Jagannath Das Babaji's Samadhi
As we entered Jagannath Das Babaji's samadhi we met with a mystical environment. A crowded and small bhajan area was resounding with indistinguishable sounds. Inevitably these were songs in praise of Krishna and Radha. From the sound of it, I felt intuitively that these songs were about some very secret and profound pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.
After taking darshan of the Deities there, we felt quite as if we were intruding in the private get together of some rasik devotees, so we quietly shuffled out of the area. Flanking this area was a tiny room. In the room not more than four people could fit at a time. So there was some furor over hurrying up and outsiders had no clue what was inside the room. Inside the room was Jagannath Das Babaji's son. He was old beyond imagination. He must have been over 110 years. He was moving his lips with great difficulty, obviously to chant the mahamantra, but there was no audible sound emanating from his lips.
I saw him, felt very ashamed at shouting outside the room for people to hurry out. I sat down on the floor next to him, there was no privacy here, the poor vaishnava was almost blind and chanting, and people around were yelling as if to cause him to be annoyed, but they were unsuccessful. The old man did not turn to look in any direction, and simply kept chanting. I hesitantly offered a note of money to the man close by who asked me to place it in the babji's hand. I then put the note in his shaking fingers, feeling wretched at treating a pure devotee like a beggar, and touched the soles of his toes and put my hands on my forehead. Wanting to take more darshana I tried sitting there without making a sound, hurt by the yelling going on there. Then I moved out, thinking in my mind about how much love it requires to chant ceaselessly even in this condition.
I went away feeling disgusted with our Indian tendency to make the most of everything, even at the cost of the peace and quiet of others.
After taking darshan of the Deities there, we felt quite as if we were intruding in the private get together of some rasik devotees, so we quietly shuffled out of the area. Flanking this area was a tiny room. In the room not more than four people could fit at a time. So there was some furor over hurrying up and outsiders had no clue what was inside the room. Inside the room was Jagannath Das Babaji's son. He was old beyond imagination. He must have been over 110 years. He was moving his lips with great difficulty, obviously to chant the mahamantra, but there was no audible sound emanating from his lips.
I saw him, felt very ashamed at shouting outside the room for people to hurry out. I sat down on the floor next to him, there was no privacy here, the poor vaishnava was almost blind and chanting, and people around were yelling as if to cause him to be annoyed, but they were unsuccessful. The old man did not turn to look in any direction, and simply kept chanting. I hesitantly offered a note of money to the man close by who asked me to place it in the babji's hand. I then put the note in his shaking fingers, feeling wretched at treating a pure devotee like a beggar, and touched the soles of his toes and put my hands on my forehead. Wanting to take more darshana I tried sitting there without making a sound, hurt by the yelling going on there. Then I moved out, thinking in my mind about how much love it requires to chant ceaselessly even in this condition.
I went away feeling disgusted with our Indian tendency to make the most of everything, even at the cost of the peace and quiet of others.
posted by Lotus at 5/24/2007 06:22:00 AM
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