Thakur's life history
Belief in the recurring manifestation of the Divine in flesh and blood, the incarnations, is a great contribution of India to human thought. These divine persons bring home to us, to our range of conception, what ‘divinity’ is, and how is it attained.
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Thakur's Birth and Childhood
Orissa is fortunate to have given birth to one such divine person – Sri Abhiram Paramahansa Deva who is lovingly called Thakur. Just at the advent of the century, i.e. on the 18th January 1904, he was born to the parents Sri Satyabadi Pattanaik and Srimati Radha Devi in a remote corner of Puri district, in the village Karmala situated on the bank of river luna. It is said that on the 19th of that month, i.e a day after the birth of the healthy and handsome baby, one ascetic became the guest of the parents for the night and instructed that host to christen the new – born baby as “Abhiram” the name which was not in accordance with other tow elder brothers, lokanath and Somanath. The monk, during his stay, expressed a few words which indicate that the baby was born being enriched with extraordinary power. He then left that place before the dawn. Satyabadi, while preparing the horoscope of the baby could know that it was of a great man. Like all mothers, Radha Devi called the child as Binori, a name coined by herself Sri Arjuna Pattanaik and Srimati Subrata Devi, a childless couple of that village were glad to adopt the baby with due consent of the parents and to take up the responsibility of bringing him up. But these foster parents could not remain for a long period to claim their parental right upon the adopted child as they passed away after a few years. So the child had to return to his birth place again. This was the fact that Sri Thakur used to cite that none of this kith and kin survives.
In the child-hood, Binori was committing countless frolics and mischiefs. Almost everyday the mother had to listen to the complaints of the neighbors against the boy that he had looted the fruits from the orchards, the milk, curd and sweets from the houses of many, of course, without leaving any sign of proof except some coins towards the cost of the things, in some cases.
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Noticing the perverted, wayward nature of the boy, the father became harassed and disgusted. He left the boy for better schooling with his eldest brother who was a village school teacher at Ganjam. But the boy showed more interest in music and songs than his study. The primary teaching was sufficient for him. He could take charge of running the school when his brother was occasionally coming to his village. However, once Sri Abhiram was put in charge of the village school and during that he happened to get an old palm-leaf scripture which aroused in it. Handing over the charge of school to his brother he came back home.
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Becoming of Paramahansa
When Sri Abhiram was a boy of nine or ten, he confined himself to a room and closed all the door and windows. Before entering into the room he requested his mother not to disturb until he opened the door. One day passed on, but neither the door was opened nor any response was heard when called up. The room was quiet and soundless as if there was none inside it. The affectionate mother could not control herself and peeped through a while in the door. To her amazement she saw that the room was lighted and the boy had stationed in the air. Out of fright she called out her husband. Soon after, Satyabadi and some villagers reached at the place and glanced inside making a whole on the roof. They saw that the boy was in deep meditation in the pose of lotus-seat (Padmasana) being unmoved in the mid-air of the room. After sometime the door was opened and the boy came out as if awakened from a deep sleep.
Satyabadi consulted the horoscope of the son and could know that his son was too great to be kept close the movements of the boy. It is said that once Satyabadi was seen planting some twigs at a certain place in the village cremation ground and when asked he said that the place would be transformed into a holy place of pilgrimage, in future. He foretold his wife that she would witness the wonderful deeds of her son, but he (the father) won’t live to see. But how could Satyabadi marked the spot which is exactly the nucleus of the present Shanti-Anandashram, established by Sri Abhiram, and remained a mystery.
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Sri Abhiram was seen to remain absent from home for some days and this habit gradually increased to some months together. There was no scope to know his whereabouts during his absence from the village. But while in the village he was very much hospitable to the monks and saints passing thereby.
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The occasional absence of Abhiram from home provoked the well-wishers to persuade the boy for marriage even while he was only fifteen years old. But the boy was heedless to this matter. Once when one of his relatives named Gobinda of village Alibad asked him in this regard, Abhiram replied that he was not getting a suitable one because some are daughters, some are sisters and others are mothers. He explained this by showing different heights of women by raising the hand from lower to higher. He, therefore, did not find a woman, whom to marry. When his mother advanced some proposal about his marriage, Abhiram jocosely replied that he didn’t like that wedding in which the celebration, songs and drums beating would be only for a day. Instead, he would have such a marriage ceremony in which there would be rejoicing, songs and music in everyday of his life. He meant perhaps the union of Jiva with Parma. With this the marriage chapter was ended.
