Gupteshwar

Once Hari, one of my bosom college friends, was traveling through Ramagiri Forest with the purpose of visiting Lord Gupteshwar Mahadev. He was a newcomer to the spot, a venturous young man, and an expert biker. His juvenile bachelor spirit guided him to bike from Cuttack to Koraput on his 3.5 hp Royal Enfield, covering a distance of 600 km.

It was a summer afternoon in the 1970s. The undivided Koraput district was full of dense forests, and Ramgiri was a beautiful spot located at the foothills surrounded by thicket Sal trees, mostly inhabited by royal Bengal tigers and panthers. The locals, well aware of the dangerous activities of tigers toward humans, used trucks, taxis, and minibusses when visiting the temple. Motorcycles were never used, as tigers are very sensitive to the sounds of motorcycles and may attack visitors.

Hari was quiet unaware of this fact. He simply drove on through the jungle. Suddenly, a tiger jumped out of the bushes to attack Hari. Fortunately, Hari was well-fated, and the tiger ran away into the thicket with growling.

He reached Gupteshwar safely and narrated the incident to the temple priests, who spoke fluent Odia. The head priest said, "Babu, the tiger you saw is a maneater. Recently, it killed a tribal man who was collecting firewood." Hari was afraid after hearing such an incident. As it was afternoon, Hari decided to make a night halt there. The next morning, unexpectedly, a Marwari businessman's family arrived at Gupteshwar. They traveled by their truck. So Hari told the Marwari about the tiger, and the Marwari gentleman solaced him, giving him a lift on his truck along with his vehicle to Cuttack. After the worship was completed, Hari started the return journey to Cuttack with that Marwari family.

Though Hari was a robust young man, he was fully afraid of the wild tiger, which he saw for the first time in his life. Every night he saw a ghost in his courtyard after coming back from Koraput. So he consulted a Tantrik to drive away the ghost. The Tantrik came to his house with his equipment and started rituals. But the ghost was so powerful that the Tantrik could not drive it out. Then the Tantrik performed special rituals on a new moon night, forcing the ghost to appear before him. He asked the ghost, "Why are you not leaving from here? Who are you?"

The ghost replied, "I was a tribal newly married young man. My name is Magur. I was immensely loving Punei, my dearest wife. The tiger confronted by Hari killed me while I was collecting woods from the jungle. Then I became Baghduma ghost, always accompanying the tiger. I was discontented." The Tantrik asked, "What is your desire? You tell me, and I will try to fulfill it."

The ghost answered, "I want my widow wife's rehabilitation in Cuttack. I was loving her wholeheartedly. After her rehabilitation, I will be free from ghostly life." The Tantrik said, "OK, I will try my best."

At that time, tribal people of Koraput believed in Baghduma, which means the discontented spirit of either a man or a woman whom the tiger had killed. Though Hari was a hefty young man, he trembled with fear when he saw a wild tiger unexpectedly in the solitary dense forest. When someone faces sudden terror, a psycho-discrepancy is created, deranging one's metabolism. Instantly one is occupied by paranormal activities, such as a discontented spirit, as in the case of Hari. That spirit always tries to fulfill its desire through that person. So Hari's father called in a Tantrik (paranormal expert) to solve the problem.

Under the circumstances, Sundar Baboo asked his son Hari about the full episode of Ramgiri Forest. Hari told him everything truthfully. So Sundar babu and Hari approached that Marwari trader, Manikchand. Sundar babu told Manik everything in detail. Sundar babu was an OAS officer, and Manik babu was a millionaire. Sundarbabu, by virtue of his administrative capacity, fixed a plot at Tulsipur area of Cuttack. Manikchand babu was a benevolent man who constructed a beautiful dwelling house for late Punei and a farmhouse adjacent to the dwelling house, surrounded by walls.

Then Sundarbabu and Hari traveled to Gupteshwar by a big jeep provided by Maninkchand babu. After offering worship at Gupteshwar Temple, they visited all the tribal villages situated around the Gupteshwar temple. Though it was a time-taking inquiry, eventually, they found the house of late Magur. They met Punei, Magur's wife there. They told her the purpose of visiting through a tribal interpreter who translated Odia to the Bonda language.

During the 1970s, the tribal community of Koraput was underdeveloped and below the poverty line. Hence, getting an enormous scope for better living, Punei's joy knew no bounds. She instantly agreed with their suggestion and came with her parents-in-law to Cuttack by the same jeep.

Almighty God is so omniscient that He fixes the destiny of the blessed one. Then Punei, the tribal widow, engaged herself in the farmhouse and got married to a tribal widower by the cordial arrangement of Sundar Baboo. Time proceeded on. In between, five years passed away. Punei and her husband were blessed with a son. Fortunes favor the brave. Both Punei and her husband toiled hard on their farm and became well-to-do within a couple of years. Punei also lived better than her past native life.

On the other side, Hari was also well-established by that time. He was then a Branch Manager of Odisha Gramya Bank after completing his academic career and was spending a peaceful married life with his better half Sanju, whom he had married three years ago, proud of having a baby son. Sabita, Hari's wife, was also a High School teacher. Hari's family was living peacefully. As per Sanatani Occult Science, when someone gets into the paranormal sphere (Devyoni) after death, one assumes a form of apparition acquiring superhuman powers, enabling it to bless the person it likes. By the way, the discontented spirit of Magur was immensely satisfied by the benevolent activities of Hari, the result of which was self-evident in front of Hari.

It was a new moon night of November when darkness pervaded with enormous grandeur. Hari was asleep in his bedroom. The table clock showed 3:40 am, while Hari was enjoying the tonic of deep and peaceful wintry slumber with his better half under the duvet. Suddenly, Hari's dreamy slumber was lost by a roar of a royal Bengal tiger inside the bedroom. He opened his eyes with anxiety. The bed lamp was scattering green light across the room. There was an apparition in front of him. He asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The whitish apparition told Hari, just like a bosom friend, "Please Hari, don't

 fear. Take me as a friend. I am Baghduma Magur. I want nothing from you. Only a few cordial talks I have to hold with you. I had seen you while you braked your bike with the fear of a tiger you saw on the forest road in Ramgiri area. I followed you up to here." The words of the apparition at once reminded Hari about the past Gupteshwar episode. He recollected his old memory instantly. Hari was then fearless, so he asked the apparition, "Dear Magur! Yes, I remember leading. Tell me clearly."

The apparition told, "I have promised before the Tantrik to free myself from the ghostly world after the rehabilitation of my wife. The time has come today. You have fulfilled my desire. I am ever grateful to you. Today I am free. I am going to my heavenly abode." Then a glazing light flew away through the window sill. Hari told his wife, "I am now feeling relaxed. I learned a lesson in life not to bike through the dense forest. On the contrary, whatever God does is always for the well-being of man. However, Magur's wife is now well-established with her new husband and spending a happy life. We have committed a benevolent humanitarian deed for a tribal family like Magur. That is the great boon of Almighty, the great."

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