'खड़दा में शैव-शाक्त-तंत्र एवं वैष्णव भाव का सम्मिलन' "जीवन नदी के हर मोड़ पर [12] "

(पृष्ठ -26, बंगलापेज- 20 ) 

          कई उज्ज्वल चरित्र शिक्षकों के सानिध्य और साहचर्य में रहने का सौभाग्य मुझे प्राप्त हुआ है। उनकी वाणी का माधुर्य और छात्रों के प्रति उनका प्रेम अतुलनीय था। उनका स्नेह अनायास ही छात्रों को अपनी ओर आकर्षित कर लेता था। हमारे स्कूल में जो संस्कृत के 'पण्डित मोशाय' थे वे तो कई श्रेष्ठ गुणों से सम्पन्न थे। जब उनकी तुलना मैं आज के शिक्षकों से करता हूँ तो लगता है कि शिक्षा का स्तर कितना नीचे चला गया है।  

      जब हेडमास्टर मोशाय के रिटायरमेन्ट का उम्र हुआ, (उस समय रिटायर होने की उम्र-सीमा कितनी थी-यह मुझे ठीक से पता नहीं) उस समय विभागीय प्रशासन का सारा कार्य स्कूल में ही होता था। ये सब 'Education Board' आदि कुछ भी न था। उस समय सारे स्कूल कलकाता यूनिवर्सिटी के अनर्तगत ही आते थे। बहरहाल, स्कूल से ही यूनिवर्सिटी को पत्र भेजा गया कि, हेड मास्टर मोशाय के रिटायर करने कि आयु हो चुकी है। वहाँ से जवाब आया कि, जितने दिन उनमे कर्म करने क्षमता है, उतने दिनों तक वे अपने पद पर बने रहें- There should not be any replacement . उस समय तो आज की तरह (ले-देकर ट्रांसफर- पोस्टिंग) नहीं होता था।  इसीलिये सब कुछ पूर्ववत चलता रहा।  

      बंगाल पर कभी ' पाल-वंश ' के राजाओं का शासन था उनमें एक राजा हुए हैं ' रामपाल'।   उन्होंने 52 वर्षों तक बंगाल पर शासन किया था। इधर पितामह ने भी ५२ वर्षों तक शासन किया था। पितामह ने भी 52 वर्षों के पश्चात ही रिटायरमेन्ट स्वीकार किया था। मेरे ही स्कूल के जिन पूर्ववर्ती छात्रों से मुझे स्कॉटिश चर्च कॉलेज में पढ़ने का अवसर मिला, उनमें से एक गणित पढ़ाते थे। फिर वे अमेरिका चले गए , उसके बाद उनकी कुछ खबर नहीं मिली।  बहुत दिनों बाद पता चला कि वे हिमालय पर चले गये थे तथा ऋषिकेश से भी अधिक ऊँचे स्थान पर रहने वाले किसी संन्यासी से वेदान्त की शिक्षा पायी थी। 

       कुछ विशेष कारण से अपने स्कूल के एक पूर्व छात्र- प्रभाष चट्टोपाध्याय की याद आ रही है। उसके जीवन का पथ पुराने ढर्रे का अनुसरण करने वाला नहीं था ! उनके माता-पिता दोनों स्वामी विरजानन्द महाराज के कृपाप्राप्त शिष्य थे, और बड़े चाचा संसार को त्याग कर सन्यासी हो गये थे। प्रभाष ने बी०ए० उत्तीर्ण करने के पश्चात् एम०ए० में एडमिशन लिया ,किन्तु आगे अपनी पढ़ाई जारी नहीं रख सके। परिवार की आर्थिक सहायता करने के लिये चार्टर्ड एकाउन्टेन्सी की प्राथमिक परीक्षा पास कर खड़गपुर IIT में Accounts Officer के पद पर नियुक्त हो गये। वे 

प्रायः अपने घर में या दक्षिणेश्वर में गंभीर ध्यान में मग्न रहते थे। माँ के ही अनुरोध पर वे घर में ठीके हुए थे, किन्तु उनके देहत्याग के बाद वे परिवार त्याग कर संन्यासी हो गए थे। ऋषिकेश के कैलाश-आश्रम में उन्होंने हरिहर तीर्थ का शिष्यत्व ग्रहण किया था और कई वर्षों तक कठोर तपस्या में डूबे रहे थे। बाद में गिरी महाराज के ' वेदान्त रत्नाकर '{Vedanta Ratnakar (An Old and Rare Book) लेखक: स्वामी विष्णु देवानन्द गिरी (Swami Vishnu Devanand Giri)। प्रकाशक: श्री कैलाश आश्रम, ऋषिकेश।) नामक संस्कृत ग्रन्थ का उन्होंने बंगला में अनुवाद किया था तथा अद्वैत वेदान्त के सम्बन्ध में अपना एक सिद्धान्त भी प्रतिपादित किया था। 

