(7) Deity Eats

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Kadigachha, festive morning programme,
6 March 2019, part 7
Translated from Bengali

Let me tell you one more pastime related to Deities.

Mahaprabhu had a close devotee called Mukunda Prabhu. Mukunda Prabhu had only one son, his name was Raghunandan. If you go to Srikhanda, you can see a place called Narahari Dham. There, the Deity has half of a sweet in His hand. Do you know why? You do not? That is why such places must be visited with sadhu-sanga (in the company of saints). If you go alone just to see the place, that is only eye-exercise. You must visit holy places together with devotees.

গৌর আমার, যে সব স্থানে,
করল ভ্রমণ রঙ্গে ।
সে সব স্থান, হেরিব আমি,
প্রণয়ি-ভকত-সঙ্গে ॥

gaura amara, ye saba sthane,
karala bhramana range
se saba sthana, heriba ami,
pranayi-bhakata-sange

‘In the company of loving devotees, I behold all the places my Gaura visited during His pastimes.’

(Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur)

For example, we always take devotees to Vrindavan, and those who join us go there every year. It is not very expensive. People go to Nabadwip, but what do they understand about Nabadwip? They cannot even name the nine islands. Nabadwip consists of nine islands, and if I ask anybody to name the nine islands, nobody can tell it. Mayapur is Antardwip; Nrisingha Palli (where our new temple is) is Godrumdwip; next to it (where Gadigachha is) is Madhyadwip; above Mayapur is Rudradwip (Lord Siva's island) and Simantadwip (also Lord Siva's place); our old jal-mandir temple is in Koladwip; and the other three islands are formally part of Bardhaman – Ritudwip (Chapahati, where Jayadev and Padmavati stayed, and where Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda are), Jahnudwip (Vidyanagar), and Modadrumdwip (Mamgachi). Nine kinds of devotion are practised on each corresponding island there.

আদৌশ্রদ্ধা ততঃ সাধুসঙ্গোঽথ ভজনক্রিয়া ।
ততোঽনর্থনিবৃত্তিঃ স্যাৎ ততো নিষ্ঠা রুচিস্ততঃ ॥
অথাসক্তিস্ততো ভাবস্ততঃ প্রেমাভ্যুদঞ্চতি ।
সাধকানাময়ং প্রেম্ণঃ প্রাদুর্ভাবে ভবেৎ ক্রমঃ ॥

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango ’tha bhajana-kriya
tato ’nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha ruchis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas tatah premabhyudanchati
sadhakanam ayam premnah pradurbhave bhavet kramah

‘First, there is faith; then, saintly association and practising life. After that, unwanted habits gradually go away, spiritual life becomes stable, and spiritual taste comes. Then comes attachment, feeling and, finally, transcendental love. This is how love for the Lord comes to those who practise Krishna consciousness.’

(Sri Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, 1.4.15–16)

These nine stages of devotion reside in Nabadwip, as well as the nine kinds of devotion: sravanam (listening about the Lord), kirtanam (chanting the Lord’s Name and glories), smaranam (remembering the Lord), archanam (worshipping the Lord’s Deities), vandanam (offering obeisances and prayers to the Lord), dasyam (serving the Lord as a servant), sakhyam (serving the Lord as a friend), atma-nivedanam (submitting yourself to the Lord), pada-sevanam (serving the Lord’s lotus feet).

What will you understand about all this if nobody tells you about it. We go place to place, stop at each place, speak, take prasad, but if you go there by bus, you pay the agency, they take you to the place, you take a few photos and go back. What benefit do you get? None.

So, I was going to tell you about Raghunandan. He was about ten years old at that time. One day, his parents (Mukunda Prabhu and his wife) told him, 'We need to go to the market to buy some things for the Lord. The cooking is all done, and the plate is ready, so you just need to feed the Lord. All right?' Raghunandan was a small boy at that time, so he took it literally. He changed his clothes and went to offer the bhoga to the Deity. He came to the Deity's room, put the plate before the Deity and said, 'Thakur, eat! Why are You not eating? Is it because I am a little boy?' He took a gong stick and threatened the Deity, 'If You do not eat it, I will hit You! Eat! Do You hear me? Eat, I say!' The Deity started eating. He goaded Him, 'Eat, eat! Finish everything!' The Deity asked, 'Everything?' He said, 'Yes, eat up!'

After a while, Raghunandan's parents came back from the market. Seeing that there was no prasadam, his mother asked him,

'Raghu, where is our prasad?'

'Prasad?' Raghunandan replied, puzzled. 'You must have cooked less today. I brought the plate to the Lord, and He ate everything!'

'Do you think that the Deity eats?! We offer Him bhoga every day, and He does not actually eat it.'

'Oh, but when I gave it to Him, He ate everything.'

'What nonsense are you talking? You must have eaten everything yourself or have given it to your friends.'

'No, mom. Please believe me. I have not eaten anything, and I did not spoil anything. I gave it to the Deity, and the Deity ate it.'

'Oh, all right...' his mother said finally. There was nothing left for them to eat, so they ate some muri. In the afternoon, when they were going to offer some fruit and sweets, she called Raghunandan and told him, 'Here, take this to the Deity. Let us see if He eats or not.' Raghunandan took the plate and went to the Deity's room.

'Hey Deity, eat!' he told the Deity.

'Again? I ate so much at lunch, I am not hungry now.'

'If You do not eat it, Mother will never believe me. She is saying that I ate everything.'

Raghunandan's mother heard her son's voice coming from the room, so thinking, 'Who is that boy talking to?!' she came quietly to the door and, opening it a crack, saw the Deity eating a sweet – half of the sweet was in His mouth, and the other half was in His hand! She was astonished.

That Deity is still worshipped like that – He holds a half of a sweet in His hand. Such is the glory of the Deity.

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