Sanatan meets the Master and is taught of God's forms
At Gaur, Sanatan lay in prison, when to his delight he received Rup's
letter. Then he spoke to his Muslim jailor: "You are a living saint, a
very pious man, well-read in the _Quran_. [There it is written that] if
a man ransoms a captive with his wealth, God gives him salvation.
Formerly I had done you good turns; now show your gratitude by reliasing
me. I offer you five thousand Rupees. Accept the sum, and by setting me
free gain both money and religious merit."
The Muslim replied, "Hark you, Sir, I can let you off, but I fear the
Sultan." Sanatan rejoined, "Fear not the Sultan. He has gone to Orissa.
If he comes back, tell him that when Sanatan was sent to the bank of the
Ganges to ease himself, he jumped into the river, sank down with his
fetters, and could not be traced after much search. Fear not, I shall
not live in this country, but turn _darvesh_ and go to Mecca." The
Muhammadan was still reluctant. So Sanatan heaped up seven thousand
Rupees before him, at the sight of which his greed was roused. At night
he sent Sanatan across the river after filing off his fetters. Sanatan
avoided the road by Telia Garhi, the gate of Bengal, and travelling day
and night entered the Patra hills. There he besought a rustic land owner
to guide him over the hill. A palmist present with the landowner
whispered to him that Sanatan had eight gold coins with himself. At this
the man gladly promised to convey Sanatan over the hill by his own
servants at night and asked to prepare his meal in the meantime. With
marks of honour he gave him rice. Sanatan bathed in the river, broke his
two days fast, and reflected, "Why does this land-owner show respect to
me?" Then he asked [his attendant] Ishan if he had any property with
himself. Ishan replied, "Seven gold coins." At this Sanatan rebuked him
saying, "Why have you brought this deadly thing with yourself?" Then he
gave the seven pieces to the land-owner and sweetly said, "Take these
from me and honestly conduct me over the hill. I am a run-away from the
king's prison and cannot take the Telia Garhi road. You will acquire
merit if you help me to cross the hill." The land-owner replied, "I knew
before that your servant had eight gold pieces with him, and I had
determined to murder you at night for the money. It is well that you
have told me of the money, and so I have been saved from the sin of
murder. I am so pleased that I shall not take the coins, but guide you
gratis for the sake of merit."
But Sanatan urged, "Some one else will murder me for the money. Accept
it and save my life." Then the land-owner sent four footmen of his own,
who led Sanatan across the hill by the forest paths at night. Emerging
from the hill Sanatan asked Ishan, "I know you have still something
left." "Yes, one gold coin," answered Ishan. Sanatan said, "Return home
with it." So, leaving him, the holy man set out alone, a bowl in his
hand, a tattered quilt on his back, and (therefore) fearless (of
robbers). In course of time he reached Hajipur,[1] and in the evening sat
down in a garden. His brother-in-law, Shrikanta, a royal officer, lived
here, entrusted by the Sultan with three _lakhs_ of Rupees to buy and
despatch horses. From a height he discerned Sanatan, and at night came
to him with only one attendant. The two had a friendly meeting, and
Sanatan told the tale of his escape. Shrikanta said, "Stay here a day
or two. Put on decent robes and cast off your rags." Sanatan replied,
"No, I shall not linger a minute here. Help me to cross the Ganges, I
shall go away at once." Shrikanta with care gave him a Bhutia blanket
and ferried him over.
Sanatan in time reached Benares, where he was glad to hear of the
Master's arrival. Going to Chandra Shekhar's house, he sat down at the
gate. The Master, knowing it, told Chandra Shekhar, "There is a Vaishnav
at the gate. Bring him in." Chandra Shekhar reported to the Master that
there was no Vaishnav but only a _darvesh_ at the gate. The Master
replied, "Well, bring him in." Glad to be called, Sanatan entered. When
he was in the court-yard, the Master rushed out and embraced him in
rapture. At His touch Sanatan was overcome by love and cried out in a
faltering voice, "Touch me not! touch me not!" The two wept ceaselessly,
clasping each other's necks, to the wonder of Chandra Shekhar. Then the
Master took him by the hand and seated him by His side on the _veranda_
of the house, stroking Sanatan's body with His own hands. Sanatan cried,
"Touch me not, Master!" but the Master answered, "I touch you to purify
myself. Through the strength of your faith you can cleanse the whole
universe. Witness the _Bhagabat_, I. xiii. 8, VII. ix. 9. By seeing,
touching, and praising a _bhakta_ like you, all my senses are
gratified, as the scripture asserts. _Vide_ the
_Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya_, xiii. 2."
The Master continued, "Listen, Sanatan! Krishna is very kind, the
saviour of the fallen. He has delivered you from the worst hell
(_rauraba_). Limitless and profound is the ocean of his mercy." Sanatan
objected, "I know not Krishna. I recognize your grace as having effected
my deliverance." Then at the Master's request he told the whole story of
his flight. The Master told him, "I met both your brothers, Rup and
Anupam, at Prayag. They have gone to Brindaban." Then He introduced
Sanatan to Tapan Mishra and Chandra Shekhar. Tapan Mishra invited him,
the Master adding, "Go, Sanatan, shave yourself," and telling Chandra
Shekhar to take away the rags of Sanatan. They made him bathe in the
Ganges, and Chandra Shekhar gave him a new garment, which he refused to
accept. At this the Master was delighted exceedingly.
After His noon-day prayer, the Master went with Sanatan to dine at Tapan
Mishra's house. As He sat down to His meal He ordered the Mishra to
serve Sanatan also, but he replied, "Sanatan has some rites to perform.
