TRUE FRIEND BANKE BIHARILAL

Once I was having tea at a tea stall on the vrindavan parikrama marg. I was about to finish my tea when an old lady entered and greeted me by saying Radhe Shyam. I greeted back in the same manner and was wondering if I knew her. At that moment another group of people came and she greeted them also in the same manner. I understood that is the ettiquete of vrindavan and she is following that. I asked her amma will you have tea? She replied, no not yet.I have come here under the instructions of Bihariji because he told me that soeone will give me Rs 5/- I thought that must be one of her ways to ask for money and took out a five Re. note and was handing it over to her. She gave a cool stare and said, no the person who is going to give me the money is younger than you. He is in his early thirties. I thought she is a little out of her mind and found her conversation very weird. I got up to go but she stopped me and said, see that man who is coming towards the tea stall,I think he is the one whom Bihariji has instructed to give me Rs.5/- I did not pay much attention to what she was saying but saw that the man was coming inside the tea stall and gave her Rs/- That was how I bacame curious to know more about her. So I followed her but she vanshed out of sight within seconds,but after a shot while I saw her coming out from a hut with Rs10/- and the prescription of some medicine. As she saw me she said,o that’s good! Bihariji has sent you here to bring this medicine so please bring it from the chemist. Without asking any questions I obeyed her and went off to buy the medicine. I was obviosly curious to know for whom she had got that medicine so I kept standing there. She was talking to a poor old lady whose child was having very high fever.I heard her telling her to give these medicines three times a day.After consoling the poor lady she started going .Iwas impressed by her helping attitude.She was collecting the mony to elp others and not for herself. Now I had a desire to know more about his noble woman. I stopped her by saying mata ji,mataji, but she ignored,and went away. The next day I went to the same place with hopes of meeting her again but came back dissapointed.On the third day I met her by chance and I literally begged her to stop and tell me more about herself. She gave a sigh saying, Bihariji! Do you want to remind me my miseries which I had long forgotton? If that is your wish then I will narrate how I came to Vrindavan.

She started telling me that she had lived a very happy life with her family which included her husband, four sons, their wives and children. She had served the family with full devotion. Her husband was a wealthy merchant and the sons had also joined the family buisness. Everyone in the family was very respectful to the parents. One day there was a small boil on the foot of this lady and eventually it turned out that she had developed the germs of leperosy. There was a sudden change of attitude among all the members of the family towards her. Everyone encluding her husband who loved her dearly tried to avoid sitting next to her. She was isolated and spent her days in a secluded room.Her utensils were kept seperately which she washed herself. She could understand all this for the welfare of her family but one day she got a rude shock when all her son’s came with their wives and wanted to say something to her. The eldest son on behalf of others came with the propsal that amma should go and stay in some place of plgrimage where they will send money or her daily needs.After all this is an infecious disease and even amma will not like it if any of her child or grand child got infected.

She kept on listening and just nodded. The sons went away leaving her to wonder if they were the same sons who would not eat before amma started eating her meal. That night she skipped her dinner which, the maid servant had left for her in the room. The whole night she was tossing and turning and could not have even a wink of sleep. She went on thinking what to do .Should she jump in a well? Should she leave home? All these thought came to her mind. At last in the early hours of morning she quietly packed a few clothes and took what ever meger money she had and left home without telling any one.She had no one to share her plight.One poor lady used to ome to her and she used to give her many things in charity to help her. She landed at her doorstepand woke her upAfter haring her sad story she advised her to go to vrindavan where she could et help from one of her relative who ad gone there and had become a babaji.The lady offered to go with her and leave her there with her relative and soon they reached vrindavan.For a few days the relative of that lady shared the food he begged with her but he too died and she was again left alone to fight for her survival.She felt embarassed to beg in the beginning but soon got used to it. One day when she went to bathe in the yamuna river her foot slipped and she was on the verge of drowning.She was in an uncocious state and all she could remember wasthat a very attractive boy had dived into the river to save her.When she became concious she was surrounded by some brij folks.She looked every where to find the charming diver but he was no where to be seen. The people around her told her that she had a very lucky escape. She looked at her foot and was astonished. She found that there was not a single wound,her lepersoy had dissapeared. One person from the crowd advised her to go to Bihariji’s temple and thank him for saving her life. She had never been here before so now that she was no longer infected by leperosy she entered the emple and was looking at Bihariji spell bound because it was this charming boy only who has dived in the yamuna and saved her life. With tears in her eyes and a shiver of excitement going through her entire body she vowed that she will depend only on Bihariji who had brought her to vrindavan.Leprsory was just a temporary excuse to detach her from her family.Now she was doing sewa of Bihariji in her small way by helping his devotees who were in need.He was the only true friend she had in his world.Swami sri haridas ji says in one of his padas:

HIT TO KEE JE KAMAL NAIN, SO JAA KE HITH AAGE SAB HIT LAAGE FEEKE.
KE HITH KIJE SADHU SANGATI SOUN, JYUN KALMASH JAAYEE SAB JEE KO.
HARI KO HITH EISO, JAISE RANG MAJEETH; SANSAAR HITH RANG KUSUMBH DIN DUTI KO.
KAHE SRI HARDAS HITH KI JE BIHARIJI SAUN
AUR NIBAAHUN JAANI JEE KO.

It means swamiji says o brother!If you want to love, then love only Bihariji or love his bhakts who are always engrossed in Bihariji’s bhajans only.The worldly love is temporary made out of faded colours of flowers which is finished the moment you are of no use to your so called loved ones, but Bihariji’s love is permanent which is made out of the scent of flowers. It is Bihariji alone who will by your side when you are in pain or trouble,your relatives and friends will run away the moment they see approaching for help.Bihariji will wash away all your sins and take you in his arms. Such is the love of bihariji.

Comments

  1. I love your blog. I am one of the trustees at Shri Banke Bihari Mandir,Vrindavan and I am in charge of maintaining the website www.bihariji.org
    We would be glad to cross-post your blog entries. I would like to discuss this issue with you over the emails. Since your email address is not listed on the blog, please feel free to reach me at admin@bihariji.org

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  2. sri radhe radhe, I have no doubt that Bihari ji is always with thier bhakts.

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  3. We have several examples of presence of God Krishna in this world. We must have faith in god and to remember him at all the times.Sri Krishna govin hare murare hay nath narayan nath vasudeva.

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