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MIRACLES OF SHRI KARNI MATA BIRTH Shri
Karni Mata was born on Friday, Ashwin Shukla Saptami 1444 i.e. October 2,
1387 AD in village Suwap near Phalodi in Jodhpur District, Rajasthan. She
belonged to Charan caste. Her father was Mehaji and Deval Bai was her
mother. Mehaji was a staunch devotee of Hinglaz, a Shakti Peeth (Holy
Shrine) in farwest of Baloochistan’s (at present in Pakistan) Lal Bela
area, about 18 kilometres north of Arabian Sea. Once for the whole night,
Mehaji prayed to mother Hinglaz that “His name remains alive forever”.
The next morning he heard a voice mentioning “Tathastu” (Yes, it will
be). At the time of birth Karni Mata was named “Ridhu Bai”. She was the sixth child of her parents. All the five children born before her were females. A night before her delivery, Deval Bai (Ridhu Bai’s mother), dreamt that a Goddess appears and blesses her with the words that the Goddess will be born to Deval Bai, as an incarnation of Goddess Durga. Deval Bai told her dream to everyone, but all the members of her family took it lightly. After the birth of Ridhu Bai, her aunt (sister of her father) being much disappointed, patted the head of Ridhu Bai with her hand and then with a fist said, “Again a stone has come”. To the astonishment of everyone, her fingers momentarily got stuck to each other. After the birth of Ridhu Bai the economic condition of Mehaji improved a lot. Later on, after few years her aunt came to see her from her-in-laws’ house. One day her aunt was combing Ridhu Bai’s hair with one hand. Ridhu Bai asked her the reason for not using the other hand. Her aunt told her the story of how her hand got defected. Ridhu Bai took her defective hand in her own hand and said “Where is the defect, it is all right”, and surprisingly, her hand got cured in a moment. Influenced by this miracle and recalling the past dream of Deval Bai, her aunt there and then renamed Ridhu Bai, “KARNI” (Meaning- She will do something miraculous on the earth). CHILDHOOD When
Karniji was six years old a snake bit her father in the jungle. She put
her hands on the effected limb and removed the poison. This way she saved
the life of her father. Meantime, the stories of the miracles of Karniji
had begun to spread far
and wide. Rao Sekha of Pugal also heard about her. He wanted to
take revenge on his enemy. So he went to Karniji to seek her blessings for
victory. Rao Sekha met Karniji on the way while she was taking meal for
her father towards the field. He begged for her blessings. Karniji
welcomed him and asked him to visit her house. Sekhaji begged her pardon,
due to paucity of time at his disposal and desired to leave, but Karniji
would not let the guest go without having the meal. She offered him food,
which she was taking for her father. Sekhaji knew that the food was not
enough to be served to his army accompanying
him. He therefore asked his men, to accept whatever she served and not to
ask for more. Abiding by his orders,
they forwarded their utensils to be served and Karniji served the breads
and the curd from her pot one by one to every soldier. When she went from
one soldier to other, her pot never emptied of curd and breads. Seeing
this miracle all the soldiers were amazed. Rao Sekha achieved victory over
his enemy and none of his soldiers died, except one, who did not eat the
breads and curd treating it as a bad omen. Karniji’s aunt sought her
blessings, so that a son is born to Mehaji (Karniji’s father), as an
outcome of which two sons were born to Mehaji named Satal and Sarang and
also one daughter named Gulab Bai.
MARRIAGE DEPARTURE
FROM SATHIKA On
her way, she saw a newly wedded Rajput woman weeping. A snake had bitten
her husband and Karniji felt merciful to that woman. She granted life to
her husband. In the midst of journey, Karniji reached village Jangloo.
There was only one well in the village and cows of Karniji were thirsty.
The servants of Rao Kanha, ruler of Jangloo forbade her to draw water from
the well because of its scarcity. Karniji did not care of their opposition
and told Rao Ridmal of Chandasar, who was accompanying her, to draw
water with the help of his horses. To the amazement of all the people,
sufficient water was drawn to meet the requirements. Karniji there and
then declared Rao Ridmal ruler of that area. She then resumed her journey
and by the time of sunset she reached near the jungle of Deshnoke. Now again an issue of dispute arose between Karniji and the servants of Rao Kanha as the area fell under him. Karniji once again, did not care of his servants’ opposition. The servants complained to Rao Kanha. He asked two of his officers to get the jungle vacated. Karniji tried her best to pacify the officers, but the officers during their conversation with her, went beyond the limits of courtesy and insulted her. Being offended by their insulting behaviour she cursed them that their mouths will be like that of a jackal. Immediately their faces turned into that of a jackal. They returned to Rao and after listening to the story narrated by his men, he thought Karniji to be a wizard. He himself along with his army went to her, abused her and asked her to vacate the jungle immediately. Karniji, peacefully told him that, “I have come here with the blessings of Goddess Awad Mata. The image of Goddess is lying in that wooden box, if you put the box in my chariot, I will go away from here at once”. All the men of Rao tried to lift the box individually as well as collectively but couldn’t succeed. At last Rao Kanha himself tried to do so with the help of elephants but failed. During the attempts to lift the box one of the stands of the box broke. Karniji immediately remarked that, Rao Kanha had completed his life span. Rao Kanha being prejudiced, as she had declared Rao Ridmal, the ruler of that area, thought her to be a wizard. He asked her to foretell his death. Karniji drew a line on the ground at a certain distance and told him that, as soon as he oversteps and crosses the line he will die. Indeed the Rao died no sooner than he crossed the line. This
Box of Karni Mata containing the idol of Goddess Awad Mata (whom Karniji
worshiped during her lifetime) is presently situated in Temre Rai Temple
in the middle of Deshnoke city. Karniji made her permanent residence in
the jungle near Deshnoke, at a place which is now known as “Nehriji”. When
she began to reside at Nehriji, she marked certain areas around
that place upto two kilometres in radius. She then planted bushes of red
berries all around. These green bushes on one hand served as fodder for
the cattle and on the other presented fine natural scenery. In order to
churn the curd a supporting stick was required to be tied-up with the iron
ring. A rope was required to rotate the apparatus called
“Zerna” which is a long stick of wood, having three to four prongs
at its lower end, to churn the curd. This stick is called “Nedi”.
