‘Bapu, why was I born in a brothel?’

(newspremi.com, Monday, 22 June 2020)

( Manas Ganika katha: Day 3, Ayodhya, 24 December 2018)

How does it feel when the soil of Ayodhya, this historical town on the banks of Saryu, touches your forehead for the first time in your life? You realise: Once upon a time, this was the very capital from where raja Dashrath reigned over his kingdom. Once upon a time, a baby Ram must have playfully run around in Dashrathji’s palace and the palace walls must have echoed the sweet sound of his little silver anklets. Once upon a time, the people of Ayodhya, overjoyed with the marriage of Ram and Sita, must have danced and rejoiced here like there’s no tomorrow. Once upon a time, the same people of Ayodhya must have been crushed by sorrow when bhagwan Ram was leaving for vanvasa, exiled to live in forests. And once upon a time, after a passage of 14 long years, when Ram returned from vanvasa, the people of this very Ayodhya, aged prematurely in grief, must have experienced warm tears, of happiness this time, roll down their cheeks again. 

This is that same Ayodhya where I am standing right now. I am given accommodation at a beautiful temple here, at walking distance from Ayodhya Junction station.

And for me Ayodhya is also 6 December, 1992. Ayodhya is also the resonant cries of mandir wahin banayenge (we will build Ram temple there). Today’s Ayodhya may look like a town but it has the soul of a village, pure and uncorrupted. When we arrived in Ayodhya all of us felt as if we were in our respective native places. Why are we all affected so? Is it because this is the birthplace of Ram, who resides in the heart of every Indian? Or maybe it’s like Bapu says, ‘Ayodhya resides in me twenty-four by seven’. Perhaps it resides in all of us too, even if we may not be consciously aware of it, ultimately making us feel like Ayodhya is where we belong.

We cross the railway track and have breakfast at Shri Ram Mistaan Bhandar— garamagaram chana-pakodi and two cups of piping hot chai. We reach katha mandap (tent). It’s beautifully lit but sans fans. The winters are so cold in Ayodhya that there is no need for fans even inside the tent. This kind of cold is a thing of wonder for those of us from the costal city of Mumbai with its tropical heat and humid weather.

At the head of this mega-mandap is Bapu’s vyaspeeth. Another stage is created on his right where ganikas from various corners of the country are seated. On his left, right behind the ‘Sangeet ni duniya’ enclosure is one more stage where sadhu, sant, dharmacharyas have taken their places. After deliberately pointing this out in today’s katha, Bapu hits a sixer: ‘but you all in the audiences will see sadhu-sant on the right and these behen-betiyan on the left— for me they are at right!’

” you are all daughters and sisters to me”

These women, the main subjects of ‘Manas: Ganika,’ must be accustomed to start their ‘day’ after sunset. Here however, they all wake up early in the morning to get dressed up and take their dignified places in the katha mandap on time.

An announcement is made before the katha begins: After yesterday’s appeal for ganika medical welfare fund, donations are already reaching the figure of rupees 2 crores (20,000,000) in just twenty-four hours. And it’s only the third day of katha.

Bapu begins by saying: I don’t know where to begin and where to end. I am getting so much information, multitudes of people are responding. And he speaks directly to the ganikas: Meri behen-betiyaan (you are all daughters and sisters to me), never feel that you are alone, even when no one stands with you. When no jiva (being) is with you, Shiva is there with you even then.

Bapu elaborates the story behind this statement. There was a stunningly beautiful and extremely wealthy ganika in Kashmir named Mahananda. Brahmins were called to her home once every week for Rudrabhishek puja. The story is fascinating. Whenever a man visited her house for pleasure, be it for one day, two days or any number of days, for that period of time Mahananda lived as a loyal wife with him. During that time she wouldn’t even think of another man let alone be with one. She would be totally devoted to him.

