The Legend of Gopal the Witness
Glory to Chaitanya! Glory to Nityananda! Glory to Adwaita! and Glory to
the followers of Chaitanya!
On His way the Master came to the village of Jajpur, where He bowed to
the image of Varaha. He danced and sang in love and prayed long, passing
the night in that village. To Katak[1] He went to see the Sakshi-Gopal,
whose beauty threw Him into a rapture. After dance and song He prayed to
the Gopal with abstraction. That night during His halt there with His
disciples He heard the legend of Gopal. Nityananda in his former
pilgrimage had come to Katak, seen the Sakshi-Gopal, and heard the
legends of the god, which he now narrated to the Master. Once on a time
two Brahmans of Vidya-nagar [Rajmahendri] set out on a pilgrimage, and
after visiting Gaya, Benares, Allahabad, &c., reached Mathura. They made
a tour of the [Maha-] ban, and beheld Govardhan and the Twelve Woods,
known as _Dwadash ban_, finally going to Brindaban. In the great temple
Gopal was worshipped with great pomp. They bathed at the Keshi ghat, the
pool of Kaliya, and other places, and rested in the temple of Gopal,
whose beauty ravished their hearts. There they blissfully passed a few
days. One of the Brahmans being old had been tended carefully by the
younger one. The old man, pleased with his attendance, said, "Long have
you served me, and through your help have I performed my pilgrimage.
Even a son does not serve his father so lovingly. Through your kindness
I have been saved every trouble. It will be rank ingratitude if I do not
honour you. So I shall wed my daughter to you." The youth replied,
"Listen, sir! Why talk of that which cannot be? You are a high _kulin_,
great in learning and Wealth, while I am a non-_kulin_ lacking in
scholarship and riches. I am no worthy match for your daughter. Through
love of Krishna have I served you, as he is pleased with attention to
Brahmans. What pleases the Lord increases the store of faith." The elder
answered, "Doubt not. What wonder is there in it that I should give you
my daughter?" The younger Brahman rejoined, "You have a large circle of
kindred, friends and sons, without whose consent you cannot possibly wed
your daughter to me. Witness the case of Bhishmak, the father of
Rukmini, who was opposed by his son in giving his daughter, as he
wished, to Krishna." The old man answered, "My daughter is my property.
Who can oppose me in giving away what is mine? I shall give you my
daughter in despite of all. Don't doubt it, but derive your consent."
The youth said, "If you have really decided to give me your daughter,
make a vow before Gopal." The old Brahman addressed Gopal and said,
"Know that I shall give my daughter to this man." The youth added,
"Lord, be thou my witness, and I shall summon thee to give thy testimony
if he breaks his promise."
So saying the two returned to their homes, the young man serving the
other like an elder. The old man now reflected, "I pledged my word to
this Brahman in a holy place, but how can I keep it? I must consult my
wife, sons, kindred and friends." So, one day he gathered his own folk
and told them the whole story, at which they lamented and cried "Never
utter such words again! You will lose your _kul_ if you wed your
daughter to a low-born man. You will be a laughing stock to all!" The
Brahman urged, "How can I retract a promise made in a holy place? Come
what may, I will give him my daughter." His kinsfolk threatened to
boycott him, and his wife and children to take poison. The Brahman
pleaded, "He will make a case of it by calling his witness. When he wins
my daughter by a decree, my faith will be proved worthless!" His son
answered, "Oh! the witness is an idol in a far-off land. Who will bear
testimony against you? Do not be alarmed. You need not tell the lie that
you had never made him such a promise; you will only have to pretend
forgetfulness. If you do that I shall beat the Brahman in court." At
this the Brahman, full of anxiety, prayed intently to Gopal, "Gopal, to
thee I appeal: save my faith and save my kindred, save both sides!"
