Biography
Bamakshepa was born in Birbhum district (born 12 Falgun 1241, died 2 Shravan 1318) was a Hindu Tantric. His father's name was Sarbananda Chatterjee. Bamakshepa's real name was Bamcharan Chatterjee. Bamacharan was the eldest son of father Sarbananda. The youngest son's name was Ramcharan. Devotion to God was strong from childhood. He lived in Tarapith. He was a devotee of Goddess Tara and He used to call Goddess Tara "Elder Mother (Boro Maa)".
Bamacharan was a man of different nature since childhood. He did not play any other game. He used to make idols of gods and goddesses and worship them. He sometimes wondered if they had been sitting in solitude for a long time in their Tara Mother's temple and in the crematorium of Tarapith. He did not like reading at all. He was very indifferent towards the natural world.
Then one day His father Sarbananda passed away. Extreme hardship came down to their lives. After realizing everything, Bamacharan started cooking for Tara Maa. But His mind did not sit still. One day he went to cook and burned it. The temple authorities dismissed Him. However, He had no problem, He was happily spending His days chanting Tara Mother's name. Meanwhile, almost everyone at home had to spend their days fasting. Relatives all started making fun of them. But Bama had no idea or feeling.
He then got the job of supplying flowers to the temple by the grace of the Queen of Natore. Although the lack of family was somewhat removed, He became more and more obsessed with the singing of TaraMother's name. He didn't want to stay at home anymore, just stayed at the crematorium and ate meals with dogs and goats. There was no difference between high and low class to Him. Only He was living by the name of the Mother's Tara. Sadhak Bamakshepa lived on earth for about 78 years.
Pursuit and Fame
Bamakshepa left home as a child and became a disciple of a monk named Kailashpati Baba. Kailashpati Baba lived in Tarapith. Bamakshepa performed yoga and tantra-sadhana on the banks of the river Dwarka at Tarapith. He later went to Maluti (now in Jharkhand state), a temple village of the nearby Malla-kings, for yoga. There He stayed for about 18/19 months in the temple of Goddess Moulakshi on the banks of Dwarka.
In the middle of the night of one of the new moons in the middle of the Bengali year 1264, Kailashpati Baba placed Bamacharan in the seat of Panchamundi placed by Basishta under the Shimul tree in the middle of the crematorium. Then He sat on that seat and attained Siddhi in the name of His Mother Tara and attained Bhairabatwa in Tarapith and became famous as Bamakshepa.
He gradually became the main religious figure of Tarapith. Devotees believed He had miraculous powers. So they would come to Him for medical treatment and other needs. Bamakshepa did not follow the rules of the temple. He would even pick up an offering from the Goddess's plate and ate it. It is said that the Goddess Maa Tara received a revelation from the queen of Natore in a dream that Bamakshepa should be fed first as the son of the Goddess. From then on, offerings were made to Bamakshepa before worship at the temple, and He was allowed to roam freely in the temple. It is further said that the Goddess visited Bamakshepa in a terrifying form and later took Him in Her womb. His memorial is at Tarapith crematorium and at Maluti village in Dumka district.
Tarapith and Crematorium
According to folklore, after Sati's death in Daksha Yajna, Lord Shiva's insanity and Lord Vishnu's Sudarshan Chakra, when Sati's body was torn to pieces, at that very moment Sati's Third Eye fell on this Tarapith. Sage Basishta saw this for the first time and continued to worship Sati as their form. But he has remained in the background of preaching forever, yet the feature of the seat does not leave him, this is where his devotional feature exists.
The peculiarity of this place is that if one pursues it, knowledge, joy, and fulfillment are obtained. But legend has it that when Vashishta Dev first started worshiping this Mother Tara, he failed. Going to Tibet, took advice from Vishnu incarnated Buddhadeva. Buddhadeva learns in a dream, that the perfect place is Tarapith, and Buddhadeva instructs to worship Taradevi with the Madyamansadi (wine-meat) Panchamakar (five types). Tara Maa was satisfied when the Basishtadeva was chanted 3,00,000 times at the behest of the Buddha.
The Tarapith crematorium is located on the riverbank in one corner of the city. The crematorium is an integral part of Shakti Peetha. The human skeleton and crematorium are very dear to the Mother. The exact place of the action of the Tantra-sadhanas. Yet in the Bengali traditional land, the name of Her son Bamdev is associated with the merciful Goddess, here is the biographical success.
0 Comments