Swami Nand Bab: the Great Spiritual Sage from Kashmir
By: DR. SHIBEN KRISHEN RAINA
Kashmir through the ages has been the center of great learning, with great spiritual tradition, besides the land is also called ‘Rishya-Vaa’r’ (Orchard of Rishis) for its rich and unparalleled mystical legacy. Kashmir has produced many saints and mystics who could not only read the present and the past but could even predict unforeseen events so immaculately. One such name is that of Swami Nand Lal Ji, popularly known by the homely name of ‘Nandbab’. In spoken language ‘Nand’ is an abbreviation of the name Nandlal and ‘Bab’ means father or an elderly person. Every word that he uttered carried deep meaning and was of great consequence for all those who sought his blessings. Needless to say, the name of Swami Nand Bab stands out in the tradition of such mystics who are known for their godliness, spiritual power,prophecies, foresight, pietyand holiness.
A few years back, after returning from the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, I got an opportunity to spend some time in Jammu. Knowing that there was a memorial/shrine of great spiritual saint Swami Nand Bab lying near the place where I stayed, I lost no timein paying a visit to this shrine. On Jammu-Akhnoor Road, situated in the locality of Muthi near ‘Lale Da Bagh’ the memorial/shrine of Nand Bab is a place to watch and adorn. It was just a coincidence that on the same day, a Havan was being organized in the memory of Nand Bab. A large crowd of devotees was present inside and outside the memorial on that day. According to Kashmiri tradition, MogilChai/tea, Kulchaand (Prasad), etc. were being distributed by the devotees, and the same was warmly received by me and my family members. When I saw the idol/image of NandBab inside the memorial, my eyes kept staring at him. My memory went almost 70 years back tearing the layers of time.
Nand Bab used to come to our house more often than naught. The courtyard of our house in the entire locality of Purshyar, (Habba-Kadal) wasa little bigger. I remember, the moment Nand Bab entered our premises, he would start turningfrom one end to the other, from here to there and again from there to here. Soon people from all over the locality would gather in our courtyard, in which the number of children would be slightly more. Some wouldstart looking at him with reverence, some with curiosity, and yet some with amazement. With raised eyebrows,Nand Bab would very typically gaze at the on-lookers and then cast a dispassionate glance towards the sky and sometimes towards all the directions. While writing something on a piece of paper, he would mumble also which was difficult to understand. My grandfather was probably aware of his godliness and spiritual prowess, so would revere him and give him enough respect. Nand Bab also had a feeling of admiration for my grandfather. There was a soundless conversation between the two and in this process Nand Bab would go right and left, here and there and up and down, handing over a piece of paper to mygrandfather and then leavehurriedly. Everyone amongst the audience would whisper that ‘Darshan’(Appearance) of Nand Baba is ominous and an indication of some important event.
Nand Bab, better known by the name of Nand-Mot i.e., Nand Mastana or Nand Malang by the Kashmiri people, had a very strange outfit. Such a dress is mostly worn by the Jogis, sages, or wizard-like people. A long-statured man witha stout body, glowing face, white thick thread around the neck, hat on the head, dressed in coat-pant, waistband around, long Tilak on the forehead, stick in hand, a knife hanging on the waist-band, with waistcoat and a tin box /(Nore),Nand Bab was a class in himself. His language and speech were unintelligible, eyes used to be steady and sometimes unsteady. All were equal beforethis spiritual person. Hindus, as well as Muslims rising above narrow-mindedness and caste discrimination, would take pleasure in seeking his blessings from him. For him, all were the children of the Lord. No one was high and no one was low. It is said that a bag would always hang on his shoulders in which holy scriptures like Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Guru Granth Sahib, Bible, Quran Sharif, etc. would find a place. He loved people of all castes and people of all castes loved him. He was a devotee of Almighty and devoteesbelonged to him.
