Story Written By His Grace Vrajendrasuta Dasa
'Life has never been so blissful than in Krishna
Consciousness despite my hellish condition of living' says Khadga Bhandari
Baa commenting that the search for higher consciousness requires someone
to show the way, someone who has already seen the absolute truth.
Khadga Bhandari baa, inspired by Bhagavad Gita As It Is: 'I
want the boat that sails across the material ocean of existence, I want
the sailor who leads one to the spiritual existence...' writes Bhandari
baa in his small note book of poems reflecting his life's aspirations. He
also wrote some hymns praying to the ultimate divine to rescue him. Then
the time came that assured his salvation, the shelter under the lotus feet
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna through His pure devotee
in line to the bona fide disciplic succession- the guru parampara.
It was on 24th July that Bhandari baa was blessed with the path of
perfection by having accepted in this succession by His Holiness Bhakti
Caru Swami Maharaj, the most eloquent propounder of the Vedas, who has
been also a messenger of peace to the UN in resoliving the Middle East peace process. Swami is the disciple of
His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who was empowered by
the Lord as like Jesus and Mohammad to spread the vedic wisdom in
the world. He is the one who built 108 temples, including schools and
farms in almost all the major countries of the world in 1960s. His
movement widely know as Hare Krishna or ISKCON in the West has
eternal succession known back in India as Brahma Gaudiya
Sampradaya, one among the four bona fide system in the devotional service.
It is the fortune of Bhandari baa to be connected in this line of pure
devotees, as a disciple who puts into practice the vedic wisdom, mainly
the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, without any tinge of misinterpretation.
Baa with His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaj
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Baa offered his humble oebsiances to Guru Maharaj and
offered a garland. Then he asked to maharaj, ' what are my duties? what
are the rules I should follow for my benefit?. Maharaj instructed thus to
follow the four rules out
of the Vedic sastra, that is to avoid four sinful activites,
namely- do not eat meat, also onion and garlic, eggs, fish and anything
contaminated. Do not take intoxications, ie wine, beer, smoking etc. Do
not indulge in illicit sex, and do not gamble. Baa agreed. Then
maharaj said; chant in this mala the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, at least 16
rounds daily. Baa agreed. Maharj handed over the chanting beeds with
prayers to Baa who surrendered unto his lotus feet. This was the begining
of the spiritual life of Baa, a second life born from the Vedas as the
mother and Guru as the father. Baa felt jubilient and happy. This
occassion was arranged by the Naamhat Dhaam. Baa began with the humble
prayers chanting the mahamantra, the religious process recommended for this
age kali, the age of quarrel.
This turn to the divine way of living and of course dying
too, indeed came with much struggle.The most praiseworthy in Bhandari
baa's character is his disire for the higher consciousness, spiritual,
search for the real
identity- the soul and its relation to the supreme absolute,
Krishna . While forced out of Bhutan in early 1990 to exile in Nepal , he was
forced to separate from one of his two brothers. He was terribly ill for
several years, more than 30 years. While he was working as a labourer in
the Chhuka hydel in Bhutan
during 1980s he was injured in his lower hip and the infection to his
urinary tract continued. He did not get treatment during his work in the
hydel, the infection became chronic each year. Although sick he was,
hanging a urinary bag under, he was forcibly exiled along with
one of his younger brother. In the refugee camp in Nepal , he did
not had proper treatment. He used to recall this days of misery with
tears.
'Let my body, speech and action do not hurt anyone' was my
motive in living, says Bhandari Baa adding that whenever a drop of
his bodily fluids falls down, he used to clean by himself not allowing
anyone take trouble.Baa is unmarried, celebate to this age of 60's and to
avoid those four pillars of sins has always been his natural habit. He
doesn't want to eat meat and other food of the mode of ignorance because
he knew already that it will hinder his progress in the spiritual
attainment. Following the Vedic principles raises one above the level of
animalism because just to remain only in eating, sleeping, mating and
defending is the animal propensities. The human form of life is not meant
only for that purpose. It's the opportunity to qualify with spiritual
wisdom to enter into the kingdom
of God
Baa with hundred of devotees in the Amsterdam Rathayatra
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Although the search for the right method for liberation was
sought by Bhandari Baa through out his life in Nepal and Bhutan , he was led always
to the path of bewilderment. He says that until he got the Bhagavad Gita
As It
Is version, he was always allured to the illusory ways by
commercial literatures and so called sadhus. As soon as I read the
Bagavad Gita As It Is, I could recognize the difference between the
absolute truth and the man
made concoctions, he says.
One month later when I went to take him to the Rathayatra in
Amsterdam ,
I found that his health was improved. His face was shining. He chants
the mahamantra: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare. Hare
Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, at least 32 rounds daily, a
record break among the beginners in Krsna consciousness. This assures his
success of his human form of life and go back to the kingdom of God
