(7/9) Raghunath's Release

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Ekachakra Dham, morning class before parikrama
17 February 2019, part 7
Translated from Bengali

Srila Raghunath Das Goswami tried to come to Mahaprabhu again and again, but he could not come to Him. When Nityananda Prabhu was in Panihati and Raghav Pandit invited Him to his house. Everybody knows about Raghav's baskets (we also sometimes visit his house). Raghav Pandit's sister, Damayanti, would make various kinds of achar, kasandi and other preparations during the year and send everything to Puri for Mahaprabhu. So, Nityananda Prabhu was invited to that house of Raghav Pandit together with all the devotees. On the way there, Nityananda Prabhu, together with many devotees, crossed the Ganges and sat under a banyan tree to take some rest and speak Hari-katha. At this time, Raghunath Das Goswami got the news of Nityananda Prabhu's arrival in Panihati. He asked his father, 'Father, I will not go far. I have heard my Lord has come, can I go there?' His father said, 'You can go, but do not go there alone. Take people with you.' He did not want to let his son go there alone because he was afraid that he could become a sadhu. But if you are meant to become a sadhu, will anybody be able to prevent it?

কৃষ্ণকৃপা যাঁরে, তাঁরে কে রাখিতে পারে ॥

krsna-krpa yanre, tare ke rakhite pare

'Who can stop you if you have got Krishna' mercy?'

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, 2.16.241)

Once you get Krishna's mercy, even if they try to tie you with a rope, will that be able to stop you? These are Mahaprabhu's words, not mine.

So, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami came together with his men to Nityananda Prabhu. When somebody saw him coming from afar, they told Nityananda Prabhu, 'Look! Look, Govardhan's son, Raghunath, is coming!' When Raghunath Das Goswami came near, Nityananda Prabhu called him, 'Come, come here, thief! I will punish you today!'

'What punishment will it be, Prabhu?' he asked.

'I will give you very big punishment today! You can see all the devotees here with Me. It is not possible to cook now, but feed them with some flat rice, yoghurt and fruit.'

(At that time of the year, mangoes and ripe jackfruit are in season, so flat rice should be offered with yoghurt, mango and ripe jackfruit.)

Raghunath Das Goswami used whatever money he had with him to arrange the festival and he also sent his men to his father to bring more money. He bought everything from shopkeepers and then those very shopkeepers came to eat what they had sold to him. People took prasad even standing in the Ganges – somebody was standing in the water up to their knees, somebody stood in the water up to their waist! This was the festival at Panihati. It is still held there to this day – if you get time, you should come. We always make a pandal and have a programme at this festival. You can see in the calendars when the festival is and come at that time. It takes place in Panihati, on the other side of the Ganges from Konnagar.

When the festival was over and everybody was very pleased, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami fell at Nityananda Prabhu's holy feet, and Nityananda Prabhu bestowed so much mercy on him that He put His feet on his head! How many people can get such mercy? Putting His feet on Raghunath's head, Nityananda Prabhu said, 'Now you can go. You are fee from all your illusory bondage. Go to Mahaprabhu now.' Indeed, all his illusory bondage was gone – becoming released from all material bondage, he came to Mahaprabhu, and Mahaprabhu gave him the right to do service (seva-adhikar).

Who can give you the right to do service? Gurudev, or Nityananda Prabhu, had sent him, and Mahaprabhu then engaged him in service. After that, his name became 'Svarup's Raghu'. He had walked to Mahaprabhu for twelve days, and during those twelve days, he ate only three times. But when you fast for one day (like you did yesterday), you struggle and feel unhappy about it – you sit now and keep thinking, 'When will they give us ghugni and muri? When will Maharaj let us go? We hear that ghugni and muri are ready, but we cannot go now!'

Only having got Nityananda Prabhu's mercy could Srila Raghunath Das Goswami finally get service to Mahaprabhu.

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Length: 87 min
Language: Bengali

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Approaching Nityananda
2) Ardent Appeal
3) How to Attain Mercy
4) Nityananda Prabhu's Campaign
5) Varahadev's Appearance
6) Vishnu, Krishna and Nitai
7) Raghunath's Release
8) Flow of Nityananda Prabhu's Mercy
9) Shower of Nityananda Prabhu's Mercy