Pushti Vaishnav VartasVartas from the Chaurashi Vaishnav ki Varta the 84 exlemporary deciples of Shri Vallabh and the 252 deciples of Shri GusaijiVarta Sahitya (Introduction)At atime when literacy was very limited, the propagators of thenewly found sect inVraj decided to emanate the main principles ofPushti Marg by way of reciting anecdotal stories from the lives ofgreat devotees.Shri Hariraiji was one ofthe greatest of these "story tellers" andalong with other learned members of the sect, they compiled two setsof stories - one set for the Vaishnavs who were converted by ShrimadVallabhacharyaji himself andanother set for theVaishnavs convertedby ShriVitthalnathji (Gosaiji).The first set comprises of 84 Vaishnavs andvarious anecdotal storiesfrom the lives of these great devotees and their families.The second set has 252 Vaishnavs and their lifeexperiences with-inPushti Marg.As these stories reflect on the "best of the best", it follows that ShriMahaprabhu andShri Gosaiji hadmany more devotees than thosementioned in the Varta Sahitya.By the time the anthology was beingcompiled (about 3rd- 4th generation from the time of Shri Vallabh),many of the devotees were no longer alive andso theevidence fromtheir lives is often second-hand atbest.The number of Vaishnavscommented upon in thefirst anthology reflects thistime differentials.The number of devotees in thesecond anthology reflects thefact thatmany of Shri Gosaiji's deciples were still alive or had relatives whocould recount the spiritual experiences of their family members.Asmany of these people were geographically closer to Vraj / Gokul,they were able to get a greater mention than the Vaishnavs who livedfar away.As these stories were compiled much after the event, a lot ofallegories and "meaning" has been added to the stories to make themas effective a medium for teaching as possible.The number ofstories added to each set was also governed by this desire to have adeeper, more spiritual meaning tothem.Hence, the 84 Vaishnavs ofShri Vallabh corresponds to the"84 kosh" (kosh is ameasure ofdistance) pilgrimstravel around Vraj.The 252 Vaishnavs of Shri Gosaijiare exactly 3 times as manyas inShri Vallabh's anthology.Where as Shri Vallabh's disciples wereconsidered to be beyond the three gunas (nature - viz pure,materialistic andbad/ lazy), Shri Gosaiji's disciples were supposed tocomprise of all three gunas.Hence, 84 vartas of Shri Gosaiji'sdeciples belong to his "Satvic" students, 84 to "Rajasi" and 84 to"Tamasi" students, making the grand totalof 252 vartas.Each Varta and each Vaishnav is suppose to have a previousincarnation(s) in the "time before time".This is normally relatedalong with the reason for their fall from grace (hence birth on thisearth) and howthey regained the divine grace by meeting up withtheir divine mentor.Each Vaishnav is also considered to be apart ofthe divine/ spiritual body of Shri Vallabh, and thisis also sometimesrelated as - so and so Vaishnav was the "eye" of the great Guru etc...All these tools helped toteach / communicate the core message ofthesect.Varta Sahitya was devised as a tool for teaching the lay devotees andhence it was written in colloquial language of the time - Vrajbhasha.As this method of teaching evolved and spread to other parts of thecountry, the Varta Sahitya was translated in theregional languages ofthe devotees beingtaught.The Varta Sahitya is a great historical document ofthe life andtimesof Shri Vallabh, Gosaiji and his children.It is also an interestinginsight intothe social fabric of medieval north India.The lives ofmen and womenin these vartas explore the spiritual, economical andsocial realities of the times.It is amazing to comapre our lives withour ancestors, 500 years on !!!

84 vaishnavsKUMBHANDAS

Kumbhandas was one of the original 84 disciples of Shri. Vallabhacharyaji (also knownas Mahaprabhuji )in theearly 1500. He lived in a village named Jamunavata located inVrajbhumi ; with his family of eightmembers.Kumbhandas had avery small farmwhich he cultivated to feed his family.He had few material possesions and afarmer'slife is always a hard one. Though poor, he maintained high self-respect and asaVaishnav he would not accept any free offerings from anyone.When he learned that a great person -acharya has cometo Anyora town; Kumbhandasand his wife went to Anyora to meet with Shri Vallabhacharyaji.Kumbhandas was recognized as one of the Ashtasakha in Pushtimarg; which means thathe was one of the eight close friend of ShriNathji. Ashtasakhas were great song writersandsingersof praisesof shri Goverdhannathji. This highestesteem wasachieved byKumbhandas by his absolute dedication and Love for ShriNathji.Once Raja Mansinh visited Kumbhandas and offered him essentials items of his dailyneeds such asa mirror tosee his Tilak and household items but he politely declined andresponded that Godcreates everything Ineed in mysmall farm and I cannot keep goodthings in mypoor house.I usethe corn,wheat, milk andvegetables produced in myownfarm.Kumbhandas was mainly involved in serving Shrinathji and he wrote and sang manyPadas & Kirtans. He was sodedicated that everyday hewould climbup and downGiriraj mountain to pray and sing kirtans to please Shri Goverdahnnathji. Kumbhandaswas very fortunate to experience meeting with and talking to shri Goverdhannathji.They both often played together.BHAV- Truedevotee ofGod dedicates everything tothe service ofshri Goverdhannathjiand they gainthe benefit ofseeing within themselves the realhappiness being nexttoGod and his Leela .A noteworthy story of Raja Mansinh who was returning home after his victory of manystates. He visited Mathura, Vrindavan, and at last came to Giririaj mountain to offer hisprayers to shri Goverdhannathji. While worshipping he experienced soothing effects tohis heart; as he noticed the grand style offerings of flowers, fragrances, ornaments ofpearls, white cooling costumes on the Lord. He mentioned that the real experience ofdarshanof Lord ShriKrshna is right herewhat he saw in Shri Goverdhannathji. He feltthe pleasure of his life time at this Darshana while Kumbhandas was singing followingkirtan tothe Lord."Roop dekhi naina palak lage nahi,Goverdhandhar keang-ang pratinirkhi naina man rahatnahi.""Kahari kahon kuchh kahat na aavechitt choryo ve mange dahiKumbhandasPrabhu milivekisunder baat sakhiyan so ju kahi."KumbhandasThere are many stories of Kumbhandas- one ofthe Great 84 Vaishnavas who had metwith Shri Goverdhannathji. Kumbhandas hadseven sons bythe graceof shriVallabhacharyji.

