May my mind dwell in courtyards of the Siddha Bakula tree!

Siddha Bakula Tree

I have been thinking of writing this post since long. It's about a place/tree – Siddha Bakula in Puri, Orissa – which, I was longing to visit ever since I came to know about it. But when we visited Jagannath Puri, in June last year, I made it a point to visit Siddha Bakula, along with my friend Premanand. Actually, it was the last day of our yatra excursion in Puri. It was about noon, and we were hungry. But, going for lunch meant not being able to spend much time at Siddha Bakula. As I had been struggling with my chanting for last few weeks, I was in urgent need of some inspiration; a place, where I could contemplate and pray, to improve in quality of my chanting in times to come. Depending on Krishna for our lunch, we eventually decide to go there.

Brief History of Siddha Bakula: Siddha Bakula is the bhajana-kutir of Haridasa Thakur, where he daily chanted 3,00,000 names of Krishna (Practically more than 20 hours a day). Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu requested Haridasa, "Remain here and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. I shall come here daily to personally meet you. Remain here peacefully, and look at the Chakra on top of Lord Jagannath's temple and offer obeisances. As far as your prasadam, I shall arrange to have that sent here." In order to provide shade for Thakur Haridasa, Sri Chaitanya planted a teeth cleaning twig, used by Lord Jagannath. All of a sudden, it grew up and appeared as a great shade tree. Rupa Gosvami recited ‘Lalitha Madhava’ and ‘Vidagdha Madhava’ under this tree to Sri Gauranga and his followers. Sanatana Gosvami, during his stay in Puri, lived here with Haridasa Thukur. This is where Haridasa Thakur left his body here and Lord Chaitanya danced in ecstasy holding in his hands his sacred body.

In due course of time, to construct Lord Jagannath's Rathayatra cart, the ruling Gajapati Maharaja of that time, ordered his officers to cut down this tree. The next morning, the royal officers found the tree hollow and thus returned without cutting it. The main branch of the tree is petrified (became like a stone), to the touch. This is the part that was transformed, so the king would not take it.

                                                                                                    

Importance of visiting Holy Places: In this age of Kaliyuga, in all major religions of the world, chanting of Lord's holy names is practiced as the very essence of spiritual life. The process of chanting purifies one’s heart and evokes experiences of ecstatic feelings of devotion in his relationship with the Lord in his perfected stage of chanting. The holy names, when chanted purely, have spiritual potency beyond the jurisdiction of material factors of time, place and circumstances. Similar spiritual potencies are also invested in certain places, on account of residence of Lord himself or that of spiritually perfected souls. And to access that spiritual potency and store it in the core of hearts (to access it later, in times of our need), is the main purpose of going to such holy places.

Our Visit & A beggar’s appeal: Hence, we were determined to access the mercy available at Siddha Bakula. Along with Premanand, I chanted there for a few hours. Being in the extremely spiritual potent place paid off. We found ourselves deeply absorbed in the sound vibration of the Holy Names, which doesn't otherwise happen so easily. Our intense prayers to Srila Haridas Thakur were to bestow his mercy upon us, to be able to relish the nectar exuding from the chanting of the holy names, to develop taste for chanting. We also got special Mahaprasadam of the presiding deities at that place :-) to fill our empty bellies.

Srila Haridas Thakur

Thereafter, whenever vicious thoughts distract me during chanting, I try to think of Siddha Bakula and Haridas Thakur. In remembrance of them, I feel, just as a pauper proud of his shack may feel on visiting a billionaire’s mansion –completely humbled! I realize how insignificant and tiny is my desire to chant the holy name attentively and purely. In such a mood, the begging for mercy becomes very easy. I heard HH Radhanath Swami saying in one of his lectures, “We have to beg to Krishna while chanting every mantra. We have to pray – I don't have any taste in chanting; please give me taste. We have to beg to get taste in chanting.” Haridas Thakur was most affluent person in terms of taste for chanting the holy names. Lord Chaitanya named him as "Namacharya", which means, "Acharya of the holynames". I pray to him and it works beyond imagination; since, in spiritual life, remembrance itself carries the same spiritual potency as that of the object of remembrance. Undulating waves of thought in my mind get settled and I get strength and desire for chanting. Because of this, of the various places that I have visited, Siddha Bakula has a special corner in my heart!

I pray to get constant remembrance of Siddha Bakula and Haridas Thakur.

May my mind dwell,

In courtyards of Siddha Bakula tree.

Get intoxicated, chanting holy names,

Relish transcendental drinking spree.

May I pass time,

Chanting and hearing Nama, lost in serenity.

May I sing, dance and swoon,

Oblivious to world. Let them call it absurdity.

May my heart, become clean and pure,

Contamination accumulated may disappear.

May I serve the Lord, Srila Prabhupad,

And his mission, dedicated and sincere.

May I get the mercy of

Thakur Haridas... one fine day.

And Hare Krishna Nami, Jagannath Swami,

Nayan Patha Gami Bhavatu me.

(May Lord Jagannath be the object of my vision)