The Miracles of Madhav Puri
So the Master went to the Nilachal, with His four companions, absorbed
in the _kirtan_ (singing) of Krishna. One day He entered a village and
brought back a large quantity of rice by personally begging for alms. On
the way the ferrymen did not refuse Him a crossing. He blessed them and
came to Remuna, [1] where He devoutly visited the charming image of
Gopinath. As He bowed down at the feet of the image, the bunch of
flowers on its crown dropped upon His head. At this Master rejoiced and
danced and sang long with the faithful. The attendants of Gopinath
marvelled at His power, ardour, beauty, and accomplishments, and served
Him in many ways. There He passed the night, in desire of the _kshir
prasad_ (condensed milk) of which He had heard from Ishwar Puri before.
The god was known as the _Gopinath who stole the kshir_, because, as
the devotees told the tale, he had once stolen _kshir_ for Madhav Puri.
In days gone by Madhav Puri had wandered on to Govardhan, near
Brindaban, in his ecstasy heeding not whether it was day or night, and
falling down to the ground without caring what sort of place it was.
After making a circuit of the rock, he came to the Govinda-_kunda_
(pool), bathed, and sat down under a tree in the evening. A Cow-boy came
and held a pail of milk before him, saving with a smile, "Puri! drink
this milk. Why don't you take what you have longed for? What are you
musing on?" The Child's beauty charmed the heart of the Puri, and his
sweet words took away his hunger and thirst. The Puri asked, "Who are
you and where do you live? How did you know that I was fasting?" The Boy
answered, "I am a milk-man of this village. In _my_ village none can
remain fasting. Some beg for rice, some for milk. I convey food to those
who do not beg. The women who had come to draw water saw you, and sent
me with this milk for you. I must be off now to milk my cows, but I
shall come again for my pail." Then the Boy went away and was not seen
again. Madhav Puri wondered, laid the emptied pail down, and began to
pray without sleeping. Towards the end of the night he dozed off into
unconsciousness, and dreamt that the Boy came and led him by the hand to
a bower saying "Here I dwell, suffering much from cold and rain, wind
and sun. Bring the villagers together, remove me from the bower to the
hill-top and there lodge me properly in a monastery. Bathe me profusely
in cold water. Long have I looked forward to the day when Madhav would
come to serve me. Moved by thy love I have accepted thy service, and I
shall appear in the flesh to save the world by my sight. I am Gopal, the
Uplifter of Govardhan Hill. My image was installed by King Bajra,[2] and
is the guardian deity of this place. My attendant, in fear of the
misbelievers, removed me from the hill to this grove for concealment and
then fled. Since then I have been here. It is well that you have come.
Now bring me out carefully." So saying the Boy disappeared. Madhav Puri
awoke, and judging that he had seen Shri Krishna without recognizing
him, he rolled on the ground in a transport of devotion. After some
weeping he calmed his mind and set about to carry out the Lord's
bidding. After his morning bath he went into the village, called the
people together, and said, "The Lord of your village, the Uplifter of
Govardhan, is in a grove. Let us seek him out. The grove is dense and
hard to enter. Take hatchets and spades with yourselves to make a door."
The villagers joyfully accompanied him, and cut an entrance into the
grove, where they found to their joy and wonder the image lying hidden
under earth and grass. Removing the covering they knew (the image). But
it was very heavy, so the strongest men joined together to take it up
the hill. There the idol was placed on a stone seat, with another big
stone at its back as a support. The Brahmans of the village fetched
water from the Govinda-_kunda_ in fresh pots. Nine hundred pots of
water were brought; many musical instruments were played; the women
sang. It was a great festival with dancing and singing. All the curd
milk and _ghee_ in the village were brought there with sweets, and all
other articles of offering. The image was bathed by Madhav Puri himself,
worshipped and installed there. All the food available in the village
was brought to the hill, offered to the god and an _anna-kut_ (pyramid
of consecrated food) was formed. In one day's preparation this grand
feast was accomplished. The image was laid on a bedstead, a straw thatch
built over it, with walls of straw.
The Goswami Puri ordered the Brahmans to feast all the villagers, old
and young. They dined, the Brahmans and Brahmanis first, then the others
in due order. The people who came from other villages looked at Gopal
and got his _prasad_. Men wondered at the power of the Puri who had
produced the pyramid of rice. He brought all the Brahmans to Vaishnavism
and employed them in the various services (of the god). Again, at close
of day he roused the god, offered some light refreshments as _bhog_. It
was noised abroad that Gopal had appeared there, and people flocked from
neighbouring villages to see the god. The villagers joyfully gave feasts
in honour of him on different days, each building up a pyramid of rice.
At night the image was laid to rest; the Puri drank a little milk.
