Section Three
Interlogue - III
By now the reader
must have fully acquainted himself with profile and early life-style of Swami
Nand Ram Paramanand who lived in natural surroundings of supreme beauty on the
banks and around the river Liddar in South Kashmir. He was an honest,
self-regarding humanistic revenue clerk (Patwari). Later on he, engaged himself
in religio-philosophical discourses with great saints, elevated spiritualists
and eminent intellectuals who thronged to the Mattan Tirtha from all comers of
the Country.
The reader must have found Swami ji in full heart and
soul submission to Lord Krishna, not in the narrow sense, the word may cannote
but in the much spiritual sense of merger of two great souls, forming a single
identity. Parmanand addresses Lord Krishna in as purely simple a manner as a
small child addresses his loving mother.
"Slaves shine as we are,
Why don't you listens? "
How wonderous and exhilarating sepectacle must have been
for semi-dozing participating disciples, during a midnight recital of Krishna
Lila by Swami ji at Bijbehara to see Bal Krishna actually sitting in Swami ji's
lap with all his grandeur. The reader must also have been conversant with the
classification of Parmanands highly philosophical poetry written in highly
Sanskritised Kashmiri, not that he could'nt write pure Kashmiri. He was a master
writer of pure Kasmiri as proved by his poem written on spot. Despite his
oneness with Lord Krishna, Parmanand is a believer of the Trinity aspect of
godhood as per Indian tradition. He has given top most place in this hierarchy
to Lord Shiva.
The reader'll do well to estimate the spiritual
attainments of Swamiji from the personal observations by an eminent spiritualist
and writer from Calcutta in his book entitled. "Swami Nand Ram Paramanand
through my eyes". I had a faint impression of having read about it
somewhere and also been narrated afresh the details of the same by fresh
acquaintances from the same area of South Kashmir after migration. But I
desisted from its inclusion for want of knowledge of source. Anchoring on the
terra-firma confirmed by no less a person than a very knowledgeable person like
Swami P.N. Bhat who happens to be very conversant with wide ranging Kashmiri
Lore and Literature, I was encouraged and promoted to narrate the event in my
own words, as it was.
Said he during a free chat, "One Dr. Vishal
Mukerji of Calcutta had heard about the high spiritual and philosophical heights
and literary works of Swami Nand Ram Paramanand of Mattan from pilgrims of
equally high attainments. He came on a pilgrimage to his holy place to meet the
famous saint. On reaching Paramanand's Village, he was guided by an equally
talented muslim saint poet Neyma Sahib to a distant field in the same vicinity.
Then he pointed towards a rustic peasant ploughing his paddy field. There's your
Paramanand driving the bullocks.
Taken aback in suspicion Dr. Vishal hesitated at first
but soon made up his mind and took courage to approach the ill dressed peasant
to enquire if he new a person, Paramanand by name. Quick was the positive
response from the particular person Dr. Sahib had enquired about.
The two left the field and sat on a green patch of land
under the shade of a Chinar tree. There they discussed matters of literature,
religion and spirituality. While thus engaged in interesting philosophical
discussions, Dr. Vishal Mukerji caught sight of a crow sitting on the handle of
the plough and driving the bullocks to plough the field in the absence of Swami
Paramanand"
Later on the same was recorded by Dr. Vishal Mukerji in
his book" Swami Parmanand through my eyes".
Sh. P.N. Bhat informed", Later on Dr. Vishal
Mukerji prominently discribed his personal observations of Paramanand in his
book quoted above".
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