Kish Bab

A Supreme Mystic

- Man Mohan Thaploo

Keshav Nath Koul popularly known as Kish Bab, Kish Peer, Peer Sahib, Bab, Kish Ma-ot, Darvesh Sahib etc. was born at Khah Bazaar, Anantnag, studied upto eight class in the local Mission School and was appointed as Drill Master by the then State Government, and   posted to some far flung area, which his parents did not like. He, thereafter, dropped the idea of Govt. service, and started business for his subsistence in the Khah Bazaar itself. Later he shifted to the village Gowsanigund, and run a shop just outside the Ashram, the very place which had been shown to him by nature in an early vision. The verandah of his shop, the Kitchen and Gowshalla opposite to it, was destined to be his Tapobhoomi, where he practised his spiritual discipline more than his business interests.

He was a contemporary of the famous Swami Atma Ram Ji of Gowsanigund Ashram and would enter daily into the Ashram, to have morning tea with Swami Ji. He would be a casual listener to the problems, which devotees put forth before Swami Atma Ram Ji and his casual yes or no, would be considered final, and so it went on till Swami Atma Ram ji was alive. Keshav spent about 50 years of his life in this village and later shifted to New Chowk Anantnag, where he attained Nirvana on 26th December, 1986 at the age of about 96 years.

Where as the Ganges of Sanatana Dharma flowed through the Ashram of Swami Atma Ram Ji, where devotees enlightened themselves about the knowledge contained in the Vedas, the Upnishads and the Puranas; Kish Bab's shop was the confluence of various thoughts, irrespective of caste or creed. At times it was interesting scene, when Kish Bab surrounded by Children sat on the Verandah of his shop at one end, Ama Sahib, a Muslim saint of Kahleel, Tral at the other end, and Swami Atma Ram Ji on the Verandah of store-room on the other side of the road, on a grass mat (Changij), especially kept hanging on the spot by a naih exclusively for his use on such occasions.

While sitting at his feet, you could understand that spiritualism is science, the science of mind, where your own mind is its laboratory. You could know that the body and soul are separate. You could also become aware that things happen first in the astral plane, before they are executed in the material plane, the subtle thought is more important than physical activity and one gets caught in the web, because of one's own thoughts.

He was a Siddha, a Mystic, a man above rituals, ever conscious, awake and alert. A firm believer in the law of Karma, he had seen his previous births and would not hesitate to tell that he has been head of fishermen in one of his previous births.

He would very rarely move out from his room, but would show his glimpse to his devotees at far off places. For Khatji of Bangidar he was Qutub, to whom he showed his presence once at Dantar Kadal and at another time at the gates of Mecca, when she was on Haj pilgrimage. To Sh. Nand Lal of Zaina pore, he showed his presence in the astral plane, when he momentarily collapsed in his house and was considered dead, but revived soon for a fresh lease of life many more years as blessed by Bab at the critical moment. He has shown his presence to the devotees at the shrine of Reshmool at Anantnag, Kabamarg in Duru Tehsil, Vaishnav Devi, in Jammu area, Donthsar-nag and Shirsar-nag in Konsar-nag area, Himalnag somewhere in Pulwama and at many other places.

He was a simple man, seemed to know nothing but was aware of everything around. Having fully renounced everything, he possessed only one thing and that was spirituality in practice. He had become very intimate with nature, due to his Sadhana in previous births and some efforts in this birth also. As such he could see subtle movement of souls, look into one's past and future, be a witness to some one's day to day activities and many other things at the same time, while sitting in his room.

Was not he right when in the last week of December, 1986, after remaining in trance for the whole day, he said, "Kashmir is heading for very bad days, the Hindus shall have to flee from here," and I laughed. citing the example of Feb. 1986, when the Central Government acted in time and restored normalcy within days. He further continued, "thereafter the fundamentalists shall have no future, they shall be killed one by one. DAND TUJI SUMB TI LABAN NA KANH …… Rama's name shall prevail from every where …… I have been granted three days of grace and I have to leave."

He was a great master, unique in his habits, neither a learned scholar, nor a Mahatma in the traditional sense, but a mystic like Reshpeer and a devotee of Shiva like legendary SOUDE VOUNE, both blended into one.

Source: Koshur Samachar