19870314 Kholāvecā Śrīdhara Pastimes

The following is a talk given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on March 14^th 1987 at Śrī Gaurāṅga in Śrī Navadvīpa, India. The house of Kholāvecā Śrīdhara. Kholāvecā Śrīdhara, one of the famous devotees of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who got his special mercy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Kholāvecā Śrīdhara, by profession he was, as his name implies, kholā means banana and vecā means peddler. Banana peddler, vegetable peddler. He had a big orchard? (1:15), big banana orchard, so big, so many banana orchards and he would grow bananas and sell the bananas, the leaves and various other banana products. So, the banana tree is such that it actually came from the heavenly planets. It was taken down from Indraloka and the banana is something which the whole tree is useful. The leaf is used every day for prasāda, which we already know. The fruit, everyone knows. The leaf of the banana? (1:55), even the cow eats the stem, the trunk of the plant. The flower of the banana is called the mocha in Bengali and that mocha is also made into a vegetable. It is considered some sort of a simple delicacy that takes a lot of time to prepare. But this mocha is also one of the products from the banana. The center of the banana tree, is known in Bengali as thor, and that also you can prepare a type of vegetable. Apart from the Thor of the banana tree, the other (2:30) parts can be used as plates, bowls, are also to fed elephants, cows and other similar animals. The root can be taken and replanted again and then it grows into another banana tree. So, the whole banana tree is useful, there is nothing that is without a use. It is totally what you call recyclable.

So Kholāvecā, he was in this state, he was growing bananas and selling the flowers, the centers, the fruits, the leaves, everything. But, 500 years ago in Navadvīpa everybody has bananas in their house. I mean, you notice that if you go in a village everyone grows bananas. It’s nothing, it’s like It is pretty easy to grow and so everyone is growing bananas. So, it’s not like, it’s like going to New Castle and selling coke. It is something like that.

It is not something like what you can make a very big margin because everyone grows it in their backyard. Only if for some reason, someone does not have enough, only then they would buy a little extra on some festival day.

So Kholāvecā Śrīdhara, because that is by his very profession, he was very poor. But nevertheless, he was so strict a gṛhastha a devotee that whatever he would earn from selling his bananas, from that 50% he would spend on the Ganges. He got order form his guru to worship the Ganges. So, he every day went and with whatever profit he made, 50% he used to buy incense or any other thing for worshipping the Ganges and go and worship the Ganges, do Ganges pūjā.? (4:04)

See, in those days they didn’t, he had published a book so they couldn’t (4:12) all those things, but he was doing Ganges pūjā. That was his particular service.

Now Lord Caitanya as a small child, he would come out to Kholāvecā Śrīdhara in the market place and he say, please give me some of your bananas. how much are these? He pick up a bunch, look at it.

Kholāvecā Śrīdhara would tell exactly the correct price, whatever the market rate was. So many koncha. In those days they used koncha for money. But it was, it was a very small amount, a very small cost for the item. As your coin, but you could buy like a whole bag of rice for a coin. (4:47) So parts of bag of rice would this be koncha, the kuri? the Like a bag of rice for a coin may be. Is that correct? Śrīvāsa Mohan?

So, in this way Lord Caitanya said, Oh! so much! You are trying to charge me so much! Why you are trying to cheat a poor brāhmaṇa like me?

Kholāvecā Śrīdhara said, no I am just asking you the correct price. You can go in the market and see this is the proper price. I am not asking more.

Then Lord Caitanya replied, no no. You should take less money; you are charging too much. In this way they have argument every day and Lord Caitanya was just about 10 years old, 11 years old, He would go shopping for his mother. A nice beautiful brahmin boy, Nimāi Paṇḍita, Viśvambara. Then, Lord Caitanya, he suddenly takes the bananas and starts walking away and Kholāvecā Śrīdhara said, hey hey what are you doing?

Why you are taking the bananas. Where are you going? Gaurasundara would turn back and say, what do you want?

What are you saying?

He would throw back the bananas and Kholāvecā Śrīdhara grabbed the bananas back (6:07). Lord Caitanya said, what are you doing? I want the bananas free; I don’t want to pay? You are accusing me that I am taking the bananas without paying. (6:14) He would keep half the price in front of Kholāvecā Śrīdhar and walk off with the bananas.