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Time had brought death to Satyabadi; The wandering habits of Abhiram had been increased. Once, he retreated into a lonely forest “Khandabavana’ near Brahmagiri in the district of Puri, where he lived a life of a hermit, living on the different wild plums and nuts, and absorbed in deep meditation. In course of his ‘tapasya’ he was in Yogic sleep from months and when woke up he found that his body was covered with sand and the season had changed from winter to spring. Here, he had his direct vision of the Goddess ‘Bana Durga’ who initiated him, as found in some of his writings, into the secrets of spiritual knowledge, which he preached for the good of mankind. Thus, the boy Abhiram became Sri Abhiram Paramahansa only at the age of nineteen, i.e., in the year 1923.
A Spiritual Renaissance
As a mother, Radha Devi did not want that her son Abhiram should renounce the world including herself, which was always apprehended in the deeds of the son. The mother and the son, moving in opposite directions, reached at a solution that the mother agreed with the son only on one condition that even if he accepted the saint-hood, he would stay nearby so that she would be able to see him, at least.
After this, Sri Abhiram spent two years, from 1923 to 1925, wandering in the hills and forests of Orissa starting from Ganjam to Dhenkanal. He dressed himself in the saintly garb – a kaupina and a long shirt called angi. During this period, he happened to meet Siddha Purusha Hadidas of Siddhagiri. With his affectionate request, Abhiram spent some time there and discussed with him on the Orissan Vaishnavic thought and Panchasakha cult. He had also spent some time in the caves of Jalauka in the district of Cuttack.
While travelling, Sri Abhiram had gone to Sankrail of West Bengal. Once he was passing by a labour colony of Jute Mill of this area where most of the colonists were Oriyas. One of the colonists, belonging to Ganjam district met Sri Abhiram and requested him to be his guest. In the evening the inhabitants of the evening the inhabitants of the colony gathered there and were overwhelmed by listening to the devotional songs and lucid sweet talks of the saint. They hosted him for some day’s more and in return, the saint used to teach their children, sing the devotional songs and train them in the path of spiritualism. About a dozen of colonists, Kanduri, Prabhakara, Jagannatha and others, became the disciples of Sri Abhiram.
A remarkable incident happened here, when Sri Abhiram surprisingly appeared and restrained the knife which was just to plunge into the body of a person named Baikuntha in a lonely spot of the river Ganges. Being desperate by the failure of realizing God, Baikuntha was going to end his bodily existence in the Ganges with an idea that he would have a vision of God in the next birth by virtue of this act in the sacred river. To his utter surprise Baikuntha saw the graceful figure of whom he had a faint vision, while regaining his consciousness, on the seashore of Puri where he had earlier made an attempt at suicide by plunging into the sea but was thrown back by the waves to the shore in an unconscious state.
Sri Abhiram beckoned Baikuntha to the colony. He was added to the number of disciples. Gradually many people of the locality who came in contact with Sri Abhiram discovered the spiritual fervor in him. Soon after knowing that his spiritual fragrance was spreading around, he left Sankrail for his village. Baikuntha was not prepared to leave the begotten Divine-in-person for a moment and so also he accompanied Sri Thakur. On the way, at Puri, Sri Abhiram initiated Baikuntha into Sannyasa and imposed one condition on him that he (Abhiram) would take him to village only if the relationship between them would be just opposite before the villagers. As a simple, innocent and true devotee Baikuntha had to surrender at the will of Gurudev, on an agreement that Sri Abhiram would never prostrate at the feet of disciple Baikuntha. Thus, Baikuntha became Sri Baikunthanath Das Babaji (the present Acharya, Head of the Shanti Ananda Ashram, Karamala).
The age of Baikuntha Baba being more than Sri Thakur, gave a support in establishing him before the villagers as the Guru of Thakur. It was very interesting and amusing for the villagers to see that Thakur was worshipping Baikuntha Baba who was sitting like a stone. But this fun could not continue for a long period. Once while Sri Abhiram was returning after an unintimated long absence from the village, the acting Guru could could not control his emotion and fell down at the feet of Sri Thakur and disclosed the concealed truth.
