Chapter XVI
Some
Miracles of Swami Nand Lal Ji Maharaj (Nand
Babh)
by
Janki
Nath Tiku
When
I was a young boy, I would hear different people
talking in glowing terms about the
extraordinary mystic powers of Swami Nand Lal Ji
Maharaj. I was thrilled to learn that he could
predict, with precision, events and also change
the course of future events for the benefit of an
individual or individuals or humanity in general.
Much against my wishes I could not see the Swami
Ji from close quarters because I was scared of
this man's violent physical actions, his whims,
and his outlandish attire. Chance, which plays a
significant role in human affairs, brought me
ultimately very close to him once and I had the
privilege of witnessing some of his occult powers
surfacing either in symbolic language and action
or some time in plain words which for ordinary
beings like me were simply miracles.
In
1955 I applied for the post of a Forester. I
performed well in the written test and the
required physical endurance test. But to my utter
disgust and dismay I was denied my due, and was
given the job of a clerk in the Firewood Forest
Division and I discharged my duties upto 1962. To
secure justice I went from pillar to post and made
many representations. In October 1962 I was
appointed as a Forester and sent to Leh (Ladakh);
but my joy of getting justice was short lived. To
my utter shock I learnt in Leh that I had been
appointed on the Forester's post against a leave
vacancy. After three months I was reverted
back to my original post of a Depot clerk.
In
Leh I would occasionally undertake field duty and
stay with my Head Clerk, one Mr. J.N.Saraf. He
suggested to me that we should visit the place
where Nand Babh was staying those days. (This was
the chance I have referred to earlier). Initially
I hesitated, as I was scared of Nand Babh. Finally
I yielded to my colleague's persuasion. Both of us
reached the guest house where Mr. M.L. Jelkhani
(Executive Engineer PWD) had arranged Nand Lal
Ji's stay. It was 8.00 p.m. The hall wherein Nand
Lal Ji was seated was crowded to capacity with
Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims both. We could with
great difficulty find a small space for ourselves
near the door. We sat down and I fixed my eyes on
Babh Ji with tremendous curiosity. After a while
Babh Ji lit a cigarette and threw it in our
direction. It landed in the lap of my "pheran".
I told him being a non-smoker I could not take it.
Then on his revised instructions I touched the
cigarette with my lips, had a slight puff and
passed it on to him. I could not understand at
that time the significance of this cigarette
episode.
At
one stage I somehow managed to sit near Babh Ji's
pillow Mr. M.L. Jailkhani appeared on the scene
with water melon seeds and asked me to feed Babh
Ji with them. As I had terrible reverential awe
for Babh Ji, my hand started shaking. I thought if
my fingers got into his mouth he would crush these
with his teeth. Such was my fear. I managed to put
the seeds into his mouth, keeping my fingers at a
safe distance. Mr. Jailkhani got a few fresh
pieces of water melon in a plate. He put one piece
into Babh Ji's mouth and then asked me to follow
suit. I overcame my initial fears and put a couple
of pieces into BabhJi's mouth with confidence and
reverence. Then Babh Ji who had been lying down
set up. He put in my mouth three pieces (as a
great gesture). Then with the pointed end of the
pen's wrong side he drew three lines on my
forehead and also put on my forehead the seal of
his ring. Again I could not fathom the
significance of these actions. About two days
after Mr. J. N. saraf came and contacted me
conveying his greetings to me saying that express
orders had come from Srinagar that Shri J.N. Tiku
(i.e. myself) has been appointed to the post of a
Forester on permanent basis with retrospective
effect from the date I had been appointed on leave
vacancy in the first place. This was the
first miracle Babh Ji had worked out for me and
the first hand experience of Babh Ji's miracles.
Thus I was convinced that Babh Ji could convert
impossible into possible.
There
in Leh was one Mr. Toshakhani who worked as a
cashier in the PWD department. He was in distress
as he was involved in a serious case of
misappropriation of funds. An F.I.R. against him
for his alleged misdeeds was about to be launched
and his arrest was imminent. As an act of 'kind
cruelty' Babh Ji had this erring official locked
up in a dark room of the Guest House. At that very
time all the Kashmiri Pandits who were present
there made a collection of about Rs. 7000/- which
they deposited in the PWD office next morning. Mr.
