Now there was a sevak of Shri Gusainji: the son of a Patel and the daughter of a Patwari, both residents of Godhra. The sentiment of their account is now described.
Prasang 1 – Mutual Love and Liberation
Those two had very great affection for one another. Both of them, in childhood, used to sit and study at the house of one Pandya. Thus, between the two of them there was very deep mutual love. After some time, the Patwari’s daughter was married. Then she grew up. Her village was twenty kos away, and she was married there. After some time, when she became mature, the time came for her to go to her in-laws’ home. Then her parents gave her leave. She sat in the cart, and everyone bade farewell and returned back.
That son of the Patel had also gone to bid her farewell. When she sat in the cart and it began to move, the son of the Patel climbed up a tree. Climbing up, he began to watch. As long as the dust of the cart remained within his sight, he kept watching. When even the dust was no longer visible, the son of the Patel became dejected. He brought sorrow into his heart and began to weep. Closing his eyes, he fainted and fell from that tree. His life departed. After that, all his bodily relatives came and gathered. Then they performed his funeral rites beneath that very tree. After that, right there, a platform was made.
After some days, the Patwari’s daughter returned back to her parents’ home. There was no good auspicious moment then. The auspicious time to enter the village was in the evening. So they stayed in a garden outside the village. After that, the accompanying people cooked food in that garden. Then the Patwari’s daughter began to look around here and there. She saw the platform. She asked the accompanying people, “How did this platform come to be? What is this? Earlier, this platform was not here.”
Then one of the accompanying Brahmins said, “This platform belongs to that son of the Patel, who had very great affection for you.” That woman asked, “How is his platform here? Where did he die?” The Brahmin replied, “He died right here.” Then the woman asked, “How did he die? And when did he die? Please explain the entire account to me in detail.” Then the Brahmin said, “Listen. On the day you went to your in-laws’ home, everyone returned home after bidding you farewell. And that son of the Patel climbed this tree. As long as the dust of your cart remained within his sight, he kept watching. When even the dust was no longer visible, he suffered the pain of separation from you. He fainted and fell from the top of this tree, and he left his body.”
When the woman heard this account of the son of the Patel, she too suffered the torment of separation. It became extremely intense. She fainted and fell to the ground. Then that woman left her body right there at that very place. After that, all her bodily relatives heard the news and gathered. Then they performed her funeral rites right there in that garden. After that, near the platform of the son of the Patel, they made another platform for her as well.
After some days, by the will of Bhagavan, Shri Gusainji set foot in Godhra. He stayed in that very garden. Then all the Vaishnavas came and gathered. All the Vaishnavas offered obeisance and sat down. At that time, Shri Gusainji asked those Vaishnavas, “Why are there two platforms here?” Then those Vaishnavas narrated the entire account of the platforms, and told the story of the love and death of the son of the Patel and the daughter of the Patwari. At that moment, Shri Gusainji’s glance fell upon that tree. When he looked, he saw that those very two had become spirits and were sitting on the tree. Shri Gusainji recognized them.
After that, he dismissed all the Vaishnavas. Only two or four leading Vaishnavas remained. Then Shri Gusainji arose and went beneath that tree. Going there, he stood and called both of them by name. Immediately, both of them came and stood before him. Then Shri Gusainji made both of them touch his feet. He whispered the eight-syllable mantra into their ears and had charanamrit water brought and gave it to them. At that very moment, both of them were freed from those bodies and attained divine, transcendental bodies.
At that moment, four messengers of Shri Thakurji arrived and stood there. They offered obeisance to Shri Gusainji. Then Shri Gusainji commanded them, “Take these two to the Nikunj region and Tulasi-kunj. Grant them entry into the divine play of Shri Thakurji.” Then those messengers escorted both of them into Bhagavan’s divine play. After that, those Vaishnavas requested Shri Gusainji, “Maharaj, who were these two in their previous birth? Please, by your grace, tell us. And how did such affection arise between them?”
Then Shri Gusainji said, “These two are sakhis of Shri Chandravali in the eternal abode. In divine play, the male is named ‘Kamakala’ and the female’s name is ‘Rati’. Both of them are the sattvic sentiment-forms of ‘Kalahansi’. Between the two of them, their mutual love has always been extremely great. Due to some fault or offense, many devotees, in relation to divine play, become separated from the mood of friendship; at that time, these two also became separated. After that, they took many births—how far can it be told?
But in their previous birth, in the eastern direction, there was a village called Kanyakubj. There, both were a Brahmin man and woman. They performed service to Bhagavan and passed the day in four watches. At night, both would engage in divine discourse and kirtan. In this way, both husband and wife lived, knowing nothing of worldly conduct. Thus they completed that birth, with extremely intense mutual love. When the man’s end time came, the woman said, ‘How will I live after you?’ Saying this, she began to weep. Then the man said, ‘You too renounce food and give up your life.’ After that, he left his body, and his funeral rites were performed.
That woman gave her service to another household, and herself renounced food. After some days, she left her body as well. Such was the fate of both of them. Because there was a deficiency in the sentiment toward Bhagavan, it happened so. Now there is no fault or obstacle remaining for them. They have reached divine play.” Thus, the son of the Patel and the daughter of the Patwari both became such recipients of Shri Gusainji’s grace, belonging to Bhagavan. Therefore, how far can their account be told?
Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): In this account it is shown that service to Bhagavan is the supreme matter. Therefore, those who abandon service because of worldly affection attain such a fate. Hence, a Vaishnava should proceed with careful discernment.