The Power to See a Vaishnav

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, 8 March 2015

We can understand easily and properly what Mahaprabhu wants to teach us from the following example.

We cannot see or make out with our eyes who is a Vaishnav—even Brahma cannot recognise who is a great Vaishnav, or who is a servitor. Our eyes are always covered with the dust of the mundane, so we have no quality, no qualification to recognise a Vaishnav, but one can only recognise a Vaishnav or a servitor through Gurudev, through Guru Maharaj—Gurudev has so much power, and when that power is transferred to somebody, it can do many things. We must receive this power.

One time, Pradyumna Mishra wanted to hear some Krishna-katha from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said to him, "I do not know so much, but Ramananda Ray knows Krishna-katha better than Me." So, he went to Ramananda Ray to hear some Krishna-katha.

Pradyumna Mishra waited for Ramananda Ray for a while, and then he heard that he was busy with some other job—he was teaching some young dancers, servitors of Jagannath. He taught these young girls how to make garlands, how to wear a sari, and he was also dressing them himself. Hearing that, Pradyumna Mishra's mind was a little disturbed and he left that place.

When he came back, Mahaprabhu asked him, "You have come back! Have you heard Hari-katha from Ramananda Ray?" Pradyumna Mishra replied, "Prabhu, You sent me there to hear Hari-katha, but he was busy with some other job..." Mahaprabhu understood what he wanted to say and said, "You do not know it, but even though I am a sannyasi, if I see a picture of a lady, My mind can be disturbed, but Ramananda Ray may be teaching and dressing ladies, but when he is doing it he becomes a gopi. You must go see him again."

Next day, Pradyumna Mishra went again to Ramananda Ray, and Ramananda Ray apologised to him, "Prabhu, I heard you came here yesterday, but I was busy with another job so I did not give you the proper time and attention... What did you want to ask me?" Pradyumna Mishra asked questions and Ramananda Ray gave answers—the whole day and the whole night they spent with Krishna-katha, they even forgot to take prasadam, it was left there untouched. Only the next day, when they realised that it was already morning, Pradyumna Mishra came back to Mahaprabhu and said, "Prabhu, yes, You were right. You sent me to the right person to hear Krishna-katha!"

Mahaprabhu could recognise Ramananda Ray as the proper person to hear Krishna-katha from. Before that, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya sent Mahaprabhu, "Prabhu, would You like to hear some Krishna-katha? Would You like to meet somebody? You are going to South India, and there is a devotee there just like You. You can meet him on the bank of the Godavari River..."

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