Thus, Sri Abhiram stood on the role of the master before the villagers and started his mission. As promised to mother he constructed a hut on a small plot of land adjacent to the cremation ground of village karamala which was purchased from a Brahmin widow with the money he had received as the offering from the disciples, while at Sankrail. Here, Baikuntha Baba became the master’s servant-cum-private secretary. As devoid of worldly knowledge and discrimination he used to prepare food for the master in the collected earthen pots with charred firewood left by the pall bearers in the cremation ground nearby. He was preparing dishes with the leaves and seeds of any tree including banyan, castor plats, kaniar etc., seeds of which are known to be poisonous. For this reason, some old villagers, even today, are reluctant to take ‘prasad’ (meal) from the Ashram, on the peculiar ground that the saints can digest even the poisonous food but not the worldly men.
A few months after, knowing that Sri Thakur was staying at Karamala, some of the disciples of Sankrail named Kanduri, Bharata, Jagannatha, Prabhakar and Purnananda came to Karamala and joined in the mission taking initiation into Sannyasa. The fragrance of the divinity in Sri Thakur spread in every direction. A spiritual renaissance was started. With these ascetic followers, and ever increasing devotees and disciples, Thakur moved through the villages of Cuttack district, preaching his message for nearly seven years, i.e. from 1927 to 1933. This was a period of expansion and consolidation of his work.
Thakur's Miracles
The first centre of preaching was the village lchhapur near Badachana of Cuttack district. During a period of about seven years, Thakur went on feet to most of the villages from lchhapur to Aul in Cuttack district. While preaching and giving discourses in different places he had to face the invitation of the then pandits for arguments. In thisway he had to establish his view that one can realize the self by an easy method without practicing the severe penance of Yoga; only by pranekshana or the constant watching of the breath with devotion to God. His sweet and lucid discourses in indigenous language, simple and affectionate behavior attracted millions of men and women to get their shelter and fulfill their spiritual cravings. Sri Thakur was more a close relation than a Guru to the devotees and disciples. They would not hesitate to the least degree to open their hearts before him. This was the feeling of the lakhs of devotees who had come to his fold. It was an eternal and unshakable bond of the heart and the spirit, which many miss today in his physical absence.
In this period of itinerary many miraculous and wonderful things happened. Of course, these miracles have little importance for a true ‘Sadhak’. What is a miracle at all? What is magnificently wonderful for an ordinary man is quite natural and usual for a Divine-in-person.
Once in the village lchhapur, Thakur was staying in a small mud hut constructed in the village-mango-garden. The devotees named kambu and Dullabh and others made a proposal to worship the Gurudev for the first time and being essembled near the hut in the evening started singing devotional songs. When the usual primary decoration and garlanding etc. were completed, Babaji Bharat Das started his arati and the door was opened. Suddenly a bright light like the head light of a train engine was radiated from the face of the Thakur and fell on the persons who were busy in gossiping on the verandah of the village houses. Those who were in the nearby became unconscious for a few minutes and those who were who were at a distant ran to the place of worship to see what it was. This spectacular incident of half a century back is still remembered by the villagers.
On another occasion in the same village, after the morning worship Sri Thakur instructed the disciples not to disturb him and closed the door of one-roomed house. The disciples and sevaks had to obey the master and sat quiet on the verandah, they had to sit for the whole day and night without food because the door was not opened, On the next morning when the door was opened the sevaks were astonished to see Thakur neatly dressed with fresh flower garlands and tilaks etc. after a fresh bath which could be possible only if he would have gone outside in flesh and blood.
Another remarkable event took place in the village Phulapatna, on the bank of river Kharasrota. After reaching at that village when Thakur entered into a tank for bath, the villagers requested him to get out of the tank immediately as there were two ferocious crocodiles, living in that tank since that last flood. Thakur, unperturbed, finished his bath and then called for his flute and played it. It is said that the two savage reptiles came to the surface and listened to the music Thakur ordered them to go back to the river before the next sun rise. The next day the villagers were amazed to see the two trails of the crocodiles leading to the river. From that day they could use the tank safely.
During the Dola Purnima ceremony, in a certain year, Thakur was staying at the village Khandol. Generally, in Orissa, this day is observed by offering avir (one kind of red powder) to the Lord and by smearing one another’s face and body with this red powder. On this occasion Thakur miraculously transformed the dust of the village path into avir and everyone including himself went on throwing it on others and rolled on the path smearing everyone’s body with avir.
Thakur's Imprisonment and Release
While travelling Thakur had also written some books which include the famous ‘Kalibhagabata’. Written in verse this Kalibhagabata is full of metaphysical thoughts allegorically written with a reference to contemporary political condition. The uncontrolled five manas (pancha mana) and twenty five prakritis (pachisha prakriti) hinder the path of salvation. Similarly the George V and the white militaty forces are destroying the country. When the great self (Mahatma) will show its eagerness for the truth (Satyagraha) the obstructing elements would be defunct. A free translation of stanza from Kalibhagabata would be like this:
What we call the ‘pancha manas’ is the same as the fifth Geroge. The white forces are the ‘twenty five prakritis’. These are the foreigners and our home land’s destroyer.
