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Once a devotee named Gopal Chãpal offended Srivãs Pundit. He suffered from leprosy. Because of this Gopal Chãpal fell at the feet of Mahãprabhu with great remorse and agony and pleaded for pardon. Prabhu said very dearly - "Your offence has only one antidote. Wash the feet of Srivãs Pundit, whom you offended and drink that holy water. Your sins would be forgiven. I am incapable of forgiving the offence committed against the great Vaishnavites. Gopal Chãpal too did the same. After drinking the holy water of Srivãs Pundit's feet with love and innocence, his leprosy vanished.

Whoever offends the Divine Name, Prabhu punishes them accordingly. Indeed he applied the same rules even to his mother Shachi Devi. Mahãprabhu's elder brother Vishwaroopa studied under Advaitãcharya. He considered the Ãcharya as his all and spent all his time in his presence. He came home only to have his food. After listening to the discourse on 'Yoga Vãsishtam' from the Ãcharya, the suppressed emotions of renunciation and sacrifice became manifest to a great extent that he left home as a Parivãjaka Sanyãsin.

When her dear son, possessed of all noble qualities, left home never to return, Shachi Mãta could not bear the pain of separation. The mother's heart felt that Advaitãcharya was the main cause for her son Viswaroopa's detachment. Full of innocence, she felt , out of overwhelming motherly love, that "Advaitãcharya had converted her son into a Sanyãsin by making him study treatise on Vedãnta. She also lamented in front of him thus. Ãcharya said - "What is there to feel sad about? Viswaroopa has purified 21 generations before and after you by his act. I feel that his education alone has become fruitful. Though Ãcharya consoled her in such words, Shachi Mãta could not reconcile herself to this.

Some time later, Nimãyi took to the holy association of the Ãcharya and began to respect and love him more. This kindled fear in the heart of Shachi Mãta. Unable to bear the fact that Mahãprabhu, of late, not even spoke much to Vishnupriya, and incessantly sat in the company of devotees engaged in praising the glory of Lord Krishna and hearing the same without even visiting his house for days together, Shachi Mãta, one day lamented - "Does this old man, Advaitãcharya have no pity on this poor widow? He has already converted one of her sons into a Sanyãsin. My husband too had left me helpless and has reached the other world. Nimãyi is my only refuge now. It looks like this Ãcharya will convert Nimãyi too, who is my only support like a blind man's stick, into a Sanyãsin! He calls my son frequently and asks him to do bhajan. My son is innocent. The Ãcharya has proclaimed to everybody that he is God and has thereby made him a detached person. My son no longer looks after his house. He always roams about with devotees."

These words of the mother gave great pain to devotees like Srivãs Pundit and Advaitãcharya. Prabhu too understood this. He felt that his mother has offended the Vaishnavas and hence decided to expiate her sins.

One day, Prabhu got into the state of "Bhagavat-Bhava" and pushed aside the deities and sat on the throne meant for the Lord. He ordered his devotees to ask for boons. The devotees too asked for boons of their choice and got them fulfilled. Prabhu, who was in the Godly-state blessed everyone in order that their wishes come true. At that time, Srivãs Pundit pleaded - "Prabho! Poor mother Shachi Mãta! She is always in sorrow. She is crying always. You must shower your grace on her and relieve her of her agony." Prabhu said in a god-intoxicated state - "I can not at all grace Shachi Mãta! She has offended the Vaishnavas. I can forgive offence done to me, but I do not have the capacity to forgive those who have offended the Vaishnavas.

Srivãs Pundit said in a feeble tone - "Prabho! Will you not forgive the faults of even that mother who bore you in her womb? She has verily become the mother of the entire universe due to the fortune of bearing you. All of us are her children. She can talk however she wants to anyone of us!

Prabhu said - "Whatever it may be, whoever offends the Vaishnavas is a sinner. Even if Shri Mahãdeva himself offends the Vaishnavas, that very moment he becomes a sinner.

Srivãs Pundit asked again - "Prabho! If it is so, what is the means for the expiation of this sin?"

Prabhu said - "Shachi Mãta has offended Advaitãcharya. Only if mother smears her head with the dust of the feet of the Ãcharya, and Ãcharya himself forgives her whole-heartedly will she become fit for my grace.

During this incident Ãcharya was in a different place. Soon, devotees ran to the Ãcharya and briefed him of all the happenings. Ãcharya felt surprised and shed tears on hearing that. He spoke in a choked voice with tears in eyes - "This shows Prabhu's motherly love for his devotees! Will Shachi Mãta, who is the mother of the entire universe, ever become a sinner? If this be Prabhu's wish, and if he desires to give me such a role in this drama that is imparting a lesson, I declare with all my heart that I have not even an iota of ill-feeling against mother. If you people desire according to Prabhu's orders that I should declare that I have forgiven mother, I shall do the same. But how can I offer the dust of my feet to the mother who is to be prostrated by the whole world?" Even while Ãcharya was speaking thus, Shachi Mãta came there and sprinkled the dust of his feet on her head. The devotees became extremely happy. They all danced, and embraced each other in joy.

To be continued...

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