Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj - A Spiritual Saint

Introduction:

Kashmir is considered a land of the Rishis, saints, sages and mystics who enriched the Valley with their knowledge, rich experience and ascetic life. The Valley of Kashmir has given the world numerous holy men and women who taught people about the values of compassion, selflessness, detachment and self-realization. Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj was a great ascetic who devoted his life to the God, wisdom, service and establishing Dharma. Through his asceticism and preaching, people found true knowledge about themselves and the meaning of human life.

                 (Image Courtesy: Internet)

The Beginning of an Extraordinary Spiritual Journey:

Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj was born in 1920 on the auspicious occasion of Janamashtami at Panzmulla in Anantnag. His father, Late Shri Ram Chand Taploo, was a humble farmer who brought him up with traditional values. From his early childhood, however, Swami Ji displayed an extraordinary inclination towards spirituality and renunciation. At the tender age of eleven, without consulting his family, he left his home and joined a group of Sadhus who had arrived in Kashmir for the annual pilgrimage to Swami Amarnath Ji during Shravan Purnima. This marked the beginning of a remarkable spiritual journey that would eventually transform him into a revered saint.

A Life of Pilgrimage, Renunciation and Spiritual Discipline: 

For nearly twenty-five years, Swami Ji has been wandering from one holy place to another in India, Vrindavan, Kashi, Mathura, etc. He devoted his life to meditation, service, faith, and religious studies, associating himself with Sadhus. However, despite spending so many years away from home, during the festival of Shravan Purnima, he again visited Kashmir with other Sadhus for the darshan of Swami Amarnath Ji, which has become a tradition for him. It was in this way that his old family member Kanth Kak Taploo, his elder brother, recognized him in Pahalgam. Later, his brother requested him to go back with them to his native village. However, Swami Ji refused, saying that the Gurushikshas (spiritual teachings) guided him, and he could not turn back. However, he did not disclose the identity of his Guru. Later, in the village Hugam, Tehsil Anantnag, a unique personality, which nobody could have imagined, started living among the common people. He was a Sadhu with long matted hairs, sandal paste and kumkum marks on his forehead, and a flute tied around his waist, symbolizing his devotion to Krishna. People flocked around him, saying that they smelt an agreeable fragrance that made one think of sweet-smelling heavenly perfumes. He used to propagate Bhakti and preach the religious practices and principles of spirituality to the people residing there.

At the heart of Swami Ji’s philosophy was the belief that there are many paths that lead to the same end, the realisation of self, but the path of devotion is one of the easiest to follow. He therefore stressed the need to combine spiritual wisdom and Bhakti, for he believed that knowledge alone could not free one from worldly bondage, but needed to be combined with devotion, humility and pure living. He urged his disciples to have faith while carrying out their duties in the world and to remain loving in relationships without being ruled by attachment.

Swami Ji led some part of his life outside the region of Kashmir, and therefore his proficiency in Kashmiri language was limited. However, Swami Ji had great interest in Kashmiri devotional songs and dances. He spent most of his time engaged in listening and singing Kashmiri and Hindi Bhajans and allowed himself to be immersed in devotional music. His life was an ultimate reflection of what he preached. People considered him a true Karm Yogi who performed his work without any expectations not to be rewarded. Swami Ji taught that Karma is a gift because it creates scope for the soul to learn. He considered Karma as an ultimate law of cause and effect, which works the same way as gravity. The yogi stated that Karma makes no distinction between various souls and therefore people must not consider the rewards for their actions. To him, gravity cannot choose between individuals when it pushes the falling objects towards the earth’s surface. Similarly, an individual’s actions determine the destiny of his soul, and therefore people must do their work without expectations of fruits from their Karma.

Meditation was an important part of his daily routine. He would often get absorbed in meditating for hours together. His simple lifestyle reflected his renunciation and detachment towards the material world. In the beginning, he would restrict himself to just one simple meal a day prepared by himself. But then he gave it up and began surviving on milk and water. He had the life of a true ascetic and lived a simple, austere and non-attached life. Swami Ji devoted his whole life to the establishment and preservation of Dharma. He used to visit various villages of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts to perform Hawans and Yajnes and render selfless religious service. But, his objective was not limited to just worships and rituals. He wanted to ignite spiritual fire in the hearts of common people and guide them towards the path of Dharma, compassion and devotion.

