He spoke to the maddened, man-killing elephant in a voice both powerful and supremely tender: "O Chetana! Abandon the tamoguna of your elephant body. Chant Shri Hare Krishna, Shri Hare Krishna." The elephant lowered its head and trunk at his charana and offered pranama. Tears streamed from its eyes.
Shri Rasika Murariji was supremely generous. Along with his entire family, he served the saints with tana, mana, and dhana. In Hari-bhakti, he held even greater bhava for the bhaktas than for Shri Hari himself. He was steeped in the color of Shri Vrindavana Yugala-chandra Shyama and Shyama, immersed in the ocean of prema-piyusha.
In his home, vessels filled with charanamrita of the saints were kept upon pedestals. He would worship those very vessels, bow to them with deep bhava. Many servants of Bhagavan came to his sthana, and he would honor them and give them the greatest sukha. On the day of the guru-utsava, he would feed every living being, and throngs of santo-jana would remain gathered for twelve days.
Once, during a bhandara, he instructed a shishya-sevaka to collect charanamrita from every saint with great care. The sevaka brought it. After drinking, Shri Rasika Murariji said: "What has happened? The taste that always comes has not come today." He gave charanamrita to all in the assembly: "Drink it with focused mind. Where is that taste?" Upon inquiry, the sevaka admitted that one person, who appeared to be a mere veshaddhari, had been overlooked. "Bring his charanamrita too." When that was brought and he drank again, the sukha and svada were restored, and tears of prema began flowing from his eyes.
Another day, while speaking on bhakti-viveka before an assembly of rajas and distinguished persons, a veshaddhari among the saints demanded an extra pattal for his walking-stick. When it was refused, the angry man flung his pattal of prasada upon Shri Gusaiji and hurled abuses. Shri Rasika Murariji said: "Look, by the kripa of the sant, what wonderful fortune has fallen upon me! I used to take only charanamrita and was averse to receiving prasadi directly upon my body. Now this sant has come and placed it right in my mouth."
A wicked raja seized the village whose fields yielded grain for the ashrama's santa-seva. From elsewhere, his gurudeva Shri Shyamanandji sent a letter: "Come just as you are, the moment you see this letter." He was eating prasada at the time. Upon hearing the ajna, he set out immediately. Shri Shyamanandji was seventeen kosa away. Because his mouth and hands were still unwashed, he prostrated in sashtanga dandavat from a distance and submitted: "I heard the ajna while eating and came just as I was." Hearing this, Shri Shyamanandji's heart was flooded with kripa and joy.
The wicked raja, through his ministers, demanded to see a miracle. The shishya-varga entreated Shri Rasika Murariji to go. He said, "Come, let me see what he says and does." He seated himself upon a palki and proceeded at ease. From the other side, the raja let loose the great maddened elephant against them. The palanquin bearers dropped the palki and fled. Shri Rasika Murariji spoke those words of power and tenderness to the elephant. He patted it with kripa, bestowed bhakti-bhava upon it, whispered the Bhagavan-nama mantra into its ear, gave it the name Gopala Dasa, and placed a mala of Shri Tulasi around its neck.
The wicked raja himself came and clung to his charana. Becoming utterly submissive, he returned the village and gave several new ones besides, joining his palms: "It is my great bhagya that I have had your darshana."
With the great Gaja-Gopala Dasji, a company of five to seven hundred murti saints came to stay. Wherever they went, people rushed out to offer provisions. The bhakti of this Gajendra resounded in all directions.
The foreign Subedara desired to see the elephant and sent men to capture it, but it came to no one's hand. A wicked fellow in the garb of a sadhu lured it away, for Gopala Dasji, seeing the garb of a sant, came along willingly. But the elephant's niyama was to take charanamrita and prasada, and it would not drink water there. Three or four days passed. They took it to Shri Gangaji to give it water. The elephant-bhakta entered the Ganga, abandoned his body, and departed for Bhagavad-dhama. The bhaktas raised a jaya-jayakara.
These eighteen bhagavad-janas became a support for jivas drowning in the current of worldly existence, showering premamrita through their words and deeds: Shri Sokaji, Shri Sivaji, Shri Adharji of firm intellect, Shri Harinamji, Shri Trilochanji, Shri Ashadharji, Shri Yorajnirji, Shri Sadhanaji the remover of sorrow, Gusai Shri Kashishwarji, Avadhuta Shri Krishna-Kinkarji, Shri Kathahariyaji, Shri Sobhuji, Shri Udaramji, Shri Dagarji who held the vrata of Shri Rama-nama, Shri Padmaji, Shri Padarthji, Shri Ramadasji, and Shri Vimalanandji.
Sadhana was a kasai by birth. But he passed the kasauti most admirably, as gold proves itself on the touchstone. Although born in a kasai family, he never killed any jiva. He would buy meat from other butchers and sell it. By the force of purva-samskaras, his priti for Shri Hari arose naturally, and he would lovingly do nama-smarana. By divine Providence, he had a Gandaki-suta, a Shaligramji, with which he unknowingly used to weigh and sell meat. A sadhu saw this and said: "This is a Shaligramji. Do not use it to weigh meat. Give it to me; I will worship it." Sadhanaji gave it to him. The sant performed all the rituals and began worship. But the puja was not pleasing to the Lord. That night, in a dream, the Lord told the sadhu: "Deliver me back to that Sadhana. He sings my nama with true prema. Hearing it, I have become attached to the sincerity of his heart."
While traveling, he came to a village and went to a house for bhiksha. A woman, seeing his handsome appearance, became captivated and said: "Stay here today, have your meal and rest." He did so. At night she came and said: "My mind is set on you. Take me with you." He replied: "Even if you slit my throat, I cannot love you."