Things like this go on every day. Big arguments. Big dramas over a couple of banana flowers or a bunch of bananas.

But although Lord Caitanya did this way, he knew that he is my pure devotee. He is coming and he is teasing him in this way, giving him transcendental pastime. Something happened every time when Kholāvecā Śrīdhara would see Lord Caitanya.

His heart would become filled with some form of affection that he never experienced before. Actually, he was feeling kṛṣṇa-prema for the Lord, he was feeling bhāva, feeling various emotions for Lord Caitanya. But at that time he didn’t know that, who was this personality. He just knew that something was very unusual about Nimāi Paṇḍita, something he couldn’t explain how he got attached to him every time he saw him. Even though he did all these things, he never got angry (7:19))

Externally there was (? 7:24) but internally he was very satisfied and very fortunate that this brahmin boy always kept coming to him. This was going on for years. Now Kholāvecā, he would every day, he would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Yesterday in the evening program, I explained how Navadvīpa was filled with jñānīs, karmīs and various other kind of demigod worshippers who were very inimical towards the pure devotees.

So, when Kholāvecā Śrīdhara, when he came home, at night, either alone or with his family or with few friends, he would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But all these other people, they got impatient. Why is he chanting so late in the night?

Then someone would criticize, “O he is just so hungry, probably can’t sleep, he just shouts like that to the night, disturbing everybody else”. In this way, they would always criticize him. One time, some neighbors came and asked him, why you are spending half your money on the Ganges worship?

He said, this is by the order of my guru, I have been assigned to do this. By giving 50% of my income to Kṛṣṇa, then I am freed from the karma and I am able to advance quickly in pure devotional service. All the others said, you want to offer more to Kṛṣṇa. Of course, I always like to offer more to Kṛṣṇa. So, you stop giving 50% for just one year, build up your capital, get a good asset, get a good capital and invest in a good way, then you would earn a million. You will be a rich man. Then give it to Kṛṣṇa. Just stop for now, for a year. Kholāvecā Śrīdhar said, I am giving my honest labor. I am working. Whatever income I am getting by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, that I am accepting. If He wants me to be rich, I will be rich. If He wants me to remain poor, I will remain poor. But if I stop giving my 50%, then again, I may get into the fruitive mentality and become a gṛhamedhī. So, I am afraid of getting into this fruitive mentality. So, but if I stop giving now, I may not begin to give in after an next year. What is the guarantee? So better not to stop.

(9:45), you have a hole in the roof of your house. He said, well, it allows one to see better. Light has to come in somewhere. And it is very cool in the hot day, some ventilation. (9:59), you have got ripped cloth. You have got holes in your cloth. It is torn. You could have a new cloth. Well, at least I have something over my body. I am not naked by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. The people there speaking were so impatient with him. But he never stopped chanting, he kept on chanting every day, kept on doing his Ganges worship. These were the great qualities of Kholāvecā Śrīdhar.

This temple here is built as a place where (10:30) and this is his garden right here, so when we were (10:35) Suvarṇa Vihar or some other place, Jagadish Maharaj has started to give an example using Kholāvecā Śrīdhar. So, I said we would be going there. So, he said alright then I will hold up until then. So, now that here we are, at Kholāvecā Śrīdhar’s place, at this opportunity I would like to request Jagadish maharaj to give a lecture. Devotees chant Haribol and clap.

Jagadīśa Maharaj: from 11:05 to 22:55 – devotees clap

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

I am sure what I am going to say is not going to be a nectar, I will try to say something. This example Kholāvecā Śrīdhara’s simplicity in devotional service, is very instructive for us. I didn’t know this part of the story that Jayapatākā Maharaj was just telling that how people were encouraging him to spend his money on other things. But he insisted on living simply and giving 50%.

So of course, this application of this principle, for each one of our lives would vary, from person to person. But it is a very good principle to follow. Understanding that whatever I get is coming from Kṛṣṇa. It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. He gave it to me to see how I was going to use it. If we can take it that way, because, 2 ways we can take it. He gave it to me for my enjoyment or we could take it as He gave it to me to see if I was using it properly.