I remember that, as a child, I once had the privilege of meeting Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj at his rented room in Subash Nagar, Jammu. I must have been studying in the fourth or fifth class at the time. I had gone there with my mother, although my memories of that visit are naturally somewhat hazy due to my young age. When we reached his room, Swami Ji was seated in Samadhi, deeply absorbed in meditation and spiritual contemplation. After completing his pooja and prayers, he attended to us with great warmth and affection. He then prepared rice and dal himself and served it to us as prasad. The simplicity, warmth and sanctity of that moment left a lasting impression on me. After receiving his blessings, my mother and I returned home. Although many years have passed since that humble meeting, the memory of sitting in his presence, receiving his blessings and partaking of the prasad remains deeply cherished in my heart.

Devotee of Lord Krishna:

As a follower of Lord Krishna, Swami Ji preached others to live in the world but remain unattached to it. He did not teach people to abandon their families and society. He emphasized the importance of performing one’s duties towards society and family with love and devotion while remaining unattached to the results. His message of living a pious life attracted many people to him and made them regard him as a true spiritual leader and an incarnation of God. His teachings and behavior had such an effect on people that they started believing that he was indeed a divine personality. People were mesmerized by his humble behavior and the wisdom he imparted to them. The people of Hugam will always remain grateful to Swami Ji for his teachings and devotion. He used to perform a Hawan at village Hugam, which was organized every year on Janamashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. Since it was also his birthday, it was celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor. This event continued till 1989.

After the mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, Swami Ji shifted to Jammu and took up residence at Subash Nagar. Even after leaving for Jammu, he continued with his devotional practices with the same fervor and devotion. Even though he migrated away from Kashmir, it had no effect on Swami Ji's devotion to the Dharma as well as his love for his devotees. He continued to spread the message of Bhakti, selfless service, detachment and spirituality. Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj attained Nirvana on 14th November 1992 at around 4:45 AM. His mortal remains were cremated on Jammu-Akhnoor Road on the banks of the BSF Bridge, where a Samadhi was built in his memory. Every year, on Nirvana Divas at Subhash Nagar, Jammu, his devotees congregate to mark the occasion and remember their beloved Guru.

Swami Ji - A Guiding Light Towards Self-Realisation:

The Hugam Baradari under the Shivala Mandir Dharam Sabha Hugam, Anantnag, currently in Jammu, has once again organized a Hawan on the birth anniversary of Swami Ji to coincide with Janmashtami as usual every year since 2009 with great fervor and enthusiasm. Similarly, a similar function has been organized in Pune by the devotees who still remember Swami Ji. In addition, in order to further the ideals of Swami Ji and his message of selfless service to humanity, the Dharam Sabha Hugam has decided to set up a public trust in the name of Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj at Rajinder Nagar, Bantalab, Jammu. It has been resolved to dedicate the Trust to charitable activities for the needy, destitute, and orphans, etc. This way, the spirit of Swami Ji will continue to live on and flourish.

The life path of Swami Kashi Bub Ji Maharaj is a living example of how an individual can live and spread the ideas of devotion, austerity, Karma and spiritual wisdom. He followed the path of selflessness in a world that is more and more dominated by materialism and other manifestations of worldliness. He preached and lived by the simple truths of performing one’s duties, loving without conditions, serving without expectations, developing devotion and finding the ultimate truth within. His favourite invocation “Govind Bolo, Gopala Bolo, Radha Raman Hari Mukund Bolo,” by him is still fondly remembered and recited by his disciples to this day. To his followers he represents not only a revered spiritual leader of the past but a guiding star that leads them through the complex path of spirituality towards achieving the ultimate goal of devotion and finding true self-realisation.

(Vivek Koul)