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Bhagwan Gopinathji
Jagadguru Bhagawan Gopinathji was one of the most renitent saints who have graced the sacred land of India. With his spiritual power, he did a lot of good to spiritual aspirants and house-holders. Though utterly detached he showed much concern for his country and its people.
Gandhiji was born in a middle - class Kashmiri Pandit family at Banamohalla, Srinagar, Kashmir on 3rd July, 1898. He inherited spiritual fervour from his religious minded father and mother Gopinathji was educated only upto the middle standard but had absorbed well whatever he had been taught at school. Due to financial constraints Gopinath was asked to take up some work at the young age of about 15 or 16 and he started working at a local printing press. He however gave up that job after three years and ran a gorcer's shop where he seemed to be absent minded being absorbed in meditation.
The noble feature of his youth was his longing to visits the great saints of that time. He regarded lust as the greatest obstacle to self-realization and if was noticed throughout his later life.
Bhagwan Gopinathji started with a spiritual discipline known as Panchaanga upaasanaa, i.e., meditating on the five deities-Ganesha, Surya, Naaraayana, Shiva, and Shakti Gradually he shifted to nirgunaupaasanaa, i.e. , meditating on the supreme reality without a form. Finally in the early 30s, he took to intense saadhanaa (spiritual discipline), shutting himself up in a room. His concentration was so intense and he grew so unaware of his body that a rat nibbled a hole in a heel of his. The saadhanaa cost his body to swell and made him vomit blood sometimes. During this seven year period of saadhanaa he would take no food for long period extending even to six months. Sometimes, however, he would take food in very large quantities. And he came out of this terrible ordeal with the full realization of the supreme reality. From that time onwards his life was devoted to spreading of his spiritual message all around.
In May 28, 1968 Bhagwan Gopinathji left this mortal world for his heavenly abode. Kashmit has produced a galaxy of saints and sagas from times immemorial and in recent past we have had a number of them. But a few of them have left as indelible an impression on the minds of the people as Bhagwan Gopinathji. After his death, his disciples and devotees set up at Kharyar, Srinagar, an Ashram which was named after him. A sketch of the Ashram is depicted on the first day cover.
The Department of posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp in honour of Bhagwan Gopinathji on the occasion of his birth centenary.
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