      उसी तरह अपने एक विद्यालयी सहपाठी (School friend)- विरंचि चक्रवर्ती का भी स्मरण आ रहा है, वह भी गृहत्याग कर संन्यासी हो गया था। बाद में उसका कोई समाचार न मिल सका। कितने लोगों के विषय में बताऊँ ? 

        हेडमास्टर मोशाय अर्थात पितामह जहाँ एक ओर आन्दुल स्कूल में अध्यापन कर रहे थे वहीँ व्यक्तिगत जीवन में वे एक (शाक्त-वीरभाव के) साधक भी थे। खड़दह में हमारा परिवार, कन्नौज से बंगाल  आये हुये उन्ही पंच (कन्नौजिया) ब्राह्मणों के वंशज हैं जो बहुत दिन पहले यहाँ आकर बस गये थे।  उन पंच ब्राह्मणों में से जिनका नाम श्रीहर्ष था, हम उन्ही के वंशज हैं। बंगाल में जो कृतिवास रामायण प्रसिद्ध है, उसके रचयिता को लोग कृतिवास ओझा के नाम से जानते हैं, किन्तु उनका वास्तविक नाम कृतिवास मुखोपाध्याय था तथा 'ओझा' उनकी उपाधि थी।  श्रीहर्ष की  सातवीं पीढ़ी में उनका जन्मे हुआ था, वे हमारे ही पूर्वज थे। हमारे वंश में एक अन्य प्रसिद्द विद्वान् हुए थे - पण्डित मेधातिथि। (जिन्होंने मनुस्मृति पर भाष्य लिखा था।) श्यामा संगीत के प्रसिद्ध रचनाकार रामप्रसाद भी श्रीहर्ष के ही वंश में नवमी पीढ़ी में जन्मे थे। इसी वंश में मुझसे १८ पीढ़ी पूर्व हुए थे कामदेव पण्डित।

         इतिहास है कि जब श्री चैतन्य देव ने पूरी में नित्यानन्द प्रभु को आदेश दिया कि तुम विवाह कर लो तथा गृहस्थ बन कर हरिनाम का प्रचार करो, तब उन्होंने वसू (वसुधा) और जहान्वी नामक दो स्त्रियों से विवाह कर लिया और हावड़ा के निकट ही एक गाँवमें निवास करने लगे।          इधर , कामदेव पण्डित के मन में विचार आया कि श्री चैतन्य देव ने खड़दह से होते हुए गंगा के जल मार्ग से पानीहाटी में जाकर महोत्सव किया था। (जिस महोत्स्व में भाग लेने परवर्तीकाल में  श्रीरामकृष्ण देव भी गये थे।)  इसलिए खड़दह में  यदि गंगा के निकट नित्यानन्द प्रभु भी निवास करें तो बहुत अच्छा होगा।  ऐसा विचार कर उन्होंने इस बात की चर्चा गाँव के दो-चार वरिष्ठ लोगों से की। सबों ने इस प्रस्ताव पर अपनी सहमती दे दी तथा यह कहा कि यह तो अत्यन्त ही पवित्र प्रस्ताव है। 

       फिर उनमें से ही कुछ लोग हावड़ा के उस ग्राम में गये जहाँ वे रह रहे थे। तथा अनुरोध किया- ' देखिये, चैतन्य महाप्रभु गंगा से होते हुए जिस पानीहाटी ग्राम गये थे, वह तो खड़दह के निकट ही है, इसलिए आप यदि खड़दह में ही रहें तो बहुत अच्छा होगा।आपके रहने की सारी व्यवस्था हम कर देंगे। इस प्रकार से खड़दह में वैष्णव भाव का आविर्भाव हुआ। एक प्राचीन संस्कृत ग्रन्थ में यह पूरी कहानी थी- ' कामदेवः कामजयी ', वह किताब नष्ट हो गयी है। पण्डित  उपेन्द्र मोहन गोस्वामी 'न्यायरत्न' ने अपने संस्कृत ग्रन्थ 'नित्य-रूप- संस्थापनम' (Establishing God's Eternal Form) में इसके ग्रंथकार का परिचय देते हुये लिखा है- " नित्यानन्दमहत्माभिः प्रभुवरेयोहध्यासितः खड़दहो यत्रासीत स्वमेव कामजयी श्रीकामदेवाभीधः।  "   

