Dashrath Mahal

In Sri Ayodhya, between ‘Kanak Bhavan’ and ‘Hanumangarhi’, there is an ashram known as ‘Badi Jagah’ or ‘Dashrath Mahal.’ Long ago, a saint named Shri Ramprasad Ji used to live there. At that time, Ayodhya was not so crowded. Not many people came. Shri Ramprasad Ji was the sole custodian of the large area at that time.
There is a temple in the large area where the four brothers (Shri Ram, Shri Lakshman, Shri Bharat, and Shri Shatrughan) along with their wives and Hanuman Ji are worshipped. Since all of them were nomadic saints, whatever little offerings came to the temple daily were used to meet the expenses of the temple and the ashram.
All the offerings received at the temple every day were sent to a merchant (whose name was Paltu Baniya). Whatever little ration was available from that money… it was offered to God in the form of bhog-prasad and the saints who lived in the ashram used to eat it.
Once such a miracle of God happened that no offerings came to the temple. Now these sadhus did not have any bundle of money… so what should be done..? Seeing no solution, Shri Ramprasad ji sent two sadhus to Paltu Baniya and said that brother, no offering has come today… so lend me some ration… at least God can have the offering. When Paltu Baniya heard this, he refused saying that my dealings with Mahant ji are in cash… I will not be able to give anything on loan. When Shri Ram Prasad Ji learned of this, he offered water to God that day, saying, “As God wishes.” All the other monks also drank water.

Such was the Lord’s test that even at night, only water was offered as an offering, and all the saints also drank water and went to sleep hungry.
There was a rule in the temple that a beautiful yellow cloth was draped over the Lord while he was being put to sleep. And after the bedtime aarti, Shri Ramprasad ji would sit for about an hour daily, singing hymns to God. Hungry all day, Ramprasad ji sat and sang hymns, and after completing his routine, he went to sleep.

Slowly the night passed. Around midnight, someone knocked on the door of Paltu Baniya’s house. The Baniya was frightened, wondering who had come so late at night. When he heard the sound, he realized that some children were making noise at the door, “Hey Paltu… Paltu Seth… hey open the door…”
He opened the door in a hurry and irritation.

He thought, “These kids must be playing a prank… I’ll give them a good scolding right now.”

When he opened the door, he saw four boys, all less than twelve years old, standing there wearing the same yellow robe.

All four boys were wearing the same yellow robe. Their image was so charming… so captivating that despite not wanting to, all of Paltu’s anger turned into love and he started asking in surprise, “Children…! Who are you and why are you making noise so late at night…?”

Without saying a word, the children entered the house and said, “Ramprasad Baba has sent us. This yellow robe we are wearing… open its corner… there are sixteen hundred rupees in it… take it out and count it.”
This was the time when money and income were accepted. Sixteen hundred rupees was a considerable sum at the time. Paltu quickly opened the corner of the yellow robe and found sixteen hundred silver coins. Paltu the merchant looked at the children with a questioning gaze.

Then the children said, “Send ration with this money to the ashram tomorrow morning.”

Now Paltu Baniya felt a little ashamed, “Alas…! I did not give you ration today… It seems Mahant ji is angry… That is why I sent so much money last night.”
With remorse, hesitation and love, he folded his hands and said, “Children…! Even if I were to give my entire shop to Mahantji, it would still be too much. I wonder how long it would take to deliver goods worth so much!

The children said, “Okay… don’t give it all at once… from now on, send it to the ashram little by little every morning…!” From today on, never refuse ration.”
Paltu Baniya would sink into the ground in shame. He then folded his hands and said, “As Mahant Ji commands!”
With that, the children left, but in leaving, they also took Paltu Baniya’s heart away. When the priest opened the temple doors early in the morning for the Mangala Aarti, he found the Lord’s yellow robe missing. He informed Ram Prasad Ji of this, and everyone assumed someone had stolen the yellow robe during the night.

When the day progressed, Paltu Baniya came with folded hands and gratitude after loading a lot of goods in the cart and fell straight at the feet of Ramprasad ji and started asking for forgiveness. Ramprasad ji was clueless. He asked, “What happened… what are you apologizing for?”
But Paltu Baniya wouldn’t get up and said, “Maharaj, what was the need to send the money at night…?” I swear by my ears that from today onwards I will never refuse ration and here is your yellow robe…! Those children were left at my place…. they were very cute children…!! The poor children even came with the money at this late hour…!!

If you don’t mind, I would like to see those children once again.”

When Ramprasad ji saw that yellow cloth, he realized that it belonged to our temple which had disappeared. Now he asked, “How did this come to you?”
Then the merchant narrated the entire incident of the night. Now Ramprasad ji ran quickly and went straight to the temple and fell at the feet of God and started crying, “O devotee-loving one…! Because of me you had to suffer so much in the middle of the night and I suffered so much, I served you all my life… I did not get to see you… and you went to give darshan to this merchant in the middle of the night!”

When Paltu Baniya came to know the whole story, his heart also skipped a beat thinking that the person whom I considered to be an ordinary child was actually the Lord of the three worlds… Hey, I could not even touch his feet. Now both of them sat down and started crying.

After this, there was never a shortage of food at the ashram. Saints continue to be served there to this day. It was after this incident that Paltu Baniya became detached from worldly affairs, and later became known as Shri Paltu Das Ji.

Shri Ramprasad ji’s anxiety kept increasing with every passing moment that day and at night, while going to sleep, when he sat down to sing bhajans, he fell unconscious. For the world he was unconscious, but in his unconscious state he saw his four brothers along with their wives and in that very vision, Shri Janaki Ji wiped his tears and applied a bindi on his forehead with her finger. He then wore it on his forehead forever. From then on, the practice of wearing a tilak with a dot became popular in his ashram.

In fact, if the Lord wishes, these hardships… these sufferings may never come in the lives of the devotees, but the Lord deliberately sends them so that through these pastimes, the unbelieving beings… become alert… faith may arise in their hearts!!

Just as the Lord came and relieved their suffering, may He also do the same for us. O ocean of mercy, Vaishnava people, please forgive us for any errors in our writing.