Swamiji was born on Dec. 30, 1896, at Purshayar, Habbakadal, Srinagar. His father was Pt. Shanker Sahib and the name of his mother was Smt. Emberzal. Smt.Imberzal had a sister in Nunar, a village near Laar, Ganderbal. She had no issue of her own and adopted Swami Nanda-Babas her son. It is said that Nanda Bab Ji was fairly conversant in writing English, Urdu and Persian in a beautiful calligraphic style. After finishing his education, he joined the Police Department and was posted as a Mohrirat Police Station, Pokhribal. It is also said that Swamiji had the vision of Sharika Devi at this very place. One day, one of his colleagues advised him to remain properly dressed as a Senior Police Officer was to visit the Station the next day. Ignoring this advice, Swamiji went to Devi-Anganthe next day and got absorbed in deep meditation there. It was joined and witnessed by some of his other colleaguesas well. When the Inspecting Officer visited the Station, to the great astonishment of everybody,he found Swamiji alreadypresent at the venue. From this date onwards, the miracles of the Swami Jistarted coming tolight.After some time Swamiji was transferred to Tangdarthe posting which he never liked and joined against his wishes. One day Swamiji left Tangdar on foot for Srinagar without informing his superiors and seeking their permission. On way to Srinagar, he met a British officer who was wearing a hat. Swamiji removed his hat and put that on his own head. Legal action was taken against him and having been found guilty of insulting a British Officer, he was dismissed from the State Service. Since then,Swami Ji started wearing a hat for the rest of his life.
Wherever Nandababwent or lived, he would be mobbed by people of all faiths right from dawn to midnight to seek blessings. Even people from foreign lands would go to him. He would seldom talk directly to any person present in the audience. He would often talk in parables, similes, paradoxes, metaphors; sometimes he would laugh, sometimes sing, but generally, he would be dictating something or the other to anyone present on chits or in a register kept for this purpose. The writings on these chits or in the register would usually be the replies to thequeries and problems of the different members of the audience or other matters of general public importance, but all these were in metaphorical language.
Nandabab had passed that stage or Siddhi of spiritual evolution and had acquired the power of divinity. He could reckon problems and make prophecies: personal, social, and political with accurate precision. He was able to read the mind of people around him and understand their problems and sometimes offer solutions also. But he would take particular care of those whom he consideredhis staunch devotee or, in his own words, who were under his banner (Alam).
Nandabab’s movements would be unpredictable. He would leave his residence usually in a car or taxi (sometimes in a Tonga also) and direct the driver to carry him to one place or the other. This trip would continue for days and cover various cities and stations. It is said that once in Jammu, he took a taxi for Delhi. On the way, the petrol tank of the taxi became empty and the vehicle stopped moving on. Nandabab asked the driver why he had stopped the vehicle. The driver informed him that the taxi had run out of petrol. The reply was if he had any water, he should pour it into the petrol tank. The poor driver, more out of fear of the saint, poured water into the tank. The engine started and the Taxi reached Delhi without any petrol but water in its tank. This incident has been narrated to Sh J.N Bhat Sahib by the taxi driver and is reported/published in his article in ‘Koshur Samachar’, the well-circulated community magazine of Kashmiri Pandits published from Delhi.
Swami Nand Bab was more or less a lunatic but there was a meaning and coherence in his lunatic behavior.“His ramblings carried deep philosophy, his wanderings were representative of his duty and responsibilities towards the order of the day, hischants and prayers carried succor for the needy, the diseased, and his devotees. He was celestial, he was benevolent, he was magnanimous and above all he was universal.”(J.N.Bhat)
Nandab died in a hospital in Delhion October 10, 1973, after a brief illness. A very touching description of Nanda Bab’s last journey is found in the book ‘Nand Jyoti’ authored by Pushkar NathBhat.Bhat writes:’His body was brought to Srinagar by his devotees by plane. Here in the Shiva temple of Chota-Bazar, his mortal remains were kept for the last darshan/glimpse by the people. The news of Swami’s death spread throughout the valley instantly. Aggrieved by the sad demise of Nand Bab both Hindus and Muslims paid their homage to this great and noble soul.Beating their chests, holding flowers in their hands, devotees stood here and there and really wept afterrealizing thatBabji was, really, no more. Srinagar city was filled with mourners. Babji’s last Shradh/ritual and the funeral ceremony took place in this Shiv temple only. Later, the body of Nanda Bub was placed in a military vehicle, which was decorated with flowers. From here the funeral procession started in which thousands of people (Hindu-Muslims) participated. After reaching the crematorium, when hisdead bodywas placed on the pyre and lit, the people present started crying loudly. Wails echoed from all around. ‘Swami Nand Bab Ki Jai’, ‘Swami Nand Bab Ki Jai’,’Nand Bub is Amar/immortal’, ‘Nand Bub is Amar/immortal.!’
