śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ |
6th Caitra, Monday—1334 |
[March 19, 1928]
To Our Hindu
and Muslim Brothers
Nowadays we see conflict between Hindus and Muslims almost everywhere. Some people say the cause of the conflicts is politics, some say religion, others say that Muslims cannot find work in all sectors and that is why this sort of bad blood has developed. No matter what anyone says from their acquaintance with the world, we will say that aversion to Bhagavān is the root cause for the sectarian hatred between Hindu and Muslim brothers. Hindus do not love Bhagavān and neither do Muslims. If either of them knew how to love Bhagavān even a little bit, then—“I am Hindu, I can hate Muslims” or “I am Muslim, I can hate Hindus”—this sort of narrowmindedness would not even be able to find a place in their hearts. They used to know that we are all the children of one World Father. Everyone is bound by the bond of brotherhood. When everyone’s self-interest is Svārthagati Bhagvān [God, the destination of all self-interest or what is best for everyone], then why would this conflict find a place amongst us? Muslim brothers, you say you offer namâz to Khodā. Hindu brothers, you say you perform upāsanā of Bhagavān. But we say, “If you cannot love Bhagavān and His greatest servant, the jīva, then neither of you are calling out to Bhagavān in your namâz or your upāsanā. Brothers, take shelter at the feet of a real teacher and hear the message of God. You will become magnanimous. Then you will be able to embrace all the inhabitants of the world as your own. Rather than dumping water on each and every leaf, water the root. From that, all the branches and leaves will flourish—otherwise, all efforts will be like making offerings of ghee into ashes. No one should cultivate hatred of another’s process of worship. Foremost of mahājanas, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda has given us this instruction:
keno āra koro dveṣa, videśī jana bhajane | bhajanera liṅga nānā, nānā deśe nānā jane || keho mukta kacche bhaje, keho hā̃tugāḍi’ pūje, keho vā nayana mudi’ thāke brahma-ārādhane || keho yogāsane pūje, keho saṅkīrtane maje, sakale bhajiche sei ekamātra bhagavāne || ataeva bhātṛbhāva, thāko sabe su-sadbhāve, śuddha-bhakti sādho sadā, e jīvane vā maraṇe || [Why do you insist on loathing foreign ways of worship? Worship has different forms in different countries, among different people. Some worship with free abandon, some on their hands and knees. Others close their eyes and meditate and worship the infinite presence of God. Some worship via their yoga and āsana, others immerse themselves in saṅkīrtana. Everyone is worshipping the same God. Therefore, brothers, maintain cordial dealings with all. Strive always for pure devotion in this life or death.]
The Victory of Truth
“How much longer can the truth be kept suppressed by saying truth is falsehood and falsehood is truth? One day or another, you yourself will lift the lid on the truth. There is a kind of trend in the world where a person thinks, “The truth I am seeing right in front of my eyes, that is the pure, authentic truth, but if I turn a little—well, that other thing is not false, but….” Those big, swaggering truth-tellers kicking the world in the chest, making the Earth shudder under their stomping feet—tomorrow you might see them charged with being the most heinous liars, feet shackled in jail, faces downcast, looking at the ground! And, on the other hand, there are those whom today the world has mistakenly labelled as liars and thereby suppressed the truth, and in time, when the world’s error is eradicated, they will recognize those people as having told the truth and have to beg forgiveness from them. This is the state of the world that is driven by the mental machinations of blindly accepting and rejecting.
Therefore, O brothers, don’t rise up in a sudden frenzy of excitement. Take some time to reflect with a steady mind. Don’t just laugh and toss aside the words of world-revered saintly mahājanas (exalted personalities) all at once. That will not affect the sādhus and mahājanas. That will spell your ruin. You will become offenders at the feet of the mahājanas and take refuge in hell for all eternity.
