His Lack of Attention to External Coverings

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Once I went to Dhanbad along with Mahārāj for preaching. There was a person there named Yasamanta who used to donate coal to the maṭha thrice a year. They invited Guru Mahārāj to stay in their house; it was a good accommodation with air-conditioned rooms. But that particular year, we went to live in the house of a householder devotee in Herapuri who was a disciple of Param Pūjyapāda Om Viṣṇupada Śrīmad Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Gosvāmī Mahārāj.

Narasiṃha Mahārāj, Deva Prasād Prabhu, and Viṣṇudaivata Mahārāj (who was a brahmacārī at that time) were also present. There was hari-kathā and kīrtan in the house of Yasamanta, and Mahārāj would go there. I was cooking and washing clothes for Tirtha Mahārāj. Narasingha Mahārāj, who was Achintya Govinda brahmacārī then, gave advice to Tirtha Mahārāj.

“Mahārāj, please clean your clothes. You are going to the house of a distinguished person.”

Mahārāj replied, “They are already clean.”

Achintya Prabhu said to me, “Kṛṣṇa Ranjan Prabhu, please wash the clothes of Mahārāj.”

It was wintertime. I cleaned the clothes, but I did not know how to dye the clothes. I dyed his clothes and hung them up for drying. Mahārāj would leave for the program between 3 to 4 pm.

After the clothes got dried, I saw that they are not colored properly. It looked similar to deerskin with some spots of white and saffron. I was struck by this calamity and thought how could I offer these clothes to Mahārāj? I was in a very bad condition. I folded them and put them beneath his bed.

Mahārāj asked, “Kṛṣṇa Rañjana, where are my clothes?”

I told him that they are under his bed and then immediately ran away from there. I was worried that Mahārāj would say something, but wore them and appeared fit and fine with them.

Achintya Prabhu exclaimed on seeing him, “Mahārāj what is this? Your dress was fine before. It is colored unevenly.”

Mahārāj replied, “No, it is okay. Kṛṣṇa Rañjana washed them today. I have seen.”

He wore them anyway because he didn't want me to feel bad. I felt a little relieved hearing that. Achintya Prabhu was repeatedly insisting that Mahārāj should have a look at his dress pointing to various places on the cloth, but he did not notice it at all. He sat on the vyāsāsana and spoke hari-kathā with those clothes on.

—Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Nārāyaṇa Mahārāj, 2012

sitting far right: Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Nārāyaṇa Mahārāj 


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