Gracious Gurudeva: Memories of Maharaj Sripad ji

Gracious Gurudev

(Memories of Maharaj Sripad ji)
Late Prof. N. M. Sazanovoy

Talking about spiritual teachers and gurus are always difficult. Until the end of my life, I will be grateful to my fate for arranging a meeting with a mystic saint Sripad ji Maharaj in India. It happened in 1968 in Agra, where I was at internship at K. M. Institute, Agra University. I studied medieval language Braj to understand the creative writings of Mahtama Surdas, a great 16th century Indian saint-poet who was visually challenged from his birth. My job led me to the director Dr. Mata Prasad Gupta of K M Institute. I spent much time in a section of the institute, which had collections of photocopies of manuscripts of the writings of the saint-poet. However, the most recognized forms of these manuscripts were available only in the private collections of the Maharaja of Jaipur and in the temple of Sri Nath ji, Nathdwara (Near Udaipur) both situated in the state of Rajasthan. As these manuscripts are revered and rare, access to the same was limited only to a small number of trusted persons.

In Agra, I was staying in Imperial Hotel, built in the Victorian style, where I had a huge room with a very tall ceiling but a small window. After returning from the university, I usually preferred to work using my personal table and chair in hotel’s overgrown lawn having palm trees and flowers. Occasionally, my Indian friends from the university also visited me in the lawn. One afternoon, Mr. K. visited and asked me if I knew the meaning of Mahatma and would like to meet a one. I was surprised with the question, but replied that I know and I would very much like to see an Indian Mahatma. Mr. K. said smilingly that your desire was fulfilled instantaneously. Our Sripad Baba ji, a great Mahatma, has expressed his desire to have meeting with you. I was overjoyed to know this and enquired when and where it may occur. "Now and here in the lawn” said Mr. K. As soon as Mr. K finished his sentence, the Mahatma- a young man of medium height, with long curly hair, wearing a yellow dhoti- arrived in the lawn. Mr. K. prostrated at the feet of Mahatma, sprinkling the dust of his feet on his head. I stood up embarrassingly and bowed in the usual manner of greeting. Mahatma smiled. Then, I looked at his eyes. They were unusually large and brown with a frown, penetrating into the very heart of mine. I understood that Mahatma could see through me. Therefore, it was useless to hide anything from him and to be hypocritical. By gesture he ordered someone to bring another chair for himself and sat down smilingly in the lotus posture. Chief and all the servants of the hotel prostrated at his feet and ran to receive his orders. After prostrations, they stood at a distance and looked at him with indescribable awe. Sripad ji told me in Hindi that I read your interview in a local newspaper, The Hindustan Times where you were in a conversation with a well-known journalist Haridatta Sharma.[1] It seems that you mainly desire to follow the footsteps of Surdas and want to peruse the manuscript of "Sursagar”[2] at the earliest.

I confirmed adding that it is even difficult for me to understand bhakti (devotional) poems of Surdas about Sri Krishna, which inspired my camping here. Sripad ji paused and asked what I know of bhakti - the religion of love. I then knew little about bhakti. However, I knew that it is useless to engage in medieval Indian literature without knowing the bhakti. Sripad ji Maharaj said that Haridatta Sharma you have acquired too many qualifications and titles. But, Russsian Radha (Krishna's beloved) wants to learn bhakti. Sripad ji asked me “Are you ready for bhakti”? I rose from the chair and answered in affirmative. Well then follow me now for a tour and replace your western clothes with a sari. In the confusion, I said, I do not know how to put on a saree, nor do I have one. "No problem it is easy and fixable” said Mahatma. In the meantime, collect all your belongings from the hotel”. Looking into the eyes of Sripad ji, I realized that I would go anywhere with Mahatma and requested Mr. K. to inform Dr. Mataprasad Gupta everything. I had no idea at that moment that how my embassy would react to my extraordinary act.

