He Asks, "Are you Observing Ekādaśī-vrata?"

In 1995 there was an event in New Model, Ludhiana in Śrī Sanātan Dharma Mandir. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtan Mandal was observing their eighth Śrī Harinām Saṅkīrtan Congregation there.
One day when I was standing outside the temple, one car came and stopped near me. Śrī Satish Jain, who was the son of Ray Jain (Chief Trustee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Mandir, Shastrinagar, Ludhiana,) got down from that car. Being acquainted with each other for a long time, we met each other affectionately and together we proceeded to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj’s room for his darśan and found him sitting alone there.
Śrī Satish placed some fruits and other items before Guru Mahārāj and offering daṇḍavat praṇāms, he prayerfully spoke, "Mahārāj, kindly grace me."
"What grace you desire? Is there any need for money?" Guru Mahārāj asked.
"No, Mahārāj. Your bountiful grace is there," Satish replied.
"What else do you want?" Gurujī asked.
"Let my Hari Bhajan go on well; this is my desire," Satish stated.
"Since when are we coming to your house?" Gurujī asked.
"About six years," Satish said.
"Are you observing ekādaśī-vrat? Did you give up eating onion, etc? Gurujī asked in a slightly grave and loud voice.
Śrī Satish felt ashamed and joining hands in prayer sat quietly.
"When you do not accept the words of sādhu then how can one make progress in bhajan?" Gurujī asked.
From then on Satish gave up eating onions and such other non-edible items and started observing Hari vāsara-tithi, ekādaśī vrat.
—Jagannāth Dasadhikāri (Jagiri Das Kochar), Ludhiana
Translated from Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Sandesh, July-Oct, 1997 (Year 17, Issue No.4, Page 66-67)
(previously published)



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