One day the younger Brahman visited him, bowed reverently, and said with
folded hands, "You promised me your daughter, but are now silent on the
point! Is this your sense of justice?" The old man remained silent; but
his son ran with a stick to beat the visitor, crying, "Wretch! you want
to wed my sister! Dwarf, you wish to catch the moon!" The youth fled,
but another day he called all the villagers together, who summoned the
old man. Then the younger Brahman spoke, "This man promised his daughter
to me. Ask him why he does not give her up now." On being questioned by
the people, the elder Brahman replied, "Listen, friends, I do not
remember what I said so long ago." At this his son got the chance to put
in his words boldly, "My father had much money with him during his
pilgrimage. This villain, his only companion, coveted the money,
intoxicated him with _dhutura_, robbed him and said that thieves had
taken away his money, and then spread the tale that he had promised his
daughter to him. Judge ye all, whether he is a worthy match for my
sister." The assembled people were filled with suspicion, as greed often
makes men commit sin. The younger Brahman pleaded, "Hear, my masters, he
is lying to win the case. His father, pleased with my attendance,
promised me his daughter voluntarily, and when I declined alleging my
unworthiness and our disparity in wealth, learning and _kul_, he
repeatedly pressed me to accept her, and at my suggestion called Gopal
to witness his promise. I conjured the god to bear testimony for me,
should this Brahman break his word. He is my witness, whose word is held
true in the three worlds." The old man replied, "This is good. If Gopal
appears here and bears testimony, I shall certainly give you my
daughter." His son agreed to it. The old man only thought, "Kind is
Krishna. Surely he will bear my word out." His son was confident that
the image would not come to act as a witness. So thinking diversely they
agreed. At the younger Brahman's request both parties signed a written
deed of agreement to abide by this test, to prevent future disputes. It
was left with an umpire. The young man continued, "Listen, all ye here!
This Brahman is pious and true of speech, never wishing to retract his
word. It is only his fear of the suicide of his kinsfolk that has made
him tell a lie. Thanks to his piety, I will bring Krishna as a witness
and enable Hm to keep his word." At this the sceptics laughed; some
said, "God is good, He may come."
Then the younger Brahman went to Brindaban, prostrated himself and
prayed to the image, "God of the Brahmans! thou art ever kind. Have pity
and save the honour of two Brahmans. I mind not whether I get the girl
or not, but it would be a great pity if a Brahman's promise is broken.
For this reason, do thou bear witness, for he who will not bear
testimony to the truth that he knows, commits a sin." Krishna replied,
"Brahman! return home, assemble the public, and meditate on me. I shall
appear and give my evidence. But my image can not be taken there." The
Brahman protested, "Even if you appear in your four-armed form, none
will believe you. But if this very image goes there and speaks out of
its mouth, then all will deem it true." Krishna said, "Nobody ever heard
of an idol travelling!" The Brahman replied "Why do you speak of being
an idol? You are not a mere image but the Darling of Brindaban. Do an
unprecedented act for the sake of a Brahman." Laughingly Gopal said,
"Hear, Brahman, I shall travel after you; but do not look behind, or
else I shall stop there. You will hear (on the way) only the jingling of
my _nupur_, and thus know that I am going on. Give me one _seer_ of
rice [daily], which I shall eat when accompanying you." Next day, after
taking the Lord's leave, the Brahman set out on his return, delighted to
hear the jingle of the _nupur_ behind him, and offering excellent rice
to the image. So he arrived near his village and then thought, "Now have
I come to my village and shall go home and tell the people of the
arrival of my witness. But I cannot believe if I do not see him with my
own eyes. It will be no harm if he stays here. So he looked behind him;
and Gopal stopped there, saying with a smile, "Go home; here will I stay
without going any further."