     रवीन्द्रनाथ माईती लिखित ' चैतन्य परिकर ' नामक ग्रन्थ में भी लिखा है कि- " खड़दह निवासी कामदेव पण्डित ही नित्यानन्द को खड़दह ले गये थे, एवं बाद में उनके ही वंशज कामेश्वर मुखोपाध्याय के साथ नित्यानन्द की परपौत्री त्रिपुर सुंदरी का शुभ परिणय घटित हुआ था। "(पृष्ठ 100)। 

(Pandit Upendra Mohan Goswami Nyayaratna , a well-known descendant of Prabhu Nityananda, has given to the public a new work, entitled the Nitya-rupa-samsthapanam. The object of the book is to prove the eternal spiritual form of the Deity.- A Review of Nitya-rupa-sangsthapanam – A Sanscrit Work)

   पूर्व में खड़दह में शिव के प्राचीन 26 मन्दिर थे वे आज भी हैं। आस-पास में किसी अन्य स्थान में भी इतने शिव मन्दिर हैं , इसकी जानकारी मुझे नहीं है। पुराने जमाने में ' शाक्त ' लोग ही खड़दह में अधिक थे, एवं यहाँ ' तंत्र ' का यथेष्ट प्रभाव भी था। अनेक प्रसिद्ध तंत्रों में से एक प्रसिद्ध तंत्र है- प्राणतोषिनी- तंत्र। इस तंत्र-मत के संस्थापक खड़दह के प्राणकृष्ण विश्वास और भाटपाड़ा के रामतोषण भट्टाचार्य थे। इन दोनों ने मिल कर इस तंत्र मत की रचना की थी, इसीलिये इसका नाम " प्राणतोषिनी- तंत्र " हुआ था। इसीलिये खड़दा में पहले से ही शैव भाव, शक्ति भाव और तान्त्रिक भाव का ही यथेस्ट प्रभाव था। किन्तु नित्यानन्द के खड़दह में आने के बाद वहाँ पर वैष्णव भाव भी सम्मिलित हो गया। इन सब के सम्बन्ध पितामह से कितनी ही कहानियाँ मैंने सुनी हैं| 

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KHARDAH 

Khardah is five railway stations away from Sealdah. Along with Belgharia and Agarpara, this township falls in what used to be the industrial belt of Bengal.

The thousands of workers who had migrated here about a century ago from Bihar and Orissa form a large part of the populace and give it a distinctive colour. Close by, what used to be known as the coolie lines are several paras where caste Hindus live.

The Vaishnavite cult has left its mark on Khardah. Nityananda Prabhu, a disciple of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, had settled in a thatched hut here. It is now a humble brick structure known as Kunjabati. His son Bir Bhadra Goswami had started the worship of Shyamsundar that subsequently became the presiding deity of Khardah.

It is said that about 250 years ago, a woman named Pateswari Ma Goswami had raised the famous Shyamsundar temple, that dominates Raskhola, after her husband, who had been imprisoned by Nawab Alibardi Khan, was released.

The temple compound has a large kitchen and natmancha, and close to the Hooghly banks are the ratha-shaped Rasmancha and Dolmancha.The sanctity of the Dolmancha has been violated by blocking the archway. Recent attempts at decorating the main temple with white panels depicting Krishnalila are quite appalling. Adjacent to the Shyamsundar temple is a smaller one dedicated to Madanmohan. Khardah is famous for its Ras and Dol celebrations.

A short walk from Shyamsundar leads to another fascinating complex of 26 dochala Shiva temples. These are mostly dilapidated but are being restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. They were constructed in the early 19th century by Ramhari Biswas and his son Prankrishna, whose ambition it was to establish a Ratnabedi like the one in Puri with one lakh Shiva lingas. He managed to gather about 80,000 before his death. The ornamented door frames of the 26 temples are from the Gaur ruins. The navaratna Mahaprabhu temple with nine spires is on the way to the temple complex. 

Nityananda (Bangla: শ্রী নিত্যানন্দ) (b 1474 CE), a Vaishnava saint, is famous as a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal.Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend & disciple.

They are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai (Gaura, "golden one", referring to Chaitanya, Nitai being a shortened form of Nityananda) or Nimai-Nitai (Nimai being another name of Chaitanya). Followers often refer to Nityananda as 'Sri Nityananda', 'Prabhu Nityananda' or 'Nityananda Rama'.

