SHRI DEVCHANDRAJI (NIJANANDA SWAMI) (1581 - 1655 A.D.)
LIFE
SKETCH
Shri Devchandraji was born of Matu Mehta and his wife Kunwar Bai, on the 11th of October, 1581, in the town of Umarkot, Marwarh Pradesh.
From his very childhood, he had a strong leaning towards spirituality. He would always keep asking questions like, 'Who am I ?', 'What is this world ?', 'Where have I come from ?', 'Who created this world ?', 'Why is there so much misery in this world ?', etc. He would seek out saints and ask them these questions.
At the age of sixteen, he left home, and wandered for many years in search of the answers to his queries. He came in contact with saints of all types of beliefs. But none could satisfy him.
Finally, he had a vision of Lord Shri Krishna, who asked him the very same questions whose answers he had been seeking - i.e. 'Who are you ?', 'Why have you come into this world ?', etc. He pleaded to the Lord to provide him the answers.
The Lord in turn gave him the 'Tartam Mantra', and also cleared all his doubts. HE gave him the highest knowledge about Kshar Purush, Akshara Purush and Aksharatita Uttam Purush. Lord Krishna also explained him about His Abode, Paramdham. HE revealed the original identity of Shri Devchandraji, and told him the secret behind the creation of this world. The Lord told Shri Devchandraji that other Divine souls had also descended upon the earth along with him, and had forgotten their original identities. HE assigned the work of awakening all those souls, upon Shri Devchandraji.
Shri Devchandraji started giving discourses, and revealed the true identity of the Divine souls, with the help of the Vraja Lila and Raas Lila of Shri Krishna. Many Divine souls awakened to their original identities, and surrendered themselves at the feet of Shri Devchandraji. Shri Devchandraji founded the Nijanand Sampraday or the Shri Krishna Pranami Sect, and established the Shri 5 Navtanpuri Dham in Jamnagar, Gujrarat.
In 1655 A.D. Shri Devchandraji handed over the burden of spreading his message and the work of awakening the Divine souls to his foremost disciple, Shri Maheraj Thakkar, who later came to be known as Mahamati Prannath. He then departed to Paramdham, the Supreme Abode.
Shri Devchandraji, was the founder
of Nijananda (Shri Krishna Pranami) sect. He was born of Matu Mehta and Kunwar
Bai, at Umarkot, Sindh (now in Pakistan), on the 11th of October, 1581 A.D.
(V.S. 1638). Matu Mehta was a big merchant in Umarkot. Both he and his wife
were great devotees of Shri Krishna. Even as a child, their son Devchandra
was inclined towards spiritualism. Very often he used to get lost in contemplation.
He would always wonder, 'Who am
I ?', 'What is this world ?', 'Where have I come from ?', 'Who is the Supreme
Entity ?', 'Why is there so much sorrow and misery in this world ?', etc.
With such questions in his mind, when he was only sixteen, he left home, and
started wandering all over Kutch in his quest for true knowledge. During his
search, he visited many places of religious learning and places where spiritual
discourses went on, and asked the saints, his questions. Each one would suggest
a different form of worship. Devchandra went through all kinds of practices
of Yoga, Bhakti, Meditation, etc. but was not satisfied with the answers he
got. At Bhuj, he took initiation from the famous Swami Haridas of the Radha
Vallabh Sect, and worshipped Shri Krishna. He was still not satisfied. After
thus roaming about for over seven to eight years, he reached Nawanagar (Jamnagar),
and started staying there with his parents and wife. It was here, that he
listened to the discourses on Shrimad Bhagvat by a well known scholar Kanji
Bhatt. Impressed with his discourses, Devchandra started continuously listening
to his discourses, and attended for 14 years without any break, and with one-pointed
devotion. Dechandra considered nourishing his soul, more important than nourishing
his body. The day he could not listen to the Bhagvat Katha, he would fast.
As a result of his self-imposed discipline, one day in 1621 A.D. he was blessed
with the vision of Lord Shri Krishna, and experienced ineffable divine bliss.
