Durga Nath Hangloo
The valley of Kashmir is hallowed by a great many saints, seers, rishis, mystic poets, shaiv acharyas, and vedic scholars since times immemorial. It has produced many men and women of great spiritual eminence. These luminaries were given to renunciation and compassion to attain spiritual glory.Shree Swami Merzakak Ji,popularly known as KAK SEIB was one such personality.
Swami Merzakak Ji was born on Posh Shukla Pratipada in the year 1744 A.D in a Pandit family of PathSwamin Koushk Gotra at a beautiful tiny village Hangalgund falling in Anantnag district of Kasmir. His father’s name was Lassa Pandit who had two sons, the elder one was Bulla Pandit who was a grahasty (married )and had five sons. But Merza Pandit chose to be a bachelor, as from his very childhood he had no liking for transitory worldly pleasures. He had inherent divine tendencies seeking simple and pious life. His formative years passed on in a village at Achan in Pulwama where he was adopted by his Massi but after few years he had to return home after his Massi died.
Kakji was attracted to Jagadamba Devasthan and Jagannath temple adjacent to his fields at Achan where he worked hard to cultivate agricultural land. Initial revelations occurred to him when one day his mother is reported to have failed to carry the usual meal to the fields due to heavy rains .It is said that Jagatamba herself appearing in the form of his mother, produced a “Thali ” of Kheer and fed Kakji herself . After this auspicious moment was over, Swamiji experienced spiritual ecstasy and Divine glory.
After coming back to Hangalgund, Swamiji took to Sadhna somewhere in an island in the stream flowing from Kokernag. He led a life of austerity and deep penance but going ahead on his chosen path without a spiritual Guru.
Realizing his divine love and intense zeal for spiritual pursuits, Swamiji was provided Guru Diksha by one Shridharjoo Ganjoo, a revenue official of Srinagar on the directions of Mata Sharika Bhagwati. Jagatmata appeared in his dream and asked Shridharjoo to leave for Breng Pargana to provide Diksha to her staunch devotee who is awaiting him at Hangalgund . This message was simultaneously revealed to Kakji in the woods of Kokernag by Lalleshori Mata where he was engaged in rearing calves.
Swamiji led a very simple and sober life and he used to keep himself ready to rid people of day to day ailments and troubles. He was a real Karamyogi. During day times he toiled hard in the fields or in rearing cattle in the nearby forests like an ordinary common man but during nights he used to be quite vigilant in his Sadhna. This process continued till he attained Divine Bliss. Though he had no formal schooling of any order, yet he emerged to be a highly learned who possessed full knowledge of Vedas and Shastras.
His Vakhvani knew no limits. Every vakh, though in a concise form, contains material to fill tons of volumes. His flow of vakhs sped up and his disciples used to pen them down.
Swamiji had no appreciation in making Bavishvanies or for occurrence of miracles, marvels and other feats. Infact, he disliked any fanfare about it.
However, on several occasions he exhibited breathtaking miracles. He would put a spoke in person’s wheels daring him show down in assessing the spiritual might. A brief mention of some marvels is as under:
Transference of power during the ruthless and tyrant rule of Pathans in the valley in the beginning of 1820 A.D as per Bavishvani made by him in 1819 AD.
* He would stop entry of cholera at his place and area around distributing some rice grains to one and sundry in inhabitation present during outbreak of such scourage.
* Squeezing himself within two chinar leaves to outdo the so called master pieces feat of a contemporary saint who had hid himself within two earthen plates (takoos).
* Producing several cups of tea from his personal mini Samavar for Swami Ramananda , a great contemporary saint of Umanagari and his disciples whose initial arrangement for serving tea had drawn quite blank.
* Inducing life to dead bridegroom at Banmohalla Srinagar who was a son of one of his staunch devotees.
* 400 years after her Nirvan, Laleshori explained her own Vakh to Kakji and his disciples when they were in Vaakhvani session.
8. He would get hot kulchas from a Nanvai (baker) at Batyar Srinagar for his devotees who were sipping hot tea (Kahwa) at Hangalgund within a few minutes. This shows his spiritual mettle by which he would be at two different places at one and the same time.
Swamiji shed his mortal frame and merged into the Supreme on Zeshta Krishna Dutiya in the year 1830 A.D. at an age of 86, at Hangalgund in the very island where he remained engrossed in his Sadhna.
Shri Swami Merza Kakji Trust came into existence in the village Hangalgund when it was registered in 1983 and the Smadhi renovated. After migration of Bradari members to Jammu and elsewhere, the Trust acquired a piece of land at Nagrota where Smadhi Memorial has already come up in 1998. Further construction programme is going on from time to time in order to give a very grand look to the Asthapan. Birthday and Nirvan Divas of Swamiji is been celebrated at Nagrota Asthapan for the last 12 years by performing a grand yagnya on these occasions and thousands of devotees throng the Asthapan to pay obeisance to this spiritual saint. Traditional Annual “JAG” ceremony is performed at Hangalgund on Zeshta Krishna Dutiya invariably since Swamiji`s Nirvan in the house of Shri. Ved Kak, one of the favourite descendants i.e. nephews of Swamiji.
Follow our WhatsApp channel