NAVRATH (6)

There is a big pond in the eastern side which was very beneficial for the people for different purposes. The embankment and steps are made pucca. The cleaning of the pond was done every year by the government. The water was pure. Since, the gathering time was June, July; hence very hot and people always took bath and cleaned their bodies and mouth. On the southern bank of the pond, there is a large well of about 7.0 meter diameter. The water was used for drinking purpose. There was fixed place for every village and platforms were made for seating purpose. To locate a village and a person was very easier. Persons were having lists of grown-up youths of villages. Eager guardians of marriageable girls contacted the parents of youths and settled the marriages. The youths came there and sat on the platform with their guardians. They wore red dhotis (lower garment) and kurtas and paags (Maithils’ turbans). Seeing red dhotis, people at once knew about the candidates ready for marriage. The interviews of such candidates were taken and people chose suitable candidates for their marriageable daughters. There was no custom to see or have interviews of girls. Boys’ side only enquired about the girls from their old relatives of the village or of the locality. What a great respect to the women! No girl was left unmarried. Sometimes poor youths had to pay money to the girls’ guardians. Great importance was paid to the kul (dynasty), gotra and mool (the classification according to the culture of the dynasties, done by Darbhanga Maharaj). Getting advantage of the custom, not to see the girls; some un-matching marriages were done. Some people started to see the girls on sacred places like temples and places of pilgrimage. Loop-holes of this were also sought and beautiful other girls were started to be shown in place of the originals.
Gathering in Sauraath (Sauraath Sabha) was started far earlier. In starting, due to curiosity, people gathered with full enthusiasm, but Hon’ble L.N.Mishra did a lot to develop it. His younger Hon’ble Jagannath Mishra also took too much interest for its development. Water supply, electric supply and transportation facility by introducing more busses to Sauraath on the occasion were given. Inns, cottages, tents to stay and restaurants for food were made. Doctors and medical facilities with medicines were 24 hours available. Sugar, kerosene oil, beaten paddy, rice, pulse, mustard oil, fine flour, sujjee, cothes and other essential food stuffs for marriage purpose were made available on subsidized rates. I can say this time as the golden period of Sauraath Sabha.------------------------- contd.

HAM BHEE AGAR BACHCHE HOTE (WERE WE CHILDREN)

To-day is Baal-Divas (Children’s-Day). It is celebrated every year on 14th November on the birth-day of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. It is because Pt. Nehru loved children too much. We call him Chaachaa-Nehru.
Gyaanies (realized soul) are like children. The ultimate knowledge is also the same. When I remove all garbage filled in my mind from this physical world, I reach to my Self. Children live in present. They quarrel with their friends. When they again meet, they have no malices of the past. They start to play as if they never quarreled in the past. Children are tension free. Gyanies are also tension free. We worldly people weave spider nets and are trapped in them. Again, we become busy and vexed to come out from the net. Realized persons do not involve in these spider-netting and so they have no anxieties to come out from it. Ramkrishna Paramhans was just like a child, having pure heart and pure mind which had only love and no enemity. We all should have a soft heart and pure mind like children.------ Happy children's day.

NAVRATH JEE (5)

Seeing the rudeness of modern incivilized wives and more inclination of modern youths towards wives’ mothers’ side, Navrath decided not to marry. Whenever his parents conversed about this mater, he refused to talk. All the youths of the village of his age group got married. So many guardians of grownup girls approached for him also but he never nodded his head. One day, his sister sat on fast-unto-death to make his brother agree for marriage. Navrath could bear everything but he could not see tears in his sister’s eyes. Lastly, he bowed down and accepted to marry. He wore red dhoti and white kurta and started to Sauraath-Sabhaa.
Sauraath is a village in Madhubani district in Bihar. It is at a distance of 5km in the north- east of Madhubani town on Madhubani-Pokhrauni (a village on Darbhanga-Jaynagar NH) road. On the main road, there is a big orchard where Maithil Brahmans gather to settle the marriage of their sons and daughters. Now a day, it is quite defunct. A few persons reach to contact the panjikars (the persons who verify the dynasties of the boy and the girl so that no blood of the two families may match and who register their marriage) for registration (siddhant) of the marriages. There was time when approximately one lac people reached in sabha gaachhee. There was a proverb that when the number of persons reached one lac, the leaves of the oldest pipal tree faded. -------------- contd.

