TROUBLES PERSIST AS LONG AS BODY EXISTS

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TROUBLES PERSIST AS LONG AS BODY EXISTS

(This is in continuation to previous article NAMA JAPA IS FIRST STEP

IN UPASANI BABA’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY posted on 21-07-2003)

All Kasinath Upansani Maharaj’s muscles were rigid except those of his right

hand, and with this he could reach and pick up the collected water, and he

drank up as much as he could. This restored some degree of vigour in him, and

he massaged his rigid body. He began again dreaming and he had a vision which

was as follows: "A Hindu and a Muslim standing by his side pulled off his

entire skin disclosing thereby his divinely bright body within him. Pointing to

that body they said, ‘Why do you wish to die? We will not let you die! We are

behind you’ and they vanished". He then ventured like a lizard on the branch of

the tree, which adjoined the cave. And from that branch, he dropped down. He was

glad to see that he did not break his limbs by a fall of about 20 feet or so. He

moved on slowly on his haunches to an adjoining village where the poor residents

were living by collecting from forests and selling it. He passed some time

living upon the milk and wild grain

supplied by these villagers, and then come back to his home. This stay in

Boorghad cave is still remembered by his devotees who have tried to erect some

memorial there of his early yoga practice in the cave. After his return,

misfortune still dogged him and he resumed a rambling life. Sri Upasani Maharaj

had bitter experience of life in his ramblings. He went to Poona City where his

elder brother was leading a respectable life as Professor of a College. Sri

Upasani would not go to his brother’s house. He went out begging his food in

some nooks and corners, very often being refused any food. This bitter portion

of his life may be said to end with his grandfather Gopal Sastri’s death in

1891. After that, Kasinath began to realise that he must do something to earn

his bread, and so, he went to Sangli and got coached up in Ayurveda and

Sanskrit Grammar under Sangli Venkataramanachar (1892-1895). Thus equipped, he

went out to Amraoti, and there practised medicine (1896-1905). He was

unlucky at the outset but soon began to prosper. Amongst those who accepted

medicines from him were G. S. Khapade, a leading lawyer and the right hand man

of Lokamanya Bala Gangadhar Tilak. Sri Kasinath started and conducted for three

years (1902-1905) a Medical Mahratti monthly (Beshaja Ratnamala) in which he

advertised the patent medicines that he manufactured, and with his practice and

sale of medicines, he collected a small capital for which he wanted good

investment. This was about the year 1907 when, in Gwalior, the State was

disposing of Malguzari lease estates. One estate of 2000 acres could be had by

merely paying down Rs. 600 as advance money and agreeing to pay fixed rents

which might be collected from the tenants or from the forest or other produce.

So, the doctor invested his money in Malguzari, and went to live on his estate

(1906-1938) but found that he had made a huge mistake. The estate had been

thrown up by the previous holder because he could not pay the fixed

rental installments as the tenants would not pay, and the forest and other lands

would not yield. Not knowing all that, he had taken up the estate, and found it

difficult to pay up the dues to the State, whereupon warrants for seizure of

his goods were executed by the village officers even at night when his wife was

alone. And to harass him, there were plenty of enemies. The tenants defied him

to collect the rent, and the village officers, whose co-operation was necessary

to collect the rents, withheld their co-operation. So, after a year or two of

struggle with adverse circumstances, Kasinath could not get anything there, but

lost his health and all that he had and returned home a broken man with broken

fortune and ruined health. Soon after, he bethought himself once again of holy

pilgrimages, and started with his wife in April 1910 to Omkareswar lingam on

the an island in the middle of river (Narmada and Branch Cauvery), and there

tried to practice Pranayama himself, and his wife

was seated at the foot of that huge lingam (called Somanath or Gouri Shanker)

with a diameter of about 6 or 7 feet. He fell down unconscious and his wife

sprinkled river water, and that restored his consciousness. But his breathing

was not restored, and remembering the usual practice of artificial respiration,

he began to leave his whole body and uttered groans so as to move the

respiratory muscles of his chest slowly and with considerable groaning and

effort, he began to breathe. But he felt that his breathing might stop at any

moment.

(Written by: HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji in Life of Sai Baba)