(12/14) Example to Follow

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Uluberia, 11 January 2021, part 12
Translated from Bengali

In Sri Nabadwip Dham Mahatmya-mukta-mala, I wrote about some of the pastimes of Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj.

One time, an old lady invited Srila Babaji Maharaj to Dhatrigram, a village near Kalna. She had asked Babaji Maharaj’s disciple Bihari Das, ‘Please come to my house. I will cook and give you prasadam,’ and Bihari Das agreed it with Babaji Maharaj and carried him in a basket to the house of that lady. (When Mayapur had just been discovered, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj, who was 137 years old at that time, went there in a basket, too; and when he arrived at the place, he jumped out of the basket and cried out, ‘This is Prabhu’s birthplace!’).

On the way to Dhatrigram, a rich man saw Babaji Maharaj and thought, ‘This man’s clothes are all torn… I guess he is so poor that he cannot even buy clothes. Let me give him some money.’ (Babaji Maharaj’s clothes were clean but old and torn – he did not wear a shirt or anything like that; he would only use some cloth for his upper body and some loincloth). The man gave one rupee to Babaji Maharaj. Babaji Maharaj took it and continued his way. However, after they had walked a few miles, he suddenly told Bihari Das, ‘Turn back! Let us go back to that man!’

‘But why?’ Bihari Das was surprised. ‘That old lady is waiting for us, she wanted to give us some prasad.’

‘We can go there later, first go back to that man.’

‘But why?’

‘You will understand it later. Let us go back now.’

They came back to the house of that man and saw him rubbing oil on his body before taking a bath (it must have been about midday). Srila Babaji Maharaj told Bihari Das to call the man, and when the man came out, he told him: ‘Please, take this money back. I cannot tolerate this burden. I cannot chant the Holy Name because of this money! Please take it back.’

After that, they went to the old lady’s house. When they came, the lady said, ‘You are late, so the cooking is all done,’ and asked Bihari Das to offer the bhoga. Then, she seated Srila Babaji Maharaj and Bihari Das and served them prasadam. Srila Babaji Maharaj did not eat much, but he ate whatever she had put on his plate. Because he did not leave anything on his plate, the old lady was frustrated, ‘Tsk, I have invited Babaji Maharaj, but he has not left any prasad for me! What am I to do now? Let me feed him again!’ Then, she started pushing Srila Babaji Maharaj, ‘Please take some more rice, please take some more!’ Babaji Maharaj tried to refuse, ‘No, no, I do not need anything more. I have finished eating.’ She insisted and forcefully put more rice and subji on his plate. Then, Srila Babaji Maharaj understood what was happening, ‘Oh, I have understood your plan.’ What did he do then? He again ate everything that was on his plate, and this time he also ate the plate! The lady was taken aback, ‘Oh no! What have I done!’ She thought, ‘I have made an offence – because of me Babaji Maharaj has got so much disturbance!’ Seeing what had happened, Bihari Das promised, ‘Prabhu, I will never take such invitations again!’

Such was Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj. These pastimes show the symptoms of a Vaishnav. It is necessary to practise these things in your lives; otherwise, you will not get any result.

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) What Is Surrender?
2) Proper Recipient for Proper Taste
3) Highest Stance
4) Cry and Pray
5) Seeking Respite
6) Greatest Choice
7) Nityananda Prabhu's Mercy
8) Mahaprabhu's Mercy
9) His Things, For His Service
10) Faith Is Not Idle
11) Devotion or Display?
12) Example to Follow
13) Shelter of Sri Guru's Mercy
14) Service or Offence?