’s life. The time
was the time to decide. A similar situation was faced by Kanailal
Chakraborty when he had to decide between living in Bangladesh
or West Bengal due to the communal riots and he had decided
upon coming to West Bengal. After the Board results were
announced, a similar situation came in Bhagavan’s life. Since His
family was fighting against economic adversity and there were
little children in the family, an economic stability was very
important. Bhagavan’s father was limited to teaching and
studying. He was unable to earn the sufficient amount for the

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comfortable living of the family even after providing tutorial

lessons to others. Moreover, being calm- natured, composed and
polite, it was not possible for him to aggressively leap forward
for more income. So, naturally, his detached character, the
pressure of managing the household used to fall upon Induprabha
Devi and Bhagavan. Being compelled to look after the family
matters at a young age create a disappointment within Bhagavan
towards His father’s detached attitude. Kanailal Chakraborty used
to immerse himself in books all day. Collecting the books of
Rabindranath Tagore, Saratchandra Chattyopadhyay and
Bankimchandra Chattyopadhyay from various places, he used to
read the books by himself and also read it to others in the family.
But, was it possible for them to hear it intently? Engaged in the
battle of life, the young boy sometimes used to express His
dissatisfaction for His father in front of His mother, which made
Induprabha Devi very angry and say- “Do not say anything about
him. He is God-like, He is Lord Shiva Himself.” Seeing the faith,
respect and love of His mother for His father, Bhagavan used to
feel ashamed and fall silent.
At this juncture, after the announcement of the Board Results,
Bhagavan had to choose from two alternatives. One was to join
work for His family’s financial status or join a technical course to
get a job instantly. Second, was getting admission in a college for
higher studies. Opting for the first would help them regain some
economic prosperity and opting for the second would determine
a bright future for Him. The first was for the family, the second
was mostly personal. Individual or collective, development of the
family or His personal life- when faced with this two alternatives,
Bhagavan paturally gave more importance to His family. His
Selfless nature was evident since His childhood. This was again
projected in his life. Even His mother had told Him not to pursue
higher studies, it was better for their eldest son to earn a living.
No matter how carefree He was before His Board exams,
Bhagavan had become a bit serious about His studies after the
announcement of His results. Perhaps, He had the desire of
pursuing higher studies and becoming successful in life at the
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back of his mind. He knew that if He studies well then getting

promoted with flying colors will be just a matter of time. But
when His family responsibilities came calling, thinking about His
young siblings, He decided to bury His dream of becoming
successful and decided to wear Himself out for the sake of His
mother, father, young brothers and sisters. When it comes to
unconditional love- this is where incarnates differ from any other
common being. Just like a lion cub exhibits every quality- its vigor,
bravery, supremacy and royalty present in a lion; similarly,
incarnations also portray the qualities of incarnates which makes
them different from others- Their Truth, selflessness, courage,
potency. The qualities reflected in Bhagavan since His boyhood
were not less by any means.
Hence, from the age of twelve, He who had gradually taken
the responsibilities of the family while living with His
grandmother, increased the weight of duties after the revelation
of this Board results. He could have focused on playing all day
long, dumping the burdens on His parents because that is what
others do at this age. But, He was made of something else- thinking
only about Himself was something unknown to Him because a
different form of power was flowing through His body and mind.
This different power within Him makes Him think different which
others don’t and makes Him do different, which others don’t. This
power had made Him predisposed towards thinking about others
and not Himself. He would have become a noteworthy man
materially if He had thought about Himself then, but He wouldn’t
have been anywhere near to what He has become today.

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(Twenty One)

Another reason behind Bhagavan opting to earn money

instead of pursuing higher studies after His Matrics was His
maternal grandmother. After coming to Birati from Talcher, His
grandmother had been His only close one. His grandmother cared
for Him a lot and Bhagavan was also dutiful towards her. After a
span of two years Bhagavan’s father, mother, paternal grandfather,
grandmother, young siblings had come to Birati from Talcher
which made it difficult to accommodate so many people.
Bhagavan’s maternal uncle, who was employed in Manipur, had
kept his mother in Birati for the safety of the house. When he saw
that the house no longer lacked security with the presence of so
many people, he took his mother to Manipur. This resulted in the
rise of indigency in the family because the money that Bhagavan’s
uncle used to send to his maternal grandmother which even if
being paltry helped the family’s expenses, naturally stopped
coming. In order to overcome the monetary deficiency, Bhagavan
had decided to earn for the economic prosperity of the family.
The well- wishers advised Induprabha Devi to get her son
admitted in George Telegraph Institute. The name ‘George
Telegraph’ was very well known in Kolkata at that time. This
institute used to teach telegraphy. In old times, telegraph was used
in various government departments and offices as a medium of
communication and for exchange of news. Hence, learning this
was worthwhile. Knowing this made it easy to secure jobs. For
those who were in need for jobs due to financial depreciation or
for those who were not academically bright, it was a notable
institute. Thus, Bhagavan got Himself enrolled in the vocational
institute of Sealdah, He got admission taking the advice of the well-
wishers.
The course of His training in George Telegraph was nine
months. Bhagavan had an acute comprehensive ability. Noone

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had doubts regarding His sharp intellect and ability of

apprehending the subjects taught. The burdens of the family had
taught Him to be serious. Since the responsibility of an eldest son,
helping His benign father, discharging the duties as the eldest
brother of the family did not let Him become indifferent to the
family, He continued His training with His intellect in addition
with dedication. As a result, Bhagavan completed the nine months
course within six months. Seeing the competence of Bhagavan,
the instructors of the institute were very pleased with Him.
Bhagavan had completed this training free of cost. Being a refugee,
He had received a scholarship from the government. Befittingly,
Bhagavan completed His telegraphy training in due course of time.
Then Bhagavan’s daily routine was somewhat like this-
waking up before the break of dawn at four- thirty to help His
mother make rotis. Apart from having rice in the noon, they
usually ate rotis. All the rotis were made together at once. So,
Bhagavan had to make fifty to fifty one rotis early in the morning.
After this He had to go for tutoring lessons at different places. He
used to return after teaching in three to four houses. After having
breakfast, He used to help His mother in more household chores.
After this, He had to go for His training in George Telegraph
followed by giving more home tutoring lessons in the evening. It
was indeed difficult for a fourteen year old boy to spend His days
this way.
Despite the fact that Bhagavan was unwilling to continue His
studies after His Matric Exam due to the condition of His family,
upon completing His training from George Telegraph Institute, He
once again wished to resume His studies. After coming from
Orissa’s Talcher to Birati, the disinterest that He had shown
towards His studies were now replaced by an inclination towards
the same. He had started to feel the importance of education
amidst His fight against the harsh reality of the world. His ability
to perceive the reality of the world at such a young age earned
Him the sarcastic remarks of the adults who called Him a
‘precocious boy’. His ‘precociousness’ was however not

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obstructive but positive. This had enabled Him to carry the load
of His family by Himself from a young age. The money and food
ingredients that Bhagavan received from giving home tutoring
lessons was close to the salary earned by His father. Hence, the so
called ‘smartness’ of the precocious boy had become crucial for
the family.
Bhagavan made His decision of pursuing higher studies. This
time, His mother did not object. Bhagavan decided to enroll
Himself in a night college to seek employment and work alongside.
Having His heart set on this, He made no delay. Bhagavan sought
admission in Bangabasi college. It is one of the most well- known
colleges in Kolkata. Bhagavan got admitted in the department of I-
Com or Intermediate of Commerce. His admission in college
introduced new hardships in His life. He had got admitted in college
but had no money to buy the study materials. How was he
supposed to study? So He got a student’s membership in the
Vidyasagar library located nearby. Making rotis with His mother,
after giving home tutoring lessons, He barely ate food and ran to
the Vidyasagar library. He had no time to study at home. He used
to board the train toSealdah. Bhagavan could not afford to buy
train tickets everyday and to avoid the embarrassment of getting
caught by the ticket- checker, He used to get down at the car shed
where the train stopped everyday, crossing over the railings, He
used to walk down a railway colony to the Vidysagar Library.
When, Bhagavan being the first born of a zamindari family was
supposed to go to college by car, instead He was fated to board a
train without ticket and then walk to study at the library. Seeing
the dust- covered, messy haired boy striding down the street, did
anyone ever imagine that in later times, the manifestation of the
omnipotent God will be seen in Him?
For two- three hours He remained engrossed in studies in
Vidyasagar library. After this, He went to the college canteen
where roti and vegetables were available for students at very low
price. He used to satiate His hunger by having food in the canteen.
Next, Bhagavan used to come to Bangabasi college. It used to get
late reaching home after attending college. So, the strife of life did
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not loosen its vice- like grip from Bhagavan. Fate took no pity on
Bhagavan no matter how young He was. Even Bhagavan
continued His battle with balled fists. Since then had Bhagavan’s
life become an account of endless fight. His confrontation with
the struggles of life continues till date. Bhagavan did not possess
any trousers so one day He had to face the criticism of His teacher
and the mockery of His classmates for wearing half- pants. From
the following day, He started wearing pyjamas to college. There
were days when He had to go barefoot to college for not having
even a pair of sandals. Bhagavan attended college at night, most of
His classmates were older than Him. The monthly fees of the
college was eight rupees. Bhagavan had submitted an application
along with His refugee certificate so the college authorities had
reduced the college fees for Him by half. Bhagavan had to fight
tooth and nail to pay even the small amount of four rupees.
Once, in Birati, Bhagavan was diagnosed with both typhoid
and pneumonia. He had recovered under the care of His
grandmother and this is perhaps why He faced some problems in
His eye later on. While attending college, He was unable to see the
writings of the teacher on the blackboard. His mother did not pay
much heed to His problems and said, “It is just your imagination.”
But, after repeatedly expressing His problem, Induprabha Devi
took His son to an ophthalmologist. After examining His eye, the
doctor told Induprabha Devi, “What have you done? His eyesight
has taken a turn for the worse.” Agitated, the doctor asked
Bhagavan,” Sitting in the front row of the movie hall, how many
movies do you watch in a day?” The doctor’s words made
Bhagavan dumbfounded. He replied, “Your eyes can have problems
even if you don’t watch movies, doctor.” Hearing the quick reply
made the doctor, wordless. He had thought that the boy sitting in
front of him was obviously poor and naïve but the boy’s prompt
reply made Him embarrassed. The doctor advised Bhagavan to
take spectacles. The power of His lens were ‘-5’. The cost of making
spectacles in those times was ten rupees. Due to their poverty-
stricken family, Induprabha Devi had to sell a ring that Bhagavan
had received in His thread ceremony, for twenty-five rupees and
buy spectacles for Bhagavan.
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The I.com course was of two years, but, due to lack of money,
Bhagavan had to drop out of college after a year. This was due to
the gradual increase in His family’s expenditure. Bhagavan’s
siblings were growing up so the expenses were also increasing.
They failed to collect the required amount of four rupees for
Bhagavan’s college fee. There was no one who would inspire
Bhagavan to continue with His higher studies. At one time, it was
Bhagavan who had decided upon studying I.com and now it was
Him who decided to drop out and work hard to seek employment.
He had the desire of pursuing higher studies and also the required
brilliance. But, this time again, He sacrificed His dreams for His
family. Although, by that time, Bhagavan was earning a lot more
than four rupees, nearly fifty rupees, being a home tutor.
Life is very hard and cruel. Bhagavan was able to perceive
the ruthlessness since His young days. This is a place of tireless
work and those who are able to accomplish have to carry the
burden of demands of the family. The expectations were piled more
on Bhagavan since He was an intelligent, spontaneous,
hardworking teen who thought about others. He frequently had
to hear His mother say, “You can do it, they cannot!” Bhagavan
also used to give His all for the family. But, no one thought much
about Bhagavan. This is why inspite of Him earning fifty rupees,
they could not spare four rupees for the completion of His studies.
Moreover, no one came forward to say,” You finish your studies.”
Everyone had agreed to Bhagavan’s decision of giving up on His
studies. The helplessness of economic insufficiency, Bhagavan’s
selfless sense of duty and the unspoken selfishness of the family
had compelled Bhagavan to abandon His studies. Starting from
that point, Bhagavan had to listen to the words countless times-
“They are incapable of doing it, but you aren’t.” It was just the
feelings behind the words, the language and people that differed.
Bhagavan still has to hear the same. Bhagavan’s mind had revolted
against these words then and does even now. This eternal situation
sees no change. Helpless, inhuman and selfish that the world was
before, remains to be the same even today.

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(Twenty two)

Now, it was the beginning of a new journey for Bhagavan. He

became resolute in searching for a job. He had earned through
tuitions for quite some time then. He had even increased giving
home tutoring lessons. Now, He began an unrelenting search for
work in various places. A well- wisher, Sri Tarak Singha helped
Bhagavan to secure a job under a ‘film distributor’. Bhagavan’s
job was to take the film reel to the owner of a movie theatre, stay
there the number of days the movie show was underway and
then bring the reel back to the film distributor. At that time, a
Hindi movie was released with well- renowned film actors, Dev
Anand and Mala Sinha, named ‘Love Marriage’. Bhagavan took the
reel of this movie to a movie theatre owner in Dhanbad. He spent
His days there till the movie shows ended. He had to live in a dirty,
unhygienic place for a week. Bhagavan worked for a few months
under that film distributor. The caring man, Tarak Singha who
had helped Bhagavan to secure His first job, later became a monk
of a well-established spiritual organization.
While Bhagavan was in college, Induprabha Devi had told her
younger brother, “Get Him a job. He can study later, if needed.”
Then, Bhagavan’s maternal uncle was working in the North-
Eastern Frontier Railways in Guwahati. Bhagavan’s grandmother
was living with His uncle. His uncle was quite influential and was
favored by many people. Subodh Roychowdhury was well-liked
and known to many, and since the eldest son was not getting an
appropriate placement in Kolkata, we can try sending Him to my
younger brother- thought Induprabha Devi, if He was able to
secure proper employment in Guwahati then it would do a lot to
ameliorate their economic conditions. It was Induprabha Devi
who had to do most of the decision- making in the family. Her
husband was always lost in his own world. Induprabha Devi was
always concerned about the future of her children. She was
always haunted by the worries of how to make the ends meet.
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She found no one but her eldest son who could take a share of her
worries. Induprabha Devi had great reverence, love and respect
for her husband. She never wished to make her husband worry
with the trivial matters of the family and interface in his own
world. She was an ideal Indian woman devoted to her husband.
She expressed all her anguish to her eldest son. Her son could
understand her despair, He could deeply feel the pain of His mother
and hence vowed to uproot all the sorrows of her mother and see
her smiling face.
The talent of a true artist remains hidden at first but is revealed
with time. The thespian sensibilities had started to develop within
Bhagavan since He was a child. During their stay in Talcher, He
acted in a play directed by His father, at the young age of five.
Bhagavan’s father was a good performer, the talent which was
inherited by Bhagavan and revealed eventually in the later years.
After His Secondary exams, Bhagavan, along with his friends, used
to visit many places to watch dramas and theatres. He also liked
watching movies. He used to scrupulously observe the acting
talents of actors in dramas- plays- theatres and cinemas. He also
loved watching appealing movies irrespective of whether it was
in Bengali, English or Hindi. Saving His earnings gained from
tutoring, Bhagavan used to go for dramas and movies with His
friends. Even though, none of His friends were the same age as
Him but older. This was the reason why Bhagavan’s neighbors
thought Him to be a know-it- all and on overconfident boy. But,
the real reason was something different. Mingling with older boys
made Bhagavan more mature than children of His age. This made
Him remain far ahead in terms of thoughts and perceptions and
this is why He enjoyed the company of elder’s and older brothers
much more. This is perhaps why, since His young days, Bhagavan
had a contemplative character, shouldering responsibilities like
adults. This is also why His mother believed in Him the most. She
was well aware that even if her son was yet to become an adult,
her son would stand beside her and fight against the struggles of
life with His mother.

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Bhagavan loved to read the ageless compositions of renowned

litterateurs. He had read most of the compositions of Vidyasagar,
Bankim Chandra, Rabindranath, Saratchandra, Vibhutibhushan,
Tarashankar and Manik Bandyopadhyay. His father was the
inspiration behind this. He was also attracted to the lives of saints,
revolutionaries and martyrs. He had an unremitting perseverance
to fight with the financial crisis in reality but also the propensity
for overcoming any such situations and being on the rise. The
desire of living a fulfilled, ideal life had awakened within Him.
Analysing the situations, such a thought arising within a boy
engaged in untiring battles is nothing short of a miracle. Helping
His father by increasing the amount of tutoring lessons, looking
for a job, making roti’s, going shopping and buying groceries,
bringing water and helping His mother with all sorts of errands
and chores, keeping a strict watch over His siblings while trying
to be their ideal- these multifarious activities were done by the
sixteen- seventeen year old tall, skinny, curly haired, bright, dark-
skinned boy- is this not an extraordinary occurrence? On the other
hand, it was the time when Bhagavan’s sister, Jayanti was born.
The time grew close for Bhagavan to experience another
change in His life because Induprabha Devi had requested her
brother to help Bhagavan secure a job. The youngest brother asked
her elder sister to send his eldest nephew to Guwahati. Receiving
the approval of her brother, it was finally decided for Bhagavan
to depurture Guwahati. Even Bhagavan agreed to this for He was
not a homebody. He was not a mother’s boy. Since His childhood,
leaving behind His family, friends and siblings, He came alone to
Birati to live with His grandmother for two years. But, He never
faced any trouble, neither did His mind feel restless. He is ever
free since childhood, giving happiness to others, keeping open
palms torender help but never was He bound to anyone. He used
to love everyone, everyone received the touch of love but He
didn’t have attachment. Everyone wanted Him, hoped for His
company, but even if Bhagavan socialized with everyone, He
seemed miles away from all. Even if He seemed to be within reach,
He was still so far. When Mother Yashoda tried to tie Shri Krishna
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the rope fell short, similarly, it seemed impossible to bind

Bhagavan, make Him totally one’s own, He remains to be
ungettable and beyond one’s clasp.
Bhagavan’s mother arrived at the decision of sending her eldest
son to her brother. Train tickets were booked duly. The news of
Bhagavan leaving Birati, made His friends mournful. Especially,
His brother, Swapan, was crestfallen. Bhagavan’s brother was
seven years younger than Him. Bhagavan was like a friend to
him. He did not have many friends, so his elder brother was his
only sanctuary. He was then ten years old and Bhagavan was
seventeen. When he heard the news of Bhagavan going to
Guwahati for work, his heart became a void. But, what was to be
done? Finally, on a favorable day, Induprabha Devi boarded the
train with her eldest son which departed for the capital of Assam,
Guwahati. There was a broad gauge line from Kolkata to Assam’s
New Bongaigaon at that time. From New Bongaigaon, people could
come till Amingaon in a meter gauge train. Amingaon was situated
beside the Brahmaputra river. There was no bridge over the
Brahmaputra river till then. This is why, people had to take a boat
or steamer from Amingaon to Guwahati. Across the river lies
Pandu where Bhagavan’s uncle, Subodh Roy Chowdhury, used to
stay. He lived in a small railway quarter with his mother, wife
and young children. Induprabha Devi accompanied her son to her
brother’s place. Seeing Induprabha Devi and Bhagavan after a long
time made them extremely happy.

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(Twenty Three)

Assam- the gateway of the North- Eastern part of India.

Surrounding Assam lies six more states of North- Eastern India-
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and
Nagaland. Bangladesh is also there as its neighboring country. The
scenic beauty of Assam is really exquisite. It is as if Mother Nature
has upturned all its natural beauty to make Assam picturesque. It
is embellished with greenery, wide-ranging foliage and range of
mountains. Coursing through it are the rivers and mountainous
waterfalls. This region is famous for tea, jute, silk, petroleum,
cotton and one- horned rhinoceros. Its capital is Guwahati. A very
ancient place, it is said that this place was once ruled over by the
oppressive king, Narakasura. Invading various kingdoms,
Narakasura used to kill the rulers, abduct the beautiful women of
the regions and imprison them. The capital of Narakasura was
Pragjyotishpura which according to some is present- day
Guwahati. Lord Krishna had slayed Narakasura in Pragjyotishpura
and had taken the 16,000 imprisoned women to Dwarka after
releasing them. Bhagadatta, the son of Narakasura had sided with
the Kauravas in the war of Mahabharatha in Kurukshetra.
Bhagadatta, the octogenarian had fought in such a way with the
brave Arjuna that instead of being able to defeat him directly,
trickery had to be used to slay him. Lord Krishna had visited
Assam’s Sonitapura which was being ruled over by the son of
Bali, Banasura. When the grandson of Lord Krishna, Aniruddha
came to Sonitapura with the desire of marrying Banasura’s
daughter Usha, he was held as a captive by Banasura. This is when,
Lord Krishna, accompanied by a fleet of soldiers, defeated
Banasura shattering his pride, released Aniruddha and took him
back to His kingdom along with Usha. This is why we find the
illustration of this region in both Mahabharatha and Srimad
Bhagavad.
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The spiritual heritage of Assam is wondrous. Eight kilometers
away from Guwahati stands one of the most important Sakti pitha
or a sacred pilgrimage site of Saktism– Kamakhya Temple on the
Nilachala mountain. It is said that when Shiva, carrying the
remains of Sati on His shoulder, went into the mode of destruction,
Lord Vishnu, using His Sudarshana chakra (discus) divided the
body of Sati into fifty one parts and spread it all over the world.
Wherever parts of Sati’s remains fell, it turned into a Sakti pitha.
One among the fifty one Sakti pitha’s is the Kamakhya Temple.
This is where Sati’s yoni fell. Yoni is the symbol of creation and
even Sakti is the creator- sustainer- destroyer, this is why,
Kamakhya Temple is a significant Sakti pitha. For many years has
this been a place for the sadhana of Sakti. Assam, frequented by
many spiritual Great men, remains to be their place of sadhana
and attainment. This place was visited by the incarnation of Lord
Shiva, Sankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda. In various caverns
of the mountains in Assam, many capable spiritual men are
engaged in performing austerities. Assam had one more spiritual
leader, Shankardeva. He and His disciple Madhavdeva, immersed
Assam in the teachings of Vaishnavism. Shankardeva has an
extraordinary influence upon the religious and cultural roots of
Assam. The soil of Assam has birthed many brave warriors and
pre- eminent patriots who are commemorated by the people of
Assam.
Lying right next to the Kamakhya Temple is Maligaon and
Pandu. Subodh Roychowdhury used to work in the headquarters
of the North- Eastern Frontier Railway situated in Maligaon.
Bhagavan’s maternal uncle used to live in the colony numbered
four in Pandu, just beside the Brahmaputra river. This house
became the next residence of Bhagavan. Bhagavan’s mother left
her beloved son under the care of her brother, mother and Goddess
Kamakhya and returned to Kolkata. Clearly, His mother couldn’t
return with a happy heart because she knew well that they had
sacrificed their most promising one into the trench of their
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family’s needs. The brilliance and motivation that her eldest son
possessed could have taken Him a long way through developments
but that possibility had to come to an end. It can be well- guessed
that she felt the stings of conscience within for making their eldest
son carry the burden of responsibilities of the family that they
had created but failed to maintain. Bhagavan’s transpose to
Guwahati is perhaps similar to Lord Rama going on an exile to
honor the promise of His father. Both the incidents show the same
selflessness, difference being the period, the era. Upon returning,
Induprabha Devi spent her days suffering from an indescribable
mental agony and pangs of separation. It was not only for sending
her eldest child to earn a living for the family, but is it possible for
someone to push away God Himself ? Even though His identity
was yet to be revealed, it was impossible to not feel the prick of
her conscience. No matter what, she was His mother, the birth-
giver. But, Induprabha Devi being guilt- ridden for the end of a
possibility failed to realize that by sending Bhagavan to Assam,
she had unknowingly given birth to a greater possibility.
Seeing Bhagavan made everyone happy, especially His
grandmother. Few years prior it was them who had lived together.
Both of them had spent days in a tough battle; the grandmother
and grandchild had fought together- against poverty, against the
conditions, against The unfavourable time. In their battle, they
complimented one another. Grandma understood her grandchild,
and the young grandchild understood the sorrows of His grandma
as well. So, in spite of the tough situations, both had spent their
days well. So even after coming to her own son after leaving Birati,
Bhagavan’s grandmother had become indifferent, thinking about
the image of her grandchild. Can He be forgotten, or is it even
possible? But then, the circumstances had changed, the time had
changed and they had surmounted the tough times of the past.
But still her fight with her grandson beside her seemed to be the
golden past of her life, is what she thought. Even her youngest
son had fathered sons and daughters, but nothing filled the
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absence of her eldest grandson, this is why, the arrival of Bhagavan

filled her heart with happiness. Bhagavan also started living with
His grandmother, uncle, aunt and cousins.
Instantaneously, after Bhagavan came to Pandu, Bhagavan’s
uncle started searching for jobs for Bhagavan. Flowing very near
to their home was the river, Brahmaputra. Brahmaputra,
originating from the Manas Sarovar made holy by the touch of
many realized saints and sages, continues to flow, penetrating the
heart of Assam. The Brahmaputra has great influence over the
population of Assam, thousands of lives depend on it. But then,
due to the absence of a bridge between Amingaon- North Guwahati
and Pandu- Guwahati, people had to face various problems while
commuting. This came as a wake- up call for the government and
they arrived at the decision of constructing a bridge over
Brahmaputra connecting Amingaon and Guwahati. When
Bhagavan went to live with His uncle, the work of constructing
the bridge over Brahmaputra had just begun. It was a great work-
field! This work had given employment to thousands of people. A
relative of Bhagavan’s uncle, was working in a high post in the
railways. He had visited Guwahati for a few days. He was well
acquainted with a contractor who was responsible for the
construction of the bridge. Speaking to the contractor, Bhagavan’s
uncle helped Him to secure a job as the supervisor of the
constructive work undertaken to build the bridge over
Brahmaputra. The salary was inadequate. But, some work is better
than none. Bhagavan dedicatedly discharged His responsibilities
as a ‘supervisor’. Whatever wage He received, He never forgot to
send a portion of the amount to His mother back home.
This is how some days passed. One day, the railways gave an
advertisement for the recruitment of new employees. Bhagavan’s
uncle informed Him about this. Bhagavan applied for the job. The
examinations were completed. In due time, the results of the
examination were published. Bhagavan was happy to see that He

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had scored well in the exams. He received the post of the Assistant
Station Master (A.S.M). Finally, it was time for the physical ability
test or medical test. Even after scoring well in all the other exams,
Bhagavan failed the medical test because He had spectacles with
high power lenses. The power of the lenses were ‘minus five’.
People having sight problems were not employed in the post of
the station master. Bhagavan and His relatives became upset.
Bhagavan’s uncle who was engaged in a continuous search for
jobs for his nephew, abandoned hope. He said that nothing more
could be done. He was ready to send his nephew back to Kolkata.
Anyhow, he agreed to wait for a few days more. Bhagavan had
become a bit disappointed because getting this job would have
bettered the conditions of the family. But Bhagavan was eager to
contend since birth, hence He did not breakdown. He continued
with the attempts of looking for a job.
Not many days had passed after this, one day, Subodh
Roychowdhury once again told Bhagavan, “You are already
trained in telegraphy. They are looking for new recruits. You give
the exam.” Before enrolling in college, Bhagavan had completed a
ninth month technical course on telegraphy from George
Telegraph. Bhagavan had gained expertise in this field. His
knowledge was finally put to good use. Bhagavan gave the exams
and qualified without any difficulty. He received the job. No more
was there any context of failing the medical tests so Bhagavan
received the permanent job. Bhagavan was employed as a class
three staff of the Signaler’s Department. Thinking about His
parents, grandmother and siblings, Bhagavan was no longer
anxious after getting this job. The salary of railway employees
were quite minimal then. But, Bhagavan and His well-wishers were
relieved thinking that with this dependable and permanent job, if
nothing more, they can at least survive with the basic amenities
of life. Bhagavan’s uncle was also happy that his nephew was
finally able to obtain a job for which, being His uncle, he had
exerted whole- hearted efforts for a long time, moreover his eldest
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sister had entrusted her son to him for which he felt responsible,
but in the end, he was glad that he was able to fulfill his
responsibilities properly.
Bhagavan thought that His family that had fought with
extreme financial paucity will now be able to look forward towards
the good days that were yet to come. His father was aging. His
mother was single- handedly managing all the household affairs.
But her health had deteriorated after being diagnosed with
tuberculosis. Then there was also His old grandmother. Bhagavan
became determined to hold the reins of His family more firmly.
He had stood beside His mother for many days. He wanted to give
His mother some respite. He wished that His mother would spend
her days without worry and in bliss. He even wished for His father
to spend days on his own accord. Bhagavan, by the age of
eighteen- nineteen, became the guardian of the family selflessly
without giving much thought about Himself, He became the
custodian of the family for His parents. With the start of a new
chapter of His life, the young man began taking the decisions of
His family.

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(Twenty Four)

Bhagavan was now a railway employee. A responsibility has

now come in His tempestuous life. Stability came as well in His
family. Now, He was the decision- maker of His family. His mother
was contingent upon her eldest son when it came to the family
matters. Bhagavan’s work life had begun. Every day, He reached
work before the stipulated time. Due to His indubitable efficiency,
He completed the three- month course of work training in just a
month. Only after entering the professional field did He see the
dominance of unscrupulous behavior in people which is especially
visible in government jobs. He saw the government workers
arriving way later than the specified time. Bhagavan saw not only
His colleagues, but the elders and even the higher- ranked officials
doing the same. He saw that no one was honest. Negligence in
duties often caught His eyes. He had then observed people’s show
of such abominable behavior for the first time. Amidst everyone’s
dishonesty, even that of the higher officials, it was easy to follow
the immoral path. However, Bhagavan discharged His duties
appropriately. He did not give in to the temptations. After the
month’s end, He kept a meagre portion of the salary for Himself
and sent the rest to His parents, siblings and grandmother so that
they didn’t have to face any problem. His parents heaved a sigh of
relief. Their eldest son had returned the peace they had long lost.
Since His younger days, Bhagavan was very bright when it
came to worldly matters. In general, we see that since their
childhood other spiritual stalwarts were simple, innocent, unaware
of the mental functions of worldly people and had led an unruffled
life, but Bhagavan’s life shows a sharp distinction. Bhagavan was
endowed with a sharp intellect since His childhood. Critically
examining the ways of this material world enabled Him to have a
clearer perception of it at His young age. This is why the elders
used to sarcastically call Him ‘smart alec’. But, He used His
capability of understanding the reality in positive ways like
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helping His parents and supporting His neighbors through rough

times. Never has His intellect guided Him towards the harmful or
destructive path. Even though, the environment He grew up in
provided Him ample opportunities of deflecting upon a negative
path but it never happened in reality. As He grew older, the
knowledge He had about this material world grew more mature
and firm. After getting employment in Guwahati, Bhagavan stayed
in His uncle’s place which relieved His parents from worry.
Analysis of the lives of saints and distinguished spiritual
leaders show us that since their childhood days, they had big
thoughts which was not limited by the surroundings they dwelled
in. The boundary of their thoughts outran the then predominant
situations and focussed upon a bigger perspective. Hence, saints
have to endure the sarcastic remarks of people but these do little
to affect the great thoughts they harbor within themselves. Since
He was young, Bhagavan also had a big thought within Him. Even
though, nourishing such lofty thoughts amidst unfavorable
conditions is beyond belief, but this is one of the qualities of God-
men. Since childhood, the doctrine, of saints, Great Men or welfare
works of the society had always remained His ideal. Whomever
He considered to be His ideal, He wished to know more about that
person, studied about them and discussed about them. Whatever
He knew to be the ideal, He loved it more than His life and dedicated
His entire life for it. Unlike the so called ‘intellectuals’, Bhagavan
never made any great man the centre of discussion to stop it
from becoming a topic of debates or lectures. Bhagavan valued
His ideals more than His life and it was a thought engaging His
mind twenty four hours a day. It was not that only Bhagavan
Himself used the ideals to guide His life; He believed the ideal to be
the absolute truth and needful for people. He tried to inspire His
parents, siblings and friends with the same ideals. So with, His
efforts to survive in the battle called life, He fought a parallel battle
to establish the ideal in the society. Therefore, it was seen that
whatever Bhagavan ever did, a team of well- wishers were always
created centering on Him.

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I have mentioned earlier that after returning to Kolkata,

Kanailal Chakraborty was visited by his nephew, Haridas
Bandyopdhyay. Haridas Bandyopadhyay was then a significant
member of a political party ‘Forward Bloc’created by Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose. Bhagavan loved His smart, good- looking
brother. Bhagavan used to accompany him to various places.
Haridas Bandyopadhyay had a great impact on Bhagavan. Under
His influence, Bhagavan had made Netaji the idol of His teenage
life. Bhagavan’s father was also inclined towards Netaji. ‘Ami
Subhash Bolchhi’ (This is Subhash speaking)- the times he had
read and had made others flip through this well- known book
was uncountable. Due to His father and brother, a deep sense of
nationalism had developed within Bhagavan. He started loving
and respecting even the patriots and revolutionaries. In reality,
Netaji had taught Bhagavan to love His country. He was the first
ideal in Bhagavan’s life.
As the second ideal and inspiration in Bhagavan’s life came
Rabindranath Tagore. The first Nobel Prize winner of Asia and a
man of great qualities- poet, author, compose, lyricist and drama
writer. Bhagavan used to recite the poems of Rabindranath Tagore
in school. Having a deep, grave voice made His recitation of the
poems pleasant to the ears. In various places, on the occasion of
Rabindra Jayanti, Bhagavan used to recite the poems of
Rabindranath. He had mastered the art of recitation and elocution
on His own. As, Bhagavan was always eager to learn whatever
was beautiful, engrossing and gratifying for people; listening to
the oration of various artists, He had learnt the art of articulation
very well. Since, He had the ability of memorizing with ease, He
had learnt most of the poems of Rabindranath Tagore by heart.
Some of His favorite poems of Rabindranath Tagore were- ‘Ebar
Firao More’ (Turn Me back now), ‘Jete Nahi Dibo’ ( Will not let
you go), and ‘Brahmin’. Not only Rabindranath Tagore, Bhagavan
also recited the poems of Sukanta Bhattacharya and the
revolutionary poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam quite proficiently. He even
took part in a play written by Rabindranath Tagore while He was

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in school. He started acting in plays which was first introduced to
Him by His father. Bhagavan had completed reading the
compositions of Rabindranath Tagore in His younger years. His
tendency of giving His all while learning something made it easier
for Him to gain expertise over it in less amount of time. The world-
poet Rabindranath Tagore was the second ideal man in Bhagavan’s
life.
As a result of avidly poring over the poems of the well- known
poets like Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Sukanta
Bhattacharya, Bhagavan developed a proclivity for writing poems.
When Bhagavan went to Guwahati and started working in the
Railways under the Central Government, this new quality started
to manifest within Bhagavan. After work, instead of spending
His leisure time in meaningless gossips and chats, He started
writing poems. With time, His writings became more precise and
intense. The special feature and theme of His writings were the
lives of the common men for whom no one thinks about who are
looked down upon and deprived from love and help. Since His
childhood, an unusual love for the downtrodden and helpless people
had developed within Bhagavan. He had developed the longing of
voicing their thoughts through His words. He always felt the
distresses of the people struggling to earn their bread and butter
and it was as if this very feeling were penned down by Him in the
form of words. He even composed poems on nationalism and
patriotism. Whoever read His poems, sang praises. But, the
expression of Truth in His poems was also feared by the
established men of the society. This was because, the protestant
views of the poems sometimes struck a blow to the establishments
of the established people, it used to portray the illustrations of
the exploits of common men and their sufferings. Bhagavan’s
writings were the burning examples of the roaring sentiments of
the common men. Bhagavan wrote pages after pages, one after
the other and many copies were getting piled up. But, writing
poems were not permanent in Bhagavan’s life. This story can be
narrated later.

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Hence, a thorough examination of Bhagavan’s life from

childhood slowly reveals the truth that a Supreme power was
molding this young man with great care, molding Him according
to His tastes. It was taking Him through many experiences of life-
many places, various religions, caste, mentalities, people from
various age groups, with many notions, uncountable social morals
and regulations; taking Him through these diversities he was
unwinding the multi- faceted sides of Him very similar to when
lotuses gradually unfurl their petals and bloom with all its splendor,
compelling men to look, its way enchanting them with its view
for its full bloom makes clear that amidst every other object of
nature it is the only spectacle worth marveling at. It was similar
to this that the Ultimate Being, omnipotent God was stealthily
unravelling the true identity of Bhagavan who, with His full
revelation amidst the world in future would struck people with
awe, attract them towards Him and make them thirst for refuge
at His feet knowing Him to be the past, present and Future of this
world.

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(Twenty five)

As mentioned earlier, Bhagavan differed from the other

spiritual men since His childhood.Unlike Sri Ramakrishna,
Bhagavan did not experience spiritual trances in His younger days,
unlike Swami Vivekananda, He did not immerse Himself in deep
meditation or remain unaware of the presence of a snake and
neither was He very ruminative and reposeful like Guru Nanak.
But He can be distinguished for His love for mankind. He has no
tolerance for the agonies of man, He feels the pain of every
commoner with every fiber of His being. This vibrant, zestful,
unstoppable young man observed the world with wide eyes.
Observing people, associating with them, leaving behind His
childhood days, during His youth was born the practical
knowledge of the world within Him. Thus, every aspect of life,
starting from the welfare activities, writing poems and after
exploring other spheres till coming upon the spiritual path, all
was due to people, humanity, welfare of people and of course love
for Truth. Hence, the different situations Bhagavan was going
through, to know everything, due to a speculative mind,was to
gain the fullest experience in every aspect.
Enriched in the knowledge of various spheres, Bhagavan’s
life took a turn towards an unavoidable phase. Since He not only
loved mankind, He had the will to do something; His priority was
on the helpless, poor people, He was well aware of the hardships
of common people and since He did not have spiritual leanings
then, He considered providing food, clothes and shelter as the
biggest help to man. Hence, Bhagavan’s mind was in search of a
path which would provide Him with the opportunity of helping
people on a larger scale. Haridas Bandyopadhyay frequented
Bhagavan’s home in Birati. This, good- looking, open hearted
young man had influenced Bhagavan a lot. It was a time when the
Communist party of India was emerging as a surging force in the
political scenario of West Bengal and India. Forward Bloc was
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associated with the Communist party. Haridas Bandyopadhyay

coming to Birati used to discuss the ideologies of His party and
the Communist party with Bhagavan’s father. Their conversation
had created a political mentality within Bhagavan, the expression
of which was seen after a few years from then.
Within the age of twenty-one or twenty- two, the spirits and
Bhagavan’s presence of mind attracted many people. Once He went
to a bank and saw that the work was stopped due to some reason
and everyone was lined up in a queue. No one dared to ask the
reason why the work had been stopped. Bhagavan readily went
inside the cabin of the Bank Manager and directly asked for the
explanation behind the hold-up. After hearing the explanation,
when Bhagavan was excusing Himself from the room, the manager
asked Him to wait. The bank manager was an aged man, He had
liked the spirits of Bhagavan. While talking with Bhagavan he said-
“I like your spirit. Let me ask you one thing, you tell me, why is
the condition of the youths such, why are the youths so
indisciplined, restless and disrespectful towards elders? Even we
were at your age once. But, we were never like you. Can you deny
this? What do you think about this?” Listening to Him, Bhagavan
said- “I agree to whatever you have said. We are indisciplined, we
are restless and have no respect for elders. You were way better
than us. But, please answer my question now, you are our mothers
and fathers, our well- wishers. Why didn’t you teach us?” Hearing
this quick response of Bhagavan, the high posted Bank manager
was at a loss for words.
The natural leadership skills that Bhagavan was born with,
was waiting for its outburst in His work life. Even after getting
employed, He found Himself taking the full leadership
responsibilities in the field. Bhagavan observed that the
government employees were affected by corruption and
exploitation. They were deprived from their justified rights.
Bhagavan detected the dissatisfaction among the people working
in the lower posts. The higher officials and the so called educated
class take advantage of the illiteracy and lack of awareness of the

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lower ranked officials and exploit them. Having expertise in
battling against the struggles of life, the keen eyes of Bhagavan
caught the exploits and He decided to fight against all. The heartfelt
love of Bhagavan made Him the leader unknowingly. The Trade
Union was vocal about the exploitation of the commoners. Every
government office or organization had a trade union. Bhagavan
was well aware about individual rights. He was able to realize the
aspects in which they were deprived. Generally, people like to
follow someone, they want a leader who will shed light upon their
path and lead the way. They are fearful in fighting for their rights.
People live amidst uncertainties and fears. They like to manage
their lives somehow. But Bhagavan was different from the start.
He protested against every injustice. No one had a chance to stand
with their false assertions in front of Bhagavan’s sharp reasoning.
Bhagavan was capable in articulating the proper demands of the
people and spoke fearlessly with the highly- posted officials so
He was unanimously selected as the leader of the Traders’ Union.
Bhagavan’s life began an important phase with being the leader of
the workers organisation. When Bhagavan was appointed the
leader of the organization, He was just eighteen years old. At such
young age, He became the leader of the people whose age varied
from 18 to 58. So what if He was 18, He was feared by the high
officials. His officers knew that Bhagavan cannot be duped. So,
they carefully chose their words while talking to Bhagavan. After
being the leader, using His oratorical skills, Bhagavan was able to
get many of the demands fulfilled for His colleagues who were
deprived of their rights for many years. After getting associated
with this, His name spread in many places for His honesty and
sincerity. As the leader He used to visit many places to strengthen
and inspire the movement. In the year 1964, representing the
signalers department, Bhagavan once went to Chennai to attend
their function, but not only this, He even gave a speech in English
and won the hearts of many. He was only 22 then. Bhagavan was
able to motivate people with His speech. No matter where He went,
He was taken as the leader. They knew that this young man was
the true well- wisher and had no thoughts for Himself. People

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were able to understand that Bhagavan truly was honest, He was

the ideal man, He did not have a self- centered mind and was their
real companion.
The honesty of Bhagavan was intimidating for even the senior
officers and they were careful while speaking with Bhagavan.
The demands that Bhagavan made being the leader of the trade
union was disliked by the higher officials. Once Bhagavan went
to a senior official with a few demands. Hearing Bhagavan’s words,
the officer was enraged and said- ‘Do you know what I can do? I
can suspend you from your work.” Bhagavan replied, “You just
said what you can do. Do you know what I am capable of?” The
officer said, “What will you do to me?” Bhagavan said,” I can break
your head once you come out of this office.” The ready reply of
Bhagavan left the officer dumbfounded and He found it beneficial
to calm himself down and stay quiet.
After getting employment in the railways, Bhagavan had added
a very important thing to His life which continues till today.
Bhagavan had digestion problems since He was young. As it is,
Bengali’s are prone to suffer from stomach problems, on top of
that, not having nutritious food while growing up, frequent
changing of places resulting in the change of food habits,
Bhagavan’s digestive system had suffered a lot. He couldn’t even
get treatment due to lack of sufficient money. Among His struggles,
He had to fight with two main health problems including His
stomach and eyes. But, Bhagavan was always searching for a way
out of this problem. But, there was lack of time and opportunities
for the struggles of life drained every ounce of energy from Him.
Worrying about His family kept Him from thinking and doing
anything for Himself. He was bound to take spectacles for His
deteriorating eyesight but how was He supposed to get rid of the
stomach problem? Bhagavan was thin. He looked thinner due to
His five feet nine inches tall figure with curly dark hair. But after
getting a job, He received some time for Himself and to cater to
His requirements. Hence, while staying with His uncle, Bhagavan
started to exercise and do yoga. There was no gap in His daily

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workout. He received the results soon enough. He became a bit
muscular and heavy. When Bhagavan went to Birati a year later
after joining work, seeing His new physique everyone was
shocked. Bhagavan, in a new, leather form was a sweet surprise
for them.
If desired, people can do anything but they lack the will to do
anything. The common people blame others and the situation for
their own ability to do things. People keep excuses at the tip of
their tongues. As quoted- “Excuses are tools of the incompetent”,
the strongest tool of all. But, those who are the achievers of the
world reaching great heights, we will never find them blaming
others for their failures but only their constant efforts to rise
above the disadvantageous conditions. They have never spurted
excuses for their inabilities but have leaped forward with all the
strength. The Nature is bound to respect a brave heart. There is
no alternative for hard work. Such people are rarest of the lot.
They have a different ideal. It is easy to notice them ina crowd
like it is easy to spot a lion attacking a flock of sheep. This will of
never giving up, this will of fighting with one’s own mind not
others is what made Bhagavan, ‘Bhagavan’.