I collected dictionaries and books from the room hurriedly and at the same time was very afraid that everything was happening like a mirage. I was led through the hotel lawn to a car parked at the gate, in which I was seated in the front seat along with Sripad ji next to the driver. Five persons were accommodated in the back seat of which I knew Mr. K. and graduate student R. Nobody told me about our destination. On my question about where we were going, Sripad ji only smiled. How did I then explain to myself? All races say that you cannot ask questions to a mahatma himself; if he thinks fit he will explain. The Indian etiquette should therefore not be curious, particularly in a relationship with a well respected overshadowing Mahatma.[3] We stopped at two-storey mansion in a locality of Agra where we were offered snacks upstairs on the roof, which often replaces Indian home living. There, we waited for the home owners who, with the extraordinary reverence, greeted Sripad ji and me. All of us sat down on mats on the floor, where we were offered lovely meals. Sripad ji was served first, but he ate little. Sripad ji made it sure that I was given satwik khana i.e. food without pepper and hot spices. After eating, we rinsed our mouth and washed our hands according to the Indian custom. Thereafter, we sat down again on the roof on mats. 



Sripad ji picked up a big bundle kept there from which he picked up a lovely antique miniature image of Sri Krishna. Showing Him, he explained to me that this particular image of Sri Krishna was called Srinath ji which was sacred to the sect of "Pushti” marg (tradition). Saint Surdas also belonged to  Pushti” marg and was one of the eight main poets of the sect. Such miniatures are now drawn in Nathdwara at Hare Krishna center of miniature art.[4] While all were admiring Sri Nath ji, the deity of Nathdwara, the landlord brought a camera and photographed our congregation on the roof of the house with the permission of Sripada ji. Thereafter, everyone left for resting. I was left in the company of Mrs. Shanta Khandelval- a beautiful stately woman with huge black eyes and a friendly smile. Mrs Shanta immediately became my choicest friend and remained since then a closest one in my life. She helped me put on a sari brought with her. She facilitated my comfortable stay and conversations with others. No matter wherever I traveled, pretty Shanta has always been next to me. It turned out that among those present at the dinner one of the men was her husband, Banarsidas Khandelval, a businessman owning a shop of modern sanitary equipment in Agra. Khandelval family, with their children and relatives, followed the sect of "Pushti Marg" in which Surdas is revered as one of its eight great saint poets. In the Samaj (congregations of singers) in Krishna temples dedicated to "Pushti” marg, singing of padas (lyrics) of the saint Surdas are sung with music routinely and regularly. Shanta too adored Surdas and sang his padas, while playing tanpura- an important musical instrument.

By evening, we again started our travel. An hour later when it got dark and night sky was lit with bright stars and the moon, the car reached to a forest clearing on the bank of Yamuna River. The place was called Gaughat situated at Runakta village where saint Surdas met his mentor Swami Vallabhacharya and used compose and sing his poetries.[5] The place looked wiled, only an old abandoned water well testified that some people once inhabited it. At the direction of Sripad Maharaja ji we carefully spread mats on the ground and sat down to listen Shanta’s beautiful singing of the poetries of Surdas. My knowledge of the Vraj language in which the poetry of Surdas is written was meager, but I could distinctly hear the final strokes concluding each hymn: "Surdas sang." Time slipped by unnoticed. Sripad ji went into deep meditation. Coming out from it, he advised everybody to take rest or go for sleep. Most of the people began to settle down to sleep in the car itself and some near to the car on the ground. I was struck by the ability of Indians to sleep anywhere and in any position. Because I was extremely sensitive and lacked habit of sleeping on the ground, that too under the open sky, I rejected a proposal to sleep in the jam-packed car. Instead, I resolutely sat on the ground to enjoy the full moon view.