If you call a thief a thief, the thief and people like him may feel a bit hurt for the time being, but the outcome of that will be auspicious. Seeing the example made of them, another five innocent people will not let themselves turn bad. They will have been cautioned, and the thief will have a chance to rectify his character. Similarly, if you keep the truth covered, nothing is going to happen to the truth itself, but innocent people, unable to know what the truth is, will choose falsity and thus engage with something greatly destructive for them. If truth is propagated, some short-term inconvenience may arise, but the result will bring good.
Brothers, do not try to hinder the propagation of truth anymore. Engage in truthful discourse, leave the delusion of falsity. Do not be compelled by stubbornness to invoke your own inauspiciousness.
Even if you do not get the result of aparādha (offense) right away, do not think aparādha to be some trivial thing and again engage in making aparādha. Aparādha has terrible consequences. No one but the person you have offended can forgive the offense you have made. Durvāsā one day committed an offense at the feet of Ambarīṣa and was given a proper lesson on this.
Heed the words of the mahājanas. Do not disbelieve the words of the mahājanas and accrue offenses at their lotus feet. The mahājanas are Śrī Gaurasundara and His eternally perfected associates.
“mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthā.”
Dharmera Kāhinī
(Received)
“Hey! This guy’s kid I see is climbing up to the top of this bamboo. Hey! Someone, help! Catch him. He’s going to fall and die!” Hearing Siṁhi Mahāśaya’s words, his companion Dhīrena Bābu began saying, “What are you saying, Siṁhi Mahāśaya? Do you know what kind of astounding courage that kid has? One day, he was watching a play with Narena, Keśava’s son, and said, ‘Look Narena, Nārada Muni dressed up like Keṣṭo’s devotee and has become worshipful for men and even demigods. So many people are offering obeisance to him. They are giving him so much to eat. If I could dress up like Nārada, then I too would become worshipful to everyone. How many rasagollās and how much sandeśa I could eat. Okay, you go home, brother; I’m going to try to see if I can become Nārada.’ Hearing this, Narena was speechless and went home, laughing to himself. O Bābā! So, next we see, one day, he has tilaka on his nose, a begging basket and tulasī beads around his neck. He’s wearing saffron robes, and he has arrived at our house. My mother could not recognize him and asked him, ‘Bābā, who are you? Where are you coming from? What do you want?’ He wanted money or something to eat, so he started saying, ‘I am Nārada Muni, devotee of Keṣṭo. I am coming from Vaikuṇṭha. I need some sandeśa to offer bhoga to Nārāyaṇa.’ My mother is a big Kṛṣṇa devotee. If she sees tilaka on anyone’s face she shows them great honor and devotion. She was thinking, ‘Wow! How fortunate I am today. Śrī Nārāyaṇa is so pleased with me today that He has sent this child Nārada to accept my service.’ Thinking like this, she bowed very devotionally to the boy and gave him many things. When he received all those items, he was thrilled and was thinking, ‘I’ve learnt such a good trick. I can earn so much money like this and eventually become very rich.’” “Dhīrena Bābu!” said Siṁhi Mahāśaya, “What are you saying? This boy who has just barely stopped nursing is thinking like a cunning adult? This is why he is climbing the bamboo? I have understood that irreligion has arisen in the world, so there is no more honor for saintly persons. People who do not know śāstra are revering and choosing mākāla fruit [bitter redball snakegourd]. Dharma has ascended the tops of the bamboo and no one can reach it. Con men are dressing up like sādhus to fill their bellies and collecting money from gentlefolk. And this boy has imitated them.” Hearing Siṁhi Mahāśaya say this, Dhīrena Bābu began to say, “Look, now there are religious scams wherein many people dress up as Vaiṣṇavas and recite Bhāgavata in the homes of big, big wealthy people, getting them to donate gold and silver jewelry to their wives. That is really putting your finger in someone’s eye, unabashedly showing them how bogus you are. That is why there is no more regard for religion in the world. Even truly, truly humble, detached devotees of Bhagavān who are striving with all their hearts to preach the truth get called fakes by people of the world. Alas, Kali, alas! Your feats make me speechless. Look, the victory of dharma and defeat of adharma has been going on forever, age after age. The evil Rākṣasa king Rāvaṇa dressed up as a sannyāsī and stole the wives of others, tormented the saintly and innocent, and committed so many sins in hatred of the demigods. But Bhagavān, who destroys adharma, destroyed him along with his whole dynasty. King Yudhiṣṭhira was avowedly dedicated to the truth and he had conquered his senses. The evil Duryodhana satisfied Durvāsā with phony devotion in order to get Yudhiṣṭhira to deviate from dharma. That is how, on Duryodhana’s request, the sage arrived in the night with his disciples in Kāmyavana as guests of the Pāṇḍavas. Though Durvāsā Muni was such a powerful sage, he could not destroy the Pāṇḍavas’ ātithya-dharma [honoring of guests]. Instead, the sage was defeated and embarrassed by them. No matter what exaggerated attempts the wicked make to harm the saintly, they are surely vanquished in time. Those who fasten tight their belts and are preaching the word of truth like King Yudhiṣṭhira are always victorious, no matter what violence wicked people inflict on them. Thus, I say, is the victory of dharma and fall of adharma.”
