— { HARI-KATHA IN KULGACHIA } —
Question from Ladies' Quarter

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kulgachia Gram, Howrah District
6 May 2018, part 18

Tell me, do you have any questions? I have told so many things. There are so many things, so many stories—it would take a whole life to tell them all. I can tell you stories all day and night. If you have any questions, tell me, then perhaps something else will come to my mind. Why are you sitting quietly? Do you not have any questions? Not even one question? You should ask, foreigners always ask so many questions.

One time, I remember I went to Russia. I gave class in the morning and in the evening, there were many sannyasis (Ashram Maharaj, Janardan Maharaj, Avadhut Maharaj, Tirtha Maharaj, and many others) sitting along the stage. Guru Maharaj was not there at that time. One of the sannyasis said, "Let Acharya Maharaj take a question now," so it was my turn to take a question from the listeners. Suddenly, all ladies stood up from their seats and one of them said on behalf of them, "Please tell us, what is our fault? Maharaj gave class in the morning and said that Mahaprabhu had three and a half servitors. (Svarup Damodar, Raya Ramananda, Sikhi Mahiti are the three servitors and Sikhi Mahiti's sister, Madhavi Devi, was the remaining half of a servitor.) Why is a lady considered only half a servitor? Are we not complete? Why are we only a half??" When I heard her say this so forcefully, I thought, "O Lord, save me!" I began calling out to Gurudev, praying, "Gurudev, Prabhupad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswarti Thakur did not write about this in his commentary to Chaitanya-charitamrita—nobody has asked this question and nobody has given an answer to it. Gurudev, please, you give the answer to this question! Only you can answer it, it is not possible by me." Then, I said, "There is one reason why Svarupa Samodar, Raya Ramananda and Sikhi-kanta Mahiti are three servitors and Madhavi Devi is only a half. Madhavi Devi cooked very good dishes and she would send them for Mahaprabhu, but she could not sit in front of the Lord and serve that food to Him. Because she was a lady, she could do only half of the service, and she could not do the other half. She wanted to serve the Lord directly—she wanted to sit near the Lord and serve Him the dishes she had cooked, but Mahaprabhu did not allow it. That is why she is half a servitor. She could do only half of her service, and all other servitors, boys and men, could sit with Mahaprabhu, could feed Him, but Mahaprabhu kept Madhavi Devi far because she was a lady. He allowed her to cook inside the house, but did not allow her to come in front of Him." Later, I told Gurudev what had happened and told him the reply I had given, and Gurudev said, "Yes, what you replied is true."

In this way, they ask so many questions...

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