SHRI PRANNATHJI (Meheraj Thakkar) (1618-1694 A.D.)
LIFE-SKETCH.
Shri Prannathji was born in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on the 26th October, 1618. His family name was Maheraj Thakkar, and he was the fourth among five brothers. His father, Keshav Thakkar, was the head of the Nawanagar State, and his mother was Dhanbai. He exhibited spiritual excellence even as a child, and at the early age of twelve he started going to listen to the discourses of Shri Devchandraji.
Shri Devchandraji recognised him as a Divine Soul, and bestowed the Taratam Mantra on him, Shri Devchandraji also saw him as his successor, in spreading the Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma. Shri Prannathji soon became well-versed in all the scriptures, and acquired Taratam knowledge. Before departing for Paramdham, Shri Devchandraji transferred all his powers to Shri Prannathji and declared him as his successor. The work of awakening the Divine Souls of Paramdham was assigned to him.
Shri Prannathji had to face many trials and tribulations during his life-span. Yet, undaunted by them, he spread the message of his Guru through out Northern India. He also visited many Arab countries. With the help of his deep intution, he could reveal many hidden truths from the Quran. He successfully synthesised the great Truths in the Vedas and Quran and Bible, etc. and called for Universal Brotherhood.
Apart from bringing together many Religious sects under one banner of the Shri Krishna Pranami Sect, Shri Prannathji also succeded in freeing the Hindus from the oppression of the then cruel Mughal King, Aurangzeb, with the help of Maharaja Chhatrasal of Bundelkhand.
In 1678, he successfully convinced the Religious heads of all the sects during the Kumbh Mela in Hardwar, about the Supremacy of Aksharatita Paramatma Shri Krishna, and established a Universal Religion. This religion was called the "Nijananda Dharma". He was proclaimed as "Vijayabhinand Nishkalank Budh Avatar", by all the Religious sects assembled in the Kumbh Mela. From this very day Budh Era too started.
He established two Dhams, one in Surat called as Maha Magalpuri Dham, and one in Panna under the control of Maharaja Chhatrasal, the Padmavatipuri Dham. When he was unjustly confined to the jail in the state of Jamnagar, revelatory verses flowed out of him. They are all collected under one sacred book called the 'Kuljam Swarup', also known as "Taratam Sagar' or 'Taratam Vani'. It contains 18,758 verses, and is enshrined in all the Shri Krishna Pranami Dhams and temples.
In 1694 A.D. he left his mortal body and departed for Paramdham, leaving the task of awakening the souls to Maharaja Chhatrasal.
Medieval India was going through a state of religous flux. With the entry of Islam on the Indian religious scene its impact was felt all over the country. With the Bhakti and Sufi movements succeeding in nullifying this impact, Islam also gradually got Indianised and fell in line with the main religious stream. It was during scuh a period that Shri Prannath came into limelight as the worthy successor of Guru Shri Devchandraji who had founded the Shri Krishna Pranami sect (Nijananda Sect), and spread his Guru's message throughout the length and breadth of Northern India, and in many Arab regions outside India.
He was born in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on the 26th of October, 1618 A.D. (or, in V.S. 1675). His father was Keshav Thakkar, who was then the Premier of the Nawanagar State, and mother was Dhanbai. Both were deeply religious. Shri Prannath's family name was Maheraj Thakkar. He was the fourth among five brothers. He displayed spiritual excellence even as a child, and was well known for his versatility. Even as a boy of twelve he used to go and listen to the discourses of Shri Devchandraji, along with his elder brother Govardhan Thakkar. As soon Shri Devchandraji saw him, he recognised Maheraj as the Indravati Surta of Paramdham, and bestowed the Shri Krishna Maha Mantra (Tartam Mantra) on him, by which his soul awakened. Shri Devchandraji also recognised him as his successor in propagating the Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma. Maheraj spent twelve years studying under Guru Devchandraji, and in contemplating upon the Tartam knowledge which he acquired. He became well-versed in the scriptures as well.
As he progressed in spirituality, an intense longing arose in Maheraj's mind to see the Lord and His Lila, for which he undertook severe austerities, so much so that his body became emaciated. When Shri Devchandraji came to know of this, he advised Maheraj, that all these austerities were not essential, as much as training of the mind with constant contemplation, and loving service of mankind. Although Maheraj got married to Fulbai, it did not come in the way of his spiritual pursuits. His wife had to abandon her body, due to the wrath of Bihariji, the son of Shri Devchandraji.