Because Kṛṣṇa is testing us constantly, encouraging us, putting us into situations where we can further progress in His devotional service. On the other hand, we can remain entangled within the material existence. Both doors are open to us at every moment. That is our marginal position. Taṭastha-śakti. We can move towards Kṛṣṇa or we can remain entangled in calculating for my own sense gratification. The simplicity of the devotee which is one of the characteristics or qualifications of devotee.

Simplicity means that for oneself, one just takes what is needed to keep the body and soul together and everything else is done for Kṛṣṇa. The best examples are the Six Gosvāmī’s of Vṛndāvana who practically gave up eating and sleeping in order to increase their devotional service to the maximum. Our consciousness is mixed. Now it is trained on devotional service to Kṛṣṇa and selfish interest, maintaining my body, maintaining my family, maintaining my situation, comfortable situation within this world. Kṛṣṇa doesn’t demand that we give up all comforts and live a life of utter poverty and austerity. But austerity is necessary.

tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ
śuddhyed yasmād brahmā saukyam tvanantam
[SB 5.5.1]

This austerity, this divine austerity of devotional service is essential if we want to rise above the entanglement of material existence. This is the price that we have to pay.

So, for Śrīdhara, the eternally liberated soul. So, he has set the example for us that even though there is pressure from outside in all directions for him to give up his simplicity, give up the austerity that he wanted to perform, he still stuck to it very strictly. Because his goal was something else.

As in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa explains, what is nighttime for the materialistic persons is day time for the self-realized person and vice versa. What is nighttime for the self-realized is day time for the common people. In other words, we all have to decide in which direction we want to head, whatever we are interested in. Are we interested in the material world, the external world or the world of the senses, gratifying them and satisfying them and living a life either of comfort or do we want to use everything that we have in Kṛṣṇa’s service, maintaining the body only for that purpose also? We should be confident that Kṛṣṇa does not want us to suffer unduly. Tapasya sometimes means suffering.

Tapasya in devotional service does not mean suffering. Kṛṣṇa does not like to see his devotees suffering. He provides everything very comfortably.

Just as here in Māyāpur, we can live comfortably. Because we are, many of us are westerners, we are customed to certain amenities, certain conveniences. So Prabhupāda has arranged for the (16:28) here and in Vṛndāvana also, so that we can come to these places and take advantage of the transcendental atmosphere for our spiritual purification and advancement.

So, comfort, we don’t have to worry about our comfort. Śrīdhara, was not worried about his comfort, I’m sure he was perfectly comfortable, much more comfortable than his neighbors who were encouraging him to take steps for material progress. (16:57)

Similarly, when a devotee is headed for the internal, being away into the internal world of the self and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, then it is easy to be comfortable in the material world. In fact, our lives are much more comfortable than most of the people in the world. If you take into consideration, there are 4 billion, in between 4 and 5 billion million people in the world, huge number of those people do not live anywhere as comfortably as we do, as devotees.

Even if live here in India, we live very comfortably. So, to increase the comfort is just moving in the wrong direction, it is the direction of the materialist, they think that to gratify the senses is the purpose of life, and they concentrate so much energy and attention on that. But for us, the energy and attention should be directed towards understanding how to please Kṛṣṇa and dedicating our energy for the purpose, limiting the amount of energy we spent on our own comforts to the bare minimum.

We have Kholāvecā Śrīdhara who just got the order to give 50% to the worship of Ganges. We have our order to spread the saṅkīrtana movement and so many supplementary or subordinal orders to go along with that. If we dedicate ourselves to that, we will be perfectly satisfied even living very simply.

Sometimes a devotee thinks that after being a devotee for some time and undergoing some austerity, that he deserves a comfortable situation as a reward. We have to be very careful about that. In other words, sometimes when we come to devotional service, we think that we want to perform some austerity. There is some motivation there for austerity. We are suffering in the material world and we want to get out of it, so some or other reason, we join Kṛṣṇa consciousness and, in the beginning, we do our service. But then after sometime, we start thinking that, now I have been doing austerity so long, now let me become comfortable and we see this tendency amongst some of the older devotees that they think that now I have done my austerity, now I should become comfortable and now this is allowed to an extent.

