Capt Purshotam Sharma
Shri Shri 1008 Parmahamsa Bawa Lal Dayal Ji Maharaj whose 665th Birthday falls on January 26th, 2020, was born on Monday, the second of bright fortnight of Maagh Vikrami Samvat 1412 in Village Amli of Lahore (now in Pakistan). Known as Lal Dass, Faqir Lal, Lal Dayal, Swami Lal, Baraji Lal, he had long sojourn of 300 years in mortal body. His parents Lala Bhola Ram and Smt Krishna Devi were pious souls who nursed the Lal (Ruby) to boyhood with deep love and care. Zodiacal position at the time of birth showed that He was incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He has mastered whatever came His way.
One day, Lal Ji saw from some distance Swami Chaitanya Ji Maharaj cooking the rice in unique process. An earthen pot filled with water and rice was put on ‘Chullah’ formed by holding his both the feet together and fire undemeath was instantaneously produced by Yoga Shakti. After the meal was finished the eartnen pot was thrown away. Upon this, it occurred to Lal Ji that He had found the Master he had been longing for. Then He picked up three grains of cooked rice left over in the broken pot as ‘prasad’ and promptly slipped into trance. Swami Ji told Lal Ji that ‘God is One’’. Keep chanting ‘Hari Om Tat Sat’.
Chaitanya Ji Maharaj initiated Lal Ji into ‘Sannyas’ imparting Him the Supreme knowledge on the bank of Raavi in the prescribed sacred manner. He called upon Lal Ji not to be enmeshed in worldly pleasures by falling prey to temptations but take refuge in the lotus feet of His Guru. He further commanded Him to fetch ‘Gopi Chandan’ from Dwarka (Gujrat) which He brought and presented to His revered Guru with humbleness. Immensely pleased, Guru Maharaj administered some ‘Gopi Chandan’ mixed with sacred dust on Bawa Lal Ji’s ‘Lalaat’ (forehead). Impressed by His disciple’s Divine love, Guru Maharaj found in Lal Ji worthy disciple qualified for oneness with the ‘Brahmo’.
One day, both Master and the Disciple, on their way back from Nagar Kot, stopped at a spot from where another path led to different direction. Swami Chaitanya Ji Maharaj ordained Bawa Lal Ji to opt for either of the two ways and proceed to deliver the message and mission of righteousness to the people. Bawa Lal Ji most humbly obeyed His Spiritual Master and set forth on His Mission instilling in masses the spark of spiritual awakening.
Bawa Lal Ji stayed in Saharanpur for one hundred years. He was gifted 100 bighas of land for the Ashram and 800 bighas for running it by the then Emperor. This is called ‘Bawa Lal Ji Ka Bara’. Free Langar was established there. Bawa Lal Ji started His day with morning dip in Holy Ganga at Hardwar and made to and fro journey with ‘yogic’ powers. One day he could not make it. Ganga herself appeared before Him and gushed out from a spot near His feet. Thence-on-wards, He bathed in that gushing Holy pond. One day, Holy Ganga again appeared and suggested Bawa Lal Ji to leave Saharanpur and make Panjab His next abode. He explicitly carried out Her advice and left for Panjab.
In Panjab, He reached in a small town known as Kalanaur. Thousands of people, men and women, young and old, thronged to join Lal Ji’s prayers, ‘sankeertans’ and discourses sessions and became His followers and devotees. One among them was Shri Dhyan Dass. One day, Bawa Lal Ji found Dhyan Dass gloomy and made out that he was thinking of making a hermitage for Him. Bawa Lal Ji then pointed out towards a secluded place at six miles distance from Kalanaur suitable for Ashram. Ashram was soon built and named Dhyanpur by Bawa Lal Ji Maharaj Himself. It is now looked upon as a great shrine.
Bawa Lal Ji said that through Yoga, equilibrium of mind is attained to fall in communion with the Supreme, through Dispassion the worldy temptations are vanquished, through knowledge the veil of ignorance is removed and the Divine Wisdom dawns and it is through Devotion that love of God is attained. By following any one out of these four ways, an aspirant can swim across the ocean of ‘samsara’ and can become one with Him provided grace of perfect Guru us achieved.
Source of all creation is ‘Naad Brahm’ (Primordial vibration). Aspirant’s Devotion will certainly bear fruit if he has unflinching faith in his Master and follows his directions kicking off the ego. Soul is Eternal and unaffected by attributes (‘Gunas’) of nature. Attributes of nature are like waves of a river which rise and merge in the river itself. Soul and body when together cause joys and sorrows.
In self-realization state, the soul dwelling in the body is like a King sitting on the throne. And in state of ignorance, the same soul is unknown -king-guest in some stranger’s house. Those who have controlled the mind and senses and are unaffected by joys and sorrows liberate themselves from the births and deaths cycle and become ‘Jeevan Mukta’ like a fried seed that never sprouts. Those who died in ‘Kaashi’ (body is called ‘Kaashi’) are liberated. But those who die carrying with them worldly desires unfulfilled are bound to be re-born. Whatever exists in this outer world is found in our inner world also.
Bawa Lal Ji Maharaj bade ‘adieu’ to this world of senses attaining ‘Mahasamadhi’ in 1656.
Thousands of people visit the Holy Shrine of Bawa Lal Dayal Ji Maharaj’s Lal Dwara at Dhayanpur from all over the world to seek His blessings. The shrine is doing immense good to the mankind. There are hundreds of Lal Dwaras all over the country and abroad too humming with spiritual activities and engaged in philanthropic acts of helping the poor and destitute.
All arrangements exist for the comfortable stay of the pilgrims in Lal Dwara. A free ‘langar’ functions for the devotees.
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