By Kinkar Vitthal Ramanuja

(Excerpts from Shri Vithhal Uvaach)

“Thakur clearly told me, ‘सीताराम समाधी में बैठने के लिए नही; ं जगत के लिए कु छ करने आये है.’ Sitaram has not come into this world to sit in meditative trance, he is here to do good to the world.

Guruji never spoke about himself. He said if you put iron in a raging fire, its heat will make it red and you will be able to turn it into anything. But pull it out of the fire and it will be the same metal. Thakur Omkarnath said, ‘Naam is the fire. As long as I am in this fire, I have the powers. The moment I am out, there’s nothing. Guru Padukas (Guru’s sandals) is my whole support.

“One devotee asked Thakur Omkarnath, ‘Did you get a vision of Ram?’ He made an extremely mysterious reply, ‘When I try to get a vision of Ram, I become Ram. How can I see Him?’ Prof. Sadananda Chakravarti, my shiksha Guru, had an interesting theory pertaining to this. He said: ‘Thakur Omkarnath is an incarnation of Sri Ram. How can he see Himself?”

When someone asked him if he were an avatara (an incarnation), Thakur joked, ‘Look at me. I am old, lame, toothless, old crazy man. They should put me in a mental asylum.’ But there were times when he revealed himself to chosen devotees. Kedarnath Sankhya Tirtha, found it out. He said to Thakur, ‘Sitaram, do not get caught up in this avatarism. You have come into this world to accomplish the highest welfare of the soul. But frankly, pray, are you an incarnation?’ Sri Sri Thakur replied in undertones: ‘How can I deny the fact?’

Vitthal Maharaj stopped in the course of his narration. He was overwhelmed. “When I think or speak of the greatness of Thakur Omkarnath, I am filled with romanch. I am thrilled with rapture.”

According to Thakur, discipline, should be achieved through example and not coercion or capital punishment. Thakur did not eat from the hands of women who beat up their children.

Sitaram Baba was very upset at the poor man being called Daridra Narayana… Why Daridra Narayana? He protested… No! Just Narayana Narayana!

Sitaramdas Omkarnath didn’t ask for anything from God. This is an example of nishkama bhakti.

Sitaram’s spiritual state was very high during the twenty-two months of kshetrasannyasa. For days and nights, the Mother (Kundalini Shakti) was singing; there was Naad of ‘Om’, ‘Guru’, ‘Jai Guru’ ringing out from within all the time. That is the reason he called the sampradaya ‘Jai Guru Sampradaya’. Sometimes the sound of clouds (it is called megh naad), buzz, storm, fountain, engine and so many of known and unknown forms of naad went on by turn. Sometimes ‘yada’, ‘yada’ sound welled up from within.

Sitaram Baba lived a little beyond the age of ninety. He renounced everything as he became older. Before he gave up the mortal coil, he had already renounced all personal effects…to the extent that He cut off the matted locks of hair and discarded his clothes…He had renounced his mind too, it had collapsed within.

Thakur had gone into nirvikalpa samadhi. That is not a state in which you can perceive anything like sound, touch etc. Lord Jagannath wanted to give him command, so the Lord first of all brought him down to the savikalpa plane and then gave him the command.

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