A long time ago, in a family of brave warriors, a boy named Gopaldas was born. When he turned eleven, his father wanted him to have his head shaved, a special tradition at a holy place called Prayag. Gopaldas traveled there with his father's helper. At the river where two sacred waters, the Ganga and Yamuna, meet, they found a barber to do the shaving.
But Gopaldas said, “I don’t want my dirty hair to fall into these pure rivers.” So he walked ten miles away and got his head shaved there instead.
During his visit to the river, something very special happened. One day, while he was taking his bath and doing his prayers, Shri Mahaprabhuji also came to the river. Seeing Gopaldas, Shri Mahaprabhuji gently poured water over his head. In that moment, Gopaldas felt a deep awakening in his heart. He asked to become Shri Mahaprabhuji’s disciple and was lovingly accepted into the Path of Grace. Devotion to Shri Krishna became the center of his life.
After returning home, Gopaldas opened a resting house for travelers. His only wish was to meet more Vaishnavas, because there were none in his town. He didn’t want praise or rewards. He only wanted to serve with love.
Each afternoon, Gopaldas would visit the rest house to check if anyone needed food. If any Vaishnavas came, he invited them to his home, served them Shri Krishna’s food, and even gave them money if they had none.
One day, a Brahmin named Padmaraval came to the rest house. Gopaldas welcomed him and asked about his journey. Padmaraval said that a kind man from Ujjain had given him money to visit Shri Krishna’s temple in Dwarka. Now, his money was gone, and he was heading back.
Gopaldas could feel that Padmaraval was special. He thought, “If he can love Shri Mahaprabhuji like he loves Shri Krishna, he will reach great heights in devotion.”
He asked Padmaraval, “Has Shri Krishna ever spoken to you?”
Padmaraval laughed gently, “Can the Lord talk to anyone?”
Gopaldas smiled and said, “Yes. Near Prayag, at a place called Adel, Shri Krishna has come as Shri Mahaprabhuji. You can see Him and even speak to Him there.”
“Will He show Himself to me as clearly as in Dwarka?” Padmaraval asked.
“Yes, He will,” said Gopaldas.
That night, Padmaraval could not sleep. His heart was full of longing to see Shri Mahaprabhuji. The very next morning, he left and returned to Ujjain. There, the man who had funded his journey, Mavaji Patel, noticed his hurry and asked what had changed.
Padmaraval said, “I have heard that Shri Krishna is in Adel as Shri Mahaprabhuji. I want to go there now.”
Mavaji asked if he could come too. Later, his wife Birajo also wanted to join. Padmaraval agreed, and they began preparing for the journey.
After many days of travel, they arrived across the Yamuna River from Adel. Their hearts were full of excitement and longing. At that very moment, Shri Mahaprabhuji came out for His midday prayers. Knowing they had arrived, He sent a devotee across the river to bring them back.
The boatman asked, “Are you Padmaraval, Mavaji, and Birajo?”
When they said yes, he replied, “Shri Krishna, in the form of Shri Mahaprabhuji, has sent this boat for you.”
Once they reached Adel, they saw Shri Mahaprabhuji and felt as if they were seeing Lord Dwarkanathji Himself. They bowed, full of love and joy, and asked to become His disciples. Shri Mahaprabhuji accepted them with kindness.
That evening, while Shri Mahaprabhuji was eating, Padmaraval quietly wondered, “Does Shri Mahaprabhuji eat the way Shri Krishna does? Will I get a taste of His food?”
Shri Mahaprabhuji smiled and called him inside. There, Padmaraval saw the divine form of Shri Krishna enjoying His meal. After finishing, Shri Mahaprabhuji lovingly gave His leftover food to Padmaraval, who happily shared it with Mavaji and Birajo.
Shri Mahaprabhuji told them to begin Shri Krishna’s worship. Padmaraval asked, “Please let me serve the Lord just as I serve You, and let me see His face all day.”
Shri Mahaprabhuji promised to visit Ujjain and bring a special form of the Lord for them.
Some time later, Shri Mahaprabhuji came to Ujjain. He gave Birajo her formal initiation and asked Padmaraval to get a Deity of Shri Krishna. Padmaraval found a beautiful eight-armed form of the Lord from someone in his community. Shri Mahaprabhuji lovingly performed the special rites to begin Padmaraval’s daily worship.
Mavaji and Birajo also wanted a Deity. Shri Mahaprabhuji said that His son, Shri Gusainji, would give them one.
One day, Padmaraval shared his worry with Shri Mahaprabhuji. “The other Brahmins say I have no knowledge and yet I’ve become a Vaishnav.”
Shri Mahaprabhuji gave him sacred sandal paste and holy water from His feet. The moment Padmaraval tasted them, he gained the deep wisdom of the Vedas and Puranas. He could now speak with great knowledge and even debate other learned men.
Padmaraval was very close to his Lord. One day, he made a new bed for Shri Krishna. But the Lord said, “I cannot sleep—it’s too small.” So Padmaraval made a bigger one.
Another time, Padmaraval’s wife offered hot sweet rice. The Lord showed Shri Mahaprabhuji His red hand, saying, “It burned Me!”
Shri Mahaprabhuji lovingly told them, “Always cool the sweet rice before offering. Shri Krishna is still a child. He cannot wait!”
In another moment of grace, while Padmaraval was on his way to Dwarka, Shri Krishna appeared in his dream and told him that a devotee in a place called Raja Nagar would welcome him. That same night, the Lord also told His devotee in Raja Nagar to find Padmaraval and invite him to his home.
The next day, as Padmaraval reached Raja Nagar, he asked a young student to beg for grains from seven homes. But then, Padmaraval changed his mind and told him to return the grains. When the student went back to the homes, one man asked, “Why have you come again?” When he learned it was for Padmaraval, the man joyfully invited him home. That night, they spoke lovingly about Shri Krishna and His many lilas.
Another sweet story tells how Padmaraval once had very little ghee and many rotis. He put the few ghee-covered rotis on top and asked Shri Krishna to eat only those. Later, when he returned, the ghee rotis were at the bottom! The Lord had eaten them all.
Padmaraval asked, “Why did You eat the dry ones?”
Shri Krishna replied, “You offered them. I eat all that is offered with love.”
Padmaraval kept those rotis and ate a small piece every day, remembering his Lord’s kindness.
Through just one meeting with Gopaldas, Padmaraval, Mavaji, and Birajo’s lives changed forever. Their hearts filled with love and faith. The poet Surdasji once sang:
"A moment with Krishna’s loving friends
Is greater than joy that never ends
More than heaven’s delight and freedom’s prize
Is the grace seen in a Vaishnav’s eyes"
Poem: The Grace of a Moment
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