At the Feet of Master – Biography Sain Kanwarram
At the Feet of Master – Biography Sain Kanwarram
DR. S. K. PUNSHI
Once Saint Satramdas came to village Jarwar for his ‘Bhajans’ (devotional songs programme). Kanwarram was of 9 years old. He used to sell the boiled grams as a hawker. Therefore, mother told him that tomorrow thousands of people would come to hear the songs of Satramdas and she has boiled ample quantity of grams. Kanwarram took away the basket of boiled grams and came to the congregation place, where the people had assembled to hear and listen to Saint Satramdas. It was the time of dewy morn, a blessed dawn, and an ambrosial period. Boy Kanwar was selling the grams aided with his fine mannerism and sweet voice.
This sweet voice reached into the ears of Saint Satramdas. Satramdas while singing and dancing slowly and unnoticing reached the place where Kanwar was selling his boiled grams. Satramdas asked Kanwar “would you give me your grams?” “Yes my Lord! These are meant for you”. “How much money will you charge for all your grams in the earthen pot?” “No money from you” retorted Kanwar. “No my boy, I wont take free, you have to take something as you are poor boy.” “These grams are yours I am also yours, so where is the question of money?” the boy Kanwar replied “Please Sir, bless me cut down my bondage, free me from the cycle of birth and death.” Kanwar fell down on the feet of Satramdas, as Arjuna fell down at the feet of Lord Krishna for grace and guidance when he was confused and Krishna embraced Arjuna and gave him true knowledge, divine knowledge in the form of ‘Gita’ and thus removed his confusions, misconceptions and made him a fighter, brave and valiant. Same way Satramdas embraced touched his forehead and blessed him “you will get what you want; your wishes will be fulfilled.”
This was the first meeting of boy Kanwar with his divinely ordained Guru and spiritual guide.
It is astonishing the boy Kanwar asked some thing wonderful, which was unbecoming from the boy of 10 years – he begged for Moksha, Mukti, Liberation, Release from the clutches of Maya – this seemingly illusion of Maya – that shows that boy Kanwar like boy Saint Dyaneshwar had divinely virtues right from the birth accumulated from various previous births. The following lines of the English poet very correctly depict the status of this temporary world of ours. Rightly, this world is a dream.
…… but, in this life of error, ignorance and strife
where nothing is but all things seem,
and we the shadows dream.
– Shelley
When Kanwar returned home with the Saint’s blessings as the price and reward of his burden, the mother seeing him return so early had her doubts about his day’s earnings and impatiently looked into the empty vessel as usual and to her surprise found there in double the usual earnings. On enquiry, Kanwar narrated the fact. This touched her heart and inspired her to tell her husband that the boy is not theirs but Saint’s trust and therefore should be returned back to Raharki Darbar as promised to Saint Khotaram, who was no more in the physical world. Tarachand and Tirathbai took the boy Kanwar to the holy shrine of Raharki and handed over the boy to Saint Satramdas, the son and spiritual heir of Saint Khotaram and thus Saint Satramdas became spiritual guide, Guru, father and mother, mentor, supervisor and guardian of Kanwarram all rolled up in one.
‘Begotten son, Divine similitude,
In whose conspicuous countenance without cloud,
Made visible, the Almighty father shines,
Whom else no creature can be holding…..’
– Milton