After being in Mayapur for just over a month, I ventured to Navadwip. I needed to set up my kitchen, simple things like cooking pots and a stove. I am grateful that the journey provided me with more than shopping as an experience.
As we left, it started pouring, I mean really pouring, torrential cleansing rain, flash flood kind of rain. We had an umbrella but the rain was falling so hard that it was piercing right through the new umbrella. This kind of rain often doesn’t last very long and it didn’t. We started our journey first by rikshaw to the gath, where we would take the ferry across the Ganga.
As I was waiting to board the ferry, I noticed a cleanly dressed ordinary dhambhasi mataji, she was sort of looking at me; we exchanged smiles, pranams and Haribols. She was holding a peculiar small vessel in her hand; it looked like a lime sized butter churn with a small stick coming out of it. As I found myself staring at it, she proceeded towards me and started applying tilak from her “churn” onto my forehead, first 2 perfect lines with the help of her toothpick like stick, then a tulsi leaf with her finger, then token touches of tilak over my clothing on the remaining 12 tilak locations. It is probably the neatest tilak I will ever wear, I was grateful for her service, we exchanged a few words; I left her a donation. It was fun and practical as I wanted to have again the tilak that the rain had washed away.
The Ganga looked murky, probably because of the rain we just had experienced, with floating bunches of greenery, undoubtedly released from the shores. We could have started our shopping right away but choose to go visit a friend of a friend first and to shop on the way back. As we arrived there, he quickly greeted us, showed us a room to sit in and ran back to his cooking. We sat in the “everything” room. A large bed, a table with a variety of old books, somewhat dusty, an altar in one corner of the room. We sat on the bed and talked with each other while our guest kept cooking. On the simple, well worn altar was a picture of Radha Madhava, and a sila. I was fortunate to hear how this sila found His home in Navadwip.
A few years back, as our host and my friend were preparing to go to Vrndaban for pilgrimage, he announced to “his” Radha Madhava on the altar, “I won’t take you with me, I am going to Vrndaban for a few days” He then saw Radha’s eyes turn black, so the next morning , not knowing what to do or say he ventured: “ok, I will bring you”, the eyes returned to their normal colour and Radha Madhava went to Vrndaban. These "ordinary dhambhasis" have such interactions with their Radha Madhava. While in Vrndaban they went on parikrama around Govardhan; at one point feeling tired they sat down and rested, as my friend fell asleep our host found a stone to throw at him to wake him up, he put a stone in his pocket in case he needed to do it again, forgetting momentarily that he was on Govardhan Hill. When he returned, he realized that the stone was still with him and he installed it on his altar. Of course he is not the first person to take a sila from Govardhan Hill but when Krishna doesn't want you to, you can get very sick from doing that.
After he started worship, he realized that eyes were manifested on this Govardhana Sila. I saw the eyes, clear indents, the outline of eyes and brow. This sila found His home away from Vrndaban in an "ordinary" dhambhasi’s house. We ate sumptuously. There was a panic moment when he realized he hadn’t prepared any sweets, he quickly ran to the sweet shop and brought back rasagullas. Somehow regardless of their financial conditions they want to give the very best they can, such gracious hosts. As we were leaving to do our errands, both the host and his son reached for my feet to touch. I feel embarrassed and unworthy but I have been told to accept the gesture on behalf of Srila Prabhupada. So my worthless feet were humbly touched by this widower and his young son, an ordinary family worshipping Radha Madhava and Govardhana SIla in their modest home in Navadwip Dham.
Krishna, today, allowed me to spend time with His dhambhasis, eternal residents of Vaikuntha. Thank you Krishna.
Shopping, the aim of the journey and drudgery was next. I find rikshaws very awkward to get in and out of; they seem a little high for me to step into. As I was tallying my stainless steel purchases, I witnessed an older gentleman struggling with his rikshaw as well. He was uneasily negotiating the getting out of the rikshaw, I empathized but there was nothing I could do. It took a while to do the tally as everything has to be weighted, 12 pieces total, some pots, storage containers, eating dishes, utensils… The old man returned to his rickshaw, I was observant as though I knew he would teach me a trick that would save me the embarrassment of being stuck half way into a risksaw. He carefully gathered his dhoti to a shorter length and set foot just below the main landing step on another step some 6” lower. I never knew this "step" existed. I doubt it was created to help clumsy seniors, as it appears to be part of the vehicle’s suspension, but it was a valuable trick to learn, it makes climbing into a ricksaw a pleasurable experience.
We slowly returned home willingly burdened with material possessions, and joyful to have met nice vaisnavas in the process.
More next time.
Happily and slowly taking one step at a time towards Radha and Krishna's Love
As we left, it started pouring, I mean really pouring, torrential cleansing rain, flash flood kind of rain. We had an umbrella but the rain was falling so hard that it was piercing right through the new umbrella. This kind of rain often doesn’t last very long and it didn’t. We started our journey first by rikshaw to the gath, where we would take the ferry across the Ganga.
As I was waiting to board the ferry, I noticed a cleanly dressed ordinary dhambhasi mataji, she was sort of looking at me; we exchanged smiles, pranams and Haribols. She was holding a peculiar small vessel in her hand; it looked like a lime sized butter churn with a small stick coming out of it. As I found myself staring at it, she proceeded towards me and started applying tilak from her “churn” onto my forehead, first 2 perfect lines with the help of her toothpick like stick, then a tulsi leaf with her finger, then token touches of tilak over my clothing on the remaining 12 tilak locations. It is probably the neatest tilak I will ever wear, I was grateful for her service, we exchanged a few words; I left her a donation. It was fun and practical as I wanted to have again the tilak that the rain had washed away.
The Ganga looked murky, probably because of the rain we just had experienced, with floating bunches of greenery, undoubtedly released from the shores. We could have started our shopping right away but choose to go visit a friend of a friend first and to shop on the way back. As we arrived there, he quickly greeted us, showed us a room to sit in and ran back to his cooking. We sat in the “everything” room. A large bed, a table with a variety of old books, somewhat dusty, an altar in one corner of the room. We sat on the bed and talked with each other while our guest kept cooking. On the simple, well worn altar was a picture of Radha Madhava, and a sila. I was fortunate to hear how this sila found His home in Navadwip.
After he started worship, he realized that eyes were manifested on this Govardhana Sila. I saw the eyes, clear indents, the outline of eyes and brow. This sila found His home away from Vrndaban in an "ordinary" dhambhasi’s house. We ate sumptuously. There was a panic moment when he realized he hadn’t prepared any sweets, he quickly ran to the sweet shop and brought back rasagullas. Somehow regardless of their financial conditions they want to give the very best they can, such gracious hosts. As we were leaving to do our errands, both the host and his son reached for my feet to touch. I feel embarrassed and unworthy but I have been told to accept the gesture on behalf of Srila Prabhupada. So my worthless feet were humbly touched by this widower and his young son, an ordinary family worshipping Radha Madhava and Govardhana SIla in their modest home in Navadwip Dham.
Krishna, today, allowed me to spend time with His dhambhasis, eternal residents of Vaikuntha. Thank you Krishna.
We slowly returned home willingly burdened with material possessions, and joyful to have met nice vaisnavas in the process.
More next time.
Happily and slowly taking one step at a time towards Radha and Krishna's Love
your ever servant of the servants
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