Baba Faqir Chand - Dr. David C. Lane-2

Expanded letter to Bharat Bhushan

I don't know if I told you this, but I was in contact with Faqir a few weeks before he died.

He called me at my mom's home (this was before he had to go to the hospital). He was planning (along with his doctor) to come to Los Angeles and stay at my mom's home.

We had arranged for him to give an extensive interview and have it taped for television, etc. Sidenote: this was a trip that was to be fully funded by John-Roger Hinkins, as he provided Faqir and his doctor with two first class tickets, as per my request (J.R. and were on friendly terms back then).

I remember that Dr. Sharma tried to see if I could get another ticket from J.R. so he could fly with Faqir as well, but I told him that it was unnecessary and inappropriate given the costs, etc.

However, Faqir took ill.

My last phone conversation with Faqir is when he called my mom's house and he sounded quite good but said his health was taking a toll on him. We talked about him coming to Los Angeles and how excited I was to see him again and how my mom had given her house for the weekend for his use, etc.

It was my last conversation with him. He said other things as well, but this is not the place to discuss them.

After Faqir died, I got a phone call from his attending physician who asked me how well I knew Faqir..... I said I knew him through my research.

He told me that Faqir was the most unusual patient he ever had. I said, "Why?" The doctor said that Faqir was in a coma but awoke shortly before he died and said, "I am not in a coma, but deep meditation. I wish to die consciously."

Shortly thereafter, Faqir died.

I still vividly recall the conversation as the doctor called me when I was staying in San Clemente at that time.

We were all heart broken.

Dr. Sharma, one of Faqir's successors,  also confirmed the same with me, and said there were other things he wished to write about (with me) in a book we were supposed to do.

Baba Faqir Chand - Dr. David C. Lane

Baba Faqir Chand at Mercy Hospital

Here is the text of email I sent to Dr. David today: 

Dear David, Good morning. I am sending you my notes on the last moments of Baba Faqir Chand. Thanks for doing that sort of work for the benefit of humanity. I have seen your presentation prepared for Agra seminar. I wish people understand the facts. 

Last moments of Baba Faqir Chand 

1.      Before leaving India he said to many people, “I am going to America. I shall come back in a box (coffin)”. Perhaps he knew he was to die or perhaps he wanted to die in America.

2.      I have been told by Dayal Kamal Ji that before leaving for USA he took Bhagat Munshi Ram along with him to a particular place in front yard of Manavta Mandir and instructed him to inter the bones at that particular place and unfurl the flag of humanity on it. It was complied with after later.

3.      Dr. Hans Raj Ghai (his follower and homoeopath physician) accompanied him during his last visit to United States. He wrote spoken words of Faqir (his last three letters) and sent to Manavta Mandir. Mr. Ghai pressed a particular point at foot sol of Faqir in the presence of doctors and Faqir, who was in coma/Samadhi, wide opened his eyes. It was a sort of demonstration. (Ghai told me in Chandigarh that as per science of reflexes (also known as acupressure) there is a point at foot sol which relates to pituitary glands). He did not describe it as a miracle.

4.      Somebody told that Faqir preferred to get operated his hernia without anesthesia. If it is true, it must have been very painful and could lead a person of 95 years age to retreat to coma. Personally I do not believe that doctors at Mercy Hospital could think of fulfilling such a wish. (Meanwhile Dayal Kamalji has confirmed that Faqir’s wish was not granted by doctors)  

5.      Famous Jain Muni Mr. Sushil Muni from Delhi visited Mercy Hospital and told that Faqir was in Samadhi and was not to be disturbed.

6.      During last days it had become very difficult for Faqir to get up and pass stools. Mr. Ghai facilitated him and took the stools in hands.

7.      I have been told by Dayal Kamalji that there was only attending nurse sitting in the room when Faqir breathed his last.

8.      Bhagat Munshi Ram, in one of discourses in Manavta Mandir, said, “It was not necessary for Faqir to get operated as he was continuing well with the help of belt meant for hernia. Faqir chose that way so that people should not say Faqir went to Samadhi and left the body.” With reference to Faqir’s last moments Bhagat Munshi Ram, on another occasion, said, “It is possible that coma is the same state as that of highest Samadi.” I have directly heard it from him. I am not aware whether it has been recorded somewhere.

9.      One person (I do not remember his name) wrote a letter to Manavta Mandir requesting temple people not to pray for longer life of Faqir as it would have been against His will. He wanted everything to happen in predestined and natural way.  