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(Twenty Six)

Since then, few years passed in Pandu- Maligaon. Bhagavan

worked in the headquarters of the North East Frontier railway
department of Maligaon, in the signal department. As a part of
work, He had to visit different railway departments. Bhagavan
was spending His days peacefully. In Birati, His family was doing
well and His siblings were also becoming adults. It was during this
time, that Bhagavan’s youngest brother Shekhar was born. After
working tirelessly, Bhagavan used to send the lion’s share of His
salary to Birati, keeping the very minimal for Himself. While
working in Guwahati, Bhagavan once again had the desire of
pursuing His incomplete higher studies. He had thought about
getting admitted in the night shift of a college but this eventually
did not materialize. During this time, He received orders of
transfer. The North- East Frontier railway had a sub-division in
Katihar, Bihar. Bhagavan was told that His new work field would
be Katihar. Accordingly, bidding farewell to His grandmother,
uncles, aunts, cousins and uncountable friends, Bhagavan moved
to Katihar. Once again His life underwent a change- the place,
people, culture, work-field; everything.
At that time, Katihar was included under the Purniya district
of North- East Bihar but now Katihar itself has become a district.
Despite of the place being in Bihar, it was home to a lot of Bengalis,
hence, once you set foot on it, it is not surprising to get the feels
of Bengal. But in no ways was it similar to Assam. Neither did it
have the natural picturesque views nor the greenery of Assam.
The rail quarters in Assam had asbestos roofs but the railway
quarters in Katihar were two or three storeyed apartment
buildings. It was also comparatively less densely populated than
Assam. Since His childhood, Bhagavan had been a nature- lover,
hence going to Assam had given Him the opportunity of enjoying
the beauty of Nature. In leisure times, He used to wander off in the
hills and woods or sit quietly on the banks of the Brahmaputra. In

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Katihar, He missed the natural beauty of Assam. But Katihar was

also culturally inclined. Like the people of West Bengal, they were
involved in other activities, festivals, celebrating the birth
anniversaries of saints, listening to music, dramas- theatres and
plays, various congregations and social activities. They were
more politically conscious.So, He no longer regretted leaving
Assam.
Bhagavan joined His work after going to Katihar. The railway
office was nearby the Katihar station. There were railway quarters
for the housing of railway employees. He did not receive a quarter
straight away. Hence, He began a new phase in life. He started
living in a dorm. Prior to this, Bhagavan had lived in many places.
Starting from the zamindar mansion in Bangladesh to Kolkata’s
Narkeldanga, Beleghata, Chetla followed by their relocation to
Talcher then back to Birati and finally from Birati to Guwahati’s
Pandu, but in every place, He lived with a family in one way or
the other, He lived with one or many custodians. Sometimes His
father- mother, paternal grandparents, maternal grandmother or
His uncle; but, Bhagavan did not have any guardian around in the
dorm, everyone was His colleague. There is a big difference
between the family life and work- life with friends and colleagues.
The latter teaches people to stand upright firmly on their feet.
This makes a person strong. This is from where he gets the true
taste of freedom, independence and becoming free from bindings.
Hence, Bhagavan stepped forward upon a new path of life.
Everyone lived as friends in the dorm. After coming to the
dorm from work, the members of the dorm used to spend their
time in gossiping, playing cards and chess. Instead of wasting time
in chatting and games, Bhagavan spent His time in composing
poems, reading books and in other constructive work. Despite of
having many friends, He had creative discussions with His friends
than meaningless ones. Using foul language while talking with
friends was common but Bhagavan never had such tendencies.
Bhagavan’s heart was extremely soft and sensitive. One such time,
while talking with each other, a friend addressed Bhagavan in a

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disrespectful way which brought tears to His eyes. The friend

didn’t know what to do. After this, everyone was careful in
choosing their words while talking with Bhagavan. The propriety
of truth within Him could not accept the ordinary behaviors of
people.
Everyone had to arrange food for themselves in the dorm.
Every member used to contribute money every month. That
money was used for buying the ingredients and cooking. For a
certain period of time, one member had to take the responsibility
of arranging food for everyone else in the dorm. After his turn,
someone else took the responsibility of doing the same. In
Bhagavan’s dorm there were several such ‘dorm managers’. In spite
of this being tiresome, people were willing to take up the position
as the ‘dorm manager’. The reason behind this was not the
satisfaction that one received for providing food for all but the
greed of pocketing the remaining money that was contributed
for the purpose. This resulted in greater expenses in the dorm.
But, Bhagavan was not greedy. His need for money and the
opportunities of procuring money through illegal means did not
tempt Him. He was also idealistic. Whatever He did, He did it with
all seriousness and dedication. He was always into being
spontaneous and honest. So, whenever Bhagavan became the
dorm manager, He tried to provide food according to the tastes of
the members and also reduced the expenditure of the dorm for
the month. This is why everyone wanted Bhagavan to stay as the
dorm manager, but this proved to be unfortunate for those who
used deceitful means to increase the expenses to take the extra
money because all their misdeeds had come to light. Not only
being the dorm manager, the same occurrence was seen in the
office canteen. Taking responsibility of the office canteen,
Bhagavan reduced the costs of tea and biscuits.
Bhagavan’s office was in the Deputy Superintendent’s Building.
After living in the dorm for a few days, Bhagavan met Dilip Chanda.
He was almost ten years older than Bhagavan and lived alone in
his railway quarter. He was unmarried then. He had a drama group
in the club named ‘Pragati Sangha’. He was the steersman of the
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group. His direction and acting skills were highly applauded. After
meeting with Bhagavan, they soon became fast friends. Bhagavan
used to call Him ‘Dilip Da’. Dilip Da invited Bhagavan to live at His
place which Bhagavan agreed to hence Bhagavan did not have to
live in the dorm for long. Both of them cooked for themselves in
the quarter. They loved each other a lot. Dilip Chanda was a jovial
man and even though He had a big family with brothers and sisters,
he adored Bhagavan more than his own brother. Even Dilip Da
meant the world to Bhagavan. Looking after him, taking care of
him- Bhagavan did all for His newly found brother. Their
relationship blossomed so much that at the beginning of a new
month, Bhagavan used to hand over His entire month’s salary to
Dilip. He never gave any second thought to this. This is the amount
of trust He had in Dilip. Even this older brother of Bhagavan kept
the trust of his brother. He carefully kept the hard earned money
of his brother and sent the money to Birati on a regular basis.
Even Bhagavan was relieved after giving His salary to His brother.
This was the love of Bhagavan and it still prevails- whomever
Bhagavan loves, He loves with His entirety. Neither did He have
any shortcomings in His love then nor is there any question of
having it now.
When Bhagavan came to Katihar around 1966- 1967, He was
a young man. His dark skin and healthy figure enchanted all. By
then, Bhagavan had gained a healthy figure from a thin one. His
spirit, self- belief, courage oozes out of His walk. This naturally
attracted people towards Him. With this, He had a God- gifted
voice. His booming voice had no harshness but it indicated
towards the depth within Him. Bhagavan had transformed into a
charming personality by then. His acquaintances gradually started
growing in number. It was Dilip Da who took Him to ‘Pragati
Sangha’. Bhagavan got introduced to the other members of the
club. Bhagavan’s company made everyone happy. The group then
had Chandrashekhar Bhattacharya, Chiro Chatterjee, Arun
Chakraborty, Tirthankar Bhattacharya, Priyamay Chakraborty,
Nikhil Pal and Parimal Chtterjee. There were more whom
Bhagavan used to call ‘Ratu Da’, ‘Nadu Da’, ‘Rasu Da’. Most of them

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were elder to Bhagavan but Bhagavan’s cordial behavior and
innocent love won over their hearts.
Even though Bhagavan did act in dramas with His father when
He was merely a child then but it stopped later. Dilip Chanda
triggered the love for theatres within Bhagavan. He used to take
Bhagavan to Pragati Sangha. Dilip was a director and a good
comedian. They rehearsed in the club itself. Gradually, the love
for dramas increased within Bhagavan. Within a few days due to
His voice, He became a prompter from an audience member. This
is how a few days passed. Once, a drama was to be staged in Pragati
Sangha. The protagonist of that drama suddenly informed that He
will be unable to perform. This came as a big blow to Dilip Chanda.
He was unable to come up with a solution. Suddenly, Bhagavan’s
image popped up in his mind. Upon asking, Bhagavan agreed. But,
there was very less time. Bhagavan gave His best shot for it. He
prepared hard to keep the face of Dilip Chanda in front of the
people. Everyone was worried because Pragati Sangha was
known well in Katihar. A new amateur was playing the lead role
and Dilip Chanda’s decision of letting Bhagavan take the role in
such a short notice raised questions in some people’s minds. The
drama was staged on the mentioned date. Bhagavan won the
hearts of people with His very first performance. The people of
Katihar saw the rise of a new actor in the city. Due to Bhagavan’s
performance, the drama group rose further to fame. Bhagavan
erased the memories of the previous lead actor with His first
performance from the hearts of the people. After the end of the
drama, the hall burst into series of applause. Dilip Da and His
companions hugged Bhagavan. Dilip Da’s happiness knew no
bounds for his keen eyes made no mistake in spotting a gem.
With the other aspects of Bhagavan’s life, now, a new horizon
was unfurled- acting. Whatever Bhagavan has done, He did with
utmost dedication. The same happened in acting. After His
association with Pragati Sangha, they started staging new dramas
every so often. A versatile actor was hidden within Bhagavan, His
skills improved with every passing day, He was also able to set
new standards for everyone in acting. This is why, Pragati Sangha
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became popular as a drama group in Katihar. Not only did
Bhagavan grow after coming to Pragati Sangha, He also developed
Pragati Sangha.
Bhagavan became busy in acting. But His hobby of writing
poems faced no interruption. Amidst every work, He made time
to compose poems. He had many friends in Pragati Sangha, but
like what He did in Assam, He devoted some time to Himself for
leaping into the depths of His heart when He had some time for
His own. The poems of Bhagavan reflected His seriousness.
He was wavered by the sufferings of man so His poems
portrayed the stories of them. He never forgot poems because it
was His composition while dramas were written and directed by
others. His skills in acting were definitely His own. Bhagavan
wrote many poems and had many copies filled with them.
Bhagavan wanted His poems to get published in newspapers.
While visiting His house in Birati, Bhaga an used to send Swapan
to many publishers. The publishers used to praise the poems but
never publish them. The poems exhibited all the bitter truths
which if published will have adverse effects on the image of the
publishing company. His brother even went to College Street in
Kolkata and some poems were even published in the papers.
Among them was a popular poem which can be roughly translated
into- ‘Beware China’. This poem reveals the patriot feelings and
the love that Bhagavan had for His country. Moreover, the invasion
of China on India had displeased Bhagavan. The meanings of the
lines can be roughly translated into-
“Beware new China! Heavy price has to be paid to clear the
debt of Lord Buddha.” This poem received a lot of positive reviews.
Accompanied by Haripada Bandyopadhyay, Bhagavan had also
gone to the office of the leader of Forward Bloc, Sri Hemant Basu
and recited His poem. Even after great efforts, when His poems
did not receive its deserved recognition, Bhagavan out of fury-
sadness burnt all His valuable copies of poems in fire. This is how
the world was deprived from the beautiful creations due to the
selfishness of mankind. Bhagavan had even sacrificed His will of
writing the poems in the fire.
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(Twenty Seven)

Bhagavan had become closely familiar with other families

apart from that of Dilip Chanda, one of them being the family of a
young man namedTirthankar (Tirtha) Bhattacharya. Tirtha and
his family stayed in the house beside Dilip Chanda’s. He was a
college student at that time. After knowing Bhagavan, he became
His constant companion. Bhagavan was very near to his heart. He
called Him ‘Dada’ (older brother). He was very highly attached to
Bhagavan. Even his family loved Bhagavan. They always catered
to Bhagavan’s needs. Bhagavan also loved Tirtha more than His
own brother. Truly, Bhagavan was such whom anyone is bound
to love. Not only loving Bhagavan, they had even developed a
friendly bond with Bhagavan’s family. Bhagavan was then a young
man, thinking about others, left Him no time to think about
Himself. Maybe, He didn’t realize when His pyjamas were dirty.
Focusing upon His dramas, He often forgot to eat. Tirtha’s family
always kept watch upon Bhagavan’s meals, His necessities.
Especially Tirtha- What strange love this teen had for Him! Before
His journey upon the spiritual path, Bhagavan had not received
any love which equaled that of Tirtha’s. Even though, He had filled
everyone with this love. So, when it comes to love, we still find
Bhagavan talking about Tirtha. But, loving someone comes with a
sense of possessiveness, makes us think that the person will love,
trust us more and none else; maybe this mentality worked in
Tirtha’s family. They disliked the fact that Bhagavan loved Dilip
Chanda, took his advice in every matter and handed over His entire
salary to him. They even complained to Bhagavan’s mother saying
that it was not good for Him to trust Dilip Chanda that much,
although Bhagavan did not know anything about this. The excess
love that Bhagavan had for Dilip Chanda was also looked down
upon by Bhagavan’s mother.
The treasurer of Pragati Sangha was an aged man, Arun
Bhushan Chakraborty. He was respected by all and called as ‘Arun
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Da’. He was not involved in the drama but was the main patron of
Dilip Chanda’s drama group. Bhagavan became close with Arun
da, who was associated with Pragati Sangh and his family. Arun
Da, even his wife had deep affection for Bhagavan, even their
eleven year old daughter, loved Bhagavan as her own brother. They
observed that Bhagavan had no care about Himself, He was
completely unaware about what He ate and wore. And a strange
love He had for people, what longing He had for rendering help to
people at all times! Such people are not seen everywhere, He
seemed to be a unique creation of the Almighty! They observed a
high dynamicity with in Bhagavan which breaking every internal
and external barrier, propelled Him forward and compelled people
to follow Him blindly, children- youths- adults- aged- everyone.
They witnessed an indescribable love within Bhagavan- they were
not is blood relatives but still so close to Him. Even Bhagavan
seemed so close to them, their own! His love had so much strength
that even if He scolded, His attachment to truth and non pareil
love made everyone like Him. A grave person like Arun Da also
fell in love with Bhagavan, not mentioning the rest. Within a few
days after coming to Katihar Bhagavan had become the centre of
attention for all.
Pragati Sangha once organized and directed a play. This was
a one- act play named- “Ami Thambona” (I won’t stop). Bhagavan
was the only actor. The play was staged in the well –known
Balaram Institute. By then, Pragati Sangha was known to all. The
hall was packed with people. Bhagavan acted in such a way that
even after it ended, the audience sat awe- struck in the hall with
pin drop silence. Arun Chakraborty had later told Bhagavan- “The
way you acted, it is something which cannot be endured.”
Bhagavan had said that hearing this from Arun Da meant
everything to Him. How heart- touching Bhagavan’s acting was!
Once, upon getting invited to a wedding of an acquaintance’s
brother, Bhagavan went to a village with His entire group. The
village had fields of peascod and sugarcane. Bhagavan was
breaking off and giving the sugarcanes to all. He was saying, “Eat!

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Consider this your own place.” This is how He became the life of
celebration. Then, He enjoyed so much in the wedding, cracked
jokes which changed the atmosphere completely. Boarding the
night train they returned to Katihar. Once again, the whole group
went for a picnic in Raotara. He enjoyed there as well. He also
kept watch on everything including the spices used in the cooking.
That place was famous for jujubes or Chinese dates. Bhagavan
along with everyone went up to the jujube trees and started
shaking it, the fruits started falling everywhere. Everyone started
gathering the fruits. Everyone had fruits to their hearts content.
Bhagavan even asked to feed the fruits to the local children.
Thoroughly enjoying the picnic with Bhagavan everyone returned
home. This is how Bhagavan used to make everyone happy. Like
picking fruits from the trees, till now Bhagavan is shaking the
tree of Truth, liberation, peace, consciousness, bliss— the fruits
of which are being enjoyed by the rest of the world, leading them
to fulfilment and liberation.
Bhagavan suffered from stomach problems since childhood.
His problem increased after going to Katihar. Dilip Chanda
accompanied Him to the doctor. Doctor examined Him and the
diagnosis was made- gastric ulcer. It was a time when the pay of
railway employees were not much, they had to manage somehow
with their earnings. So, Bhagavan could not afford to buy such
expensive medicines. The doctor advised Bhagavan to eat nothing
but milk and rice. But, Bhagavan was a food lover and liked eating
different savories and preparations. Bhagavan was also an
excellent cook. There was no one who could cook fish, mutton,
egg, cauliflower curry, pulao, and potato curry better than Him. It
was a joy to cook for Him for He loved to eat and ate contently.
He even had high praises for good dishes. This is why, Bhagavan
was invited to have various dishes prepared in different homes.
When Bhagavan decided to eat nothing but rice and milk, following
the doctor’s orders, no one could tempt Him to do otherwise.
Bhagavan continued having rice and milk for the following six-
seven months. He also received the results of His dedication and
control. His stomach healed completely. The water in Katihar was
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good and helped in digestion. Bhagavan did not suffer from

stomach problems again in Katihar. The control of Bhagavan
during His youthful days is really a lesson for everyone to learn.
After going to Katihar, even after getting many friends-
companions and a brother, He never once forgot His parents-
siblings- grandmother back at home. Since His income from His
job was not meeting upto the expectations of the family, He started
giving home tutoring lessons in Katihar. Amidst His office- life,
social- life, cultural- life, thinking about His family, He decided to
start home tutoring lessons to send more money to His family.

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(Twenty eight)

After joining work in Katihar, another incident occurred

which marked Bhagavan as an able leader for the people. The
incident was as follows- Immediately after joining work in the
Signalers Department of the D. S building, Bhagavan noticed that
the employees of the other department sat on chairs for work but
only the workers in the Signalers Department were given stools,
not chairs. After speaking with everyone, Bhagavan saw that no
one was willing to open their mouths regarding this matter. What
was more, even the person in –charge also had to work sitting on
a stool. The person –in- charge could not muster the courage to
speak to the highest official of their department about this
inconvenience. Bhagavan was astounded to see such inadequacy
of man. Their demand was not unjustified but it was their right.
The employees of the same posts from the other departments were
enjoying this right but no one had the courage to speak up for
their reasonable demand. But, since the very beginning, Bhagavan
was out of the ordinary and mindful of the justified rights of
people. He is honest, sincere, straightforward and does work with
perfection. He is never remiss in His work that is why people fear
His honesty, sincerity and straightforwardness. He is not afraid of
anyone. This is why Bhagavan decided to speak with the
authorities. He did not procrastinate.The officer made Bhagavan’s
co- workers tremble in fear but Bhagavan made His way to the
officer’s cabin and stated their problems. Initially refusing to
accept the plea the officer finally gave in to the demands after
hearing the rational reasoning of Bhagavan. The very next day,
new chairs came for everyone. Seeing the capability, everyone
accepted Bhagavan as their leader.
In the following years, many such incidents occurred in
Bhagavan’s life which compelled the higher officials to admit
defeat. A similar instance was known. For work related matters,
Bhagavan had to go to places like Malda, New Jalpaiguri, Tulsibari,
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Yogbani etc. from Katihar. He had to stay there for a few days,
complete His work and then return to Katihar. Many a times, He
had to eat, sleep and spend the night in train compartments. One
time, Bhagavan had gone to a place for work. There, He and His
cohorts had to spend the night in the train. Leaving behind the
compartment in that place, the train engine had already left for
the next station. Bhagavan saw that the compartment had no
electricity, fan or water. They would have to spend the night there
with lots of hard work awaiting them the following day. Bhagavan
told His associates that they should definitely speak up against
this. Were they not humans? He would not tolerate such inhuman
behavior. Everyone should protest against this the following day.
Expectedly, no one wished to speak up. So, Bhagavan alone had
to involve Himself in a disagreement with the officers. When the
senior officials refused to accept Bhagavan’s request, Bhagavan
went and stood in front of the engine. Finding no other way, the
officials caved in and made arrangements to keep them at a station.
Bhagavan has plenty such incidents in His life. No one even the
higher officials dared to disregard His self- determination, honesty,
dedication, fearlessness and irrefutable reasoning. The senior
officers dealt Bhagavan with caution. They avoided meddling with
Him. But even loved Him a lot. Along with the above mentioned
qualities, His love and sympathy for all made Him everyone’s
leader similar to what happened in Guwahati.
Through various instances, Bhagavan’s righteousness,
patriotism and generosity was reflected from His character. At
one time, He was working as a ticket collector in Kishangunj
station. He saw that a married couple had bought a half- ticket for
their child but the child’s age was way above the criteria. Anybody
else would have taken bribe and then let them go. But, Bhagavan
warned them not to do such things in future and let them go. The
associates seeing Bhagavan doing this, started laughing. One Hindi
speaking co- worker told Bhagavan— “Arrey Chakravarty! Pardes
mein aaye ho, Kamalo!” meaning- “O Chakravarty! You have come
to a foreign land, earn as much as you can.” Bhagavan instantly
replied— “Agar ye mera Pardes hai toh desh kaha hai?” meaning,
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“If this is foreign, then which is my homeland?” The co-worker
was at a loss for words.
On one side, these incidents were taking place centering
around Bhagavan- in His office, acting in dramas in Pragati
Sangha, becoming more active in welfare activities— everyone
was accepting Bhagavan. He was being showered with praises
everywhere, from every strata of society. But even in the midst of
such accomplishments, Bhagavan remained composed. This is His
character. Accomplishments can never divert Him from working
for others, the material gains inspire Him more to work with more
strength of mind. Thus, Bhagavan was in search of something
more. Helping some people, getting applauded by people for His
plays and fulfilling the rightful demands of His co-workers— His
life was not just confined to these. He used to feel that He had a
lot more to do for thousands of others. He had grown up in poverty
so He knew the sorrows of man very well. Enduring great woes,
He had left no stone unturned against the struggles, He was back
up on His feet getting His family out of the troubles. They could
finally see some stability in the family. But, there are three types
of people who emerge victorious in the battles of life. The first
type contains people who after overcoming the hardships, forget
the past and immerse themselves in enjoying the new life, the
second type of people do not forget the past but do not wish to
recall it either. The people of the third category do not forget the
struggles but instead, the new life encourages him to fight for
those who were enduring the same hardships he had faced in the
past. Hence, it was not that the beautiful moments of Bhagavan’s
life was only giving Him peace but on the contrary, the miseries
of the common masses was pricking Him like thorns. So, Bhagavan
was mentally preparing Himself to exert tireless efforts for the
benefit of mankind on a larger scale. Meanwhile, during this time,
Bhagavan’s paternal grandmother passed away.
To do something for the all- round development of man, one
cannot bypass the path of politics. Political power enables one to
help lakhs of people. But, most of the time, political authority makes

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one dishonest. While working to wipe away the despairs of man,

the focus of prominence gradually shifts to one’s desire of
reigning over others, the attempt of making the country’s wealth
one’s own, desire of hearing sweet- talks and being surrounded by
obsequious people. But, if someone stays honest on this path, he
can do a lot for the benefit of humanity. Bhagavan possessed
everything. He had love, compassion and sympathy. These
qualities were accompanied by truthfulness and His desire to
work. Leaving this aside, Bhagavan also had a political background
because His cousin brother, Haridas Bandyopadhyay was into
politics and Bhagavan was very much influenced by Him. Once,
Bhagavan, accompanied by Haridas Bandyopadhyay, had also
visited the renowned leader of Forward Bloc, Hemanta Basu in
the Writer’s Building and had recited a self- composed poem. So,
Bhagavan was having thoughts of coming to politics to engage
Himself in the welfare of the mass.
During that time, a new political thought was disseminating
in Bengal, all over India and the world which was communism.
The propounder of this theory was Karl Marx. Karl Marx had put
forth the theory of communism or socialism in the world after
protracted contemplation in the nineteenth century which was
later established by Lenin. Karl Marx had thought about the
distresses of the so- called ‘proletariat’ who were the workers
and peasants of the society. He had observed that in the capitalist
society, the owners and the workers or the ‘have’s’ and ‘have
not’s’ or the wealthy and the poor had a lot of inequality which
resulted in some reaching the peak of affluence while the other
sinking in poverty. He had wanted- the owners and workers, the
wealthy and the poor, the distinction between these two classes-
to come to an end. He had detected that the common people were
kept away from the production procedures and the produced
commodities in the capitalist society. Hence, he had concluded
that the end of private ownership in the capitalist system will
also end the exploitation of the deprived people. He also
vehemently protested against the deprivation of the justified rights
of the labouring class. There are various other facets of
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communism but that is not the topic of our discussion.

Predominantly, the main objective of Marx was the collective
creation of a society, free from class division, exploitation and
private ownership.
Bhagavan was also in search of a path in the political field
which will allow Him to work for people. This period I am talking
about was year 1967- 1968. It was the time when huge political
waves of communism and socialism had splashed over India.
Annoyed by the contemporary political theories and its
implemented results, people were in search of a new way, the
search that ended with the introduction of Marxist theory. Among
these the most affected was Bengal. The Bengalis heartily
accepted Marxism. Bhagavan was not an exception. Among the
other contemporary theories, the theories of Marx and Lenin
became the most acceptable to Bhagavan for one main reason-
the main objective of this ideology being the development of the
penurious ones. Once belonging from the class of the
impoverished, Bhagavan was conscious about their sufferings and
pain. So, after progress in the social and cultural life, Bhagavan
proceeded on the path of politics. After Netaji, Rabindranath, His
third ideal became Karl Marx. Obviously, Marxism gave birth to
atheism within Him, He started considering religion and
spirituality as the ‘opium of the people.’
Like His character, Bhagavan became engrossed with the
principles of Marxism. He started reading the books of Marx, Lenin
and communism authored by the intelligentsias. Wherever He
went, He started discussions on politics. His friends, office
colleagues— with everyone, He started discussing about this new
political thought. He was determined to gain a profound
knowledge on the essence of the theory so through the medium
of reading books, He tried to delve into its depths. He was able to
see hope for the fulfillment of His desire of helping people that He
had harbored in His heart. He believed in this ideology and
engaged His mind in Marx and Marxism. It was as if,destiny had
decided upon an important path of the society for Him to stride
upon— the political path.
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(Twenty nine)

Bhagavan was engrossed in political thoughts. He was going

through books one after the other. He thought that since His
childhood, He had spent His days in cities- Orissa’s Talcher, Kolkata,
Guwahati, Katihar. But, India centers around villages. Out of the
total Indian population, the majority resides in villages. Hence,
unless you see the condition of the villages and the people
inhabiting it with your eyes, it is not possible to understand the
conditions of the countrymen. Bhagavan was idealistic and abided
by principles and ideologies but He was in favor of giving it up if
it was not of any use to the common men. Socialism appealed to
Him for He noticed that this theory gives a thought for the
common men who occupied a majority of the population.
Therefore, Bhagavan decided to explore the rural areas. He wanted
to perceive the day to day lives of the villagers.
So, without further ado, He did as He desired. Bhagavan never
takes time to implement His thoughts. Whatever He believed, He
believed it with His entirety. He was not lazy but a symbol of
spirit and motivation. He had no pessimism within, the words
depression’ finds no place in His dictionary. He spread this
optimism into those around Him. The moment He longed to visit
the rural areas, with the favor of time and opportunities, He left
behind the city- life and went to the villages. He visited each and
every house in the villages. He got to know about the villagers
and about their daily activities. Witnessing their deplorable
conditions opened His eyes. He could very well feel that the
poverty seen in the cities was nothing compared to the villages.
He saw the difficult lives they led in starvation, helplessness but
seeing those simple- minded, innocent people, Bhagavan’s eyes
brimmed with tears. He saw for Himself— the owners exploiting
the deprived people who were without adequate food, clothes and
shelter. They had nothing. One day, Bhagavan went inside a hut
only to see three- four young women with only one piece of cloth
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to share. Only one woman wore the cloth outside at a time while
the others just wrapped themselves in thin pieces of cloth. Seeing
the plight of the villagers, Bhagavan was shook up. This is when
He truly realized that the development of the villagers was the
development of India. The growth of the deprived villagers was
the growth of Indians. The development of the sufferers and the
exploited was the development of the country. Karl Marx opened
a new chapter in Bhagavan’s life. Bhagavan dreamt about the
complete improvement and an uplifted way of life for the rural
men. Inspired by socialistic ideals, Bhagavan strengthened His
trade union movement. His seniors feared Him, His colleagues
respected Him and people loved Him. Due to His rebellious nature,
people in Katihar called Bhagavan ‘Biplobi Chakraborty’ meaning
‘Revolutionary Chakraborty’. Whenever Bhagavan came to Birati,
He inspired His friends and younger brothers with the
philosophies of Karl Marx.
Bhagavan was perfect when it came to His office work. He
was punctual and did work without laxity. Once, Bhagavan’s in
charge had to leave for some work so he appointed Bhagavan as
an in charge in His stead. One of the elder and senior workers in
Bhagavan’s office remained absent for a day. The next day, he
came to Bhagavan for the attendance register to mark himself
present for the previous day’s absence. This was quite normal in
the office. But, Bhagavan refused to give the register. The man
told Bhagavan- “I am your senior!” to which Bhagavan replied- “I
know too well that you are my senior but the in- charge has put
me in charge in his place, hence I cannot cheat.” Seeing Bhagavan’s
devotion to honesty, the aged worker returned in vain.
Outwardly, Bhagavan appeared to have a strong personality
and seemed like a stern man. His tall, wide figure and deep voice
made the impression more convincing. But this is just how He
appeared to be on the outside. His heart was soft, empathetic and
tender. Sometimes, penetrating through His apparent tough
exterior, His loving heart was disclosed to people. Hearing about
any problem of a person in Katihar, Bhagavan used to dive right

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into it. Inspiring His friends to do the same, He always rendered

help to the needy. This was almost seen on a daily basis. If someone
was ill, Bhagavan was seen taking him to the hospital; if a girl was
unable to get married due to money, Bhagavan was seen collecting
money for her marriage and arousing sympathy within people
for the girl; if someone died at a home, Bhagavan was seen
consoling the family members, supporting them in their tough
times and carrying the body to the cemetery for the last rites; if
any guest arrived at any place, Bhagavan was seen taking them to
places for sight- seeing. Bhagavan was seen— inspiring children
to dance, sing and recite poems on the birth anniversaries of
Rabindranath and Kavi Nazrul. The people in Katihar used to see
with awe and think— In such a sorrowful and stressful life, from
where does this man get such happiness, love, verve and joy? To
all was Bhagavan a mystery, a question, close within their grips
but yet so far!
Bhagavan had to travel for work from Katihar to other
places.Wherever He went, He left a trail of His good aspects in the
memories of people. Once, Bhagavan went to Malda. He was
working as a ticket collector in the ‘Old Malda station’ which was
outside the parameters of His work. He saw a train halting at the
station and a ticket examiner forcing a Santal family to alight from
the train. Regardless of their continuous appeals, they were not
allowed to board the train. They had heavy luggage with them.
Bhagavan became curious and upon asking got to know that they
were going to the market for business which was quite a few
kilometers away from the station. They had tickets but the ticket
examiner had told them that they needed extra tickets for the
luggages. They had insufficient money so they were forced to
leave the train compartment. Bhagavan asked them what they
were planning to do then. The Santal family said that the market
was nearer from the next station but since they were forced to
come down at this staion, they would have to walk down a few
more kilometers along the rail-lines. They were weeping and
saying that they were famished. Bhagavan let them go. When the
queue for the ticket checking was shortened, Bhagavan saw that
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the tribal family had walked far away. Bhagavan’s heart went out
to them. He started running towards them. The sun being at the
peak, seeing Bhagavan run towards them, the family started to
run away for they feared that this ticket examiner would also ask
for money from them. Bhagavan was running breathlessly behind
them saying- ‘Wait! Wait!’ The family was also trying to escape
with their luggage, parched mouths, empty pockets and stomach.
Finally Bhagavan was able to catch upto them. Seeing Him, the
family fell at His feet and said- “We have given all we had. We
have nothing left. Please do not punish us otherwise we will die!”
Panting heavily, Bhagavan reached into His pockets. Taking out
all the money He had, He gave it to the family and said, “I have not
come to take anything from you. Take this money. You have not
eaten anything since morning. Buy food for yourselves with this
money.” Hearing these words, the helpless people became
dumbfounded. On one hand they had faced the wicked ticket-
examiner but here standing before them was another angel- like
ticket checker! They were left open-mouthed, dumbstruck!
Bhagavan said,” What happened? Take the money! What are you
staring at?” The family broke down at Bhagavan’s feet and said,
“You are not human, you are God!” This was the first time in His
life when Bhagavan heard someone call Him ‘God’ which was
way before He had come upon the spiritual path. That was also
the first time for Him to see the extremities of poverty and
exploitation with His very own eyes. It was also the day when the
tribal family had seen the merciful God Himself. This incident left
a deep impact on Bhagavan’s mind. This is how many helpless
people were benefitted by Him. While going to a similar place for
work, Bhagavan used to eat at a shop, where the shop- owner
was a dacoit and his wife adored Bhagavan like her son.
Leaving one’s own place and going elsewhere makes
everyone stay within their shells but Bhagavan was an exception.
To Him, every place was His home. He was always the one to
protest daringly against injustice. Once, Bhagavan condemned the
wrong- doings of a young man from Bihar. The young man
remarked, “Ye Bengal Hai, isliye chhor diya. Tumko Patna mein
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hum dekh lenge!” meaning “This is Bengal that is why I am letting
you go. In Patna, I will show you!” The moment the train arrived
at Patna, Bhagavan told the man, “Abhi Patna aagaya hai, dikhao
tum kya dikhaoge!” meaning, “Patna has arrived, show me what
you can do!” Being at a disadvantage, the man was completely
nonplussed. This shows how gutsy Bhagavan was.
However, it will be wrong to assume that Bhagavan was loved
by all in Katihar. He was not showered with affection by all.
Bhagavan’s popularity became the cause of the rise of jealousy
within some. Bhagavan had a friend. At first, they were great
friends, but with the rise of Bhagavan’s fame, the friend started
changing. Bhagavan loved him with all His heart but soon found
out that His friend was talking behind His back and trying to
disgrace Him. Bhagavan heard everything but chose to remain
silent. Many days passed and they did not see each other. One day,
the friend made a sudden appearance and told Bhagavan, “See, I
want to be honest with you. I disliked you! I spoke ill about you
to other people. But, I am leaving for a few days to a new place for
duty. I got married recently. I am unable to leave behind my newly
wedded wife under anyone’s care, I am unable to trust anyone.
Even though I spoke wrong about you, you are the only one whom
I can trust. Please forgive me and please take care of my wife in
my absence.” Bhagavan accepted His heartfelt apology and appeal.
He took proper care of the newly- wedded woman during her
husband’s absence. His friend, even though he had spread false
rumors against Bhagavan as an act of jealousy, was aware that it
was only Bhagavan who was trustworthy. In the world, many will
wear the mask of trustworthiness, but the outward projection of
people’s behaviors differ from what they think and say. But,
Bhagavan wears no mask. He says whatever is on His mind. He
was truly honest and trustworthy. Bhagavan’s friend was bound
to accept. Even after getting the news of His friend slandering
Him, Bhagavan did not say anything to that friend but His
character and silence was speaking for Himself. The friend was
ashamed and repentant for his mistake. Bhagavan became more
self –aware through this incident. For Bhagavan, the admittance
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of this friend is the greatest acknowledgement He received for

His honesty prior to His advancement on the spiritual path.
The upsurge of cultural talents that Bhagavan experienced
through poetry writing, dramas, recitations and others during His
stay in Katihar was also projected during His visits to Birati.
Bhagavan liked watching movies. He used to critically observe
the actors’ acting skills on the silver screens and tried to
understand the representation of the plotline by the directors. He
was not like the movie fanatics. He used to deeply observe the
subtle acting expressions and the directors’ skills on
cinematography. This is why He liked watching the movies of
famous directors. He also liked watching English movies for they
were more advanced. He used to watch good Bengali or Hindi
movies. Whenever He came to Birati, He used to take His friends,
younger brother Swapan and sometimes even His mother to the
movies. Bhagavan has watched many cinemas in Kolkata’s famous
metro, New Empire, Lighthouse, Lila, Mrinalini. He highly
appreciated art, good acting and flawless direction.
In Katihar, His railway colleague and friend was Dilip
Adhikary. He was extremely collected. He developed a friendly
bond with Bhagavan. This friend of His always guided Him
morally, He had extended a hand of His friendship without
questions. This is how Bhagavan spent His days in Katihar,
joyfully. His daily cultural, social and political life was continuing.
That life had ups and downs, disturbance, it had everything but
everything was cloaked under the veneer of Truth.
Meanwhile, a shocking incident occurred. Like any other day,
it was a busy morning in the year 1969. Bhagavan’s father was
getting ready for school. Bhagavan’s mother was busy cooking.
Suddenly a Bhairavi or a female tantric with dreadlocks, red clothes
and tilak on her forehead appeared. She came and told Swapan,
“Call your mother.” But it was inconvenient for Bhagavan’s
mother to stop cooking and tend to her. But, Induprabha Devi
came when she expressed the desire to see her again. The Bhairavi
said,”I have come from Adyapith. I want to eat something from
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your house. “Indupraba Devi said,” I don’t have time now. My

husband is a teacher and has to go to school.” The Bhairavi said,
“I will stop by later.” Bhagavan’s mother was unprepared,
Bhagavan’s younger brother was irritated because it was the time
of work and on top of that, there was this trouble. The Bhairavi
arrived again at twelve in the afternoon. She asked her to sit in
the room. Following the words of the Bhairavi, Induprabha Devi
fetched a banana leaf from the garden and served whatever food
they had with them. The Bhairavi ate with content. And then she
said, “Show me the prayer room.” Seeing the room, she asked,
“Where is your eldest son?” Bhagavan’s mother replied. The
Bhairavi then said, “Your son is a great devotee.” Hearing this
Induprabha Devi started laughing and said,” What are you saying?
My eldest son doesn’t believe in God. He is a pure atheist” Hearing
what the Bhairavi had to say next, Induprabha Devi couldn’t believe
her ears, the Bhairavi said, “Your eldest son will make temples in
different places.” Taking out a hibiscus flower tucked in her waist,
she threw it on an empty space of the house and said,” I am keeping
this flower here. Here your son will make a temple.” Induprabha
Devi stared with disbelief and said, “He will make a temple here?
This is not our place. It is my brother’s.” The Bhairavi said, “Mark
my words.” Saying this she left. Bhagavan’s mother stood there,
baffled. Bhagavan’s brother had followed the Bhairavi but after
going a bit far, she completely disappeared. Creating this
extraordinary incident, Bhairavi Maa pointed towards an
inevitable outcome in the forthcoming future.