NAVRATH JEE (4)

My hero Navrath is very special. He is exceptional brother. He is an ideal example of brother’s love to once sister. We generally see that before marriage a man is brother, son, nephew and other relatives of paternal side. But after marriage, relation towards paternal side declines and wife’s side inclines. Sometimes, when lower background youth comes in contact with higher people, he totally breaks relation from paternal side and completely becomes jack of wife’s side. He forgets the sacrifices of paternal side persons. He fails to recall how his parents managed money for his studies, keeping themselves half fed or remaining total hungry. He overlooks the sister’s loss, how she left her all comforts and served her dear brother. He never wants to remember his brother’s sacrifice; even being more intelligent than him he left his studies for his dearest brother’s study. He forgets how his brother started a job to help and to continue his younger’s study from his salary. He totally forgets the ptri-rin (father’s debt) to make his sisters’ hands yellow and to tame and educate the younger brothers. He gets rid of all these liabilities in a moment and believes in enjoying the riches.

NAVRATH JEE (3)

It was summer time and schools were closed for long days’ vacation. Gurujee had gone home, Dhamiyaanpattee, his village to enjoy the holidays. Dhamiyaapattee is about 3 KM west to Jaynagar, in Madhubani district. The total shortest distance from Karmauli to dhamiyaanpattee for pedestrians will be about 20 KM. One day in a very fine morning, Gurujee was sitting on his dalan (an outside sitting and resting place, especially for outsiders) studying some books. He saw Navrath jee coming. That was the time when we treated guests as gods. “Atithi devo bhav- guests are like gods.” Now a day, we hide behind the door seeing a guest and inform him about our absence. The guests return from our door. Those days many unknown guests used to stay on our doors. Who does not know Haribodhjee. He was famous to welcome guests. It was well known that anybody could stay there have meal. Whenever I crossed the way before his house, found some guests staying there.
Gurujee stood and welcomed Navrathjee. Navrathjee was served water to wash hands and feet. Gurujee offered breakfast, tea and betel. He took him to the nearby pond to take bath. Soap and oil were offered. Delicious lunch of so many vegetables, pickles, sweets, curd and sugar were offered. Navrathjee took betel and requested to return back. At the time of departure, Gurujee humbly enquired about the visit. Navrathjee Bowed his head and whispered, ‘Gurujee, I had come to get the dues money of 2 paise on you’. Gurujee went inside and gave the money to Navrathjee. He returned back to karmauli.
People take interest in telling this story. But, I think this a joke. It may be possible that he might be coming from some nearby village and might have wanted to meet gurujee and at the time of returning he might have told about the dues. To travel the up and down journey of 40 KM on foot for mere 2 paisa is not a wise step. The matured person like Navrathjee could not take such type of foolish decision.------------ contd.

NAVRATH JEE (2)

My hero Navrath is an ideal brother and the rarest of all. He is an ordinary farmer. He is alone brother and has only one sister. His parents died when he was mere fifteen and his sister was of eleven year old. He left his studies and started farming. He also started a road side shop where he kept all daily usage items. Tea, betel, nut, biscuit and breakfast items were available there. The village breakfast items beaten rice, curd and sugar were always available. The beaten rice and curd was so special that people passing through the road could not pass the shop without taking the taste of the items. His tea and betel were so special that persons came there from long distance to enjoy them. Suppose, a man is coming from Basopatti. He is crossing so many markets in the way. He has great urge to take tea and betel in the way. But, the eagerness to enjoy Navrath shop forces him to postpone stopping in the mid-way and he is bound to come directly to Karmauli Navrath shop. Navrath jee is never in hurry mood. He prepares the tea and betel in his own style. At least five minutes in betel and ten minutes in tea is must. I never saw him angry. In my child hood I purchased bataashaa and sakarpaalaa (both items are prepared from sugar) several times. Some of my seniors stole items from the soap so many times. Some items were kept in the outside verandah and some in the room. The naughty boys ordered for the item which was in the room. When he went inside, the boy stole something from outside verandah. Whether he knew it or not, but some boys had regular practice. I think, he knew it but never rebuked them. Sometimes, in the absence of those naughty fellows, he expressed abusive comments about them and their dynasty. The shop was near the Sanskrit Vidyaalay and primary school. Teachers of both schools often took breakfast of beaten rice, curd and sugar at the shop. Gurujee (Pandit Jay Madhav Thakur, Headmaster of Sanskrit Vidyaalay) regularly took breakfast from the shop. Someone brought it from the shop for Gurujee. He was paying for it on monthly basis. Navrath took the money without fail. He was writing the daily account of all those persons, who paid on monthly basis. Some naughty boys had also monthly account. But, getting opportunity, they used to tear away the pages and got rid of paying. There is a very interesting story about Navrath jee and Gurujee which shall be told in the next blog. ------contd.

