HATHIRAM BAVA
An ardent devotee of Lord Ram (Seventh Avatar of Lord
Maha Vishnu) from Northern part of India visited Tirumala on Pilgrimage. His
name was Bhavaji. He is said to have lived from 1430AD to 1529AD. He was so
fascinated by the majestic appearance of the Lord that he decided to stay in
Tirumala for ever having darshan of the Lord all the time. He constructed a
Mutt (a place where the saints live near the temples) and settled there.
Bhavaji used to have the darshan of the Lord at least thrice a day. Still, he
wasn’t satisfied of his darshan. He used to look at the lord unmoved for long.
This continued for a few weeks. Temple employees have observed Bhavaji visiting
the temple and gazing at the lord continuously for longer times. Finding
suspicious about his acts, they reported the matter to the Temple Authorities.
Next day when Bhavaji entered the temple premises to have the darshan of the
lord, he was pushed out of the temple without allowing him to have darshan. He
pleaded not to separate him from his Lord. No one listened to his cry. Instead,
he was warned not to enter the temple for Lord’s darshan again. A sad and
dejected Bhavaji returned to his Mutt.After getting back to the Mutt, he cried
with the Lord. Hey Lord! What is my fault? Is it a sin to have your darshan?
You know it very well that I can’t live without having your darshan. Why you
punished me this way? What am I supposed to do now?
Next morning, Bhavaji went to the temple as usual to have
the darshan of the lord. But, he was pushed out of the gate again. A dejected
Bhavaji retuned back to his Mutt. He was not sure how to pass his time without
having the Lord’s darshan. He then took up a dice board and started playing the
dice himself assuming that he was playing with the Lord on the other side. He
himself used to throw his dice and the Lord’s dice on His behalf. In this way,
he played the game all along the day and fell asleep. When he was in a deep
sleep at night, he heard a pleasant voice calling, Bhavaji! Wake up! It’s me,
Your lord! Bhavaji opened his eyes and saw the Lord standing in front of him.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. Is it real or a dream? Amazed Bhavaji asked the
Lord. The Lord replied that it wasn’t his dream. He really visited him to play
dice with him. There was no boundary to the happiness of Bhavaji. A jubilant
Bhavaji laid a mat on the floor and sat with the Lord Balaji to play the dice.
Bhavaji defeated the lord in his game. The Lord then asked Bhavaji to seek any
boon against his victory over Him. Bhavaji politely said, Hey Lord, what can I
ask you more than this? I am satisfied with your Vishwaroopa darshan. I do not
need any material pleasure or wealth. Give me a little place at your feet to
serve you. I need no favour than this. A pleased Lord blessed Bhavaji and
vanished with a promise to get back for the game again.
Next day, Bhavaji
excitedly waited for the sun to set so that he again play dice with the Lord.
Finally the wait was over. When the temple doors were shut at night, the Lord
moved out of his Ananda Nilayam and visited Bhavaji to play the game of dice.
After finishing the game, the Lord returned back to Ananda Nilayam promising to
come back again. It became a regular practice for the Lord to visit the Mutt
and spend time playing dice with Bhavaji at night when the temple doors were
closed. One day when the Lord was playing dice with Bhavaji, He heard a voice
of someone calling Bhavaji. The Lord asked Bhavaji to go and check it out. When
Bhavaji went out to see if anyone was there, he found none. He then returned
back to inform the Lord, but he found that the Lord has already left the place
without informing him. When he picked up the dice board to keep it safe, he saw
a diamond studded necklace of the Lord lying at the board. He picked up the
necklace and kept it safe thinking that the Lord might have forgotten it and he
would return when He comes back to play next time.
Next morning when chief
priest was getting ready to give bath to the Lord, he noticed a missing
necklace. He then brought it to the notice of Temple Authorities. The Temple
Authority was worried about the theft of Lord’s necklace. All the employees
were called up on and enquired about the missing necklace. The chief priest informed
the management about the incident of Bhavaji in the recent past and
straightaway raised suspicion over him. The Temple Authorities ordered to get
Bhavaji for enquiry.
On the other hand
Bhavaji was waiting for Lord’s arrival to play the game of dice. For long, the
Lord hasn’t come to play. In the mean time, he heard someone calling him at his
door. By the time he reached there, the soldiers got in and started searching
all over the place. Bhavaji was surprised to see them searching all over. He
tried to enquire what was going on. He was told that someone has stolen the
Lord’s necklace. Bhavaji immediately understood what they were looking for and
got the necklace he held it safely to return the Lord when he visits again. Is
this the necklace you were looking for? Asked Bhavaji! One of the soldiers said,
“You have stolen the Lord’s necklace. You are under arrest” Bhavaji pleaded his
innocence but they had not listened any
of his words. They arrested and took him to the temple Authorities. On enquiry
by the Temple Authorities, Bhavaji told them that the Lord used to visit his
Mutt and Play dice with him every night when the temple doors were shut. “The
Lord had forgotten his necklace at my Mutt after playing the game yesterday.
When I noticed, I picked up the necklace and kept it safe to return back when he
comes again” he narrated. The chief priest of the temple raised his eyebrows
and said; we have been doing all sorts of poojas and sevas every day to the
Lord for so many years, the Lord hasn’t appeared to us and how come he appeared
to you? Moreover how did he played dice game with you? Whom are you bluffing?
Are you a greater devotee than us? There should be a limit of speaking lies.
Some of the authorities suggested presenting him before the King’s courtyard
for justice.
