His Renunciation Resembles That of Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī

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I know about those times when Gurudeva was taking dalia (broken wheat), ripe papaya, and a protein drink called "Resource" every day. In 2006 or 2007 during Kārtika in our Delhi maṭha, there was a celebration of Rādhā-kunda's appearance day. Gurudeva spoke about how Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was following a very strict diet of only taking one bowl of buttermilk.

So Gurudeva was explaining how this was possible for Raghunātha Dās Gosvāmī. It is not like Siddhartha Gautam Buddha who only wanted to renounce this world. Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī had so much positive attachment to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa's service and was getting that transcendental bliss. So because of that, he could totally minimize all these worldly necessities.

Before Gurudeva started to speak, I offered a garland to Gurudeva as devotees requested me to do so. Because of this service, while sitting and hearing his Hari-kathā, I felt such transcendental bliss coming from within my heart that I felt I would explode. Gurudeva was speaking about Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, his eating habits, and lifestyle; it was like Gurudeva was speaking one thing and I was realizing another thing in between. 

Gurudeva said that by the way of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī's eating you can understand he is not an ordinary person; he is a personal associate of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. So at that time, it connected to me that Gurudeva is also like that. In those days he was only taking that dalia and papaya and for us, it would seem like great austerity, but when Gurudeva was explaining about Raghunātha Dās Gosvāmī, I could relate that to him also, and it confirmed what I felt within my heart at that time by his grace. Also it was double confirmed that Gurudeva is personal associate of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī.

We heard that Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī once played the pastime of being sick and they brought an Ayurvedic doctor. After checking his pulse, he said he had taken something very heavy the night before, kheer (sweet rice). And they said, no, he is only taking buttermilk and they were discussing and quarreling with the doctor. Then ultimately Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī said that in his meditation on Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, in that līlā when he was serving, he offered kheer and took as much prasād as They gave him. So it is true.

One time a sevāk of Gurudeva said he asked Gurudeva how he could only eat dalia and papaya every day; the same thing two times in a day. Then Gurudeva told him, "Yes, if you would have to do this, you would die." But then after some time, Gurudeva said that it was not the only prasād that he was getting, thus indicating that it was like Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī in līlā. So in līlā also Gurudeva is getting that prasād in the same way as Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī. That is also one reason why they can follow such extreme renunciation as we see it here.

One time Gurudeva was explaining how Nārada Gosvāmī saw that Vṛndāvana-līlā in this world is more beautiful than the one in Goloka Vṛndāvana because this one is in a dark place and compared it with diamonds that will shine more in a dark place. So, very beautiful Vṛndāvana in this world. Gurudeva was telling us this, but we are not able to realize.

Gurudeva said that the Gosvāmīs saw Vṛndāvana in a totally different way. They actually could enter into that transcendental realm and they could stay, everything was very blissful and charming and they had no problem. They could stay under different trees each day and eat only one or two chapatis by begging. While Gurudeva was explaining this, I felt that Gurudeva really would like to stay in Vṛndāvana as the Gosvāmīs and that he is able to do that. But just because his Gurudeva gave him this sevā of being Ācārya he took it as his service to his Gurudeva.

So only because Parama-gurudeva gave him that sevā he is staying in this room and using AC. Because devotees are giving this to him, he is using all these things. Inside he has no need or desire, but just because all are offering these things he is using those for the service of Kṛṣṇa. But his internal desire was to stay like the Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana. He was asking us, "Can you do that? (stay under a tree, etc?) We could understand that of course, we cannot.

But I felt Gurudeva can do it and he had that internal desire but only because Parama-gurudeva gave him this sevā he is using these things, not because he needs or wants to enjoy them, but because others are offering and he has to do that sevā, so that is there. But inside he wanted to stay under a tree in Vṛndāvana, taking only one or two chapati, in this way. In the way he was explaining I felt that deep inside my heart. So I was remembering that.

—Madana Gopāla Dāsa, Slovenia



 


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