When the Brahman reported the tale, the people marvelled at it, and came
to see the witness. They bowed to Gopal, delighted with his beauty and
amazed to hear that the image had travelled thither. Then the old
Brahman in joy prostrated himself before Gopal, who gave his evidence
before the people, and the younger Brahman got his betrothed bride. The
Lord spoke to the two Brahmans, "You will be my servants birth after
birth. I am pleased with you; beg a boon." They prayed together, "Grant
us this that you remain here, so that all may know your favour to your
servants." Gopal remained there, and the two served him. The people of
the country flocked to see him. The king of the land heard the wonderful
legend and beheld the Gopal with supreme delight. He built a temple and
endowed the service of the god, who became famous under the name of
GOPAL THE WITNESS. Thus has _Sakshi-Gopal_ accepted, worship and stayed
at Vidya-nagar for long. Purushottam, the Rajah of Orissa, conquered the
country in battle and seized the many-jewelled throne named
_manik-sinhasan_. Purushottam Dev was a great devotee and entreated
Gopal to go to his capital. Gopal, pleased with his piety, consented and
was taken to Katak, where his worship was installed. The Rajah gave the
_manik-sinhasan_ to Jagannath. His queen, when visiting Gopal, gave him
many ornaments in devotion. A costly pearl hung from her nose, and
wishing to give it too she reflected, "Ah, if there had been a hole in
the Lord's nose, I, his hand maid, could have made him put this pearl
on!" With this thought she bowed and returned home. At the end of the
night Gopal appeared to her in a dream and said, "In my infancy my
mother had bored my nose and very tenderly hung there a pearl. The hole
is there still. Make me wear the pearl you wished to give." The queen
spoke to her husband, and the two went to the temple with the pearl,
hung it from the hole in the nose which was found out, and a great
festival of joy was held. From that day on has Gopal stayed at Katak and
been known as _Sakshi-Gopal_.
The master with all His disciples heard the legend of Gopal from
Nityananda and was delighted. While He stood before Gopal, the faithful
seemed to see them both as of one body, of one complexion, large-limbed,
red-robed, grave of mien, beaming with glory, lotus-eyed, moon-faced,
both of them in rapture for each other.
At the sight of both, Nityananda in great joy winked at the faithful and
they all smiled. So the night was passed in great entertainment, and
next morning, after witnessing the matin service, they set off.
Brindaban-das has described fully how He visited Bhubaneshwar on the way
(to the Blue Mountain). At Kamalpur He bathed in the Bhagi [2] river,
and gave His mendicant's stick to Nityananda to carry. With his
disciples He went to see Kapoteshwar [Shiva]. Here Nityananda broke the
Master's stick into three and threw it (into the river). From that Shiva
shrine the Master returned, and was thrown into ecstasy by the sight of
the spire [3] of the temple of Jagannath. He prostrated Himself and
danced in love; the disciples too, in love, danced and sang, following
the Master on the highway. He laughed, wept, danced, roared and shouted,
and made a thousand leagues of those six miles. On reaching Athara-nala
(Eighteen Water courses) the Master came to His senses a little and
asked Nityananda for His stick. But Nityananda answered, "It was broken
into three bits. You fell down in a swoon of devotion, and as I caught
you, we two tumbled on the stick which was broken by our weight. I know
not where it was dropped. Through my fault was your stick broken. Punish
me as you think fit." The Master was sad and spoke a little bitterly,
"You have all done me great good, forsooth, by coming to the Blue
Mountain! You could not even preserve the stick, my only property. You
go before me to see Jagannath or let me go there before you. But we will
not go together." Mukunda Datta said, "Master, go thou before us; we
shall arrive after and not in thy company". The Master hastened there.
None could understand the cause why one Master broke the other's stick
and why the latter suffered it to be done, or was angry at the result.
The deep mystery of the breaking of the stick can be understood only by
him who has constant faith in the two Masters. [Text, canto 5.]
[1] The image of _Sakshi-Gopal_ is now installed at a village of the
same name 48 miles south of Katak town.
[2] _Indian Atlas_ (sheet 116) names the river here as _Bargovee_.
[3] The place meant is evidently Jagannath Vallabh, six miles north of
Puri; from this place the spire of the temple of Jagannath can be seen.
_Athara-nala_ is two miles north of Puri.