According to Gaudiya-Vaishnava tradition Nityananda is an incarnation of Balarama, with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu being his eternal brother and friend, Krishna. He is considered the 'most merciful' incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  Principal Sobriquets (उपाधि -तखल्लुस) of Nityananda : 

Nityananda (नित्यानन्द) -- He Who embodies eternal bliss, Avadhutendu (अवधूतेन्दु) -- The Moon of divine madmen ,Vasudha-prana-vallabha (वसुधा प्राण बल्ल्भ)-- The beloved of the life-breath of Vasudha, Jahnavi-jivita-pati (जहान्वी जीविता पति) -- The eternal divine husband of Shrimati Jahnavi-devi and the maintainer and sustainer of Her life and soul, Krsna-prema-prada (कृष्ण-प्रेम -प्रदा) -- He Who bestows ecstatic love for Krsna, Prabhu (प्रभु) The Lord and Master of the devotees,  Padmavati-suta (पद्मावती पुत्र) -- The dear son of Padmavati, Sriman (श्रीमान) -- He of spendrous transcendental majesty, Saci-nandana-purvaja (सचि नन्दन पूर्वज) -- The older brother of mother Saci's son,  Bhavonmatta (भावोत्तम) -- He Who is maddened in overwhelming ecstatic emotions, Jagat-trata (जगत त्राता)  -- The savior of the universe,  Rakta-gaura-kalevara (रक्त गौर कलेवरा) - He Whose complexion is golden tinged with red, from the writings of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya.

Life of Nityananda prabhu :-

Nityananda Prabhu met Caitanya Mahaprabhu in 1506, when He was 32 years old and the Lord 20 years. It is said that when Nityananda Prabhu reached the land of Nadia, He hid in the house of Nandanacarya, to heighten the ecstasy of meeting through separation.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu aware of the arrival of His eternal associate dispatched Haridas Thakur and Srivas Pandit to search out Nitai, but they failed. Finally unable to bear the separation any longer, Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself went directly to Nityananda Prabhu and the ecstasy of the meeting was so transcendental that every one witnessing it were awed by the sublime experience. A temple called Sri Gaura-Nityananda commemorates this meeting place in Nadia. 

Sri Chaitanya and Nityananda, is shown performing a 'kirtan'( devotional song ) in the streets of Nabadwip, Bengal.

Nityananda Prabhu was born to a religious Bandyaghati Brahmin, Mukunda Pandit (also known as Hadai Pandit) and Padmavati in Ekachakra (a small village in Birbhum district of present West Bengal) around the year 1474.

His devotion and great talent for singing Vaishnava hymns (bhajan) were apparent from a very early age. He became well known in his youth for his dramatic re-enactments of Lord Rama's pastimes, wherein he would generally play the part of Lakshman, Rama's younger brother along with the other boys of Ekachakra.

At the age of thirteen, Nityananda left home with a travelling renunciate (sannyasi) known as Lakshmipati Tirtha. Nityananda's father, Hadai Pandit, had offered the travelling sannyasi anything he wished as a gift. To this Lakshmipati Tirtha replied that he was in need of someone to assist him in his travels to the holy places (he was about to begin a pilgrimage) and that Nityananda would be perfect for the job.

As he had given his word Hadai Pandit reluctantly agreed and Nityananda joined him in his travels. This started Nityananda's long physical and spiritual journey through India which would get him in contact with important Gurus of the Vaishnava tradition. Apart from Lakshmipati Tirtha, who at some point initiated him, he was also associated with Lakshmipati Tirtha's famous other disciples: Madhavendra Puri, Advaita Acharya, and Ishvara Puri, the spiritual master of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

 The Jagai-Madhai : The episode of Jagai-Madhai is arguably the most well known of tales related to Chaitanya and Nityananda. There are a few versions of the story, but the basics outline of the traditional tale is as follows:

Once while chanting the name of Krishna in the streets, Nityananda was attacked by Jagai and Madhai, two irreverent drunk brothers. Madhai threw an earthen pot which cut his forehead.

At this point Nityananda is said to have uttered the now famous sentence, -- 

" मेरेचिस कलशिर काना , ताई बोले कि प्रेम देबोना ?" 

"Merechhish kolshir kana, tai bole ki prem debona" 

 (Shall I stop giving you love because you have hit me with an earthen pot?).

Chaitanya heard of the episode, flew to a rage, and wanted to kill the brothers with his divine Chakra. Nityananda begged him to pardon them and they became Chaitanya's disciples, converted by Nityananda's compassion.  