RAMDASRamdas finds a 'svarupa'of LordKrshnaRamdas once inthe company ofa wandering devotee went on a pilgrimage to theGangaSagar where he foundamongst the sand,a 'svarupa'of Child Krshna. On showing the'swarupa' to his companion, his friend exclaimed, 'It is your great fortune to have foundsuch a deity. Now you should perform his worship.' Ramdas then mentioned that he didnot have aguru, to which thedevotee replied that he should becomethe disciple of ShriMahaprabhu, who had just gone to Jagannath Puri. Hearing that, Ramdas headed hometo fetch his wife so that they both might receive initiation.Having just arrived at Jagannath Puri Ramdashappened to stay at thesame gardenwhere Shri Mahaprabhu was. At that moment Shri Mahaprabhu casually asked him,'Ramdas, how didyou find that 'svarupa' ofLord Krshna at the GangaSagar? Pleaseshow him to me.' Surprised, Ramdas thought, 'He must be a great soul. He has neverseen me, yethe knows of mydiscovery.' Ramdas bowed toShri Mahaprabhu andrequested him to gracehis home. The guru then visited his home inPatna, where heinitiated Ramdas and his wife, and taught them the ways of devotional service. Fromthat day, Ramdas performed Krshna's 'seva' strictly and diligently.The Lord cannot bearhis devotee'stroubleOnce Ramdas began to run out money and any he had left he gave to some weavers, whorepaid him with interest. Ramdas expressed the pleasure he experienced on receiving theinterest on his money tothe Lord, the Lord replied to him 'You have put theinterest ofthose weavers above me even'. Ramdasthen realised that his attraction formoney was ahindrance tohis devotional service tothe Lord. Thus he requested tothe weavers toreturn the principal saying 'I have some work with myLad. Iam obliged to do whateverhe says'. The weaver thinking that he was talking of an ordinary child returned themoney. When Ramdas had completely exhausted his wealth his attachment to currencywas finally severed.On another occasion Ramdas borrowed money from abusinessmanand when hedemanded his money back Ramdas borrowed it from another businessman. Ramdasbecame very distressed when he could notrepay themoney and thus returned home.The Lord being unableto tolerate thetrouble ofhis devotee repaid thebusinessmanwith one hundred extra rupees, signed Ramdas's name and thenleft. Several days laterRamdas was walking when the businessman (who Ramdas believed he still owed moneyto) fell to his feet and said 'You have kept your promise. You have repaid me withonehundred extra rupees; please take the additional rupees back.' Ramdas then realisedthat the Lord must have given him the money and whenhe went to the shophe found hissignature that had been signed by the Lord. From this moment Ramdas saw thedifficulties he was causing to Krshna and thus from this incident his false pride inperforming Krshna's 'seva' was removed.Ramdas becomes a policemanRamdas took up employment as a policeman inPrayaga. Onone occasion when he wentto visit ShriMahaprabhu, Shri Mahaprabhu said tothe people there 'Ramdas is themost blessed.' The other Vaishnavas unable to understand this asked 'why is he blessed

since he has left his 'strict seva' to work as a policeman. Shri Mahaprabu replied 'he isblessed because he is concerned that he may not cause his Lord any inconveniences. Hisspiritual firmness is unmatched.'All seva is equalRamdas was never interested inreceiving any fame orglory for his 'seva' and he lookedupon all types ofservicewhether grandiose orunobtrusive as beingequal. Once ShriMahaprabhu on his way tothe Shri Yamuna river noticed a ditch in front of his door,Ramdas hearing this started to fill in the hole immediately. When Shri Mahaprabhureturned he saw the hole gone and Ramdas's soiled clothes, he then praised Ramdas fordoing this. Ramdas considered it a great fortune to have had this chance to serve ShriMahaprabhu.A desire for a childOnce Ramdas's wife expressed herdesire to have a child. Ramdas enlightened herbysaying 'your desire will be fulfilled when you serve the Lord with maternal feelings.'Ramdas told his wife toworshipKrshna in orderto attain the transcendental emotionalstate of Krshna's mother, Yashoda. But since Ramdas's wife's understanding was notsublime, sheperformed the Lord's 'seva' with thehope of having a son.Her wish wasgrantedand shewas gave birth to ason.Ramdas never had any material/worldly desires and thus received his Guru's fullflavourPadmanabhDasjiNormally, a Varta contains the anecdotes from the life of a single Vaishnav. Inthisinstance,the livesofPadmanabhji, Tulasa, Parvatiji and RaghuNathdasjihave been grouped together as "one varta" because it reflects on the greatdevotion to the Lord from members of the same family - the family ofShriPadmanabhdasji.Story No. 1Padmanabhdasji was a renowned orator of Purans in the medievalcity of Kanoj. So many people came to hear him at his own home, that he neverhad to leave his home to earn any money. When Acharya Shri Mahaprabhujivisited Kanoj, Padmanabhji visited him to pay his respects to him. Hearing ShriVallabh recite the Bhagvat Puran, he was convinced that Shri Acharya was theLord incarnate. He requested the Lord to make him his disciple. Graceful as hewas, Shri Mahaprabhuji accepted him as his disciple and gave him the sacredbrahmasambandha.Later, during a personal audience with Shri Mahaprabhuji, Acharya Shri recited ashloka to him, which, in essence means, "One should not make money by sellingthe Lord's name. Lord's name should only be taken to gain His love." RecitingShri Bhagvat Puran to make money comes in to this category. Being intelligent,Padmanabhdasji realised that this was Acharyaji's way ofpointing outhismistakes and so took a vow never to recite any Purans to make money ! ShriVallabh was taken aback by the suddenness of his new disciple's vow."Padmanabh, if you do this, how will you make any money ? This is yourlivelihood ! True, you should not recite the Bhagvatam to make money, but youare allowed, by laws of the scriptures, to make money by reciting Itihaas (ancienthistories) such as MahaBharata." But, Padmanabhji was unswerving in hisresolve.He decided not tomake anymore money by telling kathas.As a householder, he had no choice but to earn something to feed his family, sohe decided to follow the traditional occupation of his caste and went to hisYajman (his chief host and financial supporter in the community) for somemoney. His Yajman was very honoured to receive such a distinguished brahminin his house. With the greatest of respect, he gave Padmanabhdasji all the wealthhe desired. But, Padmanabhji was perturbed that he was making money by thevirtue of his caste, and no other merit of his own. This sort of high class beggingwas far too hurtful for his high morals.When he decided to give up this sort of living, once again, Shri Mahaprabhuji,ever concerned about the spiritual and material well being of his disciples, askedhim, how would he support his family now ?Once again, thinking ofhow to carryout his duties as a householder, without breaking the laws of the scriptures, hedecided to start a business to support his family. He would sell cowry shells,wood etc to make enough money to provide the basic needs of the family. Sogreat was his devotion to the Lordand thescriptures, that heleft the life ofluxuryand etched out ameagre living rather than disobey the Lord.Once, he asked Shri Mahaprabhuji to show him the greatness of the Lord ShriKrshna. Ever compassionate, Shri Vallabh asked him to visit him in Vraj to