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(Thirty)

On one hand when Bhagavan was fully engaged in His life,

leaving His mark in various fields with His multifarious talents, on
the other hand His mother Induprabha Devi was getting worried.
His eldest son was about twenty- six, twenty- seven years old but
His life was ever restless, irrepressible, ceaseless, and never
stagnant; the continuation of which was not acceptable. Being
the eldest son He has to be composed. He was involved in dramas,
welfare works, trade unions involving His political thoughts but
His life cannot go on like this. He had arrived at the age of having
a family of His own, getting married and settling down. Perhaps,
He would settle down after marriage. Induprabha Devi tried to
talk to her son regarding marriage but her proposal was instantly
rejected by her son. She no longer held the same way over her son
for he had grown up. Her worries were clearly reflected upon her
face. Her eldest son was so detached, will it be possible to hear the
wedding bells? —she used to think.
So forth, keeping Bhagavan in the dark, they started looking
for a bride. Bhagavan’s mother requested her relatives to look for
a suitable bride. The year was 1970. Bhagavan’s father was a
teacher in a school in Beleghata. A female peon of that school was
talking to a co-worker regarding a suitable girl ready for marriage.
Bhagavan’s father overheard their conversation. Upon asking,
he got to know that the aunt of the girl she was talking about was
looking for a groom. The girl’s aunt’s sons studied in the Beleghata
school and had great respect for Kanailal Chakraborty. Bhagavan’s
father even had small conversations with that aunt. Hearing this
from the peon, Bhagavan’s father asked the girl’s aunt and got to
know that the news was indeed true. Bhagavan’s father asked
her, “I am looking for a bride for my eldest son. Do you have
someone in mind?” She said,” I have a niece who lives in Baksha
under the Hooghly district. You can go and see her.” Bhagavan’s
father asked them to being the girl to Kolkata because going to
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Baksha was not possible. Accordingly, when the girl came to her
uncle’s house in Howrah, Bhagavan’s father went to see her by
himself. The girl was a student of the tenth standard then, but
very composed, thin and fair- skinned. Bhagavan’s father liked
the girl at first sight. She also belonged to the aristocratic
Bandyopadhyay family. But they were from Bengal. Kanailal
Chakraborty wanted to finalize the marriage with his son. But, in
those days, marriage between families from West Bengal and
Bangladesh were not seen. Kanailal Chakraborty informed
Induprabha Devi about this proposal but Induprabha Devi and
Bhagavan’s younger brother, Swapan Chakraborty told that people
from Bangladesh’s Barishal and people from West Bengal had
contradictory mentalities so the marriage will not be a happy
one. Moreover, seeing the disinterest of his son, he did not force
the marriage. Such a calm and peace- loving man he was. Hence,
in spite of having a strong desire for it, accepting the views of
others, He informed the girl’s family that his son was unwilling
to marry then.
Immediately after this, they started searching for more
suitable brides. Bhagavan’s father and mother even went outside
Kolkata, in places like Kalyani and Simurali to meet the girls but
they liked none. In some cases, the girl’s family rejected the appeal
for marriage. They saw that the groom was the eldest son of the
family which had a lot of members including His parents and many
siblings. Only the eldest son had a government job but the father’s
salary was below their expectations. They even noticed that the
groom had no property of His own but lived in His uncle’s house.
Even if He had a stable job, the entire family was dependent upon
Him. This is why, thinking about the future happiness of their
daughters, some families turned down the marriage proposal. Little
did they know that the groom they were refusing to accept is the
supreme overlord of the entire universe! Alas! What tricks fate
play on us!
This is how almost a year passed. Many marriage proposals
were rejected. The worries of Bhagavan’s mother were increasing

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by the day. Every mother desires to see their children get wed and
care for their grandchildren. This is the commonly seen desire of
every mother, Induprabha Devi being one of them. But every
proposal of marriage was refused by their eldest son. Even His
mother stopped pestering Him with this but after this came the
unfortunate turn of events. The all- knowing indweller in man can
change the course of thoughts. Maybe, the same thing happened
to Bhagavan. In the year 1971, during Durga Puja, after coming
to Birati, Bhagavan told His mother, “I want to get married as
soon as possible. Find a bride for me.” His parents were overjoyed
and surprised both at the same time. They never imagined that
their son would Himself talk about marriage. Then Bhagavan said,”
That girl from Baksha whom you met before, ask about her.”
Seeing their son marriage, they made no delay. Quickly they
started to search for the potential bride. Kanailal Chakraborty still
remembered the girl of Baksha whom he had met a year ago but
later rejected. The very next day, He went to the peon in his school
and got to know from her, that the girl was yet to get married.
The girl had just been promoted from the tenth standard. Kanailal
Chakraborty also spoke to the girl’s aunt who lived in Beleghata.
The girl’s family agreed to the marriage since the groom–to–be
was employed in the railways. After hearing about the girl,
Bhagavan agreed to meet the girl but said that it was not possible
to go so far to Baksha. He agreed to meet her if she came to
Kolkata. They agreed to this because they had eight daughters at
home. The bride–to–be was their eldest daughter. Parents have to
get their children wedded at some point in life. And even the boy
worked well. The guardians of the girl felt that it would not be
good to refuse this proposal. The girl was brought to her uncle’s
place in Beleghata. Bhagavan was not well prepared to see her.
Never once had He thought about Himself. All He had done was
for others and His family. He did not have proper clothes to wear.
It was not good to wear ordinary clothes and see the girl. What to
do? His brother, Swapan Chakraborty had a friend, Subash Saha.
He respected Bhagavan, he brought suitable clothes for Bhagavan
to wear. Bhagavan wore someone else’s clothes and went to see
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the girl. Meanwhile, the girl was also not feeling well and was
unwilling to come but was forced by her parents to come to
Beleghata.
Bhagavan as a groom was acceptable to all- tall, wide,strong
personality, deep voice spirited. Who doesn’t want a groom like
this? The girl’s family liked Bhagavan at the very first sight. On
the contrary, compared to Bhagavan, the girl was short, thin but
had milky white skin and big eyes. Bhagavan’s father wanted to
see the writing of the girl. Bhagavan saw the girl and immediately
agreed for the marriage. He wanted to get married as soon as
possible. He said that the suitable date will be the 15th of December
so the wedding needs to be arranged on that very day- 15 th
December, 1971. But, in both the parties, the children of the house
had exams in the month of December so the girl’s family requested
to postpone the date to January of the year 1972 but seeing
Bhagavan’s determination, they accepted. This is where a hilarious
incident occurred. Bhagavan used to disclose everything to Dilip
Chanda in Katihar. Dilip Chanda had asked Bhagavan, “How is the
girl?” Bhagavan had replied,”The girl is fair, but short. I liked her
fifty percent.” Dilip Chanda said,” Fifty percent you liked and the
rest fifty percent you can adjust.” Finally, both the parties agreed
upon the date 15th of December as the ideal day for the wedding.
Therefore, the ustoppable, headstrong, unbounded Bhagavan was
about to get bound. Everyone who knew Him well were in heavy
doubt with whether He would fulfill the duties after the wedding
being the undeterred man He was. But since He had agreed upon
marriage Himself, then why should there be any hold-up? The
preparations started. They had only two to three months in hand.
After fixing His marriage, Bhagavan returned to Katihar. Now, His
life was turning towards a new beginning. But did the talented
young man of twenty nine years know that this new life will push
Him towards a revolutionary change?

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(Thirty one)

Under the Hooghly district’s Srirampur sub- division’s

Chanditala Police station, the Baksha village was previously under
the Janai Union Board. Later in 1964, Janai and Baksha were
separated as villages. The account of Janai’s Mukherjee family
can be found in the ‘Gospel of Sri Sri Ramakrishna’ (Sri Sri
Ramakrishna Kathamrita). It was a place which had received the
divine touch of Sri Ramakrishna. Janai is the birth place of Swami
Saradananda, the disciple of Thakur and the popular confectioner,
Bheem Nag. The multi- faceted Kaliprasanna Singha who
translated Mahabharatha into Bengali also had his ancestral home
in Janai. Janai- Baksha was once a seat of learning. It was a place
inhabited by great scholars. Composed nearly four hundred years
back, the poem of Kavikankan Mukundram Chakraborty contains
the description of Janai. There was a time when the now tapered
river, Saraswati, meandered through this region with full vigor. It
is believed that ‘Chand Saudaga’r’ a famous and powerful
merchant mentioned in mythologies had used this river for trade
and commerce. Baksha was initially ruled over by the Muslims
but later came under the control of the Portuguese. Furnished
with the forest and bushes of Baksha trees, this village came to be
known as Baksha. Baksha has many ancient temples among
which, according to popular belief, the Raghunath Temple in
Baksha is said to have inspired the architecture of the
Dakshineswar Kali Temple. The temples also include the twelve
Shiva temples and Vadyimata temple. For this reason, when it
comes to education, culture and nobility, Baksha occupies a special
place in Hooghly district.
The people of Baksha are peace- loving, culturally inclined,
educated and aristocratical. A renowned name in Baksha was Sri
Mohanlal Bandyopadhyay. This affable, spirited, literate, noble
man with a strong personality was highly respected by people of
the area. Mohanlal Bandyopadhyay was a dedicated and scholarly
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Brahmin. He was welt versed in English. He was an officer of the
then popular Burma cell Company which indicates towards the
prosperity of His family. He had also taken responsibility for the
upbringing of many of his relatives children. His wife, Srimati
Ashalata Devi was a virtuous lady. She was favored by all due to
her sweet and soft temperament. She tied people close with her
love and motherly nature. Baksha’s ‘Banerjee House’ was known
to all. In the past, Durga Puja was celebrated with great pomp in
this house. Mohanlal Bandyopadhyay had a large family with eight
daughters and two sons.
Bhagavan was about to tie the knot with the eldest daughter
of the Banerjee family. Mohanlal Bandyopadhyay’s first born was
named ‘Jayashree’. She was affectionately called ‘Jaya’ at home.
Since her childhood, she was unlike the girls of her age. She was
always quiet, calm and different from others. When girls of her
age were busy in gossiping- giggling, she was comparably more
serious and composed for her age. Her younger siblings were
quite intimidated by her. Everyone had a respectful love for her.
Another striking feature was her dedication for work. She was
adored by her father. She was extremely reticent. Her quietness,
seriousness and depth incurred the respect of others. The Banerjee
family was lighted up by her bright presence.
The eldest daughter of the household was dedicated to worship
and performing religious rituals since her childhood. She was a
devotee of Shiva. Since she was a child, she used to make tall
Shivalingas, seeing which her relatives used to remark, “You
always make tall Shivalingas, you will surely get a tall husband.”
Their house had a Narayana Shila (sacred stone worshipped as
Narayana) and a priest used to perform the worshipping rites.
But accumulating the necessities for the puja like collecting
flowers and making sandal paste was all done by the eldest
daughter of the family. She was a young girl of fourteen or fifteen
at that time. In the severe summer, she went to her maternal
uncle’s place for three- four days. Suddenly at dawn, she saw a
weird dream. She saw that she had gone to light the lamp of the

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Narayana Shila, but her hands were trembling and she was unable
to light it. Then she saw that she was unable to lock the door of
the oratory. Whenever she was trying to lock the door, the lock
was coming off. Fearfully, when she descended one or two steps
down the stairs, she heard the deep voice of Narayana Himself
saying- “Mother, you worship me as, it is not being done properly.
You do it. You are the mother.” Hearing these words she said-
“How do I worship you? I do not know how to.” The Lord replied,
“I will teach you.” Hearing this, she became frightened and while
trying to tell her mother, she woke up from her sleep and saw that
she was at her uncle’s house. Upon returning home, she told her
family after which Mohanlal Banerjee organized a grand
Narayana puja and her oldest daughter kept fast for the entire
day. Such incidents occurred often in her life. In reality, the one to
contain the infinite- Bhagavan, can never be ordinary. Perhaps,
this is why, the eldest daughter of the Banerjee family was
different.

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(Thirty two)

It was the year 1971, the month of December. Over a

prolonged period of time, East Pakistan (modern Bangladesh) was
in a complete mayhem for under the leadership of Mujibur Rahman,
it had engaged itself into the fight for liberation. India was siding
with Bangladesh. It was the time when Indira Gandhi was serving
as the Prime Minister. India- Pakistan war had reached the zenith.
Different places were bombed everyday along with military jets
flying overhead and circling the sky. Many people were losing
lives in Bangladesh. People were frightened, horror- struck.
Kolkata was in a blackout for months due to the war. Due to the
declaration of emergency, the government had prohibited the use
of lights which worsened the plight of people. But, life has to move
on. In this world, nothing comes to a halt. The flow of life presses
on through this. But, amidst such unsettling conditions, making
wedding preparations was extremely difficult. But, the eldest son
of Kanailal Chakraborty was unfaltering. He wanted to marry by
any means. He wanted to marry before the winter months.
Without further ado, the wedding day was fixed according to the
Bengali calendar- the 28th of the eighth month, 1378 and English-
15th December, 1971. Mohanlal Banerjee wanted to organize the
wedding in Baksha but the wedding preparations became a big
problem because of the blackout so it was decided that the pair
would be tied in a wedlock in the bride’s uncle’s house in Howrah.
15th December arrived before long. It was a Wednesday. Nepal
chandra Chatterjee’s house had a festive mood since morning.
Nepal chandra Chatterjee was the bride’s uncle. The house was
thronged with relatives. The bride- to- be was the eldest daughter
of Mohanlal Banerjee hence people were more than happy. Their
son- in- law was also well- suited. The wedding ceremony was to
take place in the evening. Bhagavan was accompanied to the
destination right on time. Relatives of the bridegroom also arrived
at the wedding in due time. A few of Bhagavan’s friends namely

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Dilip Chanda and Tirtha had attended the wedding from Katihar.
The wedding ceremony began in the evening. The wedding rituals
were performed by Mohanlal Banerjee’s brother, Sachindranath
Banerjee. Even though everyone’s desire of having a grand
wedding could not be honored due to the blackout, the ceremony
ended without hindrance. 15th December, 1971 was a new start-
off in history through the exchange of marriage vows, the hints
of which we will surely get in the near future.
When the eternal- pure- enlightened- liberated God Himself
manifests himself in a body and decides to exchange marriage
vows, that wedding is unlike the weddings we attend. Moreover,
the one tied in matrimony with God has to be extraordinary. The
one who will be the companion of the omnipotent Brahman will
have to be endowed with power as well. One of the greatest
incarnation of all, Sri Ramakrishna was tied in matrimony with
Sarada Devi. Later Sarda Devi was hailed as the ‘Holy mother’. The
one, who was getting engaged with the limitless, ever liberated
Bhagavan—the calm, pious, grave, dedicated, eldest daughter of
Mohanlal Banerjee did not remain the same for when a river
merges with the mouth of an ocean it loses its finite existence.
This is why, we will designate Bhagavan’s better half as ‘Guruma’.
The wedding ceremonies were fulfilled but where will the
reception be held? It was difficult to organize such an event in
Bhagavan maternal uncle’s house in Birati due to space constraints.
But, a solution was provided by Bhagavan’s aunt. Bhagavan’s uncle
had a spacious house in New Alipore. It was decided that the
reception would be held there. Since, the nights were spent in
blackouts, the bridegroom’s family opted to finish the reception
with a luncheon by the afternoon. On the 17 th of December,
Bhagavan arrived at His aunt’s house with Guruma. On the 16th
morning, the relatives and siblings bid a teary farewell to the
first born daughter of the Banerjee family. The light of the
Banerjee family was now melded with the embodiment of
effulgence.
An extraordinary incident took place on the 16 th. That very
day, the government lifted the emergency and declared the
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annulment of blackout. Everyone could finally switch the lights

on at home and outside. Everyone heaved sighs of relief after
being incommoded for a month. Bhagavan’s cousin brother,
Shankarlal Banerjee and other relatives remarked that their
daughter-in-law was a lucky charm as her arrival had lighted up
the whole city of Kolkata. On the 16th of December, almost all the
members of Bhagavan’s drama troupe came from Katihar for an
exuberant celebration.At night, everyone sang, danced and
enjoyed themselves with the newly wedded couple. Bhagavan’s
brother, Swapan Chakrabortyadded more life to the gaiety through
his tuneful songs.
Amidst the merry-making, an incident occurred on the 16th.
Guruma was always engaged in worships. 16th was the last day of
the 8th month of the Bengali calendar. People worship the Sun God
(Itu Puja) in this month. Even Guruma’s relatives used to observe
the religious ritual. They told Guruma that since her in-laws did
not celebrate this festival, she should, for the last time, conduct
the rituals and then leave for her husband’s home. Guruma did as
she told. Meanwhile, under the influence of Marxism, Bhagavan
was completely an atheist. One of the foremost declarations of
Marxism is– ‘Religion is the opium of the people.’ In accordance
to this, Bhagavan used to believe that there is no God, but it was
just a mean of exploiting the commoners and manipulating them.
The following day, Guruma became well acquainted with this
belief of Bhagavan in the most unbelievable way. On the 16th, in
Bhagavan’s aunt’s home, in front of His friends from Katihar,
Bhagavan raised this context. Laughing dramatically and
uproariously He said– “Do you know Dilip Da, my wife performs
Itu puja and I have to sit and watch.” Hearing this, everyone joined
in the laughter. That day Guruma felt really embarrassed in front
of everyone due to her inclination to performing rituals.
Finally, spending the night at His aunt’s New Alipore residence,
Bhagavan returned to His Birati residence with Guruma on the
18th. With much delight, Induprabha Devi gave a warm welcome
to the newly wedded daughter-in-law. Her joy knew no bounds.
Her beloved son had finally got married. Enduring many
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sufferings, especially she and her son had exerted unwearied

efforts to protect the family in every step of the way and against
all odds. But, with the appearance of her daughter-in-law, bliss
descended upon her family, they experienced the soft, tender touch
of elation. The sweltering rough winds blowing through the arid
battlefield of life for a long time was finally replaced by the
pleasant and soothing breeze of peace. This is why the heart of
Induprabha Devi was inundated with contentment.
But it appeared that, Bhagavan had no pause button in His
life. It was the Almighty who kept Him from stopping. The tunes
of melancholy were suddenly heard amidst the hard earned peace.
The day Bhagavan set foot in Birati with His newly wedded wife,
a message came to Him from the railways- ‘You have been
transferred from Katihar to Maligaon and reassigned to the
headquarters. You are being given at least a week’s time to join
work in Maligaon.’ For Bhagavan, this news was a bolt out of the
blue. This was because, Katihar had given a new life to Bhagavan.
Bhagavan had the awakening of cultural and political
consciousness from there itself. He had found a group of friends
in Katihar in accordance to His liking. He was highly appreciated
by the people of Katihar. Starting from His birth till then, from
every aspect was Katihar the closest to His heart, but He would
have to leave His most favored place! Bhagavan was in disbelief !
He Himself didn’t know how mentally attached He was with
Katihar! Hearing this news, His eyes with tears. But what to do,
His birth was not welled up for spending the entire life in a place
with a particular group of people irrespective of whether it was
desired by Him or not.
Within a short span, Bhagavan overcame the mental distress
and prepared Himself for His journey to Assam. Generally after a
week or so, a newly wedded couple has to visit the father’s house
of the bride for a second time. But, due to time restraints, Bhagavan
decided to go to Baksha within a day or two. Accordingly, within
one or two days after coming to Birati, Bhagavan visited the famed
house of the Banerjee family. The house of the Banerjee family of
Baksha then received the touch of God in human form. The
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members of the Banerjee family were not less in number.

Everybody was jubilant to see Bhagavan. They had never even
imagined that their son- in- law would be so charming and good-
looking with a strong personality. To top it all, His amiable behavior
and love for all—Bhagavan won the hearts of the people in Baksha
in just a day. Everyone became engaged with Him. Through
pleasing discussions, stories, amusement and merriment, He
doubled the enjoyment of people. Bhagavan’s father- in- law was
very proud to have Him. He was also reassured. This was because
he had many family members. With his generosity and economic
prosperity he not only looked after his children but also many
other relatives. He was equally loving and strict. Not only looking
out for everyone’s happiness and sufferings, he also had strict
control over the family. This is why his character had both the
hard and soft sides. For managing a lot of people effectively, both
of these are required. He was looking for a successor who, in his
absence in the future would strictly abide by morals but also have
a soft side enabling him to love everyone— and he saw that his
son- in- law was a rare gem. Even Bhagavan’s mother-in-law was
overjoyed—she felt as if Lord Siva Himself had come to their
house in the guise of their oldest son-in-law. Bhagavan loved the
natural greenery of Baksha and the aristocratic feeling of the
whole mansion.
Bhagavan had decided to spend a night in Baksha and return
to Assam the very next day. So, the following day, bidding adieu to
everyone in Baksha, He boarded the Kamrup Express in the
evening and departed for the new destination— Guwahati.
Everyone had a tearful farewell with Bhagavan. He temporarily
left Guruma behind and promised to take her with Him to
Guwahati, after making appropriate preparations. Guruma was
holding back her tears because Bhagavan had entered her life at
lightning speed but now was going far. But, since she differed
from others from the beginning, her desires and thoughts varied
from others; it was all because she longed for no one but God so
somewhere, getting associated with Bhagavan fulfilled Guruma’s
heart and soul.

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(Thirty three)

It was probably the 21st or 22nd of December of the year 1971.

Bhagavan was given the orders of joining work in Guwahati within
seven days so hurriedly, He took Guruma to Baksha at His in-laws
house from Birati. After staying there for a night, the very next
day He departed for Guwahati via Kamrup Express. He was
returning with a heavy heart for He was leaving Katihar, the place
which was so dear to Him. He was thinking about how He would
spend His days in Guwahati. His heart remained in Katihar- His
friends, co-workers, the environment, the gusto, drama, politics
and feeling of oneness with all- the lack of fulfillment intensified
and He burst into tears. Slowly, the Kamrup Express left the
borders of West Bengal and entered Assam. Bhagavan was
completely oblivious about His co- passengers, their
conversations, for He was lost in the thoughts of Katihar. Suddenly,
His eyes caught two boys conversing with each other. Their
conversation was audible to Him. Bhagavan saw that they were
speaking in Assamese. Bhagavan had lived in Assam before so He
could understand the language a little. He heard the two men
talking among themselves that the deplorable condition of the
Assamese was caused by the outsiders, especially the Bengalis.
Driving them out or killing them was the only feasible solution.
The two boys somehow failed to know that Bhagavan could
understand their conversation.
For many years then, Assam had been in a state of jeopardy.
For one reason or another, the majority of the natives had
developed the convictions that they were exploited by the Bengalis
who were coming to their homeland and seizing all the high posts
in different offices and through this they were attempting to evict
the local inhabitants, that is, the Assamese and trying to usurp
Assam. Under such suspicions, the discontentment within the
Assamese was increasing by the days. For the bulk of the
population, the plausible solution was to banish or eliminate the
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Bengalis. That day, Bhagavan witnessed the revelation of this

impression with His very own eyes. Hearing the exchange,
Bhagavan called out to them and said, “Listen brother! I was just
paying attention to your conversation. If you really think that
Bengalis are the root cause of Assam’s problem and killing them
is the only possible solution, then let me tell you—I am a Bengali.
Kill me. Sacrificing my life, I want to be the first martyr for
Assam’s development.” Hearing Bhagavan’s words the Assamese
men feeling shocked and abashed, fell silent. Let alone attempting
to kill Bhagavan, for the rest of their journey they never once
mentioned the matter again.
Through this incident, Bhagavan professed His willingness to
sacrifice Himself for the development of a different state and its
inhabitants. Those who nursed the supposition that for their
development, the outsiders have to be killed, to them Bhagavan
sent an implicit message — development needs no killing, all that
is needed is to grow more than them in all aspects. That day,
Bhagavan presented His boldness. He could have remained silent
then they would not have known that He is a Bengali. Airing His
opinions, Bhagavan put Himself in grave danger. Taking into
consideration the fact that He was about to start His married life,
the so- called self- seeking intellectuals will term this as an act of
sheer folly. But, this is just how Bhagavan is. Bhagavan exhibited
His attachment to Truth and not His newly married life. He also
revealed His love for His own race because even after staring
death in the face, He showed them the true colors of a Bengali.
The most important thing of all, His travel to Assam was to leave
behind an enormous contribution for its people, which we will
get to know later, but it also points out that He had already started
working for the indigenous people of Assam only mid- way
through the journey.
Bhagavan joined work after coming to Guwahati. Many were
familiar with Him so they were overjoyed. He started living in a
dormitory. He had not received a rail quarter from the railways
till then. Some days later He went to Kolkata and took Guruma to

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Katihar on a vacation. Arrival of Bhagavan and Guruma was a joy

to behold for the people of Katihar. He knew many people there—
brothers, friends, coworkers and people who were fond of Him.
Everyone invited them to their residence. They had invitations
to various places and engagements twice a day. People fed them
with great care. Spending some days in Katihar, Bhagavan kept
Guruma in Birati and returned to Guwahati. In the meantime,
Guruma’s days in Katihar had become beautiful memories for her.
After going to Guwahati, in 1972, a tragic incident took place
which compelled Bhagavan to experience excruciating pain. In
Katihar, Tirthankar Bhattacharya or Tirtha had become a constant
companion of Bhagavan. He was a college student back then. He
loved Bhagavan exceedingly. He was devoted to Him and had
become a close confidant of Bhagavan. He used to call Bhagavan
‘Dada’ (older brother) and was always with Bhagavan in times of
sorrow and joy. Even his entire family loved Bhagavan. Even the
members of the family in Birati had developed a close bond with
Tirtha’s family. In Katihar’s Pragati Sangha, Bhagavan had an
acquaintance whom He used to call ‘Rotu Da’. He was getting
married. The groom accompanied by his family, friends and
relatives were coming to Kolkata by train. The train came to a
halt at Malda station on the way and Tirtha descended on the
platform to give the wedding invitation to the station master. While
handing over the invitation, the train started pulling out of the
station. By the time Tirtha became aware, the train had picked up
its pace. Tirtha rushed to board the train but his feet slipped and
he fell on the tracks. His body was immediately severed into two.
The people who were travelling with Tirtha were yet to receive
the news. And, another heart- rending incident was yet to occur.
Tirtha’s mother was in Malda to visit a relative. She knew that her
son had gone to attend a wedding in Kolkata and was enjoying
himself. After going somewhere, she received the news that a
corpse had been found but was not identified. Curious, when she
stepped forward she saw the lifeless body of her son severed in
half.

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Bhagavan lost the soundness of His mind after hearing about

Tirtha’s death. Hearing the news, He wanted to commit suicide.
He was unable to accept that Tirtha was no more. Tirtha loved
Him immensely and so did Bhagavan. He was closer to Bhagavan
than His own brother. Tirtha served Him with such care that
Bhagavan who returns every favor had become indebted to him.
Hence, the passing of Tirtha was a traumatic experience for
Bhagavan. Despite of not being a father, Bhagavan had
experienced the pain of losing a child after losing Tirtha. Almost
fifty years have passed since that day’s lamentable incident but
till today, the memories of Tirtha generates agony in His heart.
After marriage, Bhagavan had kept Guruma in Birati. But,
after a few months, He decided to bring her to Guwahati.
Bhagavan’s younger brother, Tapan Chakraborty accompanied
Guruma from Birati to Assam’s Bongaigaon. Bhagavan travelled
from Guwahati to Bongaigaon and took Guruma to Guwahati.
Guruma had come to Guwahati for the first time. She was given a
warm welcome by Bhagavan’s friends. Seeing their friend together
with His wife made them very happy. According to the Bengali
calendar, the day was 14th April, 1379—the Bengali New Year.

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(Thirty four)

Bhagavan was then yet to receive a railway quarter in

Guwahati. He lived in a dorm. But it was is not possible to stay
with His wife in a dorm so Bhagavan decided to stay in a friend’s
place with Guruma. The very next day, He rented a house in Pandu.
The house was behind Pandu College in the American Colony.
Bhagavan liked the place. Bhagavan stayed there till receiving a
railway quarter of His own. After going to Assam, Bhagavan had
become friends with many in Maligaon, Pandu. He formed a new
drama troupe with them. Even the trade union members lived in
the adjoining areas. The office of the Trade Union was situated in
that area. As a result, Bhagavan spent His days well in Pandu, Rest
Camp, Maligaon and other places. Guruma preferred to stay
indoors. She was more reserved and not as outgoing as Bhagavan.
Rail colonies have an intrinsic nature of their own. Generally,
everyone is familiar with each other in colonies. Everyone is
aware about the internal affairs of everybody else. In those days,
strolling around the colony, one could see the males of the houses
busy in playing cards, chess or carrom and the females enjoying
themselves while gossiping and chewing betel leaves in their
leisure times. Guruma was not like-minded with anyone so she
used to stay at home, do the household chores and spent time in
worship.
Bhagavan had a special trait of being hardworking, efficient
and equipped. He hated lazing around. Although the eminent,
upper class Chakraborty zamindari dynasty’s blood was flowing
through His veins, since He had confronted extreme paucity, He
never considered any work to be petty.Whichever work required
perspiration was great in His view. After scorting Guruma from
Birati to Guwahati, Bhagavan’s younger brother was staying with
them for a few months. Being average in studies and his inability
to secure proper work made Bhagavan give him a practical advice
of selling potatoes in his free time than idling around. His younger
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brother loved Him a lot and accepted His proposal. Hence, not
only for earning money, Bhagavan taught His brother the lesson
that honesty, dedication, diligence is what matters and no work is
insignificant. In later times, that brother of His had received
employment in the railways.
Gradually, a few months passed. Arrived the year 1973. In
this year’s month of January, Bhagavan received a quarter of His
own. It was a big relief for He no longer would have to pay rent to
the landlord every month. He could stay there as long as He served
the railway as an employee. The house that was set aside for
Bhagavan was far from the house in American Colony. The region
of Maligaon where His rail quarter was located was East Goshala
and the name of the neighborhood was Balaka. His house number
was 56/B. The place was very pleasurable. Besides, Maligaon was
a sight to behold. Whoever pays a visit to Maligaon takes a fancy
to that place. Surrounded by lush greenery, spick- and- span roads
and rows of Assam type architectural rail quarters furnished with
asbestos roofs. Every house is encircled by beautiful gardens. In
Maligaon, East Goshala appears more ravishing being flanked by
a mountain. Being far from American colony Bhagavan was
initially sad for not being able to meet His friends but He soon fell
in love with the place. Anyhow, He loved greenery. As an added
bonus, He received a garden which was very dear to Him.
Within a few days, He became acquainted with the people in
the neighborhood. In those days, most of the people recruited in
the railways were Bengalis. Thus, the rail colony was mostly
inhabited by Bengalis. Getting familiar with everyone, it did not
take much time for Bhagavan to become close-knit with others.
Then, He shifted His focus to His garden. Since the days He had
spent in Birati, He had always been enthusiastic about gardening.
Receiving a new opportunity stirred His addiction. He planted
new trees of fruits, flowers and vegetables. Using spade to dig the
soil, scooping out weeds with a grubber, applying manure to the
land, sowing seeds and watering the plants twice a day became a
part of His daily routine. He dedicated a lot of time to the garden

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even amidst His office work and household duties. Within a few
days, His garden became laden with fruits and vegetables. Planting
new trees, He tended towards their growth. Bhagavan had planted
two white- dwarf orchid trees on both the sides of the house
entrance. Apart from these, there were trees of agati, shiuli and
jackfruit. His garden in the neighborhood of Balaka upheld a
fascinating sight. He even decked his own rail quarter. The rail
quarter He had received was a type two having two rooms, two
balconies, kitchen, bathroom, patio with garden all around.
Bhagavan spent His days well in His 56/B rail quarter of East
Goshala.
After marriage, people expect the addition of a new member
to the family. Moreover, since Bhagavan was the oldest son of the
family, His parents and relatives wished to see the face of their
grandchild. The same applied for Guruma. The passage of time
had also dampened the staunch atheistic beliefs of Bhagavan.
Perhaps, the unwavering devotion of Guruma had instigated a
slight change in His beliefs on God’s existence. He allowed Guruma
to perform religious rituals even though He found fasting in the
name of God to be unreasonable. This is why, He tried to stop
Guruma from doing the same. Be it for Guruma’s firm devotion or
be it for the formation of the condensing clouds of devotion,
forming little by little, in the skies of His atheistic mind, one day, it
was Bhagavan who asked Guruma to offer worship to God for a
child. His words made Guruma very happy. In the year 1973,
accompanied by a friend and the friend’s wife, Bhagavan and
Guruma went to Guwahati’s famous Umananda Temple. This
temple is located on a small island of the Brahmaputra. The God of
Gods Lord Shiva is worshipped here daily.Guruma performed a
puja to Lord Shiva to conceive a child. On the day of ShivaRatri
the day was so crowded that Guruma had lost consciousness. She
was brought back to her sense after Bhagavan, His friend and
friend’s wife had sprinkled water on her face.
This is how many more months passed. After a few months,
Guruma conceived a child. This came as a herald of happiness for

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Bhagavan and Guruma’s relatives. Bhagavan escorted Guruma to

her house in Baksha. By the end of the month of November in
1973, Guruma got admitted in the Chanditala Hospital. Bringing
smiles on everyone’s face, Guruma gave birth to a beautiful baby
girl. The birth of the eldest grandchild brought torrents of joy in
the family of both the sides. Hordes of people rushed into the
Banerjee House to get a glimpse of the newborn. Bhagavan’s
mother and siblings visited as well. Bhagavan was not present
during the birth of His child due to limitations of work but within
a month or two, He went to His in – laws place in Baksha to see
His infant. Picking up the baby in His arms, He hugged her with
affection. Holding His child, He felt ecstatic. Bhagavan had read
the novels of almost every renowned writers. One of His favorite
writers was Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. His book ‘Debjan’,
which has descriptions of other planes of existence, had
fascinated Bhagavan. It was after the name of this book that
Bhagavan named His daughter- ‘Debjani’. In the later years, she
became the true paradigm of her name.
Amidst these occurrences, Bhagavan had earned a name for
Himself in the neighborhood. People could feel His heartiness and
generosity. Unaware, the people had made Him their shelter. They
sought His help in every problem. Leaving His tasks, Bhagavan
always prioritized helping the helpless. If anyone fell sick,
Bhagavan was the one to take them to the hospital; if anyone’s
boy was mischievous and heedless then the child was brought to
Bhagavan; with outbreaks of fights in the neighborhood, Bhagavan
was seen providing solutions calmly and knowing Bhagavan to
be neutral, people were seen accepting His solutions—such
occurrences were common. Bhagavan always kept in touch with
everyone even the children of His neighborhood. He used to
organise picnics for everyone where everyone enjoyed
themselves. Finally this resulted in Bhagavan becoming the centre
of attention in the neighborhood. His natural leadership abilities,
purified love and inexorable power of attraction compelled all to
accept His leadership. He was someone’s ‘Dada’ (older brother),
someone’s ‘Bhai’ (younger brother), someone’s ‘Kaku’ (uncle) and
like a son to some. But He became the closest one of all, for all.
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(Thirty five)

A few months passed after the birth of Debjani. In the midst

of this, a very crucial chapter unfolded which wreaked havoc in
Bhagavan’s life. Many a times we do witness that an undesirable
incident brings a positive turn in our lives and possibly Bhagavan’s
life was standing at such a juncture. He was materially well-
established. He had no dearth of respect or anything else in
Maligaon. It was a time when most of the people of this world
were employed in the Indian railways. But, certain demands of
the Trade union brought them into conflict with the government.
Some workers heading the movement were arrested by the police
after the strife. The arrests infuriated all the railway staffs.
Bhagavan was working in the North- East Frontier railway in
Maligaon. The terms and demands of the movement were not
agreeable to Him. But, the rest of the workers requested Him to
join the movement. They came and appealed to Him—”You come
with us and join the movement. This movement will not be a
success without you.” His associates were aware of Bhagavan’s
natural leadership capabilities and His skill of persuading people
through His speech. They knew that everyone had high regard
and admiration for Bhagavan so whatever He would say will be
accepted by the people. Bhagavan felt that if He withdraws His
support from the movement then it will come to an abrupt end
because the most important component of a movement are the
people, the absence of Bhagavan’s active participation would
make the movement lose support. This is how Bhagavan
reluctantly took the role of an active leader in the workers
movement.
That time, 125 trade unions had taken part in the All- India
trade union movement. This was the largest trade union movement.
The movement lasted for seven days from 2nd May to the 8th of
May, 1974. Almost 14 lakhs of workers had participated in this
movement. Even the railway services were disrupted for a few
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days. The government faced huge losses. Nearly fifty thousand of
provisional employees were terminated from their jobs without
any prior notice. Thirty thousand employees were dismissed
from their jobs. Furthermore, the higher officials of the railways
tactfully created dissensions within the leaders which weakened
the movement. When the momentum of the movement slackened,
the rail authorities stipulated a deadline for the workers on strike
and issued a notice that they would have to join work within the
given span of time or they would be suspended from their work
for an indefinite period of time. There was no surety of getting
the job back permanently in the future. Such an order from the
railways really frightened the strikers. They were ordinary men
having run of the mill jobs, somehow muddling through life with
their wives, children, family. How can they survive without work?
Prior to the launching of the movement, the leaders did not think
about the authorities’ cast of mind. They had thought that going
on strike for seven days will scare the authorities and make them
retreat. But this did not happen in reality. The government had
prepared themselves presuming the movement to last for three
weeks to a month. As a result, the austere stance of the government
compelled the workers to join their work which they did so in
fear of losing their jobs permanently, thus weakening the
movement.
On the other side, even if Bhagavan was not vehement in His
support for the movement; since complying with the requests of
His associates He had provided leadership to the movement, His
conscience did not allow Him to turn a blind eye towards His
moral duties. The threats of the rail authorities were not enough
to make Him flee in fear. Forever had He remained honest and
never once deviated from that path.The coworkers who had
appealed to Bhagavan countless of times, came to Him and meekly
pleaded with Him to join work for they wanted to go back to
work as well. They had lost their vigor of continuing the
movement. But, Bhagavan was in a different league. He said—
”Even if I disliked the terms of the movement, since I have started
this, I will see it to the end no matter what happens.” Seeing the
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strong resolve of Bhagavan, His associates did not say anything

to Him. But, Bhagavan stared with disbelief that the people who
had forced Him to join the movement were now avoiding Him.
Bhagavan understood everything but chose not to say anything.
One of the high-posted senior officer of Bhagavan’s signalers
department was fond of him. He loved Him for His dedication,
honesty and willingness to help others. He observed that some
selfish people had taken an unfair advantage of his younger
brother. He was the high posted in- charge of Bhagavan. He called
Bhagavan and asked Him to join work like everyone else
otherwise He would lose His job. It was not the time for Him to be
reckless for He now had a wife, child and family. Bhagavan refused
to agree. The officer told Him about another way. He said—
”Listen! I am putting you on leave for sickness. I will write that
being sick you have gone out of town for a change of place. This
will keep your job. You will join back once the work here
resumes.” He gave this advice to Bhagavan just because he was
fond of Him. But regrettably, Bhagavan opposed this as well. His
firmness and honesty did not let Him compromise with the rail
authorities. He was stunned to see that the big leaders of the
movement, His associates, avoiding the public eye, joined work
at night after signing the government register within the assigned
time period of 00:00 hours. Inevitably, Bhagavan was dismissed
from work for an indefinite period of time. He had to pay a heavy
price for His morality and camaraderie. Pitch darkness descended
upon His life.
What will Bhagavan do now? His heart shattered in a million
pieces after this. Everything had gone haywire. His life became
similar to the devastation a cyclone brings. He was not grieved
due to His dismissal from work. His life was filled with debacles.
Bhagavan never gave up upon His battles, struggling against odds
was ingrained in Him. It is not possible to describe every struggle
He faced in the limited extent of this book, people remain unaware
of many such unremitting struggles He faced in life, something
which He has never even revealed. The person who never feared

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death, why will He have the fear of losing His job even after having
a newly wedded wife and a newborn child? Battle to Him is a piece
of cake. But the thing that crushed Bhagavan was the attitude of
His friends, His associates. The conduct of His close ones stunned
Him.
He was hurt by his close ones before as well. In His childhood
He had seen that He and His mother who was affected by
Tuberculosis did not receive any shelter from their relatives. This
was a painful incident for Him. In another relative’s house He had
seen that the relative, who was like His own mother, was serving
delicacies only to her son and not Him whereas they were sitting
right next to one another—this really upset Him. The behavior of
the relative had hurt His innocent heart. But later when He grew
up, He consoled Himself by saying that it was a period when He
and His mother was dependent on them. But now the situation
was different. The friends who betrayed him, it was upon their
request that He had rendered help to them. This wound inflicted
upon Him became unbearable for Him.
Bhagavan also fell in trouble when it came to money. He had
to send money to His parents. His siblings were still enrolled as
students and everyone was dependent on Him. Then Guruma was
there, Debjani was only a newborn, they were dependent on Him.
Bhagavan didn’t even have any savings. Thinking about the later
years of every government or private employees, a ‘Provident
Fund’ is created so that after retirement the monthly savings can
be of some help to them. Being employed for ten to eleven years,
Bhagavan had also saved enough money in His Provident Fund
for future security. Generally, an ordinary employee will never
withdraw money from the fund unless really required. But
whatever Bhagavan believes in, He doesn’t think twice before
contributing everything to it. That is why, the monthly savings
from His salary that He had kept in the Provident Fund were
entirely donated by Him for the cause of the trade union
movement. Therefore, getting dismissed from work made
Bhagavan and His family face grave uncertainties.

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Bhagavan thought of starting in home tutoring lessons. He
asked His friends and neighbors to help Him secure students for
the purpose which He did. Guruma was not with Him then. She
was with her parents and little Debjani in Baksha. Bhagavan had
to cook for Himself. His pockets were empty. The fee of in home
tutoring lessons are received after a month. So, being helpless,
Bhagavan had to borrow money from His friends. Even though
His friends were the cause of all His sufferings, there were some
who stood beside Him during the tough time. They wanted to
render their help to Bhagavan even though Bhagavan was not
much keen on seeking help from others. He prefers to depend on
His caliber, His spirit and perseverance. Once, seeing Bhagavan
wearing pyjamas to work for financial insufficiency, His friend
took Him to a clothes store and asked Him to pick a pant for
Himself. Seeing His friend’s intention of buying a pant for Him,
Bhagavan said— “What are you thinking, you want to pity me?”
Tears rolled down his cheeks when the friend heard these words
from Bhagavan. Let alone His friend or brother, Bhagavan never
begged for mercy even from God.
During this time, rice was not available to Him everyday so
most of the days He ate bread. One day Bhagavan did not even
have ten paisa with Him. Outside the neighborhood, there was
Deepak’s store from where Bhagavan used to buy various
commodities. He went to the shop and tried to borrow a packet
of bread. He even said that He would pay twenty five paisa for it
the very next day. But, the shop-keeper who was very familiar
with Bhagavan refused to lend Him a cheap packet of bread.
Bhagavan went without food for the night. He went to sleep after
drinking a glass of water. The cruelty, selfishness of men was
pushing Bhagavan to the verge of breakdown. He had to see many
things which were otherwise unthought of, He had to hear many
unimaginable things in those direful days. But, without anyone’s
knowledge, the days of pitch black darkness was pushing
Bhagavan towards blinding illumination.

