You delivered a dog and gave him a spiritual body, taking him to Goloka

krsna · March 20, 2005

Lochan Das describes a sweet incident in his Chaitanya Mangala, Adi-khanda:

Glory glory glory to Saci’s son! He is the youthful root of all bliss. Accompanied by a host of other boys, he happily played, enjoying his childhood pastimes.

With many playful boys, he played many games. With many boys he enjoyed childhood pastimes – blissful and wonderful pastimes. Playing and playing, he suddenly met a couple of puppies. Joyfully, Gaura-Hari chose one of them.

Then one of his companions said: “Listen Visvambhara. You chose the best puppy and left the ugly ones for us. You go home. We won’t play with you.”

Then Visvambhara said: “This puppy belongs to all of us. Come to my house and we’ll all play with him.”

Speaking these words and taking the puppy with him, Gaura went to his house. Arriving home, he put a rope around the puppy’s neck and tied him to the veranda.

All this time Visvambhara’s mother was busy with household chores. Accompanied by the village ladies, she went to bathe in the Ganga.

Now the house now empty. Accompanied by the boys, Visvambhara played many games with the puppy. They all became covered with dust. As they played and played, a quarrel arose among the boys. One boy praised Gaura-Hari and another rebuked him.

Gaura said: Every day you come and every day you pick a fight. Why do you act like that?”

The other boy said: “I know what you’re like. You stole the puppy.”

Angry at heart, the boy ran off. Meeting Mother Saci with a voice choked with anger, he called out: “Listen! Listen! Your Visvambhara has a pet puppy. One moment he hugs the puppy. The next moment he holds the puppy’s neck. Go and see for yourself.”

Hearing the boy’s words, Saci hurried home. She saw the puppy in Visvambhara’s lap, putting her hand to her head Mother Saci said: “Why you play like this, I do not know. There are so many ways in which you could play. Still you play with a puppy. You are very mischievous. Your father is very religious. You are his son. What will the people say? What happiness do you think you will find by playing with a puppy? You are a brahmana’s son but do not even slightly act like one. What good words will I speak to defend you? Ah, the words I will hear will be like an iron spear pushed into my heart! What happiness do you find by covering your beautiful form with dust? I bow my head to speak such words. I feel that flames burn in my mouth. How many moons does your face defeat? Your limbs are like lightning. Still, you do not wear nice garments. Instead you cover your limbs with dust and stay among low-class boys.”

Angrily pressing her teeth to her lip, Saci-devi rebuked all the boys. To Gaura she said: “Go to your room and take your puppy with you. You can renounce your mother and father.”

After speaking these words she looked at her son’s face. She was overcome with bliss. Then she said: “Come. Dear one come and sit in my lap. Be quiet. I will kiss your face. Leave your dog, O dear one, and bathe in the Ganga’s waters. Six hours of the day have already passed. And you are not hungry? How much trouble do you give to me? Tie up your puppy and go take your bath. Later you can play with your puppy. Now you should eat some lunch.”

As a golden lotus wilts in the hot sunshine, so Gaura’s face wilted. On the tip of his nose, a drop of perspiration awakened. Gazing at her son, Saci felt her life breath split apart. Hearing Mother Saci’s words, Visvambhara smiled and said: “I will go to bathe.”

Speaking these words, he hugged his mother’s neck and prepared for his bath. Wiping the dust from his face, Mother Saci anointed his limbs with scented oil. For his bath, Visvambhara went to the Ganga’s bank. He happily played with his friends in the waters of Ganga.

Visvambhara’s form was wonderful and immovable like Mount Sumeru. As a wild elephant plays in the water with its companions, so Visvambhara played in the water with his friends.

Meanwhile Saci-devi set the puppy free. She said: “I do not know where the puppy went. Perhaps the puppy ran to his own mother.”

One of the boys was there at that time. He ran to the Ganga’s bank and said: “Visvambhara, your mother set the puppy free.”