By the time he was 28 years old, there was no trace of worldly desires left in him, and he had understood the nature of his true Self. Shri Devchandraji sent him to Arabia on an assignment, where he spent almost five years. After his return from Arabia, Maheraj went to Dharol, and accepted Diwanship under the king there. The King was so impressed with the efficiency of Maheraj, that he left the entire responsibility of the kingdom on him. In the meantime, in 1655 A.D. Shri Devchandraji fell sick and sent for Maheraj, handed over to him the burden of spreading his Taratamya message to everybody, without any distinction of caste, creed, community or country. After bestowing all his powers and blessings on Maheraj, Shri Devchandraji departed for Paramdham. During the three weeks before his departure, Guru and disciple had detailed discussions, during which Shri Devchandraji had revealed all his future plans in detail to Maheraj. Shri Devchandraji had ignored his own son Bihariji in this matter. The task of awakening all the Brahmatmas and taking them back to Paramdham fell upon Shri Maheraj.
After the departure of his Guru, Shri Maheraj accepted ministership of Jamnagar State, since he had to earn money to pay for the obsequies of his Guru. He also started collecting all provisions and groceries for this purpose, and was accummulating them for his proposed concourse of devotees of the Pranami sect, called Sunder Sath. But people who where jealous of his growing popularity and status, made false allegations against him, saying that he was collecting all provisions and groceries from the Royal Stores, by manipulating the accounts. As a result, in 1658, the Vazir of the Jam King Ranmalji, ordered Shri Maheraj and his two brothers to be put under house arrest, in a building near the Royal Mansion. It was at this juncture that the King and his Vazir had to urgently leave for Ahmedabad, in order to establish good relations with the new governor appointed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. On account of this, Shri Maheraj and his brothers had to remain unheeded under custody for one year. This incident left a deep emotional wound on Shri Maheraj's mind, since it acted as an obstacle to his mission. Shri Maheraj suddenly started expeiencing immense grief at his separation from his Guru and Lord, Shri Devchandraji. In this state of mental agony, he was inspired to describe the Divine form of the Lord and His infinite Raas-Lila, which flowed out in the form of Verses. While under confinement, he wrote three books-Raas, Prakash and Khatritu in Gujarati language. This captivity of his is called, 'Prabodh-puri', i.e. the Abode of Awakening.
Returning to Jamnagar after completing his work at Ahmedabad one year later, the Jam Saheb found out from his own family members about the Divine nature of Shri Prannathji. On further enquiring into the allegations against him, the Jam Saheb discovered that he was innocenet. With great humility, the king went and begged pardon of him, and reinstated him as minister. Shri Maheraj worked for the State's welfare for five years and then gave up the post. He decided to spend full time towards fulfilling his holy mission, and as such, began touring all over the country and abroad, spreading the message of his revered Guru.
Wherever Shri Maheraj went, he would address them in their own language. This is why his compositions also, are in Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Jaati, Urdu and Persian languages. During his tour, he was accompanied by Baiji Raj, his wife. He was always on the move, staying at each place according to the response and needs of the local people. After covering the entire Gujarat, he visited many Arab countries, like Muscat, Abbasi Bunder, Basra, etc. Returning to India, he went far and wide into Kutch, Rajasthan, Sindh and many other parts of Northern and Central India. Wherever he went he would give discourses, organise group recitations, and would also welcome discussions with learned scholars, from all walks of life. He got the opportunity to have detailed interactions with knowledgeable Brahmins, Moulvis, Kabir Panthis, Vallabh Margis, etc. on their own respective doctrines and faiths. He was able to impress quite a few of them so favourably, that they embraced Shri Prannath's new religious order. Many Muslims also became his disciples, because of the equal status he gave them. He never made any distinction in social position, wealth, birth, etc. and removed caste barriers among his followers. He addressed everyone as "Sundarsath", which means 'fellowship' endowerd with divine grace, His followers in turn, addressed him as 'Prannath', 'Mahamati', etc. He tried his best to eliminate differences of caste and community from Indian society, especially by meting out equal treatment towards both his Hindu and Muslim followers. Shri Prannath gave the 'Tartam Mantra' to everyone, including women. He was full of compassion towards the poor and downtrodden, and there are many instances where he has gone out of the way to help them.