Śrī Caitanya Kathā
The appearance of Nadīyā Prakāśa [the manifestation of Godhead in Nadīyā] was to teach how to chant harināma. Though He was Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, He did not introduce Himself as Bhagavān. Instead, He said, “I am like you, a servant of the servant of Bhagavān.” And if someone called Him Bhagavān, He would put His hands over His ears and say, “I am an insignificant jīva. You should not refer to a jīva as Kṛṣṇa. If you equate Kṛṣṇa with anything or anyone else, it is an offense.” Though He was Bhagavān Himself, He concealed His identity and came to us as a devotee. That is His infinite mercy upon the jīvas. If He had come to us blacksmiths and said, “I am Kṛṣṇa Himself. Worship Me. You should all chant My name,” no one would have listened to Him. They would have assumed that Kṛṣṇa lacked something that led Him to leave Vaikuṇṭha and come to us to fulfill some purpose of His own. In this way, various people would have various opinions and not hear about Kṛṣṇa. But that Kṛṣṇa came in the garb of a devotee as Gaura and flooded the world in prema and made the conditioned souls understand that the association of devotees is more important for them than that of Bhagavān, because by the mercy of the devotees, our desires for enjoyment go away and our desire to serve Kṛṣṇa grows strong. Then we can see Bhagavān. Prior to that, like Kaṁsa, Śiśupāla, Jarāsandha, Rāvaṇa, and Hiraṇyakaśipu, though we may see Bhagavān, we do not really see Him. The happiness devotees have when they see Kṛṣṇa, the bliss the gopīs felt when they beheld Kṛṣṇa, that joy, that prema was something Agha, Baka, and Putanā could not feel. For them, to see Kṛṣṇa or not is the same. Until we develop prema, we cannot be happy even if we see Kṛṣṇa. Instead, we think He is an ordinary human being like us and commit offenses at His feet. As a result of offenses, we reap the sorrows of saṁsāra, or a fate like that of Agha, Baka, and Putanā, or suffering that is worse than the miseries of saṁsāra. But if we associate with devotees, we have no more fear of offenses. When we develop the inclination to serve Kṛṣṇa, then we will be able to chant Kṛṣṇa’s name. Then the holy name will not seem like just a sound to be uttered by our fleshy tongue. We will not think some sculptor carved the object of our service, our Śrī Kṛṣṇa, our golden Gaurāṅga. We will not perceive objects related to Kṛṣṇa as things wrought of this mundane realm. We will not think of prasāda as lentils, rice, and vegetables. We will not judge Vaiṣṇavas by their caste, as the offspring of so and so. This is why scriptures have said that the service of Kṛṣṇa’s devotees is greater than service to Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Gaurasundara has also said that if you chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, you have to understand Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities, pastimes, and associates. If we think we will serve Kṛṣṇa but not His associates, then we will end up having a mundane conception of the name, and then there will be no more name, just offenses to the name. Though nāmāparādha and nāma may look the same, there is a difference of heaven and hell between them. Without the association of devotees, we cannot understand that. That is why Rāmānuja, who is a king among devotees, has said, “O Lord, I beg this boon from You that I may have attachment to the names of Your devotees.” Without the mercy of the devotees, one cannot do harināma. For those who chant harināma or worship Hari while thinking that Bhagavān and all that is related to Him is accessible to our senses, or that Vaiṣṇavas are ordinary human beings who can be judged on the basis of their caste or race, Mahāprabhu has said:
koṭi janma kare yadi śravaṇa kīrtana |
tabu to nā pāya kṛṣṇapade prema-dhana ||
[Even if they hear and chant for millions of births, they still do not achieve the treasure of divine love for Kṛṣṇa.]