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(Thirty six)

After getting dismissed from work, the days passed in great

torment. He was not able to procure food properly, so sometimes
He starved through the day, sometimes had half a meal and also
had to cook on His own since Guruma was not there. There were
His parents in Birati, He also had to obtain money to send to
Guruma and Debjani—these reasons became the cause of His
mental anxiety. The biggest reason behind His mental affliction
was His own colleagues- their selfishness, their betrayal. Using
Bhagavan for their own gains, they vanished into thin air after
ruining Bhagavan’s life and pushing Him into great hazard. This
was beyond Bhagavan’s capability of endurance. His mind
experienced severe restlessness. The natural tendency of His mind
was to help people, a spontaneous unfeigned love emanated from
Him. As if love was instilled in Him. He did not help people to earn
praises or accolades, but there is an existence in Him which impels
Him to help people with love. This incident inflicted great pain
upon that soft and hidden corner of His heart.
Bhagavan’s mind underwent a change. If helping people brings
Him pain, if loving them brings betrayal, then how was He
supposed to love people and why would He even love them? Was
this the true Nature of this world? Was this the real nature of
man? A storm was conjured up in Bhagavan’s mind. The love for
mankind that had been gradually preserved in His heart had
started to erode little by little in the storm. Bhagavan had explored
a lot of fields since His childhood, had stepped forward towards
many directions— be it social, cultural, political. A noteworthy
trait of Bhagavan’s character is that whatever path He treads upon,
His dedication and steadfastness takes Him till the end. He had
met the leaders at the extreme ends of the paths He had taken.
Knowing them, He realized that the great men never fulfilled their
promises. He had observed that these people who are highly
acclaimed by common people are something on the outside and
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something else within. Whatever the leaders ask the people to

follow are not followed by themselves. He has seen this internal
and external disunity quite often in life. But, no false behavior
could deter Bhagavan. Their false behaviors had only intensified
Bhagavan’s will to stay on Truth. But this time His mind
experienced a complete change. No, He didn’t mean to switch to
living by false means but He could very well see that no one was
on Truth, no one loved Truth and neither did anyone want to be
on Truth. No one encourages anyone to stick to truth. But,
Bhagavan’s life was embedded in Truth. Truth meant everything
to Him. So, it dawned on Him— if there is no truth, then He, who
has followed the path of honesty till then, whom will He live this
life for? His suicidal ideations grew with the passing days. No
matter how much name- fame, love and responsibilities He had
for people and His family, most dear to Him was Truth and not
finding Truth anywhere for the very first time, Bhagavan lost
meaning behind His life and decided to end it.
With Guruma not being there to accompany Him, having to
fend for Himself being alone without work, increased His desire
of ending His life. Apart from His tutoring lessons, Bhagavan
started wandering here and there. Before receiving a rail quarter,
He was staying in the American Colony in Pandu which had a
cultural community Hall. There was a hall named ‘Pandu
Recreation Hall’ in which dramas, plays and various ceremonies
were held every now and then. Bhagavan had performed there
numerous times, enthralling people with His performance. The
place also had a library. Bhagavan sometimes read books there.
He went there suddenly. He started turning the pages of books. He
had no wish nor the mental condition to go through in any
particular book. It was the time when He was an exhausted, broken
and frustrated young man who had lost every ounce of desire to
live. He had no wish and no attraction to anything whatsoever.
Only the thought of His little girl was holding Him back. If He dies,
then His daughter will be deprived of His fatherly love. What fault
did the little girl have? She would just become a prey to the
heartlessness of the society. Even Bhagavan had nothing to do.
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They had decided to celebrate the rice- eating ceremony of their

daughter in the month of June but the fatal blow of time ruined
everything. Bhagavan was unable to attend the ceremony in
Baksha and the ceremony was completed somehow.
Bhagavan’s mind was in a tempest of disorganized thoughts.
With His mind diverted, He was completely unaware of the book
that He had randomly picked from the shelf. Sitting on the bench,
He overturned the pages of the book. Suddenly His eyes fell upon
a page. He saw a poem on the page. Bhagavan started reading the
poem. The poem is as follows-
What though thy bed be frozen earth,
Thy cloak the chilling blast;
What though no mate to cheer thy path,
Thy sky with gloom overcast -
What though of love itself doth fail,
Thy fragrance strewed in vain;
What though if bad over good prevail,
And vice over virtue reign :
Change not thy nature, gentle bloom,
Thou violet, sweet and pure,
But ever pour thy sweet perfume
Unasked, unstinted, sure!
Bhagavan was amazed! What was this that He was reading!He
read it again and again, repeatedly He read the stanzas of the
poem. Divine thrills ran throughout His body. It sent shivers night
down to His heart. It sent flowers blooming in every nook of His
core. It was a heavenly feeling! Before He had read so many books,
so many poems of famous writers and poets but such experience
was His first. What happened to Him today? Bhagavan’s mind
started to immerse in an indescribable bliss. Bhagavan kept reading
the poem again and again. It felt as if the poem was written for
Him. It was as if every word in every line was meant for Him. It
was as if seeing His present conditions, experiencing His pain had
the poet composed the poem. Bhagavan experienced an unusual
feeling of surprise and bliss. Bhagavan recalled that in His life He
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had not received the love of His friends and all His love for them
had gone in vain. In His life, injustice paved the way to victory,
the evil presiding over the good. But reading the remaining lines,
He was taken aback-
‘Change not thy nature, gentle bloom,
Thou violet, sweet and pure,
But ever pour thy sweet perfume
Unasked, unstinted, sure!’
Bhagavan saw that even if the first few lines of the poem had
a similarity with His current situation, the following lines were
divine teachings. He saw that He was yet to achieve the state
mentioned in the last few lines of the poem—that the sweet
fragrance should be dispersed with unsought mercy even if love
goes in vain.He was finally able to see the golden rays of hope
piercing through the darkness. Bhagavan’s mind became hopeful
that this ray was pointing towards the effulgent sun and shoving
Him to follow that path. Bhagavan regained His will to live. He
saw the glimpse of a long- winding path ahead. His thoughts of
self- harm dissolved within moments. He found the fresh
beginnings of survival from the bottom of His heart. The poem
transferred Bhagavan from the hard ground of frustration- falsity-
betrayal to the garden of hope-joy-truth-love-peace, in the blink
of an eye. For Bhagavan, it was a new birth. His eyes had a dream
like gaze. After a few moments, breaking out of His trance, He
thought— who is the composer of this poem? Who is the one
who did not let me embrace death? Reading through the lines of
the page, He saw the name— Swami Vivekananda.

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(Thirty seven)

From that day, Bhagavan’s life took an incredible turn. Maybe

the word ‘turn’ fails to describe it, it should be said that it was a
complete one- eighty degree flip over. Till then, Bhagavan was
following the material path, which was His concern. His life was
driven by His will of benefitting the world and helping people. But
His life was doomed by the fate’s turn for the worse. But, under
the divine dispensation, from the ruins emanated the break of
dawn. The rays of the newly risen sun erased the sufferings of
Bhagavan and the new beam of light tranquilized His body and
mind. The one to breathe a new life into Him was Swami
Vivekananda— the warrior monk Swami Vivekananda. Through
the poem, ‘TO AN EARLY VIOLET’ written in New York on the 6th
of January, 1896 to a devotee, the new procreator of Bhagavan
became Swami Vivekananda.
Bhagavan recollected the last thirty- two years of His life. He
had always been chased down by struggles. He had dashed through
different paths in life. He had scrupulously observed, deciphered
and perceived each and every life of people. He had a social life
and a colorful cultural life. He had a political life and also a
personal life. But, His mind had detached itself from all and He had
felt the absence of Truth everywhere. His life was barren without
Truth and choosing death was the only answer. But, now He
realized that the one who gave Him a new lease of life was Swami
Vivekananda and Swami Vivekananda was a spiritual soul. He
thought that He had explored every aspect of life but not the
spiritual one. At the back of His mind He had the thought that the
elevation of Narendranath Dutta to Swami Vivekananda relied
upon the spiritual path and the new life that Swami Vivekananda
gave Him was actually spirituality giving Him life. So Bhagavan
swore to live again. He pledged to see the peak of spirituality. The
new life given to Him by Swamiji and spirituality will now be
engaged in the search of Truth by delving into the spiritual path.
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He had not found Truth in the social, cultural, political and family
life, now it was time for Him to see if there was any Truth in the
spiritual path. If there is, then His future life will be sacrificed at
the altar of spirituality. But if His search leads Him nowhere then
that day would be His last day on Earth. This new determination
of Bhagavan unravelled a new path of life before Him which, after
thirty- two years of His life, made Him start over from square
one.
Many worldly experiences had helped Bhagavan make great
strides. Whenever and whichever path He had undertaken, He had
reached its ultimate end and also had a thorough observation of
the people established at the peak of the respective paths. This is
why, He had never got attached to a path which His mind had
already forsaken. During His stay upon the cultural path, apart
from acting in His own plays, He used to organize many cultural
programs. He used to invite many renowned artists, singers, film
star legends from Kolkata to Katihar for the programs. Bhagavan
had closely watched the personal lives of these legends. He had
seen that the more glamorous and glitzy their outer lives were,
the more dark was their off- screen lives, peeking at which would
make anyone shudder. In the social sphere, He had seen jealousy,
envy, intolerance, indecency and small- mindedness. On the
political path, He saw the politicians’ greed for power, selfishness
and nepotism. Following this, the moment after stepping into His
married life, all His attachments for it were gone in a jiff. He was
able to realize that there was a big gap and deception in it.
Therefore, going towards every direction and observing every
path, made Him lose attachment from everything.
One of the features of Bhagavan’s life was that He never owed
a favor to anyone. Whomever did Him a favor received it back in
twofold measure. No one has been able to keep Him under debt. In
His material life, He was only indebted to Katihar’s Tirtha. Tirtha
cared for Him with all His heart. Bhagavan was hence indebted to
him. The untimely passing of Tirtha made Bhagavan have bouts
of listless depression not only because He loved him but also

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because of His inability to pay him back. Tirtha left Bhagavan

being forever indebted to him. He would have to spend His future
days under the burden of the debt. This is why when Swami
Vivekananda revivified Him, the thought struck Him that the one
for whom and the essence of Truth for which He was able to live
on; for Swamiji and for that essence entrenched in His heart would
He sacrifice His life which if not done would become an act of
treachery. He would not be able to be a betrayer. He would not be
able to remain indebted to anyone else. From that time on, His life
would be dedicated to spirituality. With this is mind, Bhagavan
bought spiritual books and started to read them. He started to
read the ‘The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda’ and the
‘Saints of India’. The compelling speeches of Swami Vivekananda,
the characteristic features of the spiritual colossi and their deeds
greatly influenced Bhagavan. A peaceful pleasance started to linger
in His body and mind. Passed the tempest of mind, ended the
mental oppression. Since His childhood, Bhagavan had always
idolized any wise individual, social reformer and person with
ingenuity. In His early years it was Netaji Subhash Chandra, then
Rabindranath Tagore and later it was Karl Marx. Now, in
Bhagavan’s life emerged the Prophet of modern age, Swami
Vivekananda, as the exemplary character.
On one hand when Bhagavan clutched onto Swami
Vivekananda and the path of spirituality, on the other, His life was
submerged in grave uncertainty. He had no job or employment.
How will He keep His body and soul together, where will His
family end up?! One cannot subsist merely upon the earnings of
tuitions. But, Bhagavan did not have much time to think. He was
engrossed in savoring the newly acquired spiritual wealth. During
this time, when Debjani was a two month old baby, Bhagavan had
visited everyone on the occasion of Guruma’s younger sister’s
marriage. Unexpectedly, one day, from Katihar, Dilip Chanda, His
brother and closest friend informed Him about an astonishing
incident. He narrated the incident that a few days back, his elder
brother’s wife dreamt about Mother Kali who told her- “Tell Sajal

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to come to Kalighat and worship me by giving an animal
sacrifice.”Dilip Chanda’s elder brother’s wife had thought that
maybe this dream meant that whatever crisis Bhagavan was
facing would be solved if He worshipped Mother Kali in Kalighat
and gave an animal sacrifice. When Bhagavan had visited Kolkata
later, along with His brother Swapan Chakraborty, He had offered
puja to Mother Kali. He had not disregarded the call of the Mother.
Bhagavan was now in such a condition that He was reading
each and every spiritual book He was coming across. Sometimes,
the ‘Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda or sometimes
‘Bharoter Sadhok’ (the Saints of India) written by Shankarnath
Roy. Every book was triggering the awakening of spiritual desire
within Him. This was His nature— whenever anything would
catch His interest, He would exert maximum effort to procure it.
Not only did He like reading the biographies of great souls but
also wanted to be one of them. He wanted to be awe-inspiring. He
wanted to experience each and every level of spiritual world,
confining Himself in listening and narrating stories of the realized
souls was something He deeply objected. One day, Bhagavan was
reading Srimad Bhagavad Gita- the incomparable book of Lord
Krishna imparting spiritual lessons to Arjuna. He saw that in the
22 nd verse of the Gita’s ninth chapter, ‘The most confidential
knowledge’, Lord Krishna told His devotee Arjuna—
.
“ananyas chintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate
.
tesam
. nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam
. . vahamy aham||”
.
Meaning—those who think about me constantly, meditating
on My transcendental form– for them I carry what they lack and
preserve what they have.
Lord Krishna has implied that whoever has peerless devotion
for God, the responsibility of accumulating His necessities and
nurturing it is shouldered by God. This was it! Reading this lines
enabled Bhagavan to determine His future activity. He thought of
testing the truth behind this assertion of Lord Krishna. He was
aware about the other paths which were filled by nothing but

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deceit. If He found any element of Truth behind this statement

then He would step forward upon the spiritual path. But if it turns
out to be farce like every other path then He would embrace death.
It was His love for death that was keeping Him alive. Death attracts
Him, does not frighten Him. Therefore to get evidence on the
existence of Truth behind the verse of Gita, Bhagavan decided to
go without food for a day and immerse Himself in the thoughts of
God. He will not notify even the neighbors. Let’s see if God really
carries His burden or not! Bhagavan’s neighbors knew that He
cooked for Himself. Hence, there was no context of asking Him if
He had eaten or not. Shutting the doors and windows of His
quarter, Bhagavan immersed Himself in the thoughts of God. All
the remaining thoughts disappeared. No matter how occupied
Bhagavan was in His work, His mind was never disobedient. He
has never been the slave of His mind. His mind always followed
His orders. This is what enabled Him to carry on with His thoughts,
His mind never obstructed. The whole day Bhagavan remained
immersed in the thoughts of God.Finally, feelings of hunger- thirst
also ceased to remain.
Night arrived. He had become absorbed, oblivious to the time.
Suddenly He heard knocking on the door! Someone was knocking
for quite some time but Bhagavan was unaware. Sitting up in a
haste, He saw that it was late at night. Who has come so late?
Opening the door, He saw a neighbor standing with a bowl in his
hand which was giving off an aroma of delicious food. The neighbor
told Bhagavan— “Today, I brought this food for you. Since, you
have to stay alone. Please do partake.” Next, the neighbor entered
the house and went straight to the kitchen and saw that there
was no rice or rotis. Instantly, she cooked rice and told Bhagavan
to eat. Bhagavan’s eyes became moistened with tears. God really
does exist! There is nothing wrong with what He said! Every place
is full of falseness but not this path. Bhagavan got the confirmation
He needed. To Bhagavan, the neighbor was like God Himself—
who had cooked for Him and carried it for Him. The words spoken
by God was not made up but the greatest Truth of all. Bhagavan’s
mind was overshadowed by doubt. God Himself came to Him, fed
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Him and gave the evidence of Truth behind His declaration. Amidst
the tears, Bhagavan decided that He will not keep any room for
doubt about God in His mind. He will tenaciously walk on this
path towards the Highest goal.
Unavoidably, from Swami Vivekananda, Bhagavan’s mind
became devoted to the creator of Swamiji, Sri Ramakrishna.
Thoughts of Thakur used to baffle Him— how the simple, plain,
unlettered man created Swamiji who was a courageous,
predominant Vedantic. Bhagavan began reading the book on the
teachings of Sri Ramakrishna ‘The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.’
This book brought an unaccountable bliss within Him. Bhagavan
underwent more changes. He firmly placed Thakur Ramakrishna
in His heart. Thakur became everything to Him. Bhagavan got a
photo of Thakur which He kept in His shirt pocket no matter
wherever He went, He kept the photo upon His heart. It was only
Thakur Ramakrishna in His slumber- sleep- awakening.

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(Thirty eight)

After being dismissed from work, Bhagavan’s life became

tumultuous from the month of June. Within these few days, His
life has witnessed a marked transformation. His views on the
world and life has undergone a revolutionary change. This turmoil
has uprooted Bhagavan from the shores of atheistic views and
hurled Him to the banks of theistic belief. During this time, not
only did Bhagavan receive the blessings of God but also received
the evidence of His existence and the truth behind the assertion
that He carries the burden of His devotee. So now, no more was
Bhagavan the same as before. Seeing the deception and lies of the
world, the raging wildfire of a pessimistic and destructive tendency
that had flared up within Him, has died down. He has realized that
God is the only Truth and the enigmatic world with its falsity does
no harm to His existence. The mind’s diversion to the path of
Truth has calmed His mind down.
Six months passed after He was dismissed from work in the
month of June, 1974. Finally came the joyous news—for Bhagavan
and obviously for His wife- daughter, father- mother and
brothers- sisters. He reacquired His job. This however did not
bring an end to the betrayals committed against Him. The
associates who had pressed their earnest appeals on Bhagavan to
join the movement against His will, the associates who had cost
Him His job and had shoved His family into the hands of disaster;
those self- seeking, ungrateful co-workers pressurized the senior
official of Bhagavan’s department to demote Bhagavan instead of
allowing Him to work at His previous rank. That is exactly what
happened. Bhagavan understood everything. Despite of seeing the
envious and crafty actions, He decided not to raise voice against
the injustice because dismissal from work had brought a huge
development in His life. He would not care even if His life gets
drowned in the darkness of the world, for now He has had a glimpse
of the Truth. Hence, going down a rank- how does it even matter?
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Hearing the news of Bhagavan’s re-employment, smiles were

seen on the faces of every family member; the smiles which were
previously wiped off. But in the middle of such extremities,
another aspect needs special mention which if not done would
not portray Bhagavan’s character well, which is— Even without
employment, Bhagavan kept on sending the same amount of
money He used to send every month to His family while He was
employed; never did He stop sending money back home. This was
regardless of the fact that He had to survive on tuitions. Moreover,
different horizons of the spiritual path was getting disclosed to
Bhagavan, the gates of spiritual realizations had been flung open.
But, amidst all, never once did He show any negligence towards
His duties and responsibilities. Giving excuses of losing His job,
He never stopped remitting money to Birati for even a month
even if He was on the brink of starving Himself, with no money in
His Provident fund as well. This notable facet of Bhagavan’s
character should surely be followed by people because escaping
from one’s duties and responsibilities is not Dharma, but on the
contrary, maintaining it properly takes one closer to Truth. In
this context, it will be wrong to not mention those friends who
had extended their whole-hearted support to Bhagavan during
those times even though Bhagavan does not like seeking anyone’s
help.
In the month of December, 1974, Bhagavan was able to join
work but He was demoted from His previous post owing to the
nasty tactics of His former associates. Apart from this, they had
also found ways of stopping Bhagavan from receiving a promotion
that He deserved. At those times, night shifts paid more, so, to
overcome the economic crisis, Bhagavan started night duties.
From the middle of 1973 till the end of 1974, Guruma had spent
one and a half year in West Bengal—sometimes in Baksha,
sometimes in Birati. Finally, after hearing the positive news,
Guruma returned to Maligaon in the year 1975 with 15 months
old Debjani. They were accompanied by her uncle. Guruma’s uncle,
Shankarlal Bandyopadhyay had wide recognition in Baksha- Janai.
He has big contribution behind the popularity of the Banerjee
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house. Apart from working in the Rail’s Lilua workshop, Guruma’s

uncle had the special responsibility of taking the railway officials
on tours. Bhagavan had a friendly bond with Him. He was also a
practical man involved in many developmental projects and
welfare activities of Baksha- Janai. Shankarlal Bandyopadhyay
escorted his niece safely and returned to Baksha after spending a
few days in Guwahati.
A divine grace had spurred Bhagavan onto the spiritual path
from the material, the poem composed by Swamiji being the
medium, which had changed His life completely. The doubts He
had regarding the assertions of Gita helped Him to realize the
inviolability of the spiritual path and that God truly exists. But
while reading about Thakur Ramakrishna, within Bhagavan arose
a deep longing of seeing God. Bhagavan used to think about how
Thakur had seen Mother Kali and had even spoken to her. One
day He read about Thakur saying that if anyone can stay with the
thoughts of God for the entire twenty- four hours a day then the
person will have a vision of God. This created a stir in Bhagavan’s
mind. He started meditating upon the thoughts of God. He
remained immersed in the thoughts of Thakur. He spent the entire
day in a trance. Nothing but only Thakur existed in His mind.He
went to office in such a state. He had a night shift that day. Even
there, He remained absorbed in the thoughts of Thakur. Suddenly,
looking up at front He was startled. Thrills ran around His entire
body. He saw— standing in front was His idol, the light of His life,
His all, Thakur Ramakrishna with His ability fixed on Bhagavan.
Bhagavan stared without batting an eyelid! It was as if His power
of speech and locomotion had become dormant. Bhagavan was
unaware about the time ticking by. Thakur came neared and held
Bhagavan’s hand. Experiencing ecstasies, Bhagavan felt a divine,
ethereal, celestial touch! The touch which was extra mundane. In
the mid of this mesmeric state, the soft, heart-warming voice of
Thakur floated to His ears—‘You will achieve all.’ Saying this He
disappeared the same way He had appeared. Bhagavan did not
know how hours passed in the office, all that He was aware of

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was the reiteration of the life infusing affirmation—‘You will
achieve all.’
After returning from Maligaon, Guruma was surprised after
seeing Bhagavan. Astonished, she saw Bhagavan spending some
time at the household shrine and reading the Bhagavad Gita.
Guruma noticed that some spiritual books had made way into
their 56/B quarter. She observed silently that Bhagavan was not
how He used to be. The husband whom she had seen before
leaving was nowhere to be found. Before, Guruma had to be
discreet while worshipping, to keep Bhagavan from disrupting
her religious rituals with His cutting, logical remarks. Guruma
used to fear that Bhagavan would embarrass her in front of his
friends and mock her devotion. She could see for herself that
Bhagavan no longer had those propensities, it was some magical
touch that had led to the inconceivable death of those mental
tendencies. Guruma was delighted— her husband had now
become like her, but this was not the only reason; for Guruma,
the transformation of Bhagavan was emerging victorious in her
silent battle.
After Guruma’s return from Kolkata in 1975, Bhagavan told
her—”Since you worship and observe rituals, I will buy a small
shrine for you, buy a Shivalinga, I will establish the photo of
Thakur- Maa Sarada- Swamiji.” Bhagavan framed the pictures of
Thakur- Maa Sarada – Swamiji, bought a Shiva linga and a small
shrine. Thakur’s Birth Anniversary was in March. Bhagavan
decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Thakur. At that time,
Bhagavan’s grandmother, with whom He had spent some years in
His childhood, used to live in Karsiyang with her son. Bhagavan’s
uncle had shifted to Karsiyang, near Darjeeling, just then, after
living in Assam’s Maligaon, Lumding, Badarpur etc. He used to
live with his mother. Bhagavan brought His beloved grandmother
to live with Him in Maligaon. Bhagavan’s grandmother was
devout, always absorbed in chanting’s and prayers. Meditating
upon God was her primary mean of subsistence. In the month of
March, Bhagavan organized a grand commemoration on the Birth

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Anniversary of Thakur Ramakrishna in His rail quarter. Everyone

from the neighborhood was invited. Bhagavan offered khichdi to
everyone, a food which is usually made during an Indian religious
festival. Bhagavan’s grandmother established the images of
Thakur- Maa- Swamiji. The prasad or bhog was cooked by Dilip
Dutta who was a friend of Bhagavan residing in Rest camp. After
establishing the images in her grandson’s place, Bhagavan’s
grandmother stayed for a few days and then returned to Karsiyang.
It was the divine play of the Almighty; the one who was an extreme
non- believer in religious rituals and existence of Gods had now
established the images of God with great pomp and made all the
arrangements for daily worship. Which can be a bigger evidence
about the existence of God if not this? If anyone had attentively
observed the procedure of the gradual transformation of
Bhagavan, then receiving vehement assurance about the
existence of God would have led to the attainment of a drastic
change in His life as well.
I have stated earlier that Bhagavan was never indebted to
anyone and neither did He like anyone being indebted. If someone
extended their hands of help or if Bhagavan was forced to take
help from someone in times of distress, He used to feel bound in
the hands of the helper. Thus, Bhagavan always attempted to clear
every debt and free Himself from the burden by helping the helper
by every means in return, irrespective of whether the helper was
young, same aged or older. However, this does not imply that no
one else received Bhagavan’s help, Bhagavan keenly rendered help
to everyone. Bhagavan had always received the favors of His
maternal uncle. They were living in His uncle’s house in Birati.
Also, after coming to Assam, He had lived in His uncle’s house till
His employment. Bhagavan used never forgot about even a small
and always told everyone about it. Hence, Bhagavan was always
grateful about the kindness of His uncle and tried His best to requite
the favor. Bhagavan had received an opportunity which He took
at the time to repay the kindness of His uncle by doing him a big
favor, thus freeing Himself from the pangs of His conscience. The

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two sons and one daughter of His uncle had stayed in turns at
Bhagavan’s rail quarter for their higher studies from the year
1975 till 1984. Bhagavan and Guruma had raised them like their
own son and daughter.
Coming to Balaka, after losing His job, Bhagavan’s way of life
had changed for a few days. After getting His job back He returned
to His usual self, spirited, making everybody’s lives lively, loving
everyone; Bhagavan was seen again in His old Self, but of course
these were just the outer surface. His inner Self had changed
wholly which remained undetected even to His friends. That
Bhagavan had become steadfast on and serious about the search
for Truth, remained unknown to His close ones. Eighteen months
after her birth, Debjani was initially scared of her father but later
the fear disappeared with time. Bhagavan developed friendly ties
with young men of the neighborhood of Balaka. Within a few
days He succeeded in winning over the hearts of the young men.
The young adults of the neighborhood were uncontrollable,
reckless and pugnacious but Bhagavan was able to gain their
admiration. Bhagavan loved them and even they loved and
respected Bhagavan. Within a few days, they accepted Bhagavan
as their leader and guide. They asked Bhagavan for the solution of
their problems and Bhagavan with His presence of mind,
experience and sincere love used to guide them down the right
path. Not only the young men but small children of the
neighborhood also started loving Bhagavan as their ‘Kaku’, ‘Jethu’
or uncle and even the elders started adoring Him as their younger
brother. Again, He became the centre of attention in the
neighborhood within a short span of time.

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(Thirty nine)

After returning from Katihar, Bhagavan began His life as an

actor even in Guwahati. In places like Restcamp, Pandu and its
adjoining places, people enjoyed dramas, theatres and cultural
programs so in the Bengali populated areas, cultural programs
were organized every so often. When Bhagavan lived in the
American colony, He developed friendly ties with a theatre group.
He had even portrayed roles in some of their dramas. So even
after receiving a quarter in Balaka, He continued with acting in
dramas. Bhagavan once staged a drama named ‘Koborer Kanna’
(the cries of the grave) which was highly appreciated by the
theatregoers. Bhagavan gradually inspired the boys of the
neighborhood to take interest in theatres. Because He had
affection for the young boys, the elders in the neighborhood used
to exert great pressure on Bhagavan but He didn’t turn His back
on them. Bhagavan taught them everything about acting in all
seriousness. Almost ninety- nine percent of Bengalis in Assam are
from East Bengal hence they have a dialectical intonation which
differ from the pure spoken language. It took Bhagavan’s blood,
sweat and tears to teach them the way of speaking pure Bengali.
He had to teach some the art of walking on the stage. Besides, in
order to pacify the unruly youths, train them as actors and hone
their acting skills, Bhagavan had to keep His nose to grindstone
and in the end His efforts had all paid off, which created a new
theatre group in Balaka under the direction of Bhagavan.
On one hand when Bhagavan was involved in dramas with
the boys of the neighborhood, remodeling His garden in a new
way and catering to the needs of people in their challenging times;
on the other hand, His heart was thirsting more for Truth.
Externally, even though He was occupied in social and cultural
fields, His heart continually yearned for Truth. By all means, He
did get the existential confirmation of the Almighty and had even
seen the beatific vision of Thakur Ramakrishna which naturally

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steered His mind upon the spiritual path but it was simply just
the beginning. Going through many books, Bhagavan was able to
realize that one vision was not enough; the emblem of Truth
whom He saw in the vision, that Truth needed to be realized deeply,
the need was to immerse one’s self completely with the ultimate
Truth. Experiencing oneness with the Truth is the main
quintessence of spirituality. This is why, Bhagavan’s mind
developed a burning desire to realize Truth.
Along with the craving for Truth, inevitably, Bhagavan wished
to visit the pilgrimage sites, where for ages have people performed
austerities, where people have attained liberation and peace and
the places which people consider to be sacred. After reading
‘Bharater Sadhak’ (the aspirants of India), Bhagavan wanted to
go on a pilgrimage since many days. Bhagavan did not give this a
second thought. During then, the railways had travel facilities.
Bhagavan, with Guruma and little Debjani, proceeded to visit the
pilgrimage sites throughout India. He travelled through the sacred
sites of North, South, East and West. This tour intensified His
urge of realizing God. Bhagavan’s visit to some of the sites
awakened divine feelings within Him. Among them the names of
Tirupati- Balaji Temple in the South and Tarakeshwar Temple in
West Bengal are most noteworthy. The divine feelings intensified
within Bhagavan in the Tirupati- Balaji Temple. Upon entering
the Tarakeshwar Temple, Bhagavan had chills all over His body,
quite unexpectedly. Bhagavan realized the sanctity of the
pilgrimage sites. Visiting the places which attract the saints- sages,
ascetics- monks, devotees – aspirants longing for Truth, naturally
leads to the ascension of the minds of people and offers ingress of
religiosity within them. And those with elevated minds and
eagerness for the realization of Truth, even receive glimpses of
the Truth. The visit to the sacred sites became an important facet
in Bhagavan’s life. In a span of four years, Bhagavan had travelled
to many holy sites of India along with Guruma and Debjani.
If we have to describe Bhagavan in a word, then the first word
that will surface is—Truth. Bhagavan not only loves Truth but it
is His life. He is the embodiment of Truth. His life has always
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rendered His profound love for Truth since His childhood.

Regardless of of His unconditional love for mankind, Bhagavan is
mostly inclined towards Truth irrespective of how painful or
bitter it is. Truth is His only motivation to live. Truth is His love,
facing the Truth is His act of courage. Truth is the cause of His
fulfilment but also the cause His sorrow and deep affliction. Truth
is everything for Him. It is Truth that drives Him on the journey
of life. He rests on Truth, He thrives on Truth, and Truth is His
destination. His inherent Truth had navigated His life since
childhood. Truth is His real and only worship, veneration, ideal
and dearer than His life. Inspite of Truth being everything to Him
for which He can even sacrifice His life but what Truth is, how it
is defined, Where Is it— Bhagavan had not given these much
thought before. He knows the material Truth. In every sphere of
life, He has always been steadfast on Truth, never letting the
temptations sway Him. But material truth works only in this
material world. What is next? The material truth is not all that
there is, because the world itself is not true but always changeable.
Therefore, that which in itself is subjected to change, how can
the truth residing in it ever be the Absolute for it will also be
alterable and whatever that is inconsistent cannot be the Truth.
These perceptions began to emerge in Bhagavan’s translucent and
delineative mind. He realized that no matter how much He loved
Truth and readied Himself to sacrifice His life for it, it will be the
material Truth. From the viewpoint of transcendental knowledge,
the material Truth is false.
The emergence of these thoughts, Bhagavan’s longing for
Truth became more earnest. Bhagavan recalled that Swami
Vivekananda’s poem granted Him a new life, He received the
conclusive affirmation behind the words of Srimad Bhagavad Gita
‘ Yoga- ksemam Vahamy aham’ meaning God carries every burden
of His devotee and further more , He had also seen the vision and
felt the touch of Thakur Ramakrishna. Even if these occurrences
had helped Him advance upon the path of Truth, it had not helped
Him to reach the journey’s end because His mind was pining and
thirsting for the realization of Truth. The ethereal experiences

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had enhanced the longing for Truth within Bhagavan. Time
gradually whetted the desire of realizing the Truth within Him.
How to realize the Truth, which upon realizing would end the
pangs of His heart— this thought continued incessantly.
In the spiritual world, if someone is placed in the upmost peak
then it is the Guru, the spiritual master. It is the Guru who unbars
the doors of liberation for mankind. Guru is the bridge between
Truth and the seekers of Truth. Without the Guru, Truth becomes
unobtainable. He is the embodiment of Sat (Truth)-Chit
(consciousness)-Ananda (Bliss) Brahman. People are unable to
perceive the Sat- chit- ananda, Nirguna (without attributes) and
Nirakar (formless) Brahman, let alone realize it, this is the reason
why the Absolute Brahman manifests itself in a human form as
the Guru and with complete revelation attracts people towards
Him. Even if the Guru, who is God Himself, manifests in human
form, He should not be considered human- like— the scriptures
repeatedly remind this to the truth- seekers. The God of Gods,
Mahadeva or Shiva has stated that Guru Himself is Brahma- Vishnu-
Maheshvara. Guru is the Ultimate Brahman. The glory of the Guru
has no end. In addition, Saint Kabir has said that— if Guru and
Govinda (God) both appear at the same time then we should first
offer obeisance’s to the Guru for it is because of Him that we can
see God. There is no context of Self- realization without the Guru.
Inspite of being the eternal- pure- enlightened- liberated- Absolute
Brahman, the Guru resides with a finite and diseased body due to
His causeless and unrestricted love for mankind and for the sake
of their liberation. If the merciful Guru had not been present in
the midst of the world then the gates of liberation would have
been closed forever and mankind would have been pushed to the
verge of destruction. Guru’s love is unequalled because, inspite of
being the embodiment of bliss, they have to undergo sufferings
for the liberation of humanity. Inspite of being infinite, they have
to suffer from ailments of the body. People fail to recognize them
as Gods. Identifying them as common human beings, people
devaluate them. But still, the Guru becomes eager for their
liberation. Thus, there is no difference between in the presence

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of the realized, altruistic Guru and the realization of Truth. The

only shelter of the people faltering through life under the affliction
of sufferings is the Guru.
Perusing the glory of Guru in various spiritual book, Bhagavan
then understood that without a Guru, the realization of Truth is
far- off. This is why, the foremost need is Guru. Bhagavan
observed that most of the spiritual leaders who have shown us
the art of living, have first attained a Guru after which Truth came
under their grasps. No matter how potent a spiritual leader is,
everyone had a Guru. The incarnation of Shiva, Acharya Sankar
had sought refuge at the feet of Govindapada since childhood.
Even Swami Vivekananda who once in His childhood, did not feel
the presence of a venomous snake due to deep meditation had to
go to Sri Ramkrishna. Lord Rama’s Guru was Sage Vashishtha,
Lord Krishna’s was Sage Sandipani, Chaitanyadev’s Guru was
Isvarpuri and Thakur Ramakrishna had more than one Guru.
Bhagavan could perceive the magnificence of Guru. So, now He
decided to search for a Guru with His entirety.
Where will Bhagavan get a Guru who would take Him from
falsity towards Truth? Bhagavan could comprehend that seeing a
vision of Thakur was not enough, what He wanted was to feel the
oneness. I am one and inseparable from Truth— all doubts end in
this realization. Oneness with Brahman is the only means of
liberation, there is no other path. So, Bhagavan began a new
search for a SadGuru or true Guru—God in human form. Bhagavan
started visiting various monasteries, temples and ashrams.
Whenever He got to know about any great spiritual man, He went
to meet them. He even told people, familiar with the spiritual path,
to inform Him about any great spiritual Guru. Whichever
pilgrimage site Bhagavan visited, His mind used to remain waved
in the search of a Guru. One person extended a helping to Bhagavan
in this matter who was one of Guruma’s uncle. He was Guruma’s
own uncle. He was a monk so His name was Swami Vishakhananda
Maharaj. How spiritual Guruma’s paternal lineage was, can be
known upon seeing this monk from their lineage. Swami
Vishakhananda was respected by many common men. Normally,
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Bhagavan used to take leave from work twice a year and visit
Kolkata. He used to accompany Swami Vishakhananda. With
Bhagavan, Swami Vishakhananda used to visit many monasteries-
ashrams and missions He was acquainted with. They had become
familiar with many monks and saints by that time. Once, Swami
Vishakhananda took Bhagavan to an ashram in Belanagar but it
did satisfy Bhagavan.
Bhagavan had gone to many temples and ashrams from
Maligaon. Beside Maligaon stands the mountains of Nilachal where
temple Kamakhya is located. There are some ashrams there, like
Yoga Guru Shivananda’s ashram, Kalikapur Ashram which
Bhagavan visited but returned in vain. Whenever He received
the news of the presence of any spiritual leader, in ashrams,
temples or the house of some devotees, He rushed to meet them.
Once, He was supposed to get initiated by a disciple from the
lineage of the great Yogi,Shyamacharan Lahiri, but due to some
reasons it was cancelled. In the case of getting a spiritual Guru,
Bhagavan’s fate was not with Him.
But then, Bhagavan decided that since He worshipped Sri
Ramkrishna, He would get initiation from a monk of Sri
Ramkrishna Mission. During then, Swami Bhuteshanandaji was a
widely recognized name of Sri Ramkrishna mission and
monastery. Bhagavan got to know that He was hailed as a great
spiritual being by many people and He was also the initiated
disciple of the Holy consort Maa Sarada. Hence, Bhagavan decided
to get initiated from Swami Bhuteshananda. Doing a work without
wasting time was Bhagavan’s character. He also disliked going
through reference or being taken by somebody. In the early years
of His life He had met many great leaders, actors, personalities
and socialites directly and had been praised for His efficacy. So
without further ado, Bhagavan directly wrote a letter to Swami
Bhuteshananda—”I wish to get initiated by you. Kindly inform
me about the convenient place and time.” Strangely, within a few
days, Bhagavan received a self- written letter of Swami
Bhuteshananda who invited Bhagavan to come at a specific place
and time. But, maybe it was not to be because Swami
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Bhuteshananda had wrote letters to Bhagavan twice. Once,

Swamiji had to cancel the date and go elsewhere and the second
time Bhagavan was unable to go due to some unavoidable
circumstances. The self- written letter of Swami Bhuteshananda
has still been preserved by Bhagavan. Failing to get initiated by
him twice, Bhagavan understood that this was not desired by the
Almighty. So, will He never get a Guru, will He never attain self-
realization—these thoughts haunted Bhagavan with each passing
day.

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(Forty)

Bhagavan was spending His days in distress. On one side was

His intense longing for Truth and on the other the intense pain in
His heart of not being able to find a Guru— both pained His heart
like a poisonous sting. The failure of finding a Guru after repeated
efforts made Him feel—Will this life go in vain? Will Truth be
ungraspable? Knowing which you can know everything, the
attainment of that which leaves nothing more to attain, will this
remain to be a dream— He was engulfed with melancholy. The
scriptures assert – If you have an intense desire for attaining the
Truth, then the Guru comes unto you. So, was His desire not
intense enough— such thoughts kept rotating in His mind. The
year was 1978, the fourth week of the month of May. It was a
time when Bhagavan had taken leave from work and gone to
Kolkata with His family. Spending some days in Birati, He went to
Baksha. He met Vishakhanandaji. Swamiji was very well aware
of Bhagavan’s worries and He had tried His best to erase it. This
time, upon meeting Bhagavan, Vishakhanandaji told Him that the
ashram in which He was staying currently, the founder of ashram,
‘Sri Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan’ was coming from Purulia to stay
in Sri Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan for a few days, so the can go and
see Him if He wants. Bhagavan instantly agreed to it. He decided
the day of visiting the ashram in Janai as soon as possible. It was
decided, Bhagavan and Guruma along with Vishakhanandaji will
visit Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan on the specified day. This was
perhaps the first or second day of June.
The specified day arrived. Bhagavan had heard that the one
whom He was going to meet was a monk. His name was Swami
Pavitrananda Maharaj. He was the founder of Janai’s Sri
Ramakrishna Tapovan. Pavitranandaji used to live in Purulia and
sometimes came to Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan to spend a few days.
On the set day, Bhagavan arrived at the ashram with
Vishakhanandaji and Guruma. From Bhagavan’s in-laws place in
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Janai, the ashram was within a walking distance of twenty minutes.

