Now there was a Kshatriya Vaishnav, a sevak of Shri Gusainji, Chandanwara, who lived in Shri Gokulji. The sentiment of his Varta is being told.
Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): He is a Rajas devotee. In the divine play his name is Bhramita. Previously he was a sakhi of Bimala in the Dwarka-lila. He manifested from Bimala; therefore his devotional form is of that nature.
Once Shri Rukminiji said to Shri Thakurji, “In the way that you played the flute in Vraj, called the Vraj gopis, and performed the Raas with them, in the same way please perform Raas with us also. This is the desire of all of us.” Then Shri Thakurji smiled and gave this reply: “You are all princesses. Therefore the worldly modesty that binds the Vraj gopis will not leave you. And how will you come into the forest at night?” Then Shri Rukminiji said, “We will come. You play the flute in the forest.” After that Shri Rukminiji said to all the chief queens, “All of you remain ready with the complete sixteen adornments. When the sound of the flute is heard, we will all go into the forest. There we will meet the Lord and perform the Raas.”
Then Satyabhama and the other chief queens became pleased. They went to their respective palaces and began to adorn themselves with their own sakhis and companions. After that Shri Thakurji went to Gopitalaiya and played the flute. Hearing it, Shri Rukminiji and all the chief queens, along with their sakhis and companions, came out of their respective palaces fully adorned with the sixteen adornments. They reached the gateway called Singhpori.
There they saw that Vasudevji and all the Yadavas were sitting there. Then all of them thought among themselves, “At this time of night we are leaving our homes dressed in such adornment. If these elders see us, what will they say? And if they ask us, ‘All of you together, adorned with the sixteen adornments, where are you going at this time of night?’ What answer will we give them? Therefore at this time it is certainly not proper to go outside the house.” Thus, out of fear of the elders, all of them returned to their respective palaces.
Shri Thakurji came to know of this. Then he thought, “I have played the flute with the impulse of the Pushti form, and I have resolved to perform the Raas. Yet they have not come. How can my resolve become false? Therefore now I should call the young maidens of Vraj and perform the Raas with them.”
Thinking in this way, Shri Thakurji called the young maidens. At that time Bimala, the sakhi of Shri Rukminiji, and Tanmadhya, the sakhi of Shri Satyabhamaji, also came there secretly along with their own groups. They joined with the young maidens and afterwards experienced the Raas. Among that group was also Bhramita. In this way they experienced the Pushti-lila.
Afterwards they did not return to Dwarka. In separation they left their bodies at that very place. Along with Bhramita there was one sakhi of Bimala named Sahodari. She also left her body in the same manner. After that there were three sakhis of Tanmadhya. Their names were Krishnanuchari, Ratishuri, and Satya. They too, in separation, left their respective bodies. These five sakhis then attained the Vraj-lila. Later the entire group of the divine play manifested upon the earth. At that time they also came. Their Varta will be told ahead.
And this soul took birth in Agra in the house of a wealthy Kshatriya. That Kshatriya was a sevak of Shri Gusainji. When Shri Gusainji came to Agra, he had his son perform name-initiation before Shri Gusainji. After that the Kshatriya came and lived in Shri Gokul with his family. After a few days he passed away. The son remained in Shri Gokul. He associated with the Vaishnavs and daily listened to sacred discourses and Vartas. His love for Shri Gusainji increased greatly. He remained constantly engaged in the seva of Shri Gusainji.
Prasang 1 – The Vaishnav’s Doubt Removed by the Darshan of Shrinathji
One day during the hot season Shri Gusainji returned from the temple, had taken his meal, and was seated in the meeting place. At midday the Lord would apply sandalwood paste upon his divine body. The Vaishnavs would each bring very fragrant sandal paste from their homes on different days, which the Lord would accept. One day it was the turn of this Vaishnav. He began to offer the sandal paste with his own hands upon the divine body of Shri Gusainji. At that time a thought arose in the mind of that Vaishnav: “All the Vaishnavs say that Shrinathji and Shri Gusainji are one form. Yet he appears here in a human body and gives darshan. How will the doubt of my mind be removed?”
Shri Gusainji understood the thought in his mind. After applying the sandal paste the Vaishnav offered dandvat and started to go home. At that time Shri Gusainji, while reclining, gave him this command: “Vaishnav, fan me for a little while and then go home.” Then that Vaishnav began to fan Shri Gusainji. Shri Gusainji reclined, covering himself with a very thin upper cloth. While the Vaishnav was fanning him, the Lord granted him the direct darshan of Shrinathji within the upper cloth. Then the Vaishnav began to think within his mind, “Is this happening to me like a dream?” He began again and again to rub and blink his eyes and look repeatedly, thinking, “Perhaps this is some illusion for me?”
As long as doubt remained in his mind, Shri Gusainji continued to show him the darshan of Shrinathji. Then he understood, “What all the Vaishnavs were saying is true.” At that very moment the Vaishnav offered dandvat. At that instant firm faith arose in his mind. Then Shri Gusainji sat up. Looking toward this Vaishnav he asked him, “Vaishnav, has the doubt of your mind been removed?” The Vaishnav at once ran forward, offered dandvat, and prayed before the Lord, “Maharaj, by your grace I have now understood your true form. Therefore the doubt in my mind has been removed.”
Bhav Prakash (Revealing the Sentiment): The intention of this Varta is that a Vaishnav should never have a sense of difference between Shri Gusainji and Shri Govardhannathji. Gopaldas has sung this in Vallabhakhyan in the following verse:
“रूप बेऊ एक ते भिन्न थई विस्तरे विविध लीला करे भजन सार ।”
“Though the two forms appear separate, they are actually one; in expansion they perform various divine plays, which are the essence of devotion.”
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Thus Shri Gusainji and Shri Govardhannathji are one form. However, in order to manifest the relationship of master and sevak, they assume two forms and perform divine play. Therefore a Vaishnav should understand the form of Shri Gusainji as divine and extraordinary. This Vaishnav was such a greatly graced devotee of Shri Gusainji. Therefore the extent of his Varta cannot be reached—how far can it be told?