Jagat o Dhāma
“The World and the Holy Abode”
That which does not endure for eternal time, that with which we do not have an eternal connection—that is the world. This visible world is but the corrupted reflection of the Dhāma. Therefore, whatever exists in the Dhāma is seen in the visible world in a corrupted form. In the Dhāma, the sevya [object of service] is one; all others there are His sevakas [servants]. But in the world, there are many sevyas and sevakas. In the Śrī Dhāma, striving for the happiness of the sevya-vastu is the self-interest of the sevaka. In the world, the self-interests of the sevya and sevaka are of innumerable varieties. Here the sevaka will give up the service of the sevya if doing so obstructs his own happiness. Moreover, there is no permanence for the sevya and sevaka here. Here everything is adultery. A wife may serve her husband, but for her own self-interest. What the husband wants and what the wife wants is not the same. A father and mother love their son, and the son shows devotion to his parents, but that too is not devoid of selfish interests. The behaviour of the Śrī Dhāma is not pervaded by such infidelities. The behaviour there is like this:
nā gaṇi āpana duḥkha, sabe vāñchi tāra sukha, tāra sukha mora tātparya |
more yadi dile duḥkha, tāra haila mahā-sukha, sei duḥkha mora sukha-varya ||
[No one there keeps track of their own troubles. Everyone wants His pleasure. “His pleasure is my purpose,” they think. “If giving me pain gives Him great pleasure, then that sorrow of mine is the best kind of happiness.”]
The universe, composed of fourteen realms is part of this visible world. Among them, Bhūḥ, Bhūvaḥ, Svaḥ, Mahaḥ, Janaḥ, Tapaḥ, and Satyaḥ—these seven are upper realms. Pious householders who hanker for the results of their actions go to Bhūloka, Bhūva-loka, or Svar-loka when they die. Above these three worlds, Mahar-loka, Jana-loka, Tapo-loka, and Satya-loka—these four realms are attainable by naiṣṭhika [resolute, lifelong] brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, and yatis [sannyāsīs]. The aforementioned seven realms are not eternal. All of these are such that once one’s pious credits have run out, one must re-enter the realm of mortals. These sorts of destinations are the best of a bad deal for the jīvas. Besides this, there is another category of people who long for salvation. The place they can attain is Brahma-loka. This place also is not free from fear. During the latter half of the universal cycle, when Brahmā’s life comes to an end, they must again come into the realm of mortals and be subjected to happiness and distress. However, that place from which the jīvas never have to return, where there is no mundane happiness or distress, no birth, old age, and death, where there is only bliss—that is Śrī Dhāma. The Śrī Dhāma is very difficult to achieve for the aforementioned karmī, yogī, and jñānī. They do not have qualification to enter the Śrī Dhāma. Only the devotees have qualification for the Śrī Dhāma. It is the vaibhava (opulence) of Bhagavān’s form. Bhagavān is eternally situated in a realm beyond the reach of the material energy, but has mercy on the conditioned souls and incarnates within the material realm. But He does not become trapped by material qualities like the jīvas, despite entering the material realm. Śrī Dhāma is the same. Though the Śrī Dhāma exists within the material world, it is not confined by mundane time, place and circumstances. Just as Bhagavān assumes a form but does not lose His omnipresence, the Śrī Dhāma appears in this world, and though it appears to the limited vision of