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We have spoken about Sridhar while describing the childhood lilas of Prabhu. He was an ardent devotee selling banana leaves, flowers and stems. Prabhu used to tease him a lot and buy those items at half their price. From the meager income he got, Sridhar used to feel happy doing Ganga pooja and Deva pooja. He used to do NãmaSankirtan loudly at night times. Neighboring shopkeepers would grumble a lot about him but Prabhu was loving towards him. Sridhar would say to Prabhu, “Nobody will pay attention to this old man”. Since Prabhu knew Sridhar's purity of heart, He showered love on him.

During this ecstatic state of ‘Bhagavat Bhãva’ Prabhu suddenly thought of Sridhar and commanded him to be brought there. Sridhar’s house was at a corner of the town. Since it was night time, he was chanting the names “Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare ! He Natha Narayana Vasudeva !” at the top of his voice. Hearing the knock on the door, he asked, “Who is it?”.
The devotees replied in a hurry, “Sridhar ! Open the door quickly”.
Seeing the devotees on opening the door, Sridhar asked in all humility as to why they had come to his house at the dead of night.
They replied, “Prabhu wants to see you. Come with us immediately”. On hearing that Prabhu was thinking of even such a sinful soul as himself, Sridhar fainted and fell down with a ‘thud’ on the ground. “Alas ! What test is this !” Thinking thus, they lifted him in that condition and placing him on their shoulders, came to Prabhu. The moment Prabhu ran his soft hands on Sridhar's body, he regained consciousness.
Soon after Sridhar woke up, Prabhu said to him - Sridhara ! Look at my divine form! Your heart-felt desire has been fulfilled today.”
Sridhar was moved with emotion and cried. Folding his hands he said, “How can this down-trodden self, ignored by the world, praise Prabhu? Prabhu ! I am a sinner ! Ignorant of your glory, I used to always argue and fight with you while selling. Though you made me recognize it often, I failed to understand it being deluded by Maya. My ignorance has been removed by the vision of your true form ! Forgive my mistakes!”.
In a chocked voice, Prabhu said, “Sridhar ! I am extremely pleased with you. Ask me for boons - Wealth, fame, post, sidhis(powers) - ask for whatever you want. Ask ! Ask ! “
In a trembling voice, Sridhar spoke again with folded hands, “Prabhu you have made this sinful self, hated by the world, a fortunate one by calling and giving me your divine vision. What else do I want apart from this? What is the use of Sidhis and other things! They are all Maya indeed!'
Prabhu insisted again - “No ! No ! you must ask for whatever you like the most.”
In a faint voice, Sridhar spoke, “Prabhu ! If you insist on giving me something, then grant me the presence of the handsome form of that Brahmin boy, who always used to fight with me while buying plantain leaves and stems, in my heart forever."

Pleased with such detachment of Sridhar, Prabhu granted him the vision of Krishna. As soon as, Sridhar saw his favorite deity, Murali Manohar, one who steals hearts by playing on the flute, he fainted and the devotees took him to the next room. Next came Murali Gupta’s turn.

To be continued...

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