Immediately upon entering the outer gates of the ashram,
Bhagavan’ heart was filled with bliss. Truly, the name given to
the place was justified. It was a Tapovan or garden indeed. It had a
heavenly atmosphere. The ashram was encircled with thick
foliage, trees adorned with flowers and ladened with fruits. The
ashram was spread across a big area. There was even a pond
there. Since His young days, Bhagavan was a nature- lover. A
beautiful panoramic view of Nature always mesmerized Him.
Entering the ashram He felt as if it was His own place. After this
He passed through the gates of the ashram. His heart became more
content. He saw His idol of worship, Sri Ramakrishna, Maa Sarada
and Swami Vivekananda established there. He felt attached to the
place more after seeing that it was His idol being worshipped
there.
Right after this, Bhagavan’s attention fell upon a nearly five
feet eight inches tall body. His mellow but glowing face was
illuminating the ashram premises. He was clearly above sixty but
had the heart of a spirited young man. Not only His face, His entire
body was radiating happiness and pointing towards a hopeful
world. With His presence, Bhagavan felt as if every atom and
molecule had become active. Forgetting everything even Himself,
Bhagavan stared at this divine person. He broke out of His trance
with the words of Vishakhanandaji- “This is Swami Pavitrananda
Maharaj. I have brought you here to meet Him.” Vishakanandaji
introduced Bhagavan to Swami Pavitranandaji. Bhagavan got to
know that Pavitranandaji was well acquainted with the Banerjee
family. Swamiji said that He sometimes visits the house.
Pavitranandaji had also initiated Bhagavan’s father and mother-
in-law. Pavitranandaji Maharaj was happy to hear that Bhagavan
was the eldest son- in- law of the Banerjee family.
After spending some time there, He had returned to His in-
laws place. Bhagavan’s mind had gone blank. He was sitting,
looking preoccupied. Many people came and said many things.
The Banerjee House was always crowded. There were quite a

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few members in the family. Apart from Guruma, there were two
brothers-in- law, seven sisters- in-law, other members, relatives,
friends in the house. Amidst everything, the hospitality received
by Bhagavan as the son- in- law was at its peak. Everybody loved
Bhagavan. Everybody came up to talk to Him that day but
Bhagavan gave them blank stares, none of their words entering
His ears. Coming back to His senses, the beautiful image of the
monk’s smiling face popped up in His mind- every moment, all
the time. What had happened to Him? He was unable to forget
Him! Bhagavan was then a thirty- six years old young man—
educated, intelligent, lively and sharp, being in such a state was
not good for Him. But, why was it He able to control Himself ? It
was as if His mind was not with Him, it had gone to the blissful
monk the moment after He had seen Him. It was His mind, but
Bhagavan was unable to bring it back from the monk. Who knew
what the reason was!
The night passed somehow. The first thing Bhagavan did in
the morning was go to Ramkrishna Tapovan. This time He went
alone. He had no time to wait for others to come. The moment He
entered the ashram, He heard a sweet voice—”Oh! Come! Come!
How are you?” In front of Him was standing Swami
Pavitranandaji. His hands extended forward, it was as if He was
waiting for Bhagavan. It seemed that he was waiting for Bhagavan
for many years. Extended arms, it was an acceptance call to pull
Him close! It didn’t seem like the call of an ordinary person. This
call seemed to have floated up from the profound depths of the
Absolute. No one has the ability to ignore the call, even Bhagavan
didn’t. Bhagavan doesn’t recall How many questions Swami
Pavitrananda had asked Him and how many questions He had
answered sitting in the prayer hall of the ashram. But, Bhagavan
felt that Pavitranandaji had bought Him, He now belonged to Him.
Bhagavan was now certain that His patient wait had come to an
end. The one whom He was looking for the past few years was
the one in front of Him. He was looking at Him in front. There was
no need to look further for someone else. He will go nowhere else
to look for a Guru. Bhagavan asked Pavitranandaji Maharaj- “I
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wish to get initiation from you. Will you initiate me? Will you
make me your disciple?” Pavitranandaji smiled and said— “I have
no objection, but, you observe for seven days more, after that
you can decide upon getting initiation. See, if you like me or not.”
After this, Bhagavan started visiting Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan
twice a day. He saw Pavitranandaji calling and accepting everyone.
Along with this, He saw Him speaking to His monk- disciples and
householders, about spirituality in a lucid, comprehensible way.
This made Bhagavan very happy. But, the thing about
Pavitranandaji that had enchanted Bhagavan was His smile,
happiness. Since His young days, Bhagavan knew the nature of
this world very well, He had great observation and analytical skills.
Bhagavan had the skill of understanding the ways of a person at
first sight. Not many people have analytical skills but Bhagavan
did. Bhagavan observed that this monk aged above sixty was so
cheerful, as if happiness was overflowing from within Him. From
where did He get so much happiness? Bhagavan thought that He
had His own parents, His parents had many children, had an
established family, but they were always serious and worried.
Bhagavan thought about His in-laws, they were humble people.
They had a prosperous family and was respected by all, had no
scarcity in wealth but they were unable to laugh like this monk.
Bhagavan shifted the focus of attention to Himself, He was thirty-
six years old with a stable government service which was a matter
of great relief. At such young age, He was hailed upon as a leader.
Wherever He went, He won the hearts of people. He was also
famous for being a stage- actor and whenever He went up onstage,
people welcomed Him with rounds of applause. Kolkata, Guwahati,
Katihar— the number of His well-wishers were uncountable. But
still, He didn’t find the happiness within Him like that of the monk.
Looking at Pavitranandaji made it clear that He had no pretense in
His happiness or smiles, it was a spontaneous flow from within.
He who has no money, no assets, no bank balance, has to live on
alms, had no security— how was it possible for Him to laugh so
freely? Bhagavan’s pride upon His youth, His confidence, and so
many qualities— all fell short in front of the aged monk. Bhagavan
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became determined— I want this smile of Swami Pavitranandaji!
I want to achieve my goal by any means possible. The next aim
for Bhagavan was carved into His mind that very day. Bhagavan
couldn’t recall any other person who had influenced Him the way
Pavitranandaji had.
It was not even a week after this. Even though Swami
Pavitrananda Maharaj had given Bhagavan a week’s time to decide
if He would take initiation from Pavitranandaji or not, but after
three days itself Bhagavan went to Pavitranandaji and said—”I
have decided, I will take initiation from you.” Pavitranandaji was
ready. The day of initiation was decided quickly— 8 th June,
Thursday. Not only Bhagavan, even Guruma wanted to take
initiation from Pavitranandaji. Pavitranandaji asked them to come
on the specific day after having a bath, wearing washed clothes
and bring white flowers and herbs. The day arrived. Bhagavan
had reached Sri Ramkrishna Tapovan in the early morning with
Guruma. He was not being able to contain His happiness. His long
drawn craving was finally getting fulfilled. For many years was
He searching for the path of liberation, finally He got the stairs in
the form of Swami Pavitrnandaji. Today was His first step forward.
In due time, Swami Pavitranandaji called Bhagavan and
Guruma. They were seated in a room. He sat in the middle with
both of them on each side. Telling them the rules of chanting, He
whispered the mantra into their ears. Bhagavan experienced
thrills throughout His body, heart filling with a divine feeling, the
doors of liberation were finally flung open in front. The
embodiment of Brahman, always established on Brahman, the
realized Guru accepted the responsibility of the liberation of His
disciple. Bhagavan felt blessed for getting the most perfect man
He had ever seen as His Guru. A special bond was created between
the Guru and disciple. This oneness created new history amidst
the world. This was a firm step towards leaving behind an immortal
sign in the world.

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(Forty One)

The initiation ceremony was over but the question

remains—who is this blissful, realized soul named Swami
Pavitranandaji Maharaj?We have not known much about Him thus
far. To know Him, we have to rewind time, we have to return to
the past. After the passing of Sri Ramakrishna, the holy consort
‘Mother Sarada’ was acknowledged as the ‘Holy Mother’ of Sri
Ramakrishna Mission and monastic order. One of her initiated
disciples was Swami Krishnananda Maharaj. Swami Krishnananda
Maharaj was probably born, in the year 1880, on the 31 st of
December, into a righteous, devoted Brahman family in the
Howrah district. He was the only child of His parents. Having
undamped spirits since childhood, He, at just the age of fourteen,
without appearing for His entrance exams, renounced home and
travelled to many places, finally joining the Sri Ramakrishna
Mission and taking initiation from Mother Sarada. His Viraja
Homa (a type of yajna perfomed by an individual before
embracing sannyasa) was conducted by Swami Brahmananda
Maharaj who was like a son to Thakur Ramakrishna. His mind
being inclined to spiritual practices did not find contentment in
the welfare works of the Sri Ramakrishna mission, so with the
blessings of Mother Sarada and seeking permission from Swami
Shivanandaji Maharaj, He went to perform severe austerities in
the jungle of Rakab, twenty miles South- East far from West
Bengal’s city of Purulia, in the year 1921. Digging a borehole in
the jungle of Rakab, He did His spiritual practice. The local
residents used to provide Him with food to preserve His health. At
later times, for almost twelve years. He ate rice and dal (pulses)
once a day but sometimes He even went without food. Not being
able to attain Samadhi even after twelve years of severe practice,
He chose death over life and adopted ways like putting His hands
into a snake hole to die from snake bite or submerging Himself in
the freezing numbing waters of a pond throughout the night to

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die from pneumonia. Despite of these efforts, He did not die.

Finally, His intense practice yielded results. He attained Nirvikalpa
Samadhi. Krishnanandaji’s Samadhi lasted for three days.
Succeeding this, He was always immersed in Samadhi. He had no
thoughts of being of any service to the world. Suddenly one day,
Thakur appeared in front of Him and gave Him the strict
instruction of bringing enlightenment within others which made
Him come out in the open and give initiation to people. Devotees
started gathering around Him and He established an ashram. People
started venerating Him for His severe spiritual practice. Mahim
Maharaj, the younger brother of Swami Vivekananda, used to call
Him ‘Junglee Maharaj’ or the ‘Wild monk’ which later became an
epithet for Swami Krishnanadaji Maharaj. Once, in Baranagar,
Kolkata, in the year 1956, He had notified His devotees about the
reappearance of Thakur Ramakrishna by saying that those who
would live on for the following forty years would be able to see
Thakur. This rebirth of Thakur would result in the proliferation
of His ideology everywhere with no exclusion. The great ascetic
Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj breathed His last in the year 1963.
He showed the path of liberation to many.
Swami Pavitranandaji Maharaj was the initiated disciple of
Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj. Before embracing sannyasa, His
name was Shailen Singha. It has been known from Swami
Chitprakashanandaji, the disciple of Swami Pavitranandaji and the
current head of the Sri RamkrishnaTapovan, that Swami
Pavitranandaji was the second son of the king of Bhastara taluk
or administrative unit of West Bengal’s Hooghly district. He was
born on the 19th of November, 1916. As a student He came into
contact with the younger brother of Swami Vivekananda,
Mahendranath Dutta or Mahim Maharaj. Seeing Him, Mahim
Maharaj had predicted that one day the student would become a
stalwart of the spiritual world. He was quite brilliant in His studies.
He was highly-educated as well. Even though He rarely spoke
about His early life, according to the devotees, He had received a
bachelor’s degree or might have held a master’s degree in those
times. Pavitranandaji was endowed with multiple talents. Before
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entering monastic life, He had been a respected football player of

the Kolkata Fast division football club arians. He had also played
cricket. He was also well versed in Indian classical music. His
classical music used to fascinate everyone. He was fluent in
English. He was also nice-looking and courteous. He worked in a
high position in a foreign international company.
A man from Janai worked in the same company as Swami
Pavitranandaji. Through him, Swami Pavitranandaji had become
acquainted with the famous zamindari family of Janai. The
zamindars of Janai were great patrons of music. So, every
Saturday, Swami Pavitranandaji used to go to the zamindari
mansion after work. After enjoying the gripping music sessions
on the weekends He used to return to Kolkata on Mondays.
Perhaps, it was in Kolkata’s Baranagar where Swami
Pavitranandaji had met Swami Krishnananda Maharaj for the first
time. Swami Pavitrananda Maharaj was captivated by Swami
Krishnanandaji at first sight. The preconceived leanings were
rekindled. In the mind developed a staunch detachment. His worldly
competence, academic proficiency, high-position in the company,
skills in football and cricket, avidness for classical music,riches-
property, name- fame and acclaim— all became worth less after
seeing the great preceptor. Before long, He prayed to
Krishnanandaji for sannyasa and seeing His deserving
competence, Swami Krishnanandaji accepted His request.
Receiving Krishnanandaji’s consent, Swami Pavitranandaji
resigned from His job; equally dividing all the assets and
properties He possessed, He gave one part to His parents and
offered the rest at the feet of His Guru. He was accepted by
Krishnanandaji as His disciple.
Following this, Guru Krishnanandaji took Him to the Rakab
forest, made Him do spiritual practice and then for further practice
and realization of the Self, instructed Him to go to Uttar Kashi.
From Uttar Kashi began Pavitranandaji’s life of spiritual penance.
For Pavitranandaji, quite a few years passed in spiritual severities.
But due to the extreme climate of the place, Swami Pavitranandaji’s

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health deteriorated with the passing days. He was affected by

dysentery. He tried to endure it for a few days but when His health
worsened, He was compelled to write a letter to His Guru
informing Him about His failing health due to loss of blood.
Immediately, the austere Guru Swami Krishnanandaji’s reply
came—”The blood is flowing, let it flow, if you do not attain self-
realization, what good will you do by staying alive?” No matter
how heartless the words spoken by the Guru sounds, it is always
the love of the Guru that is expressed for the disciple. Nonetheless,
within a few days, Swami Pavitranandaji regained His health and
owing to His indifference to the world and sharp intellect, through
delineation, attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi soon after.
Swami Pavitranandaji had stayed in the Advaita ashram of
Sri Ramakrishna mission in Varanasi for a few days. His
mellifluent singing had captivated the aged monks who had asked
Him to stay there and sing for Thakur. After staying there for a
few days, He did not wish to stay there any longer so He came to
a village in Purulia. Two of His disciples Anil and Sudhir used to
stay there in the village. They were very poor. They somehow
managed to earn their bread and butter by selling dried chickpeas
and chestnuts. A bit far from their village, Swami Pavitranandaji
selected a plot of land in a mango orchard. He told them that it was
a befitting place for spiritual practice. The two brothers built a
hut for Him. Pavitranandaji started to live in the hut. After
working as sellers throughout the day, the two brothers used to
cook for themselves and bring food for Pavitranandaji as well.
Swamiji was cared for and looked after well by them. In the
evening, Pavitranandaji used to give them discourses on
spirituality and Vedanta in intelligible manner. There was a well
in the front of His hut which was used to procure drinking water.
This is how the two brothers joyfully spent days with Swami
Pavitranandaji.
Two devotees of Swami Krishnanandaji lived in Purulia. Their
names were Santosh and Parul Chakraborty. The couple did not
have children. They were old acquaintances of Swami

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Pavitranandaji. When they received the news of Swami

Pavitranandaji living in a rural village, they went to meet Him.
From the next week, they started visiting Him one a week. One
day, the husband and wife requested—”We do not have any
children so please come to our house and stay with us.”
Pavitranandaji initially refused to leave behind the two devoted,
faithful, penniless brothers. Even the brothers Anil and Sudhir
beseeched Him to stay—”Father, please do not leave us!” After
incessant entreaties, Pavitranandaji started living in Santosh
Chakraborty’s house in Purulia. Even there, Pavitranandaji held
discussions on Vedanta. Gradually, people started flocking to Him.
People were allured by the benign affability of Pavitranandaji.
The people insisted so He started giving initiations. This is how a
big group of devotees emerged in Purulia. Pavitranandaji spent
most days of His life in Purulia.
After a few years passed, Pavitranandaji suddenly came to
Janai one day. The zamindars of Janai were devotees of His riveling
singing. They were happy to see Swamiji in the new appearance.
After a brief interaction, they told Swamiji to move to Janai since
they had plots of land and wanted to build an ashram for Him.
After Swamiji accepted the proposal, the zamindars—Vidyut
Banerjee, Ravi Banerjee and Jeetendranath Banerjee, donated a
plot of land and constructed an ashram for Swami Pavitranandaji.
‘Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan’ was established in the year 1962.
Hearing this news, a devotee from Kolkata brought sculptures of
Thakur- Maa Sarada and Swamiji from Kumartuli. The sculptures
were established on the altar by Pavitranandaji. Swamiji used to
reside there for a few days. Since He had many devotees in Purulia,
they used to implore Him to return. Whenever He came to Janai,
He brought many devotees along with Him. This used to create a
festive mood in the Janai Ashram. Many local people used to gather
whenever He visited the ‘Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan’.
Pavitranandaji used to visit many houses as well. The people of
Janai had grown very fond of Him. During His absence from Janai,
His devoted disciples Swami Ajeyananda, Swami Niranjanananda,
Swami Vishakhananda, Swami Sthitaprajnananda, Swami
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Chitprakashananda and Swami Abhutananda used to maintain the

ashram on a regular basis.
During His stay in Janai ashram, Pavitranandaji used to
summon everyone and begin scriptural discussions. Even if it was
difficult for the people to comprehend the difficult assertions of
the scriptures, Pavitranandaji used to say, “Keep listening, it might
not sound easy but it will be of help later.” Not only the monks, He
used to teach Vedanta to even the householders. Many a times,
while explaining, He used to fall silent, enter a spiritual trance or
immerse into samadhi. He had expertise in classical music. Singing
classical music with a tanpura used to fill Him with spiritual
ecstasy. This highly realized ascetic was always rooted upon the
highest pinnacle of spirituality. He was neat and tidy, a chain-
smoker and since He was once a sportsperson, He listened to the
radio commentaries on sports with rapt attention. Pavitranandaji
could also cook delicious food. He liked to cook delicacies for His
devotees every so often. Reaching the apex of spiritual realization,
He had attained the state of Paramahamsa, which is described in
the scriptures as becoming ‘child-like’, that is exactly how He had
become. He was always seen in a jovial mood, enjoying Himself,
if anyone visited He used to say—”Look, Look, he is coming.
Come! Come!” His irreplaceable presence was the luminosity of
the entire region.
Many miraculous incidents had transpired revolving around
Pavitranandaji which He kept concealed from the public. The
number of lives that transformed under His divine grace is
incomputable. There was a dacoit in Janai named Ranjit Bannerjee.
Murders, plunder—he had committed all. He was the hired goon
and assassin of the existing zamindars of that time. Pavitranandaji
started to like Him. He always kept him close. He had taken the
dacoit with Him to Purulia. He had also got him employed in a
biscuit factory of Purulia. The factory’s owner’s sister used to
frequently visit a tantric. One day, the tantric came to the factory
and started performing a yajna(sacrifice). Ranjit Banerjee used
to live in the factory. The tantric attempted to offer him as a
sacrifice. Somehow, Pavitranandaji had a premonition of this. He
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was living far away from the factory at that time. Apprehending
the cruel intentions of the tantric, He came running to the factory
shouting the name of Ranjit, taking him outside the factory He
said, “Come, you do not have to stay here any longer.” Saying this,
He saved Ranjit from the mishap. This incident turned Ranjit
Bannerjee into an ardent devotee of Pavitranandaji. For many such
occurrences, people were obliged to Swami Pavitranandaji. He
had even saved people who were on the verge of death. There
was an incident heard from His devotees that once a girl’s
condition had become fatal and even the doctors had given up
hope. The parents of the girl were compelled to make earnest
appeals to Swami Pavitranandaji. Responding to their prayers,
Pavitranandaji had struck the girl with His foot and said—”Go,
take her with you.” Unbelievably, the girl recovered within a few
days. Many other such incidents had taken place which He was
always unwilling to share.
In his lifetime, Pavitranandaji had composed fourteen essays
on the highest spiritual ideals. His essays were later compiled by
His devotees and published in the form of two books- 1)
‘Chintadharar Kromobikaash’ which roughly translates to ‘the
gradual evolvement of the trail of thoughts’, 2) ‘Aaro Kichhu Kotha’
(Some more teachings) and later a book was published by
International Vedanta Society named ‘Ek o Ekota’ (One and
Oneness). Bhagavan had published a compilation of His letters in
the form of a book name ‘Vedanta Sadhana’ or the ‘Path to
realisation’. Swami Pavitranandaji was aware about His time of
death. At the end of His life, He was diagnosed with the deadly
cancer disease. His lungs had been affected for quite long but His
firmness upon the spiritual peak had kept it undetected. The
devotees had got Him admitted in the Sri Ramakrishna Sevasadan
hospital under Sri Ramakrishna Mission. While undergoing
treatment, the highly realized soul who had stayed away from
publicity, attained Mahasamadhi on the 20th of April, 1985. The
monks and His devotees were engulfed by a shadow of grief after
His passing, but in the spiritual world; through His love,
realization, deeds and erudition, Swami Pavitranandaji had left a
deep mark behind.
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(Forty two)

Bhagavan’s attainment of Guru Pavitranandaji and taking

refuge at His feet can be seen as an anomaly of the spiritual world.
Generally there is a common notion among the majority that
marriage is the cause of bondage. If anyone develops dispassion
for the world at a young age then everyone tries to tie the person
into matrimony because this would bind him in worldly matters
and his path to liberation would be blockaded. If a young boy or
girl is seen engrossed in the thoughts of God or meditation then
this, for their guardians—father and mother, teachers, the
neighborhood elders, classmates and friends, becomes a matter of
great worry. Everyone asks the girl or boy—”Will you pursue
the spiritual path? You won’t marry?” This implies that, for people,
the path of God or spirituality and—are like two diverging paths.
It can been seen in the lives of many marriage spiritual preceptors
that anyone seeking their guidance upon the spiritual path was
advised by them to renounce the world and embrace the life of
an ascetic. This sentiment of the spiritual mentors finds its
expression in society; even in the Vedic Age, neither did the saints
consider the material path to be a cause of bondage nor did they
ever discard it. Many sages had a thriving family with wife and
offspring. Even the Kshatriya kings were highly realized like
Rama, Krishna and Janaka. In those times, the entire life of every
individual was divided into four stages, each being termed—
‘Ashram’. The life of a householder was known as ‘Grihastha
Ashram’. In the last years of life everyone had to enter the
Sannyasa ashram. However, with the early rise of detachment
from the world, there was no obstruction in skipping the stage of
being a householder and directly entering the sannyasa ashram.
But the life of a householder was not seen as being opposed to the
path of liberation. But as time went by, this tradition, based upon
a scientific approach, became obsolete. People started considering
the material life as an impediment for the path of Self- realization.

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But, Bhagavan became a deviation from the norm as Bhagavan’s

marriage opened the path of liberation for Bhagavan because it
was through His in-laws house that Bhagavan had found His Guru.
Not only did Pavitranandaji visit the Banerjee family but prior to
the initiation of Bhagavan, His in-laws and a few other members
of the family had received initiation from Pavitranandaji. This is
why, the prevalent concept—marriage is at odds with the path of
liberation, is completely wrong. If an unfaltering urge for self-
realization arises within, then every facet of life helps the
individual to advance towards Truth. The real necessity is the
intense longing for Truth, everything else is inessential—
Bhagavan has established this Truth.
After receiving initiation, Bhagavan returned to Birati. After
spending ten to fifteen days in Kolkata, He returned to Maligaon.
This time, Bhagavan was free from worries. He was able to believe
that since He has attained a self- realized Guru, He would
undoubtedly realize the Truth and the gates of liberation would
open unto Him in no time. He would be able to realize the nature
of Truth, the Truth that He has loved since childhood. According
to Sankaracharya,
. the three rarest things an individual receives
by the grace of God are—humanity, the burning desire for self-
realization and refugee at the feet of spiritual masters. Since His
childhood, Bhagavan was filled with humanity to the fullest. The
intense longing for Self- realization has also awakened within Him
and the only thing that was left was to attain refuge at the feet of the
Guru, which was now fulfilled due to will of God, hence, Bhagavan
has developed the strong belief that He would attain liberation which
is the purpose of human life. After returning from Kolkata, Bhagavan
joined work with a much relieved mind-set.
Immediately after returning to Maligaon, Bhagavan had
written a letter to His Guru. Pavitranandaji had instantly replied
after receiving the letter of His new disciple. He wrote the first
letter to Bhagavan on the 30 th of June, the receipt of which
overwhelmed Bhagavan. Remembering the grace of the Guru, His
mind was overcome with emotions. Pavitranandaji wrote—

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“I may have given initiation to many people, but I was

delighted and pacified, in giving initiation to you. In every instance
of bestowing sannyasa or brahmacharya my mind was filled with
great happiness; but rarely did I get so much pleasure by giving
initiation to a householder. Know for certain I keep faith in you. I
expect sure success in your life.” In the first letter itself, the Guru
made it clear to His disciple that He has been able to recognize the
competery His disciple, He has an intimate understanding about
His disciple’s potency; otherwise bestowing Sannyasa by making
someone renounce everything for a life rooted upon the Absolute
Truth versus initiating a householder—these two instances would
not have been compared by the firm, self- realized Vedantic
ascetic, Pavitranandaji. Pavitranandaji was able to perceive that
this disciple of His would not end His spiritual pursuit right after
getting initiation like most other householders but His initiation
would definitely lead Him to the Absolute realization of Brahman.
With the words—‘sure success’, He meant the realization of the
Self.
Pavitranandaji further wrote-
“Spend more time in austere endeavor, worship,
remembrance and ratiocinative thinking. Try to do your office
work sincerely and honestly. Give more stress to meditation.
Always keep an unperturbed mental, remembering that, Sri
Thakur and Maa is with you. Never think of any spiritual or moral
harm of anyone by mistake. Think of friend and foe in equal status.
Sri Thakur injects energy when one thinks about the Truth. In the
life of a worshipper practicing ascetic austerities is an essential
feature. If you proceed this way for six months, you will enter the
realm of experience.”
These words of Pavitranandaji is seemingly ordinary but
extremely significant. When people start meditating upon the
thoughts of God, they tend to neglect their daily
responsibilities.The office- workers lose interest in their work,
the businessmen start investing less time in their business and
commercial activities, the students lose focus from their studies
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and the housewives are seen, paying little attention to the
household chores. But the fact that this tendency is downright
illusive and a hindrance to spiritual growth can be proved from
Pavitranandaji’s words- ‘Try to do your office work sincerely and
honestly.’ But these words quoted by Swamiji were being followed
by Bhagavan since way before He had written this letter. He
always reached His office before the specified time and
discharged His duties flawlessly due to which the senior officers
were always pleased with Him. After having the vision of Thakur,
Bhagavan was always relieved that God was with Him. Despite
of being mistreated, He never harbored any animus towards
anyone, rather Bhagavan was always the first to extend His hands
to help the tormentors in their times of need so desiring for any
spiritual or moral harm of anyone was unthinkable. This is also
true that before Bhagavan’s connection with His Guru, He had
already entered the realm of spiritual experiences which is quite
evident—seeing the visions of Thakur and receiving His divine
touch.
When the SadGuru initiates a disciple then He, like the disciple,
gets confined. Even if the Guru is forever liberated, unless the
disciple attains liberation, the Guru becomes duty- bound. But after
initiating Bhagavan, Pavitranandaji was able to comprehend that
Bhagavan’s liberation was inevitable hence, He was relieved. This
is the responsibility of a capable disciple. A competent disciple
hastens to exempt the Guru from His responsibilities. The Guru
attains liberation with the liberation of the disciple. Bhagavan’s
competency as a disciple enabled Him to reduce His master’s
burden rather than increasing it.
Returning to Maligaon, Bhagavan resumed His duties like
before. Shopping for groceries, going to office, gardening—
everything continued as before. There was a club in the
neighborhood of Balaka. It was a hangout for the young chaps of
the neighborhood. The elders were subjected to their taunts and
jeers. This time, Bhagavan attempted to bring a cultural
reformation in the club. He made the youngsters rebuilt the club

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after inspiring them. Following this, He focused upon the club
activities to ensure that they were constructive and productive.
Assembling the educated young boys of the neighborhood, He
made them give free lessons to under- priviledged children.
Bhagavan used to teach as well. Bhagavan used to collect money
from various places and make wedding arrangements for those in
the neighborhood who were unable to arrange weddings for their
grown-up daughters due to the lack of money. Different cultural
programs began under the inspiration of Bhagavan and even the
little kids of the neighborhood started the celebration of Rabindra
Jayanti and Nazrul Jayanti (the birth anniversaries of
Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam). This instilled a new
spirit of life in the neighborhood. Bhagavan became a confidante
for all in times of sorrows and joy. In His garden, among the vast
array of trees, there was an Agati or hummingbird tree which
nobody else had in the neighborhood. The Agati flowers when
stir fried becomes very delicious so plucking the flowers from
the trees, Bhagavan used to distribute it in the neighborhood.
Bhagavan’s bicycle pump was also used by everyone whenever
required. Bhagavan changed the ambience of the neighborhood
in all respects.
Before meeting His Guru, Bhagavan had read a lot of spiritual
books. Most of the books He read mentioned that realization of
Brahman remains unachievable by a householder. These words
were unsettling for Bhagavan because He earnestly wanted to
realize the Absolute consciousness, wanted to realize the Truth.
He was also mentally prepared to renounce the material life for
realization of the Self. He also suffered mentally since He was
already a householder. Seeing Pavitranandaji inspiring everyone
for Self- realization through His teachings on Vedanta, used to
create a dilemma within Bhagavan. One day He mustered His
courage and asked Swamiji—”You are always telling us about
the realization of the Self. But many spiritual masters have said
that attaining Brahman, the principal tenet of Vedanta, is not
possible without being a sannyasi. Do I have to take sannyasa?

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Please tell me what to do?” Redressing the quandary of His disciple,

Guru Pavitranandaji said—”No, No, Maa Sarada has said— for
householders it is internal renunciation.” Bhagavan’s doubts were
dispelled. Swami Pavitranandaji even wrote in His second letter
to Bhagavan—”Your marriage took place for the fault in your
Karma in your previous birth. Do not grieve. Being in this you
have to proceed discerning your real path and fixing your goal.
Without indomitable human effort, there is no success in this
path.”
When a meritorious student goes to a teacher, the teacher
becomes jubilant; similarly, the highly- realized SadGuru makes
no delay in granting an earnest, detached, sharp-intellectual
disciple, His upturned coffer of Supreme Knowledge. This is
reflected from the second letter of Pavitranandaji. It is only the
second letter of Pavitranandaji in which He is introducing the
serious topic— to His disciple, who is a householder, which is
rarely seen. This clearly reveals that Pavitranandaji thought highly
of Bhagavan. In the second letter, Guru Maharajji wrote the
essence of Vedanta to Bhagavan— “Implication of Maya indicates
imaginative bondage through Time, Space and Causality. Isvara(
God) is the only reality; everything else is unreal; and there is
gradual manifestation about the notion of Isvara in our mind.
There is no gradual manifestation of Isvara. Our mind or intellect
gradually evolves. Isvara or Brahman is unchangeable, rest of
the entities are changeable.” Brahman is the Absolute Truth,
which is beyond attributes and form, without beginning,
Ekamevadvitiyam or one without second. Brahman is one
without second; it is in ignorance or Maya that the finite, material
world is projected. Every finite object is constrained by time,
space and causality. Every object resides in a place or space. The
validity of the existence of the object depends on time and it is
created from another object. The object from which it is created
is the cause and the object created is the effect. The object which
is the effect becomes the cause of creation for another object.
Therefore, the finite or limited world stands on three aspects of

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Maya—space, time and causality. Maya is illusive, it is the

imagination of the mind hence Maya has three inherent
qualities— even space, time and causality is changeable, imaginary
and unreal. Only the Brahman is unchangeable and real. But, our
notion of Brahman gradually evolves. We perceive it through our
intellect. The notion of the unchangeable Brahman changes with
the gradual evolution of the intellect.
Pavitranandaji Maharaj used to advise Bhagavan to spend
most of His time in meditation, japa (chanting) and contemplation
on God but due to a distressing incident, Bhagavan was utterly
dejected. One of Bhagavan’s maternal cousins used to live in
Guwahati after marriage. There were some troubles in the family
so Bhagavan’s sister was suffering from mental agonies. Bhagavan
was aware of her sufferings and stood by her as well. Bhagavan
loved her a lot. But when the family’s troubles reached the highest
limit, the sister was unable to bear the pain and suddenly
committed suicide. This news came as a huge shock for Bhagavan.
Even if Bhagavan appeared to be stern, hard with a strong
personality on the outside, His heart was very soft and
sympathetic. With this incident, Bhagavan became a bit
disappointed with life. He also became skeptical about the letters
of Guru Pavitranandaji. This is what made Him write in His letter
that He was not getting ample time for chanting the mantra, 108
times. In the letter that came as a reply, Bhagavan saw the
unwavering and severe form of His Guru which He hadn’t seen
before. Prior to this, Bhagavan knew His Guru as a soft, loving,
blissful person. This time He saw Pavitranandaji’s unswerving
determination on Truth and His fiery form. Pavitranandaji’s
through His letter subtly reprimanded Bhagavan—”One thing is
very evident in your letter– your utterances involving negative
despondency and dejection that has cropped in your mind.
Individual souls tied in the fetters do not consider their faults and
shortcomings as their own, but instead they try to bring people
into their creed. I know for certain that you do not fall into this
category.” The rebuke of the Guru had helped Bhagavan spring
back to form.
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Whenever Bhagavan wants to know something, He directly

asks the question. Once, He asked His Guru about the primary
thing essential for spiritual development to which Guru Maharajji
had replied—”Being in the company of the Guru or disinclination
from the world.”Even if Bhagavan did not have much time to spend
with His Guru, He had complete dispassion for the world. Another
quality that Bhagavan possessed was His belief on His indomitable
efforts so, unlike other devotees He never asked for favors, neither
from God nor from His Guru. He used to ask Pavitranandaji—
”Tell me what to do?” This was impressive to Pavitranandaji. Self-
confidence is the most essential trait of a Vedantic.

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(Forty three)

Bhagavan’s thoughts on Brahman was becoming more profound.

Guru Maharajji was also explaining the doctrine of illusion (Mayavada)
in His letters. Bhagavan could easily comprehend the meaning behind
His Guru’s assertions. Among the philosophical doctrines popular in
India, the notable ones are—Sankaracharya’s
. Advaitavada (Doctrine
of Non-dualism), Ramanuja’s Vishishthadvaitavada (Qualified Non-
Dualism), Madhavacharya’s Dvaitavad (Dualism), Vallabhacharya’s
Suddhadvaitavada (Pure non-dualism), Caitanyadeva’s Acintya-
bhedabhedavada (Doctrine of unthinkable non- difference in
difference) and Nimbarkacharya’s Dvaitadvaitavada (Non- dualism
in Dualism). The other noteworthy doctrines were Samkhya, Nyaya,
Vaisesika,
. Sunyavada Buddhist philosophy and Vijnanavada Buddhist
philosophy. Among these, only Sankaracharya’s
. Advaitavada speaks
of the Ultimate Truth where no existence apart from Brahman is
accepted. Every living being or the world is seen under the influence
of Maya or ignorance. There is only one existence without the
existence of any second. This is why Advaitavada tries to provide an
explanation on Maya. Many people know Advaitavada as Mayavada
as it is only in this doctrine that the usage of the word ‘Maya’ is seen.
Comprehension of Maya helps us to perceive Advaitavada.
Pavitranandaji also provided elucidations on Maya in the fifth letter
that He wrote to Bhagavan—”Mayavada is also called the Doctrine
which is inexplicable (Anirvacaniyavada). One has to understand
the implication of the term ‘Maya’. That which cannot be defined is
called indefinable (Anirvacaniya). Maya cannot be called existent
(sat) then there would be acknowledgement of two entities—
Brahman and Maya. It cannot be called non- existent (asat), because
we are in reality Brahman, but we are unable to comprehend it.
Moreover, we cannot state Maya to be an entity different from
existent and non- existent. As it cannot be described in any way hence
it becomes an indescribable entity.”

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Thakur Ramakrishna used to tell His devotees that one should

observe the Guru day and night which means that one should take
every opportunity to be with the Guru. Bhagavan used to go to
Kolkata twice a year, taking leave from work. Even if His parents,
siblings lived in Birati, they were not the ones whom He visited
first. Immediately after reaching the Howrah station, He used
take a train to Janai. He used to take a rickshaw from the Janai
station. Coming upto an intersection, He used to descend from
the rickshaw and walk down the road leading to His Guru
Maharajji’s ashram. Carrying all the luggage, Guruma used to take
the rickshaw to her house. That junction used to create the
divergence between two roads and two minds—Bhagavan, placing
His Guru above His parents and in-laws, used to go to meet His
Guru Maharajji with a fearless heart. Bhagavan’s conduct was
enough to prove His devotion towards His Guru. Even Guru
Maharajji deeply loved this disciple of His and used to wait eagerly
for His arrival. He used to call Bhagavan and make Him sit near
him whenever He came. Whenever, Pavitranandaji went to the
Banerjee house, He used to shower praises on Bhagavan even in
His absence. He used to say—”Your eldest son-in-law is not
ordinary but a gem.” He had even said that Bhagavan was Lord
Shiva. Pavitranandaji’s words made it clear to everyone that
Bhagavan was one of the rarest among the highly- competent
ones of the spiritual world.
There are many paths in the spiritual world which led to the
Truth. In Gita we find the names of the paths— Jnanayoga,
Karmayoga, Bhaktiyoga, Rajayoga. Even though all the paths lead
to the same destination, Jnanamarg or the path of delineation is
known as the Sukmarg and the other paths are known as pipilika
marg. Pipilika means ant, similar to how ants advance step by
step towards food, aspirants following the other paths reach the
Truth gradually. On the other hand, similar to how a bird flies
with great speed and picks a fruit from the tree within the blink
of an eye, the path of ratiocination has been compared to that.
But, rarely do people adopt this path. A steady advancement on
this path requires profound devotion for the Guru, a sharp

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ruminative intellect and intense dispassion for the world. The

amalgamation of these three qualities enables an aspirant to walk
upon the path of contemplation. Pavitranandaji had found an
unusual matchless competence for contemplation within
Bhagavan. Hence, despite of being a householder and living far
away from the Guru, Pavitranandaji had introduced Bhagavan to
the path of reasoning and was writing the highest principles of
Vedanta to Him. Bhagavan also waited eagerly for the arrival of
these letters and instead of reading other books, contemplated
upon the words of the letters.
In the sixth letter, Pavitranandaji showed a great path of
contemplation to Bhagavan. He taught Him to delineate upon the
seer and the object seen. For example, when in my dream, I see
myself walking through the streets of Kolkata, in reality I am lying
on my bed, dreaming. This phenomenon can be described as—
when we dream, our minds get divided into two. One part of the
mind becomes the seer and the other part becomes the object
seen. The seer or the part of mind perceiving, knows from the
objects seen. But, the objects seen can be many, for example, we
can see many dreams throughout a night, but the part of mind
who sees or knows remains the same all over. This is how,
Pavitranandaji advised His disciple to contemplate upon the part
of mind which becomes the seer.
Astonishingly, He brought the reigns of reasoning within the
grasp and made Brahman come within one’s reach through the
performance of the daily activities of life. Pavitranandaji described
the process of how one knows about the objects of the material
world—whenever I get to know about an object, I gain a
knowledge about it. But along with this, I am aware whether I
was able to know or not know the object meaning that being both
the knowledgeable and ignorant about an object is known by me.
Thus, this forms two types of knowledge—first, the knowledge of
the object, its nature, shape or form, quality etc. The other one—
knowing or not knowing the object, this is also a form of
knowledge. The first perception is formed after knowing the
object. The sense of ‘I’ or our ego is the knower of this knowledge.
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But the second type of knowledge is self-reflected, not dependent

upon the presence or absence of the first type of knowledge. The
second type of knowledge is ever existent. This knowledge is
Brahman. The people of the material world engages themselves in
receiving the first type of knowledge. But the path of reasoning
is—removing the sheath of the first type of knowledge and
attaining the second form of knowledge or the real ‘I’ or the infinite
consciousness Brahman. This letter of Pavitranandaji brought
Bhagavan to a new crossroad of rumination.
Like the insects stuck in a spider web, crores of people are
stuck in the web of Maya or illusion. They are happy to continue
as it is, but when a person tries to free himself by forcing His way
out of the bindings, the people stuck beside him, react. This is
because when a part of the web moves, the entire web starts
moving, the areas nearer move more than the areas that are far.
This is why, the people stuck beside the man who are comfortable
being stuck, develop hard feelings against the man. The more
people try to escape the confinements, the more backlash they
face from the people near them because they are willing to remain
stuck in the illusory web and they become annoyed at those who
try to disrupt their freedom of remaining confined. The individuals
bewitched by the illusion, try to stop the person longing for
liberation. The first opposition and obstruction comes from the
nearest ones and friends.
After meeting Pavitranandaji, Bhagavan developed an
unparalleled love for His Guru. He couldn’t concentrate on anything
apart from the words and thoughts of His Guru. Bhagavan’s
distraction from other stuffs was clearly reflected through His
conduct. Unsurprisingly, Induprabha Devi became worried with
Bhagavan’s increasing love for His Guru. When Bhagavan’s mother
raised a slight objection regarding this, Bhagavan directly told
His mother—”You have not been able to love me like my Guru
Maharajji or else I would not have gone to Him.” Bhagavan’s reply
had stopped this conversation then and there. Again, since
Bhagavan first visited His Guru’s ashram after coming to Janai
and spend major share of the time sitting in front of His Guru’s
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feet, Bhagavan’s father-in-law expressed slight discontentment.

When Bhagavan heard about this, He clearly told His in- laws that
if they speak further regarding this then after this He would come
and stay at His Guru’s ashram and leave from there directly for
Birati. Seeing His intense devotion for His Guru, everyone thought
that it would be better to remain silent. This was the love and
attraction that Bhagavan had for His Guru. Due to this pull that
Bhagavan experienced towards His Guru, He knew for sure that
His Guru Maharajji was always connected with Him even when
He was in Maligaon.
Regarding Atman, Pavitranandaji explained that when we
wake up after dreaming we realize the dream to be unreal, which
implies that in the dream state, while dreaming, an ‘observer’ exists
which remains ever awake and does not sleep. That ‘observer’ or
‘pure awareness’ observes all the states irrespective of whether
we sleep or dream. This is why after waking up we say that the
dream is unreal. Again, when we are overcome by deep slumber,
waking up from it, we say that we have seen nothing. We also
remember every phenomena whenever we are awake. This
depicts that in all the three states of being awake, in a dream or in
deep slumber—an observer remains existent within the states but
does not become attached to it. When two groups enter into a
skirmish, one person remains present on scene but stays
uninvolved, witnessing the fight neutrally and it is he who can
provide one with the accurate details of the fight. Similarly, since
an observer exists in the three states we experience, after when
we wake up from the dream state or deep sleep we have memories
of the previous state. If the ‘observer’ is not immutable then we
won’t have memories of the previous states, one would not
remember anything with the change of state. The conscious
observer who is intertwined with every state and reflects every
state is the ‘Atman’. This is how Pavitranandaji taught His beloved
disciple about the delineation on the existence of the observer in
the seventh letter. This letter strengthened Bhagavan’s notion of
Brahman.