satisfy his ultimate desire. Ever obedient, Padmanabhji visited his Guruji in Vrajto witness and experience the greatness of the Lord. In Vraj, on the banks of theriver Yamunaji, there is a small clearing in the forest near Mahavan, calledRamanrati. It is here that the gopies recited their famous Gopigeet and played raaswith the Lord. When visiting this area with his Guruji, Padmanabhji saw a cliffface slide into the river and an enormous form of the Lord was revealed !! Thisform was as tall as 7 tala trees ! and it encompassed the entire Vraj and all thefavourite sakhies of the Lord. Seeing the Lord in all his magnificence, ShriVallabh said, "My Lord,in thisage ofKali, this formof you istoo greatforanyone to worship ! Please reduce this form to a size more suitable for seva inthis Yuga." Ever merciful, the Lord reduced his form to make it easy forPadmanabhji to worship Him. As this form encompassed the entire Vraj and theLord's beloved companions, Shri Vallabh called Him "MathuraNathji" and gavePadmanabhji instructions on how to worship him. Padmanabhji returned to Kanojwith this great image of theLord.Story No.2At one time, Shri Mahaprabhuji was in Prayag and Shri Gosaiji wasat Adel, a few miles down the river from him. At night, Shri Mahaprabhujidecided that heneededto speakto ShriGosaiji onanurgentmatter.HeaskedPadmanabhji togo toAdel andreturnwith Shri Gosaiji. Without asinglequestion, he obeyed this command and came to the river to find a boat to ferryhim across the river. Despite the fact that it was a dark night and all the boatmenhad gone home, Padmanabhji found that a young boy was waiting for him at theghat. He willingly ferried Padmanabhji across the river and even waited for himwhile he fetched Shri Gosaiji and rowed them back to Prayag. Before they couldpay him, the young boy and his boat disappeared into the night mist.When the other devotees heard about theincidence, theyremonstrated thatPadmanabhji had caused the Lord Shri Nathji much trouble by his behaviour !!By making the Lord thus come and ferry him across the river and back, he hadmade the Lord work for him !! But, Padmanabhji did not retaliate. He retained hiscomposure and kept quite on the subject. On hearing that the other Vaishnavswere taunting Padmanabhji, Shri Mahaprabhuji himself came to his defence andtold them that Padmanabhji had acted in perfect accordance with His orders. Hehad carried out his duty to the perfect satisfaction of his Guruji. The Lord ShriNathji hadrequestedthis meeting, andsoHe organised theferrying ofShriGosaiji and his devotee. There was nothing wrong with what Padmanabhji didand to remonstrate him was unfair and against the spirit of being an obedientshishya (student/ devotee).Story No.3A merchant once joined the group that was travelling with ShriMahaprabhuji and accompanied him to Kanoj. But, instead of joining himinKanoj, hedecided tostrike acamp outsideof thetown.However, thatday,atmidday,herantoPadmanabhdasji's house seeking aid and assistance in anurgentvoice. Whilst outside of town, some highwaymen robbed him of all his goods andhenowwantedShri AcharyaCharantohelphim regainhiswealth.Padmanabhdasji had just cooked the afternoon meal for the Acharyaji and wasconcerned that if the merchant told his tale to the Acharyaji or made too muchnoise with his whining, Mahaprabhuji will get upset and not eat his meal.Taking the man aside, he asked him if he would leave in peace if he got enoughmoney to compensate him for the goods he lost to the robbers. The man was amerchant !He didnot carehow hegot his money, if Padmanabhdasji was able tohelp him, he would not care to approach Shri Acharya for help !! Padmanabhdasjitook theman to amoneylender and compensated him with money for the value ofthe goods he lost. Padmanabhdasji asked the moneylender to formalise thearrangement bywritingdown theamount of money hehad borrowed on behalf ofthe merchant andalso the details ofinteresthewould have topay.Themoneylender was happy to take Padmanabhdasji's word on the transaction, butPadmanabhdasji insistedon havingeverything writtendown onpaper sothatitwas all above board and legally confirmed.When Shri Mahaprabhuji heard of this, he was upset on behalf of Padmanabhdasjiand asked him why he took on such a large debt for a merchant who was a totalstranger for them all. " Padmanabhdas, had you taken out an insurance against theloss of this merchant's goods ? Why have you taken on this debt when you haveno real means ofpaying off this debt ?"Padmanabhdasji, with due humility replied, "My Lord, if that man had disturbedyour lunch, I would not have forgiven myself. Even if I have to sell myself toserve you, I would do so gladly, again and again ! This merchant, is a traveller.He goes around thecountry, trading fromone town toanother. If hespreads a talethat he was robbed whilst travelling with you, this would do you greatinjustice,but would damage your good name none-the-less. Now, having regained hiswealth with relative ease, he will happily tell all and sundry about the great goodfortune he had of travelling with you, and how, having lost all his wealth, heregained it by the virtue of having had you as his travel companion. This sort ofpublicity of your good name can not be bought for love or money ! I have donethis to preserve the good of my Guru, and it is as should be, for I am your mostdutiful servant. Money is easy to earn and easy to loose. My Guruji's honour isabove all the wealth of thisworld."Impressed by this answer, Shri Vallabh still pressed him for more clarification. "Padmanabhdas, how can you take on a debt on your head when there is noguarantee ofliving longenoughto payit off ! Howdo you intendtoachieveliberation with a debt on your head?"Padmanabhdasji bowed low and said, "The Lord is sure to find a way to do allthat is necessary for me to merge with him. What is impossible for the Lord ?This debt is but aminor detail in the big plan of things. Please do not worry aboutthese minor money matters. Your peace and happiness are far more precious tome than anything else in this world."After Shri Vallabh had resumed his journey, Padmanabhji went to a king andoffered to recite Mahabharta to him and his court. So excellent was the recitation,and so graphic was his portrayal of the great battle, that all the participants in thekatha had to leave their weapons outside katha pavilion, just in case they startedto kill each other in the heat of things ! Indeed, the king and his court were soroused by the rendition about the battle that many started to fight with their barehands ! The king was highly impressed by the oratory and skill ofPadmanabhdasji. He offered him a huge amount of money as a donation forhaving recited the Mahabharata so wonderfully to him and his court. But,Padmanabhdasji refused to take the money personally. He showed the king thecontract letter from the moneylender and asked him to pay off the debt, with

