At the bank of Mandakini River at Atri Muni’s Ashram
Venue: Chitrakoot at bank of Mandakini river
Dated: 13th May 2017

We pray that when Lord will bless us and we will come and reside here in the dhama. We are going round the world, sometimes Delhi sometimes Nagpur. This is dhama but we can’t see it and realize it but something’s we can see. When we come to dhama and see lila stahli have darshan and have holy dip and then we go back with transformation of are heart and thoughts.

Think over this I am giving you some hint, food for thought that will take you ahead in your devotional life. What ever you hear should go directly to your heart where we stay and Lord also stays in our heart. So make place in your heart for the Lord, remove all rubbish, the sad ripu (six anarthas) and make your heart a temple.

When Lord Ram used to stay here this place was very wonderful, pure water flowing. See the Mandarachal Mountain. If we stand near it we feel we are very small in front of this mountain thus making us humble. So this place is Sati Anusuya and Atri muni’s ashram. Atri muni is manas putra of Brahma and Anusuya and Atri muni both did tapasya here, so this place is tapobhumi.

Bhagvatm says Atri muni used to eat air. Yogis eat air during pranayam. He stayed alive on air and stood on one leg with mind and body stable. Atri muni prayed to Lord for getting a son. So he called Isvara but he did not take any name. Isvara was pleased and Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu came here. Shiva was playing damru and Brahma ji had kusa grass and Vishnu had cakra. Muni asked, Oh! How did you all come . Lords said, you did not take any name so we came. Lord is vanchakalpataru.

They all blessed Atri muni and then they all disappeared. Atri muni was blessed with three sons. Due to Shiva’s blessing he got Durvasa as son. Brahmajis blessing he got Chandra as son and from Vishnu he got Dattatreya as son. In Maharashtra there is lot of preaching of Dattatreya bhagvan. In my village also our neighbor had Dattatreya’s temple. So Dattatreya appered here.

Mandakini flows very slowly manda manda gati so she is called Mandakini . This is origin of mandakini river. Once upon a time this river was not there. Anusuya was the one who manifested this river by her tapasya. Once there was famine in this area. No greenery, all dry like desert drop of water was not there.

Jal is Jivan, our life is based on water. So in those days Anusuya did tapasya for thousands of years and due to her power Mandakini appeared and all became green again all animals were happy now. And since that time Mandakini is flowing here. So this river reminds us of Anusuya.

Hanuman did not come here. He first met Lord Ram at Rishamukha parvat. So once when Ram Laxman were going to Rishamukha parvat, hanuman met them and got introduced with each other.

Surya dev had given a mukut to Hanuman and had said one who will recognize this mukut will be Lord Ram. And Lord Ram recognized the mukut and Hanuman fell at his feet saying Jai Sri Ram. Then they went to meet Sugriva, Hanuman took Ram and Laxman on his shoulders. And went to Rishamukha parvat. This was the first meeting of Ram and Hanuman. Now starts Ram’s lila with Hanuman. He was right hand man of Ram. So here hanuman was not there.

Hanuman dhara

When Lord Ram was returning after 11,000 years to Saket dhama. He said to Hanuman you want anything? Hanuman said, please give me some place due to burning Lanka I am feeling very hot so please give me a cool place. So Hanuman dhara was given to Hanumanji. That’s water of Hanuman dhara is cool and does abhishek of Hanuman. So that’s charanamrita. So at end Hanuman came here to stay at Hanuman dhara.

Become tapasvi become yogi Lord says,

tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam (SB 5.5.1)

Lord says, you should undergo penances in this life by which your existence will be purified, and as a result you will be able to enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss.”

Transcendental happiness is only realized after tapasya and then such person does not depend on anything for happiness. Brahma ji also did tapasya . Sita met Anusuya here and had dialogue and Anusuya gave her advice to Sita about pativrata dharma.

Title : Lord Ram’s stay in Chitrakoot during His exile period
Venue: Chitrakoot
Date: 13 May 2017

Lord ram stayed more at Ayodya and Chitrakoot for long time. Once upon a time there lived a king Lord Ram and His Rani Sita.

“puranam api navam”

Being old also these lilas are new. 10 lakhs years’ back Lord Ram was here but this lila does not become old. Newspaper says, aja ki taza khabar but by end of the day it becomes old. But Lord Ram’s pastimes are all eternal. Lord Ram is here today also and we have come here to meet Him. We are trying to catch Him here. We all have come here to met Him and now we have to experience His presence here.

Jai Shri Ram

Where ever there is Ram name Ram is there. Do you love Ram? Haribol.
So to realize Lord Ram we come here. We will also go to have darshan. Koot means mountain. So here also there is one mountain Kamatgiri parvat.

Lord ram used to take bath in Mandakini river which flows here. We will go there to have holy dip. Tomorrow we will go to Hanuman dhara. Also one cave is there made by demigods and Godavari river had appeared there, she is called here, gupt Godavari. Gupt Godavari is a at a distance of 18 km south of Ram Ghat. The Godavari River emerging as a perennial stream from the rocks deep inside this cave, flows down to another cave below and then disappears in the mountain.

When demigods got the news that Lord Ram is going to come to Chitrakoot. They started making arrangements for Lords accommodation. Lord Ram had met Bharadwaj Muni in Prayag and asked him where should I stay during the exile period. Bharadwaj Muni indicated and showed him a mountain, see that mountain 120 kms from here is Kamatgiri. You can stay there.

Lord Ram had also asked Valmiki ji, where we shed stay during vanavasa. But Valmiki ji replied. Lord first tell where you don’t stay? OK and if you have asked where you should stay, then stay in hearts of your devotees. Since then Lord stays in hearts of His devotees.

We had also come here in 2005. So in that cave cool air blows, very important cave made by demigods for the Lord. But Lord Ram did not stay there. How could stay in such comfort zone and just relax.
How’s the arrangements in dindi; sukha suvidha kaise hai? One person was asked who was walking in dindi. That person replied, ‘suvidha to nahi hai par sukha hai.’

So Lord Ram was on exile and He is well known as ek vachani . And He had committed 14 years of forest exile. So He stayed like a vanavasi; not just stayed in forest.

Some people stay in resorts in forests and say we are staying in forest. Not like that, Lord Ram stayed in a hut called parnakuti. Lord is vairagyavan, one of His quality is renunciation. He did not stay in any house.

One king had invited Lord Ram but Lord Ram denied saying we are vanavasis. He used to sleep on leaves. When Bharat was coming to meet Lord Ram. Bharat was shown these are leaves where Lord Ram had slept one night. Bharat was very sad. Oh! my brother slept on dry leaves. So Lord Ram did not stay in any building for 14 years. He stayed in Chitrakoot and then when went to Ramtek in Nagpur. Stayed there for few days. Then Agastya Rishi told him to go to Panchavati at bank of Godavari in Nashik. Then from there mother Sita was kidnapped. Then at Rishamukha parvat, Sugariv and Hanuman were staying. Lord stayed here also.

From there Lord Ram got the news Sita maiya is at Lanka. So they all went to Rameshswar. Lord ram went to Lanka and stayed got few months and there the war between Lord Ram and Ravan took place. Kuruksetra war was for 18 days but this war went for many months. From there Lord Ram returns to Ayodya in pushpaka vahan and ruled for 11000 years. So during exile He stayed like a vanavasi.

Gurudev singing ayodyavasi ram…

Hari Bol…