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But the last section of the seventh letter gave Bhagavan a jolt.
Prior to that letter, Pavitranandaji used to end the letters saying,
‘Yours, Maharaj’ or ‘Conveying my best wishes, Maharaj’ etc.
Bhagavan saw that at the end of this letter, Swamiji had written—
‘Your father.’ Seeing this, Bhagavan was taken aback. He had great
respect for His father. He had always loved this good- natured
man. Since the day Pavitranandaji came into His life, Bhagavan
considered Him to be the best among all, but to consider Him as
His father when His own father was alive—Bhagavan felt a bit
contradicted. But, later this doubt was definitely cleared.
Pavitranandaji indeed became His father and Bhagavan became
the child of His Guru Maharaj—His real son.
In Maligaon, Bhagavan’s work and household duties
continued. Bhagavan kept in touch with His brother and friends
of Katihar because they had a special place in His heart. When
anyone came to the headquarters in Maligaon to work for a few
days, Bhagavan used to invite them over to His place for lunch or
dinner. But, on the other hand, Guruma was in a sorryful state.
Debjani was very little and needed to be taken care of. On top of
that, Bhagavan’s cousins were staying at their place. Bhagavan’s
uncle’s daughter first came to their house in 1975. She had
received admission in Pandu College. She stayed for a year and
after she left, one of the uncle’s son came to stay. He stayed with
them till 1984. In between, the other son of Bhagavan’s uncle had
lived with them for two years. Guruma had to wake up early in
the morning to cook for them. Bhagavan could not rest unless and
until He had returned someone’s one- time favor,ten times over
but even if Guruma had to pay a price for this, she did all her
work without complaints. Bhagavan could feel Guruma’s woe but
He was unable to disregard the feelings of His heart. Bhagavan
always used to invite His friends over whenever they visited
Maligaon. After inviting, He used to tell Guruma—”Today I have
invited him.” Seeing Guruma being irresponsive, Bhagavan used
to helplessly say—”Actually you know, when I was in Katihar, I
had a lot of meals at his place.” Feigning anger, Guruma used to
say—”Did you always eat meals at other people’s house in

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Katihar? You never ate at your place?” Despite of everything,
Guruma always cared for everyone and fed everyone till their
satisfaction. From then till now, Guruma continues to feed people
with all the love and care.
Pavitranandaji was teaching Bhagavan with reasoning that
space, time and causality is Maya. His reasoning was—when we
are awake, the material objects we see has a distance between
them let’s say for example, ten meters. Again, the acceptance of
two objects depends upon the difference in time let’s say for
example, five days. Similarly, just like when we are awake, when
we dream, we see the distance between two objects and perceive
the difference in their time periods—But, is there any difference
behind the perceptions of the two states? If there is a space of ten
meters between the objects in the dream then it can be implied
that since it is our minds that dream, the concept of ‘ten meters’ is
in our mind as well. Yet again, if we see that between the
perceptions of two objects there is a gap of five days’ time, then
after waking up we can realize that in our seven hours of sleep,
we are accepting two objects within a gap of five days. Then which
among the two is true—the seven hours of sleep or the perception
of five days in the dream? Deep contemplation reveals that space
or place, time and cause- effect—every concept resides in our
minds, everything is imaginary, everything is Maya. In the
paramount Truth beyond Maya, lies no space, time or causality.
That is my real existence.
This is how, deeply ruminating upon the letters of
Pavitranandaji, was making Bhagavan’s thinking capabilities more
subtle with the passing days. He was immersing more into the
depths of profundity. His ratiocinative mind was disentangling
the subtle loops of His mind which was bringing Him nearer to
the Truth. Whatever His Guru wrote to Him once, He was able to
comprehend it so there was no need of any repetition. After
receiving the letter and contemplating upon the words, He used
to write back to His Guru whenever He was in doubt. Even the
replies came without delay. This is how, Pavitranandaji was
imparting the essence of the Absolute Truth within His disciple
who was living far away from Him.
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(Forty four)

The exchange of the highest spiritual talks between Bhagavan

and Pavitranandaji was unique as it is highly improbable that
Pavitranandaji had the same exchange with His other disciples.
Pavitranandaji had many disciples who were initiated by Him.
There were even monks who had sought shelter under Him. His
monk disciples always stayed with Him and served Him, but in
this extraordinary divine play of the Almighty, the one, most
competent and worthy of inheriting the supreme Knowledge of
Pavitranandaji was going to be one of His disciples who was a
householder, who lived in a different state a thousand kilometers
away from Him, was an office worker and had a family of His
own. The first stage of practice for the attainment of the supreme
consciousness mentioned in the Vedanta scriptures is hearing the
teachings of Brahman from the Guru, but this disciple of His could
come twice a year to Kolkata for ten- fifteen days, spend time
with His Guru for a few days and for the rest of the days has to
live in Birati. Hence, space or distance and time is Maya—what
can be the biggest portrayal if not this?
Pavitranandaji used to inspire His precious disciple towards
the purification of the intellect and attainment of the absolute
Truth through His indomitable spirit. But, Assam was in a state of
tremulous agitation due to the ‘Assam Movement’. The attempts of
expelling the Bengalis from Assam had become a great menace
for the lives of the Bengalis living there. The Assam Movement
marks its emergence from the liberation movement of Bangladesh
when many Hindu Bengalis had crossed the borders and settled
down in Assam to escape the atrocities committed by the Pakistani
army. Afterwards, when Bangladesh gained independence, the
Mukti Sena or the Liberation Army consisting of the freedom
fighters of Bangladesh started to expel the Pakistani Muslims who
escaped and sought refuge in Assam. The rising numbers of the
immigrant refugees were displayed in the census of Assam which
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gave rise to widespread outrage. There was already a pre-existent

dissatisfaction against the Bengalis which after increase in
population culminated into a violent mass movement. The
majority of the Assamese, perceptibly got involved with the Assam
Movement. The movement had reached the zenith between the
years 1979 to 1985. In these six years, the administration and
education system of Assam had collapsed. Initially the objective
was ousting the Bangladeshi immigrants, but later terrorizing and
getting rid of each and every Bengali by forceful means had
become the main objective of the movement. The whole of Assam
was experiencing the smoldering fumes of rebellion. A major
portion of the Bengalis were evicted from the rural areas. In many
areas, Bengalis were beaten up and killed without any obstruction.
A few miles away from Guwahati, in Neli, 1800 to 2000 people
were brutally killed only within a span of six hours. Plunderage
was at its peak. In many educational institutions, Bengali students
were attacked, tormented and killed. The leading parties of this
movement were the ‘All Assam Students Union’ (A.A.S.U), a student’s
organization and ‘Assam Gana Parishad’, a political party. The
‘Assam Police’ and administration provided noticeable and direct
assistance to this movement. Finally, the movement subsided after
the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi signed the ‘Assam Treaty’
in 1985.
The Bengalis in Maligaon were no exception and had to spend
their days in horror. Even if the neighborhood of Balaka mainly
had Bengalis in the railway quarters, the mountain beside the
neighborhood was inhabited by Assamese. Every so often, the
neighborhood echoed with shrieks of hundreds of people invading
with knives, axes, sticks, iron bars and torches. Organizing the
Bengali young men, Bhagavan was always ready to resist the
invasions. Bhagavan was the leader in this aspect as well. Everyone
used to call Bhagavan for help whenever the Assamese invaded.
Bhagavan used to tell everyone to keep sticks, cycle chains, stones
and bricks at their homes. Whenever the neighborhood was
invaded, under the leadership of Bhagavan, the young Bengali boys
carrying sticks in hand, used to come out of their houses and face
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the invaders. Even if the invaders were hundreds in number, seeing
the gathering of thirty- thirty five men ready for a counterblow
was enough to make them stop in their tracks and make them
throw stones instead. The young men of the neighborhood also
threw stones in retaliation. Even Bhagavan threw stones but
without anyone knowing, He used to pray to God so that the
stones thrown by them inflicted no harm on anyone but only
scare them to retreat. This is how, under the headship of Bhagavan,
some well-organized, stout-hearted young boys had risen to
successfully rout the hundreds of Assamese invaders. Under the
leadership of Bhagavan the commendable valor of the young boys
had saved the inhabitants of the neighborhood. Even in such
perilous situation, the selfishness and narrow-mindedness of
people used to catch Bhagavan’s eye. Whenever the Assamese
attacked, a neighbor of Bhagavan used to hide her young husband
under the bed and call Bhagavan out loud—”Brother, the Assamese
have attacked, please do something!” Bhagavan could understand
everything but didn’t say anything, He did whatever His
conscience dictated Him to do.
At that time, the administration and the police were not just
mute spectators watching the Bengalis being tortured but they
were also the ones providing indirect support and help. Sometimes
when the situations went beyond control, curfews were issued.
Breaking the curfew, when the Assamese boys tortured the
Bengalis, the police used to turn a blind eye to them but the
Bengalis were arrested. The office of the North- East Frontier
Railway was in Maligaon. To prevent the railway officials from
participating in their work, vicious picketers used to wait in
different corners of the route. The soldiers of the Central Reserve
Police Force (C.R.P.F) used to form a barricade and accompany
the officials to their offices and back, such awful were the
situations faced by the Bengalis. Once, while returning with a
colleague, Bhagavan had an encounter with a few picketers.
Owing to His stay in Katihar for a few years, He was quite fluent
in Hindi. He spoke Hindi with such fluency that nobody could

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determine if He was Bengali or not. This is how, Bhagavan’s

presence of mind had saved Him from imminent danger.
People prefer a solitary place and serene ambience for spiritual
sadhana. The main object of spiritual practice is to tranquilize
the mind. The external disturbances perturb the mind of the
aspirant. So, in general, the aspirants are instructed to conduct
spiritual practice in a secluded place at dawn or late night. But the
Almighty had not provided Bhagavan with any such advantage.
Bhagavan’s life is similar to the battleground of Kurukshetra
amidst which Gita was narrated. He grew up with struggles, sought
employment, He had to face uninterrupted struggles in every
aspect of life. Now, even when He was craving for the cessation
of the severities and trying to quieten His mind, He was having to
live amidst battles. The conditions of Assam was at the apex.
Everyday, people had to confront death. The one who has
experienced such situations, knows how difficult it is to practice
spirituality with a calm mind amidst such extreme instability.
Bhagavan informed Guru Maharajji about the turbulent
conditions of Assam and added that His spiritual practice was
facing hindrance. His Guru instantly replied—”You should try to
delineate upon the connection between your mental world and
whatever is happening in the outer world. Peace is within you.
Eternal peace cannot be earned from the outer world because
that is your real nature. This is Truth and real spirituality.”(Letter
10). In other words, the Guru imparted that absolute knowledge
to His disciple which by Shankaracharya,
. has been asserted as—
‘Brahma Satyam, Jagan Mithya’, meaning, the world is nothing but
the imagination of mind.Irrespective of how the world appears
outside, it is false. Without entering the realm of the internal world,
self- realization remains ungraspable indeed. Until the external
world wavers my mind, it would not be possible to gain access to
the internal world which would always keep the realization of
the Self and attainment of eternal peace away from my reach.
Furthermore, He taught that telling the SadGuru about material
issues is not only just a waste of time but also devaluating the

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Guru. One should only ask spiritual questions to the Guru and
share one’s spiritual experiences with Him instead of talking about
other trivial things which common people continue to do
incessantly. Bhagavan was sharp- minded. He could accurately
comprehend the real meaning behind His Guru’s words. He
understood that it is better to take the blame upon Himself than
blaming the outer world for His inability to attain the absolute
Truth. This made Bhagavan devote more time towards meditation
and spiritual contemplation.
Pavitranandaji was a chain-smoker. He loved eating paan
(betel leaves), tobacco, fish- chicken—He ate everything.
Bhagavan was able to understand later that since His Guru was
established upon the highest point of spirituality, He found it
difficult to focus His mind upon the functions of this material
world. So, He smoked to keep His mind from getting overwhelmed.
He was seen slipping into the state of Samadhi while singing
classical songs. There are three views regarding the existence of
this world. In one of them, the transcendental reality of the world
is accepted. It is known as ‘Srishti- Drishtivad’ which means that
the world can be seen because it has been created. This is for the
lowest competent ones. Another view is ‘Drishti- Srishtivad’
which means that the world is seen because it is there. The
existence of the world is accepted as the apparent reality. This is
for the partially competent ones. The third view is ‘Ajatavad’
which states that the world was never there, is not there and
would never be there. Neither the transcendental nor the
ephemeral reality is accepted in this view. The ones following
this path are rare but highly competent. The Ajatavada was first
introduced amidst the world byAcharya Gaurapada, the grand
preceptor of Sankaracharya.
. Sukhdev’’s disciple, Gaurpada had
written a karika or commentary named Mandukya Karika on the
Mandukya Upanishad which contains the highest priniples of
Advaita Vedanta. Pavitranandaji always carried the Mandukya
Karika with Him. He was completely an Ajatavadi. Thus, He also
bequeathed the teachings of Ajatavada to His disciple. Even

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Bhagavan was grateful for the teachings vouchsafed to Him by
the unequalled, highly realized soul.
Pavitranandaji continuously reminded Bhagavan about
contemplating upon the ‘observer’ or ‘witness’ that,the eternal,
self- effulgent consciousness or Chaitanya which lies behind the
‘ego’ or the apparent or mortal ‘I’ and reveals the states of
awakening, dream and deep sleep, needs to be known. The
cessation of ignorance is the revelation of consciousness. In the
realisation; every sort of ignorance and the ego, world born out
of that ignorance—all gets eradicated at once. Therefore, a
Vedantic aspirant should constantly delineate which would lead
to the sudden shedding of ignorance and revelation of the
consciousness. Similar to the mustard seed that stays on the horns
of a cow only for a split second, realization occurs in the twinkling
of an eye. The preparation needs time, but Self- discovery needs
no time because anything that depends on time is construed with
actions. There is no presence of time in Brahman, neither is there
the presence of the doer. Since actions depend upon the doer,
naturally, it does not exist there.
A worthy disciple always desires to learn from the Guru. Not
only the words of the Guru, His conduct, way of walking,
activities— everything provides a lesson to the disciple. This is
how Bhagavan observed His Guru. Pavitranandaji used to stay in
His devotees’ house as well. Sometimes, Bhagavan used to go to
Puruliya from Guwahati to seek the company of His Guru.
Bhagavan was a clever and zestful young man- He had travelled
all over India all by Himself. Once, Bhagavan went to Purulia to
be in the presence of His Guru. He was staggered after descending
onto the station platform. He saw His dearest Guru Maharajji
standing on the station, waiting for His beloved disciple with an
umbrella in hand. Bhagavan was overwhelmed. He had seen almost
everything in this world. He had seen the selfishness of this
world—friends- companions, relatives- well- wishers, even His
brothers- sisters, father- mother, the world was engulfed by selfish
acts. Someplace less or more, someplace apparent or subtle. But

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here was His Guru Maharajji—who had no material possessions,

but such distinct love, standing in the heat not for a wealthy
person, but for His own disciple, with no demands from His
disciple in return. Bhagavan saw a highly realized soul, dwelling
on the pinnacle of knowledge. But, on the other hand, His Guru
exuded deep affection. Bhagavan felt that one can leave behind
everything for this love and He had made no mistake either. The
people who do not seek the Guru are the ones who are wrong.
Pavitranandaji in His 15 th letter, told Bhagavan to meditate
from effect to cause—in this sequence. We perceive this universe
with our five sense organs. The eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin
are the five sense organs. Each sense organ helps to perceive the
world in different ways. Wesee the world through our eyes, our
ear helps us to process sounds, we smell through our noses, the
tongue perceives taste and the skin helps us to form the idea of
touch. The world is nothing but the summation of these five types
of knowledge. The knowledge conveyed through these sense
organs remains unperceived by us when the mind is inactive. We
perceive this world only when the mind is connected with the
sense organs. The mind manipulates the sense organs. But the
revealer of the mind is the consciousness or the witness, Atman.
This is why, the contemplative method adopted by a Vedantic
aspirant is—withdrawing from the external world and focusing
upon the sense organs, reaching the internal mind after
transcending the sense organs and finally attempting to transcend
the mind and reach the innermost existence or Atman. Like this,
removing all the external objects, the Vedantic aspirant has to
reach from the inner to the innermost existence Atman, following
the path of negation. This is how Bhagavan continued to delineate
upon the letters of Guru. Along with this, following the Guru’s
instructions, He continued chanting and meditating. But, He never
chanted mechanically like other people. His days, thus, passed in
constant self- cogitation.

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(Forty five)

Bhagavan was absorbed in spiritual thoughts but He never

neglected His duties and responsibilities. Helping His brother to
get employment, arranging the wedding of His sister, He
discharged every social responsibility thoroughly. He also
considered the house of His in-laws as His own since He was the
eldest son- in- law of the family, so He never ignored the duties
related to their in-laws. His Guru was a realized man who has
perceived Truth, waswise and experienced; so Bhagavan felt it
necessary to take His advice on any important decision regarding
His family matters. It was a time when His family was arranging a
marriage for His sister Jayanti. One day, when He wished to take
advice from Pavitranandaji regarding this matter, He said—”Stop
talking. I won’t listen to what you have to say. Hear Vedanta from
me.”Bhagavan was too stunned to say anything else. But, a question
remained within Him. Later, in due time, He was able to
comprehend the importance behind these words of His Guru. Many
a times, common people ask for the worldly solutions of their
worldly problems from the realized Guru which is not right. One
should not use one’s Guru for worldly gains because the world is
out- and -out unreal. The solutions of this unreal world would be
false as well. All the problems of this world has only one solution,
which is to reach the existence that lies beyond the world. This is
what the Guru does and one should seek refuge at the feet of the
Guru only with the desire of realizing the Truth and nothing else.
This is how Pavitranandaji had taught Bhagavan a big lesson.
Pavitranandaji had written to Bhagavan in His letter—”All the
desires are revealed by my true Self.” The external world triggers
the arousal of desires. The moment desires arise within the minds
of common people, they are driven towards the fulfillment of the
desires. Steering away from the mind and desire, people head
towards the external world, but a Vedantic walks upon the
opposite course. When a desire arises, a Vedantic looks not at the
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object of desire but at the indivisible consciousness which reveals

the desire. With the birth of every desire, a Vedantic recalls the
existence of the ‘witness’, the consciousness that unveils every
desire. It is said that the spiritual aspirants are travelers marching
upon the upstream stretch of life.The mind, desires of the mind
and the feeling of ‘I’—all is revealed by the Absolute
consciousness.
The relation of a Guru and disciple is a pre- eminent relation
that exists in this mundane world as it is based upon belief,
selflessness and love. The Guru’s indubitable love for His disciple,
an earnest yearning to liberate His disciple and even the disciple’s
all- encompassing love for His Guru, belief that the Guru is the
complete manifestation of God in human form and intense longing
for realization of Truth, gives birth to an extraordinary,
incorporeal, divine play which assumes the form of legends. Hence,
the only matter of importance for an aspirant craving for Truth is
the Guru and utmost belief on His teachings. This faith takes Him
to the profound depths of the realization of the ultimate Self.
Bhagavan had the same devotion, belief and love for His Guru. He
used to ride a bicycle from His in-laws house to see His Guru. One
day, Pavitranandaji said that within every being resides the
luminous consciousness even if there is no illumination outside.
That very day, there was a power cut in Janai- Baksha. There was
pitch darkness everywhere, nothing was visible. Even the village
roads of Janai- Baksha were bumpy and uneven. Bhagavan
believed the words of His Guru completely that there was the
light of consciousness within, no light was needed outside. In the
pitch darkness, keeping His mind steady upon the internal
consciousness, He pedalled swiftly and without bumping into
anything or falling into potholes, He was able to reach His in-laws
place, unharmed, only because of His belief on His Guru which in
general is difficult to implement. Such immense was His belief for
His Guru.
Swami Pavitranandaji bestowed the important teaching on
His disciple Bhagavan, who was a householder, but with immense

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dispassion for the world. He taught that one need not abandon his
wife and children or renounce the world. Instead of looking down
upon them, one has to see one’s Self or the Atman within them.
Self- realization becomes easy for those who are simple and pure.
Because, the Truth is instantly revealed within a simple and pure
aspirant. Then, Pavitranandaji told Bhagavan that the knowledge
knows itself to be separate and distinct from the external world.
The knowledge is unable to know itself because the process of
knowing depends upon the presence of a second entity and the
relation between the knower and the knowable. The existence of
the concept of this material world in the mind determines the
continuation of the process of ‘knowing’. As the continuous
cogitation on the Atman eradicates the concept of this external
world from within, the more the aspirant nears the conscious
self. The moment the perception of the world ceases to exist, we
become one. This is when it comes to light that the world is
nothing but the apparent projection of the consciousness, an
external semblanceand a mere impression. In reality, the world is
nothing but consciousness. That is when the real Self, beyond
Maya gets reflected.
Pavitranandaji was endeavoring to establish an ashram for
women. Bhagavan had sent an amount of 30 rupees for this
purpose. This made Pavitranandaji very happy and He told
Bhagavan that the money was honest and hard-earned money so
it was very pure and sacred. Bhagavan’s eager act of donating
money for the construction of an ashram for women, expressed
His inclination to renunciation despite of being a householder,
which pleased His Guru and He promised to use it first as a fund
in the expenditure of the construction. The Guru was pleased with
the selflessness of Bhagavan. Seeing His Guru being pleased with
Him over a small amount of thirty rupees made Bhagavan
understand the glorious nature of the Guru. That day, it became
evident to Bhagavan that Guru, like Shiva, can be appeased with
the most minimal offering.
After teaching Bhagavan about the ‘seer’ and ‘witness’,
Pavitranandaji advised Bhagavan to contemplate upon deep
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slumber or dreamless state. One of the main means of delineation

for a Vedantic aspirant is the state of deep sleep. This state is the
shining example that expresses the falsity of the world and the
existence of the conscious seer or witness. Since the deep
contemplation of the state of deep sleep unveils the Truth,
Pavitranandaji told Bhagavan to contemplate upon it. Deliberating
on this will lead us to the realization that the feeling of ‘I’ remains
inexistent in this state. Our mind, intellect and citta or the mind-
stuff stands upon this feeling of ‘I’ or ego and from our mind,
intellect, citta arises the illusory world. Hence, in deep sleep, with
the dissolution of this feeling of ‘I’, dissolves the rest. But, since
the witness or the ever awakened conscious Self remains ever
existent even in that state, when we wake up, we say—‘I slept
well today.’ But, it is not possible to realize the unveiled, indivisible
Chaitanya or consciousness in the state of deep slumber because
being immersed in deep sleep, there is no revelation of the essence
due to the lack of comprehensive ability. But later after waking
up from sleep, when the Vedantic intellect achieves oneness with
the ‘observer’ after incessant cogitation of the indivisible
consciousness, thepurified intellect becomes one with the pure,
transcendental Atman.
On one hand, where Bhagavan was advancing upon the
practice of Vedanta, on the other, He was also advancing upon the
cultural and social spheres of life. Bhagavan was very popular as
a theatre personality. He had just formed a new drama group after
providing training to some amateur boys of the neighborhood.
Under the direction of Bhagavan, this drama group was receiving
invitations, for staging performances, from many places. They
were receiving daily invitations to the Railway Senior institute,
sometimes Junior Institute and sometimes to perform in Pandu
recreational hall. Even when the fierce Assam Movement was at
its peak, the drama group that Bhagavan had created was getting
applauded and praised even by the Assamese. After getting the
request and performing in Rabindra Bhavan, they were highly
acclaimed for their performance. They had also staged dramas
many times in the field of Balaka. Bhagavan, along with the boys
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of the neighborhood, built the stage by themselves. Under the

direction of Bhagavan,the boys of the neighborhood who had
never attempted acting before, used to win the audience over
with their performance. And Bhagavan’s performance—His
appearance on stage made people give standing ovations as
welcome. Once, an acquaintance of Bhagavan’s relative,
Sudhangshu Kumar Chakraborty, who was familiar with the skills
of many renowned actors of Kolkata, told Sudhangshu
Chakraborty that Bhagavan was imitating Shishir Bhaduri, a very
well-renowned theatre artist. Bhagavan took this sarcastic
remark as the greatest complement because He had never seen
Shishir Bhaduri act before. This conveys that Bhagavan had
attained such excellence in acting.
Pavitranandaji tried to teach Bhagavan about the process of
deliberation which can be equated with a razor- sharp sword. In
deep sleep, the apparent ‘I’ or ego does not exist but starts
functioning after awakening. But, the Self- luminous
consciousness remains existent in the three states of awakening,
dreaming and deep slumber. Thus, the indivisible consciousness
which remains ever existent in its Self is the real ‘I’, not the
apparent ‘I’ which fails to maintain its existence in some states.
When Bhagavan expressed concerns over Self- realization,
Pavitranandaji used to motivate Him by saying that weakness is
sin, weakness is fear. In His 19th letter He wrote—‘I expect more
from you.’ This made Bhagavan shrug off His mental doubts-
dilemmas and start spiritual austerities with newly found
determination. Undeniably, Pavitranandaji wanted His disciple to
remain undeterred on the extreme summit of the absolute
Knowledge of Ajatavada or ‘non- dualism’, rather than spending
His days in chanting the initiation mantra like most others.
Another astonishing incident took place between the Guru
and disciple. One day Bhagavan went to meet Guru Maharajji. The
master was waiting for His disciple at the station. After coming
down on the platform, Bhagavan gave some money to
Pavitranandaji for buying sweets. Taking the money,

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Pavitranandaji entered a confectionary to buy sweets. Bhagavan
saw that His Guru was bargaining, trying to lower the price and
trying to convince the seller to give Him one or two extra sweets
for free. Bhagavan noticed the annoyance of the seller. He was
unwilling to lower the price but His Guru was also persistent.
Bhagavan felt a bit uneasy and thought—being such a great
spiritual person, why was Gurudeva bargaining for something so
small and demeaning Himself, when it was He who was paying?
But the very next moment He felt that if they are able to take an
extra sweet then they would be able to give it to one more devotee.
Bhagavan’s heart overflowed with respect for His Guru when He
saw Pavitranandaji’s selflessness and His willingness to lower His
dignity for the devotees. Bhagavan also felt ashamed of claiming
the money as His own even after He had already given it to His
Guru.
The consciousness which proves the objects seen while
dreaming to be false or the consciousness which helps us to say—
“I had deep sleep and didn’t see anything while sleeping” or the
consciousness that reflects the thoughts arising in my mind and
the actions taken by me, remains unchanged and constant in the
three states of awakening, dreaming and deep sleep. Hence, the
one who awakens is the one who dreams and sleeps deeply. That
undivided consciousness is the unsullied ‘I’. By saying this, Swamiji
shifted Bhagavan’s vision towards the indivisible absolute
knowledge or the real ‘I’ and finally expressed the real nature of
the consciousness in the way that in order to know or see the
world, we exhibit three things—at first it is the object which is
seen and known. Secondly, the seer or perceiver meaning the one
who sees or knows. Thirdly, the medium connecting the seer and
the objects seen is the vision or sight which helps to know. But
intense deliberation will tell us that the knowledge of the objects
seen lies within me in the form of Self-knowledge. The seer or
knower, is also knowledge, because not a physical body but it is
the knowledge that knows or perceives. It is the absolute
knowledge that sees, the conscious mind lying beyond the eyes is
the one that sees the objects or the seen. Deep deliberation reveals
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that the knower- knowable- known or the seer- seeing- seen—
are same. Whenever a desire arises, the consciousness apparently
gets divided and attains the three forms of the knower- knowledge-
known and the seer- seeing- seen. It is the one that is projected as
three forms. This is why the illusive world is seen. With the
blessings of the Guru, the attainment of Self exhibits the world as
Atman itself. There is no existence of any second but one. A
perpetual perceptible ‘I’ is perceived everywhere. This is where
the usable knowledge becomes fulfilled and the knowledge attains
transcendence.
Bhagavan continued with directing and staging plays. But the
people around Him remained unaware that He had become very
serious regarding spirituality. Guruma continued with pujas,
following religious rites and even chanted the mantra given by
her Guru, but Guruma’s mind was yet to achieve the state like
Bhagavan’s where He was intensely craving for the realization
of Truth. Pavitranandaji had rarely written one or two letters to
Guruma. Guruma used to make witty remarks on the letters of
Bhagavan which contained words of utmost gravity—”Gurudeva
writes such difficult words to you—Brahman and whatnot. Its
good I do not understand so much.” Bhagavan used to laugh. Never
expressing that He was thirsting for liberation. On the other hand,
they frequently staged plays. In the newly created club of Balaka,
Bhagavan used to provide acting lessons and make everyone
practice. Everyday, His quarter bustled with friends and theater
performers. Everyone had unrestricted access to Bhagavan’s
home. Guruma always cared for everyone without demur—
serving tea and snacks. Sometimes it was seen that at 11 at night,
everyone was having snacks at Bhagavan’s house, engrossed in
their chats. Sometimes, Bhagavan invited everyone to have lunch
or dinner at His place. Guruma used to cook. Even Bhagavan could
cook very well. He could prepare many delicacies with fish,
mutton, egg, potatoes and cauliflowers. Cooking by Himself, He
used to alleviate the burden of Guruma. This is how, along with
multifarious cultural and social activities, Bhagavan was
advancing silently upon the indrawn journey in His life.
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(Forty six)

Pavitranandaji, in the first twenty two letters, had written

about the highest ideals of spirituality and Vedanta to Bhagavan.
Then, He wrote about that important thing which holds the most
elevated position in the spiritual world— the Guru. It is the Guru
who introduces us to the Truth so He should be considered as the
embodiment of the Almighty. Pavitranandaji had not mentioned
this to Bhagavan before. He had only taught Him about the
methods of contemplation. But, seeing the disciple’s desperation
for Self- realization, He told Him about the ‘Guru’, who is the key
to the spiritual world.Swami Krishnanandaji used to say that if a
calf pokes the udder of its mother, then the mother stops giving
milk. Similarly, the Guru should be loved the most compared to
other things of the world. This love is the devotion towards the
Guru. This implies that I would instantly renounce everything
that is dear to me, if the Guru commands. This is when it will truly
be designated as ‘Guru Bhakti’ or devotion for the Guru. Under
such love does one feel that the Guru is unembodied. His words
appear to be incorporeal. The love for the Guru will achieve
profoundness. This will take me to the depths of Atman because
Guru Himself is the physical manifestation of Brahman. Therefore,
with the increasing love for the Guru, when the incorporeal nature
of the Guru is realized, one is also able to acknowledge the loss of
the feelings of his bodily existence. Finally, with the realization
of the Brahman, the aspirant gains firmness upon the
proclamation- ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ or ‘I am Brahman’. Hence,
fervent love for the Guru will enable us to elevate from the Guru’s
teachings to the absolute ideal—‘Aham Brahmasmi’. Hence it is
most essential to appease the Guru. The primary sadhana is
pleasing the Guru, the rest are inessential. If the Guru is pleased
then the gates of liberation will open unto you even if you lack
austerities and practice. The 23 rd letter of Pavitranandaji became
the most necessary lesson for Bhagavan. Contemplating upon the

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words of the Guru, Bhagavan was having spiritual experiences. A

little He even had a dream which signified that He had gotten closer
to the Realization of Brahman.
Bhagavan kept cogitating upon the highest ideals of Vedanta
that Pavitranandaji wrote one after the other. In Balaka, there
was a mango tree in Bhagavan’s yard. Bhagavan had put fences
around the tree. Whenever Bhagavan was home, He used to
meditate under the mango tree for most of the time. In the evening,
after finishing the household chores, Guruma sometimes visited
the neighbors’ house with Debjani. Bhagavan used to tell her to
lock the main doors from outside so that people would think that
there was no one at home. Because of Bhagavan’s popularity,
people used to stop by often for a chat. Bhagavan used to immerse
Himself in meditation till Guruma returned.
I am the consciousness—to make this more comprehensible,
Pavitranandaji said that in general, we say—”I have knowledge”
or “I have knowledge in me” and this is how we use it, but what is
this ‘I’—we have no clue about it. For example, our body has a
form and is limited. Even our minds, intellects, mind stuffs or the
apparent ‘I’ are limited because they are changeable. But the
witness or consciousness is unlimited, infinite, formless and
omnipresent. Now the question is—if I am this physical mortal
body or the subtle body comprising of the mind- intellect-
subconscious mind- ego, then how will I, who is limited, has a
form and is finite, be able to contain the unlimited- infinite,
formless, omnipresent consciousness within me? This is definitely
not possible so it can be concluded that the ‘I’ and the
consciousness is not separate. I am the consciousness. Being the
consciousness, the feeling of ‘I’ within me and the feeling of ‘I’
within everyone else is alike, hence, in reality, I am indivisible
and inseparable. Realizing one’s Self as the consciousness is the
same as feeling the oneness with others or realizing Brahman.
Normally, Bhagavan used to stage plays after the Durga Puja
Festival. For this they used to rehearse for months. Everybody in
Bhagavan’s group had learnt acting from Bhagavan, so it took a
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lot of time to teach them. New members were included in the
group every time. Bhagavan taught everyone dedicatedly and
provided repeated demonstrations if anyone committed mistakes.
The group had rehearsals in the Balaka club. Everyone used to
observe that even if no one was punctual, Bhagavan always
reached on time. His habit of being punctual was gradually adopted
by His co-actors. Depending upon the requirements, young
women or amateur actresses were included in the group.
Bhagavan always paid special attention to them. After rehearsals,
He sent them with a man escorting them back home or sometimes
even He Himself accompanied them home safely. Everyone in
the group loved and respected Bhagavan. They enjoyed
themselves and chatted during rehearsals but no one breached
the decorum in the presence of Bhagavan. When the plays were
staged in big auditoriums tickets were arranged and this was when
the moral facet of Bhagavan’s character always found its
expression. When the tickets were printed, Bhagavan used to buy
two tickets for Guruma and Debjani where He had no reason to do
so being the director and lead actor of the drama. This moral
aspect of Bhagavan attracted the attention of a lot of people.
Whenever Bhagavan staged plays, the auditoriums were always
packed with people.
Through an eloquent example, Pavitranandaji explained to
Bhagavan that we know ourselves normally but not excaptionally.
A piece of wood contains the fire which makes it inflammable but
one piece of wood is not enough to set itself on fire. Friction
between two pieces of wood causes ignition and the fire burns
the wood to ashes. Similarly, in spite of having the consciousness
within, the ignorance causes separation between the ‘I’ and the
consciousness which makes it appear as if I am using the
consciousness. But hearing the discourses of the Guru, when I
engross myself in contemplation, just like the friction between
two pieces of wood which ignites the fire, similarly, the
contemplation leads to the revelation of the consciousness which
flares and incinerates our nescience that says that ‘I’ and the
consciousness are separate. When a wood catches fire, the fire
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and the wood becomes one and both fail to maintain their distinct
identities, similarly when the consciousness is revealed, ‘I have
the knowledge within me’ converts into ‘I am that absolute
knowledge’ and the ignorant actions of man ceases to be or gets
converted into falsehood. Pavitranandaji instructed Bhagavan to
adhere to this method of sadhana and continue with the efforts
of attaining the Self. He added to this that attaining the highest
realization, Bhagavan would only be fixed on the Truth that is
one. Focusing upon the Truth and attaining it one girl would be
the greatest gift for the Guru and He would be able to become the
true servant of Thakur and Mother Sarada.
The merciful Guru reminded Bhagavan of a story. This is how
the story goes—once, ten friends swam across the strong currents
of a river and after counting saw that there were nine of them.
When everyone counted and arrived at the same result, they
started to lament thinking that one friend had drowned. Noticing
them, a noble man approached, heard everything they had to say
and apprehended the situation. He asked one of them to count
again. One of the friend’s counted till nine and stopped. Then, the
noble man putting his hand on his chest said—”You are the tenth
friend.” Each one of them had counted everyone but not
themselves. This is one of the best stories of Vedanta. The nine
friends are the five sense organs and the mind, intellect, mind stuff
and ego. We consider these nine friends to be the ’I’ as a result of
which the Atman which is the real ‘I’ remains unknown. This is
why there is no end to the ravings and mourning’s in life.Seeking
refuge under the Guru, He tells us to count again. Then, in the
presence of the Guru, the disciple performs austerities with the
help of the sense organs and mind- intellect- mind stuff- ego,
searches for the Truth and naturally, fails. When all his attempts
become futile, He surrenders His ego and helplessly seeks the help
of the Guru. At that time, the Guru utters the mahavakya or the
great saying of the Upanishad—”You are that Brahman,” which
eradicates the ignorance of the disciple. Hence the Great Sayings
of the Guru—‘Tat tvam Asi’ meaning ‘You are that’ and ‘Dasam tat
tvam asi’ meaning ‘You are the tenth friend’, directs towards the
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same Truth. Till surrendering at the feet of His Guru, the disciple
has to qualify the Ultimate tests of patience, courage, and belief
upon the Guru and Himself. Hence, the world has always sung the
glories of a competent Guru and disciple. This is how, through
this story Pavitranandaji asked Bhagavan to quickly arive at the
ninth count. Along with this, the Guru Himself prayed to God for
the eradication of His disciple’s ignorance. Since, the prayers of a
spiritual soul is infallible, with the prayers of the Guru in the 29th
letter, Bhagavan’s realization of the Self remained to be just a matter
of time.
Bhagavan decided to stage the play, ‘Kalindi’ written by the
renowned writer, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay. This caught the
attention of the theatre-lovers. They remarked that staging this
play would be difficult and Bhagavan won’t be able to do it. This
attempt would end in failure and blemish His popularity. Many
people advised Bhagavan to reconsider His decision. But Bhagavan
was like none other, He said—‘Let me see what happens.’ He was
not afraid of taking risks, He was never afraid because His life
was never a bed of roses but bed of thorns. Life gets boring if
there aren’t any risks. Paying no heed to anyone, Bhagavan
proceeded with the rehearsals of the drama and the play was
staged in due time. Breaking the traditions, Bhagavan gave the
role of the protagonist to an established actor popular for playing
the roles of antagonists, despite of people’s disagreement with His
decision. To everyone’s surprise, the drama became a big hit and
earned acclamation from all. The play was re-staged the very next
day due to overflowing requests. This sealed the mouths of the
critics. This was Bhagavan! If He decides to do something then no
one can prohibit Him from doing it successfully.
Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan that when the created-
destructible material objects occupy the focus of our thoughts,
the changing natures of the object fills our mind with certainties
and uncertainties. But when that mind hears the teachings of the
Guru and absorbs itself in the contemplation of the Self, it elevates
from impure to pure, ignorance to self- knowledge. Under the

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influence of worldly thoughts, the consciousness appears to be

perturbed, creates the knower, known, knowable and starts
perceiving this world. But when the contemplation of the Self
reaches its climax, in a split second, the consciousness becomes
stirless due to the absence of subjects and within the blink of an
eye, awakens after realizing its true Self. Just as an object is not
clearly seen when someone is in motion, but one has to stand still
in order to see it clearly, similarly in a perturbed state, the
consciousness is unable to know itself. If the mind gets still even
for a moment, the consciousness realizes its true nature as the
indivisible, undivided existence.
Meanwhile, Pavitranandaji’s letters filled with the elucidations
on the paramount knowledge, was making Bhagavan impatient
and earnest for Self- realization. He used to wait for an entire
month for the letter of His Guru for it was the only means of his
subsistence. The letters of His Guru was the fuel for His Self-
contemplation. There was a post- office just beside the Rail
headquarters. Everyday, Bhagavan used to visit the post office
and ask the peon if any letter had arrived for Him from His Guru
Maharajji. This irritated the peon. He used to express his
annoyance by saying that he would have delivered the letter if it
had arrived but still Bhagavan was helpless, He had nothing to do.
Again at two o’clock in the night, leaving Guruma and Debjani
soundly asleep on bed, Bhagavan used to go out onto the yard and
sit under the mango tree, immersing Himself in deep meditation,
without Guruma getting an inkling of it. This is how, Bhagavan
was digging deeper into His spiritual life. Shopping for groceries,
working, preparing and directing plays— after a whole-day’s
back-breaking work, when the body gets exhausted and the mind
craves for sleep, neglecting His urge to sleep and also His young
wife sleeping beside Him, Bhagavan, meditating, without anyone’s
knowledge, for Self- realization proves His intense yearning for
Truth and obviously His detachment from the world.
Bhagavan had made Pavitranandaji His only asset in life. But
it was painful to spend days without seeing Him. Devoted

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Bhagavan also shed tears from time to time. One day, swamped
by His emotions, He wrote a letter to His Guru, expressing His
pain. But, the reply that came in the 31st letter, made it clear to
Bhagavan that the Guru knows nothing but Truth and His Guru
was hell- bent on making Him realize that Truth. Pavitranandaji
brushed Bhagavan’s emotions aside by saying that His love is
mixed with ignorance because the pain of not being able to see
the Guru arises from a sense of unfulfillment which leads to
sorrows. Hence, such love bases upon nescience and is sorrowful.
But the essence of knowledge that the Guru imparts has no
connection with the sense of unfulfillment which makes only the
love of the Guru, illimitable and uninterrupted. But sometimes
while conveying this knowledge, the incompetency of the disciples
disappoints the Guru and He considers them to be living-dead. So
this forms an equal crisis for both the realized preceptor and the
disciple who is bound. Both are released from the state of crisis
when the disciple attains liberation. Accompanying the Guru and
adhering to His instructions are the direct means of avoiding
crisis. Repeated meditation on the Self is the only duty of the
disciple. Due to meditation, the intellect aspires to know the Truth
with reinvigoration and finally the indomitable spirit and efforts
of the stimulated intellect makes the Atman admit defeat and grant
liberation. This significant letter of Pavitranandaji made Bhagavan
let go of His emotions and engage Himself in sadhana with new
found determination.