I was told that nobody had ever seen Sripad ji sleeping. But, he could meditate at any hour of day or night, at any place and under any circumstance. Noticing me sitting lonely with my head raised to the sky, Sripad ji called me saying "if want to meditate, you can do it now? I replied “I do not know how to mediate, although I theoretically know what it is." Sripad ji, judging by my voice in dark, said: "Sit down next to me. Look at the moon, concentrate on and chant the name of Krishna." I followed his instructions in toto. I suddenly felt an aura of light behind me which was surely not the moon light. Gradually light globules filled the space between the ground and the sky. At the same time, I felt weightlessness, as if law of gravity was broken, launching me into the shining sky. On the one hand, there was a growing desire in me to fly in the shining sky, on the other, a voice inside me whispered, "But you cannot return." Sanity had reached its limit; I was scared and said to myself, "I must come back to earth; I am not ready to go to the shining stars". This idea immediately materialized in action. I came back from this experience of Nela galaxy. Distant sky was still strewn with bright stars and the moon but magic light disappeared. I stirred stretching my legs which got stiffed due to sitting for a long duration in the unaccustomed sitting posture. I looked at Sripad ji sitting next to me; he shuddered as if he was slowly recovering from the meditation. In the moonlight, his appeared fine. He said "you did not trust me and were afraid to enter into the domain of divine light; you need to know that I could always bring you back to the earth." Subsequently, many Bhaktas enquired me about this esoteric experience and were jealous of his favours to me. I must admit that I was not disposed to yoga practices. Somehow I am convinced with the writings in the olden Indian books of respected Maharishis that women should not practice rajyoga, leading to the state of samadhi (trance). Particularly, hath yoga never attracted me. In spite of this, Sripad ji Maharaj tried several times to attach me to yogic meditation. He granted me devotional meditation later after noticing my indifference and lackluster efforts towards yoga meditation.

It was in Agra as well as in the wild forest that I heard for the first time the live singing performances of the verses (padas) of the poems of Surdas being sung in the tradition of the "Pushti Marg." In the future, during my more serious engagement with Krishna bhakti and creative writings of Surdas, Sripad ji repeatedly sent me to various live programmes where I listen to the beautiful lyrics of Suradas in the Samaj singing style. Later, I too learned to sing many of my favourite padas of "Sursagar".  After spending whole night in the wild forest, we started next morning for ​​a detour to various places associated with saint Surdas. Sripad ji told everyone to enter into a hut called surkuti wherein he gave me flowers for laying to the images of Krishna, Surdas and his teacher Vallabhacarya. Each one of us, except me, sang a pad of Surdas glorifying Krishna. It was evident that they sang from the heart their favorite and familiar verses. Shanta began to teach me how to sing the pads of surdas and play tanpura. Thereafter, we all went to bathe in the Jumna. After bathing, we proceed to a famous lake, through the forest thicket. Since time immemorial, this place is considered sacred. Bringing me to lakeside, Sripad ji showed me the tree that Krishna used for jumping into the lake. At that moment, I was astonished to clearly see in the body of the tree boy Krishna figuring. When I reported this to Sripad ji, he laughed. When I narrated this incident to Shanta and Gopal, they unanimously declared that Sripad ji granted me a "darshan" (vision) of Sri Krishna and felt terribly jealous of me.

On another occasion, while taking bath in Chandra Sarovar, a pond at Parasauli- the place where saint surdas performed his sadhana. I lost my amber necklace and was a little upset. When this news spread, the people gathered around the pond to try to find out my necklace. However, they could not succeed. Suddenly, a five year old little boy with curly hair ran up to me and handed over the necklace. I tried to hug the boy in feeling of love and gratitude, but he ducked away and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. Shanta and other bhaktas froze in amazemen and began to say: "It's been very Krishna! You're greatly blessed to receive his favour with His darshan”. Of course, this is all due to the grace of Sri Maharaj ji Pad. Permeated with this consciousness, I offered my thanks to the altar of Shri Krishna at a temple. I must say that Sripad ji granted me repeatedly such experiences and "darshan". Gopal Pandey and other bhaktas confidently told me several times that since Sripad ji is an avatar of Shri Krishna, he can do wonders. However, such experiences are given only to those who seek to realize God through bhakti. I soon realized that without an understanding of bhakti one cannot understand the creative writings of Surdas. There are many important books in Sanskrit (e.g. Narad Bhakti Sutra) and Tamil (Tamil Prabandhas), but all require knowledge of these languages. Surdas is accepted in the first place as a great devotional poet, therefore, it is absolutely necessary to immerse in the world of bhakti to understand and follow his writings. Without this, in my view, any study or research on the writings of Surdas would be reduced to the "Europeanized formalized scheme" by which one cannot appreciate and understand the creativity of Surdas. I must say that Sripad ji Maharaj helped me tremendously and inducted me into Bhakti by granting several personal and spiritual experiences.

