I read this rather unusual tale in Chapter 9 of "The Saints of Bengal" (1995) by Dr O.B.L. Kapoor. This is a fascinating work of hagiography which deals with prominent figures in the Gaudiya Vaisnava Tradition (of which the Hare Krsna movement is a recent offshoot). This particular story concerns the activities of another sadhu who was immense, both in frame and spirituality - Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev. It is the story of a lady, whom he brought back to life at the cremation ground of Nimtala Ghat on the banks of the Ganges in old Calcutta and, as Kapoor states, this was witnessed by a crowd of thousands of people. Sri Radharaman Charan was bathing in the river along with a number of disciples when he saw the lady's corpse being brought to the cremation ground. He said to himself, "Ah! The lady is going without hearing the Name of the Lord. Poor thing! She will have to suffer the unending cycle of birth and death." He then told his disciples to ask the funeral attendands not to burn the corpse. Sri Radharaman Charan requested that they bring it down from the pyre and when this was done he sat near its feet holding its big toes in both of his hands. He then began to chant "Bhaja Nitai Gaura Radhe Shyam, Japa Hare Krishna Hare Ram," a crowd gathered and joined him in this chanting for half an hour. Then suddenly Sri Radharaman Charan cried "Jai Nitai!" and pulled the lady's toes with a jerk. She opened her eyes and looked around in bewilderment. The lady gestured to her relatives and was given some milk to drink. The news spread around Calcutta like wildfire and crowds of people began to pour in from all directions. After about an hour and a half, Sri Radharaman Charan let go of the lady's toes. She then ceased to breathe, closed her eyes and died.
Bone Idle
4 comments:
Another favorite of mine from "The Life of Love" is Radharaman Charan Das Dev's driving the plague out of Kolkata - at the end Cholera Personified even makes an appearance.
Dear Bisakha Devi,
Yes, and what about the dancing tree and the festival of dogs? I wonder if the incident with the plague is the same one that is mentioned on p6 (Vol 1) of Satsvarup's Lilamrta - if so, the anonymous old babaji would be Sri Radharaman Charan Das Dev. Satsvarup mentions that the date was 1900 - I've just flicked through both Kapoor and Chatterjee's "Life of Love" but cannot find a date to confirm this. I guess that if it is the same incident, it would have been expedient for Satsvarup to place a shroud of anonymity over the old babaji, especially as he states that they were chanting the mahamantra and not "Bhaja Nitai Gaura etc".
Do you have a view on this?
Bone Idle
Radharaman Charan Das Dev is my Grand Guru and the dates are 1853 - 1905. All the miraculous stories were suppressed by the Genuine Ones for they wished to show the Power of the Holy Name which is the same in Potency if Not greater than the Naami ie Krishna. He is not even in the wiki but see those who have to know they know. He danced his way to Puri, His Disciple Ram Das Babaji Maharaj sang beautiful Suchak Kirtanas and His Disciple and My Guru Namacharya Baya Baba was Silently establishing Akhanda Nama Peethas without Name or Fame. The one who gets, hides and the one who does not get prints like me :)
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