Maharaja Pratap Singh ruled the state of Jammu and Kashmir and belonged to the prominent Jamwal Rajput clan. Krishna Joo Razdan came from a very modest family in a small community of Kashmir, and grew up as a Kashmiri Brahmin. They were united only by their birth year of 1850, although Pratap Singh was born in Reasi and Razdan was born in Vanpoh. One of the points that connect them is that for both of them, 1948 is seen by some people as their "true birth." One was a wise and benevolent king who had a strong commitment to social reform and economic development in his state; the other was an ordinary villager whose poetry demonstrated his great intelligence and spirituality. The manner in which these two men were brought together in close collaboration and became instant admirers of each other can only be attributed to fortune.
Krishna Joo Razdan, an eminent saint-poet hailing from Kashmir, entered into matrimony with the distinguished Kaul lineage of Vessu. Vessu is a hamlet along the National Highway that runs from Quazigund to Khannabal and is approximately halfway between both of those small towns. As prominent members of society, the Kauls frequently leveraged their connections to the Maharaja Pratap Singh's court in Srinagar to exhibit the writing talents and astrological abilities of their daughter's husband to the king's nobles.
At one time, the cousin of Maharaja Pratap Singh (the ruler of Poonch) became seriously ill, and the Maharaja was extremely worried. A cloud of despair fell over the court in Srinagar. The Kauls from Vessu were sent to get the advice of KJR (Krishna Joo Razdan) regarding astrology. KJR did some calculations and after thinking, he concluded that the King needed to do "anna daan” (donating food) as his days were numbered. However, at the time this information was conveyed to the Maharaja, he received a telegram indicating that his cousin's (the King) health had improved. The Kauls returned to KJR to obtain further advice, for KJR repeated the previous instruction of "anna daan". When the Kauls returned to Srinagar, the Maharaja had received another telegram indicating that his cousin and the King of Poonch had passed away.
A few weeks later, the Maharaja learned of this incident and requested to meet with KJR. As mentioned before, KJR is also a landowner and village head of a village that is located in the Khirmani-Ganesh Raina (Jaigir) region according to state revenue records and was named after Ganesh Raina, KJR's father. Since the Mata Khir Bhawani annual celebration was fast approaching and since KJR was an ardent devotee of Maej Raagnya Bhagwati (Mata Khir Bhawani as referred to by Kashmiri Pandits), His Excellency Maharaja Pratap Singh met with KJR during the festival. After the usual pleasantries were exchanged, the Maharaja's first question to KJR was regarding the pooja that the king would perform when waking from sleep. KJR responded that he would do the pooja of the bird called "Shiver" because Shiver is believed to be auspicious for kings and their kingdoms and will attract good fortune. Although the Maharaja did not display any surprise, the clever Maharaja told KJR that he would consider KJR a saint if the water that flows from the spring where the statue of Mata Khir Bhawani was placed changed color at that moment. According to accounts, the Maharaja respected KJR immediately when he witnessed the water change color.
The Maharaja indicated that KJR had already composed numerous bhakti poems in Kashmiri and would recognize KJR's abilities as a poet only if KJR composed a bhakti poem in Dogri on the spot at that moment. KJR had faced similar trials from his Guru and had been accused by other disciples of only being able to recite the works of others, and not write his own. The Guru asked KJR to compose a bhajan on Dal Lake in front of all the other disciples while they were on a boat enjoying the views of the lake. KJR's Guru made this request of KJR when he was with the other disciples on a boat. KJR's famous bhajan: -
"Sara kor samsaar nadurui draav,
Dal ma hasha tseta kiya pamposh chhaaw"
The bhajan epitomizes Kashmir's Advait Shaivite tradition. The author produced a bhajan based on the various names of the different types of things in and around the Dal Lake area. He employs sweet, melodious language and many types of figurative speech – including metaphor, alliteration, simile, and assonance – throughout this work. In addition, the melodic structure of four lines per verse, together with the many layers of sound symbolism within each line, create an excellent vehicle for the author to portray himself as a major religious figure and fairest "poet of poets," due to the simplicity of his writing style, which has enabled common people to have access to the philosophical principles that guide Kashmiri Shaivism. A number of fellow authors and students of the author are writing in a similar style.
Now the Maharaja was going to give KJR a ceremonial name, in a very real sense. The Maharaja was taking part in this event and was the most important person; therefore the Maharaja could do no less! KJR gave himself a moment to think about the Job and how to respond, and moments later, KJR created the following Dogri bhajan as an expression of honour to the Maharaja:
Shiv Shiv kariyo jeeta mariyo
Man mein phiriyo Shiv simran
Shiv Shiv kar ke din raat bhariyo
Man mein phiriyo Shiv simran
Man ke Shiv shivalay mein jayiyo
Us mein paayiyo Shiv Keshav
Us Shivji ko kariyo pratikshan
Man mein phiriyo Shiv simran
KJ Ramakrishnan is said to have never set foot in the Maharaja's court. KJR did not request anything from the King either. KJR viewed life through the lens of "Prarabdha," or destiny, a theme that can be found throughout his works and in many of his poems. The only time the Maharaja may have made an effort to go out to see KJR was during his trips between Jammu and Srinagar. At that time, the Maharaja would typically either go to the home of KJR in the village of Vanpoh (where KJR lived) or send him a "Nazrana" or gift of fresh fruits or nuts that were in season along with some monetary value typically equal to 11 rupees.
(Writer:- Vivek Koul, owner of this blog site)
Good article
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