NAVRATH JEE (1)

I have seen people bowing before their other halves. They are compromising to pass their lives. They are not enjoying rather eating the time anyhow. Sometimes, wife is of lower land and sometimes husband is of lower land. The stronger makes the counterpart to bow. But, most of the time husbands yield. When wife becomes obstinate, she conquers. When both are from upper land, they enjoy blissful life. If both belong to lower land, life becomes hell and sometimes the result is very dreadful to the extent to the departure of one or both from the world itself. In the case of varying level, compromising is the only way.
I don’t understand whether decision taken by most of my friends to break relations with their parents, brothers, sisters and other relatives of parents’ side and to become slave of counterparts and their relatives, is matured or not. But, one thing is clear that he has not done his prime duty towards his parents’ side, and for which he shall be punished in the heaven and in his future birth.
"Bhoomergareeyasee maata, swargaat uchchatarah pitaa". One cannot pay back the debt of the parents. Can anyone repay the nine months nourishing in the womb. Can you tell the price of mother’s milk? Can anybody evaluate the pain of the mother at the time of giving birth of a child? Can I refund the father’s loan? Father wants to be the winner of the universe; but he only wants to be defeated by his son. He prays and tries his best to pour all qualities to his children. I am remembering my own days when my children were studying. I was always anxious about my kids’ education. Whenever I passed near any educational institution, I thought about their education in the campus. Similarly duty towards sisters and brothers is also called paternal debt (pitri rin). ------------ In the next blog.

COBRA (SNAKE)

COBRA (SNAKE)
‘Upadeso hee moorkhaanaan prakopaay na shaantaye. Payahpaanan bhujangaanaan kewalan vishvardhanam’. To preach a fool does not give him peace rather increases his anger. If you feed milk to a snake, its poison increases more. I was allotted a building where I started to reside. So many creatures lived in the house with me. Among them there were three cobras also. A situation came when they were ordered to leave the house. Two of them willingly left. Senior most did not leave. He came to me and prayed to allow him to stay. Taking mercy, I allowed him to live till further order. That was a blunder decision. People search points to kick out this type of creature. But, person like me has so many diseases like simplicity, laziness, kindness, anxieties and harmlessness. When the message of harmlessness spreads, people will not value you. The more the power to sting, the more value is given. When Narad,s cobra bit and killed persons, people left to go on that route. Narad preached it not to bite and it left biting. The persons walking by threw stones and wounded it. In the returning journey, Narad saw the wounded cobra and asked about his condition. The snake told about his preaching and it’s behaving saintly. Narad uttered that he had forbidden biting, not hissing. This is true for every person. If you have no nuisance value, your value is zero. The cobra bit me very silently. I didn’t know anything and continued behaving as usual.
A time came when I was ordered to leave the house. The house was allotted to another person. The new person did the first thing that he kicked the cobra out. Now, he spent his time peacefully.
The poison of the snake is still in my body and always reminds me about the cobra type man. There is a proverb- ‘When you see a cobra and a cobra type person, first kill the cobra type person and then cobra’. I have seen and experienced the proverb. --------------------- Ohm Namo Ramanaay.