Sripad ji Maharaj was also a "learned" mahatma, who read and collected manuscripts on bhakti literature in Braj, Awadhi and Sanskrit languages and had great interest in Indian classical music. No wonder he founded "Vraja Academy” during the mid 1970s for the promotion of Vraj culture and bhakti. Thanks to Sripad ji, I was now better equipped to capture the spiritual essence in the poetic writings of Saint Poets of Vraja. Soon I together with Sripad ji boarded into a bus with pilgrims of Rajasthan. First of all, I wanted to peruse, the famous manuscript of Sursagar. However, I became acquainted with a number of medieval manuscripts containing the padas of Surdas. In addition to a rare opportunity to see the manuscripts in the temple libraries of Rajasthan including Sri Nathdwara I also met the Maharaja of Jaipur. Later, I also visited Vrindavan and other places of Vraj region including Parasouli, the sadhana sthali of Surdas. Rare manuscript of Surdas is a collection of pads on the life Krishna in Braja which are sung and performed by the artists and even visitors in Radhe-Krishna temples in Rajasthan. Well versed in reading of these manuscripts Sripad ji helped me not only in reading these manuscripts but more importantly to understand the content and esoteric meanings of these verses. 

Sripad ji was not only well versed with the bhakti tradition of the olden days, but also had keen interest in all modern achievements of civilization. Therefore, "Vraj Academy" was one of the first institutions in Vraj region to acquire a computer. Sripad ji very quickly mastered all kinds of computer related wisdom. In his direction, Vraja Academy extensively used computer for preparing materials for organizing its conferences and seminars at Vrindavan. Vraja Academy also has a large collection of rare manuscripts, books, miniatures and artifacts of medieval bhakti period. In my later visits to Vraja Academy, I was pleasantly surprised to watch Swami ji at the computer or phone or reading English newspapers. Imagine a typical Indian Sanyasi in a loincloth with long hairs upto waist holding up an antique white phone. However, all the movements of Sripada ji were so natural that it fitted into any environment, whether Himalayan Cave, the presidential palace, a peasant hut or a palace of the king. Sripad ji’s eyes, shaded by thick, curved lashes were full of light sparkle. He had wonderful thin, flexible fingers of a musician! He even taught me how carefully one should unroll a manuscript. He instructed me not to breathe directly on such a sacred manuscript as the breathing could "desecrate" it. Once in the temple of "Banke Bihari", a goswami (the priest) in the presence of Sripad ji showed me the glass jar with the vials of liquid perfumes meant for the service of Shri Krishna. I leaned over and began sniffing one of viles. Pujari grabbed the bottle out of my hands, uttering something in annoyance. Sripad ji explained to me that I had profaned the perfume by inhaling through my breath. Now this cannot be used for the purposes of puja and for decoration (sringar) of Shri Krishna. He took from Pujari the dinky little bottle with a dark brown oily liquid and gave it to me for the service of my Krishna idol at home. On another occasion, Sripad ji gave me a bronze idol of Gopal Krishna (baby Krishna) with butter in his right hand, along with the items needed for his decoration - his clothing, jewelry and a collection of perfume bottles. Later in 1974, I was presented with bronze idols of Krishna and Radha along with skillfully made silk and brocade skirts, saris, blouses, dhoti, scarves, blankets colored beads, gold thread, pearls, hats, and crowns for decorations of the idols. Once Sripad ji maharaja explained to me that sringara or decoration of the deity Krishna in the temple combined with his adoration, arati with lights and singing kirtan increases the intensity of bhakti. That is why the most famous Krishna temple in Vrindavan, such as "Banke Bihari" and "Radha Vallabha" decorate the deities and perform araties and offer tasty foods to them several times in a day. This is also called astyam seva (eight times service) to God including "Mangala Arati", "Dhup Arati", "Sringara Arati", "Rajbhoga Arati", "Sandhya Arati”, "Bhoga Arati" at dinner time and last "Shayan Arati" when Shri Krishna is laid to sleep at around 9 PM.

