What is a Baithak?
Throughout India, the places where Shri Mahaprabhuji during aapshri’s visits recited and conducted seminars on Srimad Bhagwat is called a Baithak or The seat.The details on these places is available to us entirely due to the efforts of Shri Gokulnathji (The fourth son of Shri Gusaiji).
Significance of a Baithak:
Till date also innumerable vaishnavs travel by rail and road to visit these Baithaks, at times travelling on hazardous roads leading to remotely situated Baithaks in forests and on mountains and take immense divine pleasure in paying respects to Shri Mahaprabhuji and performing any given tasks (Seva). In today’s times while traveling many a miles to visit a Baithak, performing various duties (sevas) and understanding the importance of them in gathering top priority it is essential that we understand the significance of the same.
Shri Mahaprabhuji graced this earth for 52 years and 2 months during which thrice aapshri toured India barefoot only to spread the principles of Pushtimarg. Conducting Shrimad Bhagwat seminars, debating with scholars and heads of other religions and establishing the ethics of “Shudhadvaita Brahmavada” was a great task that aapshri undertook.
If we have some prior knowledge regarding the Baithak that we are scheduled to visit, its brief history and its significance etc. it is certain that when we are performing our various tasks there will be a sense of belonging to that place, a sense of the heavenly environment existing at Shri Mahaprabhuji’s time and a divine aroma of Shri Mahaprabhuji’s presence will be felt.
Our eagerness to be at the service of The Lotus Feet of Shri Mahaprabhuji and our concentration towards aapshri, i.e. teachings, morals is absolutely essential, let it be at the Baithakji or within our homes.
Shri Mahaprabhuji resides as our Acharyaji within a Baithakji. Therefore the environment within should be of a complimentary one to his nature. Simple, quiet and serene……..easygoing and cool. Evenly handspread cowdung flooring and the seat where Shri Acharyaji used to be seated while conducting Srimad Bhagwat Sermons; exhales a sence of pure sanctity and purity. Of course due to maintenance problems, the cowdung floorings and seat have been replaced by white marble at few places enabling the devotees to keep the place clean.
Preparations prior to one’s visit to a Baithakji :
1) A new/silk pair of clothes (Dhoti and Indian kurta - bandi for gents and saree etc. for ladies).
2) A cloth body-wrapper for bathing.(Gamcha)
3) A new towel for use after bath.
4) The above should be preferably carried in a jute bag enabling one to handle it safely after bath.
5) For Shri Acharyaji’s Seva ( as per ones capabilities and desire)
a. Raw Sugar (mishri)
b. Dry Fruits
c. Fresh Fruits
d. Dhoti and Uparna (a cloth draped around the neck on the shoulder)
e. Attar as per the prevailing season
f. Dry Kum-kum, 2 Kanthis ( dry tulsi beads strings)
g. Jap-mala (optional) and its its cover (Gaumukhi, also optional)
h. Cash offerings at Shri Acharyaji’s lotus feet. (As per individual wish).
Apras:
In simple terms it would mean A Sparsh meaning not to touch or to be more simplified, not to touch anyone who is not in Apras. Once a vaishnav has a bath inside a baithakji, he is not to touch another person may it be a vaishnav also who has not had a similar bath in the baithak bath room. This is in order to prevent the opposite person’s impure vibrations to enter one’s body and mind.
After bathing in apras ( be sure that your body is completely soaked with water) and drying your self, wear the new clothes, adorn the kum-kum vaishnav tilak ( an inverted U sign on the forehead), take a pinch of Charanamrut, wash your hands and you are ready to go into Seva. If you are new and cannot do the tilak or for that matter have any difficulty at any stage please do not hesitate ask. Anyone within the baithakji, in or out of apras will help willingly.
What tasks can a devotee perform…What tasks can a devotee perform within a Baithakji ?Usually there is much work to be done in a Baithakji. Instead of waiting for someone to direct you, it is always better to ask for work.
Usually the normal tasks to be done can be categorised as follows :
1) Sweeping (doing Buhari)
2) Preparing flowers in a specific place (known as Phool Ghar) for various sevas
3) Attending “Doodh Ghar” or a kitchen where items relating to milk are prepared.
In other words grains, oils, flour products are not made here. They are strictly banned in this area. In this section a complete range of milk products, sweetmeats, fruits and beetal leaf Sevas are performed. Here a vaishnav in apras can prepare a wide variety of sweets, milk products and arrange them artistically for offerings at various time of the day. Of course one should definitely bring along the ingredients for the items to be prepared and not expect them to be there at the Baithakji.
Please Note:
Every fruit should be washed, cut into proper shapes, cleaned of seeds etc.and arranged in an attractive fashion. Every item prepared is termed as a Saamagri and should be prepared with love, affection and without a self desire for consuming the same.Every care should be taken to see that no foreign particle falls into the ingredients or in the finally prepared Saamagri.
4) A vaishnav devotee, with the permission with the resident priest (mukhiaji), can also perform the “Kesar Snaan” or bathing Shri Mahaprabhuji with saffron melted in luke warm water. The method of performing the same will be shown by the mukhiaji at that particular Baithakji.
5) To fill “Jhariji” or ( A special form of snouted silver water jug used in ancient times to drink water).
How do we perform Charansparsh?
Charansparsh (touching the lotus feet)
a) Apply the Attar on right hands.
b) Then very delicately with right hand fingers first ask for permission from Shri Acharyaji respectfully and then lovingly touch the left toe and then the right toe and finally the left toe and then bowing down at the Lotus feet of Shri Acharyaji and then touch your fingers to the forehead.
Where are these Baithaks?
There are in all 84 Baithaks of Shri Mahaprabhuji spread accross India. Besides these there are 28 Baithaks of Shri Gusainji, 4 Baithaks Shri Giridharji, 1 Baithak each of Shri Balakrishnaji, Shri Raghunathji and Shri Ghanashyamaji, 13 Baithaks of Shri Gokulnathji and 7 of Shri Harirayaji. Apart from this, there are 3 Baithaks of Shri Damodardas Harsaniji. In all 142 Baithaks. Over here, the subject matter of this article is the 84 Baithaks of Shri Mahaprabhuji.
It is to be noticed that all these Baithaks are situated either on the banks of a river or a fresh water pond or on the outskirts of the village / town in an isolated place. You will also find a Chhokar tree in each and every Baithak as Shri Mahaprabhuji always sat under this tree except in Ujjain where there is a Peepal tree.
As mentioned earlier, these Baithaks are spread accross the whole nation. But we can segregate them zonalwise - in the north there are 39 Baithaks (out of which 22 are in Vraja), 18 in the south, 4 in east, 20 in west and 3 in central part of India. Out of these 84 Baithaks, 65 Baithaks have been physically revealed where devotees flock regularly for worship while the rest are yet to be discovered.
Baithaks are actually those sacred places where Shrimad Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu has rested, halted or stayed for days, weeks or even months during His three pilgrimages throughout India in order to liberate the divine souls and/or to execute a specific task. It is here that Shri Mahaprabhuji read the entire Shrimad Bhagavatam or gave discourses on the sacred text revealing it’s secrets. On exceptional occassions, He even read the Ramayana as in Ayodhya and Chitrakoot.
