Chapter 45 - The grief of relatives in Ayodhya due to separation from Shree Hari

Shri Hari leaves home His men search for Him.

The King said:-

‘O Suvrat! At the departure of Shri Hari from the house, what did his affectionate relatives do then? 1. 

O Brahmin! expert like me, after listening to the beautiful and captivating stories of Shri Krishna, is not satisfied, as an ordinary mortal is not satisfied drinking the nectar. 2. 

Suvrat said:- 

As the god-ascetic left his house, his friends came to see him. 3. 

Not finding him there, they searched for him near the river, in the town, and in the places where he used to sit. 4. 

But there also they failed to see him. Then they went to other places to search for their best friend, but could not meet him. Then they went to his home with tears in their eyes. 5.

They met there, his elder brother who was sitting unhappily. They asked him. ‘Where has your brother Nilakantha gone?’ 6. 

Then Ramapratap - the brother - and all the relatives Iccharam and others searched him in every house and also in the forest. 7.

They were not able to see him anywhere, and were full of tears in their eyes. Then Shri Hari’s elder brother was much worried. 8. 

And then he began to call him loudly O Krishna, O brother, O Shri Hari Krishna, O my younger one, O Nilakantha, O great Brahmin celibate. 9. 

He came home as if drowned in the ocean of deep sorrow. And with utmost love and affection cried loudly saying ‘O my brother, O my brother! Alas! Where has my handsome brother gone abandoning me? His regular lunch - time has also gone by. Where should I go to see his face - very beautiful like the moon? Where should I go to listen his nectarine speech’? 10 - 12. 

Thus, the Brahmin grieved due to love and affection for him and recollecting his behaviour, deeds, he spent his days in grief. Iccharam, his other relatives and Suhasini also grieved about Him daily and passed their days in great difficulty. 13- 14. 

All the women including house - wives wept for him day and night, and spent the days in pain. ‘Now listen to the story of Shri Hari. 15. 

Shri Hari departs Muktinath enters a dense forest. 

At the dawn, having paid obeisance to Muktinath and the ascetics of the place, the great celibate went in southern direction. 17. 

O King, the child-ascetic crossed many forests, mountains, rivers and lakes, without disclosing his real form. 18. 

When he was wandering in the deep valleys of Himalaya, he met the herds of frightful and cruel lions, tigers, boars, buffaloes, and bisons. The forest was much crowded by many big and tall trees. 19. 

Moving about the cave, impenetrable to average men, he used to stop wherever he was during dusks, thus he reached Buttolapur eventually. 20.

There was the noble king of that mountain named Mahadatta, who having welcomed, and made him stay at his palace, served with respect. 21. 

The king’s sister named Maya, also rendered services unto him, with affection and devotion for her own welfare. 22. 

The Lord much pleased due to their services, and bestowed them with the liberation from trans-migration and disclosed his own original form to them. As he was fond of penance, he left for forest from there. 23. 

One year went by, since Shri Hari left Muktinatha, and stayed at various places, finally reaching this forest. 24. 

Moving in the dense woods, observing self-religious duties, finally got to a huge beautiful Banyan (Nyagrodha) tree. 25. 

To its East there was a great lake and a river to its North. The place looked beautiful with surrounding of high grown reeds. 26. 

Seeing the moving herds of elephants making various sounds, he also, saw a great ascetic there. 27. 

Shri Hari meets an ascetic Gopalamuni; learns yoga from him. 

He was seated on a mat of deer skin, having matted hair, wearing the sacred thread; and a strip of cloth for loins, and he was without any possessions. 28.

Having worshipped Salagram (divine stone), he began to recite Bhagavat Gita. He was named Gopala, to whom Shri Hari saluted humbly. 29. 

The great ascetic also seeing him, immediately having stood up and embraced with friendly love and affection, instantly felt bliss. 30. 

Seeing each other, they became intense friends, the great celibate made stay there being honoured by the great ascetic. 31. 

The child-ascetic Shri Hari regarded him as his preceptor, and learnt from him all the features of Yoga and Yogic texts. 32. 

