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 fifth varta, part 3. See previous.
Once again Narayandas wrote a letter to Sri Gusainji. It went thus –
“Oh Maharaj! Here there is no Vaishnava with whom I can speak and discuss without disagreement. The mind cannot be stable without such divine discussion. Please therefore send me such a Vaishnava.”
He sent a lot of wealth in a cheque along with this letter. The carrier arrived at Adel. Having paid his respects to Sri Gusainji, he gave him the letter and the cheque.
When Sri Gusainji was reading the letter, Chacha Harivamsji was sitting by him, and he read it out to him. After reading it, Sri Gusainji told Chacha Harivamsji to go to Narayandas.
Chachaji said, “O Maharaj! On leaving your lotus feet and traveling to Gauda Desh (Bengal), what will become of me?”
Sri Gusainji replied, “Wherever you go, I will be visible to you at all times.”
Hearing this, Chacha Harivamsji took his leave of Sri Gusainji and traveled to Gauda Desh to meet with Narayandas.
It took him a few days to reach there. Thus it was that when Narayandas came home from his work at the court, Chacha Harivamsji greeted him with “Jay Sri Krishna.” Narayandas got off his horse and very joyfully welcomed Chachaji. Narayandas held Chachaji’s hand and took him to his home to partake of maha prasad.
After this, Narayandas and Chachaji spent the whole rest of the day and all night in divine discussion. Narayandas did not go to work, and for several days he was totally absorbed in those discussions and his seva and taking prasad. All time came to a standstill.
He seemed to have gone crazy. In the court, all his work also stood still since he was not there. Some men came from the court to Narayandas’ house and began to make enquiries. Someone told them that a renunciate had arrived from Mathura and that he had rendered Narayandas mad.
The men went back to the court and reported this to the king. The king ordered them to return and bring the renunciate back to him. Otherwise he should be made to cure Narayandas and send him back to work. He sent the men off to Naryanadas’ home to pick up Harivamsji.
One Vaishnava had heard all this and reported it all to Harivamsji. Harivamsji thought that it would be the best plan to bring Narayandas back to his senses.
Chaha Harivamsji bathed, applied abhyanga to and then bathed Narayandas’ Sri Thakurji and then made Narayandas drink the water in which the Lord’s feet had been bathed, as well as sprinkling it on his head. Immediately Narayandas’ normality was restored. He began to “think straight.”
*Bhav Prakash*
Why? Because abhyanga contains the fruit myrobalan [like a gooseberry] which has the propensity to induce forgetfulness.
[Translator’s note; it can divert the train of thought – here, from a negative to a positive.]
The second reason is that Devotion gets cooled from imbibing the Lord’s foot-water. Therefore Narayandas’ agitation was cooled and soothed by it. He regained full physical and mental health.
[Translator’s note: Like coconut oil! When warm it is runny, but when cooled it is solid and stays in one place.]
*Part 3 Continued*
Afterwards, Narayandas told Chachaji that he had experienced much happiness in that state of being.
“Why did you bring me back out of it?” he asked. “Will it happen again?”
Harivamsji replied, “Now you want it just like that?”
Harivamsji was thinking to himself that Narayandas was not really ready to experience that state again, so he warned him, telling him, “For now you should just go to work at the governmental court. Whilst doing that work, spend as much time as you can serving the Lord. Keep your thoughts focused on Sri Gusainji’s feet. By doing this, the excessive wealth of that Court will not become an obstacle.
*Bhav Prakash*
The excessive wealth of the governmental Court can make a person forget their morals and ethics. Always remembering Sri Gusainji will remove that influence. His power is such.
*Part 3 Continued*
Narayandas dressed suitably and went off to work. He began to work as he had always done before. Harivamsji stayed with Narayandas for a few more days and then asked for his permission to leave Gauda Desh.
He traveled for a few days and arrived in Gokul where Sri Gusainji was. He humbly bowed to Sri Gusainji and then recounted to him all the details of what had happened. Sri Gusainji heard it all but kept quiet.
On the day that Narayandas returned to work, the Patshah spent a lot of money in celebration of his return, because he was always very pleased with Narayandas.
Narayandas’ wife Viram was very beautiful and she would dress up nicely before entering into her Sri Thakurji’s presence. She did not look like a human being but rather like a heavenly nymph. Her body was very effulgent. She would do all of Sri Thakurji’s seva with her own hands, not keeping any maid to do it for her.
She was so tender that if she chewed paan leaves and swallowed them, they showed from the outside of her throat. If she was close it would be totally evident that she had eaten paan. Still she did all of her Sri Thakurji’s and the Vaishnavas’ seva with her own fair hands.
Sri Gusainji frequently praised her. Her Sri Thakurji let her experience the bliss of His direct Presence. Viram was an accomplished Vaishnava servant of Sri Gusainji and Sri Thakurji.
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