For this purpose, Karniji planted the stem of a tree to churn the curd.
This Nedi stick in the long run became the tree of Khejri since drops of
curd fell on the stick in the course of churning. This Khejri tree, which
is presently inside the Nehriji Temple surprisingly, contains the marks of
curd visible on its bark While
residing at Nehriji, one day while she was milking her cows, she saved the
ship of Jagdooshaha, her devotee by spreading one of her arms. Amazingly,
her arm got wet with seawater, which in order to dry, she put under the
layer of soil. At present, as a result of her then taken action, the first
layer of Deshnoke soil contains saline water like seawater. Besides this
she blessed her devotees with many miraculous deeds. In
1443 AD her father-in law Keluji died. Thereafter she went to Deshnoke
where her husband Depaji died in 1454 AD. In Deshnoke she built a hut
shaped cave by putting stones on one another, without using lime or sand.
Its roof was made of Zal tree wood. She used the cave for meditation. Most
of her time was spent in it. In 1463 AD one of her stepsons named
Laxmanraj went to Kolayat fair where he drowned in a lake and died. His
dead body was brought to Deshnoke. His mother Gulab Bai prayed to Karniji
to grant his life. Karniji ordered to keep the body inside the cave. She
closed its entrance for everyone and remained there for three days. On the
fourth day Laxmanraj himself came out of the cave. Since then, the rats,
known as “Kabas” started to be born in the Deshnoke temple. There is a
saying as per poems composed by poets from time to time, that when Karniji
brought Laxmanraj from Yama’s abode, she forbade Yama’s role in
generation of her Depawat (falls under Charan Caste) and made her own law
that any Depawat after death will be born as Kaba and Kaba would
rebirth
as Depawat. That is why the Kabas in Deshnoke temple are fully
protected and cherished like her sons. THE
KABA'S (RAT) LEGEND A normal human being will be absolutely scared over the thought, of the number of rats (They look like rats, but actually aren’t) that are in the temple. However, the outstanding fact is that, these Kabas are harmless and play around in the temple without disturbing the devotees. Rather they sit on devotees’ laps, shoulders, hands and head which the devotees think to be of divine spirit and blessings of the Goddess. The magnificence of these Kabas is that, despite being innumerable, they never go out of the temple’s boundaries. Moreover, due to the blessings of Karniji they get their food, shelter, lodging and even their life cycle continues inside the temple. The miraculous fact is that no disease relating to rats has ever been found in Deshnoke till date. Neither the temple stinks of foul smells nor it is dirty anywhere. Infact even the offerings like milk, sweets, cereals, fruits, water and coconuts are first offered to the holy Kabas and then distributed among the devotees which is consumed by them as a holy prasad, especially the water that the Kabas drink is considered to be very auspicious. Till date it has not
been traced that how these Kabas are reproduced. Infact it is believed
that these rats have their own VIP maternity hospital, which takes care of
the delivery. Moreover there has never been trace of baby rats. All the
Kabas are of standard size and weight without undergoing changes with the
passage of time. In the world most of the attempts to control the growth
of rats could not be successful because of their faster growth rate.
