ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TOT&#256 PUR&#298</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="TOT,PUR*"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279TOT&#256 PUR&#298, a nineteenth-century monk, was the preceptor of Sr&#299 R&#257makrishna Paramha&#7749sa whom he initiated into <i>sanny&#257sa</i>. Little is known about his early life except that he hailed from the Punjab. He was born presumably of a Sikh family. Tot&#257 was his monastic name and Pur&#299 the name of a sub-caste of Dashn&#257m&#299 Samprad&#257ya of Shaivite s&#257dh&#363s to which he belonged. Among the Pur&#299s, he belonged to the N&#257g&#257 order of militant ascetics who believe in combating their opponents with <i>&#347astra</i> (weapon) as well as with <i>&#347astra</i> (scriptural debate). N&#257g&#257s are organized around several monastic establishments called <i>akh&#257&#7771&#257s</i>. Tot&#257 Pur&#299 belonged to the Mah&#257&#7749irv&#257&#7751&#299 Akh&#257&#7771&#257. He received his initial training in the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> of B&#257b&#257 R&#257j Pur&#299 at La&#7693&#257&#7751&#257, in Kaithal district of Hary&#257&#7751&#257, where he was trained with great care by Gy&#257n Pur&#299, fifth in spiritual succession from R&#257j Pur&#299, the founder of the monastery. Recognition came to him when he was elected in 1852, &#346r&#299 Mahant or head of an executive body of eight <i>mahants</i> for the management of the Mah&#257&#7749irv&#257&#7751&#299 Akh&#257&#7771&#257, with its headquarters at Pary&#257g (All&#257h&#257b&#257d). He was re-elected to the office for another term of three years in 1855. In 1858, Tot&#257 Pur&#299 returned to La&#7693&#257&#7751&#257 and was chosen to be head of the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> after the death of Gy&#257n Pur&#299. In 1861, he set out on a pilgrimage of holy places across the country. During this journey he is said to have experienced the <i>nirvikalpa sam&#257dh&#299</i>, a supersensuous and superconscious stage of meditation in which consciousness attains to the state of perfect quietude. Towards the end of 1864, Tot&#257 Pur&#299 arrived at Dakhshineshvar, a suburban village about 6 km north of Calcutta, where Gad&#257har had been the chief priest of the temple of the goddess K&#257l&#299 worshipping her with intense devotion and yearning for seeing the Deity, face to face. Although he had been blessed with the beatific vision of the Mother, his spiritual quest had not ended. He also practised <i>t&#257ntric</i> and <i>vai&#7779&#7751ava s&#257dhn&#257</i>. It was at this stage, that Tot&#257 Puri appeared and initiated Gad&#257har into the all-renouncing path of <i>sanny&#257sa</i> and taught him the philosophy of Advait Ved&#257nta according to which the entire phenomenal existence is only an illusion (<i>m&#257y&#257</i>) caused by <i>avidy&#257</i> or primal ignorance.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He gave the monastic name R&#257makrishna to Gad&#257har and asked him to practise withdrawing his mind from all sense-objects and meditate on the real and divine nature of his self, thus progressing gradually towards <i>nirvikalpa sam&#257dh&#299</i>. R&#257makrishna very soon attained the goal when he remained in trance for 72 hours at a stretch, but as he regained consciousness his mind went back to his divine Mother who commanded him "to remain on the threshold of relative consciousness for the sake of humanity." Thus he alternated at will between concentrated meditation upon the formless Brahma&#7751 and devotional worship of the visible image of the goddess K&#257l&#299, who for him was the living Mother. Tot&#257 Pur&#299 stayed in the vicinity of Dakshineshvar for eleven months, contrary to his normal practice of not stopping for more than a few days at a place during his travels. Being a staunch monist, he often riled R&#257makrishna over relapsing into worship of <i>m&#257y&#257</i> (the goddess) even after attaining the supreme vision. Tot&#257 Pur&#299 left Dakshineshvar towards the end of 1865 to make a pilgrimage to the Jagann&#257th temple of Pur&#299. After that he returned to the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> of B&#257b&#257 R&#257j Pur&#299 at La&#7693&#257&#7751&#257 where he spent the rest of his life.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Farquhar, J.N., <i>Modern Religious Movements in India</i>. Delhi, 1967<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Satish K. Kapoor<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>