As a pious Nagar, please accept many thanks for full page 6 – Gujarat Samachar- article about “Nagar ratna” Narsinh Mehta by Vishnu Pandya. Nagars from Junagadh, will also be pleased to see their community icon accorded reverential publicity. Vishnu Pandya mentions that Narsinh Mehta would have lived same quality of pious life even if born in other caste. But any historian familiar with most ancient roots of Nagars and right reverential life style, would stress /endorse innate hereditary luminesence and lustre. From early days in Kashmir till becoming governer of Gujarat, Nagars have lived as faithful devotees of Shiva. Narsinh Mehta inherited this aura since VEDIC DAYS, which no other caste would have accorded.
Yet it cannot be denied that after establishment of Akbar’s rule in 1526, Hindu way of life was threatened. Devotees were put off by unintelligible (JAGAT MITHYA) philosophies and rituals (HAVANS). Conversion by Muslim mirs, pirs, fakirs also attracted many low caste Hindus.
Saintly persons from all over India, saved Hindu religion; appealed to laymen via easy simple bhajans, songs prasadam, dancing and weeping / crying. Laymen accepted doctrine of heart as against doctrine of mind. All were low caste pious devotees. Most revered and notable were Sant Kabir, Ramanand, Samarth Ramdas, Guru Nanakdevji, Tukaram. Namdev, Vallabhacharya, Reidas, Chaitanya Mahaprahu and many more.
Vishnu Pandya also questioned whether values propounded by Narsinh Mehta’s values, and bhajans were congruent in present day competitive world. He has discussed miracles as sudden awareness of interplay of spiritual and cosmic forces. Enlightened saints did not perform miracles for personal gains or advertisement of their powers. Therefore, soon after performing garland miracle to please local ruler, Narsinh Mehta had to abandon Junagadh. Then Hindu domain slipped under heel of Muslim navabs. Erudite writer Vishnu Pandya should now probe into origins of Nagars, migration into India and history covering era of Anandpur (VADNAGAR of today) Sridhar Mehta, Dahyo and Damaro to Balvantrai Mehta.
Ramesh Jhalla
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