Radha Krishna Land: augusts 2011

ceturtdiena, 2011. gada 4. augusts

Yesterday marked the disappearance day of Sri Vamsidasa Babaji and I feel unqualified to glorify this elevated Vaishnava saint since his bhava and renunciation is beyond ordinary grasp.

HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami who was in Toronto a few weeks back has written a book with research and antidotes of Sri Vamsidasa Babaji who left his earthly pastimes just in 1944.

Our grand-guru (or great grand-guru for many readers), Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, not only met with Sri Vamsidasa Babaji but also wrote about him in Sajjana-tosani. In Navadwip, Sri Vamsidasa Babaji said "Someone very close to my Gaura has come to me." when he blessed Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura also once told his disciples " But you are not able to understand this bhava."

So to glorify Sri Vamsidasa Babaji we are going to simply repost some pastimes and with this nectar we can get some drops of understanding of his elevated state.

When Vamsidasa was visiting Puri during Ratha Yatra, the cart stopped closed to where he was standing. Despite the efforts of everyone assembled the cart would not move. Then Vamsidasa came and after some intimate conversation with the Lord, the cart moved on with ease.
Once Vamsidasa went to the sea in Puri, to give Bala-Gopala a bath. Arriving on the shore be beckoned the sea 'Come here, come here!' Huge waves crossed over the beach and Vamsidasa was able to bathe his Deities.

While crossing the river Mahanandi, Vamsidasa instructed the boatmen to drop him near a point where he claimed was a snake. When the boatman dropped Vamsidasa and his associates at the point, a yellow snake appeared. Holding his Bala-Gopala Deity Vamsidasa exclaimed, 'See Anantadeva has come!' After some time the snake went away.

Once on a full moon night of Ashvini, Vamsidasa instructed his associates not to set up any tent but camped out in the open. At this time fifty attractive women, dressed in white, came and offered obeisances to Vamsidasa and left without saying. Despite the late hour, they were unescorted, something that never happens in rural India, and none of the locals had any knowledge of them. The devotees concluded that they were demigoddess who had come to get the blessings of Vamsidasa on this auspicious day.

One day Vamsidasa cooked sweet rice for Bala-Gopala, but before offering it he angrily threw it away, accusing Gopala of having already eaten sweet rice with "gur" in the Radha-Govinda temple in Vrindavana. One of the persons who happened to hear this sent a letter to the temple priest inquiring about the offering to Radha-Govinda on that particular date-time. A reply soon came indicating that the offering on the day was indeed sweet rice cooked with "gur".

Once a man suffering from cholera lay outside the hut of Vamsidasa, expecting him to cure him. For three days he lay there moaning with intense pain, without eating and drinking anything. Finally Vamsidasa came outside and place a Tulasi leaf on his tongue. The man was instantly cured and he got up and went home.

When Vamsidasa became too old and infirm, he would have trouble going out to do madhukari (begging food). Once in such a situation he exclaimed to his servant, "Did you hear what Gauranga was saying? He has told Vamsidasa, 'you do not go begging for three days. Now you are too old, so I will feed you.' This Gauranga wants to feed me!" Saying this Vamsidasa fetched a stick and waved it threateningly at his Gaura Deity. "You do not have to go outside for serving me. If You go outside, I will break Your legs!"

And this last pastime recounted above demonstrates why we cannot understand this bhava.

Sri Vamsidasa Bahbaji expressed this bhava in his songs...just see these 2 verses...

kena giya chilama ganga-tire o nagari
nyana kataksa bane gaura kaila mana churi
ami ekhana ki kari o nagari ki kari

"O Nagari! How I repent having gone to the bank of Ganga. Gaura cast a side long glance at me and stole my heart. What shall I do now, O Nagari! What shall I do?"

bala go nagari gaura kallena ki
grha gela kula gela mana kela curi
sajani! ekhana ami ki kari
nayana kone, kane kane gaura kallena ki
ami je prana mari gaura kallena ki

"Tell me O Nagari what Gaura has done to me, He winked and whispered and did, I do not know what to me. O Sakhi! Now I know not what to do, Life is running out of me. O! What has Gaura done to me?"

Gauranga! if we can attain just a sliver of this love of Gauranga our life will be sublime. Gauranga!
Jaya Sri Vamsidasa Babaji

http://radhashyamasundar.com/2/post/2011/08/elevated-bhava-of-gauranga-beyond-our-understanding-honouring-sri-vamsidasa-babaji.html