Next morning the same kind of service began. The people of a village
came with all their milk, curd, _ghee_ and rice, and offered them to
Gopal. The Brahmans cooked as before and Gopal tasted of the heap of
rice. The people of Brindaban love Gopal of themselves, and he too loves
them. They all came, partook of the holy _prasad_ and forgot their
sorrow and loss at the sight of him. From other provinces men arrived
with presents when they heard that Gopal had appeared there. The rich
men of Mathura sent costly offerings out of devotion. Gold, silver,
cloth, incense and food stuffs were daily presented in vast quantities
and swelled the store (of the temple). One very rich Kshatriya built the
temple (at his own cost), some one else the kitchen, another the walls.
The citizen of Brindaban presented a cow each, and thus Gopal got a
thousand cows. Two Brahman hermits came from Bengal, and the Puri
received them with attention, made them his disciples, and entrusted to
them the service of the god. So he waited on the god for some two years,
glad to see him served right royally.
One night the Puri had a dream, in which Gopal spoke to him, "I burn, I
burn! Rub me with sandal wood from the Blue Mountain, and from nowhere
else, and then shall I be cooled. Go there quickly." The Puri, inspired
by devotion, travelled to the eastern country to do the Lord's behest,
appointing others to carry on the service. At Shantipur he visited
Adwaita Acharya, who was moved by his devotion to get himself initiated
by him and became his disciple. Thence the Puri proceeded south [i.e.,
to Orissa], and at Remuna saw the Gopinath, whose beauty threw him into
ecstasy. After singing and dancing he sat down in the vestibule and
asked the (attendant) Brahman about the different dishes served to the
god. The splendour of the service made him infer that the _bhog_ was
excellent. So he resolved to inquire into the character of the _bhog_
and appoint it for his Gopal too. The Brahman described to him how
twelve earthen pots full of _kshir_, called _amrita-keli_ (the cream
of nectar) famous and unmatched in the world, were offered to the god
every evening. Just then that _bhog_ was presented. The Puri only
thought, "If I can get a little of the _kshir prasad_ unasked, I may
learn its taste for the purpose of establishing it as my Gopa's _bhog_."
But the longing shamed him and he prayed to Vishnu.
Then the _bhog_ was removed and the _arati_ was celebrated. The Puri
bowed and went out without saying a word. He was passionless,
indifferent to the world, vowed not to ask for anything. If he got
anything unasked he ate it, otherwise he fasted; the nectar of love was
enough for him, he felt not hunger or thirst. That he had coveted the
_kshir_ struck him as a sin. So he sat down in the deserted square of
the village-market singing hymns.
In the meantime the priest laid the image to sleep, finished his duties,
and went to bed, where he had a dream. The god came and told him, "Up,
priest, and open my door. I have kept a pot of _kshir_ for the hermit.
You will find it concealed under the skirt of my lower garment. You all
did not notice it under my illusion. Take the _kshir_ quickly to Madhav
Puri who is sitting in the market place." The priest arose, bathed,
opened the shrine, and found the _kshir_ under the lappet of the god's
_dhoti_. He washed the spot and went into the village with the pot of
_kshir_ and walked through the market crying, "Take this _kshir_,
whosoever is named Madhav Puri! For your sake Gopinath had concealed
this _kshir_. Take it and eat it, Puri, thou luckiest man in the three
worlds."
At this the Puri disclosed himself. The priest gave him the _kshir_,
bowed, and told the whole story, to the rapture of the Puri. The
attendant priest marvelled at his devotion and said, "It is only fitting
that Krishna should be obedient to him."
Lovingly did the Puri drink the _kshir_, then he washed the pot, broke
it, and tied the sherds in a corner of his sheet, eating one of the
broken pieces every day, at which he grew wonderfully enraptured. At the
close of the night he set off for Puri (Jagannath), bowing to Gopinath
then and there, in fear that a crowd would gather round him next
morning, when they heard that the Lord had sent him _kshir_.
So he fared on, till he came to Puri in the Blue Mountain; the sight of
Jagannath threw him into an ecstasy, he rose up and fell down, he
laughed, danced, and sang, in intense delight. It was noised abroad that
Madhav Puri had come to the holy place: men flocked to do him reverence.
Such is the nature of fame, it comes God-sent to those who seek it not.
In fear of public notice the Puri had fled thither, but fame clung to
this devotee of Krishna all the way. Eager as he was to escape from the
place, the need of sandal for his god held him back. He told the story
of Gopal to the attendants of Jagannath and the _mohants_, and begged
sandal wood for him. The faithful exerted themselves for it. Those who
knew the Rajah's minister (_patra_) begged him and thus collected the
camphor and sandal. A Brahman and a servant for carrying the sandal were
sent with the Puri, and given their travelling expenses. Royal passports
were given to the Puri by the minister, addressed to the officers of the
frontier outposts and the ferries.