The details of Nand Bab’s divinity, his spirituality, his divine power, his prophecies, etc. are well known. He was the helper of the hapless, the salvager of the oppressed, the frontrunner of the impoverished, and the believer of humanity. It is said that his predictions were unshakeable and infallible. Whoever used to go to him with pure heart, Nand Bab used to fulfill his wish.Many such incidents/tales/prophesies and forecasts etc. are attributed to this great saint of Kashmir. Not all of them can be narrated here. The greatness of Nand Bub’s mystic power can be adjudged by mentioning only two.
One day a young man came to Bab on a bicycle. As soon as Bub’s eyes fell on this young man, he locked him in the room and Babji went somewhere. After Bab’s departure, the young man pleaded with the family members that he should be freed, and finally, after much persuasion, the family members scummed to pressure andthe young man was freed. On his return when Nand Bub did not see the man inside the roomhe painfully exclaimed: ‘Bichor Mood, Gav Jaan Marg!’ He kept repeating these words over and over again. In the meantime,someone came from outside and told Bab ji that the young man who had come out of the room a while ago, had met a fatal accident near ‘Margmal Bagh’ and died there and then. There was pin-drop silence in thehouse.‘Had the young man obeyed my request and not gone out from the room, he would not have met this dreaded fate.’ Babjithought for a while in his mind and cursed the family members of the young man for their carelessness.
Another incident goes like this: A person came to Swamiji for his blessings. His wife had been suffering from an incurable disease. It wascancer, perhaps. Almost all the doctors had disappointed him. Now, Nand Bab was his last support. With folded hands and tearful eyes,the person told his sorrowful tale to Nand Bab. After listening to the distresses of this person, SwamiJi’s heart sank for a while and he made up his mind to help this person whose family was horribly in a miserable plight. It is said that Swamiji wrote something on a piece of paper and told the person that he should immediately go and meet another (Saint) BhagwanGopinath JiofSrinagar. Swami Nanda Bab used to considerBhagwan Gopi Nath ji ashis Guru/Master,comparatively more powerful and more spiritual. The person immediately went to Gopinath ji who was absorbed in meditation at that time. After a while, when that person showed that paper given by Nand Bab to Gopinath Ji, he quickly said that he (Nand Bab) could have done this work himself, why did he send you to me?However, Gopi Nath ji did not say anything to that person but kept on smoking Hookah. After a while, Gopi Nath Ji stood up and took out some ashes from his pocket of Phiran/Robe and wrapped it in a paper and told the person that he should feed it to his wife. God willing, everything will be fine. And, really, a miracle happened!Only after a few days did thatperson’s wife turn well. A pinch of ash had done miracles on the lady. She was hale and hearty now. Dr.Ali Muhammad Jan, a well-known doctor of Kashmir, had treated that lady. When he learned that his patient, who was suffering from an incurable and dreadful disease, was cured by the enchantment of a mystic, he desired to meet Swami Nand Bab and BhagwanGopinath Ji. Dr.Sahib,seeing the miracles of suchgodly mystics, was very amazed and highly influenced. He paid his veneration to them.
As mentioned earlier, the memorial of Nanda Bab is located atLale-Da-Bag (Muthi) Jammu,representative of the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir. It would not be unreasonable to mention here the name of Late Swami Shri Chaman Lal Ji Bamzai, whose continuous inspiration and co-operation have made the establishment of the said memorial possible.
Swami Nand Bab was a godsend messenger of love and affection, kindness and uprightness,righteousness and humanness. A figure of piety and compassion. He was an epistle of mankind and torchbearer of brotherhood and comradeship.
In the picture/effigy lying in the memorial, SwamiJi is smoking a Hookah. In my opinion, this tradition of Hookah or Chilam-babbling has been a common practice for ‘Mast-Malangs’ or Sages-Fakirs. As a matter of fact, the process of babbling givesan opportunity to transcend above the ethereal bondages and one starts roaming in a different world.
The columnist is a Professor, Writer, and Translator besides former Fellow, IIAS Shimla, HP (India)
