This is the continuing serialization of 252 Vaishnavan ki varta, the lives of the saints following Vitthalnath, son of Vallabhacharya. It has been translated from the original Braj Bhasha by Krishnaa Kinkari Devi. This is the Third Varta, Part 3. Part 2. Part 1.
Once Harivamsaji was on his way to Gujarat. He was following his path and keeping to himself. On the way he met one Rajput man who was bringing his daughter home from her in-laws’ house. Chachaji met them as they were walking along. They reached the village where there was a stopping place [camp] and they sat down together in a garden. The Rajput went into the village to fetch some supplies for preparing a meal. The Vaishnavas who were accompanying Chachaji also went on the same errand.
Harivamsaji asked the Rajput’s daughter whether any one in her family had become a Vaishnava. She replied, “With your blessings they might become Vaishnavas.” In his mind Harivamsaji was thinking that the girl was very suitable for being offered to Sri Nathaji, but that he would not accept her if she was not a Vaishnava. He was contemplating this issue.
Bhavaprakasha: The question arises here, “Sri Nathaji accepted as his own the daughter of Ali Khan before she became a Vaishnava. Afterwards she took shelter in Sri Gusainji. So why was Harivamsaji thinking along these lines? The answer given is that, in Sri Vallabhacharyaji’s path, firm acceptance cannot occur before the ceremony of surrender. Only then may a devotee experience the Nectar of Grace.
Even though Sri Nathaji had accepted her he still told her to go and take shelter in Sri Gusainji and become a Vaishnava. Logically, what would be the point of surrender if one has already tasted the blissful nectar of the Lord? The way of the Path of Grace is first to become a Vaishnava, then one may receive the gift of individual devotion. In the Vallabhākhyāna Gopaldasji has written, “One who follows the Path of Devotion can love individually: it is not enough to be a devotee without surrender to the Path.”
Followers of the Path of Loving Devotion are qualified to relish its taste. However they will not be able to do so through their own efforts. Therefore in Pushti Marg the favoured way is to surrender first. Without a Guru it is difficult to attain perfect shelter. This is why Chachaji was thinking deeply about this dilemma. Know from this that accomplished Vaishnavas are most merciful. That is why he was pondering in this very way about granting the young woman the bliss of the gift of independent, individual devotion.
Then the daughter of the Rajput again asked Harivamsaji to make her into a Vaishnava. He recognized the longing she had in her heart. He told her to ask her father first and with his permission he would do so. When her father returned with the supplies, she said to him that it would be very nice if they became Vaishnavas. He said to her that he had also been thinking along these lines, but “who here will make us into Vaishnavas?”
She told him that the person they had been traveling with was an accomplished Vaishnava and that if he put his request to him he would comply. Hearing her words the Rajput felt very glad. He himself approached Harivamsaji and requested him to bless them by granting them the Name Initiation.
Harivamsaji then happily asked them again whether they wanted to become Vaishnavas. They implored him that, yes, they did. Seeing their great enthusiasm Harivamsaji immediately meditated on Sri Gusainji, gave them the Name initiation and Tulsi neckbeads to wear, thus making them Vaishnavas.
After this Harivamsaji cooked, made the offerings and partook of the prasad. He spent the whole afternoon in that garden discoursing on the Lord and the Path. As night fell they went to the village to sleep. They arose the next morning and started out towards the camp. They were enjoying the discussions so much that they did not notice the journey. When they reached the next camp, it was in the town where the Rajput lived, his daughter suggested, “Let’s invite them to our house today.” The father agreed and then approached Harivamsaji with their request, thereafter very respectfully taking him to their home. They found a lovely place for him to sit and then brought him all sorts of supplies and facilitated his cooking. When he had completed the offering to Sri Nathaji they all partook of the prasad and when night fell they all sang the Lord’s praises.
At that time Harivamsaji made a request of Sri Nathaji: “O Baba! This girl is pure and most perfect. Please come here and accept her as your own. Hearing Harivamsaji’s plea Sri Nathaji came there and accepted her as his own. In the very early morning Harivamsaji led Sri Nathaji back to his temple.
Shortly afterward, however, this the girl contracted a fever and left her body one afternoon to re-enter the Lord’s Eternal Lila.