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(Forty seven)

While acting and directing for plays, Bhagavan used to exhibit

the honesty, compassion and inspiration of His heart. Whatever
He did became very engaging and enjoyable for the people. When
He began to stage dramas in Balaka, the people turned into theatre-
enthusiast. In His group, there was an equable, calm, senior person
whom Bhagavan had taught the basics of acting. He was so
inspired that in the middle of the night, when everyone slept,
standing in front of His bed, He would practice reading out the
lines at the top of his lungs, disturbing the sleep of his wife and
children who would then throw a fit. There was another member
whom Bhagavan had included forcefully in the group, named
Pradip Kumar Roy. Bhagavan had taught him the art of dialogue-
delivery even standing and way of walking onstage. Not being
able to give a good performance in the play ‘Kirtigarh’, Pradip
Kumar Roy had decided to give up on acting. But taking
responsibility on Himself, Bhagavan made him perform so well in
the play ‘Fariyad’ that people heaped praises on his performance.
Gurumaharajji next, told Bhagavan that there is usage between
two separate entities but when it comes to same entities, the usage
depends. Like Chit and Cidabhasa. Chit is Chaitanya or the witness
consciousness and Cidabhasa is when Chit, unable to know itself
as the Chaitanya, considers itself to be a finite being or jiva. So,
Chit and Cidabhasa are homogeneous but becomes heterogeneous
due to ignorance. Despite of being Brahman we consider ourselves
to be finite beings, despite of being the consciousness we consider
ourselves to be theone using the knowledge but not realizing it.
Due to the blessings of the Guru, when we realize ourselves, the
imposed cidabhasa or reflective consciousness meditates upon
the chaitanya and realizes that to be its true nature, that is when
we attain the Absolute knowledge and the subjective mind
converts into the consciousness. Since there is no manifestation
of anything apart from the consciousness, every use of the
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knowledge becomes obsolete. This is when the nescience gets

cremated.
Bhagavan had witnessed an extraordinary event in Sri
Ramakrishna Tapovan which had left a deep impression in His
mind. Whenever Bhagavan visited Baksha, He spent most of the
time in Janai ashram. Leaving aside the delicacies of His in-laws
house, He preferred and felt contented to eat the simple food of
the ashram. In the ashram, the offerings given to Thakur were
thick- grains of rice, dal and a curry. That tasted like nectar to
Bhagavan. One day, His GuruMaharajji, sat to eat lunch with
Bhagavan and other devotees but just at that moment six to seven
more devotees arrived in the ashram. All the food had already
been distributed and there was none left. The devotees who were
already preparing to eat thought of preparing more food for the
devotees who had just arrived. Bhagavan saw His Guru greeting
them—”Come! Come! All of you sit and have food.” Bhagavan was
astonished to hear His Guru telling them to share some of their
food with the newly arrived devotees, which Pavitranandaji did
as well. No one could eat their fill but Pavitranandaji’s
magnanimity and noble mind fulfilled Bhagavan’s heart. Bhagavan
had taken this lesson from Swamiji for His entire life.
Now, Pavitranandaji taught Bhagavan about the Vrittivyapti
or pervasion of thoughts, and Phalavyapti or pervasion of results.
To know any material object, the visual organ or eyes pervade its
vision and then the antahkaranavritti or modification of the mind
perceives it. This is known as the pervasion of truth or
Vrittivyapti. Through the desires, when the ignorance regarding
the object gets destroyed, in the reflective consciousness it appears
as—”This is the subject,” which is the pervasion of results or
Phalavyapti. Therefore to know the material objects both
Vrittivyapti and Phalavyapti occurs. But when it comes to
realization of the Self, there is only the pervasion of thoughts and
not result. Since, I do not know myself as the Brahman, the true
Self remains concealed under ignorance. Hence, with the
meditation of the Self occurs the pervasion of thoughts in

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Brahman. But after the elimination of ignorance, when the

reflective consciousness becomes one with the consciousness,
then the object’s attainment that leads to the emergence of the
knowledge— “This is the subject” cannot lead to the emergence
of the knowledge—”This is Brahman”, because in the state of Self-
realization, the knower, knowledge and the knowable achieves
an inseparable oneness. Since there is no revelation of a second
existence apart from the Self, there is no pervasion of results in
Brahman. He also said that there is no existence of ignorance in
Brahman. Otherwise the saying of the Upanishads— Brahman is
Ekamevadvitiyam (one without a second) would have become
false.
There were many beautiful young women in Bhagavan’s
drama group. But knowing Bhagavan’s honest and firm
personality, they nurtured great respect towards Him. Once,
through an incident, everyone became sure of Bhagavan’s
unfaltering personality. The incident was—at that time, a beautiful
married woman lived in Balaka. During a play’s rehearsal, she
had to deliver some emotional lines to Bhagavan. But what to do
with the wrongful leanings of mind? It was the day before the
play was to be staged so there was a whole- day rehearsal. What
the women did was—while delivering the dialogues, she came
closer to Bhagavan and touched Him. That was it—Bhagavan
burst into a fit of rage. He screamed at her—”Why did you touch
me? You were not supposed to do this?!” Bhagavan was so
infuriated that the women started crying and begged his
forgiveness for her actions. Later, Bhagavan calmed down. He had
such a firm personality. His masculine handsome figure,
personality, deep voice—were very alluring to women who
chased after Him. While performing in theatres, many pretty
women had requested Bhagavan to include them in His group. He
was always surrounded by women and even if Bhagavan had a
casual attitude towards them, He was detached.
Whenever Bhagavan directed a play and made everyone
rehearse, no one could apprehend his intentions. He used to make

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everyone practice different scenes separately. Due to separate

rehearsals no one could grasp the theme of the drama. Bhagavan
used to prepare everybody separately. On the last day of the
rehearsal, all the scenes were enacted together. On the last day
the actors were able to comprehend the entire drama. Another
surprising incident took place—a person who had learnt the art
of acting from Bhagavan, after being a successful actor for a few
days, started thinking that he was a greater and better actor than
Bhagavan. In a scene, Bhagavan and the man had to deliver quite
a few lines as a part of His conversation with each other. The man
instead of following the way showed by Bhagavan, started to
deliver the dialogues in a more dramatic way. At first, Bhagavan
didn’t find this weird because He loved him. But at the very next
moment, the intentions of the man became very clear to Him. So,
Bhagavan showcased such top-notch acting and delivered
dialogue with such finesse that the man became perplexed and
said— “Why did you do this? You were not supposed to say it like
this. If you deliver your dialogues in this way then I won’t stand a
chance against you.” Bhagavan smiled and said—”You were
showing off how great you are as an actor. You were flaunting
your acting skills. This is why I showed my original acting as
well. Now do you understand, the way I act in front of you all is
incomparable to what I can actually do. If I exhibit my original
skills then none of you will stand a chance.” Ashamed, the man
asked for forgiveness. Bhagavan’s acting skills had reached such
high levels of refinement and subtlety but out of consideration for
others, He used to conceal His original acting skills. The little He
did had made this rare endowed man, the apple of everyone’s eye.
Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan that people’s pervasion of
primal ignorance (Ajnanavritti) or the pervasion of modification
of mind (antah karanavritti) creates the ‘I’ and ‘this’ as the enjoyer
and the object enjoyed and makes the individual finite from the
infinite. This is the most inferior practical knowledge. But, the
disciple, after hearing the teachings of the Guru starts deliberating
upon those words with utmost reverence. Finally, the disciple’s

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engagement in the ratiocinative thoughts leads to unceasing

meditation or deliberation of the Self (nidhidhyasana), as a result
the self-knowledge fails to transform into the mind and intellect
or to create the inert world, remaining focused upon the Self.
Finally with the firmness upon nidhidhyasana, the pervasion of
the modification of mind becomes completely static and realizes
itself as the indivisible conscious Self. This consciousness is
transcendental, eternal and unborn. This knowledge is not gained
like the worldly knowledge. This is why it is the realization of the
Self. That which is my Self, my nature is everlasting, birthless and
indestructible. That static modification of mind is Self-realization
of the Brahman.
Now, an incomparable occurrence took place. At the end of
His 33rd letter, Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan—I recalled an
old proverb from my childhood days, ‘I got a razor instead of a
drum, let’s hear the beat. I could not understand the implication
then. But now I do. This drum—it is the drum of name and fame.
And what is the blade? It is the simple, sharp- edged razor of Self-
knowledge. By simple it means simple knowledge, which is—who
am I? It symbolizes a pure heart. The word ‘sharp- edged’ implies
the subtlety of the thought. For realizing the special knowledge,
we need the brain and the heart of a child. Then only can the
razor sever the jivatva or individualization of man.’ This letter of
Pavitranandaji put Bhagavan’s mind in a turmoil. He thought that
He had name and fame all over Guwahati for His dramas. But,
achieving the simple, sharp- edged razor of self-knowledge would
become impossible if He has the drum of name and fame. Maybe,
this is what Gurumaharajji was pointing at. Without any second
thoughts, He decided to stop. He would permanently take leave
from the field of theatre. He had seen and received much name-
fame, praises and applause. None could give Him fulfillment so He
would have to end it. Some of the famous dramas staged by
Bhagavan was—Koborer Kanna, Kalindi, Jajabori, Kirtigarh,
Fariyad. Fariyad was the last drama He directed and performed.

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He did as decided. He called for His co-actors and announced

His decision. His decision came as a big blow for not only His co-
artists but also His friends, relatives and theatre- lover audience—
no one was excluded. Everyone’s request, pleas went in vain.
Bhagavan stood firm on His decision. The longing for Truth let to
the premature sacrifice of a promising future of thespianism.
Bhagavan also portrayed His disinclination and dispassion for
the world’s name and fame. We know about the ruler Janaka, who
while being in the company of His Guru, remained unruffled even
after hearing about the frightful fire outbreak in his capital.
Chaitanya deva had such dispassion for the world that a grain of
sugar used to blow away after placing it on His tongue. Bhagavan’s
dispassion is comparable to theirs because even with the Guru
not stating directly but hinting at it through His words, Bhagavan
understood His implication and decided to bid farewell to acting
forever in which He had reached the apex. Even though He was a
householder, He loved His Guru a lot more than anything else in
the universe and was always prepared to sacrifice everything
for the Guru which enabled Him to leave the world of theatre that
was irradiated by His presence and showcasing of skills since He
was five years old. The name that everyone craves for, the longing
for establishment that makes man abandon his relatives and even
parents, the fame that instigates man to take another’s life; it didn’t
take even a moment for Bhagavan to leave it all for His Guru.
Bhagavan’s life proved Bhagavan’s competency as a disciple. The
great thinkers were correct to say that Guru are found
everywhere but not a deserving disciple—‘Guru mile Lakhe lakh,
chela na mile ek.’
Gurumaharajji ended His 33rd letter which indicated towards
His high elevated state—‘I am waiting eagerly for the news of
your achievement (Siddhi). —Your son, father and mother.’ Truly
is the Guru everything to the disciple. He is the true father because
He begets the disciple as a realized person through His spiritual
potency. He is the true mother for He carries the disciple in His
womb of love and nurtures the child by uninterruptedly feeding
him the milk of maternal love and essence of the Self. While
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bearing and nurturing the disciple, the Guru has to face the same
pain faced by a mother. He is also the son of the disciple because
when the Guru arrives, He resides as the nirguna (without
attributes), nirakara (without form) Brahman. But when the
disciple seeks shelter at the feet of the Guru with helplessness and
earnestness, within the Nirguna, Nirakara Brahman arises
profound love, profound piteousness and feeling of imparting the
knowledge as a Guru, because The Nirguna Brahman cannot
perform any actions. Only after He develops the feelings of a Guru
(Gurubhava) can He eradicate the dark nescience of the disciple.
Hence, on one hand the Guru is the father and mother of the
disciple but on the other hand the disciple triggering the arousal
of Gurubhava within the Nirguna Brahman, being the originator
of the Guru makes the Guru his child. But this is not possible for
all the disciples. The disciple longing for Truth and exhibited all
the qualities is able to achieve this. This letter of Pavitranandaji
proved how competent Bhagavan had become at that time.
Gurumaharajji wrote to Bhagavan that it is said that God has
created this world with the help of Maya. Here, God is the efficient
cause (nimittya), Maya is the material cause (Upadana) and the
world is the effect. But, taking it in the literal sense would make
God and the world separate which creates the bondage of duality.
But taking the efficient and material cause as the same would
make it Advaita or one. The Absolute Knowledge erases ignorance.
The absolute knowledge is one, knowing it to be the real ‘I’ makes
it transcendental. Not recognizing the consciousness will makes
it practical or with further degradation, perceiving a material
object in a different form makes it illusory. These are all the false
designations of the Supreme Knowledge.
Whenever Bhagavan went to His in-laws house, He spoke of
His Guru all the time. Guruma was the eldest daughter of the
household and had seven younger sisters. Bhagavan was loved
by all His sisters- in-law and was dear to them. Whenever He went
to Janai, His old habit of delighting everyone made Him take His
sisters- in- law out on trips. Most of the time, He used to take

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them to Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan. Seeing Him, the monks-

celibates and other disciples could not understand the earnestness
desire that Bhagavan had for Self- realization. Bhagavan
accompanying His sisters and brothers-in-law to His Guru, had
unknowingly made them reverent towards Pavitranandaji.
Observing Bhagavan’s intense love for His Guru made them fall in
love with Pavitranandaji. Bhagavan’s own parents and siblings
were also included in the lot.
Gurumaharajji had taught Bhagavan another method of
deliberation which is—we are never able to repudiate the
existence of the ‘I’. Because in order to know something outside,
we first feel ourselves, then we feel or know the object. One
cannot feel the world unless one feels himself. This process takes
place all the time and every single day but we fail to detect it since
it occurs so fast. Our mind is always feeling the external object or
the memory of the object stored in our minds. If we stop feeling
the external object for even a split second, then the self- perceived
existence or Self will be revealed unto us.

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(Forty eight)

In every letter, Pavitranandaji used to write the extraordinary

words of Vedanta to His disciple. It cannot be said if such beautiful
divine play between the Guru and disciple has transpired
elsewhere. The eternal rule or tradition of the path to realization
is that a sannyasi Guru will tell His disciple, who is keen on Self-
realization, to renounce everything and embrace monkhood. After
the disciple becomes a monk, the Guru makes him do different
chores of the ashram and give service to him. After a few days,
the Guru asks the disciple to meditate and perform spiritual
practice after the ego of the disciple perishes due to the different
works and aids. Finally when the disciple earns a calm mind
through meditation, he becomes competent to hear Vedanta from
the Guru. From the Upanishads, we get to know about Indra (king
of Gods) and Virochana (king of the demons) who had to perform
austerities for many years after which the creator, Lord Brahma
taught them the teachings on Brahman. Sitting by the feet of the
Guru, after hearing the teachings of Vedanta with reverence, the
disciple has to deeply deliberate upon the words of the Guru. When
the process of contemplation becomes uninterrupted, then it
transforms into Nidhidhyasana. In this state, the only thoughts
that remain are that of Brahman while the other thoughts get
obliterated. When the disciple gains firmness upon the state of
nidhidhyasana, under the grace of the Guru, in a propitious
moment, all the thoughts dissolve and the Truth gets unveiled
where there remains no imaginary separation of the thinker,
objects of thoughts, meditator, meditation and object of
meditation. But this entirely depends upon spending time with
the Guru which unfortunately Bhagavan was not able to do. On
one side He had to work, maintain His families which was of
course, not one, but that of the Banerjee house as well. This also
includes caring for the neighbors. Twice a year could He visit His
in-laws house for only fifteen days—within such short time,

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Bhagavan tried to be with His Guru as much as possible. Hence,

for Bhagavan, receiving the letters of Swamiji was equivalent to
the company of the Guru and hearing Vedanta directly from Him.
To practice Vedanta, the extent of the Guru’s spiritually potency
and the extent of the disciple’s devotion, sharp mind and dispassion
can be apprehended once one starts to read this.
Gurumaharajji then wrote to Bhagavan that I cannot be the
body because I use the body. Whatever is used cannot be the
user. If asked—‘Who am I?’ I indicate towards my body, mind or
intellect which is not the real explanation because in the state of
deep slumber, we become ignorant of our body, mind and intellect
which we use in our so called ‘conscious state’. Hence, this form
of conscious state is not the real consciousness or knowledge.
Consciousness is consciousness and cannot be felt. Whatever we
feel prevail for a certain amount of time which is the state. I
consider the states to be the consciousness—this is Maya. The
real consciousness cannot be a state. States are changeable. The
real consciousness or the real ‘I’ or the Atman is one, without any
state. Gurumaharajji asked Him to contemplate on this matter.
A miraculous incident took place between Bhagavan and Guru
Maharaj. One day, Bhagavan went to visit His Guru in ashram. As
usual, He saw Him leading a simple life in the ashram. Sometimes
cooking by Himself. Washing His hands after cooking, then telling
people about the highest principles of Vedanta, smiling and
conversing casually. Bhagavan was observing His Guru that day
and His heart was shredding into pieces. He loved His Guru
intensely. He was looking at His Guru and thinking that He was
such a highly realized soul but here He was, staying in a village
with mostly no one knowing Him. Thinking this, Bhagavan was
feeling upset. Suddenly He heard Swamiji say in between His
talks—”The Mother who had sent Swami Vivekananda to America
is the one who has kept me here this way, it is She who does
everything.” Bhagavan was astounded. The Guru had just
answered His question. Bhagavan paid His repeated obeisance to

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the great energy (Maha Shakti), which can make any impossibility
a possibility. This is how Bhagavan’s doubts were cleared.
Pavitranandaji wrote that the knowledge which is used to
know the object is to be applied to know the subject—this is
sadhana. Deep contemplation will reveal that since it is the
knowledge that knows, then the knowledge is the knower. The
absolute knowledge which is known to itself more, observes the
three states of awakening, dream and deep sleep. The statement—
‘I do not have knowledge’, is wrong since I make this statement
with the help of the knowledge which proves the existence of the
knowledge. Yet again, we cannot even say—‘I have knowledge in
me’, because otherwise through the knowledge, the real ‘I’ which
shelters in the knowledge has to be searched, which is impossible.
But when the realization—‘I am knowledge’ arises, it helps us to
get rid of every problem. This is when the knowledge is fulfilled.
This knowledge is all that is needed. Liberation comes with this
realization. The three states of awakening- dream- dreamless sleep
belong to the knowledge. Objects have states. Removing the objects
makes the states void. The objects are the truth, states are the
inferior truth or false. Atman or the absolute knowledge is the
object or Truth. The states we see are all unreal.
Wherever Bhagavan went, He spoke about His Guru. Even if
everyone couldn’t understand Pavitranandaji, Bhagavan could,
despite of living far away. He was able to understand that His Guru
was always established on Brahman. This is why He inspired His
brothers Swapan and Shekhar Chakraborty to take initiation from
Pavitranandaji. When they expressed their willingness, Bhagavan
wrote a letter to Pavitranandaji, informing Him about their desire.
Pavitranandaji agreed and on the 26th of December, 1983, on the
birth anniversary of Mother Sarada, initiated them. Bhagavan had
also requested Pavitranandaji to initiate His daughter, Debjani
who was just ten years old then. Such a realized soul was rare in
the entire Indian subcontinent, so Bhagavan even got Debjani
initiated by His Gurumaharajji. Debjani received initiation on the

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3rd of March, 1984, Saturday. Inspired by Bhagavan, two younger

sisters of Guruma had also taken initiation from Pavitranandaji.
In His 38 th letter, Pavitranandaji upheld a remarkable
elucidation on Vedanta for Bhagavan. The gist is—the sun gets
reflected on the mirror since it has natural clarity. When that
reflective sunlight falls upon worldly objects, we are able to see it.
Similarly, the Antahkarana has clarity but it is limited. Here, the
Atman or Brahman gets reflected and attains the name ‘Chidabhas’
or reflective consciousness. With the help of Antahkarana and
the Chidabhash, we obtain knowledge regarding the material
objects. Just as the sun which is thousands times greater, after
getting reflected onto the confined mirror, acquires a small size;
similarly, being beyond space- time-causality, the birthless-
infinite Brahman, after getting reflected in the confined
Antahkarana, converts into the limited Chidabhas. But, just as the
reflected image of the sun sheds light upon the objects, similarly,
if I try to see the sun itself, the reflective ability of the reflected
consciousness gets overwhelmed by the reflective ability of the
real sun. Similarly, when we contemplate upon the real Self with
the help of the Antahkarana and Chidabhas, then the limited
Antahkarana and the Chidabhas reflected in it, while trying to think
about the consciousness, melts and loses its limited existence. This
is the limited existence being engulfed by the all- pervasive
existence or according to Thakur—the melting of the doll of salt
while trying to measure the sea. This is Samadhi.
Advancement upon the path of spirituality depends upon the
disciple. If he is able to maintain complete faith on His Guru,
liberation becomes inevitable. When people come under the refuge
of a Guru, apart from observing the Guru, he starts observing many
other things as well. In Mahabharatha, during the test of weaponry
skills, when the Pandavas and Kauravas were seeing many other
things apart from the wooden eyes of the bird, Dronacharya
announced That they have failed in the test. Only Arjun was able
to keep focus on the bird’s eye, so the Guru allowed Him to shoot.
Naturally, he hit the target and qualified the test. When common

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people visit the Guru, they try to know what the other disciples
are doing and see how many assets the ashram possesses. Hence,
not having focus on the Guru or His teachings makes liberation
beyond reach. But, when Bhagavan went to Pavitranandaji, He
saw nothing but His Guru, after listening to the words of the Guru,
He used to return without drawing much attention. He had a
undivided trust upon Pavitranandaji. He had even seen
Pavitranandaji’s disciples in an altercation but not once did He
develop uncertainties against the Guru. He did not think—”What
type of teachings did He give them that they are doing this?” This
is common for the general mass. On the contrary, He thought,
“Oh! How merciful and loving my Guru is. He has even provided
shelter to these narrow- minded argumentative people!” This had
increased Bhagavan’s love and devotion for His Guru. Once, when
Pavitranandaji declared the news of Swami Abhutanandaji
attaining self- realization amidst everyone, Bhagavan noticed that
some devotees who always received the company of the Guru,
were expressing doubts upon the declaration of Pavitranandaji.
But, Bhagavan had believed each and every word of Swamiji and
overjoyed, He had given Abhutanandaji the respect he deserved.
Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan that we can know the
components of the objects we see while being awake. But the
constituents of the objects seen in dreams is individual ignorance
(vyeshti ajnana). While sleeping, since there is no possibility
behind the existence of objects in dreams, we can conclude that
its components are nothing but individual ignorance. In dreams,
the mind gets divided into the ‘seer’ and the ‘seen’. The part of the
mind which becomes the ‘seer’ is non- transformative but the
‘seen’ becomes the transformative world and in dream state, the
seer watches the seen or the scenes. The Consciousness or Atman
remains the witness to this entire phenomenon which after
waking up, enables us to say that we have dreamt. In deep slumber,
the mind does not divide itself into the seer and the seen which is
why we do not see anything when we are in deep sleep. But, due to
the existence of the ever-awakened conscious witness, we can
say that ‘I have not seen anything in deep sleep’. So the non-
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transformative mind remains to be the consciousness itself. But,

when the mind gets agitated due to the rise of desires, the reflected
consciousness or the apparent ‘I’ gets stirred and fails to know its
Self. When the mind is devoid of desires, the reflective
consciousness becoming unperturbed, realizes the true Self and
the apparent ‘I’ transforms into the pure ‘I’ of true knowledge.
Only then does the ‘I’ or consciousness illuminate and permeate
throughout. Then the realization comes—the sun and the rays
are one and the same, that which is the consciousness is also Self-
illumination.
This time, Bhagavan took a bold step. For many days, the letters
His Gurumaharajji was writing, ended with—‘Your father’.
Bhagavan’s own father was then alive and well and since
Bhagavan respected him a lot, He initially found it difficult to
address and accept Pavitranandaji as His father. This was however
cleared later. After quite a big progress upon the spiritual path, it
became clear to Him that Guru is the true father. Bhagavan knew
well that His father (Pavitranandaji) was a great Vedantic—
spiritual knowledge was at His fingertips. With the passing days,
Bhagavan’s urge for Self- realization continued to increase. His
heart ached for the realization of Truth. His father was the owner
of the highest spiritual wealth but being His son, He was unable to
get that wealth within His grip—this stung Him to the quick. In
the letter that Bhagavan wrote to Him, He was compelled to ask
for the rights as His deserving heir. Bhagavan wrote to His Guru
that being His son, He wanted to inherit His spiritual wealth—
being His son, this was a lawful demand. This made Pavitranandaji
very happy. He replied in His letter—”The demands in your letter
are heroic and justified.
But Pavitranandaji had informed Him about the absolute
Truth that even though from the beginning of the spiritual path,
it is said that from the Guru to the disciple, there is— ‘transference
of power’ and ‘transmission of thoughts’ the real truth is—
Brahman is the true Self of all, an eternally attained object.The
disciple already possesses it, the Guru has no need of transferring

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the Brahman. If there was transmission of the Self-knowledge

from the Guru to disciple, then it would not have been the Self but
an imposed object and if the Self- knowledge fulfills the disciple
after getting transmitted from the Guru then it will imply that
outflow of knowledge from the Guru is making Him unfulfilled,
which is not possible. The truth is—the nescience that has been
superimposed on the disciple, concealing the Self, needs to be
uprooted. The eradication of the nescience will show us that—
the kingdom of heaven which is present in the Guru or the real
father is also forever present within the disciple who is like the
son. Hence, not through actions but through the knowledge do we
attain the eternally existent Self. The letter of the stern Vedantic
but tender Guru established the dispassionate Truth in Bhagavan’s
intellect.

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(Forty nine)

Bhagavan had a cycle in his house in Balaka. Bhagavan used

the cycle to travel to and fro from shops- markets, office- post-
office and friends’ houses. The cycle was an expensive one of that
time. The green bicycle covered with chain- covers from the Rally
Company had an important role in Bhagavan’s busy life. One day,
Bhagavan left the cycle outside the post office and went inside to
see if He had received any letter from His Gurumaharaj, but when
He came outside, the cycle was missing. After looking at every
direction, He understood that His cycle was stolen. Bhagavan didn’t
tell anyone. When everyone saw that the cycle was missing, they
asked Bhagavan and He said that it was stolen from the Post- office.
Pradip Kumar Roy, who was the co-performer in Bhagavan’s
plays, noticed that even he felt bad about the shiny and needful
bicycle being stolen and so did others but Bhagavan showed no
signs of disappointment. Pradip Roy understood that even if
Bhagavan appeared to be ordinary, He was not. He was already a
big admirer of His acting and directing skills, he was grateful to
Him for teaching him acting and helping him gain popularity in
society, but, seeing the indifference and nonchalance of Bhagavan,
Pradip Kumar Ray was charmed by His virtues.
Now, Gurumaharajji taught Bhagavan that when we touch an
earthen pot we say that it is a pot but in reality, we touch the
earth and not the pot because there is no separate existence of a
‘pot’. Hence, the pot is immaterial but the earth or soil is the object
or reality. Similarly, the Truth or subject or the reality will negate
the unrealistic names and forms. In this way, when one feels or
accepts ‘Atman’ as the substratum of all material entities, then the
concept of the physical world of names and forms becomes
unacceptable. So, Swami Vivekananda in His address at the Parliament
of Religions in Chicago, said—‘Hindus do not believe in tolerance but
acceptance because The entire universe is me or the ‘I’.’
Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan that just as the mind
divides itself into the object seen and the seer who sees the dream,
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accepting the separate existence of the consciousness and Atman,

even in the state of awakening, the mind does the same so the so-
called state of awakening is also a dream. Waking from the dream
tells us that the dream is unreal, similarly, from the so- called state
of awakening which is in reality also an extended state of dream,
there is a transcendental awakening by the grace of the Guru,
which enables us to see every being as the Brahman. Bhagavan
was having spiritual experiences because of contemplation on
Vedanta and deep meditation. The Truth was almost within His
reach. We find an illustration of His experience from His diary—
‘Seeing the separation of space- time- causality of the dream-like
state of awakening led to the realization of the falsity of the state
of awakening. Reflecting the states of dreaming and awakening,
the existence that remained hidden is the effulgent sun of Truth
that persisted as the absolute reality, not revealing itself in the
states of dreaming and awakening, but conveyed that—it exists.
Penned on the 15th of March, 1985, this experience shows that
He had come a lot closer to Truth because instead of the direct
realization of Brahman, He was able to determine the existence of
the one revealing the states of awakening- dreaming and deep
sleep which is Brahman or Atman. Due to deep deliberation, the
evidence that Bhagavan was almost close to the Atman, can be
obtained from His writing—‘Deep cogitation or a tranquil state,
proving the false nature of the three states of awakening-
dreaming- deep sleep also proves the nearness of one’s state with
the Atman.’
Following this, Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan that the
main sadhana of Vedanta was ‘neti- neti vichaar’or the path of
negation which means ‘not this’. Over our true Self, as an
imposition, lies the mind, intellect, mind- stuff and ego, but in deep
sleep, I spend the night well in peaceful sleep without these four,
which proves that these are not our real Self. This is why the
Guru introduces us to this path and tells us to remove the
impositions by following the path. As my true Self, I am not the
mortal body, I am not the mind- intellect- citta and the ego- based
Antahkarana or the subtle body. I am not the ignorance or causal
body. I am without extents, distinctions, the eternal- pure-
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enlightened-liberated Atman. Inspite of being free from duality in

my Self, I see the body- mind- intellect- citta- ego- ignorance as
Brahman. There is no existence which is not the Self but it is the
illusive ignorance that creates problems. The feeling of
omnipresence of this knowledge will transform this knowledge
discreetly into the transcendental knowledge. This is liberation.
The Ultimate knowledge which was never divided— this
realization leads to the lessening of the heavy burden. Realization
of this Truth clears the disciple’s debt to the Guru, within a
moment. The realization of the disciple is the highest
manifestation of the Guru’s maternal love.
Receiving the enlightening letters of Guru Maharajji,
Bhagavan was not only engrossed in the contemplation of every
line, every word, every alphabet of the letters, He also felt that
keeping these letters only with Him would be really selfish.
Bhagavan felt that everyone should read these letters. This was
an old habit of Bhagavan—distributing good things among people.
It was because of this munificence that He took His acquaintances
to Pavitranandaji and make them receive initiation from Him. It
was because of this magnanimity that made Him think, He thought
about the entire world and not just himself. He took birth with
this characteristic, which is innate and His own. He didn’t have to
learn to love people like He was learning Vedanta from His Guru. It
has been heard that the propounder of Vishishtadvaitavada,
Ramanuja’s Guru had given Him a mantra and told Him that
chanting this mantra would lead Him to liberation but if He tells it
to someone else, that person will get liberation but He would have
to wend His way to the abode of the dead. Receiving the mantra,
Ramanuja climbed up to a peak, shouting and attracting attention,
He gathered many people and uttered the mantra for everyone to
hear. When His Guru asked Him the reason He said that if His stay
in the netherworld determines the liberation of many people then
He would readily accept His fate. Bhagavan had the same frame
of mind. This is why He made the decision of distributing the letters
of His Guru among people. He made photocopies of the letter from
His rail office and started distributing them everywhere.

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But, even Pavitranandaji was a true Guru. We find illustrations

of Guru Ashtavakra and his disciple King Janaka who had
intolerance for any form of mental vibration in the disciple.
Pavitranandaji told Bhagavan that just as the removal of the chaff
of a rice grain reveals the essential part, similarly, the mortal
physical body or Annamaya Kosha (sheath), the prana or vitality
coupled with the five organs of action or Pranamaya Kosha, the
mind with the five sense organs or Manomaya Kosha, the sense
organs along with the intellect or the Vijnanamaya Kosha and the
sheath characterized by imposition and ignorance or
Anandamaya Kosha— one has to make way through these koshas
or sheaths to attain Self- knowledge, only then can one overcome
death. ‘’I am Brahman’ or ‘Aham Brahmasmi’—this should not be
subjected to publicity. Instead of publicity, Pavitranandaji
instructed Bhagavan to meditate, emphasizing upon the
realization of the Self.
Following this, Pavitranandaji provided a great solution for
the entire world. The world is in grave danger— there is increasing
strife’s and bickering among people. The race of armaments among
countries are gradually on the rise. Envy, terrorism, intolerance
is at the peak. People aren’t able to trust one another—in such a
situation, proper practice of Vedanta can restore peace. Truth is
one. The rumination on Truth, unveils the Truth or oneness within.
With the realization of oneness within, one can see the outer
world as ‘I’, hence, the realization of one truly gives birth to
oneness. There cannot be a forceful imposition of oneness on the
outside. Oneness comes from the feeling of one and the feeling of
one comes from the discussion of one. Hence, the propagation of
the essence of oneness is desirable. Pavitranandaji felt that no
spiritual stalwart require any publicity. Realized souls are the
embodiment of Truth so the propagation of Truth is enough for
their publicity.Just like the saints and sages kept themselves
concealed behind the essence of Truth, this Vedantic sannyasi
was not in favor of any form of propagation but only the
promulgation of Truth. Therefore, He had said—”If we encourage
false preaching, then we ourselves will fall prey to this falsehood.”
Regarding the problems of the world, the fundamental thoughts of
Pavitranandaji on one and oneness had fascinated Bhagavan.
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Advaita Vedanta contains subtle concepts which requires
subtle intellect for its apprehension. Without a committed mind,
the essence of Advaitavada is not absorbed. Pavitranandaji was
already aware of Bhagavan’s sharp intellect which is why He
wrote the highest ideals of Vedanta in His letters. In the same way,
because of Bhagavan’s ‘enhanced intellect’, Pavitranandaji gave
Him the most essential teachings on Vedanta. He said that the seer
is the self-consciousness but the objects seen is inanimate or
without consciousness. In the state of awakening, the seer
visualizes the objects with the power of vision but with the
absence of any visible object, the seer remains one with his power
of vision. But, this knowledge or vision is the ‘I’ or Atman.
Visualization of nothing is also a kind of vision. The purified vision
ascertains the presence or absence of objects which is why, the
vision or the knowledge is self- evident. This is the real ‘I’.
Bhagavan’s Guru Maharajji had written some noteworthy
essays on Vedanta. Dividing the essays into two, the disciples of
Pavitranandaji had published the compilation of the essays in the
form of two books—‘Chintadharar Kromobikaash’ (Gradual
evolution of thoughts) ‘Aro kichu Kotha’ (Some more talks). The
essays of Pavitranandaji are established upon the highest
principles of Advaita Vedanta which is beyond the comprehension
of common people. Only highly- realized ones can properly
appraise and appreciate these compositions. It was
Pavitranandaji’s wish to publish a book on His essays. He had
even decided upon the title of the book which indicated towards
His establishment upon the highest spiritual peak. But,
Pavitranandaji had such trust in Bhagavan that He always sought
His opinion before any implementation. This is why He wrote to
Bhagavan in His 45 th letter—”In all, twelve essays have been
written. With the compilation of these essays a book will be
published entitled—‘One and oneness’. Is this name to your
liking?”
Pavitranandaji was firmly established upon the highest
pinnacle of Self- realization, so His objective was to elevate
everyone to the plane of Advaita Vedanta. He was aware of the

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imaginary difference made between Dvaita, Vishishtadvaita and
Advaitavada. But His Ultimate knowledge had taught Him to accept
all paths and make attempts towards their unification. Moreover,
His aim was to make all paths reach the ultimate and not let it
stop midway. Pavitranandaji wrote in the 45th letter that not only
the path of delineation but the path of devotion can also lead
someone to the state of non-duality. He wrote that the path of
devotion is extremely beautiful. But, as long as I consider God to
be separate from me, I will remain in the primary stage of the
spiritual path because one must pray to God for devotion, so as a
result the devotion becomes limited. But if, we perceive Atman as
the God then the devotion culminates into the direct perceptive,
pervasive and infinite knowledge or love. Attainment of such
devotion is love or absolute devotion.
Within Bhagavan, even though the incessant flow of the
thoughts of Vedanta was hidden from the public eye and even
Guruma, He could not hide His love for Advaita Vedanta. Besides,
no matter how much one performs austerities, people’s pre-
conceived notions and tendencies keep up with their influence;
Bhagavan’s habit of enjoying and creating the mood of enjoyment
was intact as before. Under the influence of ruminating on Vedanta
and spiritual practice, Bhagavan’s social interaction was not as
active as before but the friends who visited Him included the
neighbors of Balaka, the rail co-workers and His companions from
the drama group. But, the discussions He had on dramas,
literatures and politics had stopped. Bhagavan used to initiate
discussions on Vedanta and spirituality when His friends visited
Him. Bhagavan was no longer intrigued by other discussion. This
is why, His residence was frequented by people inspired by
Vedanta. Bhagavan’s change of mind had created a distance
between Him and some of His old friends but had also established
new friendly ties with people inclined to Vedanta or God. They
loved hearing Vedanta from Bhagavan each day. Among them,
names of Pradip Kumar Roy and engineer Vijay Dutta are worth
mentioning. Mukta Purokayastha visited Bhagavan sometimes
from the neighborhood. Bhagavan used to discuss Vedanta with
them that was written by His Guru in the letters. This is how,
Bhagavan’s new subject of enthusing others became—Vedanta.
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(Fifty)

