Son-in-law’s Lake, 'Zamturnag'

Sham S. Misri
King Nara ruled over Kashmir long ago. He was known as a god of love. Every year he was in a state of continuous love with some girl or the other. Once he had fallen in love with the daughter of a minister. She was extremely beautiful. She had magnificent gait with large eyes. Her graceful and attractive looks had hooked him fast. It was a face that got fixed in his mind. The king wanted her to be his queen, but the king’s love was refused by the girl. She told the king that she was already engaged to a Buddhist priest. The king had only one way to possess her. He had to get the priest killed through his secret orders. But, before the king ...



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The Separable Soul

Sham S. Misri

Once there was a man who had gone for a walk. Seeing a stream flowing nearby and a shade tree he thought of taking some rest. Soon the man fell asleep. While the man was asleep, His soul went wandering about. By and by the soul felt thirsty and went into a pitcher of water to get a drink. The pitcher belonged to a farmer. As it was summer a farmer in his field was digging the land. He had kept a pitcher full of water nearby. The pitcher was kept on a sand bed to keep the water cool. Anybody could come and drink water from the pitcher.  

Now, while the soul was inside the pitcher someone put on the lid on the pitcher and imprisoned the soul.

Several hours passed and the man was still asleep. When the soul of the man did not return he was believed to be dead. People assembled near that place and his corpse was carried out for cremation. By chance the farmer in the field felt thirsty. He went to drink the water. As soon as he took the lid off the pitcher the soul got released. The soul at once returned to its proper owner's body. He revived amidst general rejoicings.

Judgement of King Uchchala

Sham S. Misri

King Harsha Dev’s reign in Kashmir lasted from 1089 – 1101 A.D. (He is not the emperor Harsha who ruled in India from 606-647 A.D.) King Harsha Dev had two cousins, Uchchala and Sussala. The year 1099 A.D. witnessed plague, plunder, flood and famine. Uchchala and Sussala fled in 1100 A.D. to Rajapuri. Uchchala, a cousin of Harsha Dev became a rebel and defeated Harsha Dev. He then took the possession of the capital. Harsha’s queens burnt themselves in the palace, while he himself took refuge in a Matha.     

Uchchala (1101-1111 A, D.) was a very energetic man. There is an interesting story told by Kalhana about this ruler in Rajatarangini.

In Uchchala’s rule there was a man who had accumulated a large sum of money. He wanted to keep some money safe against the rainy day. After much thought, he decided to keep the money with a merchant, with whom he had acquaintance.  The merchant was happy at the proposal.

“You are a very wise man,” the merchant said to the man.

“One should always keep some money safe for some unexpected trouble. How much do you want to deposit with me?”

“I will deposit a lakh of dinars (currency coins) with you.” Said the man.

“A lakh. That is fine.” replied the merchant.

“I will take good care of it. You can take small amounts of money whenever you want.”

The man trusted the merchant and went his home and told his wife about this plan.”

“But can he be trusted,” asked his wife.

“Of course, he is trustworthy!” exclaimed the man.

“I have no doubts about him. He is well known in the city. Our money is safe with him.”

As days passed, the man would take small amounts of money from him to meet his petty expenses.

Nearly twenty five years passed in this manner. The man had a son who had grown by now.

One day as usual the man went to the merchant and asked for some money. The merchant refused to pay. The merchant’s face was red with anger.

“What money do you want now?” the merchant said.

He showed the man his account book.

“There is hardly any money left from the original amount. You have almost spent the whole money.”

The man was shocked to hear all about this. He did not utter a word. The merchant then showed him the account book.

“See here. Three hundred dinars for repairs of house. Six hundred for land purchase. Five hundred for   religious function. Etc.etc.” The list was unending.

The man had not taken so much of money from the merchant.

“And you must pay me the interest,” concluded the merchant.

So, there was a law suit between the merchant and the man which the court could not decide.

This case came to the notice of king Uccala. He demanded that the account books of the merchant be shown to him. The merchant had fraudulently recorded the entries in the account book. 

Uccala ordered the merchant that if any portion of the money was still with him and that he should produce before the king prior to his judgement.

The money was brought. Among the coins, he found coins of his own reign. But the deposit had been kept with the merchant when (Kalsha 1091-99 A.D.) was ruling; it was twenty years before Uccala’s reign had commenced.  So it was evident that the deposit had been used for other purposes by the merchant. The king then declared his judgement, stating that the man must pay to the merchant interest on what he had taken from him from time to time up to date, and, the merchant too must pay the man interest on the full one lakh of dinars from the time of its being deposited together with the amount of the deposit.

Bhagwan Gopi Nath (1898-1968)

Sham S. Misri
Bhagwan Gopinath was born in a Kashmiri pandit family of Bhans, in a locality called Bhan Mohalla, in the city of Srinagar in Kashmir. He was a mystic saint of 20th century Kashmir in India. He spent most of his time meditating at various shrines in Kashmir. He is known to have donated all his ancestral inheritance to his step-mother. His mother died when he was 12 years old and his father died when he was around 30 years old. He completed his education till middle grade from a local Christian missionary school called Tyndale Biscoe School, at Fateh Kadal, Srinagar.

He practiced some form of tantric spiritual practices during this time. During this stage, he is a said to have practiced some technique of meditation that would seemingly help him control elements (called tattvas) like fire and water out of the total 36 such elements enumerated in Kashmir Shaivism. He started the practice while keeping himself in a dark room for many years. He was found talking to and directing invisible people at times. Various parts of his body like his shoulders and knees were seen shuddering at times.

His devotees have found it difficult to classify his spiritual journey into a particular school of Indian philosophical thought. Its widely believed that he must have followed the tenets of trika doctrine of Advaita (non-dual) Kashmir Shaivism (in which, the Goddess Bhairavi-Aghoreshwari is enthroned above God Bhairava and is the main ideal of worship with Jnana (knowledge), Iccha (will) and Kriya (action) having had a dominating influence on him.

Once, while explaining the inter-relation of various spiritual disciplines in realizing God, he said: " think of Brahman (God without a form) as a tree and if one sits on any one of its branches (various spiritual disciplines), the same goal will be reached in each case."

He once remarked: "Omkara (Hindu Symbol) is the "throat" of Godhead and nothing is possible without it".

Once, while visiting the shrine of Amarnath, he is said to have remarked: "Shiva is dancing everywhere" and afterwards, was seen in a joyful mood the whole day. He would keep incense sticks burning in flames instead of letting them smolder as he had an affinity for light sources. Sometimes he would also keep the oblations, offered in the fire pot, burning in flames and also referred to it as the "feet" of Lord Narayana.

He would refer to his legs as mere "logs of wood" and the body as "food" for the God of death (Mahakal) and as such didn't consider physical body as the end-all be-all of human existence.

He wouldn't advise anyone to give up one's family and household in pursuit of self-realization but guided people only if they practiced celibacy.

One should cultivate and preserve the three virtues of righteous moral conduct, viz straightforwardness, honesty and purity in thought, word and deed.

Self realization comes when one bids farewell to ones ego. Lust is the biggest impediment in ones spiritual development.  A seeker must surrender onto guru’s feet with all his heart and soul.  One should always contribute to charity to not let greed settle in. In culture