interest as stated in the original contract. The king was more than happy to payoff the debt and pay much more on top, but, Padmanabhdasji refused to take anyextra money. He was satisfied enough to have his debt paid off, extra money wasof no interest to him. He believed 100% in the Lord's ability to look after hisdevotees. What need had he to store wealth, when his Lord was the Lord of allthe wealth in the universe !!!!! So strong was his belief in the words of the Lord,as stated in the works of Shri Mahaprabhuji (VivekDhairyAshraya, SiddhantRashasya etc), Vedas, Purans and the Upnishadas (Shrimad BhagvadGeeta etc),that he was willing to live by them rather than just preach them to the world atlarge.Story No.4Padmanabhji had two daughters and a son. His eldest daughter,Tulasa, was widowed at a very young age. Padmanabhji decided to marry hisseconddaughtertoadevotee oftheLordVallabh.Somevaishnavasrecommended a young brahmin from the Sanadhya community. Hearing that hewas a Vaishnav, Padmanabhji decided to marry his daughter to him, despite thefact that his caste membersmay notapprove ofhim marryingoutsidetheircommunity. Everyone in the family, including his elder daughter, voiced theirconcern about this out of community marriage, but, Padmanabhji was steadfast inhis resolve.When Tulsa pressed the point a bit too far, Padmanabhji asked her to first cut offhis thumb andthan announce thebreakage ofthe engagement !Seeing theastonishment on Tulsa's face, he said "It is with his thumb that I have applied theauspicious vermilion mark on the boy's forehead, and thus formally agreed on thisengagement. If you cut off this relationship, you might as well cut off the thumbthat sealed the agreement ! Shri Mahaprabhuji has taught us to be one - i.e., beVaishnavs. These divisions of caste and community are aliento the creedofPushti. I will wed my daughter to a Vaishnav of good conduct, because, he is ofthe Pushti Marg community. That to me is more important than any other worldlycaste or community." So staunch a Vaishnav was he that he braved thedisapproval of his community in order to live by the teachings of the Acharyaji.Story No.5A lady from the warrior caste started to visit their home on a regularbasis for the darshan of the Lord. However, Tulasa felt that the lady was notcoming to thedarshan for darshan sakeonly. So, one day, she inquired as to whythe lady was coming so regularly to their house. Honest enough, the lady said,"Shri Padmanabhji is a great man. Being a truly compassionate Vaishnav, I amsure hewill bless mewith a child. Please ask him to plead on my behalf and Iamsure the Lord will than grant me achild."Tulsa felt sorry for the lady. She was in the presence of the UniversalLord(MathuraNathji) and all she could ask for was a child ! A child that would tie herever more to this world of maya and emotional entanglements. Being a trueVaishnav, she could see, and indeed feel, the social and emotional pain of theskhatriya woman.Inthose days,achildless womanwas shunnedinthecommunity. Ata time when the women from such high castes lived inveryclosed communities, living alife that did not conform to thesocial norm was veryhard and cruel. Having a (male) child was essential at a time when there was noother way to ensure support and protection in old age. This was particularly true