The great Yogi Gopala taught him, with respect, all the preliminary steps leading up to samadhi such as the rules and regulations (Yama-sinclude nonviolence[ahimsa], celibacy[brahmcharya], truthfulness[satya], overcoming the desire to steal[ashtay] and desire to possess other’s objects[aprigraha]; Niyama-s include purity[shauch], penance[tap], joyfulness[santosh], study of Vedas[swadhyay] and ‘Vishnu pooja’[ishwarpooja]), the various postures (Asana) and the art of controlling breath (Pranayama), restraining the sense organs (Pratyahara), steady focusing of the mind on Shri Hari (Dharana), meditation (Dhyana), culmination of meditation (Samadhi). 33 - 34. 

As if to astonish the preceptor, the Lord learnt everything perfectly in no time what was told only once. 35. 

At the beginning he learnt all the Yogic practices like Neti, Basti of two types, Kunjalkriya, Naulika, Shankha-Prakshalana and others ( all these actions are to cleanse and purify the body internally). 36.

O King, after that, gradually, he learnt the eight-fold Yoga (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi), as told by the preceptor, in short period. 37. 

He learnt the Yogic philosophy only by listening. Yogi Gopala with wonder regarded him as Krishna. 38. 

Though he was dispassionate himself, seeing that highly brilliant Shri Hari, the ascetic developed devoted love for Him and regarded Him as his preceptor. 39.

Having mutual respect with a preceptor-perspective in mind, they served each other. They stayed there for a year surviving on herbs, roots and fruits. 40. 

Enduring cold, rain and scorching sun accordingly they both used to take bath thrice a day, and observed hard penance. 41. 

Once, there came cow-herds grazing their cows and buffaloes and built a stable, near that hermitage. 42. 

But wild tigers ate their five or six cows every day, which made the cow-herds a lot worried. 43. 

They prayed to that great ascetic thus ‘kindly protect our cattle, O! ascetic-supreme, and live your name’s reputation’. 44. 

Ascetic Gopal, being unable to protect cattle, became worried. Then Shri Hari addressed him to leave his worry. Shri Hari continued ‘blow your conch; by its virtue, wild beasts will never come here, they leave this place by the influence of your Yogic power.’ 46. 

Thus told by Shri Hari, the ascetic honouring the words of Dharma’s son, and with His grace, blew the conch, making a lengthy sound. 47. 

As the echoing sound filled the place, unto which, wild beasts would never venture. They all ran away from that place. 48. 

Due to the mercy of the sage Shri Hari the place became safe and the cowherds, astonished, stayed there with their animals, happily. 49. 

The ascetic, wondered within, knowing His power, then thought Him to be supreme-being in the guise of human form. 50. 

The great celibate, staying there, with pure mind, studied the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita, and thought about it, daily. 51. 

Being intelligent, he learnt about the nature of the pure self with its typical characteristics, and had His own conclusions about the same, through self-experience. 52. 

Restraining the internal and external senses, as well as all the movements of Pran (breath), he concentrated on the supreme-self, repeatedly. 53. 

Thus practising for over a period of time, his meditational quality attained maturity. 54. 

Hence, an undivided flame of light of the Self, was visible to him constantly that glowed in his heart eternally, enshrining the entire body. 55. 

Thus the pure, individual-self being united with the imperishable Self, eternally, he became as if absorbed in Brahman. 56. 

Shri Hari taught this Yogic knowledge to his friend on his request. Then Gopal Muni also became united with the Supreme self. 57. 

He knew that Shri Hari himself is the real Vishnu, in the form of the great Brahmin and the great sage. He knew this by the will of Shri Hari, and hence became a devotee of Him. 58.

The perfect yogi, the ascetic Gopal, being seated firmly, having Shri Hari in his heart, became forgetful of himself as well as his bodily existence. 59.

O the perfect one! Gopal Muni, having left his carnal body, attaining the divine one, moved to Golok of Shri Hari instantly, by His grace. 60.

Gopal leaves his body; Shri Hari proceeds to the East. 

The great Brahmin Shri Hari, being united with the supreme self, observed all the rituals after the sudden death of the friend. Then he proceeded in the eastern direction. 61.

Shri Hari, the manifestation of undivided union with the supreme-self, having His looks set firm on the nose tip, moved swiftly like an arrow shot from the bow, on the way. 62. 

Without the sensation of bodily existence, Shri Hari, thinking about Shri Krishna, moving alone, reached Aadivaraha Tirtha, where he stayed for three days. 63.

Wherever the young celibate went, there the public celebrated His darsana as a festivity, thinking Him the preceptor coming from heaven. 64. 

Thus ends the forty-fifth chapter entitled ‘Description of Shri Hari practising Yoga’ in the first Prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 45