Marriage and the descendants : 

When Nityananda Prabhu returned to Bengal at the request of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His decided to abandon His avadhuta status and become a grahastha (householder).

Balaram’s wives Varuni and Revati (वारुणी और रेवती) became Vasudha (वसुधा) and Jahnavi (जहान्वी), the two wives of Nityananda Prabhu, in Chaitanya-lila. Both of them were the daughters of Surya Das, who was as effulgent as the sun. He was Kakudman, the father of Revati, in his previous birth.

Virabhadra Goswami was inundated with Jahnava Mata’s mercy, becoming her direct initiated disciple. Nityananda Das writes in his Prema-vilasa that when Virabhadra saw Jahnava in a four-armed form that his mind was changed and he decided to accept her as his diksha guru. 

After some time, Shri Vasudha devi gave birth to a daughter named Ganga and a son named Virachandra. Shri Jahnavadevi, on the other hand, had no children.

Nityananda Prabhu had a son (Virchandara) and a daughter (Gangadevi) from Vasudha. Soon after Vasudha passed away and Jahanva devi looked after the children.

She later initiated Virchandra, and also became an instructing spiritual master to the likes of Shyamananda Pandit, Shrivasa Pandit and Narottama dasa Thakur. Jahnava devi is revered as a Vaishnavi and she established the pre-eminent positon of women in the Vaishanava tradition.   

  Lord Nityananda wound up His earthly pastimes, by merging into the deity of Krishna, known as Bankim Ray, not far from Ekacakra.

Vaishanava acaryas emphatically state that people who try to understand Caitanya Mahaprabhu without getting the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu will never succeed.

and one must pray very sincerely to Lord Nityananda Prabhu as the adi-guru (original spiritual master) to be delivered to the Lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 

The presence of Nityananada Prabhu is always felt in the presence of one's own guru, for the guru is considered to be the living manifestation of Nityananda Prabhu's love and mercy, and his sakti (power) is what gives the disciple the ability to perform devotional service and experience spiritual bliss.      

गौड़ीय वैष्णव सम्प्रदाय : Gaudiya Vaishnavism (also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism) is a Vaishnava Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534) in India in the 16th century.

"Gaudiya" refers to Gauḍadeśa (presentday Bengal/Bangladesh) with Vaishnavism meaning the worship of Vishnu. 

Its philosophical basis is primarily that of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana, as well as other Puranic scriptures and Upanishads such as the Isha Upanishad, Gopala Tapani Upanishad, and Kali Santarana Upanishad.

The focus of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the devotional worship (bhakti) of RadhaKrishna, and their many divine incarnations as the supreme forms of God, svayam bhagavan. Most popularly this worship takes the form of singing Radha and Krishna's holy names, such as 'Hare', 'Krishna' and 'Rama', (most commonly in the form of the Hare Krishna mantra) which is known as kirtan.

Philosophical concepts : 

Living beings : According to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, consciousness is not a product of matter, and is instead a symptom of the soul. All living beings (jivas), are distinct from their current body - 

the nature of the soul being eternal, immutable and indestructible without any particular beginning or end. Souls which are captivated by the illusory nature of the world (Maya) are repeatedly reborn amongst the various species of life on this planet and on other worlds in accordance to the laws of karma and individual desire. This is consistent with the concept of samsara found throughout Hindu belief.

Release from the process of samsara (known as moksha) is believed to be achieveable through a variety of yoga processes. However, within Gaudiya Vaishnavism it is bhakti in its puremost state (or pure love of God) which is given as the ultimate aim, rather than liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

 Supreme Person (God)

Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe that God has many forms and names, but that the name Krishna is the 'fullest' description because it means "He who is all-attractive", covering all of God's aspects such as being all-powerful, supremely merciful and all-loving.

God is worshipped as the eternal, all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful and all-attractive Supreme Person. Names of God from other religious traditions such as Allah and Jehovah are also accepted as bonafide titles of the same supreme person..

One of the defining aspects of Gaudiya Vaishnavism is that Krishna is worshipped specifically as the source of all incarnations of God. This is based on quotations from the Bhagavata Purana such as krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, translated as "Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead" and from the Bhagavad Gita wherein Arjuna, when speaking to Krishna, states:

"You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me."

Krishna is described elsewhere as the "seed-giving father of all living beings" and is worshipped within the Gaudiya tradition literally, as such - Krishna being the "sustaining energy of the universe"

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