Toshakhani, however, gave a written undertaking
that he would deposit the outstanding
balance within next ten days. He made a fervent
appeal that the FIR may not be lodged, which was
agreed upon. Thus he was saved the pain and
anguish of being sent behind the bars. He was also
saved from the administrative and police action.
Actually it was Babh Ji's benevolence and mystic
power which changed the course of events, saved
the cashier from all types of misery which
embezzlement entails. By locking him up in the
dark room Babh Ji punished him himself, thus
saving him from the bigger punishment. To me it
looks a miracle which Babh Ji performed for the
cashier. In 1962 I was at Neemoa which is about
twenty six kilometers from Lah, when China
launched its aggression against India and war
broke out between the two countries. When the
Chinese army launched a major attack and reached
Chesool in Ladakh I was directed through an
official communication to rush to Lab. The entire
executive staff received instructions to keep
themselves in readiness for being shifted to
Srinagar in case the situation worsened. All of us
were passing through extremely tense moments and
panic gripped one and all in Leh as enemy showed
no signs of relenting. It caused a great havoc.
People lost all hopes of the enemy being pushed
back, when lo and behold! Swami Nand Ji Maharaj
appeared in the market place, and in his
characteristic style turned his face in the
direction of the on going attack. Then with the
pointed end of the wrong side of his pen he drew a
line in the air and then pressed with all his
strength the air with both his hands. It was
indication of his effort to stop the war. Hours
later there was a news flash on the radio
regarding the much desired cease-fire. What
happened was a great miracle performed by Babh Ji.
One more incident comes to my mind which is
equally amazing. It was probably the spring
of 1957. One Mr. Abdul Karim Shalla went to the
Fire Wood Forest Division Office located at Lal
Chowk, Sheikh Bagh, Srinagar to procure the
appointment letter which would enable him to earn
his living by working as a labourer (Hamaal) at a
Fire Wood Depot. Near Gaw Kadal Babh Ji was
sitting at a shop. When Abdul Karim Shalla walked
past that shop, Babh Ji beckoned him. He drew a
line on Karim's forehead and pointing his fingers
in all the directions (North, South, East and
West) he said to Karim "Go all this is
yours.". When he went to have the D.F.O's
signature on the appointment order, the latter
(Mr. N.N. Kaul) said to him that fire- wood was
being sold illegally in the black-market from the
depot. Mr. Kaul assured Abdul Karim that if he
could secretly identify the culprits he
would get permanent Government service. It took
him about a month to report to the DFO his
findings about the illegal sale of the firewood.
He even named the offenders and even the places
where these illicit activities were taking place.
In consequence the culprits were brought to book
and Karim was rewarded. He was made a depot clerk
on permanent basis and entrusted with the job of
finding out and reporting cases of
illegal sale etc. Those days there were forty
firewood depots in Srinagar City. Abdul Karim was
given the responsibility of inspecting all these
forty depots. These were located in the North,
South, East and West of Srinagar. Abdul Karim in a
way reigned supreme in all the four directions and
put his thumb impressions on the relevant
registers after inspection of the depot. The
actual depot clerk would make the entries in the
register and also write the word
"inspected" and Adbdul Karinm Shalla
would put his thumb impression beneath the word.
Greatness was thrust upon him from above with Babh
Ji's blessings. This was Babh Ji's another
miracle.
There
at Leh was one Mr. Nehru, who worked as a sanitary
inspector there. He was also present at the
gathering at Guest House where Babh Ji was
staying. Babh Ji asked him to stand up and started
abusing him. He abused him a lot and then directed
him to get away from the hall and directed all the
gathering to follow him keeping head downwards.
Next morning Mr. Nehru received a telegram from
Srinagar that his dear wife had passed away.
(Janki
Nath Tiku, 7-Extension, Sector 1, Pamposh Colony,
Janipur,
Jammu -- 180007 J & K ).
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