Part-1 - Jagatguru Rampal Ji

22
Indication to Bhakti Trader
A Real Story
My (Sant Rampal Das’s) venerable Gurudev Swami
Ramdevanand Ji Maharaj became detached (vairaag – free from
worldly desires) at the age of 16 years after hearing satsang of a
Mahatma 1 . One day he had gone in the fields. There was a forest
nearby. He went into the forest, tore his clothes and threw them
near the bones of a dead animal, and himself went along with the
Mahatma Ji.
When he was searched, the family members saw that torn
clothes are lying near the bones in the forest. They thought that
some wild animal has eaten him. They brought those clothes and
bones home and performed the last rites. Thereafter they performed
terahveen 2 and chhHmahi 3 and barsodi 4 and then started carrying
out shraadhs 5 .
When my venerable Gurdev had grown very old, then once he
went home. Then those family members came to know that he is
alive and had left home. They told that when he had left home, we
searched for him. We found his clothes in the forest. Some bones
were lying next to them. We thought that some wild animal had eaten
him and brought those clothes and bones home and performed the
last-rites. Then I (Sant Rampal Das) asked the wife of the younger
brother of my venerable Gurudev that what did you do in his
absence? She told, “When I got married, I found that his shraadhs
are being carried out. I was also instructed to carry out his shraadhs.
I have carried out nearly 70 shraadhs of his with my own hands.”
She told that whenever there used to be any loss at home; for
example, a buffalo not giving milk, any problem in the udder, any
other loss etc, then we used to go to the exorcists. They used to say
that someone has died unmarried in your family. He is troubling you
because he has become a ghost. Then we used to give his clothes
1 Saint
2 Rite performed after thirteen days of death
3 Rite performed six months after death
4 Rite performed after one year of death
5 Rite performed for the sake of a dead person after Barsodi every year