Barada Charan Majumdar

Dilip Kumar Roy writes about Barada Charan Majumdar in his book Pilgrims of the Stars

Now it so happened that a dear friend of mine and a disciple of Sri Aurobindo, Nalinikanta Sarcar, suggested that I consult a friend of his, a mighty yogi, Baroda kanta Majumdar, who stayed for hours in samadhi.

He lived in Lalgola, about a hundred miles from Calcutta. When Nalinikanta wrote to him he cordially invited us both. So we went by train to Lalgola and stayed with him as his guests.

"When I told him [Baroda Charan] about my groping in darkness for a clue to light he asked me to sit down and meditate with him. “I will find out all about it," he said somewhat cryptically.

"I was not a little intrigued and tried in vain to meditate with him. What is he going to find out, I kept asking myself as he went off into a samadhi.

"After about a half-hour he came to and said without ado that I must on no account accept anybody other than Sri Aurobindo as my guru. On my telling him that Sri Aurobindo had turned me away he shook his head categorically and said: “No, he hasn’t."

"How do you mean?" I said, utterly at a loss.

"I mean what I say."

"But Sri Aurobindo told me himself—"

"No, Dilip Kumar," he cut in, “he has accepted you already—he told me this himself just now."

"I was nonplussed and started wondering whether it was all a hoax or I was daydreaming.

"He looked kindly at me.

"As you disbelieve my assurance," he smiled, “I will give you a proof. Have you got a chronic pain in your right abdomen?"

"I have," I said, startled. “It’s hernia."

"I know. Now tell me: didn’t Sri Aurobindo tell you to undergo an operation before you entered the path of yoga?"

"I was dumbfounded, for Sri Aurobindo had written to me in 1924 those identical words.

"Then Baroda Babu gave me a long discourse on yoga and yogic powers and enjoined me not to be skeptical. He even told me about a few miracles he himself had performed, mostly to heal people.

"His personality was impressive and his exposition all that could be desired—sober, to the point and unmarred by braggadocio. So I came back a wiser, though a trifle sadder, man, turning over in my mind his categoric reassurance: “Sri Aurobindo told me that he would call you to Pondicherry, in due time. So don’t you look this way and that nor dream of accepting anybody else as your guru since Sri Aurobindo is your guru and no other."…

Conversation #2 between Barada Charan & Dilip Kumar Roy

"I met Baroda Babu by accident twelve years later, in 1937, when I had returned from Pondicherry to Calcutta for a few months after a stay at Sri Aurobindo Ashram for nine years. I thanked him from my heart for his helpful advice and told him how happy and blessed I felt at the guru’s feet. He gave me a kind smile but said pointblank: “That’s all as it should be, my friend. Only I want to tell you one thing: that you won’t realize Krishna in Pondicherry. For that you will have to wait till the advent of a highly evolved lady. When she will come to cooperate with you as your disciple, then only will you get your heart’s desire."’

Source:   Pilgrims of the Stars
(pp. 327—329, 1985 edition)

Extract from Dilip Kumar Roy's correspondece with Sri Aurobindo

October 24, 1934

Dilip:

I enclose Barada Babu's postcard—whom you remember. He is a remarkable yogi—very sincere, intelligent with stunning powers (he stunned me anyway as I related), can meditate for ten or twelve hours at a stretch, a great bhakta of yours. But to him I was indebted as he prophesied I would be accepted by you,63 etc. I had told you all that. He was dubious of Mother formerly, but now he speaks of "Mother Mira", you will see, and that with reverence. Formerly he wrote to me that Mother he does not see in his meditations, but you he does — often.

I wonder if he truly sees Mother or sees some form whom he so styles or identifies with her. Can one see someone whom one has never seen? I mean, do you know it from experience which you verified later on — for the stories to that effect are galore of course. However his letters are very interesting illustrating his difficulty re. surrender. But he is humble as he wants to keep in touch with you, etc. He is very sincere as all who know him say.

I suppose that is why he has had experiences of Mother too at long last.

He of course makes a mental mistake by attributing parts of my novel to Supramental inspiration, confusing it with psychic as psychic it undoubtedly is which moved so many — I mean by Psychic a deep emotion in the heart which is a delight to the heart even in sorrow. But doubtless of supramental he has a mental conception which is therefore wrong...

Sri Aurobindo's reply

Yes, of course, I remember about Barada Babu — I can't say I remember him because I never saw him at least in the flesh. What he probably means by the Supermental is the Above Mind — what I now call illumined Mind—Intuition-Overmind. I used to make that confusion myself at the beginning.

There is not enough to go upon to say whether he really sees the Mother or an image of her as reflected in his own mind. But there is nothing extraordinary, much less improbable in seeing one whom one has never seen .....

Source:   Sri Aurobindo to Dilip - Vol. II
(pp. 145—146)