Many years ago, in the land of Gujarat, there lived a thoughtful man named Purushottam Joshi. One day, when Shri Mahaprabhuji was visiting Gujarat, Purushottam Joshi came to see Him. He had a question in his heart and asked kindly, “Which is better—doing good actions or learning deep knowledge?”
Shri Mahaprabhuji looked at him with love and answered, “The best path is the one your heart naturally follows. But today, it is hard to do strict actions or study deeply. Our bodies get tired, and our minds wander. That’s why, in this time, the best way is the path of love and devotion to Shri Krishna.”
Purushottam Joshi then asked, “How can I grow stronger in devotion?”
Shri Mahaprabhuji smiled and shared a special teaching called the Bhakti Vardhani. He gently explained, “If you want your love for Shri Krishna to grow, listen to His beautiful stories and speak of His glories. Live a simple life, do your duties, and keep Shri Krishna in your heart always. Even if you work to earn a living, think of Him as much as you can. Keep hearing His name, and soon, your heart will be full of love for Him.”
Shri Mahaprabhuji also shared that a true devotee feels less and less attached to worldly things. If someone leaves home to be close to Shri Krishna, they must be careful. It’s not enough to run away from distractions—they must also stay in holy places, avoid bad company, and keep good friends who love Shri Krishna.
He said, “Those who serve Shri Krishna and love Him deeply will never fall. Even if troubles come, don’t fear. Shri Krishna always protects His loving devotees.”
These sweet and wise words touched Purushottam Joshi deeply. He and his wife both asked for Shri Mahaprabhuji’s blessings and became His disciples. From that day, they stopped worrying about making money and spent their days in worship, happily living with whatever came their way.
Later, they decided to travel to meet Shri Gusainji, the dear son of Shri Mahaprabhuji. On their way, they reached Ujjain and wanted to find the sons of Padmaraval, a great devotee they had heard of.
They first visited three of the sons, but the welcome they received was not very warm. The brothers gave them only a little grain and did not show much love.
Purushottam Joshi quietly thought, “These sons do not seem to carry the loving nature of their father.”
Soon, the fourth son, Krishna Bhatt, heard that Purushottam Joshi and his wife were in town. With great love, he came to meet them. He happily invited them to stay at his home. Krishna Bhatt made many delicious offerings for Shri Krishna and then lovingly served the food to Purushottam Joshi and his wife.
Seeing Krishna Bhatt’s kindness, Purushottam Joshi thought with joy, “He is the true inheritor of his father’s devotion.”
When it was time to leave, Krishna Bhatt said, “Let me come with you to see Shri Gusainji. A journey with devotees like you will be filled with joy and talks of the Lord.”
As they traveled together, they stopped each night to rest. But something surprising happened. Purushottam Joshi and his wife would wait until Krishna Bhatt fell asleep before speaking about Shri Krishna’s pastimes. After a few days, Krishna Bhatt realized this and felt a little sad. He thought, “Maybe they don’t think I’m ready to hear about Shri Krishna.”
The next morning, Krishna Bhatt quietly said to Purushottam Joshi’s wife, “Today, I will speak about Shri Krishna.”
When he began to talk about the Lord, his words were so full of love and truth that Purushottam Joshi was overwhelmed. His heart filled with bliss, and he forgot everything else. His wife and Krishna Bhatt gently helped him stay steady on the horse while Krishna Bhatt continued to speak of Shri Krishna’s divine play.
Later that day, when they stopped to rest again, they helped Purushottam Joshi get off the horse. But he was confused and said, “Why are we stopping? I just got on the horse.”
His wife smiled and said, “You’ve been riding all day. We have reached our resting place.”
Every step of their journey became sweeter with these talks of Shri Krishna.
At last, they arrived at their destination and had the blessed sight of Shri Gusainji. Purushottam Joshi asked, “How did Krishna Bhatt receive such special grace?”
Shri Gusainji replied gently, “It was the blessing of Chacha Harivansh.”
From that day, Purushottam Joshi opened his heart to Krishna Bhatt. They talked freely of Shri Krishna and shared the joy of devotion.
After returning to Gujarat, Purushottam Joshi and his wife lived simply, filled with love for Shri Krishna. They did not care for worldly matters. Their hearts were only focused on their beloved Lord.
Poem: The Joy of True Devotion
Tags: Purushottam Joshi story, Shri Mahaprabhuji teachings, Krishna devotion for kids, Vaishnav bedtime stories, Krishna bhakti tales, simple Hindu stories, spiritual stories for children, Shri Krishna seva, Gujarati Vaishnav history, devotional parenting, Pushtimarg for children, Hindu values for kids, Shri Gusainji, Bhakti path for young minds