Here is the material relating to his last letter I sent you some time back. It is for your ready reference:-

Dear brother, I am sending you translation of Param Dayal Faqir Chand Ji's letter dated 06 August 1981 written from Mercy Hospital, Pittsburg. It was addressed to ‘Manavta Mandir’. It is recorded in Bhagat Munshi Ram's book 'Sant Sarguru Waqt Ka Vasiyatnama' (The Testament of Sant Satguru Waqt):-

"It is ten o'clock at night. I am lying in a room number 2015 of a big hospital in Pittsburgh. The entire life of 95 years moves in front of me. I did inner exercises and practices. What have I understood? I'm actually a bubble of consciousness. I wished and still I wish that when my last hour comes I shall tell how I went above after leaving body and mind etc. But the experience is somewhat contrary. I wish I should separate myself from the body and mind but it becomes impossible when there is physical pain, giddiness. Since glucose is being given continuously day and night for the past four days, hence, I am tired now and it has become impossible. Now it is 12 o'clock at night. For the past four days I am unable to eat anything due to excessive urination and extreme burning. Where has the knowledge and concentration gone? Regret! Great souls have not told as to what they experienced. Worldly people would have benefited from that. Regret! There is no any other particular trouble except that I am confined to the bed for the past five days or there is burning while urinating. But Lord! I have a grief. During life, so far as possible, I did not feed on offerings of followers (Satsangis). Only Mool Chand Rijjumal of Katni, Durga Das and my son send money on which I sustain. God only knows what will be the expenditure here. The house/room rent is $150 per day. Dr. Rao says--'do not worry', he will bear all expenses. And if I die in America there will be additional expenditure of $2000. Eyes shed tears while I look at the philosophy of Karma. Whether, in another life, I shall have to repay them the money they are spending? Brain is not in a position to think.

My eyes are shedding tears

While I look at the result of Karma.

The only thing to support my heart is that

I know how to finally merge with Him.             

Let it be, let it be, let it be. I'm happy. Mercy O' Lord, I should not return to this world of the cruel."

Yogini Mata and David C. Lane - 3

Thank you so much for this added material.

I too found some old memories relating to the time I met her. I don't know if I mentioned this, but at my meeting she indicated that she would take me within if I so desired..... more on this in the little magazine I am producing. I am including your wonderful account and pictures.

How is Professor Bhagat Ram Kamal doing these days? Is he being well received as the spiritual master?

thanks again,

Dave

Dear David,

Here I want to clarify that during conversation with Yogini I asked her twice whether she did inner practices. She categorically denied it by saying that Sadhana is Maya only. After some time I repeated my question in context of inner visions. She did say 'nothing special'. I must add that people are sometimes habitual of inner practices. Sometimes they do it consciously and at other time it may not be deliberate. This habit of Sadhana can result in being in a state of mind where they may be experiencing something but with a 'nothing special'.

Prof. Kamal is doing lot of hard work. He goes on tours and brings money for the temple. He has a following even outside Hoshiarpur. But his path is not without hurdles. As you know our Indian society is a caste ridden society. Bhagat Munshi Ram belonged to Megh caste (broadly known as Meghvansh). Dr. I.C. Sharma was a Brahmin. Initially Manavta Mandir was considered to a center of Brahmins. However Baba Faqir Chand admitted people from other castes and also appointed a low caste Bhagat Munshi Ram to work as Satguru in his place. I have been told by Captain Lal Chandji that Sharma approached him to say that Bhagat Munshi Ram was not to be accepted in the field as he belonged to low caste. Mr. Lal Chand has mentioned this incident twice. Sharma was doing that sort of lobbying. Obviously caste becomes a major factor in every field. That is why after death of a guru all such factors become prominent. People disobey their spiritual masters and keep working on caste lines. The case of Dayal Kamal is also not different. He was indirectly called a ‘Chamar’ by a spiritual leader. (Calling somebody a Chamar is against the law of the land but flouted very frequently). A political party built up atmosphere against that incident and the situation was diffused. Mr. Kamal has conducted very prudently in many odd situations.