Padmanabhdashttp://pushti-marg.net/padmanabhdas.htm[9/9/2010 7:13:47AM]for women at that time. Tulasa, being achild widow, knew all this too well.One day, she informed her father of the lady's desire to be blessed with a child.Padmanabhdasji, being the servant of Shri Vallabh that he was, thought itimpertinent to disturb his God or Guruji with such minor requests. Instead, hegave Tulasa some water with which he had washed his feet and instructed her totell the lady to drink it. "Tell the lady to name her son Mathuradas, for he is aboon of the Lord." Sure enough, in due course, the lady delivered a health youngson, who was named Mathuradas to honour the Lordof Padmanabhji.At no point in this incidence did Padmanabhji think that he was granting the sonby the virtue of his blessing. He was convinced that the Lord was the doer andmover ofthe universe andthat he (Padmanabhji) was but a member of the Lord'slila (divineplay). He gave water from his feet rather than the Lord's ashe thoughta boon for a child was too material for him to approach the Lord with. Had thelady askedfor bhakti, orevenmukti, he would have invariablyasked the Lord orShri Vallabh to bless the woman. But a child ! That was too "samsaric" a desireto ask the Lord to give His blessing ! As in the earlier incidence with themerchant, Padmanabhji thought that disturbing his Guruji, or indeed God, forsomething asnon-spiritual asprogenywas unnecessary.Story No.6Ramdasji, eldest sonof Padmanabhji, decided toleave his seva (Lord)with hisfather andleft for apilgrimage to the Vraj. At Shri Acharyaji's behest, hestayed on as the Lord's "bhitaria" - a class of temple priests / servants who workin the inner most sanctum of the haveli. During this time, the Mughal armiesattacked Kanojand looted much ofthe town. In the loot, the chief generaldecidedto take the Lord Ramdasji used to worship. As Padmanabhji was now in directcharge of this seva, he followed his Lord in captivity and pleaded the Mughalgeneraltoreleasethe Lord. When the general refused, hewent on a hunger strikeand refused to eat or drink anything until the Lord was released back into hiskeeping. After seven days, the wife of the Mughal general intercepted on behalfof Padmanabhji and asked her husband to do the right thing and give the Lordback. Being a Muslim, he had no real desire to worship the Lord and if thisbrahmin died at their door, they would incur great sin. Emperor Amber was anenlightened rulerwho hadgreat respect for Shri Vallabh and if this servant of hisdied at their door, the Emperor would not be very forgiving to the general. So,considering all these points, she helped release Ramdas's Lord back toPadmanabhji.Just as a merchant celebrates the regaining of lost treasure, Padmanabhji rejoicedthe fact his Lordwas now backwith him. He bathedhim in Panchamrit(fivetypes of libations considered to be pure and pre-requisite for all ritual baths) andoffered him Mahaprasaad. In Vraj, Ramdasji also heard about the sacking ofKanoj and capture of his Lord. Like his father, he too went on a hunger strike.But he never wavered or slacked off in his duties for Shri Nathji. When the Lordwas released, hetoo, like his father, resumed taking food andwater.When Padmanabhji heard of this, he decided to visit Vraj and comfort his sonand assure him that his (Ramdas's Lord) was being properly taken care of. Thefather and son met at mount Govardhan and Padmanabhji asked his son, "Whenthe Lordwas taken bythe general,I fasted because I failed in taking care of him.It wasmyresponsibilitytohaveHim released, no matter what. But, son, why didyou fast for seven days ?" Ramdasji replied, "Father, I too worshipped that Lord.I therefore share in hisjoys andwoes. In relationshipsbetweentwo humans,weshare our joys and sorrows openly andfreely. If that is truein themundanerelationship between humans, how much greater should it be in the spiritualrelationship between the Lord and me !As our relationship goes backmanyyears, if the Lord is upset, I too get upset." It is this attachment to the Lord thateventually wins usHis grace (Pushti).Story No.7At one time, Padmanabhdasji decided to move from Kanoj and livenear his beloved Guruji at Adel. It would offer him and his family an excellentopportunity to hear the precious sermons ofShri Vallabh and indeed, gethisguidance on spiritual matters. However, having given up his normal livelihood,Padmanabhji had fallen on bad times. The times when he lived the life of luxuryand leisure were long gone. There was considerable shortage of funds and often,he had to make do without some of the basic necessities. Consequently, he andhis family lead asimplelife, living in asmall hut on the sacred banks of the holyGanges. Due to shortage of money, he sometimes had no food other than somechickpeas to offer the Lord and indeed, to eat himself. But, in our Pushti Marg,the bhava (feeling/ emotion), is greater than the material item, and so, he wouldoffer the Lord the chick peas and imagine that he was offering the Lord asumptuous feast in form of the chick peas !! The Lord is hungry for our love,material matterslittletothe Lordofthe Universe. What does hecare if youofferhim ahuge banquet, if there is no love in the offering !The Lord does not feed onthe mortal food, but rather theimmortal bhava that isofferedwith the food!!Unfortunately, some of his fellow Vaishnavs did not appreciate this part of theAcharya'steachings.Rather than understand andappreciate this, they went to badmouth thegreat devoteeandinformed thegreat Acharya thatPadmanabhjiwasoffering the Lord only chick peas in place of rich foods !! Shri Mahaprabhuji isan ocean of understanding and compassion. He immediately understood thedilemma facedby his devotee, and sodecided to payhim a visit to see if his mindwas still set firm on his path togaining the Lord's grace -Pushti.During his visit, Shri Vallabh asked Padmanabhji, "Please explain why you havemade so many small piles of chick peas in the plate before the Lord." With duehumbleness, Padmanabhji explained that this was his way of serving the Lord allthat he desired, whilst living within his own financial limitations. "My Lord, thisonepile represents sweets, thisone represents khir, this oneis for rice, this one isvegetables, and this one for the Lord's beloved butter-milk." Satisfied with hisanswer and more to the point, his bhava, Shri Mahaprabhuji left him with ablessing fromthe bottom of his heart.However, on hearing about this incidence, Shri Gosaiji decided to assist thebeleaguered devotee by sending him some groceries, so that he could make thebhog (food) appropriate for Shri MathuraNathji. Padmanabhji was a littleperturbed on receiving the food items sent to him from the personal stores of hisGuruji. He asked his daughter to keep the food aside and not to use it in thepreparation for any food in the house. Shri Gosaiji sent another package of foodthe next evening as well. Contemplating on this matter, Padmanabhji decided thatit was time he moved on. He could not accept the food sent from his Guruji'spersonal stores, and at the same time, he could not ask him to stop sending thefood, asthat would betoo rudeand inappropriate. As the food was being sent for

Padmanabhdashttp://pushti-marg.net/padmanabhdas.htm[9/9/2010 7:13:47AM]the good of Shri MathuraNathji, he consulted the Lord by asking Him if hewanted this food, or was he happy to eat the chick peas he had to offer ? "MyLord, I have only these chick peas to offer you. They are all I have. If you desirefine foods, I will leave you in the care of Shri Vallabh." The Lord,evercompassionate, replied that "I would rather stay with you and eat what ever youoffer me,than leave you.Ido not desire a feast made of perishable food, I wouldrather feast on your non-perishable bhava. All I want is your love and devotion.All else is secondary."Hearing this, he decided to return to Kanoj that very night. Gathering up hisfamily and what little possessions they had, he asked took them to the docksideon theriver askedthem towait on a boat with their Lord MathuraNathji. Early inthe morning, hewentto sayhis good bye to Shri Mahaprabhuji. He alsoreturnedall the groceries that had been sent to him by Shri Gosaiji. When Shri Gosaijiheard that Padmanabhji had left Adel, he was very surprised indeed, but ShriMahaprabhuji explained that by sending him food, Gosaiji had embarrassed himand interfered with is seva. What the Lord wants from his devotee is not moneyand material goods, but love and devotion. Also, a devotee can't take money ormaterial from his Guruji's house without hindering his spiritual progress.Padmanabhji was well aware of this and he would rather suffer separation fromhis beloved Guruji rather than break his vows andduties as aVaishnav.