Looking at this fast multiplication in their number and their protection
in this temple for more than five hundred years, these Kabas have a
disciplined growth as well as pre scheduled living with demarcated
boundaries. That is why neither any temple erection has been done nor the
outside shopkeepers have been disturbed by any epidemic. Isn’t it not a
vivid miracle just before our eyes? Usually, rats are
considered to be coward as they are scared of human beings, but in
Karniji’s temple, under her shelter, these Kabas are present all over,
rule the temple like kings, roar like lions and roam about everywhere in
the temple freely & comfortably. Now,
the ultimate question is – “When rats can become brave by taking
shelter in this temple, then what about human beings”? When will they
take shelter under Sri Karni Mata ? – “Visit the temple, find and
justify yourself ”. Won’t
you like to feel the wonders yourself? FOUNDATION
OF JODHPUR Rao
Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur, was Karniji’s devotee. She blessed him
with her help in 1453 AD, in conquering Ajmer, Merta and Mandover (now
known as Mandor). In 1457, she went to Jodhpur, on Rao Jodha’s request
to lay the foundation stone of the renowned fort of Jodhpur. During her
stay at Mandor, Shri Amara, the Charan of Mathaniya (a village) requested
her to visit the place and sought her permission to construct her temple
there. She accepted his request and asked him to put her footprints
instead of her idol in the temple. The temple of Mathaniya is the first
temple of Karnimata built during her life. FOUNDATION
OF BIKANER Rao
Bika was the fifth son of Rao Jodha of Jodhpur. He came to Jangloo area
with his uncle Kandhalji to establish a new kingdom, a state that would
belong to him. He stayed at Deshnoke serving Karniji for many years. He
carried out his mission under the guidance and blessings of Karniji.
Karniji helped Rao Bika in carrying out his mission. She solved his
problems from time to time. The biggest hurdle was the enmity and
bitterness between Rathors and Bhatians. Karniji decided to remove this
problem. To pacify this and facilitate smooth success for Rao Bika, she
arranged the marriage between Rao Bika and Rang Kanwar, the daughter of
Rao Shekha of Pugal. Rao Shekha, during that time was imprisoned at Multan.
Karniji brought him from there overnight, to Pugal on the day of marriage
in 1472 AD Thereafter, Rao Bika, smoothly succeeded in his goal. Rao Bika
finally got the foundation stone laid by Karniji for his Durg (Fort) and
Bikaner City in Rati
Ghati (valley) in 1485. Bikaner City and the Fort were inaugurated
on Vaisakh Shukla Divitiya V.S. 1488. During
the time of Rao Bika’s efforts to establish his own state, Shri Jeevraj,
a Charan from Kathiawar, came to Jangloo area with good horses. Kandhalji,
uncle of Bikaji purchased the horses but couldn’t pay the full price and
for part payment, gave him the Jagir of Chhotadia (Now in Ratangarh Tehsil
of Churu District). People of Chhotadia did not accept Jeevaraj as a
Charan of their grade and cadre. Jeevraj being dissatisfied went to
Karniji and complained her about the behaviour of the Charans of Chhotadia.
Karniji married her grand daughter “Shanpu” with Jeevraj. Thereafter
to pacify the Charans of Chhotadia Karniji herself visited the village
Chhotadia several times. Presently situated in Chhotadia is a famous
temple of Karni Mata. In 1538, when Karniji had attained the age of 151
years she went to Jaisalmer to cure some unknown disease of the Maharaja.
At that time, she went to village Kharida to visit her sister. There lived
a carpenter named Bana, who was her devotee. He was blind. Karniji called
him and said, “I will bless you with eyesight, so that you can see me,
and when you see me carve out my image on a
sandstone as per what you see. On finishing the carving, put my idol under
your head and sleep. When you awake, you will find yourself in Deshnoke
outside my cave. You have to install my idol in that cave. On completion
of this job, you will get your eyesight for good”. After Bana completed
his work and obeyed the orders, the idol was installed in the cave as
desired by Karniji. The image that Bana carved is not the image of Karniji
as she actually existed in human form. Infact the image carved is an
incarnation of Durga. The mouth of the image is a bit long, there is a
crown on the head, round earrings, a necklace round the neck and bangles
on both the hands. There
is a Trishul (a weapon having three prongs
on the upper part) in the right hand and in the left hand hangs the
head of a demon (in human form). At the lower end of the Trishul there is
a head of buffalo. Thus Karniji had imaged herself in the idol as an
incarnation of Durga & did not allow to worship her as an idol of
human being. This is why she did not allow her idol in Mathaniya,
permanently. On
the first day of “Chaitra Shukla” 1595(Vikram Samavat) i.e. 1538 AD,
Karniji with her stepson Poonraj, started her journey for Deshnoke. She
reached Dhaneri Tank on “Chaitra Shukla Navmi”, i.e. 21st
March, 1438 AD. It is situated between Gadiyala and Girirajsar of Kolayat
Tehsil in Bikaner District. She stopped her chariot at some distance from
the tank and expressed her desire to have a bath. Poonraj looked in the
water pitchers and found them to be empty. Karniji asked him to fetch
water from the tank. When Poonraj went away, she told the driver of the
chariot to see whether there were any drops of water in the pitcher. There
were a few drops in it. She asked the driver to pour the drops on her
head. At that time she sat in padmashana posture (a posture in meditation)
gazing at the sun. As soon as the drops of water fell on her head a divine
light flashed and her body disappeared in form of light. When Poonraj
returned, he enquired about the incident that occurred. He cried. At that
time a voice was heard telling, “Return to Deshnoke, you will find a
carpenter there sleeping with my idol, outside the cave”. Install that
idol in the cave. I will remain there forever and help all those who pray
there with faith and pure heart”. This
long period of 151 years of Shri Karni Mata’s life is full of miracles.
Only a few of them have been mentioned here in brief. Her merciful
miraculous deeds have been and are still being experienced by her
devotees, even after her disappearance. |