 

David, I am of the firm view that all religious activities are basically financial activities. Spirituality is used for enhancing inflow of money. In Indian context it is being used to exploit poor masses. It is broadly caste based again. When money starts flowing to low caste gurus preaching ‘worship of the Formless’, Sikhism, Radhaswami Mat, Arya Samaj etc. appear with more colorful tags. The intention is to divert flow of money to the advantage of high caste. The masses, since centuries, forced to remain illiterate through religious sanctions are easy preys. But I fail to understand why people from counties having good level of education fall prey to Indian spirituality and religions, whereas spirituality prevails everywhere on earth.

Yogini Mata and Dr. David C. Lane - 2

Dear Bharat Bhushan:

Thank you so much for this fascinating material. I plan on doing a magazine devoted to what you uncovered. I have a few questions if you don't mind answering.

1. How did your meeting end with Yogini? Did she say she is still meditating? 

2. Does she have any following?

3. What were Your impressions of her when you met her?

Any other details, perhaps from your Hindi version, that you wish to share?

Thanks so much in advance.

Dave

David Christopher Lane
Professor of Philosophy

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Dear David, I am giving information required by you:-

1. How did your meeting end with Yogini? Did she say she is still meditating? 

The end of the meeting was bit heavy due to the fact that she started jumping from one topic to another. However, when we took permission to leave, she very gracefully got up and accompanied us to the ground floor right up to the street. During conversation she has not said that she still meditates. Rather she says that meditation (Sadhana) is Maya only. She daily recites ‘Sukhmani Sahab’ a holy book of Sikhism.

2.  2. Does she have any following?

I enquired whether she delivered discourses. She denied. It is obvious that most of the time she talks to the ladies living in the street. Her ‘following’ remains a question since she gave Namdan to many ladies in the temple.

3.  3. What were your impressions of her when you met her?

She was declared a guru by Param Dayalji for whom I have great respect. She had been a guru of women and I took every care to give her same respect. I garlanded her and offered some fruits to her. I knew that age factor had descended upon her. I knew her family circumstances when she was living in Hoshiarpur. Her husband had been visiting her in the temple. She was very close to my mother while she lived in the temple.

Other details are given below:-

She was born to Mr. Mulkh Raj and Mrs. Sumitra Rani. It was perhaps a matter of chance that none of her brothers or sisters had children. Home environment was disturbed.

Tripta Devi came in contact with Shraddhanand. Mostly girls and women go to his Ashram and press his feet and do other services (Seva) in the Ashram. Shraddhanand gave Tripta Devi a new name i.e. Saroj Devi. He used to address her as if she was a male. Instead of saying ‘सरोज क्या बोलती है’ he would say ‘सरोज क्या बोलता है’. She prayed to Shraddhanand for blessing her brother with child. It fructified after some time. This strengthened her faith in Shraddhanand.

Faqir had appointed Lajjawati Kakkad (Kamalpur Wali Mai) as guru of women. Now he appointed Tripta Devi also. He called her Yogini Mata and she became famous with this name. Firstly, Tripta Devi became Saroj Devi and then Yogini Mata. A childless Tripta Devi became Yogini Mata and then visitors of the temple rechristened her as Jagat Mata (Mother of the world). She had been given a room for doing Yogic practices and giving Namdan. She remained there for many years. At that time she was in her youth and had a glowing face which is considered to be the result of Yogic practices. In those days I myself saw Yogini Mata in the temple.

After Param Dayal Ji's death, Dr. I.C. Sharma fastened his own saddle of authority on the Temple. Dedicated worker like Dr. Karam Chand Kapoor left the temple and went to his village. Bhagat Munshi Ramji (Faqir’s nominee for Satguru’s work) moved to Chandigarh. Some people say that Faqir, during his life time, had instructed Yogini Mata to leave the temple. Yogini Mata also confirms it. After Faqir’s demise Yogini lived in the temple for few months. She was there when Sharma came to Hoshiapur. Yogini says that Sharma did respect her. After some time she moved to a rented room near temple and finally left for Pathankot.

A short note on her present life

Yogini Mata says that now she does not think about eternal questions like- ‘From where have I come, where shall I go?’ She took care of her husband and his second wife and their children, though second wife had always been against her. Her husband and his second wife have since died. She belongs to a well to do family. Her father left sufficient money for her and lives in a room of a house which belongs to her father. She requires help from near relations.

She talks many things but speaks full sentences. She jumps from one topic to another but stops to listen to the other person. She is seemingly in good health. On 21-10-2010, during telephonic conversation she mentioned about her asthmatic problem. She also told that she had been doing Sumiran (repetition of holy name) with breathing process.