Having thus read thegreat devotion of these Vaishnavs, let ustoo prayfor theLord'sgrace, so that we maybe inspired by their stories and we toomay getcloser to God.Bhagwat ShahReturn to the Index

Stories of Tulasa

Story No.1 & 2Tulasa was very diligent in her seva of the Lord. Once a Vaishnav (brahminby cast)fromthe Gaudcountry (modernOrrisa)came to do the darshans at her house. Tulasaofferedhim some rice asprasaad fromthe food shehadofferedat Rajbhog. Unfortunately, theyoung man declined to take the pradsaad and pleaded the excuse that he had to go home andhave a bath before his meal. The rules of caste restrictions were still very strong in his mindand hecould not bring himself to eat rice cookedby members of another community.Upset, Tulasa alsowentwithout eating her Mahaprasaad as well. The Lord came to her in herdream and instructed her to cook prasaad for the Vaishnav for the next day, for the Lord saidhe will eat the prasaad the next day. Knowing full well the reason for his refusal, Tulasadecided to cook prasaad (sweets) that the young man could eat without breaking his casterules. The next day, the Vaishnav came early to have a darshan of the Lord and willingly satdown to take the Mahaprasaad. When Tulasa offered the sweets, the brahmin asked her togive him some rice ! Surprised, Tulasa said that this was not possible and the sweets that shewas offering would be perfectly OK for him to eat without breaking any caste rules. But theyoung man insisted on eating rice.He explained that yesterday night, the Lord came to him in his dream and ordered him to eatrice and daal from this Mahaprasaad. "Vaishnavs must not discriminate amongst each other.Thisgoes against the principles andindeed, the very spirit, of PushtiMarg. As devotees of theLord and Shri Vallabh, they are to function as one community. How can you do thisif youhold onto your petty caste rules andrefuse to even eat atother's houses ? More over, the foodoffered to the Lord belongs to Him and therefore, it is above and beyond any caste or creed.No Vaishnav should refuse to eat prasaad of the Lord, for it is the most tangible item ofLord's grace -food from His plate !"Story No.3Once, ShriGosaiji visited Kanoj. Tulasa served the sonof Shri Vallabh with greatlove andcare. She would converse on religious matter with Shri Gosaiji andhe wasveryimpressed by her indeed. He remarked that progeny of such a learned and true Vaishnav isexactlyasit should be!He askedher if the Lord was conversing with her. Tulasa, humbleasshe was, replied, "We eat till our stomachs are full and sleep peacefully. The only good thingwas, we read the works of Shri Vallabh." Shri Gosaiji was very impressed by thisanswerindeed.Tulasa's answer can be read in three ways. Indeed, as a humble servant, she is saying thatbeing an ignorant soul, like all creatures of this universe, she too sought only the basic needsof life - eat, drink and be merry ! The only spiritual thing she did in her life was to read andmeditate on the good works of Shri Vallabh.On a different level, she meant, Having separated from the Lord, I have taken birth in manydifferent species. In all those lives, I did so much to fill this stomach ! I toiled and evensinned tofill this eternally empty hole called "stomach" !But, Iwas never satisfied. Thanks tothe Lord and Shri Vallabh,I am now satisfied andno longerwishtomaintainthisbody justfor the sake of material enjoyment. I now maintain this body (and feed the stomach) so I cando seva!! Inall mylives, Ihavenever had peaceful sleep. Forever worried about how to liveon, Ihavenotreally"slept"till this life. Through the Lord's grace, I now realise that he is thetrue Lord and master of my life. I now sleep peacefully because I know my Lord is takingcare of me - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ! Through the grace of Shri Vallabh, I have nowrealised that these two truths andso inthis life, Iam very happyand truly satisfied.On the third level, more spiritual level, she meant to say, The Lord grants us as much "rasa"(enjoyment of the Lord's lila) as we are able to stomach - hence I have a full stomach. Beingan intimate servant of the Lord, I am at peace with my self and hence am able to sleeppeacefully. And all this is through the grace of theLord Shri Vallabh !Havingthus read the great devotion of these Vaishnavs, let us too pray for theLord's grace, sothat we may beinspired by their stories and wetoo may get closerto GodStory of Parvatiji

Parvatiji was the daughter-in-law of Padmanabhji. Once, she noticed some whitespots on her hands and feet. Fearing that this skin disorder may stop her fromservingthe Lord, she wrote aletter to Shri Gosaiji and requested him to guide herin thismatter. Shri Gosaiji read theletter and wasvery moved tohearthatParvatiji was unable to do her seva as freely as she might have wished.Seva should always bedone with one'smind unfettered by worldly worries. If youare still thinking about other things whilst doing the seva, how can youconcentrate on Shri Thakorji ? Due to her illness, Parvatiji was feelinguncomfortable doing shringar and indeed, cooking food for the Lord with herhands, hands that she felt were somehow unworthy of touching the Lord. Gosaijicould understand that this was a major hindrance in her seva.Having given itsufficient thought, Shri Gosaiji wrote to her,"Carryon withtheseva as normal. Do not worry, the Lord will take care of everything and soonenough, you will be as well asever." Her faith in Guru andGod weresoimmense, that sure enough, within a few months, her skin disorder disappearedand she was well again. Indeed, faith can move mountains !Suffering inthis lifeis theend resultof ourown bad karmas(actions).Thesekarmas may have originated in this or previous lives. We must all suffer theconsequences of our actions. The best way to do this is to take everything in ourstride and accept the situation the Lord has ordained for us. Like thegreatVaishnavs of old, we must have firm faith that the Lord will take care ofeverything.Having thus read the great devotion of these Vaishnavs, let us too pray for theLord's grace, so that we may be inspired by their stories and we too may getcloser to God.Son of Ramdasji and Parvatiji -RaghuNathdasji

