Habibpur is one of the most prominent places in my life. It is where our beloved Gurudev Paramahamsa Hariharananda was born and spent his childhood until he completed high school. It is a place of pilgrimage for me as well as for countless kriyavans (seekers practicing Kriya Yoga) all over the world. During Shri Gurudev's lifetime, I never visited Habibpur, but later I have visited this village and Shri Gurudev's home several times.
In the year 2019 we set off on a spiritual tour of Puri and Bengal with some disciples from the West, mainly from Australia. During this visit Shri Prashant Mukherjee, Shri Gurudev's youngest nephew (the second son of his younger sister, Triptimayi) was also in our company. He proposed that we do something on this ancestral property, the birthplace of our beloved Gurudev. His heartfelt words that day became the catalyst for this beautiful project: building a shrine at Habibpur in honor of our beloved Gurudev.
It was quite impossible to begin this work and complete it without the blessings and invisible sanction of God and our beloved Gurudev. Undoubtedly, to build a shrine, first, we needed the land. With Prashant Baba's active role, we received positive cooperation, love, and support from Shri Gurudev's family members and close relatives. It all happened like a miracle - as if it were a divine plan. Indeed, even the coronavirus pandemic could not inhibit this divine project.
Just as the Shri Guru Mandir (in the Shri Hariharananda Gurukulam, Puri) was built in a very short time (2003-2006), building the Shri Guru Janmabhumi Temple (a shrine of our beloved Shri Gurudev at his birthplace) was likewise completed quickly (2020-2023) and is now ready for its divine opening.
The past few months were very challenging for me, especially from the end of March until September 2022. I neither read nor wrote, had almost no communication with anyone, and my mind was in a completely different state. I had no motivation to write anything. In mid-October 2022, I was in the USA when I heard that the opening ceremony of the new temple would be held in February 2023. A thought erupted in me to write something to commemorate the occasion.
What to write? Shri Gurudev never wanted publicity. The first person who brought him forward and convinced him to speak and teach was Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab, the Chief Minister of Odisha. Dr. Mahatab was a renowned freedom fighter, a cabinet minister in Independent India, and the Governor of Bombay, and he also held many other prestigious positions. He was initiated by Shri Gurudev. Another person who encouraged Shri Gurudev in this regard was Dr. Radhanath Rath, the editor of the most popular Odia newspaper, the Samaja. I have personally witnessed with my own eyes the love and regard that both these renowned persons had for Shri Gurudev.
This book is not a biographical work; it is an effort to offer tribute. What is a tribute? The Concise Oxford Dictionary says the word tribute is "an act, a statement, or a gift intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration." In English, there are many synonyms for tribute, such as "accolade," "appreciation," "compliments," "gratitude," "honor," "memorial," "recognition," "respect," "acknowledgment," and "applause."
For whom is this tribute? For Shri Gurudev? Does he need it? A realized, liberated yogi of the highest order is truly free from wanting any tribute. For him praise and censure are the same. Simply speaking, he needs nothing. He has no expectations.
Shri Gurudev loves us and guides us as a father, mother, friend, philosopher, and mentor. As the father and the mother, he naturally wants us to grow spiritually. He often said, putrat sisyat parajayah: "It is the success of the parents and the guru-preceptor when their progeny or disciples excel and become more successful than them."
I am thinking of myself and thinking of Shri Gurudev his life and his message. I am again reading the books published about Shri Gurudev, and his thoughts are even more vibrant in me. Day and night he is in my thoughts and reflections. His life flashes through my mind, and his smile reflects in my memory. His love brings tears to my eyes.
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Journal (144)
Fiction (52)
Vedanta (334)
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