Bhavaprakasha: Why was this? Her body became transcendental as soon as he touched her. How could she then remain in the worldly sphere? Therefore she immediately reached the Eternal Lila. In the same way that Krishnadasji the manager brought the prostitute’s daughter to Sri Nathaji and she entered the Lila right there and then, here the Rajput’s daughter entered the Divine Pastimes under the auspices of Chachaji. This is the understanding of how Sri Nathaji accepted her as his own.
In the Eternal Lila this Rajput’s daughter is a sakhi of Chandrakala named Navina. She was called this because she always displays ever new qualities and is a form of pure nectar. Sri Thakurji always runs behind her. Here it was through Chacha Harivamsaji that Sri Nathaji came to her house and accepted her personally. She dropped her body and entered the Eternal Lila at that very moment. Therefore it can be said that association with an accomplished Vaishnava even for a single second can remove the wranglings of the material world.
In the morning following the night Sri Nathaji came, Sri Gusainji after bathing had the conch shell sounded and entered the temple. After having the holy sight of Sri Nathaji, Sri Gusainji asked him, “O Baba! Why do you look so full of loving bliss, and your eyes look different! Why is this?”
Sri Nathaji told Sri Gusainji, “Last night Harivamsaji made a very lovely offering to me. I went there to accept it.”
After offering Sri Nathaji his breakfast Sri Gusainji made a written note of that day. After that he accepted back the offerings as prasad, performed the ceremony of waving lights around the Lord, dressed him up in all new clothes and jewelry and offered him lunch. When that offering was ready to accept as prasad he again performed the waving of lights ceremony, and quickly put Sri Nathaji to rest for the afternoon.
When the time came for the Utthapan Seva* in the afternoon Sri Gusainji extended the time for resting a little. Later on, knowing him to still be tired, he completed all the evening services early and let Sri Nathaji take rest sooner than usual.
Bhavaprakasha: On days when Sri Nathaji seems tired one should complete his seva early and let him rest.
Quite some time after this Harivamsaji came to Gokul and had the sight of Sri Gusainji. He bowed low to him. Sri Gusainji said, “O Harivamsaji, is this the kind of thing you get up to when you travel around ?”
Hearing these words directly from Sri Gusainji Chachaji was a little afraid and pleaded, “If I have done something inappropriate please forgive me knowing me to be an ignorant soul.”
After that day had passed Sri Gusainji told him, “You caused Sri Nathaji a lot of effort to go to where you summoned him.”
Harivamsaji replied, “O my Master! When I saw the beauty of the offering it stuck in my mind that it would be very nice to make such a lovely offering for him to accept.”
Sri Gusainji told Harivamsaji, “That is the duty of a sevak. However it may still be tiring for the Lord. You should always think before you act in this way: how to fulfill my duty of service to the Lord without causing him any effort. The sevak should always make sure that they avoid causing any trouble to the Lord.
“The Rajput’s daughter re-entered the Lord’s Eternal Lila through your auspices and through the Lord’s grace she was blessed with transcendental perfection. But the Lord is like an innocent child. A child could go to grab a snake to get some sugar candy because they do not know what a snake is. Where trouble might come to a child it is the duty of the mother and father to guide their actions.
“Just like Sri Nathaji’s sevak Ramdasji gave up his rules of personal purity and became a policeman to avoid giving any trouble to Sri Nathaji. When Sri Acharyaji saw Ramdasji he had nothing but praise for him. A Vaishnava should learn the meaning of love for the Lord from this example of Ramdasji.”
Hearing Sri Gusainji’s teaching Harivamsaji kept quiet. He had no answer to give to Sri Gusainji.
Bhavaprakasha: This story teaches that in the Path of Grace one must serve the Lord while regarding him as an innocent child. A child’s mother and father must always look out for the child. This is the manner in which Sri Gusainji served Sri Nathaji at all times. This is why Sri Gusainji taught Harivamsaji this way of service. Chachaji on the other hand had been thinking of Sri Nathaji as a youth, and in this case what he did was appropriate and presented no obstacle to his service. However it is not befitting a disciple to speak out before his master, therefore he remained silent and did not reveal his own feelings.
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