Story No.1RaghuNathdasji was a very intelligent young man. After havingfinished his studies at Varanasi (also known as Banaras / Kashi), he came toGokul to pay his respects to Shri Gosaiji and have darshan of the Lord. Knowinghis potential as a great devotee, Shri Gosaiji used to request him to sit in the frontrow when he recited Shri Subodhiniji - Acharya Shri's own commentariesonShrimad Bhagvatam.One day, another devotee, Paramanda Soni requested RaghuNathdasji to helpexplain the sermon of Shri Gosaiji. RaghuNathdasji was honest enough to say,"To tell you the truth, though I am "learned", I don't understand anything of whatShri Acharyaji has written. I am sorry, but I am not sufficiently aware of hisprinciples to be able to comment on his views, works or commentaries."Understanding is not something that can be achieved by reading alone. To truly"understand" someone's views or principles, one must first think / meditate onthose principles. Having done this, one must truly live by them, than only can wehope to truly "understand" those principles. RaghuNathdasji was honest enoughto admit that he had not done this yet. But, he was willing to learn.At Parmanaddas Soni's behest, Shri Gosaiji decided to teachthe principlesofPushti Marg to RaghuNathdas. He explained the four main works of Shri Vallabh,namely, Siddhant Rahasya, KrshnaShraya, NavaRatnam, and Sevafal. Havinglearned and "understood" these, RaghuNathdasji became a pundit in the truestsense of the word.Story No.2After sometime, he took leave of Shri Gosaiji and moved to Kanoj tolive withhis mother. He started to worship thefamily deity - MathuraNathji alongwith his mother. However, after a while, he wanted to worship the Lord in hisown way and did not appreciate having to "share" the seva with hismother.Perhaps, his ego asa "great pundit, graduate from Kashi, personal disciple of ShriVallabh and Shri Gosaiji," came in his way of sharing the worship of the Lordwith anyone. However, love can not be apportioned as inheritance. It cannot betaken for granted and cannot be passed on like a family heirloom. Love for theLordis even more precious, it issomething that springs from thehidden depths ofone's heart. No amount of money or "intelligence" can awaken that love. Thislove can only come withthe grace (Pushti) of God.Parvatiji was an understanding mother. She let RaghuNathdasji take her Lord'sseva away from her. Like a true mother, though her son was being selfish, shedecided to help him out by doing other tasks to aid in his seva. She would fetchwater, clean the kitchen utensil etc. for the seva of the Lord. However, as she wasno longer able to do the seva herself, she abandoned all the worldly pleasures inher life. She did not give them up as we give up food on ekadashi, rather, she didnot even think of those "pleasures" as pleasures without her Lord. Just as weabandon a warm coat after having entered a (warmer) house - almostabsentmindedly, she gave up eating good food etc almost without thinking about it.Without her seva, why would she cook the Mahaprasaad ? And if did not cookchoice foods for the Lord, she had no desire to cook them for herself, so, she

Son of Ramdasji and Parvatijihttp://pushti-marg.net/Raghunathdasji.htm[9/9/2010 7:13:54 AM]would come home from helping RaghuNathdasji in his seva andthan cookasimple bread of wheat and chick peas (called liti). Pinning for her Lord, ShriMathuraNathji, shelived on this simple diet of bread andwater for afew days.The Lord is a boundless ocean of mercy and love. He cannot see the suffering ofhis devotees without being moved by it. One day, He came to Parvatiji in herdream and said, "Parvati, please do me a favour and cook some daal (lentil soup)tomorrow. Eating this dry liti for the past few days has chaffed my throat." Howcould Parvati refuse ? But she was surprised and asked, "My Lord, butRaghuNathdasji is feeding you all sorts of gourmet food, how comes you areeating my dry liti ?" The Lord smiled and said, "Though I have to eat all thosethings at RaghuNathdasji's house at the behest of Shri Gosaiji, I prefer to eat thefoodcooked by your hands." Parvatiji was overcome with emotion. Next day, shecooked proper food, least her Lord should chaff his delicate throat.A few days later, inspired by Shri Gosaiji, RaghuNathdasji realised that byforcing his mother tohand over the entire seva to him, RaghuNathdas had made agreat error. Seva is not a selfish affair. It is a joyous celebration of the unionbetween God and His intimate Soul. By refusing to let his mother help,RaghuNathdasji had offended the Lord and in Pushti Marg, one is not suppose tooffend the tiniest creature, let alone a fellow Vaishnav ! RaghuNathdasji is greatin that he realised his mistake and immediately took measures to rectify it. Heapologised to his mother and requested her to guide him in how to do the seva, astaught to her by Shri Vallabh. Parvatiji was pleased to have her seva back. Sheknew RaghuNathdasji uncanny ability to do shringar was far better than hers, soshe opted to look after the kitchen duties for the Lord, whilst he was do theshringar. Together, they continued their progress on this Path of Divine Grace, aspointed out by AcharyaShri MahaPrabhuji.Having thus read the great devotion of these Vaishnavs, let us too pray for theLord's grace, so that we may be inspired by their stories and we too may getcloser to God.Story of Jagganath Joshi's mother

Jagganath Joshi and his familyhttp://pushti-marg.net/Varta31-JJ.htm[9/9/2010 7:13:57 AM]faithfully,emotionally his. So there remains no difference between the offeringand God. Deenta is the secret of this marg. When Jaggannathji became Deen ,Shree Thakorji told him his mistake.PRASANG 2:Jagganath Joshi used to offer hot rice pudding (Kheer) to Shree Thakorji. ShreeThakorji used to eat as such. Many days later Shree Mahaprabhuji arrived toKheradu and stayed at Jaggannathji's house. Shree Mahaprabhuji went to seeShree Thakorji and saw that Shree Thakorji had burnt tongue and lips. He askedshree Thakorji the reason for this. Shree Thakorji explained that theRajbhogwhich Jaggannathji offers is hot and I eat it that hot. Then, Shree Mahaprabhujiasked Jaggannathji why he offers hot Kheer for Rajbhog. Jaggannathji respondedthat he didn't know the how to offer Kheer and since all things are good when hotthat kheer, too, would be good offered hot. Shree Mahaprabhuji explained toJaggannathji's that kheer is best when itis offered cold.From then on Jaggannathjioffered cold Kheer toShree Thakorji.PRASANG 3:Once Jagganath Joshi was on his way to Adel, to visit (to do Darsan) shreeMahaprabhuji and "Ankut day" came. So he instructed one of his sevak who waswith him to go to the nearest village to get dal, rice and whatever else he gets. Butthe sevak came back and said we won't get anything but 'jar' (jowar). So he saido.k. to get that. So the sevak got that and cleaned it byremoving thebhusi.Jagganath Joshi made 'Thomar' from that. The sevak said, make 'Dhokla' of thebhusi and put it on top of the baking 'thomar', for it to get ready be'coz of thevapour. He did that and when the thomar was boiling the Dhokla fell inside andgot mixed. When he saw this thinking that it was thakorji's wish, he offered thissamagri to HIM.He also took the Prasad andat night Shree Thakorji told him thathe has pain in his stomach. So he offered (gave) "satwo suth and ajmo" to shreeThakorji and felt bad for what happened. Later on Shree Thakorji said that hisstomach was ok.Lesson:Shree Thakorji used to have so much krupa on him that he told him his feelingsimmediately. Heaccepted the Ankut day manorath on the road!!Do seva ofShreeThakorji carefully.PRASANG 4:Once Jagganath Joshi was offering his 'Uthapan' prayers and doing Morchhal tohis sevya Shree Thakorji. Other vaishnav's were doing Darshan. Athat time oneRajput Garasiya non vaishnav came and stood in between vaishnavs. At that timeone old lady came with a garland and threw it on Shree Thakorji from a distance.But because of GOD'S wish the garland fell on to one vaishnav's neck and theRajput Garasi thought that Jagganath Joshi did it on purpose and has insultedme.(Becoz he was a Rajput) He decided to revenge by hitting him badly. So hestarted looking for the opportunity to do so, but never got a chance to do so. Oneday Jagganath Joshi was coming from outside and the Rajput attempted to hitwith a sword (talwar) from behind. But Shree Thakorji came and stopped theRajput withHIS handsand said 'don't hit'. Jagganath Joshi turned around and saw

