Sketch of the Life of Pavhari baba-Summary
Swami V Complete Works,
Vol 4, pg 282-295
Childhood:
- Brahmin family in Guzi, Varanasi
- Raised by Uncle, Naishtik Brahmacharin, celebate, Ramanujacharya sect of Vairagis (Advaita, Yogis, Vairagis, Panthis).
- Banks of ganga, house + property,
- baba adopted as inheritor.
- diligent student of Vyakarana + Nyaya + theology (Sri sect)
- Jolly and naughty
- Aptitude for languages
- Uncle passed away – The turning point
Unknown youth and travels:
- Thirst for knowledge
- Young Brahmacharin travels most probably the sacred places of the 4 corners of India; a necessity for almost all renouncers.
- Picks up Dravidian + old Bengali of Vaishnavs of Sri Chaitanya order
- Mount Girnar in Kathiawar (Initiated into practical Yoga). (Famous for Buddhist stupas, Jains and Avadhut Guru Dattatreya).
- His Guru, a Sannyasin lived in a hole dug on high banks of Ganges.
- Why Cave? -even temperature and away from sound.
- He studied Advaitism in Varanasi under a Sannyasin then.
- His friends went into the world of small thought and eternal toil but He had gone beyond this world of trouble and materialism.
His Life in Ashram
- After years of travel, study and discipline, he came back to Gazhipur.
- His childhood friends noticed the awe-inspiring change. He was instinctively respected and no questions were asked.
- He had a cave dug out in the ground like in Varanasi and hours of meditation followed into it.
- Then, All day toiled in his ashram
- Worshipped his beloved Ramachandra
- Excellent cook.
- Fed dinner to all.
- Served until night until all slept
- Swam across ganga and carried spiritual practices on the other shore the whole night.
- Came back early to wake others and start life of Ashram all over again “worshipping others”
- His diet was attenuated till it came down to a handful of “nimba leaves” or few pods of peppers.
- Then he gave up crossing the ganges and took more n more to his cave.
- Became absorbed into his cave and nonone knew how he sustained…
- Called Pavhari baba = Pavan-ahari Baba .. “air-eater” father.
- Gave a bhandara to a large number of sadhus after a long time of meditation.
- When not in mediation, he would be in a living room above the mouth of his cave, meeting with devotees but not directly
- Fame spread.
- Silent love and gentleness conveyed to the ppl around, surrounding villages spoke of the wonderful influence.
- He stopped showing himself to anyone.
- He wd speak thru closed door.
- His above ground presence was noted by the smoke of the sacrificial fire or the noise of getting things ready for worship. A few potatoes and a little butter were placed behind the door of his room. Sometime in the night, when he was not in Samadhi and was above ground, it was taken. When underground even these were not required.
- Appearance: Tall, rather fleshy, had one eye, looked younger for his age.
- Very sweet voice.
- >10yrs behind the gaze of mankind.
Teachings:
- Taught though his life not thru words… Indian ideal of teaching.
- Q1: Why he did not come out of the cave to help the world?
- A1: Do you think physical help is the only help possible? Is it not that one mind can help other minds even without the activity of the body?
- Q2: why he, a great Yogi shd perform Karma, like worship of Raghunathji?
- A2: Cannot one perform Karma for others?
- Thief story: Once a fortunate thief entered the ashram dead at night to steal the meagre possesion. Some sound during the activity woke up Baba and the thoef fled leaving the bundle behind upon accosting Baba's presence. Baba ran with the bundle and finally after a few miles chase, caught up with the thief. Baba begged his forgiveness with claspsed hands: "Oh Rama, please forgive me for intruding upon your work. Please accept your belongings. they are rightfully Yours." and made the thief accept his loot and returned contented. During his wandering days, SwamiV came across a very exalted sadhu in the Himalayas, and upon enquiry was revealed that this was the same thief whose life got turned around exact opposite upon the chance meeting with baba.
- Dog Story: Once a dog stole one of the chappatis. baba ran after the mongrel with butter in hand saying: "Oh Rama, the bread is hard, please let me butter it to soften!"
- Cobra: messenger from beloved
- All physical illnesses: messengers from the beloved. He cdnt bear them called any other way.
- Entire absorption in his task, however trivial. Same attention in cleaning a copper pot as to the worship of Sri Raghunath.
- Example of: “The means should be loved and cared for as if it were the end.”
- Teachings: “Oh King, The lord is the wealth of those who have nothing – yes of those who have thrown away all desires of possession even that of one’s own soul.
- Nature: extreme gentleness, humility and love
- Silent life, an example of purity, humility and love.
-
The End:
- One day the smoke smelled of burnt flesh and ppl cd not guess what was happening. When the smell was overpowering and the smoke rose up in volumes, they broke open the door to find:
- The great Yogi had offered himself as the last oblation to the sacrificial fire, and very soon only a heap of ash remained.
- Why? – possible answer, he must have known his end had come and not wishing to trouble others even after death, performed this last sacrifice of Arya in full possession of body and mind.
- SV owes a deep debt of gratitude to the departed
saint and dedicated his unworthy prose,
to the memory of one of the greatest Masters
whom he loved and served.
Pavhari baba in Swamiji’s eyes:
- Greater the work, greater must be the power of realization behind.
- Great impulses are great concentrations transformed.
- Buddha’s humongous task required years of self-searching.
- Yet a more unselfish and untiring worker is beyond our imagination; and that Is PBaba.
- Civilization is taking this animal-man out of his sense-life.
- Growth of man –
o Amount of pure thought he can sustain
o Amount of time he can spend at that height
- Man must raise himself to the height of Cause-Life to enjoy its beauties
- It is the Knowledge “by knowing which everything is known” n blessed be the land that styled it..SV
- The Power of Ideal is in the pratical; Through the practical, the ideal is brought down to our sense perception.
- The man who manifests the ideal in his life is more powerful than legions.
- BG Lord Krishna.. midst of activity inactivity and vice versa is he the Yogi.
- Religion: intense search after and realization of truth in this very life. They want to see truth face to face now and here; not waiting for death.
- Such was Pbaba, a man of humility and intense self-realization.
- A yogi who would melt in love; would gladly give his left arm when right arm was attacked by a hungry animal. A Yogi who may live his entire life in a cave away from all eyes and think a few pure lofty thoughts which remain for centuries until its time to put into practise by some incarnations. This is the fourth class of people above the incarnations whom mankind does not know about.
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