This article is based on a true incident from the life of the revered Pandit Shri Dwivedi Ji (of the Dharma Sangh). It is also meant for those who claim that worship or rituals in Hinduism are nothing more than “meditation.”
For Pandit Ji, Dharmasamrat Shri Karpatri Maharaj used to say that if one wishes to behold a truly pure Brahmin, one should see Dwivedi Ji.
Through a sacred ritual, Dwivedi Ji restored vision to Binny
Revered Pandit Shri Dwivedi Ji was a disciple of the great grammarian scholar of Kashi, Shri Mahashay Ji. Mahashay Ji had two children: a son named Danda Shastri and a daughter, lovingly called Binny.
Suddenly, Binny lost her eyesight. She could no longer distinguish between day and night. Complete darkness spread before her eyes. The physicians gave up, saying that nothing more could be done.
It was the time of British rule. Mahashay Ji was not inclined to consult any British doctor. Still, he took Binny to a German doctor.
After conducting examinations, the doctor said that she would never regain her vision in her lifetime. He added that medicines could be given to relieve her pain, but she would not be cured. Everyone returned home in despair.
At home, Mahashay Ji’s wife began to weep. “She is a daughter, a girl, and now she is blind—what will become of her?”
Mahashay Ji said, “The presiding deity of the eyes is Lord Surya (the Sun God). If an ascetic Brahmin performs the worship of the Sun with firm faith and discipline, her eyesight will return.”
Pandit Shri Dwivedi Ji immediately spoke up, “Gurudev, we perform the tri-daily sandhya. We chant a thousand Gayatri mantras every day. Binny is our sister (the guru’s daughter). We will undertake the ritual—please guide us.”
Pandit Shri Mahashay Ji prescribed a forty-one-day observance, which was extremely difficult. During the ritual, three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—under the open sky, a Surya Yantra was to be prepared by plastering the ground with cow dung, and worship of the Sun was to be performed. After beholding the Sun, the Aditya Hridaya and the Chakshushi Vidya were to be recited several times daily.
On the morning of the twenty-first day, Pandit Shri Dwivedi Ji completed the morning recitation. At that time, Binny was sitting up on her cot. She said, “Brother, your recitation sounded very beautiful. It feels as if the sun has risen.”
Pandit Ji asked, “Sister, can you see?”
Binny replied, “Yes. Tell me, who am I seeing?”
“Dwivedi Bhaiya.”
“And which hand is this?”
“The right one.”
Pandit Ji showed his first finger and asked, “Which finger is this?”
“The index finger.”
Then he showed the last finger and asked again.
“The little finger.”
When he showed his thumb, Binny laughed and said, “Brother, don’t show the thumb.”
Pandit Ji said, “Oh! Her vision has become quite clear.” He conveyed this to his revered Guru, Pujya Shri Mahashay Maharaj Ji, saying, “Maharaj Ji, the forty-one days are not yet complete, yet Binny can already see everything clearly from the twenty-first day itself.”
Gurudev Shri Mahashay Ji said, “For now, do not reveal this to anyone. First, complete the ritual.”
When the forty-one days were completed and the observance concluded, Gurudev said, “Now go, Pandit Ji, and take Binny to the German doctor.”
Dwivedi Ji took Binny to the German doctor. As soon as he saw her, he became irritated and said, “I had already told you that sight would never return to her eyes. Her eyes had become useless.”
Pandit Ji said, “Please test her and see. She can read and understand everything.”
The doctor was greatly astonished. According to medical science, when eyesight has completely vanished, and no possibility of recovery remains, for vision to return is an extraordinary occurrence.
The doctor asked, “What medicine did she take? What treatment was given?”
Pandit Ji replied, “She took no medicine and underwent no treatment. Our Guru instructed us to perform a ritual, and through that, the impossible became possible.”
Then the doctor realised how much power lies in the worship of Indian mantras. He said, “May I have the darshan of your Guru?”
Pandit Ji replied, “That will have to be asked of him.”
Pandit Ji returned and asked his Guru, Mahashay Gurudev, “Doctor wishes to have your darshan.” Mahashay Ji did not converse with a mleccha; according to the scriptures, he was considered a mleccha. Gurudev said, “Tell him there will be no conversation. I will go to the river for my bath at such-and-such time; he may stand at the specified place and offer his salutations from a distance.”
Pandit Shri Dwivedi Ji and Danda Shastri went to the doctor and informed him of the time. They then witnessed that, during British rule, this eminent German doctor arrived, removed his shoes, took off his hat, lay flat on the ground, and from a distance offered full prostration (sashtang pranam) to the Guru Ji, and then departed.
The purpose of narrating this story is to convey that even today, if a Brahmin follows the prescribed disciplines—wearing the shikha and sacred thread, performing the tri-daily sandhya, and carrying out duties in accordance with the scriptures—then any ritual or worship performed by him will certainly yield complete and fruitful results.