conditioned souls to be like materially limited places like Calcutta, Barddhaman, etc., in reality it is not confined by such limitations. The mundane moon and sun illuminate the material world. By the aid of the moon and sun, we can see worldly objects. But the moon and sun cannot illuminate the Śrī Dhāma. It cannot be seen by the light of the material world. That abode is illuminated by brahmāloka, the effulgence of Bhagavān’s limbs. By the mercy of a bona fide guru, once the sun of transcendental knowledge arises from the spiritual identity of the jīva, then very quickly he can behold the true form of the Śrī Dhāma. We have stated previously that there is no birth and death in Śrī Dhāma, no effect of time there. Even in the Navadvīpa, Vṛndāvana, Dvārakā, Mathurā, and other Dhāmas that are present on this Earth, there is no birth, death, etc. So why do we see the effects of time in those places then? Why is there happiness and distress there like in the rest of the material world? The answer to this is a little difficult. Those like us who are subject to birth and death and bring our own material conceptions of sense gratification to the Śrī Dhāma and live there are not Dhāmavāsīs. Though we see them, or ourselves, as living in the Dhāma, they are not actually living in the Dhāma. Read the words of the mahājanas on this subject and reflect:
dhāma madhye kabhu nahe jaḍa avasthiti |
jaḍa-baddha jīva nāhi pāya hethā gati ||
dhāmera upare jaḍa māyā pāti jāla |
ācchādiyā rākhe ei dhāma cirakāla ||
śrī kṛṣṇa-caitanya jāra nāhika sambandha |
jālera upare vāsa kare sei andha ||
mane bhāve āmi āchi navadvīpa-pūre |
prauḍha-māyā mugdha kari rākhe tāre dūre ||
[Within the Dhāma, there is never material existence. No jīva bound by mundanity can make it there. Inert māyā throws a veil over the Dhāma and keeps it covered for eternity. Those who have no relationship with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dwell above the veil as if blind. They think they are are in Navadvīpa. Prauḍha Māyā keeps them enchanted and at a distance.]
Guru-giri Ākkela-selāmī
“Penalty of Folly for Fake Gurus”
One guru-ṭhākura has made many disciples. His material life is run quite happily and effortlessly with the donations he collects from his disciples. This guru-ṭhākura has one gem of a son. There is no end to his good qualities. Now, between 17 to 18 years of age, he has learnt to consume all manner of intoxicants. He even consorts with other men’s wives. This is the guru’s only son to carry on his legacy. The father doesn’t say anything. He says, “He’ll figure it out. Everything will be fine. Look, what didn’t we do when we were kids? And what vices have we been able to refrain from even now?” It is needless to say that Ṭhākura Mahāśaya does not abstain from fish, red meat, paan, tobacco, or anything of the sort, but consumes these things secretly. He has a business as a guru. If he does not keep Nārāyaṇa in his home, his disciples will think poorly of that, so he has a śālagrāma-śilā. When he is home, he does some pūjā, offers water, tulasī, some puffed rice and sugar balls, maybe some special bananas. But when he goes to his disciples’ homes, then the śilā goes many days without that even. When his disciples come to his home, then for a few days, the deity is given proper anna-bhoga offerings. He eats non-vegetarian food, so does he not make separate cooking arrangements for the offerings made to the deity? When the disciples come, then he needs to show some standard of purity, so he arranges for ghee, saindhava salt, sundried rice, etc.—and that too all on his disciples’ dime!
