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RamaPratapbhai returned to Ayodhyapuri with all the members of family after the death of Dharmdev. By this time, Ghanshyam was eleven years of age. He thought: “Now the time has come to perform my acts of incarnation. It is now imminent to leave the home.” He was searching for an excuse to leave the house. Once an incident took place. Once young Ghanshyam was returning home after the ‘darshan’ of Rama-Janma-Bhoomi temple. Some wrestlers stopped him on the way and said, “Either you floor us or we floor you.”

“I don’t want to fight with anyone,” said Ghanshyam. “But we want to fight. Come on,” continued the wrestlers. Ghanshyam had no other alternative but to fight. He had to wrestle with them. The wrestlers were twenty-seven in number. Ghanshyam floored all these twenty-seven wrestlers. One wrestler’s leg was broken, while other lost his arm. Thus Ghanshyam defeated them and came home. The wrestlers’ parents came to RamaPratap and started an uproar. “Ghanshyam beat our sons without their fault. How can we tolerate it?”

“How can I afford Ghanshyam’s quarrels with outsiders in the home?” thought RamaPratap. He scolded Ghanshyam for this.
Young Ghanshyam patiently said, ‘’My elder brother, hence forth you will have no complaints about me.” The matter ended there. Ghanshyam wanted an excuse to leave the home and got it. He made the preparations to leave the home without being suspected.

The next morning he got up early. He put around his neck BalMukund’s Batwa, carried with him a volume containing the essence [Summary] of all scriptures, prepared by him, on his left shoulder. In one hand he had a TULSI MALA [a garland of holy basil (ocinum sanction)] and a KAMANDAL (a wooden water pot of an ascetic ) in the other. He put a cotton-string girdle round his waist and a single cloth on the body. On his shoulder he had a deer-skin (Mrig-Charm). In a dress of a celebate [A BRAHMACHARI] he left his home early in the morning and began to proceed in the north towards the Suryu Ganga River.
The young celibate [Brahmachari] came to the Rama Ghat of the river. If he waits for the Holi it would be too late and if the householders wake up and run down here, the disturbance would start; so he was thinking of jumping into the river. There the companion of the wicked Kalidatta, Kaushidatta, saw him. To take the revenge of death of Kalidatta, he stealthily came behind Ghanshyam and gave a strong push. Ghanshyam fell down into the running water of the river. The wicked Kausidatta thought that Ghanshyam was drowned.

But whatever had happened, happened according to the wish and will of Hari. Ghanshyam Maharaj crossed a long distance swimming. VAN-VICHARAN LEELA [performances enacted during the stay in the forest] started today.

The father, Dharmdev, had specially instructed RamaPratap never to be angry with Ghanshyam, Had he not been angry with Ghanshyam child-Ghanshyam would not have left the home, and had Ghanshyam not left the home, the welfare of this world would not have been possible. Hence, a new kind of Leela is performed by Ghanshyam.


Can you answer the following questions:-

(a) What was the result of the wrestling between Ghanshyam and the wrestlers?

(b) What was the complaint lodged to RamaPratap by the wrestlers’ parents?

(c) What did RamaPratap angrily say to Ghanshyam ?

(d) Describe fully, the reply of Ghanshyam to his brother.

(e) Describe in detail, the dress Ghanshyam wore and the things he carried.