Bapu starts singing a film song, but he sings it with the sanctity of a bhajan

One day a wealthy young man arrived at Mahananda’s door. He was to stay with her for three days. The story is long and very interesting. We’ll skip some of it here. For some reason this young man’s body was burning in fire. Before the fire could completely burn his body to ashes, Mahananda rushed to her room, dressed up with all the necessary accessories of a suhagan (bride) and returned to enter the fire herself where the young man’s body was burning. For three days she was his wife. And that time period wasn’t over yet. So like a pativrata (devoted to her husband in life and in death) she jumped in fire after him. As soon as she enterd it, the fire got extinguished and the young man changed into Shiva. Under the guise of the young man, Shiva himself had come to test the heights of her devotion. Mahananda passed the test with full accolades. 

Even when no jiva under the sky is with you, Shiva is there with you.

Bapu starts singing a film song, but he sings it with the sanctity of a bhajan and asks everyone to join in:  Inhi logon ne le leena dupatta mera… Inhi tathaakathit logon ne, Bapu adds (these so-called upright men). Hamari na maano sipahiya se puchho… Bapu leaves the lyrics of the song here, points to Hanumanji— the Sipaahi, the protector— and sings the line from Hanuman Chalisa seamlessly in the same tune: sadhu-sant ke tum rakhavale…

Bapu reads some of the remaining lines from the Sahir poem he quoted yesterday:

madad chahti hai yeh hawwa ki beti

yashoda ki humjins, radha ki beti

payambar ki ummat jhulekha ki beti

jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahaan hai?

zarra iss mulk ke rahbaro ko bulao

yeh kuche, yeh galliyan, yeh manzar dikhao

jinhe naaz hai hind par unko lao

jinhe naaz hai hind par woh kahaan hai?

kahaan hai, kahaan hai, kahaan hai…

Mahananda attaines Moksha (enlightenment). She passes Shiva’s test of integrity and he tells her that he will grant her anything she wishes. Mahananda asks to be accepted by Shiva as his own, requests Shiva to accept every living and non-living being from her village as his own and take them all to Kailas (Shiva’s abode) with him.

When someone respects you, don’t conclude automatically that you must be greater than him. See the fact that really great men have the humility to treat everyone else with so much honour.

Bapu picks this thread from Mahananda’s story and appeals to all: As a result of them selling their bodies we get to live in a safe and stable society, is it not our duty then, to reciprocate by contributing towards the education of their kids. This is a kind of puja too. And it’s also a penance, he adds, yes, penance: atonement, redemption. We must work towards creating good career opportunities for their kids.

All of us are familiar with Ramayan. Bapu combines the right amount of contemporary affairs with it, pairing them with eternal insights and brings it in Ram katha in a perfect sync. Almost at end of the third day of katha he announces: ‘Now let’s begin with the katha. Ram katha is like Ganga, she will flow at her own will. This is not some canal water that will pass listlessly between two artificially created walls!’

While talking about Kumbhaj rishi, Bapu shares a beautiful perspective: When someone respects you, don’t conclude automatically that you must be greater than him. See the fact that really great men have the humility to treat everyone else with so much honour.

Today evening there was a get-together at Bapu’s stay. All the ganikas were invited there to interact with Bapu over evening tea and snacks. What we witnessed there was a truly singular experience and I am fortunate to have been personally present at such a rare interaction. One by one, each of them was called to get shawl, Ram Charit Manas and a cash cover from Bapu’s hands. Sometimes one of them would discuss their problems with him, sometimes he would  have a question for them. Sitting closest to Bapu’s jhula I heard this wonderful communication firsthand. There is no video recording of it, no pictures even. Everything is in memory. But I have to control myself from writing about it here. Because Bapu may want to talk about it himself in katha tomorrow. 

No, not maybe, he will surely talk about it in katha tomorrow. I will give you a sneak preview of just one question from the evening. One young college going boy approached Bapu when his turn came and asked: Bapu, why was I born in a brothel?

At one point in today’s katha Bapu said: I like Santa Claus. What’s there to not like about a jolly old guy who brings toys for children in his huge bag? Bapu knows that today, the third day of katha, is December 24. Tomorrow is December 25: Christmas Day. We have devised a secret plan to celebrate Christmas in katha tomorrow. Let’s see!

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