During this period, the Hindu traders living in Arab countries, had abandoned the Hindu way of living, and had culturally degenerated. Moreover, no Hindu saint or preacher ever went to Arab countries to guide the Hindus who had migrated to those lands. Shri Prannath went and stayed in Muscat and Port Abbasi for two years (1668-1670 A.D.), and lovingly explained to these degenerated Hindus about the simple and sacred Hindu way of life, and successfully persuaded them to take oaths not to indulge in eating meat, fish and in abstaining from wine and adultery. This is indeed a laudable feature of Shri Prannath's contribution towards the religious and cultural history of India.
Shri Prannath established many centers for continuing propogation of the Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma all over the country. In 1675, he established a religious Seat of the Pranami Sect, at Surat, which is known as 'Maha Mangal Puri Dham'.
During the life-span of Shri Prannath, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was ruling over India, with his capital at Delhi. He was totally averse towards Hindus and committed many atrocities against them. He banned construction of new temples. In 1669 A.D. he reimposed the Jaziya tax on the Hindus. When Shri Prannath came to know of this, he was greatly grieved. He strongly felt that if Aurangzeb's misconcepts about Islam could be removed, then he would change his attitude towards Hindus, and everyone would be benifitted. With this strong conviction, Shri Prannath took upon himself the onerous task of explaining the real meaning of the words 'Islam' and 'Musalman'. He started his campaigns from Surat, in 1675 A.D. and proceeded towards Delhi, with a band of 500 staunch followers. When he was passing by a mosque in Merta (Rajasthan), he heard the 'Azan' being chanted loudly by a muezzin, from the turret of the mosque ('Azan' is the call to Muslims for prayer). In a flash of a second, Shri Prannath intvitively came to know that 'La-Ilah-Il Illah' of the Quran meant the same as "Kshara Sarvaani Bhootaani, Kootasthołkshara Uchyate, Uttama Purushastvanyah Paramatme-tyudahritah", of the Gita; It means there is no God other than Allah, 'La' means 'nothing', which means 'Akshara'; and 'Ill Illah" means 'Parabrahman', which is called 'Aksharatita'; or 'Uttam Purush' in the Gita. It is clear therefore, that both the Quran and Gita are pointing to the same Paramatma. Shri Prannath has written in his book 'Sanandh', that "there is only one Supreme Entity, while paths to reach Him are different". With this new-found 'thought process' Shri Prannath was confident that he would be able to explain the essence of Islam to Aurangzeb, which will ultimately put a stop to the persecution of the Hindus. Thus, he reached Delhi in 1677 A.D., and made a thorough study of the religious bent of Aurangzeb, and the adverse effects of his advisors on his mind ! Shri Prannath spared no efforts in trying to deliver his message to Aurangzeb, only to be thwarted by the king's advisors. But this did not deter the spirit of Shri Prannath, who would confer with his own devoted disciples and try a different method. It was during this time that he heard about the Kumbha Mela scheduled to take place at Hardwar. Shri Prannath decided to attend the Mela and avail the opportunity to place his doctrine before everyone who would be assembling there. As such he went to Hardwar (1678 A.D.) and introduced the Nijanand Sampraday (A short introduction of Pranami Dharma/Nijanand Sampradaya by Swami Prannath.). The people he convinced, inluded the Sectarian heads of the followers of Shiva, Shakti Vishnu; the various Bhakti Sects; the Dasnaam ascetics; followers of Shad Darshanas, the Vedantins, etc. All of them accepted his wisdom as unparalleled. He also proved that there was only one Supreme Entity, who is unanimously accepted as Purna Brahma Aksharatita Paramatma, Shri Krishna, and that all other Gods and deities were subordinate to Him. Many of the persons assembled were highly impressed with Shri Prannath's philosophy and doctrine, and accepted the Supremacy of his knowledge and wisdom. Not only that the title of 'Vijayabhinanda Nishkalank Budhaji' was conferred upon him. It was at this juncture, that the title 'Mahamati' was also conferred upon Shri Prannath. [The chaupayee goes thus -
"Dhaniji Ke Josh, Aatam Dulahin, Noor Hukam, Budha Mool Vatan,
Ye Paacho Mil Bhaye Mahamat, Ved Kateb Pahunchi Sarat."]