This ṭhākura-mahāśaya has gone to his disciple’s house today. Seeing the way he conducts himself, who will not say he has descended directly from Vaikuṇṭha? Ṭhākura-mahāśaya has big fat tulasī neckbeads around his neck, tilaka imprints all over his body, a beadbag in his hands, silken cloth to wear, the Lord’s name stamped on his body, cloth shoes, the name of Hari in his mouth again and again, eyes partially closed as if he is in some profound state of ecstacy, and from time to time, he exclaims, “O Hari! I will die just now without your darśana!” and faints. What a state of ecstatic, mad prema! Ṭhākura-mahāśaya has gone to one of his disciples houses in this state. People have come running from every direction and given him a place to sit. After a little rest, the footwashing began. It just so happened that a brand-new disciple started washing his guru’s feet without having any vessel to collect the water in. Gurudeva was a bit offended at this, a bit perturbed! “Argh, this kid has no common sense!” he thinks, so he says, “Are you going to let this rare substance go to waste? Have you gone blind?” The other disciples are like: “Oh! Of course!” and start rummaging around for pots, lotahs, bowls, or pitchers like it is the end of the world and collect the water that has washed their guru’s feet. And even though they think it is disgusting, because they are in front of their gurudeva, they drink a few drops for show.
After the footwashing pastime, guru-ṭhākura’s full-body bathing is conducted with great fanfare. Gurudeva came wearing one set of clothes and was bathed in them. He is not going to wear wet clothes and he is not going wear something his disciples have worn. So, a new dhoti and chaddar are arranged. After that, there is the pūjā and āhnika pastime. O how vigorously the bell is rung. Disciples are ordered to offer copious amounts of incense and lamps. The ladies start cheering and blowing on conches. Bananas, mangoes, jackfruit, coconuts, pomelo, and other fruits, plus sundried rice and other items start to come from all directions. Some brought dhotis, chaddars, gamchas, and others brought money and started throwing it. One disciple said, “Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, shall I cut up this fruit to offer to the deity?” But what good would cut-up fruit be to him, so the ṭhākura jumps and says, “What are you doing? I offered everything mentally to Bhagavān already. He accepted everything and kept it all as it was. Do you have the eyes to see such things?” The innocent disciples fall silent. Guru Ṭhākura shouts quite a lot and then says, “Pūjā is over! Now arrange for bhoga.” The disciples had cleaned the bhoga area very nicely and arranged big, big, lidded pots and everything. Since their guru was coming to their home, they had arranged for a grand feast. Many people had been invited. Everyone wanted to eat food cooked by their gurudeva’s own hand. It wouldn’t do to get someone else to do the cooking, so gurudeva has to do the cooking, as well as the distribution, and everything else. After so long, the disciples will be blessed to eat gurudeva’s prasāda.
Gurudeva saw the situation he had walked into was a disaster. What to do? If the disciples did not eat prasāda, they wouldn’t want to give donations. Fearing this, he exerted himself greatly to cook the bhoga, offered it, and did all the distribution after that. Though outwardly he was glorifying the disciples’ devotion to their guru, he began devising with his disciples how they might arrange to obtain Kṛṣṇa for real and began saying to himself, “What sins have I committed in my previous life for which I have to endure this phony guru business? It is punishment.” Anyhow, after much excessive exertion, Guru Ṭhākura ate a little something and rested. Then he took whatever donations he received and returned home.
Readers should not think this is just a story. This is written based on actual events.
guruvo bahavaḥ santi śiṣya-vittāpahārakaḥ |
sad-gurur-devi, śiṣya-santāpahārakaḥ ||
One can see from the article above that this guru’s relationship with his disciples was based on donations. All the efforts of service to Bhagavān he demonstrated to his disciples was for donations. That guru who is always immersed in sense gratification at home, in eating non-vegetarian food, and in illicit relations with women, puts on a deceitful show of devotion in front of his disciples or at their homes! What good can the jīvas gain by receiving mantras from such a person? Can a blind man show another blind man where to go? Both fall in the well. Our prayer is that intelligent people seeking the highest good free themselves from the fearsome clutches of these businessmen gurus and take shelter at the feet of a real guru.
Nānā Kathā | Various Topics
At present, in France, efforts are being made to treat deafness with the aid of the stethoscope. There has been success in many cases.
Howrah attorney Śrīyukta Manīndra Nātha Gāñgulī has brought a charge of libel against the editor of the Statesman magazine, Mr. A.H. Watson, for an article published in the Statesman last August 13 that made shameful accusations about the character of Indian widows. Howrah’s magistrate refused the case on the basis of several excuses, such as the article not having been written by any particular individual. At this, an appeal was made on behalf of the Hooghly judge. The judge pointed out the errors in the magistrate’s judgement and ordered that the case be pursued with all due diligence.