Sripad ji had no permanent place of residence and regular times for meeting people. He used to disappear or appear suddenly whenever and wherever he wanted it to be necessary. Thus, no one could tell exactly where he was and when he could be seen. Sripad ji Maharaj more often chose to visit the temple of "Banke Bihari" at the time of "sringar arati”. I remember that many Bhaktas (devotees), including those from afar, came to the temple of "Bank Bihari" looking for Sripad ji but not all succeeded in seeing him. Sometimes some people were fortunate to catch him searching his tracks. I remember one of the cases of such "disappearances". Bhakti Group comprising five people, including Shyam and me, was traveling together with Sripad ji in the foothills of the Himalayas. At some point of time, however, Sripad ji disappeared. Several hours passed but no one of us could find him. We began to panic as none of us had any idea where we were. Adults with honorable positions in society suddenly became helpless children. I too decided to look for Sripad ji. Knowing his habit of hiding in the most uncomfortable places for a man, I suggested that we should look for Sripad ji in nearby thorny bushes. However, I did not find anyone there. I told Shyam that, as per Bhagavata Puran, Shri Krishna disappeared even from his beloved gopis in the forest. Shyama corrected me saying that Sri Krishna went “antardhyana" i.e. He assumed the state of non-survival or un-manifestation. I recalled that once Sripad ji told me that Bhagavan can be in the state of non-survival or manifestation or Nirguna or Saguna. Sri Krishna - manifested as saguna (with qualities and form) but his everlasting state is nirguna (without form and qualities). In the meanwhile Shyama while photographing me found Sripad ji sitting in meditation under a large tree in the bushes. I still have that photograph. Ready to leave, I looked back and saw just a scratch away Sripada ji sitting in meditation. Shyama, frozen in amazement, automatically pulled the trigger. At the same time, Sripad ji straightened and stood up. I exclaimed "This is You Gurudeva, not a mirage, but a while ago you were not there”. All of us have been looking for you. Nobody knew what to do, where to go. Sripad ji grinned and replied that he was sitting in meditation among these bushes under the tree, but you could not see me. As your appearance and photographing distracted me, therefore, I broke my meditation. Bowing her head low Shyama begged forgiveness with folded hand from Gurudeva for photographing him without his consent. "I know, dear Gurudeva, without your consent we cannot do anything! But, kindly leave the testimony of your antardhyana imprinted on the pictures.” I said joining Shyam’s requests. Sripad ji agreed. Thus, I have two significant pictures of that event. In on one of them in the bush under the tree no one is visible, in the other one Sripad ji visibly exist. I still cherish the memory of this photographic event.




(Source: Photographs and Excerpts from a translation of an essay published in Aryavarta Herald, 2008 (10) in Russian language by Late Prof. N. M. Sazanovoy)

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[1] It was revealed to me later that Sripad ji visited the home of Shri Banarsidas and Smt. Shanta Khandelwal before my first meeting with him and showed them the Haridatt Sharma’s newspaper article with my prominent portrait and a title "Russian Radha". After reading the article, Sripad ji expressed his desire for a meeting with me which was arranged with the help of professors of Agra University.

[2] A major book of poems of Saint Surdas.

[3] Sripad Maharaj ji by that time was widely known as a mahatma and mystic saint in Agra, Delhi, Prayag (Allahabad), Varanasi (Benares), Haridwar, several places in Rajasthan and North and Central India. After Sripad ji’s pilgrimage to South India in the early 1970s, he was also known to various people and places in South India. Ten years after the first meeting with Sripad in Agra, we were again together in Hyderabad at the invitation of Hon’ble Chenna Reddy, then Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

[4] Thanks to liberal gifts of Sripad ji, I have now several collections of similar miniatures.

[5] Many years later Dr. Srivastava created "Memorial Society of Surdas" at Runkta in honor of the poet, Shri Surdas.