— { HARI-KATHA IN KULGACHIA } —
"What sort of wealth
makes you so rich?"

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kulgachia Gram, Howrah District
6 May 2018, part 15

Sometimes, I remember Rabindranath Tagore's words; what he says is not untruth, but his conception is brahma-jnani. In one of his poems, he writes, "What sort of wealth makes you so rich that you dismiss a touchstone? I place your feet on my head praying for a particle of that wealth..."

There was once Jivan Chakravarti who lived in a village called Mankar. He was very much devoted to the worship of Lord Siva. He always prayed to him. One day, Lord Siva appeared before him and said,

"Jivan, you have worshipped me so much. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"Prabhu, can I ask you for something?" replied Jivan Chakravarti.

"Yes, tell me, I will certainly give it to you."

"My daughter has grown up and must be married, and I need some wealth for that."

"Listen, where will I get wealth from? Go to Vrindavan. There, you will find Sanatan Goswami—if you ask him for some wealth, he will give it to you."

"OK, I will definitely go there then."

He started walking and finally arrived in Vrindavan. He asked somebody on the street, "Where does Sanatan Goswami stay?" He was told, "There is Dvadasatila temple, he stays nearby with Madan Mohan." Jivan Chakravarti went there and asked a brahman,

"Sir, do you know Sanatan Goswami? Do you know where he stays?"

"Why? It is me."

"Really? It is you?..."

"Yes, do you not believe me?"

"Are you sure it is you?" He asked him a few times. Then, Sanatan Goswami asked him,

"Where did you come from?"

"I have come from a village in Bengal called Mankar. My name is Jivan Chakravarti..."

"What did you come for?"

"Lord Siva has sent me here."

"Lord Siva? What for?"

"To get wealth."

"Wealth?? Where will I get wealth? I go for madhukori collection every second day or so, I get some roti and maintain myself with that. Where will I get you wealth?"

"I also thought so. I think I have made a mistake by coming here." Looking at Sanatan Goswami, he thought, "At my house, we have some brass dishes, but this sadhu has only mud dishes..." Jivan went away, but as he began walking suddenly Sanatan Goswami called him, "Wait! Listen, I have remembered something. I went to the Yamuna to take bath the other day and I found there a touchstone. I threw it away somewhere there. Go and look for it in the sand."

Jivan Chakravarti went to the bank of the Yamuna but could not find anything there. He came back to Sanatan Goswami. Sanatan Goswami was surprised,

"You have come back? Have you got it?"

"No, Prabhu. I have not found it."

"Oh, so I must go there myself? OK, come, come with me."

Sanatan Goswami came to the bank of the Yamuna, dug a little sand and found the touchstone. Jivan Chakravarti had an iron kavach on his arm, and as soon as he touched the touchstone to that kavach, and the kavach turned gold. He was very happy. Sanatan Goswami said then, "Take it and go back to your home. Now you will be rich, you will have everything—house, money, car, your daughter will get married well, etc."

Jivan started walking back home, but, looking at the touchstone in his hand, he thought, "That sadhu wears torn clothes, lives in a mud house, but he throws this touchstone into the sand. Nobody throws such valuable things away. No doubt he has something more valuable!" He came back to Sanatan Goswami. Sanatan Goswami was surprised,

"Again you? Why have you come back?"

"I have a question..."

"What is it?"

"What kind of wealth makes you so rich that you dismiss a touchstone? I place your feet on my head desiring a particle of that wealth." (This is a quote from one of Rabindranath Tagore's poems.) "O sage, you disregard a touchstone—what sort of wealth do you have that you throw a touchstone away?"

"Do you want that wealth? Will you take that wealth, Jivan?"

"Yes, Prabhu, I want that wealth."

"Then, you must first throw this stone away. It may be a touchstone, but you must give up this attachment."

Jivan went to the Yamuna and threw the stone into the river. There was boat in the river, chained to the bank, and as soon as the stone touched the chain, it became gold. Then, Jivan came back to Sanatan Goswami and Sanatan Goswami told him, "Stretch your hand." He gave him chanting beads and said, "This is that wealth. Take this and chant the Holy Name."

In the meantime, everything went so well at his home, there was no end of prosperity—his daughter got married well, everything went very well without any problem, his sons ran the family, while Jivan became a sannyasi and stayed with Sanatan Goswami...

— : • : —

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