Yogini Mata expressed her wish to live in Manavta Mandir if permitted. I advised her about the changed circumstances after Faqir Chandji. She agreed with me. However, she wanted to come to the temple on festivals like Baisakhi. I have conveyed her desire to Dayal Kamalji (present spiritual head).

Bharat Bhushan

Yogini Mata and David.C. Lane - 1

 

Good morning Dr. David,

First of all I wish you MERRY CHRISMAS.

I am forwarding a file relating to Yogini Mata (Tripta Devi) with whom I had an hour long conversation. The file also contains a link where I have posted more details in Hindi. I have requested Prof. Kamal to bring her to temple at least once. Few days back a person from Thailand visited her. I have been told that Guru of that visitors experiences appearance of Yogini Mata. The visitor requested her to give some pieces of her hair and nail for supposedly some experiment. She obliged him but later she expressed suspicions about suspected black magic. She was assured by another lady that nothing would happen.

Bharat Bhushan

Twilight of Yogini’s Life

Tripta Devi was born in village Darangli of Gurdaspur, Punjab in the year 1940 she was a beautiful and promising child. After marriage she did not have child and as a result she got her husband married to another women. Children were born to second wife. However home environment remained turbulent. One day she went to a temple with unlocked hair and danced. The statues in temple got entangled in the hair and fell around. She had become a Yogini. Her first guru was Baba Bhag Singh. Her second master was Shraddhanand of Jammu and later she came in contact with Param Dayal Faqir Chandji. He gave her the name of ‘Yogini Mata’ and appointed her guru of women. She stayed in Manavta Mandir, Hoshiarpur for many years and worked as a guru. Here is the summary of conversation with her.

After much searching on the internet I could contact David C Lane a professor of philosophy and sociology in California, United States. In his very first email he enquired about Yogini Mata. Hence, for the past two years I had been searching Yogini Mata. I contacted Mrs. Asha Bhagat, activist of Bhagat Mahasabha, Pathankot. Luckily she had known Yogini Mata for the past many years. I reached Pathankot on 09-11-2010. Yogini lives in a room, a part of her father’s house. I saw her after almost 35 years. She met with all affection but a sort of detachment was visible in her behavior.

I introduced myself and made a mention about Bhagat Munshi Ramji and his wife Karam Devi. She could remember everything. I presented her fruits etc. She enquired about my wife and children. Then I told her the purpose of my visit. She sat in Sukhasana (cross legged).

“Do you remember David C. Lane? He came to the temple.”

“Yes, David!”

Then I further asked, “Do you recall Param Dayalji?”

“Yes.”

“Do you worship him within?”

“No, I do not do that.”

“Do you do inner practices?”

“I have left doing inner practices. During those days I saw all the three forms of Param Dayalji i.e. Dharma, the Form and the Light.”

“Sadhana (inner practice) is also Maya. I used to experience numbness in the body.”

“Do you deliver Satsangs.”

“I do not like delivering Satsang. I am fed up with Guruism. I will not give Namdan to anyone. (Here she recalled a lady). Shanti used to come to me for inner practices. I do not know what happened to her. She just lied on the railway track and committed suicide. Param Dayalji then said to me that Namdan should be given only to the righteous person.”

“Dayal Das and yourself used to instruct people for inner practices,” I asked. She said, “Yes, Dayal Das used to give instructions for very high stages of inner practices. He used to attract mystically. I used to go at his place but I always quarreled with him.”

After a few moments, I expressed my wish to ask her some specific questions about what sort of dreams she would generally see. 70 year Yogini immediately replied, “I do not see any dreams. Param Dayal Dayalji did cut them.”

I asked, “What type of visions you see during inner practices?” She said, “Nothing special. Previously I used to see divine forms, used to go to light.” She continued, “Once I was sitting in front of Shraddhanand (her second guru). During inner practices I felt as if five snakes came out of my Jun (योनि, private part) and entered into Shraddhanand. I told it to Shraddhanand. He said, “These five snakes are in fact ‘desire (काम)’, ‘anger (क्रोध)’, ‘greed (लोभ)’, ‘infatuation’ (मोह) and ‘ego (अहंकार)’. From today onwards you are free from all of them.”

I asked her, “How about your internal state now.” She said, “Sometimes I get angry. I do quarrel.”

During this conversation Yogini Mata sang and shared many devotional songs. There was intense flow of strong sentiments in her singing.

Full article (with photos) --> Twilight of a Yogini’s Life