Tirthram was fast becoming an ascetic. One day, he decided to renounce everything and go to Himalayas to do meditation and introspection. He wanted liberation from worldly consideration and attachment.
The news shocked his admirers and followers. They converged on his house. There were his students also. Tirthram blessed them and extended his good wishes.
Many followers urged him to reconsider his decision. Several women of the neighbourhood had also gathered there. Tirthram’s wife distributed all the household items amongst them. Everything the couple owned was soon given away.
The emptied house delighted Tirthram. All the worldly trapping were gone. He was free at last.
The couple set out for the railway station. The news of their departure had spread like wild fire.
A crowd waited for them at railway station.
As soon as the couple arrived the crowd raised slogans of ‘Victory to Bharat Mata’ and ‘Long Live Hindu Dharma.’ Tirthram was profusely garlanded. Those who could not get near enough showered flowers at him from a distance.
Tirthram greeted the people with folded hands. The emotional followers began to cry and sob.
It moved him. Tears rolled down his cheeks. On his behalf his disciple Narayana read out a verse written by Tirthram for that occasion which literally meant—
‘I salute all of you. I salute mathematics. I salute dear Ravi river. I salute all the constellations. I salute all children, friends and enemies too. I salute the summer heat and the winter cold. I salute all holy books, sages and the scholars. I salute omnipresent God and the soul within. I salute Rama and I also salute this farewell song!’
He boarded the train and it steamed off. Tirthram was accompanied by his wife and two sons. Also accompanying were his disciples Narayana, Tularam, Gurudas and Shivagana-charya.
Tirthram stayed at Haridwar for a few days. Then, he moved on the Gangotri route. He broke journey at Tehri to rest.
He spread his handkerchief and sat beside it on the river bank. His followers sat around.
“Put all the money you have here on this handkerchief,” Tirthram said to his followers.
The followers did as asked by him. Tirthram tied the money by knotting the corners of the handkerchief and threw it in the river Ganga that flowed by.
“Say, ‘Victory to Mother Ganga!’” He said to the followers. He was asking them to raise the slogan.
The followers raised the slogan spiritedly. Tirthram explained, “Those who believe truly in God do not keep money on them. Instead they keep full faith in the almighty God. You must also do the same. God will take care of everything.”
His disciples stared at him not being sure if they could depend on God to that extent. But overtly no one dared to speak.
The party began to sing Bhajans.
A few hours later it was afternoon. They had eaten nothing since morning. Most of them were feeling hungry. Many doubted if getting rid of the money was good idea. They could’ve fed themselves instead of hoping for God to show up with menu card.
Just then, Baba Ramnath of Rishikesh appeared there. He had brought along a good quantity of food which could feed them all.
The doubters looked at one another utterly mystified. Was it divine intervention or just coincidence?
Anyway the party fed itself.
Baba promised that they would get food every day as long as they were there. The followers of Tirthram thought it was a real miracle.
The rainy season arrived as the party still camped at Tehri. On a full moon night Tirthram suddenly went away without any explanation. He went missing. His disciples searched for him but he was untraceable.
It worried everyone including his wife. She looked angry at her moody and wayward husband.
Meanwhile, Tirthram was going through his spiritual evolution, a period he was unaware of what he was physically doing.
It was a beautiful morning. Rising sun had painted the sky dark pink. The setting thrilled Tirthram. Cool breeze was gently caressing his body. The gushing sound of the river Ganga provided divine rhythm.
He was feeling ecstatic.
He felt some power within him urging him to move up into the higher reaches of snow capped summits. Instinctively he began walking in upwardly direction.
He walked on and on. He could see the snow covered mountains. Ganga was snaking through the hills like a silvery reptile. Several tributaries were joining her filling the valleys with a humming sound inspiring him to keep moving.
Tirthram was wearing only a loin. He was barefoot but felt no pain or cold. He crossed several rocky hillocks. He would not stop for taking rest.
Suddenly dark clouds appeared in the sky and hung over the mountains like giant canopies. The valleys darkened up getting slashed by lightening every now and then. The clouds rumbled threatening to explode.
Then, it began to rain followed by a violent rain storm. The trees fell down with crashing sounds. Tirthram kept walking unfazed by the violence all around.
At last he reached Uttarkashi. He stayed there for eight days.
Meanwhile, his disciples and wife were getting extremely anxious as they received no news of him. The wife was becoming hysteric. Others tried their best to pacify her. She looked broken from inside at the erratic ways of her husband.
She could not sleep or eat anything.
Now she cried all the time and ran fever. She refused to take any medicine or allow any doctor to examine her.
One day, after a lot of brooding, she set out for Gangotri accompanied by her sons. By the time the three reached Gangotri she had miraculously recovered.
A few days later they ran into Tirthram. It was a pleasant surprise union of the family.
The family lived together for some days. One day Tirthram revealed to his wife that he had finally decided to embrace asceticism by formally renouncing all the worldly ties and relationship.
It was too big a shock for the tradition bound wife to absorb.
She fell ill. Tirthram had to send her to his ancestral village with their younger son, Brahmananda. The elder son Madan Mohan began to study in a Tehri school.
Shopping Cart
