Bhakti Wisdom

During my school holidays I would often travel with parents to some famous christian holy places for piligrame.

I would observe people doing tapasya, special sadhana or particular service.

Some of the pilgrims would offer obeisances at that special place while others would recite prayers for their family or relatives.

Others would come and offer donation to priest to perform special prayer or puja for their well being and some piligrams would come just to do seva.

Observing this people I would often think about monks and sadhus living at this places and how fortunate they must be to be able to witness all this every day! They could every day be inspired by new piligrams who come to offer their devotion to the lord or take shelter of him.

Every day they could learn something new and develop deeper realisations.

Desire to live similar life was growing in my heart.

Now, years after that I’m in similar situation, living in holy place, in asram and observing thousands of piligrams coming to offer seva to Krishna and take shelter of him.

Every single guest has unique way of expressing his devotion to the Lord.

Few weeks ago while doing afternoon puja, temple room was empty and in this quiet and sacred atmosphere while preparing for puja I heard someone entering temple and starting to sing. Coming out of the pujari room I saw one sadhu reciting bhajans.

Curtain of the altar was closed and temple was empty but this sadhu with great devotion recited different bhajans in sankrsit and Bengali language.His deep devotion for the Lord was not only visible thru his singing but also thru his posture, mood of the singing and face expression. Every so often he would stop and with closed eyes meditate on the meaning of the bhajan.

His karatal playing was not perfect according musical standards but rather very simple.

Just by hearing his singing and playing karatals I felt deeply purified and transformed.

He didn’t have desire to impress anyone or to ask lord for benedictions. His only desire  was to associate with Lord thru his singing of Lord Holy names.

While hearing his singing I remembered my desire that I cultivated during my childhood.

Observing this sadhu made me to realise how important is to remember what we are praying and asking from the Lord  because Lord sometimes answers our prayers immediately and sometimes we need to wait many years before answer comes.

Difference between me and this sadhu was that i desired association of sadhus and to live in  the holy place so I can be happy but this sadhu prayed for residence at holy Dham so he can make Krishna happy.

B.G.14.25- The materially situated person is affected by so-called honor and dishonor offered to the body, but the transcendentally situated person is not affected by such false honor and dishonor. He performs his duty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and does not mind whether a man honors or dishonors him. He accepts things that are favorable for his duty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, otherwise he has no necessity of anything material, either a stone or gold.