From then on, Shri Prannath became popularly known as Mahamati Prannath. From Hardwar he returned to Delhi to pursue his attempts to establish contact with Aurangzeb. He selected a team of 12 courageous disciples from among his followers, comprising ten Hindus and two Muslims. They were made responsible for conveying his message to the Emperor. Although all strategies failed, they succeeded in delivering Shri Prannath's message to Aurangzeb, who was convinced in his mind that Imam Mehdi had appeared among the Hindus. But the emperor's courtiers poisoned his mind and created a suspicion in him that these messengers were his enemies. All the 12 members of Shri Prannath's team were put under custody and harassed. Shri Prannath was greatly pained at the turn of events, and concluded that mere persuasion would not solve the problem. As such, he determined to awaken the Hindu Kings, and imspirit them to jointly confront Aurangzeb. So in 1680, he set about visiting Anoop Shehr, Ajmer, Sanganer, Udaipur, Bundi, Mandsore, Ujjain, Aurangabad, Burhanpur, Ramnagar, etc. For almost four years he went about trying to convince the Hindu Kings of the need for a joint confrontation with Aurangzeb. But no one was ready to face the mighty Mughal emperor. At last, in 1683 A.D. he met Maharaja Chhatrasal, the lion King of the Bundela dynasty, who was convinced that Shri Prannath was the Guru he had been long waiting for. He totally surrendered himself to Shri Prannath, and agreed to wage war with Aurangzeb. Shri Prannath himself blessed him with his own spiritual strength, a sword, and the diamond mines of Panna. Equipped thus with Divine grace and power, Chhatrasal fought many battles with the Mughal forces, and won most of them. He established a strong empire in Central India. At the request of Chhatrasal, Shri Prannath accepted a permanent residence in Panna (1684). He established a religious Seat there, and continued his preachings from there for ten years. Thus, Panna came to be known as "The Padmavati Puri Dham" of the Pranami Sect.
While Chhatrasal was busy subduing Aurangzeb's forces, and establishing his own Kingdom, Shri Prannath was engaged in spreading the inspiring message of his Guru, through his own Tartam Vani, the essence of all sacred books. He would sit in the middle, with different scholars all around him with their respective scriptures, and would encourage them to compare their ideas with those of others' teachings in their sacred books. The essence of all concepts have been included in his 'Tartam Sagar', known as 'Kuljam Swarup', which was compiled by his disciple, Shri Keshavdasji. Shri Prannath emphasised that the basic oneness of the Muslim and the Hindu faiths can be seen, if only one studied each other's scriptures with an open mind. He himself had discovered some terminology or other in practically all the scriptures, which creates confusion if seen through its literal meaning: But, when one goes deeper into its inherent meaning, then it starts sounding more logical and understandable. Shri Prannath concluded that all scriptures belonged to everyone. If understood properly, the rituals and many statements which seem different, can be useful to the whole of humanity. Therefore, he taught all his disciples to honour every prophet and scripture, and to respect all teachings. Only then they will be able to appreciate the whole plan of creation, with its seeming multiplicity.
Shri Prannath's 'Tartam Sagar' consists of fourteen books. Out of these four deal with the inner meanings of the four Semitic books-i.e. 'The Toret' of the followers of Dawood; 'The Jamboor' of the Jews; 'The Anjeel' of the Christians; and 'The Quran' of the Muslims. In another four books Hindusm is explained. In the rest of the six books, there are indications about the form and Abode of Parabrahma Paramatma, and HIS Love-dialogues with His own Eternal Souls (or Brahmatmas).
In 1644 A.D., Shri Prannath dropped his mortal body and left for Paramdham in the presence of his followers. The Temple which stands in the place where Shri Prannath dropped his mortal body, was built under the guidance of Shri Prannath himself, who got a premonition of his own approaching end.
Besides the main Temple of Shri 5 Navtanpuri Dham established by Lord Shri Dechandraji, Mahamati Shri Prannathji established the Shri 5 Maha Mangalpuri Dham at Surat, and the Shri 5 Padmavatipuri Dham at Panna.
The 'Tartam Sagar' of Shri Prannath, contains 18,758 verses. Ever since it was first compiled in 1694 A.D. no additions or alterations have been made in the text. Even today after more than 375 years, the text is preserved as authentically as the text in its original form. Shri Prannath had truly established a Universal Religion - embracing the whole of mankind and called it 'Nijananda Dharma' or the Blissful Religion for the Souls. It is popularly known as the 'Shri Krishna Pranami Dharma;. As on today, there are almost 80 lakh followers of this Dharma, spread all over the world.