So he returned to Remuna after some time, made many bows to Gopinath,
and danced and sang long in rapture. The servitors of the temple did him
reverence and fed him on the _kshir prasad_. While sleeping in the
temple, he had a dream at the close of night: Gopal came and told him,
"Hark thee, Madhav! I have got all the camphor and sandal. Rub this
sandal with camphor and anoint Gopinath with it daily. Gopinath's body
is one with mine! Lay the sandal on him and I shall feel the cooling
effect. Doubt not, hesitate not, believe and give up the sandal as I bid
you." So saying, Gopal vanished; the Goswami awoke, called together the
servitors of Gopinath, and told them, "The Lord bids you rub all this
sandal and camphor on Gopinath's person; for thus will Gopal be cooled.
He is the Supreme Lord and his order is mighty. In summer Gopinath
should be anointed with sandal paste." The servitors rejoiced at it. The
Puri set the two men to rub the sandal into paste and hired two other
men also [for the work]. So he daily rubbed the sandal and the attending
priests laid it on gleefully. He stayed there doing this till the sandal
was all gone. At the end of summer he again went to the Nilachal and
passed there four months.
The Master told His disciples of the sweet life of Madhav Puri and
remarked, "Think of it, Nityananda; happiest of men is the Puri. Krishna
appeared to him on the pretext of giving him milk. Thrice did he appear
to him in dream to lay his commands. His love so influenced the god that
he revealed himself, accepted the Puri's service, and saved the world.
For his sake Gopinath stole the _kshir_ and got the surname of
"_kshir_-stealer." On the god's body did he lay camphor and sandal, and
his love overflowed at it. Hard it is to carry camphor and sandal
through a Muslim country (Bengal and Upper India). Gopal knew that the
Puri would be put in distress in doing this task. So, the gracious god,
ever tender to his devotees, himself took the sandal (at Remuna) in
order that the Puri's task might be done. Think of the Puri's extreme
devotion! It transcends nature, it amazes the mind! He is silent,
passionless, indifferent to every earthly thing. He keeps with himself
no companion, lest he should have to speak on any ungodly material
subject. That such a man, on receiving Gopal's command, travelled two
thousand miles to beg for sandal! He lay fasting and yet did not ask for
food! Such a man carried the sandal one _maund_ of sandal and 20
_tolas_ of camphor, rejoicing that he would lay them on Gopal! The
frontier custom-officer of Orissa stopped him but he showed the royal
pass and was set free. He never reflected how he would carry the sandal
through the Muslim land, long distance, and countless hindrances. He had
not a shell (_kowri_) with him to pay duty at the custom barrier, and
yet in his enthusiasm he set forth to carry the sandal. Such is the
natural effect of true love,--not to think of one's own sufferings and
troubles! Gopal had bidden him bring the sandal, only to show to the
world the Puri's deep devotion. And he brought it joyfully through all
hardships to Remuna. Gopal had meant by it only to try him, and when the
trial was over the god grew gracious. We are powerless to understand the
depth of his love for Krishna and Krishna's graciousness to his
devotee."
So saying the Master recited a stanza of the Puri's composition, which
has lighted the world like the moon. Discourse on the stanza only
revealed its full beauty, just as the odour of sandal wood spreads with
rubbing. I deem this stanza the rarest gem in poetry. Radha speaks it
through the mouth of Madhavendra. How did Chaitanya relish it! None
besides these three can know its full flavour. The Puri finally attained
to the supreme realization [_i.e._, death], reciting this stanza:
The stanza [Radhika speaks]:--
_"O Lord! Gracious to the lowly! thou art now in
Mathura. When wilt thou come to me? Darling mine!
my heart runs about in pain of longing to see thee.
What shall I do?"_
On reciting the stanza the Master fell down on the ground in a trance,
senseless with the intensity of love. Nityananda hurriedly took Him up
in his arms. Chaitanya rose weeping, and ran hither and thither in a
transport of devotion, shouting, laughing, dancing, and singing. Oft did
He repeat the first word of the stanza, His voice choked with emotion
and tears running down His cheeks. He trembled, perspired, wept with
joy, stood still, changed colour, now showing remorse, now grief, now
stupor, now pride or meekness. The stanza opened the gate of His love.
The servitors of Gopinath gazed on tke Master's outpouring of love. But
He came back to Himself on seeing a crowd gathering. The _bhog_ was
performed, then the _arati_. The priest laid the god to rest, came out of
the shrine and placed the twelve pots of _kshir_ before the Master, who
joyfully took five pots for Himself and His disciples and returned the
other seven to the priest. True, the sight of Gopinath had been food
enough for Him; but He now drank the _kshir_ as a mark of reverence.
The night was passed in singing the Name. In the morning He attended the
_mangal arati_ and then departed. [Text, canto 4.]
[1] _Remuna_, 10 miles north-west of Baleshwar in Orissa.
[2] The great-grandson of Krishna and his successor on the throne
of Mathura.