The wicked woman misunderstood his words. Abandoning all fear, she cut her own husband's throat and came saying: "Now there is no obstacle." He replied: "I already refused. What connection is there between us?" She began screaming that he had murdered her husband. The villagers gathered. The village chief seized and questioned him. He laughingly said: "Yes, I killed him." But the chief, observing the signs of his bhakti, was not fully convinced. After much deliberation, he did not execute him but had his hands cut off and released him.
With his hands severed, he set out for the darshana of Shri Jagannathji. Not the slightest grief entered his mind. His prema-bhakti grew even stronger. He resolved in his heart that this must have been the fruit of some prior papa, and the Lord, by giving this danda, had purified him.
Meanwhile, Shri Jagannath Devji sent his own palki to fetch Sadhanaji. The pandas came asking for the bhakta Sadhana, found him, and said: "Climb into the palki and come." Out of humility, he would not mount the Lord's palki. The pandas, knowing the Lord's ajna to be irrevocable, placed him upon it by loving force and brought him. Upon reaching the Lord, Sadhanaji began to offer sashtanga pranama. At that very instant, his hands were restored as before. All his suffering vanished like a dream.
Shri Jagannathji spoke with kripa: "Sadhana, you have truly given the kasauti. You passed the test. Your mind did not become stained with sorrow. Now go joyfully into the world and spread my bhakti."
Serving the Saint Is Serving the Lord
Rasik Murari's gurudeva Shri Shyamanandji gave him one teaching that became the axis of his entire life: if you want to please Shri Hari, serve the saints. Rasik Murari did not hear this as instruction; he heard it as revelation. He gave not only material wealth but his tana, mana, and dhana together, his body, his inner being, and his resources. His wife and family joined him. The householder's path, which so many treat as an obstacle to devotion, became in his hands a vehicle for it. Every grain stored, every meal prepared, every person sheltered became an act of worship. He held the bhava toward the saints as even more intense than his bhava toward Shri Hari directly, understanding that the living saint is the Lord's own compassion made visible and approachable in the world.
Bhaktamal, entry of Shri Rasik Murari, tikaEn
The Taste That Cannot Be Faked
At a great bhandara, Rasik Murari sent a sevaka to collect charanamrita from every saint present. He drank and immediately said: something is missing. The flavor that always comes has not come today. No one around him could understand what he meant. They had no reference for the subtle grace he was speaking of. He asked everyone to drink again with concentrated attention. Still no one could locate what was absent. He then realized one person had been overlooked, a man in the attire of a sadhu whom the sevaka had dismissed as possibly a false renunciant. Bring his charanamrita also, said Rasik Murari. When it was brought, and he drank, the sukha and svada returned, and tears of prema filled his eyes. He had found the Lord hiding in the one considered least worthy of notice. This is what refined bhakti perception looks like: it does not judge by outer garb but listens for the grace beneath.
Bhaktamal, entry of Shri Rasik Murari, tikaEn and tilakHi
Insult Received as Unexpected Grace
During a gathering of saints and rajas, one man in the garb of a sadhu became angry that his request for extra prasada had been refused. In his fury he hurled abuse and threw his pattal of prasada directly onto Rasik Murari. The assembly went silent. Everyone waited to see anger or at least embarrassment. What came instead was laughter and gratitude. Rasik Murari said: what good fortune has come to me today. I had a habit of receiving only charanamrita and keeping a careful distance from prasadi landing on my body. And here this sant has placed it directly into my mouth. This is not polished restraint. It is the natural response of a heart that has so thoroughly reoriented its understanding of honor and dishonor that what the world calls humiliation it receives as blessing. The one who insults becomes the benefactor. The disruption becomes initiation.
Bhaktamal, entry of Shri Rasik Murari, tikaEn
Immediate Obedience Moves the Guru's Heart
When the wicked raja seized the village whose grain sustained Rasik Murari's santa-seva, a letter arrived from Shri Shyamanandji who was seventeen kosa away. It said: Come the moment you see this. Rasik Murari was in the middle of eating prasada. He stood and left immediately, hands and mouth still unwashed from the meal. When he arrived and prostrated at his guru's feet from a distance, too humble to approach with an unwashed mouth, he simply said: I heard your ajna while eating and came just as I was. Shri Shyamanandji's heart was flooded with kripa. This episode carries a teaching about the quality of true obedience. It does not wait for a convenient moment. It does not pause to prepare a respectable appearance. It comes exactly as it is, right in the middle of whatever was happening, because the guru's call takes precedence over everything.
Bhaktamal, entry of Shri Rasik Murari, tikaEn
Grace Has No Caste: The Story of Sadhana
Appended to Rasik Murari's entry is the story of Sadhana, born into a family of butchers, who would not himself kill any living being but worked within the trade he had inherited. A Shaligramji had come into his possession by providential accident, which he had unknowingly used as a counterweight on his meat scales. A passing sadhu noticed and took it for proper worship. But that night the Lord appeared in the sadhu's dream and said: Return it to Sadhana. He chants my nama with true prema, and I have become attached to the sincerity of his heart. When Sadhana was later unjustly accused of murder and his hands were cut off, he walked toward Puri without bitterness, reflecting that the Lord had simply purified him of some past karma. Arriving at Jagannathji's temple with his severed arms, he offered his full prostration, and at that instant his hands were restored. The Lord told him: you have passed the test. Your mind did not become stained with grief. This is the teaching: grace reads the heart, not the biography.
Bhaktamal, entry of Shri Rasik Murari (appended story of Sadhana), tikaEn
Hindi text from OCR scan (Khemraj Shrikrishnadas Prakashan, CC0). May contain errors.