You dine first. I shall give him your _prasad_." After dinner the
Master rested. The Mishra gave Sanatan His leavings and offered him a
new cloth, which Sanatan declined to accept, asking instead for one of
the Mishra's old clothes. So the Mishra gave him an old cloth, which he
cut into a waist-band and wrapper.
Sanatan was introduced by the Master to the Maratha Brahman, who gave
him a general invitation to dinner during the whole of his stay at
Kashi. But Sanatan declined saying, "I shall rove (begging alms) like
the bee. Why should I procure all my food from one Brahman's house."
Exceedingly pleased was the Master at Sanatan's detachment from the
world, and He often cast glances at the Bhutia blanket, from which
Sanatan guessed that He disapproved of it. So Sanatan planned to get rid
of the blanket. When he went to the Ganges to perform his noon-day
rites, he met a Bengali drying his quilt, and asked him to exchange it
for his blanket, as a favour. The man retorted, "Why are you, a
venerable man, mocking me? Why should you exchange your costly blanket
for a quilt?" Sanatan replied, "I am not joking but am in earnest. Do
make the exchange." So saying he gave up the blanket, placed the quilt
on his shoulders and came to Chaitanya. At the Master's query he told
the whole tale. The Master remarked, "I have thought of it. Krishna, who
has delivered you from attachment to earthly goods, cannot have left a
remnant of that attachment in you. No good physician leaves even a trace
of the disease unremoved. You were living on alms from door to door, and
yet there was a three Rupee blanket on your back! It spoiled your virtue
and made you a mock unto the beholders." Sanatan replied, "He who has
released me from worldly ties has also cured this last remnant of
worldliness in me."
The pleased Master showed grace to him, and thus emboldened him to put
questions. Formerly the Master had put questions to Ramananda Ray, which
the latter had answered under His inspiration. So, now, inspired by the
Master, Sanatan put questions, while He established spiritual truths.
Then Sanatan, biting a blade of grass as a token of abjectness, clasped
the Master's feet; and said, "Low-born, with low comrades, a fallen
wretch, I have wasted my life, plunged in the well of vile worldliness.
I know nothing of my own good or evil, but I have held as truth whatever
was approved in vulgar practice. As you have graciously saved me, tell
me of your grace what my duties are. Who am I? Why are the three
afflictions (_tapa_) oppressing me? I know not what will do me good. I
know not even how to ask about the truth of _sadhya_ and _sadhan_. Do
you of your own accord, unfold all these truths to me." The Master
replied, "Full is Krishna's grace to you. You know all the truths and
are not subject to the three afflictions. You are strong in Krishna's
strength, you know the truths already. It is the nature of _sadhus_ to
inquire about what they know, only to confirm it.
"You are a proper agent for preaching _bhakti_. Listen to all the
truths as I tell them in due order:
"The soul of man is the eternal servant of Krishna. The _tatastha_
power of Krishna manifests differences [between the Creator and His
creatures], just as a ray of the sun transforms itself into a flame of
fire. Krishna has by nature three powers:-_viz._, the _chit_, the
life, and the illusion powers. _Vide_ the _Vishnu Puran_ I. xxix. 50,
VI. vii. 60 and 61, I. iii. 2, the _Gita_ vii. 5 and 14, and the
_Bhagabat_, XI. ii. 35.
"When a creature forgets Krishna, his face is ever turned to external
things, and therefore under the influence of illusion he undergoes the
misery of being born in the world, now rising to heaven, now sinking to
hell, just as a criminal is ducked in water by royal command.
"If under the teaching of true scripture, a man turns to Krishna, he is
saved, he gets rid of illusion. A creature labouring under illusion
remembers not Krishna. So Krishna kindly created the Vedas and Purans.
He makes himself known through scripture, _guru_, and the soul; and man
comes to realize 'Krishna is my lord and saviour'. The Vedas treat of
Relation, Epithet, and Needs; that Relation is the attaining of Krishna,
faith is the means of this attainment, the epithets are his names; love
is the (supreme) need, the most precious treasure and the highest
achievement of humanity. _Madhur_ service is the means of gaining
Krishna. By serving him we can enjoy the relish of him. The following
parable will illustrate it: An all-knowing seer visited a poor man and
seeing his misery said, 'Why are you so poor? Your father has left you a
large legacy. He died elsewhere and therefore could not inform you of
it.' At these words the man began to hunt for his treasure. In the same
manner the _Vedas_ and _Purans_ instruct men about Krishna. The
counsel of the seer is the source, the treasure is the consequence. By
his own knowledge the man could not attain to his father's treasure the
seer had to tell him the method of discovering it: 'Here lies the
treasure. If you dig in the south, hornets will rise and not money. If
you dig west a gnome will show itself and hinder you. In the north your
diggings will discover a dark serpent, which will swallow you up. But by
digging a little on the east side you will get the pots of treasure.'
Similarly the _Shastras_ assert that leaving work, knowledge and
abstraction (_yog_), one can influence Krishna by faith alone. _Vide_
the _Bhagabat_, XI. xiv. 19 & 20.
"Therefore is faith the only means of gaining Krishna, and it is
described in all _Shastras_ as _abhidheya_. As wealth gives pleasure
and drives away sorrow of itself, so _bhakti_ kindles love of Krishna,
and when love is turned to Krishna man is freed from bondage to the
world. The fruit of love is not riches or the cessation of re-birth, but
its chief object is the enjoyment of the beatitude of loving."
[A long discourse on Krishna's forms, omitted in the second edition.]
[Text, canto 20.]
[1] The town of Hajipur on the north bank of the Ganges, opposite Patna,
was the seat of the governor of Bihar on behalf of the Sultans of
Bengal. (_Riyaz-us-salatin_, Eng. tr. 134 _n_.)