Pavitranandaji continued to write letters on Vedanta to

Bhagavan. He wrote that we love ourselves the most but not
knowing which the real Self is, the love is directed upon the illusive
mortal body which is not the Self (Anatman). Therefore, despite
of being the all- pervasive consciousness, instead of loving the
omnipresent existence, we have started loving our physical
bodies. Since the body is subjected to creation- degeneration and
destruction, the love is not giving us bliss and is causing sorrows
instead. Even if the knowledge is ever prevalent, it is getting
reflected upon the Anatman and like the nature of the Anatman it
is gaining the nature of origination- sustenance and dissolution.
But when the knowledge is devoid of desires, then, knowing the
truth to be ‘I am the knowledge’, it becomes action- less, transforms
into the Paramount Knowledge (vijnana) and experiences
everything to be the ‘I’. This is the state, which in the scriptures is
termed as the union of the Atman- Paramatman (individual and
supreme soul) or the union of the knowledge and love.
Guru Maharajji wrote in His 47th letter to Bhagavan that the
inert consciousness appears to be unstable. It seems that if the
indivisible consciousness is dividing itself into ‘I’, ‘mine’ and ‘this’.
These three projections are entitled as ‘triputi’. There is only
knowledge in these three forms—realizing this would destroy the
three projections of the trio (triputi). The concept of oneness
nullifies the conception of dissimilarity. The nescience is nullified
by the self- knowledge which leaves—‘The incessant Brahman is
the substratum all the time and everywhere.’ Bhagavan kept all
the letters of Guru Maharajji with great care inside the ‘locker’ of
His wardrobe where people keep their valuables because just as
men cannot do without money- wealth, women love ornaments,
the letters were Bhagavan’s life. Upon receiving the letters,
Bhagavan used to deliberate upon it and with rise of any
uncertainty or any spiritual experience, He wrote to His Guru.
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But, He did not keep the photocopies of His letters apart from
two. He had kept the photocopy of the extraordinary letter that
He had written to Pavitranandaji after receiving Swamiji’s 47th
letter. That is being presented below—
‘My homage at your lotus feet
Father,
With the passing days, my devotion, reverence and love for
you keeps increasing. It is as if the Truth is getting clearer to me.
It is as if I am about to find the source of bliss and it has become
intelligible how ‘dangerously transcendent’ the Guru is. It is as if
the consciousness is becoming stable and then unstable giving
emergence to all the actions of the world. ‘The serpent is a serpent
even if it moves or lies still’- the implication behind this is getting
clearer. It is the unperturbed consciousness that is getting
perturbed. The indivisible existence is projected as the distinct
divisions. It is as if the indivisible ‘I’ is getting divided into ‘mine’
and ‘this’.
The upper portions are yours, and all of the sentences contain
‘as if ’. Once this ‘as if ’ is extirpated, the middle or end of the
primordial will also be extirpated.
Is this ‘as if ’,Mayavada?
Centering on your thoughts, a discussion group has been
created here. We are discussing on Advaita Vedanta.
I am remembering you and ruminating your every moment.
Bless me so that I can realize your thoughts unerring, great,
saying—‘The inseparable Chaitanya resides through time in every
place.’
It was great to hear about the ashram. I am sending money.
Please let me know when your lunar birth- anniversary is the
next month? I haven’t yet received the copy of ‘Charaiveti’ from
the ashram.
Offering my obeisance’s at your feet
—Sajal
This letter of Bhagavan is really noteworthy—paragon of a
perfect disciple. These are the letters which invokes profound
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mercy and love for the liberation of the disciple within the Guru
who otherwise, always resides upon the Brahman. Analyzing
Bhagavan’s letter would give us a perfect representation of an
ideal disciple. This letter written to Pavitranandaji exhibits all the
facets of Bhagavan as a deserving disciple. At first, He said that His
devotion- faith-love for the Guru was increasing day by day.
Secondly, He had come very close to Truth. Leaving the sign of
His superior Vedantic intellect, He was able to identify the ‘as if ’ as
Maya. Thirdly, His effort of disseminating the highest ideals
received from the Guru among the people is evident from the
establishment of the discussion group. Along with this, it can be
noticed that not only the Guru, He is even aware about every
proceedings of the ashram. Fourthly, Bhagavan was able to
decipher the ultimate statement of Pavitranandaji from the 45th
letter. Which is—‘The inseparable consciousness resides through
time in every place.’ Bhagavan could perceive through His
cogitation that the outward projected desires that created the
world is annihilated by the indivisiblepervasion of the
modification of knowledge. The material waves of thought is
annihilated by the highest modification of mind which in itself
gets destroyed because the undivided Self- knowledge also falls
under Maya. Fire burns due to fuel, if the fuel decreases in the
process, then the fire burns out due to the absence of fuel.
Similarly, the dual mental concept is eradicated by the highest
non- dual Self-knowledge and the dissolution of the material waves
of thought also leads to the destruction of the non- dual Self-
knowledge. All that remains is the omnipresent, uninterrupted
consciousness existing through time, which is the only Truth.
This is why Bhagavan has termed this statement of Guru Maharajji
as the Great Saying or Mahavakya and asked for His blessings so
that He is able to realize the Great Saying. Hence, it can be
undoubtedly said that being pleased with this remarkable letter,
Pavitranandaji had blessed Bhagavan to His heart’s content.
Pavitranandaji’s disciples used to publish a magazine named
‘Charaiveti’. Pavitranandaji used to write essays for the magazine.
Bhagavan used to eagerly wait for the articles enriched in the
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highest ideals of Vedanta. He used to buy every edition of the book
and read it. Bhagavan had an honesty within Him, which made
Him Bhagavan, that is, He is unable to portray false behaviors. For
His honesty and straightforwardness, He was disliked by some
but these very attributes were liked by His Guru. When Bhagavan
was a buyer of the publication, His Guru had asked Him to sell the
publications to some people. But, Bhagavan saw that people were
not willing to buy the book and expressing their disrespect for it.
So Bhagavan clearly told His Guru that He Himself can become a
customer for this book but cannot make anyone else. Instead of
becoming angry, Pavitranandaji became happy with Bhagavan’s
honesty and never asked Him to sell books again. Another incident
took place when He was going to His Gurudeva initially.
Pavitranandaji had asked Bhagavan—”When is your next
promotion?” to which Bhagavan had replied—”I have not come
to you for promotion.” Is this not why, Pavitranandaji loved
Bhagavan among so many other disciples?” Those who seek Gurus
for worldly development should adopt Bhagavan’s
characterwhich would really be helpful for them. Although, this
was the time when Bhagavan was transferred from the Signaler’s
to the Wireless department due to His poor sight of vision. One
day, a businessman wished to send a telegram somewhere within
a short notice, so Bhagavan sent it as fast as possible. Becoming
happy, the businessman tried to bribe Bhagavan but He said—
”Keep the money with yourself. I don’t have such a habit.”
Now, Pavitrananda Maharaj told Bhagavan about the
transformation of the consciousness into the three attributes—
satya, rajas, tamas. The term, ‘vivarta’ means unreal
transformation. This world is the unreal transformation of the
Truth or Brahman. The dharma resides within the one bestowed
with it. The objects of names and forms sometimes exist,
sometimes don’t. So the names and fames of the one endowed
with the traits has the quality of being both, existent and non-
existent. Our body, mind, intellect, citta, ego—all have names and
forms hence they are sometimes existent, sometimes not. But if
the purified knowledge, Atman or consciousness becomes the
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subject, He is saved from the hands of non- existence. This is true
knowledge. There has never been ignorance in the Self-knowledge.
Pavitranandaji blessed Him saying that all His hurdles have been
removed. The ignorance or Avidya is like Yama (God of death).
The ignorance, like Yama, steals the immortality of man. Guru
Maharajji gave His foremost teaching to Bhagavan—”Leave
everything aside and try to seize the main subject.”
Whenever Bhagavan went to see Guru Maharajji, He just
stared at Him. He used to observe—what He was doing, saying,
Bhagavan watched the shifts of His mood and also His Guru
immersing into Samadhi. Observing His Guru, He understood that
in this mundane world, if there is anything worthy and beautiful
then it is—the Guru. Being established upon Truth, the existence
upon a state beyond this physical world, people do not receive
much opportunity of being a part or visualizing the divine play of
God, so the time He spent in ashram, He observed Pavitranandaji
without batting an eyelid and listened to His Guru’s teachings
with an engrossed mind. Pavitranandaji used to teach the high
ideals of Vedanta and always said, — “Keep listening. You might
not understand or might find no interest in this but keep hearing,
it will be of use later.”Bhagavan also couldn’t understand everything
His Guru said. But He understood that His Guru was positioned
high up at the zenith of the spiritual world. He heard the words of
Swamiji and aimed at understanding them at some point of life.
Some assertions of Swamiji really shook Him up. One of them
was—”How do I show myself to you?” Hearings His words at first,
Bhagavan used to think—we can see Guru Maharajji so why is He
saying this? Later He apprehended that in order to know this, He
would have to attain Samadhi. Another thing Swamiji used to say,
pointing at this chest—”See, I am breastfeeding you all”. Bhagavan
at first felt awkward while hearing this but later understood that
this is the demonstration that the Guru is His real mother. Guru
Maharajji was the complete manifestation of maternal love so He
was truly feeding the milk of love to His devotees. Just as Mother
Sarada used to say—”I am your real mother.” Three more
statements of Pavitranandaji had created tremors in the heart of
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Bhagavan—‘I am the totality’, ‘Whatever the Mother wishes will
happen and let it happen’ and ‘As Atman we are ever united and one.’
Pointing towards the anarchy, injustice and oppression of
the world, Pavitranandaji told Bhagavan that the nature has created
pressure upon the inhabitants of the world. Those who were
engaged in seeking material pleasures, were now wearied with
problems. The objective behind the advent of incarnates is to
force feed the medicine of dharma to people because the end of
division of sects and groups can reinstate the peaceful heaven-
like conditions. He said—‘Unless the nature exerts pressure, why
will you feel the need of calling your father (God)?’The spiritual
men proliferate their message peacefully but the way
incarnations work is different. That outer nature that people are
so engrossed with, the incarnations use that very illusive nature
to exert pressure on the world to compel man to turn to Truth.
Finally, a remarkable incident took place between Bhagavan
and Pavitranandaji which left a deep mark on Him. Bhagavan often
narrates this incident. The incident was—One day Bhagavan was
visiting Pavitranandaji. As usual, Swamiji made Him sit in the front.
That day, Pavitranandaji told a story to everyone. While ending
the story He said—”Hearing this, the child started crying with the
sound ‘pya’.” After narrating the story, Swamiji looked at
Bhagavan and said—”Now whatever I said, you tell it to others.”
Bhagavan narrated the story just like Swamiji had but at the last
line Bhagavan felt that when children’s cry, the sound appears to
be more like ‘uwaa’ rather than ‘pya’. To Bhagavan the sound
‘uwaa’ resembled the cries of a child more than the sound ‘pya’.
Apart from this, due to His experience as a successful actor, He
knew the proper choice and use of words. This is why Bhagavan
narrated the last line as—”Hearing this, the child started crying
with the sound ‘uwaa’.” After narrating the story when Bhagavan
looked at His Guru, He found that the smile had disappeared from
His Guru’s face which was now grim. Annoyed, Pavitranandaji
told Bhagavan— “Not ‘uwaa’, say ‘pya.’”
Hearing Guru Maharajji’s words, Bhagavan’s entire body
trembled. He was going to rectify the words of His Guru thinking
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it to be wrong! In the scriptures, the Guru is said to be ‘Brahma-
Vishnu- Mahesvara’. It has been said that even if my Guru visits a
liquor shop, He is my Guru, my master. To Him, trying to correct
the errors of the Guru is a big audacity. He was reminded of the
story that when someone crossed out the word ‘Vahamy aham’
from Gita, scratches were seen on the body of Krishna. Bhagavan
understood His mistake immediately. He understood—Guru is the
start, means and end of the spiritual path. The disciple has to
surrender everything at the feet of the Guru. We know the story
of Krishna and Arjuna going for a stroll when Krishna looking at a
direction said—‘Look friend! There are so many pigeons!” Arjuna
replied—”Yes friend, the pigeons are so beautiful.” The very next
moment Krishna said—‘No friend, those are not pigeons,’ and
immediately Arjuna replied—‘You are right my friend, those are
not pigeons.’ Arjuna was not flattering Krishna but it is the duty of
a disciple to accept and believe every word of the Guru as the
Truth. We also know about King Janaka who could not even
remove His feet for hours from the stirrup without the orders of
the Guru because He had surrendered His body and mind to Him.
That day, Guru Maharajji’s instruction, ‘say pya’ might have been
an ordinary incident but for Bhagavan it remained as the most
valuable lesson taught by His Guru. His proficiency, smartness,
sharp intellect, love for mankind, devotion for the Guru—if His
all- encompassing talents had given to the rise of ego within Him,
then the Vedantic sannyasi with His two words, had wiped
everything away. That day’s seemingly normal incident helped
Bhagavan made His spiritual path more advanced.
Gurumaharaji now told Bhagavan about the Adhishthan
(substratum) and Adhyastha (superimposition). Atman is the
substratum and Truth. The external and internal world imposed
on it is false. He reminded Bhagavan about the difference between
deep sleep and Samadhi by saying that the ego stays inactive in
deep sleep but activates when we are awake and binds us, hence
deep sleep contains the seeds of tamas because just like an entire
tree resides within a seed, the seeds of this material world resides
in the state of deep sleep. But, in Samadhi, the fire of Self- knowledge
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burns the seed of ignorance and since a burnt seed does not
produce a tree, after returning from Samadhi, an ignorant person
also becomes enlightened and realized. Pavitranandaji asked
Bhagavan to search for Truth and enjoy the bliss of searching. Finally,
with Self- realization, bliss and peace is received as pension.
Bhagavan’s practice continued. Delineation had taken Him
much closer to Truth. The truth was going to be revealed as the
Self within Bhagavan. Due to unceasing cogitation, a new method
was revealed within Bhagavan. Even His Guru Maharajji had not
taught Him about this but it arose within Him naturally. He
followed His own path of contemplation. After many years,
Bhagavan had seen in an Upanishad that this method was
mentioned there but like the revelation of the Truth within the
rishis mentioned in the Upanishads, this method of contemplation
had risen within Him. The procedure was—focusing upon the
source of the mind and thought. Following this method, His focus
upon the mind was taking Him deeper, the example of which can
be found in the pages of His diary dated 9th December, 1984—”I
saw the mind—which is a never-ending flow unconnected from
the body. This flow of mind is entering the body in different ways
and triggering various actions and reactions. It is as if the mind is
creating and destroying the body at its own free will. The one
who experienced this, what is its identity? Is this the purified
intellect or the pure consciousness?” The experiences written in
the pages of Bhagavan’s diary proves that He was taking resolute
steps and closing onto the attainment of the Self, the realization
of Brahman being just a matter of time. The new process of
contemplation discovered by Him was taking Him deeper within.
The revelation of the contemplative process made Bhagavan more
motivated thinking that—since the inner soul or Atman was
inducing the method of deliberation, in a fraction of a second, the
Atman itself would be revealed, after performing severities, the
enlightenment will come naturally from within which will take
Him towards the complete liberation, the liberation that is
attained by the Ultimate knowledge.

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(Fifty one)

Bhagavan’s social life continued monotonously. Going to

markets for groceries, office, tending to the garden—these
activities continued as before. The priority being the spiritual
path, Bhagavan’s life was not as outgoing as before. Preceding
this, a major portion of His life was occupied by the world of
theatre. But, with one hint from the Guru, He forsook the world of
theatre like the tattered clothes of a body. After having the vision
of Thakur Ramakrishna, Bhagavan had established the images of
Thakur-Maa Sarada and Swami Vivekananda in 1975 and till 1980,
they had celebrated the birth anniversaries of both Thakur and
Maa with great pomp and splendor, inviting people to receive the
Prasad or the offerings. Swami Vishakhanandaji and other monks
had stayed at His place. But now, He withdrew Himself from
celebrating birthdays, religious ceremonies and conducting other
dynamic activities. Moreover, the Assam Movement that
threatened the lives of Bengalis, had waned. Bhagavan had also
reduced His association and keeping in contact with His friends.
Due to these, He was able to obtain a lot of time for spiritual
practice. His uncle’s sons lived with Him, they were not
mischievous and stayed in their own world. Guruma was also
unlike any other housewives who would forbid their husbands
from practicing spirituality. Bhagavan’s wife, Guruma, was the
embodiment of knowledge. After she entered the life of Bhagavan,
His spiritual life had almost reached the peak of success. It was
Bhagavan’s in- laws who had introduced Pavitranandaji to
Bhagavan. Furthermore, whenever Guruma saw Bhagavan
practicing spirituality, instead of prohibiting Him, she helped Him.
As if, a divine connection was directing Bhagavan towards the
paramount achievement.
It was almost six years that Bhagavan had met Pavitranandaji
and received initiation from Him. But, Bhagavan had probably
been able to accompany the Guru for just a few months. Regardless
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of this, Pavitranandaji inspired His beloved disciple towards

attaining the Self- knowledge. Bhagavan was thinking why He
hadn’t attained supreme realization till then. Was He making a
mistake somewhere? Bhagavan knew Self- deliberation and self-
analysis is something He did all the time. He had requested the
Guru to bless Him for the realization of –‘The inseparable
Chaitanya resides through time and every place’. Pavitranandaji
had also given Him the last instruction- ‘Leave everything and
attain the Atman.’ He could understand that He had arrived on the
shores of the ocean of Brahman as He could hear the roars of the
waves with the waters splashing against a part of His body but
He was yet to immerse Himself in the ocean. Not only immersing,
He wanted to become one with the ocean of Brahman, He wanted
to submerge His false identity into the waters of the infinite and
become infinite Himself. But why hadn’t He attained it yet?
Immediately after the rise of this question, rose the answer in
His contemplative mind. He saw that the yearning He had before
having the vision of Thakur had subsided after seeing Him.
Moreover, before His association with Guru Maharajji, the longing
of Self- realization had inflicted a lot of pain in His heart. But
after seeking refuge under the Guru, even that had decreased but
no—He had no desire of returning back to the unreal world but
since He had a Guru, realization was inevitable—this was the
belief. Besides, being successful in every aspect, Bhagavan also
had the self- confidence that Self- realization—for which saints,
monks renounce their abode, go to the caves and practice for
years but only a rare few achieve it, He would be able to attain it
at His home. Bhagavan’s cast of mind was similar to some brilliant
students who go without studying the entire year but comes first
or second by studying just before the exams. Bhagavan never
considered Self- realization to be hard and unachievable.
Bhagavan, sitting for self- analysis after such a long time, observed
that He had not given the maximal effort for realization. Then
and there, Bhagavan decided that He would waste no more time
and leap straight into the profoundest realm of the realization of
Brahman through Samadhi.

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Apart from the states of dreaming, awakening and deep

slumber, aspirants experience one more state—Samadhi. In this
state, the Truth gets unfurled. This is why, the aspirants aim for
Samadhi. Under the nescience, the knowledge gets divided into
the knower- knowledge and knowable and the knower proceeds
to know the knowable through the knowledge. This is Maya. But
due to the Guru’s grace, thinking about the Self, leads to the
attainment of Samadhi. Samadhi is of three types—Bhav Samadhi,
Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa. In Bhav Samadhi we see the divine form
of God. Savikalpa Samadhi is attained when the Antah karana
immserses itself in the Atman which maintains a slight difference
among the knower- knowledge- knowable or the Triputi. In
Nirvikalpa Samadhi one immerses Himself without the projection
of the knower- knowledge – knowable in Atman. Due to the subtle
presence of triputi in Savikalpa Samadhi, there is no complete
eradication of ignorance but in the Nirviklpa Samadhi, the
ignorance is completely dissolved by the Self- knowledge. But
there are very rare people in this world who have attained
Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Those who has had some spiritual
experiences, either had visions of God or attained Savikalpa
Samadi. People who have attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi are also
rarely found among the forest and cave- dwellers. One or two
who have attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi have attained it after
continuous practice of Savikalpa Samadhi. Rare are they who have
directly attained the seventh plane of Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Those
who with their intense dispassion and subtle intellect, have achieved
self-realization, they are not called realized but they become one
with the Brahman. They remain established upon the Brahman. Even
if they have a human body, they become the Brahman.
Bhagavan had decided that without further delay, He would
attain Self- realization as soon as possible. He would completely
immerse Himself in sadhana. When these thoughts arose within
Bhagavan, it was the year 1985 and month was December.
Wishing to immerse Himself incessantly, He decided to make an
appeal in the office for a seven day casual leave from the 13 th of
December. The appeal was granted. So, from the dawn of the 13th,
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Bhagavan absorbed Himself entirely in spiritual practice. His

method of sadhana had emerged from the depths of His purified
mind which was keeping an uninterrupted focus upon the source
of the mind. Before the rise of a thought, it is only Atman that
remains, so if we are able to detect the source of the thought then
we can reach the Atman. The special feature of this form of
sadhana is that no one would understand what the person is doing
because this doesn’t require any outward show. Bhagavan used
to sit on a chair outside in the verandah. Everyone saw Him sitting
at looking ahead. No one could understand that Bhagavan did not
have outward vision but His mind was affixed on the inner source.
Bhagavan taking leave from office for practice and His
determination of attaining Self- knowledge was not known by
Guruma because Bhagavan used to keep His intentions and
feelings hidden from people. Bhagavan was eradicating every
thought that was making its way to the mind’s surface. During
that time, Padip Kumar Ray visited Bhagavan. Watching Him sitting
quietly, He asked—”What are you doing?” Bhagavan replied, “I
am trying to get rid of the flies.” Pradip Ray could not understand
that by flies, Bhagavan meant His thoughts.
The process of watching the origin of thoughts might appear
to be easy but it is not. All the other spiritual paths have an object,
for example in the path of devotion, we have God to whom we can
pray or love, in the path of Karma or actions, there is the gross
object call karma. Even in meditation, we have an object with
which we can connect the mind. But the path adopted by Bhagavan
had no object, it was the process of de-objectification, which is
very difficult. Controlling the mind is very challenging, which is
why we find the great warrior Arjuna, who was able to spot only
the eye of the wooden bird during His test on weaponry skill,
telling Krishna that attempting to control the mind is equal to
controlling air. While visualizing His mind, even Bhagavan had
written in His diary that the mind was an uninterrupted flow
unconnected with the body. The mind was entering the body and
instigating various actions according to its will. Indeed, a desire
arises and takes us far like a rocket and we are unable to understand

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it but when we try to suppress it, the mind flings us with great
power. Like the molten lava that gushes out of the inner lava
chambers of a volcanic mountain, there is an upsurge of thoughts
from the inner realms of the mind and to go against the currents
of this flow, one requires an unsurpassable spirit and fervid
disinclination for the world. Thus, the aspirants on the path of
deliberation belong to an unusual species. Nonetheless, Bhagavan
had neither day nor night, but the flow of arduous process
persisted.
This is how one and two days passed. Bhagavan’s focus was
rooted on the origin, twenty four hours a day. He was performing
all the household duties but His mind was secured on the spot.
Even while sleeping at night, Bhagavan kept His focus intact upon
the inner depths of the mind. The following day was the third day
of His practice. The third day’s morning passed. For the attainment
of that which has attracted saints and sages to renounce
everything and spend their days in caves throughout their lives,in
spiritual practice, among whom only few fulfill their objective,
but here we see, being a householder, maintaining a huge family,
taking sudden seven day leave from work with the determination
of knowing the Self—no one had showed such self- confidence
before let alone even think about it. Bhagavan’s determination
conveyed that the tree was in His garden. One can go to pluck
fruits anytime. We have heard about Thakur Ramakrishna, crying
His heart out and saying—”Mother appear before me!” Chaitanya
Deva was seen fervently uttering- “Ha Krishna! Ha Krishna!” Great
spiritual colossi have performed severities year after year, day
and night for the Ultimate Attainment, but from where did
Bhagavan gain such confidence of attaining the Absolute within a
span of seven days? Is realizing Brahman so easy?
It was the 15th of December and the night had descended.
Bhagavan finished His dinner and went to sleep. Bhagavan’s rail
quarter had only two rooms. Bhagavan’s cousin lived in the front
room so Bhagavan had to sleep with Guruma and Debjani in the
other room. Unbeknownst to others, Bhagavan kept His mind
secure upon the source of the mind. Within these days, the flow
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of thoughts had diminished. A thought is like a naughty child who

doesn’t stop when people try but instead becomes more
mischievous. He wants to keep all attention on him. But instead
of taking continual attempts of stopping Him, it is better to watch
Him silently which would after some time, make him lose interest
and compel him to calm down. Bhagavan followed the same
method for erasing His thoughts. As a result, with the consistent
lessening of thoughts, His mind had almost become vacant.
We have three faults or dosa in our chitta. The first is Mala
dosa. All the desires, pleasures that we seek and sins fall under
this type. Following the directives of the Guru unconditionally
helps us to get rid of this. Bhagavan was such a receptacle that
since childhood He never desired anything for Himself. He had
always worked unconditionally for the benefit of others
throughout His life. Having deep dispassion for the world, He
lacked desires of gratifications and seeking pleasures. So it can be
said that Bhagavan was not afflicted by this Mala dosha. The
second fault of the chitta is Vikshepa. The changing attraction of
the mind from one object to other, being ever perturbed is
vikshepa. Even if Bhagavan was insuppressible since childhood,
whatever He did, He did it attentively. So, His citta was not
vikshipta or not dominated by this fault. Besides, after coming
onto the spiritual path, meditation and rumination had made His
mind more engrossed. The third dosha is the avaranadosha or
imposition. Not knowing the Self is Avarana dosa, which can be
eliminated through Self- realization. Bhagavan’s chitta already
finds no presence of Mala and Vikshepa which are obstructive for
the path of Self- realization. The only thing left was Avarana. Prior
to knowing the Paramount Truth, Bhagavan’s chitta was already
free from these faults which we can also know from the 23rd letter
of Pavitranandaji, where He had written about the condition
Bhagavan’s mindwhile analyzing His dream—” If there is no
imaginary stick in the dream then how will you chase away the
tiger in the dream? Before the use of a real stick, the tiger in the
dream will escape in the state of awakening.” Therefore, to remove
the Ajnana avarana or the imposition of ignorance, Bhagavan
continued with the constant Self-deliberation.
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(Fifty two)

Oscar- winning director Satyajit Ray had directed a famous

movie—‘Nayak’. The main lead actor of that movie was Uttam
Kumar. In the movie, ‘Nayak’, Uttam Kumar had played the role of
a renowned, incontestable actor of Bengal. Being an aesthete,
Bhagavan had watched the movie. A dialogue of Uttam Kumar
from that movie was entrenched in Bhagavan’s mind. The dialogue
was probably—‘I want to go to the top, to the top and to the top!’
These words of Uttam Kumar were very relatable to Bhagavan.
This is exactly what He had in His heart. Whichever path He chose,
He chose to reach its summit. Now, that He was on the spiritual
path, He pined for the same—He would realize the Ultimate Truth,
He would realize it distinctly, He would realize it with clarity. He
would bring Brahmajnana or realization of Brahman within His
clutches.
During Self- contemplation, on the 9th of December, Bhagavan
saw His mind as an unceasing flow of thoughts unrelated to the
body that sometimes entering the body was setting it in motion.
Bhagavan had felt that the mind was creating and disintegrating
the body according to its will. He also had question regarding the
perceptor —was it the purified intellect or purified knowledge?
Later, Bhagavan had understood that mind creates the feelings of
the body. In reality, mind is the creator of this imaginary world.
The one who has felt this has undergone some purification of His
mind but not entirely because still the mind and its creations,
that is the body, beings and the world, is visible. In fact, the Truth
is beyond the mind, a state which has not yet been felt. Once this
is felt, the purified intellect becomes the purified knowledge.
Finally, the pivotal moment drew near. He was not aware of
the time. Sleeping beside Guruma and Debjani in His rail quarter,
Bhagavan had kept steady focus on His mind. He was trying to
seize the moment of the thoughts’ genesis. Bhagavan kept His

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unremitting watch over the mind and the mind found no escape,
all its trickeries and deceptions were being caught red- handed by
Bhagavan. The mind is like a thief who lies in wait with the desire
of stealing the jewels of a palace. But if the guards are constantly
kept on cautious watch then the thief will be compelled to return
in despair. The king’s palace becomes secure. When there is no
thief, the guards become needless for the importance of the guards
depend upon the presence of the thief. There is no need of police
in the absence of thieves so the guards take their leave. Only the
palace remains standing with its inestimable riches. Similarly, the
undivided Brahmakar ajnanavritti eradicates the ajnanavritti or
the ignorant tendencies of mind and itself dissolves, with the only
existence of Brahman.
Finally the epoch- making moment arrived—the moment
which transforms the confined, limited, destructible individual
into the infinite, birthless-deathless existence of Truth, which is
craved by the saints, sages, monks and aspirants, who renounce
the pleasures of the world, and perform relentless austerities in
the caves or caverns for years on end. Knowing which, you know
everything; attaining which, you attain everything. The attainment
that brings accomplishment in life, fulfills the purpose of human
birth and fills life right upto the brim. The attainment which fulfills
man, make them proclaim boldly like the saints and sages—
“vedaham etam . purusam
. .
mahantam adityavarnam. .
tamasah. parastat
tam eva viditvati mrtyum
. eti
nanyah. pantha vidyate yanaya”
which implies—“I know the great Purusha, who is luminous,
like the sun and beyond darkness. Only by knowing Him does one
pass over death; there is no other way to the Supreme Goal.”
Finally, the earnestly desired Paramount Truth was revealed unto
Bhagavan, Bhagavan’s heart was engulfed by the knowledge of
the supreme Self, His life was endued with blessings and

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gratefulness. 1984, 15 th December—it was the day of Mother
Sarada’s lunar birth anniversary and a Saturday, the day of the
week when Bhagavan was born. On the day He was born, He
discovered a new life beyond birth. On the 15 th of December,
amidst the dark night, descended within Bhagavan, the effulgence
of thousands suns—Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
It is not possible to determine the exact time when Bhagavan
entered into the state of Samadhi. So, it is also not possible to
know how long He remained in that state. It is not even required
because the scriptures mention that realization occurs within a
blink of an eye. The mind immersing in Brahman for a split second
transforms the entire life. As Thakur has said—a room steeped in
darkness for thousands and thousands of years is illumined at
once by lighting a single matchstick. It does not happen little by
little. The thing to be analyzed is the profoundness of state
achieved by the aspirant. The time someone spent in Samadhi is
not important because there is no trace of time in Brahman. Time
is illusion, Brahman is beyond Maya hence beyond time as well.
After relishing the nectarean essence of Brahman, when He
descended from the state and the world got reflected, He wrote
His experience in His diary—”Continuously watching the mind—
it suddenly disappeared with the body. That which remained was
only pure feelings—the witness consciousness. It felt ecstatic.
After some time, returning to the planeof the mind, the words of
Thakur became clear to me—‘When a tadpole loses its tail, the
toad can live both on land and in water.’”
Water spurts out while digging the soil. The deeper you dig,
clearer the water gets. Similarly, the depths of spiritual realisation
is conveyed from one’s words. From the words written in the
diary, one can apprehend the depth of Bhagavan’s realisation of
Brahman. Let us have a look at His sadhana first—it is evident
that His process was to keep watch on the mind as the seer.
Secondly, when He kept watch on the mind, it vanished along
with the body. Previously He had written in His diary that the
mind was an uninterrupted flow.But, the mind was existent then.
The thing He experienced on the 15th, He saw—He had neither
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the body nor mind. The mind informs us about the existence of
the body. So, without the presence of mind there is no body. This
time, Bhagavan went beyond the boundaries of mind. He felt the
state beyond the mind, He saw that in the absence of mind remains
the feeling itself, the consciousness itself—this pure experience
or knowledge has no object, the absence of the knowable leaves
behind the seer or reflector or the witness consciousness or
knowledge. Bhagavan had become one with this realisation. There
is nothing but the existence of the und ivided, elixir of
consciousness nor any unfulfillment. In that illimitable, infinite
existence, there is no context of imagination of duality. That where
there is no imagination of duality is Nirvikalpa. ‘That which
remained was only pure feelings—the witness consciousness’—
this feeling of Bhagavan exhibits that in that state there is no
reflection of seer- seen- sight or knower- knowable- knowledge
in the form of triputi—this is Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Then, when the
mind descended from the state beyond the three attributes to the
plane of satvaguna, He felt blissful. The Self that our antahkarana
searches forits realisation immediately leads to the emergence of
bliss. This ecstasy proves that the aspirant has achieved direct
Self- realisation. After the state of euphoria, when the mind further
descends, the aspirant grasps the Supreme knowledge that was
revealed in the state of direct realisation. This knowledge was
revealed to Bhagavan in the form of Thakur Ramakrishna’s
quotation—‘When a tadpole loses its tail, the toad can live both on
land and in water.’ Here the tadpole refers to finite beings and the
toad refers to the realised ones. The tadpole and the toad are the
same, the difference just lies in the tail and similarly, the tail of
nescience degrades people from the Brahman to finite beings. The
tadpole only lives in the water and so do the people who live in
this world sheathed by ignorance. Just as a toad can live both on
land and on water, when the tail of ignorance is shed off forever,
the realised can consistently live on the land of Samadhi. They
can also live together with everyone in the physical world. The
words of Thakur that came within Bhagavan depicts that

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Bhagavan’s tail of ignorance has shed off, He has become Self-
realised.
Under God’s grace, the world was able to witness the creation
of a divine play which was unlike anything else. Leading the life
of a householder with wife and child, facing death in the terrifying
Assam Movement, accompanying the Guru for a few days and
taking His letters as the only means; It was not just a vision of
God, Savikalpa Samadhi, nor the attainment of Nirvikalpa Samadhi
by means of repeated practice of Savikalpa Samadhi but He had
directly reached the seventh plane of consciousness, with a young
and pretty wife beside Him on bed— searching through the pages
of history of the spiritual world of every age and place, it is highly
improbable that a more miraculous and astonishing thing like this
has ever occurred before. One realization was enough for the
indivisible Self-knowledge to eliminate the ignorance and immerse
itself into the Supreme Brahman. Mundaka
. . Upanishad states—‘sa
yo ha vai tat paraman brahma veda brahmaivabhavati’, meaning,
He who knows that highest Brahman becomes the Brahman.
Reaching the seventh plane of consciousness also known as turiya,
‘Brahmavidvarishtha’ or the greatest knower of Brahman,
Bhagavan, eternally became the Brahman itself.
In this state, the body of the realised is preserved by the
Almighty. Just like the doll of salt who dissolves into the ocean in
an attempt to measure it, it one no longer has its own existence.
He no longer has the capability of returning after his individual
ego melts and dissolves into the ocean of Brahman. It is
theSupreme God who, giving an iota of the sense of ‘I’ within the
realised one, helps him to return into the world comprised of the
three gunas.
. This ‘I’ is not the apparent ‘I’. Just as a receptacle is
required to contain the knowledge, similarly his ‘I’ contains the
knowledge. Like the sunrays which receive no hindrance in
permeating through the air during autumn, the ‘I’ of the realised
one remains illuminated by the sun of Self- knowledge, never gets
concealed. After this realisation, Bhagavan’s ‘I’ came to be
established as the Supreme Brahman without attributes, form,

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perturbance, limit, beginning, finiteness, anything second but one,

birth and death. The way a thin chunk of ice, with water inside
and outside, floats and melts in the water, Bhagavan’s ‘I’ gained a
similar steadfastness.
In such a state, how He managed His daily life, how He did His
day to day work like going to shops, markets and office will be
discussed later in due course. But, this should be known that it
was God who made Him do it, Bhagavan had no knowledge about
anything. Apart from this, initially, if there is no coming down
from the pinnacle of realisation, if there is no slight reflection of
duality, if there is no reflection of the ‘I’, then it is not possible to
comprehend if I have realised the Truth because there is no
existence of the knower. After few days passed, when the ‘I’
infused within by the Almighty gained stability, Bhagavan was
able to apprehend that something had happened with Him. But
He didn’t understand what it was. It is similar to a patient who is
made unconscious, operated upon for the removal of an organ
for when the patient comes back to his senses, he fails to feel the
absence of one of his organs but recalls suddenly. So, Bhagavan
could feel that something had happened to Him. During this period,
He had even received a letter from Pavitranandaji where Maharaj
had written—‘He who is formless also has a form.’ The one who
has the stability or dynamicity has to be known. After this,
Bhagavan decided that instead of telling His Guru directly about
His experience, He would ask Him some questions related to it
and see for Himself. He had no one except His Guru in this world
for asking questions related to His experience. This is why,
Bhagavan wrote a letter to Pavitranandaji, who had just got
dismissed from the P.G hospital in Kolkata. Amidst this,
Pavitranandaji wrote to Bhagavan—at first, the happiness felt in
the state of awakening is not the feeling of the Self because the ‘I
does not remain as the purified ‘I’ but assumes the form of bliss.
Secondly, the toad signifies the purified, unruffled, omnipresent
Chaitanya and the tadpole signifies the ego or ahamkara. . When
the suffix ‘kara’ is attached to the aham, . it becomes ahamkara.
. A

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realised man is always stabilised on the Self in all conditions,
without separation. Thirdly, when one trespasses His own
limitedness and gets identified with the all- pervading
consciousness, it is the direct apprehension of Brahman. Fourthly,
in the direct perception of the Self of every other objects, the
realised one’s all grasping condition is love. Fifthly, the aspirant
is aware of the direct perception of the Self because—‘One whose
heart knows, knows.’ The one who gets, understands. The absolute
merciful Guru wrote the answers to the questions of Bhagavan.
His Guru’s letter erased every doubt He had regarding His
realisation of the Self. Immediately after receiving His letter,
Bhagavan wrote a letter to His life, His all, Guru Maharajji. The
last letter that He wrote to Swami Pavitranandaji is being given
below:
Dear father,
27/2/1985
I have received your letter. Due to your grace, I have felt
each and every word of the letter which has erased all my
doubts. From now on, I am only yours. You can do whatever
you want with me. It is because of your blessing that a feeling
is rising within me—Oh! Is this even possible? Is this even
possible?
I am sending 40 rupees, let me know once you receive it.
I wish to visit you in Purulia at the end of April or the 1st or
2nd of May, the rest are in your hands. How is your health?
The more I am thinking about you, the more astonishing it
is—
Oh! This is Guru! This is Guru!
My thousand salutations to you,
Only yours,
Sajal.
Every word in this beautiful letter written to Pavitranandaji,
rests upon the Supreme knowledge. Bhagavan has written—‘Due
to your grace, each and every word of the letter has become clear
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to me.’ He wasn’t able to write—‘I have experienced’, which would

have reflected the presence of the apparent ‘I’. This statement
proves that every ounce of ignorance Bhagavan had, was
eradicated in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. He stated more clearly—‘It has
erased all my doubts,’ then the Upanishad’s assertion can be
recalled—
“vidyate hrdaya granthis chidyante sarva-samsayah”
.
. .
implying, that the heart is pierced by the knowledge which
clears every doubt. The consciousness has no past or future. With
realisation, the language used for communicating the experience
would be the same, irrespective of if the disciple lives in the age
of the Upanishads or the current age of computers and robots.
‘From now on, I am only yours. You can do whatever you want
with me’—this sentence proves that the summation of ignorance
has been uprooted within Bhagavan and He was now just a tool
in the hands of the Almighty and Guru. His ‘I’ of the consciousness
had become the puppet in the Guru’s hands. ‘It is because of your
blessing that a feeling is rising within me—Oh! Is this even
possible? Is this even possible?’—these words can also be found
in Sankaracharya’s ‘Viveka Cudamani’
. . where the disciples
exclaims after realising the Self—‘Kin Mahadadbhutam’, meaning
‘Oh! How astounding this is!’ Next Bhagavan wrote—‘Oh! This is
Guru! This is Guru!’ Sankaracharya
. has written—‘Among the
honest and wisest ones, you are the greatest oh, Gurudeva. I bow
down to you again and again!’ After realisation, only the Guru
comes in mind and thinking about Guru, the disciple gets
astonished. This is why, after realisation, the disciple is truly able
to recognize the Guru and become aware of His contributions
which makes the disciple grateful and convert him into a puppet
of His hands.
Receiving the letter of Bhagavan dated the 27th of February,
Guru Maharajji’s was overjoyed. He called all His devotees in
Purulia and told them—”Listen! Everyone listen! Sajal has attained
the highest realisation.” Hearing about the realisation of someone
living far away from Purulia in Guwahati, everyone was shocked.
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When the news spread till Janai ashram, there were stares of
disbelief because everyone had seen Bhagavan entering the
ashram premises with His sisters-in-law in a frolicsome manner.
No one knew that He had become so serious within. Most of the
people did not believe this including some of the initiated disciples
of Pavitranandaji. The news of Bhagavan’s attainment had raised
a storm in the hearts of people. But, Swamiji’s eyes were welled
up with tears of joy. On the very first day, He was able to recognize
Him which is why in the first letter He had said that He expected
sure success from Him. His disciple had entirely fulfilled His
expectations. His disciple had freed Him from the binds of
responsibility by attaining the Self-knowledge. Pavitranandaji was
in a very poor health at that time, with no surety of survival. The
disciple’s success is the Guru’s success, the son’s success is also
the father’s success. Pavitranandaji had even gained success as a
Guru because the Ultimate knowledge of Non- dualism that He
had contained in Him, had been transmitted into His most
deserving disciple. He no longer cared about His survival because
that day He had also received the taste of liberation. Pavitranandaji
immediately sat down with a pen and paper in hand, from His
hands He composed which was the most priceless letter for
Bhagavan, for the last time, the 53rd letter:-
Refuge in the feet of Ramakrishna Purulia, 13.3.85
Most affectionate one,
More than my life,
Receiving your letter dated 27.2.85, my eyes were filled
with tears, as I came to know you have attained the highest
spiritual realisation. Whenever my remembrance centres
around you, my heart gets filled with ecstatic joy. I am
thinking of the causeless benignancy of Sri Thakur and Sri
Maa. I have no credit. They have manipulated everything. In
this world the skilled, householders, devotees of Sri
Ramakrishna, Maa Sarada and Vivekananda Sangha has a
special role to play in all happenings. Their only aim was
not creating male and female monks. But they wanted to make

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perfect human beings. Our humanistic nature and His

revelation—this is the clarity of the Truth of Truths . That
which is the sun is also the ray. Whatever is knowledge, is
also the manifestation of knowledge.
First leaving the stairs, one reaches the roof. Touching
the roof, one understands that the stairs and roof are built
with the same material. With the same reasoning, it can be
explicated that to an aspirant, the mind, citta and body
everything is transformed to be Pure consciousness. This
explains he engages himself for the benefit of others. The
living embod ied soul lives for others hold ing on to
compassion. At this stage, he is not an impassive realised
one, neither a hollow nor a fanatic devotee. Then what
happens? The convergence of knowledge and love occurs with
the realisation of the ‘I’ or Atman . The spiritually awakened
one is a devotee, again the highest devotee is enlightened.
Doctor said that I have to undergo long-time treatment.
Whatever Sri Maa wishes will happen. You are coming by
train which reaches this place at 9.50 at night. Let me know
the exact date.
With blessings,
Baba
Bhagavan had brought tears of joy in the eyes of a stern
Vedantic Guru, which marks His success as a disciple. At one time,
hearing the disciple shedding tears for Him, Pavitranandaji had
used harsh words for Bhagavan, but it was the same person
shedding tears for His disciple! As a disciple, what can be greater
than this? Even the way Pavitranandaji address Bhagavan in His
previous letters, changed. His Guru addressing Him as—‘‘Most
affectionate one, More than my life’, was the greatest achievement
of Bhagavan. The condemnation, slander and defamation from the
entire world faded with the words of His Guru. Pavitranandaji
also ind icated towards the special responsibility that a
householder devotee holds for the world. That responsibility will

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struggles. He had never neglected life but loved its diversity. Thus,
in His social life, from the young age of twelve, along with earning
money, He had taken the responsibilities from His father’s
shoulder, making rotis at four in the morning; starting from welfare
affairs, till working, giving tutoring lessons, taking care of
everyone, facing death amidst the Assam movement it was Him
instilling fearlessness within people, Becoming the shelter of trust
for people, directing plays, teaching acting and forming a new
group of girls and boys, in political life, sacrificing Himself for
the cause of the people, finally His spiritual life, bringing the
highest knowledge of Ajatavada, under His grip—His life was
colourful, with so many aspects. Also, being the school captain,
games captain, the General secretary of the club, the cultural
secretary of cultural programs, a librarian in library, the director
and the main actor of the theatre world, the famous leader of the
trade union, He was the president of the developmental committee,
the best devotee of His Guru, — everywhere has He been the
leader and guide. In every sphere of life, He had discharged His
responsibilities properly. He was the best son, best elder brother,
best brother-in-law, best husband, best father, best son-in-law,
best neighbour and finally the best disciple of the Guru, highly
realised with boundless love—in every facet, He was immaculate.
Everywhere was He surrounded by greatness. Everywhere, being
the greatest, but again— ever detached, ever dispassionate, in
every sphere of life, Bhagavan was—a hundred out of hundred.
Again has the absolute knowledge- greatest potent- greatest
lover- highly detached, great worker acquiring the form of a
human descended amidst the heart of the world. According to His
own sweet will is He unfurling the thousand petalled lotus,
revealing each and every face of this world. For most of the
aspirants, the Absolute realisation indicated the end of their lives
but you will see that for Bhagavan, it is just the beginning of the
main chapter. The spiritual people have paths sailing upstream
which run opposite to that of the common people. For Bhagavan,
it was indeed a meandering path, stretching in the opposite
direction from others as He has never followed the established
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tradition of the spiritual path. His life was a life in which He had
accepted all, not nruliffying anything. Through His life He had
attained Truth and become the Truth. Whichever path He treaded
upon, became the path of Truth. The path Bhagavan has paved
will have every people walking on it without fear, without having
the fear of having to renounce anything. This path will be taken
by the ones neglected, exploited, so- called low castes; on this path
will walk– the society’s Higher class, young, women, foreigners,
neighbours, children and aged. This path will be adopted by the
householders, monks and people from different faiths without
having to giving up their own faiths. Bhagavan has created a path,
to the highest liberation and reaching the Truth by embracing
life. See, Bhagavan is walking on the paths of knowledge-love-
actions-devotion- liberation by removing the obstructions from
the path. Oh the civilised ones, let us march upon this great path
and euphorically follow the footsteps of the greatest man of all
times, try to become just likejust like Him. Jai Bhagavan! Let us
surrender at your holy feet!

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