Canto Ten - Chapter 80

The king said: Revered master, I wish to hear of still other heroic deeds of the great Mukunda, whose power is without limit.

O brāhmaṇa, what discerning person, though pierced and wearied by the arrows of desire, could hear again and again the holy accounts of Uttamaśloka and ever cease listening?

True speech is that which praises His qualities; true hands are those that perform His service; the true mind remembers Him dwelling within all moving and unmoving beings; and the true ear hears His sanctifying narrations.

The true head bows to His manifestations in both animate and inanimate forms; true eyes behold Him everywhere; and true limbs continually honor the water that has washed the feet of Viṣṇu and His devotees.

Sūta said: Questioned by Viṣṇurāta in this way, the blessed son of Bādarāyaṇa, his heart immersed in Lord Vāsudeva, replied.

Śrī Śuka said: Kṛṣṇa had a certain brāhmaṇa friend who was foremost among knowers of the Absolute. Detached from sense objects, he was peaceful and self-controlled.

Though a householder, he lived on whatever came of its own accord. His wife was like him, poorly clothed and emaciated by hunger.

Faithful to her husband, she approached that impoverished and suffering man, her face withered and her body trembling, and spoke to him.

'O brāhmaṇa, are you not the friend of the Supreme Lord, the very husband of Śrī, who cherishes the brāhmaṇas, shelters all, and is foremost among the Sātvatas?

'Fortunate one, go to Him, the supreme refuge of the saintly. He will give abundant wealth to you, whose family is suffering.

'The Lord of the Bhojas, Vṛṣṇis, and Andhakas now resides in Dvāravatī. He gives even His own self to one who remembers His lotus feet; what worldly goods and pleasures, not greatly desired even by devotees, would the teacher of the universe withhold?'

Repeatedly entreated by his wife in this way, the brāhmaṇa thought, 'The sight of Uttamaśloka is itself the supreme gain.'

Reflecting thus, he resolved to go and said, 'Good lady, if there is any offering in the house, please give it to me.'

Begging four handfuls of flattened rice from neighboring brāhmaṇas, she tied it in a scrap of cloth and gave it to her husband as an offering.

Taking it with him, that foremost brāhmaṇa set out for Dvārakā, thinking, 'How shall I obtain Kṛṣṇa's audience?'

The brāhmaṇa passed through three military encampments and three guarded precincts and entered the homes of the Andhakas and Vṛṣṇis, devotees of Acyuta, which were otherwise inaccessible.

He entered one of the splendid residences belonging to Hari's sixteen thousand queens and felt as though he had attained the bliss of the Absolute.

From a distance Acyuta saw him while seated upon His beloved's couch. The Lord immediately rose, approached him, and joyfully embraced him with both arms.

Delighted beyond measure by bodily contact with His dear friend, that sage among brāhmaṇas, the lotus-eyed Lord lovingly shed tears from His eyes.

Then He seated His friend upon His own couch and personally offered him all due honors. He washed his feet and collected the water from that washing.

O King, the Supreme Lord, purifier of the worlds, placed that water upon His head and anointed His friend with divine fragrances of sandalwood, aguru, and kuṅkuma.

He joyfully worshiped His friend with fragrant incense and rows of lamps, then offered betel, a cow, and words of welcome.

The goddess herself personally served that poorly clothed, dirty, emaciated brāhmaṇa, whose veins were visible, by fanning him with a yak-tail fan.

Seeing this avadhūta honored with such intense affection by Kṛṣṇa of spotless fame, the residents of the inner palace were astonished.

They wondered, 'What meritorious deed has this avadhūta mendicant performed? He is devoid of wealth, condemned in this world, and appears most lowly,

'yet the teacher of the three worlds, the abode of Śrī, has left the goddess seated upon His couch and embraced him like an elder brother.'

Holding one another's hands, the two recounted the charming stories of their earlier lives together in their guru's school, O King.

The Supreme Lord said: O brāhmaṇa and knower of dharma, after your teacher had received his remuneration and you returned from his school, did you marry a suitable wife or not?

I know that your heart is generally untouched by desire even while you live at home, learned friend, and that you take no excessive delight in wealth.

Some people perform their duties with minds unstruck by desire, abandoning self-centered impulses and working, as I do, only to uphold the world.

O brāhmaṇa, do you remember our residence in the guru's school? By that discipline a twice-born person understands what must be known and crosses beyond darkness.

For a twice-born person, residence with the guru is the true beginning of sacred duties and the first of the āśramas; there I Myself appear as the guru who gives knowledge.

Surely, O brāhmaṇa, those among the followers of varṇa and āśrama who understand their true good readily cross the ocean of worldly existence through Me in the form of the guru and through My instruction.

I, the Self of every being, am not as pleased by ritual worship, noble birth, austerity, or tranquility as I am by service to the guru.

O brāhmaṇa, do you remember what happened while we were living with our guru, when his wife once ordered us to bring firewood?

We entered the great forest out of season, O twice-born friend, and a tremendously violent storm arose, with fierce winds, rain, and harsh thunderclaps.

The sun had set, darkness covered every direction, and the lowlands and riverbanks were flooded. Nothing at all could be discerned.

Repeatedly battered there by the mighty wind and rain amid the flood, unable to determine the directions, we wandered anxiously through the forest, holding each other's hands.

Learning what had happened, our teacher Sāndīpani searched for us when the sun rose and found his distressed disciples.

He said, 'Ah, my dear boys, you have suffered exceedingly for my sake! The self is dearest to every living being, yet you disregarded your own comfort because you were devoted to me.

'This alone is the repayment that true disciples owe their teacher: with a completely pure heart, they offer themselves and all they possess to the guru.

'Foremost brāhmaṇas, I am satisfied with you. May your desires come true, and may the Vedic hymns you have learned remain ever fresh for you both in this life and the next.'

Many events of this kind occurred while we lived in our teacher's home. By the guru's grace alone, a person attains fulfillment and lasting peace.

The brāhmaṇa said: God of gods and teacher of the universe, what fulfillment could remain beyond our reach, since we lived in the guru's home together with You, whose every desire comes true?

Almighty Lord, Your body is the Veda-composed Absolute and the source in which all forms are woven. For You to reside with a guru for the sake of human welfare was an extraordinary divine imitation.