We had a nice bath in the hot water spring in the Badrinath
Temple. Gopiji and Raghavji wanted to do some puja for their
ancestors. After the puja, we had darshan of the Lord. We
got some bhog prasad of the Lord. We had lunch at the Chatram.
We wanted to visit some mahatmas in the areas. Gopiji had a
list of such people. We could locate a great saint. His name
was Taatambari Baba. He wore only a jute gunny bag. He spoke
in a charming rustic Hindi. He called us "kapadevaalon".
Here is a gist of our conversation with him.
Hari Sharanam Maharaj: Babaji, we have come to see you by your
grace.
Babaji: You have come here by the effect of your prarabda. So
it is by the grace of your karma that you have come here. It
is really your grace.
HS: Babaji, give us a message.
B: If I tell you what I want to tell, you wont follow. What
is the use?
HS: It is ok. Please tell us what you want to tell. We will try.
B: Stay here.
HS: What do you mean?
B: What you seek in the world is a place to live, clothes to
wear and food to eat. I will give you all these at this place.
Just stay here and do nothing. Which of you is ready for this?
HS: How is that possible? What about our prarabda? Where we
stay and what we do is directed by the prarabda.
B: A jnani can do what he wishes. He does not have any karma.
All karma gets burnt away in the jnanaagni. A jnani is free.
HS: But we are not jnanis.
B: That is in your hands. You are just not willing to break
away. That is the problem.
Raghavji: But Babaji, we are grihastas. We have family, job
and other duties and responsibilities. Who will take care of
them?
B: See. Everyone's life goes according to their prarabda.
Just because you decide to stay here, their life will not
become anything different from what their prarabda is. Just
because you decide to stay with your family, their life will
not become anything different from what their prarabda is.
You really dont make any difference to anyone.
(Great silence prevails in the minds of the devotees.)
R: But Babaji, being in the midst of family and other
responsibilities, how should we lead our life?
B: Live like a sannyasi. Be unattached. Know that everyone's
life happens according to their prarabda and you really dont
make any difference to anyone's life.
(Silence again.)
B: Did you have darshan of Sri Badrinathji?
HS: Yes, Babaji.
B: Did you close your eyes and ask God anything?
HS: Yes, Babaji.
B: What did you ask?
HS: I asked for Bhakti.
B: Why should He give you Bhakti? Do you want Him or does
He wants you? Who are you to Him? Why should He give you
Bhakti because you asked for it?
HS: Then what should we ask, Babaji?
B: Why should you ask anything at all? Just go, have darshan,
feel happy and come back. Why should you ask something?
(Silence.)
HS: We will take leave Babaji.
(HS tries to take the rug being used to sit on by the devotees
and fold them away.)
B: Hey, no, no. You are a Sant. Why should you do that? I
will take care of it.
HS: No Babaji. You are a Sant. We are ordinary people.
B: No. You are a renunciate. You are a Sant.
(The other devotees take the rug from HS and complete the job.)
We were so enchanted and amused by the dialog with Taatambari Baba
that we were recollecting and discussing his words again and again
throughout the rest of the pilgrimage. We were trying to imitate
his unimitable rustic Hindi and other mannerisms. Hari Sharanam
Maharaj decided to visit him again during another trip to Badrinath
when he had more time to spend with Babaji.
In the early evening, we visited the village of Mana in our van.
At Mana, we visited Ganesh Guha and Vyasa Guha. This was the
place where Mahabharata was written. The good natured priests in
both the caves explained tirelessly to the pilgrims the history
of these caves and made us feel edified and happy. There were a
lot of pilgrims visiting these places and everyone felt very
happy with these priests and donated happily and generously. Oh,
how different were these noble priests from those at the temples
we have visited before.
These caves are on the banks of river Sarasvati, which is said
to vanish into the ground shortly downstream and reappears at
Prayag (Allahabad). The river forces its way violently through
a narrow gorge and tumbles down a steep fall. It was a nice
scene to watch. There were some boys taking the risk of collecting
some water from the top of the fall for a few rupees. There is
a natural bridge called Bhim Ful (Bhima's bridge) over which
we had to cross to reach the Sarasvati temple. A short distance
further on the path is a small temple of Tripurasundari. We
paid a visit to the temple too.
All along the way, there were villagers selling woollen ware
made by themselves at their home.
On the way back, we met an old woman who was doing some farming
on a patch of land overlooked by a huge steep cliff. It was
an enchanting sight to see the puny little figure of the old
lady tottering before the majestic mountain. It was impossible
to say who was greater - Nature or Man. Nature and man seemed
to be made for each other, as long as they respected each other.
It reminded us of the verses in the Gita where Krishna tells
Arjuna - "You offer to the Devas in sacrifice and the Devas will
reward you in plenty. Thus you support each other and live
prosperously."
We came to know that the old lady had trekked to Swargarohan,
Gomukh, etc several times. We bowed down to her and she blessed
us with motherly affection. We wondered at the simplicity and
cordiality of these people.
We spent the night at the Chatram at Badrinath.
Day 12 - 15 June 2006
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