Hearing the boy’s words, he ran home, then seeing that the puppy was gone. He looked in the four directions, without seeing the puppy. His heart burned with flames of anger, and he wept, rebuking his mother. He was overcome with grief for his puppy.

He said: “Listen, O foolish mother! Why did you do that? You gave me great suffering. That puppy was very beautiful. Why did you do that?”

Saci said: I did not know what happened to your puppy. Perhaps some boys came and stole him. Why must you cry for a puppy? Tomorrow I will search in the forests. I will find your puppy and bring him back. Don’t lament, stop lamenting now. I will bring back your puppy. I promise. Don’t weep. Please don’t weep anymore.”

After speaking these words she wiped the tears from her son’s face and hugged him. Gazing at his face, she became filled with bliss. She kissed him millions and millions of times. She wiped his limbs pretending to make him a little more clean, then bathing him with Ganga-water. Then she fed him many delicious sweets – sandesas, modakas, ksira and kadalaka.

Saci tied his hair in a topknot, decorating his eyes with splendid black kajjala. She made him completely splendid. Around his waist she tied a red sash that hung to his toes. On his chest she rested a string of pearls. On his forehead she placed sandal tilaka. She decorated him with bracelets and armlets of priceless jewels. On his feet she placed anklets. Grasping ksira and laddu in his hands, he went to play with the boys.

His graceful walking defeated the graceful wild elephants. His voice was like thick honey. Surrounded by the boys, Gaura, the king of the brahmanas, was like a moon surrounded by stars. Gazing at him as he played, the demigods all smiled. Seeing that Gaura touched even cats and dogs, Locana dasa is filled with wonder.

By Gauranga’s touch, the dog became fortunate. Abandoning his doggish nature, he became filled with transcendental knowledge. Calling out “Radha-Krishna! Govinda!” the dog danced. Everyone in Nadiya ran to see him.

Everyone watched as the dog manifested signs of ecstasy. The hairs of his body stood erect and his eyes were filled with tears. That soul suddenly renounced his dog’s body and went to Krishna’s abode, Goloka. A divine airplane suddenly arrived and took that soul on the path in the sky. Decorated with jewels and pearls that golden airplane glistened like a thousand-rayed sun. Millions and millions of bells chimed. Hosts and hosts of karatalas sounded. Hearing the sounds of the conchshells and the calls of Jaya and Hari, the gandharvas an kinnaras sang the glories of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.

The airplane was decorated with hosts of flags. It glistened like the corona of the sun. In the middle of the airplane the handsome splendid charming newly-liberated soul sat on a jewel throne. His pleasant coolness defeated ten million moons. He chanted, “Radha-Krishna! Gauranga!”

A host of siddhas fanned him with camara whisks. In this way he traveled on the path to Goloka. Brahma Siva Sanaka and a host of others stood before him with folded hands. Surrounding him on the airplane, they all sang the glories of Gauranga.

They sang: “Glory glory to Saci’s son, who is an ocean of mercy! Oh, why are you not merciful to us in this way? You delivered a dog and gave him a spiritual body, taking him to Goloka. Why will you not do the same for us? Glory glory to Gaura-Hari, the shelter of the shelterless! Glory glory to him, the best of all avataras! By your mercy the souls who live in Kali-yuga will be delivered. What other wonderful pastimes will you manifest? When will we gods become fortunate? When will we attain the mercy of your feet?”

“By touching the dog, you delivered him. Even when you were Krishna, you were not kind in this way! When will we become fortunate? You gave perfection to a dog – we pray that we may become fortunate like him. Obeisances, obeisances to you, O Gaura Raya, whom only the pure and faultless may see! Obeisances, obeisances to your two graceful feet! We demigods are all your followers and servants. When will we attain Gauracandra’s feet?”

In this way that very fortunate soul went to Goloka and the great devotees sang the glories of Gauranga. Thus the very wonderful pastimes of Gauracandra were manifest. With great joy, Locana dasa describes them.

-- From Mahanidhi Swami Edition.