MY VILLAGE SCHOOL

Once I was a student of Agrahat M. E. School during 1970s. Agrahat is my native ancestral village. I was a student of class VII. At a distance of 200 metres there is a temple of Lord Uttareshwar who is the senior most Shambhu of Choudwar, Astashambhu Khetra. This temple is famous for its scriptural and historical background of nearabout 6000 years old. The initial war of Mahabharat was started at this place while Panchu Pandav were staying in the palace of King Virat in disguise. After fourth generation, king Janmejay the great great grandson of King Virat had also performed a Serpent sacrificial ceremony in front of Uttareshwar Temple to take revenge of his father, late king Parikshit. The Yagnya Kund ( fire pit ) is still present infront of the temple wherein the ceremony was celebrated. After narrating a short glimpse on the location I would like to come back to the topic.

That was a hot summer day. Our school rooms had the roof made of tiles. So we, the students and teachers were feelings excess hot inside the class room. Late Bishwanath Sahoo, our respected teacher, was teaching us geography. It was lunch hour. I took permission from our Biswanath Sir as I preferred to take my tiffin in the temple premises comfortably under the banyan tree. Then instantly I walked onto the temple premises holding my tiffin career by hand.

I sat on the altar which was built around the tree root. No sooner I started eating my tiffin than I heard " Namo Shivay, Namo Shivay" ( Shiv Panchaksharee Mantra ). Suddenly I looked up and noticed an Aghori Monk who was sitting on a wide branch of the tree and chanting the Mantra. He had only put on a loin cloth and his entire body was smeared with

the funeral ashes. He also was smoking marijuana by a long Chillam.I was very curious and startled. So I ask the monk, " Pranam Maharaj, why are you sitting on the tree and smoking? Where have you come from? " He answered, " My dear son I don't know Odia language. You only tell me in Hindi. " Then I convinced him with Hindi though I had no mastery over this language fully. Hence half hazardly I told him again, " Please tell me something about yourself. " Then he started telling, " I have come from Banaras. I am staying their among my fellow monks. My name is Aghora. One month's back Lord Uttareshwar appeared in my dream and instructed me to come here and to enjoy the serenity of His temple campus. " 

During one's early adolescence one becomes extraordinarily curious to know everything. Likewise I was not an exceptional to this effect too. Again I questioned," What are you eating here Baba ? What is your food habit Sir? " He retorted, " You are a little boy. You don't know about us at all. We are Yogis. We have practised Yoga and attained perfection. We can live without eating and drinking for several days. Basically we eat the burnt flesh of a dead body in a cremation ground. We smoke Ganja to make our mind calm and quite which helps us in our spiritual practices. We live nearby a cremation ground wherein we get solitude. Occasionaly we move out for a specific purpose. Our aim and every action is to benefit the mankind as a whole. We are beyond the socials or domestic rules and regulations. " I was pleased with his answers. In the meantime I finished my tiffin and washed my hands and mouth in the Bouli ( Large Well ) which was used by king Janmejay as a reservoir of cattle ghee to be used as Havan ( ritual offering)during the celebration of Sarpamedha Yagnya ( Sacrifice of serpents ). Again I asked, " Please tell me about the importance of this place Sir. " Then Aghora told after getting down from the tree, " This place is very sacred. Lord Krishna had also stayed here and he was guiding all Panchupandabas during their incognito stay here. Here is a particular spot whereon Lord Krisna had placed his right foot with divine power. You come with me. I'll show you. " As per Baba's command I followed him. He showed me a spot covered by a large stone situated under a peepal tree ( sacred fig ). He then told, " look at that stone. If someone lifts aside this stone, one will smell a sweet fragrance which scatters from this grassy plot. If a dead body is kept on this spot, it will regain it's life intactly. But it is utmost secret for a man or woman of Kali Yug ( the age of darkness ). You are an innocent boy. You have the good luck to meet me. So I showed you this secret spot of Lord Uttareshwar's premises. Mind it. I warn you that you should never tell anyone about it. Your villagers are unknown fully about my presence here too. If you deviate my instruction you must die instantly. I have known by applying my Yogic power that you belong to a priest family of Lord Uttareshwar and your grandfather is the head man of the village. It is the will of Lord that I made you known about this hidden secret unveiled since ages. " Then he instructed me to close my eyes. I did the same. After a while I reopened my eyes and saw with amazement that the miraculous Aghori Baba was vanished. It was all like a dream for me. However I became conscious that it was the recess hour. I had to go back to my classroom. I offered a salute to Lord Uttareshwar and started my return walk onto the school.

On the way back school I was thinking over the punishment I would get due to my late return. I reached the school and stood at the entrance door. " May I come in Sir" I said very politely. Our Sahoo Sir becko ned me silently by directing the cane-stick towards me. I was a little bit frightened lest I might be beaten for my late arrival. But my feeling was not true. Instead Sahoo Sir smilingly patted my shoulder and advised me to take my seat. He asked only, " Why did you become so late? Intake of tiffin can be finished maximum within ten minutes time. It can never take an hour. ”Nevertheless I was unwilling to tell the truth I couldn't hesitate to describe everything in detail except that life creating spot as shown by Aghori. I told the story to Sahoo Sir accordingly. So he was happy to listen. He patted my back again with enough fondness. Then I dared to satisfy my curiosity by asking some questions to Sahoo Sir. 

I asked Sahoo Sír, " Sir would you pléase tell me something about Aghori Babas" Sahoo Sir retorted, " Yes Aghories are pure devotees of Lord Shiv. They practise Yoga daily. They are always prone to help the people in their distresses. They smear funeral ashes on their bodies like Lord Shiv. While somebody approaçhes them they help them. Their Yogic power is called Bibhuti. " I was more curious and asked again, ”Sir when we burn incense stick or resin before the deities we get some ash deposits. It is also Bibhuti of gods and goddesses as we consider. But what is that Bibhuti of Aghori monks? " Sahoo Sir made me understand , " 

No no this Bibhuti is quite different. It is the super spiritual power which Aghori monks possess whereby they can remove the difficulties of people at the time of need. They are very reserved. They never utilize this power in vain unless they observe the reality of the case by the help of their sixth sense as they are always attached to truth. If one plays any trick with them they will be very angry and curse that cheat. Do you understand " " Yes Sir I understand ". I was very glad when Sir clarified me everything about Aghories. It was 4 pm. Our school peon rang the bell. We came out of the school. Our teachers teachers also went home by riding bicycles. I along with my classmates returned home on foot. 

Moreover I was not satisfied. My curiosity increased. Next day I left home at 8 am. Our school was about three kilometres away from our house. Hanging my school bag made of cotton I walked onto that Peepal tree situated inside the temple premises. But I was extremely surprised when I saw that particular spot showed to me by Aghori Baba as there were neither peepal tree nor the large stone ; instead that spot was turned to a water pool. I took it for granted that all the miracles happened were absolutely created by the Banarasi Aghori Monk. I stood sometimes silently and entered into the temple. After offering a ground touching salutation to Lord Uttareshwar I came back to school and engaged myself in study as usual without leaking out the miracle of Aghori monk in front of any classmate and teachers. Time and tide waits for none. Although half a century has passed away I am neither able to forget that miraculous episode nor to give out the secret in obedience to the advice of that miraculous Aghori Baba. I am a sexagenarian senior citizen now. Whenever I ply to our village from Cuttack at first I go to Temple and pray Lord Uttareshwar earnestly that to bless the mankind with His yogic power so that all the global people can be able to live a long and healty life without any disease for ever as He is the only God of the Universe who can make a dead one alive again.

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