It has a metaphysical sense well known to Indian Shastras as mysterious Sharira-Bheda cult. The mode of comparing the body with the nation is also familiar. It is derived from the act of connecting microcosm (pinda) to the macrocosm (brahmanda). But from the surface, these lines are judged as predicting that the day of Britishers in India were numbered and for this Sri Thakur was impeached of treason by the British Rulers. He was arrested in 1933 and the trial went on for months at Chhatrapur in the court of Mr. A.F.W. Dixon. Pandit Binayak Mishra and Jagabandhu Singh were appointed to interpret ‘Kalibhagabata’ in the court. Late Lingaraj Panigrahi, the Ex-Education Minister, had pleaded in defence in this case. Sri Thakur, as unperturbed while facing trial standing in the deck, impressed all who were witnessing the case. A noted Oriya scholar and writer, Late Pandit Nilakantha Das expressed his fellings about this saint in the ‘Gita Prabesh’ of his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (1st Edition, p 320), a few words which are quoted here:
…The young ascetic stood in the court room, day after day. He knew that he would serve a long jail sentence. But there was always a natural smile on his lips,… The very slightof him arouses love and devotion … He was the symbol of Orissan cultural tradion, the true incarnation of our puranic ideal man. The young sannyasi has identified himself with our tradition. He belongs to the common folk, the unsophisticated men and women, not to the arrogant learned. The villages are his realm. He is the true religious leader – living representative of the doctrine of equality of all religions.
At last, Sri Thakur was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment by the judgement of the Court on dated 13.12.1934. Late Bacchu Jagannath Das, (the Ex-Chief Justice of Orissa High Court and later the Justice of Supreme Court) had filed a prosecution against this judgment in Madras High Court when he was an advacate. But the appeal was subsequently rejected.
Thakur was sent to Rajmahendry jail where he won the hearts of many including the jail-officials. His jail-term was reduced by one and a half month and he was released in 1935. On the day of release the sannyasins of the Ashram were awaiting with a vehicle to greet him. But two unknown young men of the town requested Thakur and the sannyasins to be their guest and treated them with all grandeur. On the next day they left Thakur and other saints at the Rajmahendry Railway Station. Who were these two fortunate fellows? – is a question unanswered till today.
Thakur's Spiritual Writings and Teachings
Sri Thakur spent the later part of 1935 in travelling through the district of Ganjam from 1936 he stopped travelling anywhere and settled down at the present Ashram at Karamala, remaining busy in writing and imparting teachings at his followers. He had written a number of books, all in verses, expressed in simple, lucid and heart-touching language. Saturated with devotional, slpiritual and philosophical thoughts. So far fortyone books and booklets have been published. Among these published work ‘Durga-Madhab Staba’ ‘Janana Prema Sagara’ ‘Bhajana Ananda Lahari’ ‘Bhajana Sara’ and a few more are full of prayers and devotional songs. The ‘Baishnava Gita’ deals with religious code of conduct, while ‘Sanatana Dharmartha Gita’ ‘Amruta Gita’, ‘Sanatana Gita’, ‘Guru Gita’ etc. deal with the essence of religion and spiritualism. The ‘Rasotsava’ and ‘Lila Mandala’ are beautiful works of Yogic interpretation of ‘Rasa Lila’ of the Gopies and Srikrishna. His last work the ‘Bhakti Kallola’ synthesizes the different religious and spiritual concepts, focusing on the Lord within.
Thakur's Music and Singing
Thakur was a good musician and a singer as well. His songs were very charming and fascinating to listen. Also he used to teach the devotees how to sing the ‘bhajans’ and how to chant the prayers. With a dynamic personality he could attract lakhs of people from all corners of Orissa, and from Andhra, Madras and West Bengal to such a place to which no regular communication could be made even after thirty nine years of independence, what to speak of that time when people were taking pains to walk over a distance of thirty five kilometers from Puri.
Since 1936, Sri Thakur never went outside and remained at Shanti Anandaashram, Karamala as a fountain of joy, love and bliss for the devotees and sannyasins till he left his mortal frame on the 27th Novemeber, 1963, on the day of Kartik Shukla Eakadashi