Sri Ramkrishna Das Ji
early age & a desire to play with shri govind ji
“ Sri Ramkrishna Das Baba ji was born in the auspicious Samvat 1914 (Year 1857), in the month of Bhadra.
His mother Kamala Devi and father Laxminarayan were of devotional (bhakti) samskaras from the very beginning.
When the child Ramakrishna was four to five years old, he used to go to the courtyard of Shri Govind Dev Ji’s temple, in Jaipur to play regularly, the companions of the play were Krishnachandra and Radhachandra, they were the children of Goswami Shri Kishori Mohan who was the Goswami of Shri Govinddev ji temple, but with them Ramakrishna did not enjoyed the play, because his desire was to play with Shri Govind Dev Ji standing in the temple.
Ramakrishna used to see Shri Govind ji in the temple every day and think in his mind that he is also a Goswami child, everyone loves him the most, that is why they give him such nice clothes, ornaments, peacock-feathered crown and Vanshi (flute), to play with…. How nice it would have been that he played with me, but he never comes out of the temple.
LORD SRI GOVIND DEV JI COMING OUT OF THE TEMPLE TO PLAY
One day when Krishnachandra and Radhachandra did not came to play, 4 – 5 years old child Ramakrishna, standing in the courtyard, was looking at Shri Govind Ji with lakhotis / kanchas (marble) in both his hands, but there was no reaction from Sri Govind ji from the temple……
He himself started playing in front of Shri Govind ji with colored kanchas, while playing, he would sometimes pick up a kanchā of any color and show it to Shri Govind ji and sometimes of another color.
After sometime while seeing Ramakrishna playing with fun, Shri Govind Ji got greedy to play too, he suddenly got down from his throne from the temple and took the golden kanchā which was placed in front of the plate (which was placed around his throne) and started playing with the kanchās with Ramakrishna.
In the meantime, Shri Govind ji seeing Goswami ji heading to the temple, he again went back to the temple and sat on his throne, Not only did he took his own kanchās, he also took Ramakrishna’s…….
Ramakrishna followed Shri Govind ji, crying and saying, “my kancha, my kancha”. Goswami ji stopped him and asked the reason for his crying? He said- “This Govind has run away with my kanchā.” He replied with amazement, “Wait, I will see.”
He went inside the temple and saw that along with the golden kanchās of Shri Govind ji, Ramakrishna’s colored kanchās were also kept aside of them.
Goswami ji drowned in wonder, his body got thrilled with that leela and he was surprised with the great mercy of Shri Govind ji on the very fortunate child Ramakrishna……
SPIRITUAL INITIATION
Ramakrishna’s passion for studies increased. In between studies, Ramakrishna would also request mother to go to Vrindavan. While listening to the Satsang of Shri Nityanand Ji there, gradually he had faith in Sri Nityanand ji.
At the end of his studies, he took initiation and the saint dress from Sri Nityanand ji. People started calling him Pandit Baba since then……
Then he started doing the devotional service continuously by staying in Barsana, where he worshiped in solitude for 8 years.
Once Sri Radha Krishna appeared to him while he was doing the bhajan and they were pleased and said that you should continue your devotional service in Raghav’s cave.
Since then Baba started worshiping in Raghav’s cave in Poochri. He use to sit in his Bhajan at 2 AM in the morning and get himself engrossed in the Leela chintan till 2 PM and after that he use to come out of the cave.
In few days, Sri Ramakrishna Baba ji’s devotional service increased so much that no one would have known when he would sit in the bhajan and when he would get up and come out……
VAIRAAGYA OF SHRI BABA
Pandit Baba (Sri Ramkrishna Das Ji) used to address his Guru Shri Nityanand Ji as Pran Gopal.
He respected him very much. Once Baba was suffering from influenza for some time, due to which his body became very weak…. People requested him to drink milk, but he did not listen to anyone.
He did not took milk for almost 40 years, everyone prayed to Pran Gopal Prabhu (Guru Shri Nityanand Ji) that you should ask Sri Pandit baba to drink the milk for curing the weakness.
Shri Nityanandji agreed and he himself took a glass of milk and gently placed it on pandit baba ji’s mouth and said – “You have to drink it.” Baba without any opinion drank milk from Gurudeva Shri Nityanand Ji’s hands like a child……
SIMPLICITY & A MIRACLE OF SHRI BABA JI
Once an official of Govardhan police station came to see Pandit Baba at Baba’s hut. He had great faith in Baba.
With him his wife and a woman from his family also came for Pandit baba ji’s darshan. She saw that there is only 1 pot of water in the hut, which is made of clay, which is not known how old it was.
And if she had asked to drink water, then she would have to drink water from it and hence she returned home thirsty. When he told this to Shri Krishnachandra, he said that you did not do good by keeping that kind of vision towards Baba’s vessel, you have committed the aparadha.
The woman felt very sorry……. When she talked about atonement for her aparadha, Shri Krishnachandra said –You must ask for forgiveness from that vessel itself and must drink the water from that vessel, and then your aparadha can be forgiven.
Both of them went back to Baba’s hut the next day, the woman looked at that vessel pot and asked for the forgiveness within her mind and then said – Baba I am thirsty.
Baba made her drink water through a servant. While she was drinking the water from that vessel, she suddenly saw there was a divine vision of a glittering swaroop in that vessel , she was astonished to see that vision!
Saints themselves are divine and everything in them also becomes divine with their association.
DEVOTIONAL LIFE OF SRI BABA JI
Pandit Baba ji’s body was now turning 80 years.
The weakness in the body was increasing, yet all the rules related to his sadhna and devotional service (bhajan) continued to be followed strictly.
1. Waking up at 2 o’clock in the night, engaging in bhajan till 2 o’clock in the afternoon,
2. Regularly going to Madhukari,
3. Regularly having darshan of Shri Govind ji, keeping a waterless fast on Ekadashi,
4. Going to the samadhi of Acharyas and worshiping, etc.
Whether it was a strom or anything but baba never breaked the rules of his devotional service.
Baba’s weakness increased day by day.
One day when Kushal Singh ji and Hari Singh ji brought the Prasad flowers garland of Sri Govind ji from the temple, they placed the garland around Baba’s neck then a surprising leela happened, as soon as the flowers garland of Sri Govind ji touched the body of Sri Pandit baba ji, Baba ji left his body, Shri Govind ji came and took his childhood friend Sri Ramakrishna Das with him.
This is the real loving nature of Shri Govind (Shri Krishna) that when he has the loving relationship with any devotee, he protects his devotees, he never let that devotee go away from him even until the end time…..❤️