Śrīyukta Bhuvana-mohana Ghaṭaka Mahāśaya is the clerk of Dhaka’s Lohaganj Union Board. His wife gave birth to a son and then, fifteen days later, gave birth to another son. Amazingly, the mother was not able to understand that she was going to give birth again. The first son died three days after birth. The second is still alive.
A petition has come to the Sealdah Police Magistrate’s court outlining that one Himmat Ali Rahman abducted a young Hindu married girl named Parī-dāsī from her father’s house and travelled many places before finally keeping her in Khardaha. In response to the petition, the magistrate has issued a summons for the abducted girl to appear in court. Parī-dāsī has been found and brought to the court. The case is ongoing.
Chief Justice of the High Court in the north-westernmost regions, Sir Henry George Richards, has left his body. He served as the Chief Justice from 1905 till 1911. Cause of death was a fall of some sort.
Mr. Venkataram Shastri, a former member of the Madras Government, assumed his position last Saturday, but then resigned this past Tuesday. Reports are that Mr. A. Y. G. Campbell is temporarily working in his stead.
The Board of Trade has reported that between January and February, the export of goods decreased by an amount of nearly three crore rupees worth. 57,036,148 pounds worth of goods were exported from England to other countries in February.
Nābhā’s Mahārāja has summoned the High Court attorney, Mr. K. Bhaymak, to discuss future duties, which suggests the Mahārāja’s health is good. He was simply anguished by the absence of his wife and son.
In Calcutta, a man named Subodh Chandra Mukhopadhyay, of Ramakanta Mistri Lane, was hit by a train while crossing the rail tracks near the south cabin of Damdam Junction Station. He died on the way to the hospital.
This upcoming Saturday, March 24, Śrīyukta Subhash Chandra Bose and Maulvi Sayyed Jalaluddin Hasemi will be traveling to Kushtia for a Congress event.
One Abdul Wahid, an inspector in the Corporation’s Lighting Department lives on Hugolkuria Lane. Near his residence is a brothel that is frequented by a man named Aftar Uddin who, almost every night, starts shouting and disturbs the peace of the neighbourhood. Last Tuesday night, Inspector Sahib, feeling greatly disturbed, tried to stop Aftar from creating such a commotion, which led to Inspector Sahib getting stabbed. Hearing the injured man’s cires, police came and arrested Aftar Uddin and sent the inspector to hospital. Investigation is ongoing.
In Kashi, a motor vehicle accident has occurred. It has been two or three days since a speeding motor lorry flipped over and injured two women and several others. There is no counting the number of accidents like this that are occuring every day due to the negligence or experience of drivers.
The police officer that was stationed on guard at Police Sahib Rai Bahadur J.N. Mukherjee’s house was shot in the mouth. Reports are that he committed suicide.
After the śuddhi festival, Miss Miller and others reached Khandwa on their way to Barwaha from Nashik on March 14. She was accompanied by Princess Savitri Bai, Sir Tukoji Rao’s sister, and Captain Yādava. Sir Tukoji Rao’s older sister Princess Tara was taking darśana of the temple and other holy sites in Nashik.
Sir Tukoji Rao’s marriage with Miss Miller was performed at a magnificent palace on the banks of a Narmada River tributary in Barwaha this past Saturday, March 17. Thousands and thousands of people were invited. Sir Tukoji Rao’s two stepmothers and the Holkar family’s Colonol Lenabeṭa [?] are in Barwaha. Barwaha city is not bad. Every year almost thirty-five thousand bales of cotton are exported. The population of the city is roughly 7,000.
This past March 14, from morning until almost noon, London was covered in a dense fog. At that very time, machines in the electric powerhouse malfunctioned, so portions of the city, including Bearing Cross Station, were without electricity, which made the city look as dark as a new moon night. The Afghan royal couple were delighted to see this.