Brahmacārī life is a life of austerity. And then if the Brahmacārī gets married, the grihasta ashram allows for little comforts. One may have his own apartment and association with the opposite sex. There is a little comfort there. One has to be very careful about taking that as, now I have done my austerity, now I am trying to enjoy. We have also seen that not only householders, but even how sometimes sanyasis have become a little bit affected by similar type of consciousness Now I have performed my austerity, now it is time for me to enjoy.

So, this way, one has to be very careful. Our austerity should continue. For the six Goswami’s, the austerities continue to get more. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He continued to perform austerity much more than what we can do. But the example is that. Not to give up the austerity at a certain point. We see the devotees also in America, they stay sometime in the movement performing austerity, then they are tired of austerity, it is time to move to 7, California light and then it is time to then enjoy the fruits from the austerities that we perform. That is not a very good idea because the real fruits of the austerity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is described in the chapter “Brahma-saukhyam tv anantam” The eternal unlimited happiness which comes as a result of establishing our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa again. So, somehow or the other if we flipped into fruitive consciousness, then that would mean a temporary interruption of our devotional service,our devotional progress.

So, simplicity in the life of the devotee is extremely important we should becomevattached. In fact, this is the basis of the brahmacārī life to get oneself get attached to austerity, simplicity, celibacy and those things, those practices which are going to help one progress throughout the rest of his life. One can be in the grihasta ashram without being attached to these things as austerity, simplicity, celibacy and so on and without having fully understood the Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy. Then there is danger.

Sometimes, grihasta ashram is (22:14). If one isn’t fully prepared before entering into it, then one can end up thinking the blind well there is no one to come to help. So, let us remember the example of Kholāvecā Śrīdhar, now that we are here, we have the fortune of being at his place, remember his example, his attachment to simplicity and see that as a very important example that we can follow in our own life, we can continuously make further progress, up until the end of our life and then go back to GodHead.

Haribol Jai!!!

Guru Maharaj continues:

Nitāi Gaura Premānande Haribol

Kholāvecā Śrīdhar Ki Jai

Hari nāma sankirtan ki jai

So later, when Lord Caitanya started His sankirtan movement. That time, of course he didn’t go (23:19), to go to Kholāvecā Śrīdhar for buying the bananas. Kholāvecā Śrīdhar never forgot Lord Caitanya. He was always very eager; he would sometimes send him bananas or otherwise provide.

One day, when Adwaita Gosāi, he saw that Lord Caitanya had in meditation gone to His mood as Kṛṣṇa, he put Tulsi on His lotus and feet and he started offering Him ārati.

Then mahaprakash at that time, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya as the Supreme Personality of GodHead as a devotee, He started to reveal to the different devotees of the world and to give different devotees His blessings. He decided to reveal to Murāri Gupta that he was hanumān.

Murāri Gupta all of a sudden, looked at himself and saw that he was hanumān.He looked at Lord Caitanya. Murāri Gupta was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya told, you know who you are and he was also a very determined Ram Bhakta. He was a devotee so he should simply chant Kṛṣṇa’s names. So next morning, he was preparing to commit suicide.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said why?

He said the whole of last night I was trying to follow your orders to think of Kṛṣṇa. With every word, Lord Ram’s face comes out. Only Ram’s face comes in my mind so many times. So, he said, I fail to give up the lotus feet of Lord Ram. At the same time, he could not disobey the orders of Lord Caitanya. So, it’s better I go to the Ganges and take one one dip. (Devotees laugh) the permanent time. So Lord Caitanya said you are true devotee of Lord Ram, So in that mahaprakash, He told, you know who you are? By His blessings, he looked and now he was hanumān. He looked at Lord Caitanya and he saw Lord Caitanya had become Ram. Then he fainted. When he came conscious, he was Murāri Gupta and then there was Lord Caitanya.

So, like this, different devotees were getting mercy in different ways. All of a sudden, Lord Caitanya told his associates, you bring Kholāvecā Śrīdhar. So, they came over, near to this place and told Kholāvecā Śrīdhar, you must come. They said Lord Caitanya is calling for you. “Lord Caitanya calling for me” he fainted. Such a humble devotee he is that Lord Caitanya had called for him, he fainted. Now what the devotees are going to do? They just picked him up and carried him over. They got over to Srivas (26:28)