Srila Paramgurudev's Compassion for His Lost Son

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This incident dates back to the time when Gurudev Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj was present in person. We had gone to a far off village some distance away from Calcutta, accompanying Srila Gurudev. After the spiritual assembly was over, Gurudev and the other Vaishnavas came back to the place where they were staying. Everybody saw that suddenly an insane person, whose body was covered with dirt and who was wearing only two pieces of clothes which were badly torn. His poor body appeared like a skeleton. He was about to enter the gate and the security guard of the dharamsala pushed him out. 

This mentally disordered person was unable to speak, started to weep and later on went away. Sometime in the evening that person again entered the dharamsala through a small gate and straight away went inside Gurudeva's room. When we saw that, we all rushed in there to bring him out. But when reaching the room, we saw that the mad person in an extremely humble tone was weeping and calling out in a choked voice: “Ha Gurudeva! Please protect me! Oh protector of the wretched, liberator of the fallen souls! Please protect me!" While uttering these words repeatedly he fell down to the ground paying obeisances to Guruji. 

Guruji looked towards his dirty and torn off clothes and then glanced towards the dirt that had accumulated on his body. Suddenly overlooking everything, Gurudeva started to attend to this discarded, lunatic person just like His own child. The mad person sat upright. 

With tears in His eyes, Guruji said, "Shyam Vallabh! How come you are in this state of affairs?"

Each one of us, whether married or ascetic, was stunned on witnessing this heart-stirring scene. Everybody had forgotten about Shyam Vallabh. We were astonished to hear Shyam Vallabh's name being called out by Guruji. Looking carefully into our human minds, we recollected that there was a godbrother in Kolkata many years previous who had renounced the world whose name was Shri Shyam Vallabh Das Brahmachari. Once Pujyapad Narsingh Maharaj (at that time he had not taken sannyas yet) and I, along with Shyam Vallabh had gone out for Harinam to a place called Bakura and there this brahmachari started to suffer from a disease called smallpox. On seeing no recovery, he was sent back to Kolkata. As per Lord's desire the disease enhanced and due to this Sri Shyam Vallabh turned mad. He used to call names and speak irrelevantly. 

For a few days, the Vaishnavas had bound him in the Math and tried to get him proper treatment with no positive response. One day Shyam Vallabh went out of the Math without anyone noticing. He must have lost his way and nobody knew where he went. Many years passed and gradually our memories of him started fading. But today when Guruji uttered Shyam Vallabh's name, we also started recognizing him. 

Selfish world and worldly people forget to recognize others after the fulfillment of their interest, but Gurudev and the Vaishnavas never forget their disciples, devotees or followers. Before Shyam Vallabh became mad, he had served Gurudeva and the Vaishnavas extensively in the Math. How can a father forget his son and how can a guru forget his disciple or follower? 

As per instructions of Gurudeva, Shyam Vallabh was dressed with good clothes and given a variety of eatables, but the sad point was that his brain was still not under his control. He did not value these respectful actions towards him. He was only crying continuously. We did not know what to think but Guruji had him forcibly stay with us throughout the night at our place. 

We all saw and heard that he was speaking in a low tone continuously. He was weeping and repeating, “Gurudeva, protector of the wretched! Guruji, be merciful!"He continued murmuring till late at night. One or two servitors on being disturbed by this murmuring during sleep left for some other place leaving the big room where we all were sleeping. We did not know as to when he fell asleep, while he continued to murmur. 

In the morning, we were all busy taking bath and praying. We saw that Shyam Vallabh was sleeping. After some time, when he did not move or get up, one of us tried to wake him up, but this had been his last night of bewilderment. He slept so deeply as if never to wake up again. When this news came to different Vaishnavas, as per instructions of Guruji, the last rights of cremation of Pujyapad Shyam Vallabh Das Brahmachari were performed as per the Vaishnava system.

-Sripad Bhakti Niketan Turyasrami Maharaj

originally published in GOKUL magazine




video by Radhika Priya Dasi

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