


Sharanagati
Collected words from talks of Swami Tirtha
Nov
28
We are indebted. So many work for our benefit, Supreme Lord has given us so much; we have to pay our debts. Last year was a very good year in many respects. So much results, so much blessings! New babies are born – that means many come to this Earth, to take this experience and we have seen that in our small circles many had passed. One person of the great generation of preachers has also passed – Shripad Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj passed away at the very end of December. So if we want to pay our debts we should remember him also. Therefore I decided to read a very favorite chapter of one of his books. This is a way to show the beauty of Krishna’s pastimes and also to understand that sometimes in separation we meet and other times in meeting we feel the separation. We are all human beings here, that means somehow we have given up the original company of Godhead. So we all live in separation. Nevertheless form time to time we come together – this is like a training, when we shall meet again. And at the end of this road is the return back home, back to Godhead.
Shripad Narayan Maharaj was a very important person in the life of Shrila Prabhupad also. Therefore let me quote one of his books – this is “The Fruit seller lila”.
“There was a fruit seller, who lived in Mathura. She has heard from some persons coming to Mathura from Vrindavan that a very beautiful and charming child of about two years old lived in Gokula. She wanted to take His darshan, she wanted to meet Him. Therefore she used to take some fruits in her basket and go around the Nanda-bhavan, the home of Nanda Maharaj, who is the father of Krishna: “Ah, phala-lo, phala-lo! Take fruits, take fruits!” Just as in Mathura, in Vrindavan there are also so many fruit sellers everywhere. So, she would sell the fruits in that way. However sometimes Krishna was sleeping. Sometimes He was playing here and there and sometimes He was in the lap of Yashoda, taking breast milk. Therefore the fruit seller never had the chance to see Krishna.”
You see, that is just like revolving around, going around the most important thing – not touching directly, but approaching slowly-slowly.
“But one day she decided: ‘Today I will go and not return until I have His darshan!’ She made a vow of ‘do or die’. Her object of life was fixed, and we should also try to make a vow like this. Having made this promise, she called out: “Phala-lo! Phala-lo! Here are my fruits! Here are my fruits!” But gradually she started to forget about her fruits and started to chant: “Govinda-lo! Govinda-lo! Take my Govinda! Take my Govinda! Damodar-lo! Damodar-lo! Madhava-lo! Damodar-lo! Take my Govinda! Take my Damodar!” The easiest way to see Krishna is nama-sankirtan. She adopted that process, as did the gopis. When Krishna disappeared from the rasa-dance, they sang like this, they were calling out the names of Krishna so that He comes back. As others fruit sellers are practiced, this lady was also practiced not to touch her basket with her hands. She could even easily dance without the basket falling off her head. In this way from morning until twelve she was looking for Krishna. At last she became tired and sat down at the door of Nanda Maharaj. Deeply she was thinking: ‘How shall I see my Krishna!?’ At that time Krishna took some corn, wheat and some other grains from the storehouse. He was quite naked, wearing only a golden chain with tinkling bells around His chest. And these bells gave so sweet sound of which sometimes He was charmed even Himself. So, Krishna took some grains in His fist and went towards the fruit seller. But you know, when a small child wants to grab something in his little hand, it is not so easy to capture everything, so the grains were just falling out of His fingers. So much so that only two or three remained.
So, Krishna came to the fruit seller with very greedy eyes, looking towards the very sweet golden, reddish and yellow bananas, mangos, grapes and He said: “Ah, give Me fruits! Give Me fruits!” The fruit seller looked towards Krishna and became totally charmed. She said: “I may give You if You call me ‘mother’ and sit in my lap.” This was a very big problem for Krishna, who thought: ‘if anyone will see that I am sitting in her lap and addressing her as ‘mother’ everybody will laugh. What should I do?’ So, you see? God, knowing everything, sometimes is a little hesitating: ‘What to do now?’
“So, Krishna was quickly looking here and there, checking out if there is nobody. When He saw that there is no witness, quickly for a moment He sat on the lap of the fruit seller and He said: “Ah, mother, give me the fruits!” And then He quickly jumped off the lap of the lady. The fruit seller was very happy and began to give the fruits. She asked: What do You want?” And Krishna replied: “This and that…” At first He held out His hands. And then He came to the position of holding up both arms close to His chest, taking more and more fruits. First the lady gave one, two, three, five and Krishna’s arms just filled up, He could not hold more. So Krishna with all the fruits in the hands, dancing and smiling, then went to His mother and put all the fruits on her sari, on her veil. And mother Yashoda asked: “Ah my dear, where You have brought these fruits from?” and she quickly began to distribute the fruits. Although hundreds of gopis came there and took these very sweet fruits, the supply was not finished. It was unlimited.” You see, whatever is given to Krishna and whatever is distributed by His beloved ones is endless.
“But then what happened to the fruit seller?
(to be continued)
Leave a Reply