However, when the royal couple went to honor their invitation for refreshments at Guild Hall, the skies had cleared up somewhat. The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Henry, Prince Arthur, the Connaught Princess, and several other dignitaries were at the luncheon. The Lord Meyer, with due respect, escorted the diplomats to the library. From there, Lord Meyer took Queen Soraya and Meyer’s wife took King Amanullah and, with all due cordiality, escorted them to the stage as the band played Afghan national music.
The Afghan queen, leaving her traditional attire, has adorned herself in European attire for her travels in Western countries. She is preparing outfits from the latest fashions in Paris. She has purchased frocks worth almost £3,200 for her travels in Europe. It is estimated that the expenses for this European tour will be at least one lakh eighty thousand pounds or more.
The search between New York and Newfoundland for the British aircraft flown by Captain Hinchliffe has not been successful. Only an employee of the Western Union Cable Company in Heart’s Content, Newfoundland, has reported seeing a single plane heading northwest.
In the Durgapur area of Barishal district, a wealthy man named Nagarbasi Kund was going by boat to Amrazuri on the occasion of his son’s wedding with a great many people and fireworks on the boat. Towards the end of the night, as the boat reached Chandmari in Barishal, a tremendous explosion occurred. Everyone was asleep. Hearing a sudden terrifying noise and feeling intense heat and flames against their limbs, everyone jumped into the river. In the morning, they were brought to Ananda Basu’s clinic. Everyone had burns all over their bodies, on their eyes, mouths, hands, feet, etc., creating a horrifying scene. Nagarbasi, Shukramali, and Ashwini Guha—these three individuals were burnt the most. As of last Thursday, one of them has reportedly died.
Senate President Mr. Hussein Pasha has died. During the European World War, he was the Prime Minister of Egypt and provided special assistance to Britain.
Members of the Batla Commission were to arrive today in Mysore. They will stay two days in Mysore and two days in Bangalore.
Śrīyuta Gāndhī Mahāśaya’s physical condition has deteriorated again. As of March 14, he has travelled from Delhi to Ahmedabad with Dr. Ansari and Mr. Jamuna Lal Bajaj.
The head of the Khadi Institute workshop said: “Prior to 1820, all the clothing in the country was made of khadi. In 1820, the first foreign yarn was imported into India. The first desi mill was established in Budge Budge in 1820. As rollers [from crushing and separating rice from the husk] were introduced in rice mills, charka spinning wheels came into use in the cotton mills.”
It has been heard that the Sarkar Bahadur is demonstrating great sympathy in regard to the famine in Balurhat, Rajshahi. He has decided to abandon the claim for the loans given to farmers for seeds. Aside from this, he has allowed 8,000 taka to help alleviate the impact of the famine and allocated 30 thousand taka to farmers for seed distribution. If the king’s favor falls upon the common people, then there is no limit to the joy of the public.
Unfailing Home Remedies
(Infant Eye Inflammation)
(1)
Crushing fresh (or dry, if no alternative) bael leaves into breastmilk and applying 2 to 3 drops to the eyes will give relief from eye irritation within a day.
(2)
Making an eye salve paste of honey and nirmalī phala (available at the grocers) and applying it slightly inside the eyes with a feather benefits the eyes.
(Watering eyes)
(3)
A few drops of 1 ratti [.003(6) t oz or .113(4) grams] of phitkiri [alum] in 1 ounce of rose water applied to the eyes will alleviate watering of the eyes.
(4)
A single drop of 1 tola of lotus honey (or, in the absence of that, any other honey) and two annas of Shrikarpoor (available in Puri) mixed well and applied into the eyes will relieve unbearable eye pain, swollen eyes, blurred vision, watery eyes, and various other eye afflictions
(Scabies)
(5)
Eating the inner gel of aloe vera mixed with an equal amount of miśri every morning will heal you in a week. If this medicine is used, a significant amount is expelled in the first 2 days, and then it gradually decreases. There is no need for external medication. Only clean with neem leaf water or carbolic soap and warm water.
(to be continued)