Krishna is the Supreme

[Guest guest]

How Candidasa became a great devotee of the Lord

 

Candidasa coined a mantra which is even today used by worshippers of

Durgadevi: dhanang deji roopang dehi roopa-pati-bhaajang dehi. "O

worshippable Mother Durgadevi, please give me wealth, strength, fame, a good

wife and so on." So Candidasa was engaged in Durga worship, and naturally

when one worships Durga, so much material facility. He had a big garden, and

a palace. Candidasa's brother was a Vaisnava engaged in salagram worship.

Vaisnavas were generally quite poor. The Vaisnava brother had a salagram,

but he had no flower to offer. So he would look in his brother's garden,

and he would lust over it. "So many flowers, and my salagram gets no

flower." One day while he was looking at the garden, he mentally offered a

flower from that garden to his salagram. And somehow or other, Candidas

picked the very same flower the next day, and he offered to Candi.

Immediately she appeared. "I am pleased with you, Candidas. What

benediction do you want?" Candi said, "Wait, every day I am worshipping

you. Why today have you suddenly become present? Tell me that."

"Because," she said, "You have offered me the flower which has been offered

to Salagram, and that it is prasadam. By seeing that prasadam flower I

became pleased, so I appeared before you." "But if salagram is superior to

you," Candidas said, "Why did you not tell me, stupid Candidas, why are you

worshipping me? You should worship Salagram." So Candi said, "Well you

never asked me who was Supreme. Did you ever ask me? I would have given

you reply. I know who is Supreme, Krsna is Supreme, and Salagram is the

worshippable object, not me. But because you were at least worshipping me,

so I thought I would train you in worship. And then you find out who is to

be worshipped, then you will actually worship properly." So Candidas when

he heard this, said, "I'm really sorry that I've wasted my life. Please

excuse me, I'm going to worship Salagram. Is that alright?" No no, I'm

happy! Go worship Salagram," Candi said. And then in lamentation, Candidas

wrote many songs, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to listen to these songs and

get ecstasy.