Shri Krishna introduced Himself, and bestowed the Maha-Mantra (Tartam Mantra)
upon him. The Lord dispelled all his doubts, and also revealed the mystery
of three aspects of Krishna - consciousness. HE explained about His Param
Dham. HE told Devchandraji that he was HIS consort Shyama, the Ananda-aspect
of His Sat-Chid-Ananda. Shri Krishna told Devchandraji, "You, along with other
Brahma Atmas, have come into this world to experience its miseries and sorrows,
by which you can ultimately recollect your original state of Bliss. Unfortunately,
these Brahma Atmas have got engrossed in the pleasures of this Illusory world.
I am bestowing the Mantra upon you, and the power to awaken these lost souls.
Bring them back to their original true Abode Paramdham."
'Tartam', indicates the knowledge of the Truth beyond this perishable universe. It is the integral knowledge which reveals the difference betwen the perishable world Kshara, the imperishable entity Akshar Brahman, and Aksharatita Purna Brahma.
This movement of awakening the souls is called 'Jaagani', Equipped with the infinite knowledge of Truth, Shri Devchandraji began to carry out the responsibility given to him by the Lord. He awakened many souls to their real original state, and they all experienced the eternal bliss.
Shri Dechandraji explained the essence of the Hindu Scriptures in such a simple language, that very soon he attracted large crowds. In 1621, he established the 'Nijananda Sampradaya, which is also called as the 'Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma'. Making Jamnagar the center of his operations, he continued to enthral people with his discourses, and would quote extensively from the Hindu scriptures. He revealed the Truth about Purna Brahma Paramatma. He explained as to how Paramatma was Sat-Chid-Ananda Svaroopa, and revelled with His Eternal companions (Sakhis) who were His own Ananda-portion. Shri Devchandraji clarified that this world of pain and sorrow was created for the sake of fulfilling the desire of His Eternal companions (Brahmatmas). Only these Brahmatmas would understand the real meaning of the scriptures.
Shri Devchandraji's views regarding the creation of this universe, concurred with those in the Bhagavat. Accordig to him, the Lord uses His two powers for creation. (i) 'Kalmaya' - with which He creates the perishable world, similar to the one in which Shri Krishna's Vraj-Lila was played, (ii) 'Yogmaya' - with which He created the Divine Brindavan, in which Shri Krishna played the Raas-Lila.
In the creation of this perishable universe, first Mohatattva and Ahankar (Ego) emerge. This was followed by the three gunas, and the five Elements. When all these confine together, this universe along with its 84 lakh species comes into existence, by the process called Pancheekaran. The Jeeva evolves from the lowest form to the highest form, i.e. as a human being. The Eternal companions (Brahmatmas) of the Lord, descended in human form to fulfil their desire, and experienced the play of the Vraja-Lila in this Kalmaya world. They then also experienced the Raas-Lila in the Divine Brindavan created by the Lord's Yogmaya power. Now, this is the third time they have appeared, to take part in the Jagani-Lila, which is supposed to awaken their souls into its original blissful state, in Paramdham.
Many a time, when Shri Devchandraji used to describe the mysteries of the scriptures, especially the Vraja and Raas Lilas, people would become totally engrossed, and they would claim to hear the sound of the revelries of Vraja and Ras Lilas, like the churning of the curd, and the sound of music and dance. These ecstastic experiences brought many people into Pranami Sect. Shri Maheraj Thakkar, later known as Mahamati Prannath (1618-1694 A.D.) was one of them. Shri Prannath was the chief disciple of Shri Devchandraji, who took over the responsibility of propogating the Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma throughout the length and breadth of our country, especially North India, He succeeded in attaining the Divine vision of the Paramatma, through the grace of his Guru Dechandraji.
Shri Dechandraji established the Shri 5 Navtanpuri Dham in Jamnagar, Gujarat, the prinicipal religious seat of the Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma. After handing over all his responsibilities to Shri Prannath, Shri Dechandraji left his mortal body in 1655 A.D. (V.S. 1712), at the age of 74.