Chaitanya Mahãprabhu (35) <Prev |  Next>

One day, Nityananda suddenly left the house, entered the market street and began to run. As he ran oblivious of his own self, the loincloth fell from his body. He took that cloth and tied it around his head and started dancing like Shiva - he was naked. The other young boys on the street clapped their hands making fun of him and ran behind him. Running thus he reached Mahaprabhu’s house. Vishnupriya was then engaged in loving conversations preparing ‘Tamboolam’ and offering it to Mahaprabhu. At that moment, all of a sudden, the intoxicated ‘Avadhuta’ Nityananda entered the scene. His eyes were red and his body covered with the dust of the street. Nityananda with his tall body and with the loincloth tied around his head appeared to be a ‘Deva. He came and stood near Prabhu and gave a roar - ‘Hm ! Hm !’. Abashed by his behaviour, Vishnupriya ran inside and locked the doors. Seeing her daughter-in-law coming in haste, Sachi Mata asked her, “What happened?” Vishnupriya controlled her laughter, concealed her lips with her saree and answered slowly - “Look at your elder son! He has come here today in the ‘Avadhuta’ (naked) state!” The mother, too, saw him and laughed.

Prabhu spoke to Nityananda, ‘SriPad ! Why are you naked like this today? Wear your loincloth!” But, Nityananda did not understand anything. He did not know what he was asked to wear. Soon Gauranga removed his upper garment (‘uttariya’) and dressed him with that and holding his hands, made him sit near himself. He then softly asked, “Nityananda! Where are you coming from? What happened? Why are you so dirty?”

SriPad just kept roaring making the sound ‘Hm! Hm!’ and said nothing. Prabhu felt extremely happy to see the state of loving devotion in which Nityananda was. He immediately asked all his devotees to be brought there. All of them sat encircling Nityananda. Prabhu spoke to Nityananda, “SriPad! Pray give us your loin-cloth as Prasad to us”. At once Nityananda removed it from his head and threw it.

Prabhu placed it with reverence and love on his head. He then made it into small pieces and giving each devotee a piece, said “Keep this cloth, which is a Prasada, very carefully with lot of devotion”. On Prabhu’s instructions, a few tied that cloth around their neck; some placed it on their heads.

Later, Prabhu washed the holy lotus feet of Nityananda after smearing it with fragrant oils. The holy water that washed the feet was distributed to all by Prabhu himself. He then drank all the remaining water himself. Later he said, “We have attained all that is to be attained today. Our lives have become fruitful. It is only today that we have attained true Krishna Bhakthi. The holy water of SriPada’s feet has made us fortunate indeed!”

The Padma Purana says - “Of all worship, the worship of Lord Vishnu is the greatest. Even greater than that is the worship of Lord Vishnu’s devotees”. Truly, that day all of them experienced great joy by worshipping Nityananda. A little later, Nityananda regained his body-consciousness. Like a child he asked Sachi Mata, “I am very hungry. Give me food”. He ate the food spilling it all over him. As he then ran to prostrate before the feet of the mother, Sachi Mata ran away to escape embarrassment and there was peals of laughter as everybody enjoyed this scene.

To be continued...

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