The next morning, he was
presented in the courtyard of the Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya, as an accused alleged
to have stolen the necklace of the Lord. After listening to the charges, Sri
Krishnadevaraya asked Bhavaji’s explanation. Bhavaji explained all that had
happened with him. The Emperor felt him to be innocent. He thought it would be
unjust to punish him without sufficient proof and proper investigation. He
therefore, decided to put Bhavaji on test. Sri Krishnadevaraya told Bhavaji
that he will be given an opportunity to prove himself innocent. For this, he
will be dumped with heaps of sugarcane in the cell and if he succeeds in
consuming the entire heaps of sugarcane by dawn tomorrow; he will be released
innocent and if he fails to do so, he will be punished for the theft.
Bhavaji never perturbed.
He had no choice but to accept the Emperor’s decision. He was then taken to the
prison cell and tons of sugarcane heaps were dumped before him and locked the
doors of the cell. Bhavaji sat in the corner, closed his eyes and prayed the Lord.
“Hey Lord! I am innocent and you know the fact very well. I have been charged
of theft and put on test of eating this sugarcane heaps. Hey lord! It’s not my
test. They have put you on test. They want to test your existence in this
world. If anything I need in this life is a little place before your feet to
serve you till my last breath. He left everything on the shoulders of the Lord
and immersed in deep penance.
A little later, a giant elephant
appeared in the cell and by the wake of the dawn, the Elephant ate all the
heaps of sugarcane dumped there for Bhavaji. The Elephant then wakeup Bhavaji
from his penance with its trunk. Bhavaji was surprised to see an Elephant in
the cell. When he saw the entire heaps of sugarcane were finished, he realized
that his Lord has arrived for his rescue and immediately fell upon his feet and
cried Lord…! Oh Lord..! My Lord! Have you come here for my rescue. How lucky am
I? The Elephant then blessed Bhavaji with its trunk and trumpeted at loud. On
hearing the Elephant’s trumpet, the guards peeped through the key wholes and
wondered to see an Elephant inside a locked cell. They immediately rushed to
the authorities and informed the matter. Meanwhile, the Elephant broke open the
doors and ran away immediately. Some guards tried to follow the Elephant but it
disappeared thereafter.
When the Emperor visited
Bhavaji, he was found gazed at the direction where the Elephant has left,
repeatedly uttering a word “Hathiram”. When asked, who was Hathiram and how the
elephant entered the prison cell? Bhavaji told that his Ram has come in the
form of a Hathi (an Elephant) to save him. Everyone who had assaulted him on
the charges of theft exclaimed at the great devotion of Bhavaji. One and all
had accepted his devotion to Lord Balaji is eternal. The chief priest in
particular begged his pardon for ill treating him out of ignorance and ego.
Sri Krishnadevaraya then
appointed Bhavaji as the chief priest of the temple of Tirumala. He happily
obeyed the orders of the Emperor as he got a life time opportunity to serve his
Lord. Since the Baba Bhavaji’s beloved Lord “Sri Ram” has personally come to
the rescue of Bhavaji in the form of a Hathi (an Elephant) he as been named as
Hathiram Baba. As a chief priest of the Temple, Bhavaji served the Lord for
many years. He later sacrificed his soul to the Lord and entered into a Jeeva
Samadhi. His body was cremated near Venu Gopala Swamy Temple on the way to
Papavinasam on the hills of Tirumala. A Samadhi of Hathiram Baba had been
constructed there and daily pooja is being performed even today. People
visiting Venu Gopala Swamy Temple pay their homage to this great devotee of
Lord Venkateswara. The Hathiram Baba Mutt was built on the south eastern side
of Tirumala temple in his memory.
Many might have now
really understood that Hathiram Baba’s real name was Bhavaji and he was called
Hathiram Baba not because he was fat like a Hathi or Elephant but because his
beloved Lord has come to his rescue in the form of a Hathi, when he was in
danger. The Jeeva Samadhi of Great saint Hathiram Baba still exists near Venu
Gopala Swamy Temple on the way to Papavinasam on Tirumala Hills. Pilgrims
visiting Venu Gopala Swamy surely pays homage to this great saint’s Samadhi and
seeks his blessings. If any body had been there and returned back without
paying homage to this great saint’s Samadhi in ignorance, please do so if you
visit the Samadhi next time around. You can also find the Samadhi of many other
saints all around the place out there. One can find Hathiram Baba Mutt on the southeastern
side of the Venkateswara Temple of Tirumala near the main entrance built up at
an elevated place, in memory of the great saint Hathiram. One can visit this
Mutt to know more about this great saint.
Another
story about Hathiram Bava
Baba Hathiram Ji along with his two brothers
from the hills of Una came in search of livelihood to Banga, Gunachaur in
Punjab which was known as Dhara Nagri, the Capital of Raja Gopi Chand,. The
original name of Bavaji was Asa Ram. His brothers were employed by Raja
Gopichand for bathing and up keeping of the palace elephants. They use to take
the elephants one by one to the river and after bathing them they were bringing
the elephants to the elephant tabela. This was very difficult for brothers of
Baba Ji, hence he took this duty himself. It is said that Baba Ji picked up alone
all elephants one by one and took to river and brought back to tabela in the
same way. The News reached to the Raja Gopichand who was very astonished to
hear this and decided to see himself. One day Raja Gopichand seen this Miracle
of Baba Ji and became devotee of Baba Ji and begged for his pardon.