Jagganath Joshi and his familyhttp://pushti-marg.net/Varta31-JJ.htm[9/9/2010 7:13:57 AM]the Rajput and his sevya Shree Thakorji who was tired. He shouted at the Rajputfor committing this sin. The Rajput realized his mistake, bend down to bow, andrequested to pardon him. Jagganath Joshi felt sorry for the Rajput and so he liftedhim with his own hands and send him away. After few days, he got his 'naamnivedan' fromshree Aacharyaji and theRajput became a good vaishnav. This wasthe result ofstanding between vaishnav's.Lesson:Followers of God are so kind!!! He gave the best fruit i.e. "Naam Samarpan"from Shree Mahaprabhuji, to the person who came to kill him. When God has todo Krupa on any soul, he does not see his karma. The Rajput got such good fruitfor standing in with vaishnavs. Hence always have company of vaishnavs.Story of Jagganath Joshi's elder brother Narhar** Joshi(**This Narhar Joshi's descendent at present is Girdhar Joshi. He, too, faithfullydoes seva and lives in Kheradu with Kalidas Joshi in the same house.)Once Narhar Joshi was going to Shree Purshotam Kshetra to pray ShreeJaggannathraiji. On the way, he took halt near Patna. After he taking a bath andpreparingfood, he offered Bhog to shree Thakorji. At the same time a 10 year oldboy came down a tree infront him. He was surprised at how theboy hadcomehere? The boy came and put his handin front of Narhar Joshi.NarharJoshiwondered why the boy did this, what does he want from me? He gave the boy 2rotis with Ghee and with dal on top.The boy took it and climbed up back on the tree and disappeared. He started hisjourney again andon the next dayhe took ahalt at another place. There also, aftertaking bathwhen he offered bhog to Shree Thakorji, the same boy came down theambli tree with silence stretched his hand out. At that time he was puzzled that ifthe boy was playing tricks why he should give him food and if the was a form ofGod how can I offer him this prasad? With this doubt in mind he didn't give himanything.Therefore,theboy climbed back on the tree. Shree Thakorji inKheraduinformed his younger brother Jagganath Joshi that today when I went to NarharJoshi asking for food he didn't give it tome.Jagganath Joshi noted the year to date of this day to ask Narhar Joshi the reasonwhen he comes. When Narhar Joshi came home, after many days, his mother andyounger brother greeted him. The next day, when both brothers went for sevaJaggannathji askedNarharji about the wellbeing of Shree Mahaprabhuji. Then heasked Narharji of the incident when he halted near Patna. Narharji replied that onthe first day I gave handsome boy roti and dal, but the next day since I had doubtI didn't give the boy anything. Jaggannathji then told Narharji that what he didwas wrong, because the little boy was our Shree Thakorji. When we went to seeShree Mahaprabhuji, our mother had given us a gift for him. We both kept it withus in doubt, but Shree Mahaprabhuji asked for it. Therefore, both brothersdecided that in our marg we are not to doubt Shree Thakorji and ShreeMahaprabhuji.Prasang 2:

Jagganath Joshi and his familyhttp://pushti-marg.net/Varta31-JJ.htm[9/9/2010 7:13:57 AM]Once upon a time, Narhar Joshi went to Aleena to Mahidhar Desai and his sisterFulbai's home. He told them to go to Shree Gusaiji and get Nam Samarpan tobecome Vaishnavs. They agreed and asked him to bring Shree Gusaiji to theirvillage. Narhar Joshi did this. When Narhar Joshi brought Shree Gusaiji heinformed Mahidhar and Fulbai. They were joyful and happy. They thought howcan weinvite him to ourhome empty handed.NarharJoshitold themtooffer(Nyochhavar) as per their capabilities. Both brother and sister did exactly thatwhen they invited Shree Gusaiji to their home. Everyone in the house includingthe kids got Nam Nivedan and treated him well. Shree Gusaiji left for Dvarikaand Narhar Joshi came to Khreadu. Many days later, there was a fire in Aleena.Same day, Narharji, after bathing in the lake, and performing his daily routines,was coming back with tulsiand basket fullof flowers in hishands.At thesametime he got an intuition of the fire there. Thus, he stood there and sprinkled water(jal) around with the tulsi dal. The fire at Aleena was putout withthis,andMahidhar home and mandir were saved.Later, when he went to Aleena, Fulbai told him of the fire and how their homeandmandir weresaved withthe blessings ofShreeGusaiji. NarharjitoldthemGod's blessings are always good. When he came back to Kheradu, both brotherssat together and Narharji told Jaggannathji about the fire in Aleena and how heput the fire out. Jaggannathji told him we should not ask God to take trouble forsuchwork, it'snot the way we do things in ourmarg. Narharji explained it was sothat it would not raise doubt in the minds of Mahidhar and Fulbai of the margbecause they were new to the marg and have recently become Vaishnav. Bothbrothers laughed and thought God is so playful. With his wish whatever happensis for the best. We should not use him for our selfish purposes. Narharji was sucha blessed and saintly vaishnav that for humanity he performed for this miracle.He, his mother, and younger brother were all Shree Mahaprabhuji's sevak.