Past-time of Sanatan Goswami

[Guest guest]

Radhey Radhey!

 

Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayate.

 

 

i have a question about a past-time of Sanatan Goswami. There is a poem by the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore where a man in search of wealth approaches Sanatan Goswami and asks him how he can earn wealth. Goswamiji tells him he himself did not associate with wealth and couldnt help him, but also told him that at the lake nearby was a Chintamani stone. The man goes to the lake, finds the chintamani stone and realises indeed whatever the stone touches turned into gold. Then finally the man realizes that if such a precious cintamani was worthless to Sanatan Goswami, it means that Goswamiji had something far more precious; he humbly returns to Goswamiji and becomes his disciple.

 

does anyone know where this lila is documented? or any more info on who that disciple was?

 

thanks!

Haribol

[Guest guest]

Excerpt

May 22, 2004: Badger, California

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

A brahmana in Kasi Varanasi prayed to Lord Sankara, "I want to give my daughter in marriage, but I have no money. Please give me money." Sankara told him, "You should go to Vrndavana, to meet Srila Sanatana Gosvami. You can ask him to give you some wealth for your daughter's marriage." The brahmana went to Vrndavana, by foot, and he asked the residents about the whereabouts of a person named Sanatana Gosvami. As they all knew him, they pointed out his residence.

 

At that time Srila Sanatana Gosvami was doing bhajana in Vrndavana, near the Yamuna, at Kaliya-hrda, the former abode of the very poisonous snake named Kaliya. Presently, Kaliya-hrda is far away from the Yamuna, but at that time it was close, and therefore its surrounding area was full of sand.

 

Srila Sanatana Gosvami wore only a kaupin. He used to go for madhukari (begging door to door for a small amount of prasada.) and would only eat at a time a dry chapati – with no salt. The brahmana arrived at his cottage and told him, "I went to Sankara Mahadeva and he told me to come to Vrndavana to meet you. He told me, "Srila Sanatana Gosvami will give you some wealth to manage your daughter’s marriage."

 

Srila Sanatana Gosvami replied, "I have nothing. You can see I have nothing but a loincloth." Then he thought, "Oh, Sankara can not tell a lie. He is my bosom friend." He thus told the brahmana, "Go to the Yamuna and remove some of the sand, and there you will find a touchstone. The brahmana went to the Yamuna, removed some sand – and he found a jewel. He became so happy. He touched the touchstone to iron and it turned into gold. He was very, very happy that Sankara had told him to go to Vrndavana, and he was grateful that, "my prayer has been answered by him."

 

On the way home that brahmana began thinking, "Why has a person like Srila Sanatana Gosvami kept a touchstone in the sand? It has no use there. He must have still more valuable jewels than this." He thus returned to Vrndavana, where Srila Sanatana Gosvami asked him, "Why have you returned?" He replied, "I have returned because I know that you have more valuable jewels then this."

 

Srila Sanatana Gosvami then told him, "Throw the touchstone in the Yamuna." The brahmana did so with all his power, and then Sanatana Gosvami told him, "Come here. Come here." He gave him the mantra, "Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare", and said, "I do not have worldly jewels, but I have transcendental jewels. The jewel of Lord Krsna and Sri Radha will come to you in a very short time, so remain here. Your daughter’s marriage will happen automatically. Stay here and chant Hare Krsna." That brahmana followed his instruction and thus became a very elevated saint.

 

Where there is harinama, the chanting of the holy names of Sri Radha and Krsna, everything of value in this world and in the heavenly planets, moksa, and after that Goloka Vrndavana, will also be present.

 

harinama, tuwa aneka svarupa

Yasoda-nandana, ananda-vardhana, nanda-tanaya rasa-kupa

 

["O Harinama, you possess unlimited forms, such as Yasoda's beloved son, He who increase the bliss of Gokula, the son of Nanda, and the deep well of rasa. (Harinama, Tuwa Aneka Svarupa (verse 1)]

[Beggar]

<table><tbody><tr><td>Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth Order</td><td class="m">Chapter 7: The Sacrifice Performed by Dakṣa</td></tr></tbody></table>Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.7.6

maitreya uvāca

tadā sarvāṇi bhūtāni

śrutvā mīḍhuṣṭamoditam

parituṣṭātmabhis tāta

sādhu sādhv ity athābruvan

SYNONYMS

maitreyaḥ — the sage Maitreya; uvāca — said; tadā — at that time; sarvāṇi — all; bhūtāni — personalities; śrutvā — after hearing; mīḍhuḥ-tama — the best of the benedictors (Lord Śiva); uditam — spoken by; parituṣṭa — being satisfied; ātmabhiḥ — by heart and soul; tāta — my dear Vidura; sādhu sādhu — well done, well done; iti — thus; atha abruvan — as we have said.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, all the personalities present were very much satisfied in heart and soul upon hearing the words of Lord Śiva, who is the best among the benedictors.

PURPORT

In this verse Lord Śiva is described as mīḍhuṣṭama, the best of the benedictors. He is also known as Āśutoṣa, which indicates that he is very quickly satisfied and very quickly angered. It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that less intelligent persons go to the demigods for material benedictions. In this connection, people generally go to Lord Śiva, and because he is always quickly satisfied and gives benedictions to his devotees without consideration, he is called mīḍhuṣṭama, or the best of the benedictors. Materialistic persons are always anxious to get material profit, but they are not serious about spiritual profit.

Sometimes, of course, it so happens that Lord Śiva becomes the best benedictor in spiritual life. It is said that once a poor brāhmaṇa worshiped Lord Śiva for a benediction, and Lord Śiva advised the devotee to go to see Sanātana Gosvāmī. The devotee went to Sanātana Gosvāmī and informed him that Lord Śiva had advised him to seek out the best benediction from him (Sanātana). Sanātana had a touchstone with him, which he kept with the garbage. On the request of the poor brāhmaṇa, Sanātana Gosvāmī gave him the touchstone, and the brāhmaṇa was very happy to have it. He now could get as much gold as he desired simply by touching the touchstone to iron. But after he left Sanātana, he thought, "If a touchstone is the best benediction, why has Sanātana Gosvāmī kept it with the garbage?" He therefore returned and asked Sanātana Gosvāmī, "Sir, if this is the best benediction, why did you keep it with the garbage?" Sanātana Gosvāmī then informed him, "Actually, this is not the best benediction. But are you prepared to take the best benediction from me?" The brāhmaṇa said, "Yes, sir. Lord Śiva has sent me to you for the best benediction." Then Sanātana Gosvāmī asked him to throw the touchstone in the water nearby and then come back. The poor brāhmaṇa did so, and when he returned, Sanātana Gosvāmī initiated him with the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Thus by the benediction of Lord Śiva the brāhmaṇa got the association of the best devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and was thus initiated in the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.