KusumHaranath – Our Eternal Deliverer

KusumHaranath – Our Eternal Deliverer by Dhira Bandyopadhyay, Sonamukhi

(Grand daughter-in-law of Thakur & Ma)

(English translation: Tilak Ghoshal)

The Content is collected from “http://kusumharaleelas.com” Post # 28; Dt. 21.01.2017 (Please click the website link and visit. The website is running in five different languages, i.e. English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati and Telugu. http://kusumharaleelas.com is “A platform for all devotees to share their personal experiences of Thakurji’s & Mother’s love & affection”. You may also send your personal experiences to the Admin of the website. The said Website is managed by Sri Tilak Ghoshal. You may contact with him through this email id – tilakghoshal@yahoo.co.uk)

It was 1965. We were then vacationing in Bombay. My son was arounnd 4-5 year old at the time. After spending a few days in Bombay we travelled to Pune and put up at the house of Sri. B.D.Vohra – the great devotee of Thakur and Ma. After a couple of days there, everybody very enthusiastically planned a trip to Mahabaleshwar. Though I too should have been as excited about the trip to the hill station, I could not quite fathom why the idea didn’t quite appeal to me. Little did I know that the reason for that was to unfold soon …….The evening before we were due to leave for the trip, my son suddenly developed severe throat pain. A local homeopath was called who, declaring it as ‘infection’, gave some medicines, assuring us all will be fine. But contrary to his prognosis, the child’s condition actually started deteriorating and by late night he had developed severe breathing difficulty, along with bloating of the stomach. The sight of him tossing about in agony was unbearable and all I could do was cry my heart out to Dadu and Ma. It was evident from the look on the face of others that they too were seeking divine intervention.

With his condition progressively worsening, around at dawn break someone called up the doctor of the local ‘Jahangir Nursing Home’. On hearing the symptoms, the kind doctor immediately rushed to our place on his scooter and the moment he saw the patient, he could only mutter – “Quick, quick…. it’s already quite late’. I stood there like one in trance. The doctor ordered me to sit on the pillion of his scooter with the boy and drove at breakneck speed, asking Sri Vora to take his car out and follow. At the nursing home he quickly administered two injections. Others had arived by then and he declared that it was an acute case of diptheria and unless the boy was operated upon immediately, it would be difficult to save his life. And then he broke the other devastating news – that no hospital or nursing home within the city limits was allowed to treat diptheria cases and the patient would have to be immediately shifted to a designated hospital far outside the city. I wondered how could both be done simultaneously – transfer him immediately, but to a far away hospital! With my mind having gone completely numb, I simply followed others to the car like a walking corpse, with the boy in my arms. But our trouble hadn’t yet ended. When we reached the car, the driver was nowhere to be seen. As everybody scrambled around to locate him, I stood still, faintly aware how precious minutes were ticking by. Then suddenly I saw a large number of people in white jackets walking in through the nursing home gate. We overheard someone saying that a conference of some renowned doctors from Maharastra had earlier been scheduled at another venue but that had to be cancelled at the last moment for some reason and only the previous day it had been decided to hold that in this nursing home! Then, from amongst them a middle-aged doctor suddenly walked over to me and asked – ‘What’ is the matter ma’am? What’s wrong with your child?’ I was in no state even to respond to him and as I stared blankly at his face, the nursing home doctor hurriedly briefed him about the case. He then glanced at my son and shouted – ‘His condition is extremely critical. Get the OT ready immediately” – and saying this, he rushed the boy in to the OT – ignoring all rules and protocls. It was evident to me instantly that Dadu and Ma’s another leela was at play. All my anxiety vanished instantly a deep sense of calmness descended in my mind. The operation was a complete success and my son received a new lease of life.

But how could all those incredible things happen one after another – the kind hearted doctor rushing my son to the nursing home and administering the very vital first injections……the conference venue getting shifted at the last moment to this very nursing home……….the surgeon going out of his way to operate on him, disregarding all rules……Who made such miracles happen?…………….I realised afresh how my compassionate Dadu and Ma just cannot turn a deaf ear to the cries of the helpless and the suffering……And, after the surgery when the doctor said – “Don’t worry, we are there”, it was as if to remind me of the famous reassuring words in Thakur’s bhajan – “Ami re toder kachhe niti achhi pachhe pachhe: (“I am with you every step of the way”).

Witness to the entire saga, as it unfolded, were great Kusumhara devotees such as Sri. Krishnadas Modi, Sri. Madhavdas Modi, Sri. B.D. Vohra, Sri P.B. Vohra, Smt Jaya Modi and Smt Rasika Modi. And this brought about another realisation that also because in that period of crisis such great devotees surrounded us, the Lord had to Himself come for our deliverance. Aren’t devotees His soul?…….And I was reminded of that Bengali couplet: “Great is the devotee who never lets go of the Lord’s lotus feet; Great is the Lord who never deserts His children…..And, in a moment of madness if the servant were to ever stray; Great is the Lord who pulls him back by his hair”………. Hail my Lord. Hail His devotees.

Jai Haranath Jai Kusumkumari Jai